Unusual Postal Stationery

Category - Sight
Subcategory - Unusual Covers, Folders and Postcards

This category is a offshoot of the unusual category for covers and folders which are unique and offers a different perspective to stamps collections. So for unusual cover and folder collectors this is for you. Another apology is due as I collect only mint stamps and miniature/souvenir sheet I haven't spent much time researching into this category for other unusual covers and folders. (For me unusual covers and folders should not be thought of having unusual stamps but that the cover/folder itself is unusual).

Bangladesh 2011 Mahatma Gandhi Special Cover issued for Indipex 2011 made from Khadi cloth

Issue date 15 February 2011

No official confirmation but heard that the above special cover was issued by a private collector. Would like to hear more on this issue.

Bangladesh 2011 Mahatma Gandhi Special Cover issued for Indipex 2011 with Wood print of Mahatma Gandhi on First Day Cover

Issue date 15 February 2011

No official confirmation but heard that the above special cover was issued by a private collector. Would like to hear more on this issue.


India 2009 Special Folder – Gandhi – 02 Oct 2009 with Hologram

Issue Date: 02 October 2009


A Special Folder on Gandhi was released in Chennai on 02 Oct 2009 to mark the International Day of Non-Violence. The Folder carries a Gandhi Hologram on Front side  and a Special cancellation with Quotes from  Einstein , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , Pearl Buck and Lord Mountbatten on the inside of Folder.

China 2004 – Soils of China on FDC

Issue date – 01 Oct 2004

“Soils of China” – In celebration of the 55th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China – Inlaid cover

The land is the source of all beings, life blood of a nation, and basis for people’s living. Since ancient times, the Chinese people have respected, worshiped and loved their land. China has a vast territory, with 9.6 million square kilometers of land, which is the third largest in the world. In the vast land there are soils of various colors: yellow, red, black, green and white. They produce different plants and form different natural and cultural landscapes, nurturing countless generations of the Chinese nation. 

To celebrate the 55th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and to remind the people to treasure and love more our homeland, China National Philatelic Corporation has produced and issued a five piece set of inlaid covers containing soils from different regions of China.


The red soil is formed in the biological and climatic conditions of the central subtropical zone. This acid soil has got its color from its high content of iron oxide in the form of red iron ore. The red soil is mainly found in the hilly areas of Jiangxi and Hunan provinces in China PFN2004-5(5-2)

China 1989 - The 2540th Birth Anniversary of Confucius Silk First Day Cover

Issued on 29 September 1989

Confucius (551-479 B.C.) also named Qiu and styled Zhongni, was born in Zouyi (now in the southeast of Qufu county, Shangdong Province) of the Lu Kingdom. He is a famous thinker, statesman, and educator in the latter years of the Spring and Autumn Period in China. Apart from engaging in political activities, Confucius initiated the private lecturing tours. In his late years, he devoted himself to the cause of education. Since the Han Dynasty, Confucism had become the orthodox doctrine of the 2000 year old Chinese feudal culture and exerted profound influence in China.

The year of 1989 is the 2540th anniversary of the birth of Confucius. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of the People's Republic of China issued on September 28, 1989 a set of two commemorative stamps 1 – a 8fen stamp depicting Confucius giving a lecture and 2- a 160fen stamp depicting Confucius on a Tour of the Various States on a First Day Cover made of Silk.

Disclaimer - Information about the stamp issues on this page has been taken from the net and are for informational purposes only. No copyright claim is made for the above mentioned information/pictures. 

Unusual Mail Transportation/ Post Office Related Stamps

Category - Sight 
Subcategory - Unusual Mail Transportation/Post Offices Related Stamps

This is diversion from my collection of Unusual/Unique Stamps - thanks to a fellow philatelist Mr.Aranya Dutta (Unusual carried Mail and Post Offices http://www.aranyas.net/blog-on-carried-covers.html ) who evoked my interest in the collection of Stamps/FDC's related to the unusual way mail is/was transported and unusual places where Post Offices were located.   

Examples of the Unusual Mail Transportation are
Pigeon Mail _
Elephant Mail
Camel Mail _
Mule Mail
Dog Sled Mail
Rocket Mail
Train Mail
Stage Coach Mail _
Pony Express Mail
Submarine Mail
Ship Mail or Mail Boats_
Balloon Mail
Tin Can Mail or Canoe Mail_
Bottle Mail_
River Mail
Bus Mail
Space Mail
Underwater Post Offices_
Cave Post Offices
Lake Boat Post Offices _
Mail Cart Post Offices _
Camel Post Office_

The following are from my collection

India 2012 Mahapex Pune - First Day Cover featuring a Silver Souvenir of a 1948 Gandhi Stamp with a Indian Dawk Runner as part of the FDC cachet Limited Edition

Issue date 13 January 2012

On the inaugural day of MAHAPEX - 2012, Pune, a special carried cover with Silver Replica of Gandhi Rs.10/- stamp of 1948 was released. The first day cover also featured the Indian Dawk Runner as part of the cachet design. The number of cover were limited and numbered.

Floating House boat Post

India 2011 Dal Lake Floating Houseboat Post Office, Srinagar First Day Cover



Issue date - 27 September 2011

India's first floating Post Office on a huge House Boat on the picturesque Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir State was inaugurated on 22 August 2011. Normal Postal services are offered. It will also have a philately museum and will sell philately products like stamps, post cards, first day covers and other products.

A Special cover depicting the Floating House Boat Post Office was issued on 27 September 2011

Underwater Post

Vanuatu 2008 Xtreme Postmen of the Underwater Post Office First Day Cover

Issue date - 30 July 2008

Vanuatu Post issued a First Day Cover with 4 Stamps featuring the Xtreme Postmen of the Vanuatu Underwater Post Office located off Hideaway Island near Port Vila. These Xtreme postmen handle hundreds of waterproof postcards left by customers who dive down to the Underwater Post Office to post the postcards offering a unique underwater postal experience.

The Post Office is only 50 metres offshore and at only three metres below the surface is very accessible to young and old alike, and hundreds have participated in posting one of the special waterproof postcards that are available. These cards are collected regularly by one of Vanuatu Post’s four trained scuba divers and “cancelled” underwater with an embossing cachet. Mail that requires a normal Underwater Post Office date stamp is cancelled in the Main Post Office.

The official website for this type of service is 
http://www.vanuatupost.vu/upStamps.html

Mobile Coach Post

India 1989 Travellers Coach and Post Office (India 89 World Philatelic Exhibition)

Issue Date 20 January 1989

The stamp shows a Traveller's Coach and Post Office also known locally as Dawk Gharee (Mail Cart). 

The first wheeled cart was used in 1841 in Meerut by one Mr. Smith. Thereafter post offices hired wheel carts. In 1842, the service was introduced between "Mynpooree" and "Allyghur" and later from Aligarh to Delhi and Meerut. 

The illustrated Dawk Gharee belonged to Mr. Beacon of M/s. Greenway and Company, Calcutta. The Company held a licence to carry the Royal Mail/Foreign Mail between Calcutta, Diamond Harbour and Barrackpore. They also carried mail and passengers on the Calcutta-Banaras-Patna route. 

The coachman usually announced his approach whirling his bell-studded whip and sounding his bugle. 

Pigeon Post

India 1989  Bombay Pigeon Mail Service

Issue date 03 November 1989

The India Post to commemorate the first ‘Pigeon Post’ organised by the "Royal Indian Navy" in 1941 was issued on 3rd. November, 1989.

In the State of Maharashtra the Pigeon Mail service was started from Kalyan to Bombay (distance of about 30 Kms) by Vice Admiral Sir Herbert Fitz-Herbert, Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Navy in 1941 during the second world war.

A copy of one such flight covers is seen below (not from my collection)

More details of this service can be found on the blog
http://flagsaudrapeaubandeirasandstamps.blogspot.in/2010/08/royal-indian-navy-pigeon-mail-service.html

Orissa State Police in India was the only state force which maintained this method of communication since 1949. They had adopted 40 homing pigeons from the British Administration when they left India. The force had 926 homing pigeons in 1989 at the time of issue of the stamp in 17 Police Districts.

The pigeons were trained on 3 courses - Static, Mobile and Boomerang.

The static category forms a batch in which pigeons are moved with the forces leaving headquarters for remote areas and are released in the sky whenever the need arises for communicating with Headquarters.

In the mobile category the police take the trailer along with the pigeons to the places of operation.

In the third category, pigeons are trained to deliver and return with the message within their flying area usually restricted to 50 miles both ways.

A pigeon with proper health can fly up to 1000km at a stretch at a height of about 150-200 ft.

The information to be communicated is written on a small sheet and tied around the feet of the pigeon in a small plastic capsule. Usually 2 birds with the same message are released simultaneously so that even if one wanders away or is attacked by hawks, the other will not fail to deliver.

This form of communication were used during emergencies, natural calamities and riotous situations.


This service was discontinued in March of 2002.

Balloon Post

India 1989 Balloon Post - International Balloon Mela First Day Cover 

Issue date - 05 November 1989

A special first day cover with Balloon Post issued for the International Balloon Mela held at New Delhi and signed by the Pilot of the India 'Indradanush' Hot Air Balloon with take off timings from Safdarjung Airport at 1530hrs and arrival at Sainik Farms at 1640hrs. Limited number of covers were issued for the occasion and the covers were numbered.

Antartica Post

India 1989 Dakshin Gangotri Post Office FDC

Issue date 11 July 1989

Dakshin Gangotri, Indian Scientific Station, Antartica was established on 24 February 1984. India Post started sending philatelic mail the to Antartica with the 3rd Indian Scientific Expedition in 1983-84 with a special cancellation at Goa post office.

Dakshin Gangotri Post office was started on 26 January 1988 under the Goa Postal Division. A Special First day cover was issued to commemorate the first year completion of operation of the Dakshin Gangotri Post office on 11 July 1989.

Camel Post

India 1986 Mobile Camel Post Office (The 5th India National Philatelic Exhibition)

Issue date - 14 February 1986

The 5th India National Philatelic Exhibition, 1986 is being held at City Palace, Jaipur from 14 Feb. 1986 to 19 Feb. 1986 under the auspices of the Department of Posts in co-operation with the Philatelic Congress of India. 

Postage stamp of 200p denomination shows a Mobile Camel Post Office functioning in the Bikaner District of the Thar Desert. Generally camels used to bear the postal articles on their back and wait in a particular time of a day in different locations of the desert. People know these timings and come to meet their postal needs. 

Bottle Post 

Ascension Island 1980 History of Mail Transportation (Bottle post)

Issue date 01 May 1980


Miniature sheet  "History of Mail Transport" with 4  mint stamps issued for London 1980 Exhibition. 

4 stamps in this set - 

8p: 17th Century Bottle Post, Ship anchored near Ascension; 

12p: 19th Century Chance Calling Ship [36 gun frigate]; 

15p: Regular Mail Service 1863, [ship "Garth Castle"]; 

50p: Mail Services, 1980 [Ship "St. Helena" and a Lockheed C-141 aircraft flying over island], this aircraft brought mail to the island, especially to the U.S. Space Tracking Station. 

Each stamp has the "London 1980" logo

Tin Can Mail / Canoe Mail

The Tonga Islands are famous for the  "Tin Can Mail". The Tonga islands where many merchants lived, they purchased dried coconut and mussels from the islanders .  Meaty coconuts that were important sources of oil used in the manufacturing of soap. The post of these traders was delivered by ships, which also took care of the transport of the goods purchased. 

The merchants would be waiting for their post for months, especially in the island Niuafo'ou. If a captain had only island letters on board and if he did not like the dangerous reefs, correspondence was enclosed in large biscuit tins, which was simply thrown overboard. The natives swam to the ship and brought the Tins to land. This led to the establishment of the "Tin Can Mail" in 1882. 

But after an accident with a shark, the natives rowed in canoes to the ship to pick up the Tin cans containing the mails. Hence the term Tin Can Mail or Canoe Mail.  

Tin Can Mail was developed by a trader named Walter George Quensell, who festooned the mail with many colourful cachets that have become a collectors' item. The Tongan government took over this tradition with special Niuafoʻou stamps since 1983.

Some of the First Day covers in my collection are displayed below - Some FDC's have ' Tin Can Mail' in various languages (Like Dutch - Blikken Bus Post, Nowegian - Blikk Boks Post, Tonga - Maili Fetuku Aki Kapa, to take advantage of the Tourist Visiting the Islands and the FDC's becoming an item of tourist interest.

Issue date 02 March 1968

Two of my collection was sent from the Matson Lines which had 4 Cruise ships visiting the Island.

Letter sent from Matson Lines - SS Mariposa with letter and souvenir sheet. Posted on 28Sep1964 from the Ship and Postmarked on Niuafo'ou on 30 Sep 1964.

Letter sent from Matson Lines - SS Monterey with souvenir sheet. Postmarked on Niuafo'ou on 19 March 1978.

Tonga 1982 Tin Can Mail Centenary Miniature Sheet

Issue date 29 September 1982

Mails sent by Mail Boats

Some of the earlier mails were sent by mail boats to different island colonies. Some of the Mail boats have been featured on miniature sheets issued by different countries. The following are from my collection.

IOM 1980 Steam Packet Company - Mail boats of Isle of Man

Issued on 06 May 1980



Guernsey 1972 - Mail Boats of Guernsey 

Issued 10 February 1972


Disclaimer - Information about the stamp issues on this page has been taken from the net and are for informational purposes only. No copyright claim is made for the above mentioned information/pictures. 

Stamps featuring Inverts - Update

Category Sight
Subcategory - Stamps on Stamps  - Inverts

Paraguay 1979 Sir Rowland Hill Death Centenary Sc 1889-91 and 75th Anniversary of civil aviation and Anniversary of ICAO Stamps Set featuring the Inverted Jenny

Issue date 11 June 1979 

Stamp-on-stamp reproducing United States issued on 13 May 1918 for the re‑opening of the postal service line New York – Philadelphia – Washington; Curtiss Jenny Invert.

Sir Rowland Hill’s picture on the stamp. Overprinted by ICAO emblem surrounded by the text: 75o ANIVERSARIO DE O.A.C.I.

Other Stamps featured in the Stamps set are described below

Stamp-on-stamp reproducing  Newfoundland’s first air mail stamp issued on 12 April 1919 further to a surcharge of  Newfoundland  (issued on 2 January 1919 to commemorate the Services of Newfoundland Regiment in WW1 during the battle of Gueudecourt) with "FIRST TRANS-  ATLANTIC AIR POST April, 1919". Sir Rowland Hill’s picture on the stamp. Overprinted by ICAO emblem surrounded by the text: 75o ANIVERSARIO DE O.A.C.I.

More information can be obtained for this stamp on the following link http://legacy.icao.int/icao/en/adb/wla/libar/19144.pdf

Stamp-on-stamp reproducing France (1936) showing the Caudron C-635 Simoun airplane from the Air Bleu Postal services over Paris; the word POSTES is shown under the left wing.

Sir Rowland Hill’s picture on the stamp. Overprinted by ICAO emblem surrounded by the text: 75o ANIVERSARIO DE O.A.C.I.

Stamp-on-stamp reproducing Spain issued on 15 April 1938 to commemorate the Defenders of Madrid.

Sir Rowland Hill’s picture on the stamp. Overprinted by ICAO emblem surrounded by the text: 75o ANIVERSARIO DE O.A.C.I.

Stamp-on-stamp reproducing Ecuador unlisted stamp (28 August 1928) overprinted from Columbia (issued in 1923 by the Colombian Airline Sociedad Colombo‑Alemana de Transportes Aéreos, SCADTA) showing a seaplane over Magdalena River and the Andes.

Sir Rowland Hill’s picture on the stamp. Overprinted by ICAO emblem surrounded by the text: 75o ANIVERSARIO DE O.A.C.I.

Stamp-on-stamp reproducing Deutsches Reich Michel #IV K issued on 10 June 1912, with the overprint in dark blue "Gelber Hund" (Yellow Dog) and the surcharge of "-‑1M‑-", for mail carried by the airmail plane Gelber Hund; the inverted overprint and surcharge are a rarity. Issued on the same day, the original stamp of 10 pfg is a semi-official air mail stamp to frank mail carried on an experimental flight from Darmstadt to Munich, Bavaria; it is inscribed Erste Deutsche Luftpost am Rhein and shows a pigeon carrying mail.

Sir Rowland Hill’s picture on the stamp. Overprinted by ICAO emblem surrounded by the text: 75o ANIVERSARIO DE O.A.C.I.

Stamp-on-stamp reproducing Switzerland issued in 1935 with inverted surcharge "10" and bars in black. The original stamp was issued on 2 February 1932 to commemorate the International Disarmament Conference (Conference on the Reduction and Limitation of Arms) held in Geneva from 2 February to July 1932 and shows a front view of airplane.

Sir Rowland Hill’s picture on the stamp. Overprinted by ICAO emblem surrounded by the text: 75o ANIVERSARIO DE O.A.C.I.

Stamp-on-stamp reproducing Brazil private issue of the LUFTSCHIFFBAU ZEPPELIN GmgH., Friedrichshaven, for the 1930 LZ-127 Zeppelin South-American commercial flight between Brazil and Europe, surcharged on 25 May 1930 with handstamp print of 5(000) reis. Only 13 stamps were surcharged.

Sir Rowland Hill’s picture on the stamp. Overprinted by ICAO emblem surrounded by the text: 75o ANIVERSARIO DE O.A.C.I. Air mail stamp.

Stamp-on-stamp reproducing Paraguay (issued on 5 May 1933, Graf Zeppelin flight to South America,; original colour is brown) and Paraguay (issued on 13 April 1935, with changed colour from the original stamp ‑ brown to violet ‑ and “1935” overprinted in black).

Sir Rowland Hill’s picture on the stamp. Overprinted by ICAO emblem surrounded by the text: 75o ANIVERSARIO DE O.A.C.I. Air mail stamp.

To view other stamps in this category click on the following link - 

Stamps featuring Inverts

Disclaimer - Information about the stamp issues on this page has been taken from the net and are for informational purposes only. No copyright claim is made for the above mentioned information/pictures. 

Glow in the Dark Stamp Under UV Stamps - Update

Category - Sight

Subcategory - Glow in the Dark Stamp Under UV Stamps

Malaysia 2013 - Lighthouse of Malaysia Series 2 Overprint - Glow in Dark under UV - Australia 2013 World Stamp Expo, Melbourne 

Issue date Overprint Issue 10 May 2013 (Original issue 30 April 2013)

Malaysia Post issued an overprint of the Lighthouse of Malaysia Series 2 (Original Issue30 April 2013) for the Australia 2013 World Stamp Expo held at Melbourne. The Lighthouse miniature sheet is overprinted with the exhibition logo - a leaping kangaroo on a background of Australia map. 

Malaysia 2012 - The 2nd Series of Malaysian Currency Stamp (Miniature Sheet) with Security Printing Watermark glow in dark under UV light.

Special Printing Mark Glow in Dark under UV light

Issue date 16 July 2012

The new series of Malaysian banknotes showcase many of the fascinating facets of Malaysia: her timeless arts and craft, diverse flora and fauna, spectacular natural wonders, and moderm commercial achievements.

RM1 : Wau Bulan, RM5: Rhinoceros Hornbill, RM10: Rafflesia Azlanii, RM20: Leatherback & Hawksbill Turtles, RM50: Palm Oil & Biotechnology RM100: Gunung Kinabalu & Gunung Berapi.

Malaysia - SPM Watermark

Malaysia modern stamps are normally printed on watermarked paper. The type of watermark commonly used is SPM, which is the abbreviation of Security Printer of Malaysia. The SPM watermark was applied on stamps as early as 1986. The word SPM is designed in a pattern of wave (Figure 1), thus it is called wavy SPM watermark.

The occurrence of watermark varieties in modern Malaysia stamps is considerably high. SPM watermarks in the format of upright (Figure 2), sideway up (Figure 3), sideway down (Figure 4), inverted (Figure 5), inverted-reversed (Figure 6) and sideway up-reversed (Figure 7) have been recorded on Malaysia stamps. A good number of stamps have two types of watermark (upright vs inverted or sideway up vs sideway down). In some instances, stamps with three types of watermark (Figure 8 and Figure 9) have also been recorded! Sometimes, stamps with different types of watermark are sold at different post offices. Therefore, the presence of watermark varieties makes serious collectors runing like a rabbit chasing for these varieties from different post offices. It is indeed tiring but definitely fun.

Figure 1: Wavy SPM watermark

Figure 2: Upright SPM watermark

Figure 3: Sideway up SPM watermark

Figure 4: Sideway down SPM watermark

Figure 5: Inverted SPM watermark

Figure 6: Inverted-Reversed SPM watermark

Figure 7: Sideway up-reversed SPM watermark

Malaysia 2011 Post Box Stamp sheet with Security Printing Watermark Glow in dark under UV light

  

Issue date 10 Oct 2011

Malaysia Post to commemorate the celebration of UPU Stamp week 2011 issued a Stamp Sheet in the form of a Post Box with 20 stamps featuring 4 types of Post Boxes with Glow in the Dark under UV light Security Printing Watermark.

Malaysia 2008 Butterflies of Malaysia - Five-bar swordtail butterfly – Odd shaped Miniature Sheet with Glow in dark under UV and Holes/perforations on the miniature sheet

Issue date 24 April 2008

Malaysia Post issued a beautiful Butterfly shaped Miniature sheet containing one Five Malaysian Ringgit Stamp on a butterfly called Five – bar Swordtail. The miniature sheet contains six perforation which can be removed to give the effect of a perforated wing.

To view other stamps in this category click on the following link - 
Glow in the Dark Stamp Under UV Stamps 
Stamps on Odd Shaped Miniature Sheet Form
Disclaimer - Information about the stamp issues on this page has been taken from the net and are for informational purposes only. No copyright claim is made for the above mentioned information/pictures. 

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