Why do you get Mail: Chapter 4 Albania & Algeria Commemorative UPU 75th Anniversary Stamps

David Silverstein, MD

Retired Pulmonologist & Honorary Medical Staff

The following series will continue alphabetically, unless a particular request is made for a specific nation. Some listings are limited (like Albania) as a result of either unique issues taking place with the country at that time, or because the nation in question opted to produce a small set of stamps. Other countries were so extensive in their presentations like Great Britain, Germany and France that each will likely be presented in parts. Please refer to Chapter 1 in the newsletter for a better understanding of why you get mail. 

A bit of added history: The original founding day of “October 9” was chosen for the 75th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union, and it was celebrated throughout the world. Over 185 member countries & colonies issued approximately 700 commemorative stamps and souvenir sheets celebrating the 75th Anniversary. This resulted in the 1st and largest world-wide compilation of philatelic material. Only the following 14 countries/colonies issued stamps on the declared founding date (October 9, 1949) which was a Sunday. These were: Burma, Denmark, Egypt, Germany (Russian Zone and West Federal Republic), Iceland, Philippines, El Salvador, Spain (as well as Spanish Guinea, Spanish Sahara/Ifni and Spanish West Africa), Sweden and Turkey.

This explains the scarcity of some first day covers (FDC’s) for these places; nonetheless, the same exist. These are likely the result of covers postmarked in the few post offices that were open on that Sunday or prepared after/prior to the event. Since cancel machinery and hand stamps allowed changes to the day, month and year, this may have allowed for certain shady activities by postal employees canceling covers for a select clientele; either the day prior or the day after the October 9 date, with an October 9 postmark date. 

Currently the UPU has 192 members and is the 3rd oldest international organization after the International Telecommunication Union and the Rhine Commission. After the founding of the United Nations in 1945, the UPU became a specialized agency of the UN in 1948. Member states of the UPU are the Vatican City and every UN member except Andorra, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.

ALBANIA (Sc 458-60; SG 532-4; Mi 482-4) 

Date of Issue: July 1, 1950                                                                             

Value(s): 5, 8 and 12 lek. 

Perforation(s): 12 x 12½

Paper: Unwatermarked. 

Process: Photogravure

Printer: State Printing House in Prague, Czech Republic (see notes). 

Notes: Joined UPU March 1, 1922. A total of 30,000 sets were released and sold out within less than 3 hours. Immediately after WWII, old stocks of stamps were overprinted in Albania. Further new issues were printed then in Yugoslavia for a while; however, when relations deteriorated with Yugoslavia, stamps were subsequently printed in Czechoslovakia before there were capabilities to print stamps in Albania. During this time of communist rule correspondence with foreign countries was discouraged and FDC’s are quite rare. Plate flaws are not known. Special thanks to Otto Graf, Specialist Pre-Philately to present day Albania and to Yavuz Corapcioglu, Ph.D., Vice President of the Ottoman and Near East Philatelic Society for their invaluable assistance and knowledge. 

ALGERIA (Sc 226-8; SG 295-7; Mi 341-3) 

Date of Issue: October 24, 1949

Value(s): 5f, 15f and 25f (Francs)

Perforation(s): 13 and Imperforate

Paper: Unwatermarked

Process: Engraved

Designer and Engraver: Albert Decaris (born on May 6, 1901 in Sotteville-lès-Rouen; died January 1, 1988 in Paris).

Printer: French Government Printing Works, Paris.

Notes: Joined UPU October 1, 1907. Total of 150,000 stamps issued for the 5 and 15-franc values. 120,000 issued for the 25-franc value. Printed in sheets of 25 (5 x 5) between June and September, 1949 (see below)

 Imperforated, Perforated stamps & FDC                    Blocks with printing dates

Blocks (shown above) from sheets (shown below) exist with printing dates, on reciprocal colored margins, on the left side of sheets:

Deluxe Proof (Epreuve de Luxe “small”) exist with rounded corners for all values, imperforated, with control punch holes and labeled “Atelier de Fabrication des Timbres-Poste. Paris” that measure 123 mm x 94mm, with impression of the steel die in the center of the sheets measuring approximately 49mm x 32mm: 

Deluxe Proof (Epreuve de Luxe “large”) exist with straight corners for all values, imperforated, with control punch holes and labeled “Atelier de Fabrication des Timbres-Poste. Paris” that measure approximately 155mm x 125mm, with impression of the steel die in the center of the sheets measuring approximately 49mm x 32mm:

Compound Deluxe Proof with all three values exist imperforated with straight corners, control punch holes and labeled “Atelier de Fabrication des Timbres-Poste. Paris” that measure approximately 155mm x 125mm, with impression of the steel die in the center of the sheets measuring approximately 49mm x 32mm. Special Blocks (Blocs Speciaux) exist perforated with straight corners, gummed, and with control punch holes and labeled “Atelier de Fabrication des Timbres-Poste. Paris” that measure 123 mm x 94mm: 

Compound Deluxe Proof (Epreuve Collective) with all three values exist imperforated with irregularly indented borders (deckle edged), control punch holes and labeled “Atelier de Fabrication des Timbres-Poste. Paris” that measure approximately 160mm x 125mm, with impression of the steel die in the center of the sheets measuring each approximately 49mm x 32mm: 

Engravers Die Proofs (Epreuve D’Artiste) are known measuring about 128mm x 160mm showing the impression of the steel die measuring approximately 79mm x 70mm. Sepia Printers Die Proofs (Epreuve D’Inspection) are known measuring approximately 139mm x 115mm with impression of the steel die in the center of the sheets measuring approximately 79mm x 68mm. These show the signature of the engraver (Albert Decaris) inside the impression of the steel die:

Color Proofs (Epreuve de Coleur) are known measuring 148mm x 110mm with impression of the steel die in the center of the sheets measuring approximately 49mm x 32mm, and produced with a defined four-digit number (color code) followed by either the letters Lc (Lefranc) or Lx (Lorilleux) as a suffix denoting the ink manufacturer. Added information is available at: http://www.dieproofs.it/english/saggi_colore_eng.html 

Maximum cards are known (single franking) with the 5f value dated 10 Nov 49 “Philatelic Expo” (addressed and “may have been used” in the mail) and also July 31, 1950; however, author has not seen one with writings on the reverse (i.e.: true “correspondence”):

Very rare compound (collective) sepia sunken die proofs exist; as do very rare black Epreuve D’Artiste (see Monaco page 126), with the security punch holes hand drawn in pencil measuring 155mm X 150mm (also see France in Morocco page 52 and Monaco page 127). Lastly, some compound (collective) die proofs are known as multicolored hand painted proofs and are also very rare.