TOPICAL PHILIPPINES

Carabao

WOMAN AND CARABAO

The 'Woman and Carabao' is a statue by the Italian sculpture Francesco Riccardo Monti and is located in the Capitol Park and Lagoon in Bacolod City, Negros.

The statue was featured on a stamp from the Republic Period in 1970. However, a similar design was the subject of a stamp first issued during the American Administraion.

Tourism #1076, 12 Nov 1970

Kruger postcard 17615, 'Bacolod City', Postal cancel Manila 12 May 1971,

backstamped "Compliments Postmaster-General MANILA"

The statue shown on the postcard is also by Francesco Riccardo Monti and found in Capitol Park

A similar design was the subject of a stamp first issued during the American Administraion. In 1935 a 4 centavos stamp in yellow green, comprised a design of a woman standing beside a carabao. The 4 centavos stamp paid the third class rate (upto 55g) to the United States and possessions, and the printed matter rate (up to 50g) to foreign destinations.

#384, and Official "O.B." overprint #O16, 15 Feb 1935

#O16 but with "O.B ", i.e. missing "." 

The stamps were printed in panes of 200 which were cut into sheets of 50 stamps with each sheet containing a plate number.

Plate numbers: 128587, 128588, 131541 and 131542

Plate number 128587, 128588, 131541 and 131542

Plate #128587 is scarce

On the upper right quarter sheet the plate number is preceeded with "F"

 

Plate number 131542, quarter cut sheet (upper left). Note the imperf right and bottom margins

#384 FDC - Manila with first day cachet

#384 FDC - Manila (first day cachet applied to rear)

 

COMMONWEALTH overprints

In 1937 the stamp was overprinted with a large "COMMONWEALTH" overprint.

Large COMMONWEALTH overprint #412, 29 Mar 1937

In 1940 the stamp was overprinted with a small "COMMONWEALTH" overprint.

The overprint press size required the cutting of margins from the original sheets to create a standard size to fit the press doing the overprinting.  All bottom plate blocks have about 1/2 of the plate number cut off. Because of this they were under-collected and are scarce today.

Small COMMONWEALTH overprint #434, 1940

Official "O.B." small COMMONWEALTH overprint #O28, ...

The large "Commonwealth" stamp was reported to have been issued in Manila on 29 March 1937. However, although the records indicate that 80,000 copies of the large "Commonwealth" stamps were shipped to Manila, their release appears to have been limited.

This may have been due to an ample supply of the non-overprinted stamps (more than 15,000,000 had been shipped to Manila. The supply was so great that the "Trade Fair" issue of 1939 (500,000); the "Bataan and Corregidor" issue of 1942 (200,000); and the "Greater East Asia War" issue of 1942 (400,000) all were overprinted from stocks available in Manila.

The outbreak of the war prevented the anticipated issue of the small "Commonwealth" overprints of which 52,000 were shipped to Manila. An additional printing of 20,000 was not shipped to Manila due to the start of World War II. Some of these stamps were sold at the Washington DC, Philately Agnecy in 1945.

In January 1949 half (71,300) of all the small and large 4c Commonwealth overprinted stamps were destroyed.

The 4c rate covered realtively infrequently used rates (3rd class mail to the US and foreign printed matter).

Consequently used examples of both the large and small "Commonwealth" overprints are scarce.

 Past estimates suggested that there were fewer than 40 covers of the large Commonwealth stamp and fewer than 50 examples of used off-cover stamps. Similalry for the small Commonwealth stamps approximately 25 covers and 40used stamps have been estimated to exist.

Used Large Commonwealth #412

#412 used with Manila P.I. 1940  circular date stamp

 

#412 used with slogan cancel BPS-047a

(earliest seen date for this cancel is 1939 and is believed to have been used during 1939)

#412 used with slogan cancel BPS-048 "Make Every Day Child Health Day"

(earliest seen date for this cancel is 1 Sept 1931 and was used up to 1938) 

 

#412 used with slogan cancel BPS-059 "Pay Your Internal Revenue Taxes On Time" (Type II)

(earliest seen date for this cancel is 11 Oct 1936 and was used up to 1941) 

#412 used with slogan cancel BPS-061 "Avoid Accidents Drive - Walk Carefully"

(earliest seen date for this cancel is 21 Apr 1936 and was used up to 1941) 

#412 used with circular manila date stamp, inverted "DEC"

 

#412 used with circular date stamp, 22 xxx 1938

 

#412 used with unidentified cancel 

Used Small Commonwealth #434

 

#434 used with Fabrica, Negros Occidental circular date cancel

#434 used with slogan cancel BPS-051

(earliest seen date for this cancel is April 1936 and was used up to 1941)

#434 used with unidentifed cancel

#434 used with Manila P.I cancel dated 1 Jul 194?

First Foreign Trade Week Overprint

The First Foreign Trade Week Exposition was held in Manila from 21 to 27 May 1939.  The Philippine Bureau of Posts experienced problmes with the equipment used to apply the surcharges and the issue of the stamps was delayed until 5 July 1939, over a month after the end of the Exposition. Few stamps were commercially used.

500,000 stamps were overprinted for the Foreign Trade Week. All four plates were used, i.e. Numbers 128587, 128588, 131541, 131542.

 

Foreign Trade Week 2c overprint #449, 5 Jul 1939

Plate number 131541 

Plate number 131542

Plate numbers 128587 and 128588

#449 FDC - Manila with first day cachet

#449 on Commercial Cover  - Santa Cruz, Davao to USA, 19 August 1939

#449 on Commercial Cover  - Agricultural College, Manila to USA, 11 October 1939

Congratulations Fall of Bataan and Corregidor Overprint

In 1942, 100,000 (or 200,000?) stamps were overprinted with the slogan "Congratulations Fall of Bataan and Corregidor" together with 2c surcharge and a black deleting bar to obliterate "United States of America", to celebrate the capture of Bataan (9 April)and Corregidor (6 May) by the Japanese from the American and Philippine Military Forces. All four plates were used, i.e. Numbers 128587, 128588, 131541, 131542.

"Congratulations Fall of Bataan and Corregidor" overprint #N8, 18 May 1942

A few varieties occur

 

"RATAAN" instead of "BATAAN" (Position 1) variety

Elongated "T" on COMMONWEALTH (Position 30) variety

Additional black dots  (Position 37) 'Southern Cross' variety

 

#N8 FDC - Manila, "RATAAN" instead of "BATAAN"  variety, with First Day Catchet and Military Censor Mark

First Anniversary, Greater East Asia War Overprint

Another overprint in 1942, 400,000 stamps were overprinted in Japanese "First Anniversary, Greater East Asia War", and the date "12-8-1942" together with 5c surcharge (with a black deleting bar to obliterate "United States of America"). All four plates were used, i.e. Numbers 128587, 128588, 131541, 131542.

 

"First Anniversary, Greater East Asia War" overprint #N9, 8 Dec 1942

Plate numbers 128587, 128588 and 131542

Broken character on the Japanese inscription (Position 42) #N9 variety

 

 

#N9 FDC - Manila, with first day cachet and Manila Military Censor Mark

FDC - Baguio City, with Baguio Military Censor Mark

FDC - Davao City, with Davao Military Censor Mark

FDC - Illoilo City, with Illoilo Military Censor Mark

FDC - Legaspi City, with Legaspi Military Censor Mark

#N9 on cover postmarked Manila, 8 Dec 1943 with special cachet

 The cachet commemorates the Second Anniversary of the Greater East Asia War. The inscription “ITDLMSA” represent the first letters of the Tagalog words: “Ikalawang Taong ng Digmann sa Lalong Malaking Silangang Asya” or “Second Anniversary of the Greater East Asia War”

VICTORY Handstamp overprints

After the return of General MacArthur and the government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in Leyte, on 20 October, 1944. The re-establishment of the Post Office was a priority because of it's long range propaganda potential, and the Bureau of Posts building in Tacloban was selected as the logical site to start from. Pre-occupation stamps were retrieved from storage, some were overprinted "COMMONWEALTH" and some were not. A simple rubber hand stamping device was made, and the stamps were handstamped with the word "VICTORY". The first of these handstamped stamps went on sale in the Tacloban Post Office on 8 November 1944. 

It would appear that a general staff officer in the civil affairs section knew the design of the forthcoming and then in-transit stamp shipment of VICTORY-COMMONWEALTH stamps which were due to arrive in mid-January 1945. The local application of the word VICTORY via handstamping would locally replicate the Philippine stamps then in transit.

During the early handstamping the device was broken and repaired, leaving a slightly different overprint for the later issues. The stamping device in its original condition produced overprints with the letters in a straight line, (Type 1). After the break was repaired the first three letters were not aligned with the rest and the "T" had a "bite" out of the stem (Type 2).  The Type 1 handstamp is much scarcer than the Type 2 handstamp.

Handstamped (Type 2) "VICTORY" in violet #465, 1944

Handstamped (Type 2) "VICTORY" in violet #O40, 1944

Forged handstamp overprints

Forged handstamps, "C" and "T" close together; top of "T" not parallel to rest of letters, broken "R"

VICTORY overprints

A "VICTORY" overprint was prepared in Washington DC before the invasion of Leyte in 1945. 4,971,000 were stamps shipped to the Philippines and 15,200 sold at the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC.

The basic stamps were printed between September 28th and October 7th in 1944. A new two line overprint was used for the first time with a larger VICTORY on the top line and the traditional small COMMONWEALTH overprint on the second line at a new location at the bottom of the stamp. Both overprints were simultaneously applied in one operation on new stamp stocks. These stamps were produced with enough lead time to meet the original Leyte use date of January 1945.  Plate numbers 128588 and 131542 were used (131541 and new plate 131579 also recorded).

Reprints were requested in 1946 for sale by the philatelic agency in Washington during 1947. These were reprints intended for sale to American philatelic community.

"VICTORY" and "COMMONWEALTH" overprint #487, 1945

Plate numbers 131541, 131542, and 131579

 

#487, with handstamped overprints "OB" 

 

 

#487 [with others] FDC, Tacloban, Leyte on 19 Jan 1945 on official stationary of the Office of the Chief of Staff’s General Headquarters, South Pacific Area. With the line slogan “FIRST DAY COVER/FIRST REGULAR VICTORY STAMPS SOLD IN REOPENED POST OFFICES/IN THE LIBERATED PHILIPPINES/JANUARY 19, 1945”

#487 [with others] FDC, Manila Post Office, 16 Apr 1945, with with military sensor 109

#487 [with others] FDC, Iloilo Post Office, 4 Jul 1945

#487 with FDC, Cebu Post Office, 21 Jul 1945

#487 [with others] FDC, Bacolod Post Office, 1 August 1945

A "VICTORY" handstamp in red is also known on the rear of #412 (Large Commonwealth overprint) the provence of this handstamp is currenlty unknown.

Handstamped "VICTORY" in red on rear #412, (unknown)

Tagle overprints

Between 1926 and the late 1930s, Vicente Tagle overprinted a number of stamps for official use by the Department of Interior (and perhaps for other government offices as well). A range of overprints were used, "O.B", "OFFICIAL" and "OFFICIAL BUSINESS" with different fonts styles and overprint types. Some of the these overprints are found used on the 4c Woman and Carabao issues.

Tagle "OFFICIAL" overprint, Style 2 (sans-serif), Type A (11.0 mm x 2.0mm) on #384.

Tagle "OFFICIAL" overprint, Style 2 (sans-serif), Type B (13.0 mm x 1.8mm) on #384.

Tagle "OFFICIAL" overprint, Style 2 (sans-serif), Type C (14.5 mm x 2.0mm) on #384.

Tagle "OFFICIAL" overprint, Style 2 (sans-serif), Type D (11.0 mm x 2.8mm) on #412.

Tagle "O.B." overprint, Style 2 (semi-serif), Type A (13.5 mm x 4.5 mm) on #412.

Applied with printing or stamp pad ink. All periods are round.  This overprint is similar to the overprint used by the Post Office Bureau (except for the 4.0 mm character height of the Bureau Issue), in violet ink

 

Tagle "O.B." overprint, Style 2 (semi-serif), Type C (16.5 mm x 3.0 mm) on #450.

This Tagle overprint is very close in appearance to the 1938-40 Bureau issued Officials. Both have similar overprint length and serifed letter B. The differences are the height of the letters: 3.5 mm for the Bureau issues and only 3.0 mm on the Tagle issue

 

VICTORY Act 1189 Overprint (Casino Revenue Fake)

A forged or private overprint exits dated around 1945 or 1965(?). The handstamped overprint is in violet ink with the words "VICTORY Act 1189". Act 1189 is the Internal Revenue Act of 1904, but the precise significance of the reference here is unknown.

Lehmann & Lueck (1993) indicated that the perpetrator stated that 200 were known (made) [this number is probably incorrect]. One report suggested that such an overprint was sold in the past as a Revenue Provisional, in use one week only, mostly on bank drafts at National Casino.  However, this explanation was apparently refuted by Philippine officials who advised that this overprint had not been authorized and had not been used as a revenue. In fact all checks required a 2c documentary stamp that was authorised by Act 466 of 15 June 1939.

 

forged overprint "VICTORY Act 1189" (Type 1)

forged overprint "VICTORY Act 1189" (Type 2) and inverted

forged overprint "VICTORY Act 1189" (Type 3) surcharged with "3" in lower left and right corners

Private Seals

In 1948 Private Seals were overprinted and issued by the Cherrelyn Stamp Club in commemoration of its 10th annual banquet.  The overprint comprised the words "Tenth Annual Banquet/ Cherrelyn Stamp Club/ March 20, 1948/ Englewood, Colorado" printed across plate blocks of four and was issued in very limited quantity as most were auctioned off at the banquet instead of being given out. Plate number 131541 is known to have been used.

Cherrelyn Stamp Club overprint, 1948 

In 1982 Private Seals were overprinted and issued by the Philippine Philatelic Auction Club (PPAC) in commemoration of its 5th anniversary.  The overprint was either in Filipino, Chinese or English with the words "Congratulations, Fifth Anniversary, PPAC 1982, 5 Years".  With marginal selvedge imprint "Stamp Collecting is Fun and Gains"  and was issued in limited quantity. Plate number 131541 and 131542 are known to have been used.

Philippine Philatelic Auction Club (PPAC) overprint, 1982

Philippine Philatelic Auction Club (PPAC) overprint, 1982

 

In 1986 Private Seals appear to have been applied as part of the Quezon City Philatelic Exhibition "QCPEX '86". The details assoicated with the use of this seal are not clearly known

Quezon City Philatelic Exhibition (QXPEX) overprint, 1986

 

Specimen Overprints (uncertain origin)

Postcards

Madonna postcard 1190, 'Provincial Capitol, Bacolod City', undated

Used with Postal Slogans

with slogan cancel BPS-047 "Red Cross Roll Call Join" (1931-1941)

with slogan cancel BPS-065 "Boy Scout Anniversary Period" (1941)

with slogan cancel BPS-068 "Join the Volunteer Guard" (1941)

with slogan cancel BPS-072 "Post Your Mail Early" (1942-1945)

This was the only pre-war slogan cancel used during the Japanese Occupation

with slogan cancel BPS-081 "Help the Philippine red Cross" (1946)

 

Used from Postal Stations

Manila 21 Feb 1941, Postal Station 1

Manila 1936, Postal Station 2

Manila March 1939, Postal Station 3

Shanghai Paquebot cancel (Hosking #1602)

 

 

 

 

 

Carabao

Related Items

Carabao

Tamaraw

Woman and Carabao

...

...