Why do you get Mail: Chapter 5 ARGENTINA & AUSTRALIA
Commemorative UPU 75th Anniversary Stamps
David Silverstein, MD
Retired Pulmonologist & Honorary Medical Staff
Continuing with our listings for countries are Argentina and Australia…
Enjoy!
ARGENTINA (Sc 586; SG 812; Mi 568)
Date of Issue: November 19, 1949
Value(s): 25¢ (Centavos)
Perforation(s): 13 ½ x 13
Paper: Watermark (multiple suns with inscription RA)
Process: Engraved
Designer: Renato Garrasi (born 1915 Italy; died 1990 Italy)
Engraver: Mario Baiardi (born 1909 Italy; died 1972 Italy)
Printer: Casa de Moneda de la Nacion / Koebau-Giori
Note: Joined UPU April 1, 1878. A total of 5,000,000 issued. In addition, a total of 20,000 Commemorative “folders” were issued. Names are printed on bottom left of stamp as GARRASI DEL (Designer), bottom center as CASA DE MONEDA DE LA NACION (Printer) and on bottom right as BAIARDI SCULP (Engraver). Printed in sheets of 100 (10 x 10). Special thanks to Pablo Di Maria, Argentine Federation of Philatelic Institutions (FAEF) for his invaluable assistance and knowledge.
A series of postcards are known with commemorative cachets. Additionally, seven imperforate color trials exist (including one with the final stamp colors with and without overprint “MUESTRA”) as well as an imperforate proof in brown and purple on a thick paper:
Imperf proof in plum showing spot in left hand (position 51)
Lastly, a sample sheet produced by Casa de Moneda de la Nacion showing examples of stamps and bank notes (325mm x 245mm) exists and includes an image of the trial color proof in purple and brown used to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the UPU.
AUSTRALIA (Sc 223; SG 232; Mi 198; ACSC 276)
Date of Issue: October 10, 1949.
Value(s): 3½ d (Penny)
Perforation(s): 14 ½ x 14
Paper: White and cream (see stamps above First Day cover). Watermark (Multiple Crowns and C of A)
Process: Engraved. Rotary recess printed at Note Printing Branch in Melbourne.
Designer/ Engraver: Frank Davies Manley (born 1894 in London; died 1976 in Australia). The location of the design is west of Bourke in New South Wales and is based on a work by Sir Daryl Lindsay, Director of the National Gallery in Victoria (born December 31, 1889 in Creswick, Victoria; died December 25, 1976 in Mornington).
Printer: Commonwealth Stamp Printer, Melbourne
Notes: Joined UPU October 1, 1907. A total of 5,084,688 stamps issued in 60,532 sheets of 84 stamps each (6 x 14). Each sheet has a Government imprint on the left bottom margin that reads “Printed by the authority of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia”. Valid for use in Papua/New Guinea, Australian Antarctic Territories and by Allied Forces in Japan. Special thanks to Sue Chan, Reference Librarian, Information Services, National Library of Australia for her invaluable assistance and knowledge.
According to the Australian Commonwealth Specialist Catalog (ACSC) there are three “Essays”:
Two are pencil sketches in an unadopted design endorsed as "1st sketch for postal stamp Daryl Lindsay" and "2nd sketch for postal stamp Daryl Lindsay".
A third hand drawn essay is reported in pen/ink similar to the issued design, 8" X 5" on card and signed by the artist.
In addition, 8 “Die Proofs”, all in Ultramarine on white wove paper mounted in sunken frame are reported (seven of which are numbered on reverse) and were distributed to:
King George VI, Sir W. McKell (Governor-General), D. Cameron (Postmaster General), Sir G. Chippendall (Director General of the PMG's Department), P. Vanthoff (prior Director General of the PMG's Department) but was later returned to the Australia Post Archival Collection, Sir D. Lindsay (Stamp Advisory Committee), JRW Purves (Stamp Advisory Committee) and W.L. Russell (Stamp Advisory Committee).
The stamp was issued in an ultramarine color on white paper and a described “dull” ultramarine color likely in part from the different cream paper used (see images above FDC).
Sheets have a pair of circular markings on the right or left side on center margin and are described as either Right Center or Left Center Perf pip type I.
Seton Van Gelderen in The Australian Stamp Monthly of March 1, 1950 on page 171 reported 17 “plate flaws”; however, the author has reviewed 3 full sheets (including right & left Perf pip type I sheets) and has not found those “flaws”. Undoubtedly these varieties are non-constant and most likely some of them being re-entries (shifted transfer of ink due to creeping of the metal during the rolling-in process). Below are examples of the same such as the mark near the right frame, marks in front of the 3 and the “airplane dropping bomb” shown below:
In 1999 the Australia Post introduced the first of 4 collections of engraved (intaglio) stamp proofs printed from their original steel dies in Black. A 2nd collection (called “Federation”) was produced in 2001 in blue. A 3rd collection (called “Royalty”) was produced in 2003 in red and lastly in 2005 a 4th collection called “Transport and Communications” was produced in green. All books came with slipcovers and the die proofs were produced at actual size and listed in the Australian Commonwealth Specialists’ Catalog as “posthumous proofs”. These die proofs were printed from dies by Avon Graphics in Melbourne. In the 4th book one finds a die proof of the UPU 75th Anniversary stamp in green:
An urgent press release appeared around September 1949 in a Swanbourne (Western Australia) newspaper proclaiming the release in October of the Australian (with the word UNION) and India stamps commemorating the event. Both stamps illustrated are similar to the ones issued, yet not exactly the same. The India stamp is actually similar to the stamps on the black imperforated commemorative sheetlet (see India). Many colorful cachets First Day Covers were used in Australia, including hand drawn FDC cachet covers:
