Volume 32 No 2. May 2014

(Published August 2014)

Inside this issue:

, l

Costa Rica: Two LittleKnown Flight Covers

. '.

'J

Machin Post and GoStamps from NCR Machines

, ~ .\id _, .\ \.

Angkorand more.

Capital Philately

The Philatelic Society of Canberra Inc.(Founded 1932)

GPO BOX 1840

CANBERRA ACT 2601

President Ian McMahon

Secretary Tony Luckhurst

Capital Philately Editorial Board

Darryl Fuller

Bruce Parker

Daniel Tangri

Paul Barsdell

Editor

Pastcards

darryl.fuller@home.netspeed.com.au

Machinations

Librarian

Further information on the Philatelic Society of Canberra may be found on our webpage:

http://www.canberrastamps.org

Capital Philately is published three times a year and supplied free to members ofthe Society. Enquiries regardingmembership are welcome and should be addressed to Tony Luckhurst,

Telephone: (02) 6241 1963

Enquiries regarding subscription rates for Capital Philately, advertising rates, purchase of back issues etc. shouldbe addressed to Darryl Fuller. He can be contacted by telephone on 0417 672 543 or bye-mail addressed to

darryl.fuller@home.netspeed.com.au

Advertising rates are: full page $45, half page $25, quarter page $15There is a 20% reduction on all rates for 4 consecutive issues.

Articles, letters and other contributions to Capital Philately should be sent to the Editor;either by mail to the Society address or c/- Darryl Fuller at the above e-mail.

COPYRIGHT: The Philatelic Society of Canberra Inc holds the copyright of the content of Capital Philately.Material may only be reproduced with the written consent of the Editor.

ISSN 0729-8765

2 Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philately

CAPITAL PHILATELYMay 2014 - VOL. 32, No.2

Capital Philately

Editorial Darryl Fuller 1

Costa Rica: Two Little Known Airmail Flights Richard Gurevitch 2

Hans Karman - Emeritus Judging Award 5

Our Secretary - Tony Luckhurst's 60th Birthday 5

Clipper Covers from Sarawak Paul Barsdell 6

Library Notes 3 Paul Barsdell 8

Book Review: Sel Pfeffer's Australia & Territories Booklet Catalogue Bruce Parker 9

MACHINATIONS

Machin Post and Go Stamps from NCR Machines Daniel Tangri 10

PASTCARDSAngkor Peter Cheah 18

Editorial

Welcome to another issue of Capital Philately. I am writing this editorial in the brief six day break I havebetween arriving back from Philakorea 2014, a most enjoyable exhibition, and jetting off to Denmark,Sweden and Iceland with my wife for a long looked forward to holiday. It just happens to include anexhibition in Sweden.

This has been an enjoyable issue to put together as I have had to write no major articles, only two smallpieces about two of our members. I had planned to write an article on Canberra Stampshow 2014 butpersonal events and some major trips has precluded this happening. This means that Capital Philately isfour pages shorter than I had planned for each issue (28 pages plus covers normally), however, I felt it farmore important to get this issue out than wait another month. The next issue, scheduled for September,will be out in October meaning we will be roughly back on track.

One of the reasons for the delay has been either a lack of articles or authors just being too busy. I ampleased to say I will have a very nice article in the next issue as a basis for the philatelic component but Ialways need more material. A simple book review is always appreciated as these are very useful fillersand I am always happy to put in philatelic social news (as in this issue).

I would like to thank the authors of the articles for their work even if there is a slight aerophilatelic biasin the issue. I recommend them all to you and although Post and Go stamps may seem a confection tosome, the more I read about them the more I think they are bringing variety and interest to very modernphilately.

Darryl Fuller

Volume 32, No.2 3

Costa Rica: Two Little-Known Airmail Flights

Richard Gurevitch

San Jose CR to Cristobal CZ 13 May 1925

In early 2002 when I was accumulating CostaRican airmail covers for my collection, Imanaged to obtain a 1925 cover for which I couldfind no reference in any articles pertaining toCosta Rican airmail flights. A scan of that coveris shown in Figures 1a & 1b.

May might have indicated that it was not sent byair, although the canceller used at San Joseclearly showed that it was intended for a specialairmail between Costa Rica and the Canal Zone.(The canceller was of an identical type used forspecial flights between the two locations on 4January 1925 and 2 January 1926 - referFigure 2.) I was left with the view that the cover

had indeed beenconveyed by theUS Army AirCorps, as wereother flights ofthe time, but thatthe flight mayhave beendelayed by twodays. Perhaps itwas for thatreason that theany knowncovers werethought not tohave been sentby air.

Senor Donmnuel Antonio Bonilla.

C6n.Ul Gener 1 de Costa Rica. 17 Battery Plaoe.New York City_ U.S.A.

Figure la: 1925 Flight from Costa Rica to the Canal Zone

Capital Philately

I reported myfindings in 2003

in The Oxcart #173 (The Oxcart is the journal ofthe Society of Costa Rica Collectors) with theThe markings indicated to me that the registered

cover wasreceived at theSan Jose PostOffice on 9May 1925, anddispatched on11 May but didnot arrive atCristobal until13 May. It wasthen sent toNew Yorkarriving on 21May 1925.The dispatchdate at SanJose of 13 Mayand arrival atCristobal of 15

4

-~....}~ )

I 6A~'It'" j-' I~,

/" ---- .N't/C,---

Figure Ib: Reverse of the cover with a faint Cristobal arrival datestamp of 13 May 1925

.~

Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philately

639

CllIS'I'IlB.&J.. O.Z.

4 January 1925 San Jose to Cristobal Flight

VIA AIRMAIL

Ilr. 11m. J. MoOafferty;'

Americetl Consult

San Salf'a4or; E1 Se.lve.dor.Coats R1ca-Omal ZOne

2 January 1926 San Jose to Cristobal Flight

Figure 2: Same canceller as Figure 1 cover

hope that a more erudite collector, could throwsome positive light on the suspected flight.

Mr Francisco Di Napoli, a Costa Rican airmailcollector, with whom I subsequentlycorresponded, took up the challenge as he toopossessed a similar cover, as did a friend of his,Don Guido Palacino. Francisco Di Napoli wasable to find articles on the La Tribuna, the SanJose newspaper of the time that revealed thefollowing:

• In its Tuesday 5 May 1925 edition,there was an announcement that aflight of US Army aircraft would bearriving at San Jose from Nicaragua thefollowing Friday (9 May) and stayingfor several day before returning toFrances Field in the Canal Zone.

• In its 12 May 1925 late edition itreported that on the preceding day oneof the aircraft in the flight developedengine trouble shortly after take-offand crashed, killing its pilot Lt Watsonand mechanic, Sgt Hansen. It showedphotographs of the military funeralaccorded the two airmen. Mention was

Volume 32, No.2

made that the other aircrew returnedto attend the funeral.

Thus it is certain that the return flight to FrancesField, near Cristobal, took place on 13 May 1925,a day after the funeral, and that matches thearrival date on the cover in question. The otherSan Jose applied dates on the cover match theevents as reported in the newspaper: i.e. mail wasdeposited at the post office on 9 May inanticipation of the flight with a dispatch date of11 May, the date of the flight commenced beforeturning back.

So far, only one other flight cover has beenreported and that by Dr Hector Mena, a notedCosta Rican philatelist, who edited The AirmailPostal History of Costa Rica published in 1999.All four known covers are all registered and allare addressed to Don Manuel Bonilla in NewYork. Possibly other covers were sent but nonehave been reported.

There are no incoming flight covers in the sameway as occurred with the January 1925 and theDecember 1925/January 1926 flights. This isunderstandable as the aforementioned flightemanated from the Canal Zone where the PostMaster, George Bliss, had a keen interest inaviation matters, whereas the flight in questionemanated from Nicaragua. Gauging from therelatively large number of flight covers for theJanuary 1925 and January 1926 flights from SanJose, the small number of surviving flight coverswith this flight, and all being registered ispuzzling. This can only be explained by theprobability of most carried mail becomingincinerated in the aircraft crash and that thesurviving registered mail to New York wasprobably bundled in a separate bag and carried byanother aircraft.

San Jose to Limon 12 January 1929 - InternalAirmail Service

Up to the end of 1928, there were numerousexperimental or pioneer flights into and out ofCosta Rica as well as internal flights within thecountry. In late December 1928, Pan AmericanAirways (PAA) experimented with a servicebetween San Jose and Limon, Costa Rica's majoreast coast port, but after its first flight met withlittle success because of aircraft mishaps and it

5

Capital Philately

.) l

, ,.I ~i ,-

s '. I \ •

';':

" 'J'1-1 t,.• L

Figure 3: 12 January 1929 first flight between San Jose and Limon

was not until February 1929 that PAA resumed apermanent service between the two localities thatlasted several months.

However, after PAA's December 1928 mishaps, aUnited Fruit Company aircraft was brought downfrom Honduras to provide an air service betweenSan Jose and Limon, a matter announced on 6January 1929 in La Tribuna. Initially, the UnitedFruit Company aircraft only carried companymail with its flight of 10 January being abortedbecause of bad weather. It was not until 12January that commercial mail was carried.

Shown in Figure 2 is a cover flown on 12 January1929 that is annotated as being the First Flight.

Flight covers are rarely encountered and I knowof only one other such cover, which is inFrancisco Di Napoli's collection. Airmail coversfor the period until 8 February 1929 during whichmail was carried by the United Fruit Companyaircraft are unrecorded.

Conclusion

The two airmail covers described above are ratherscarce and are amongst the key items for anyCosta Rican airmail collection.

6

Sydney StampExpo 2015ANZAC

CentenaryThursday Apri116th to Sunday

Apri119th, 2015Hurstville Recreational Stadium,

Hurstville, NSW

This exhibition will be well attended bydealers, exhibitors and collectors and is notto be missed. It will be a full Nationalexhibition and if you are interested ill

exhibiting the ACT Commissioner IS

Marilyn Gendek (mahgen@tpg.com.au)

Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philately

Hans Karman - Emeritus AwardThe Australian Philatelic Federation awards

Hans Karman receiving his certificate from theAPF president Philip Levine.

Emeritus status to judges who have providedyears of service to judging in Australia. Our longtime member and judge Hans Karman wasaccorded this honour this year. The award isnormally presented at APF annual generalmeetings but as Hans does not travel much thesedays the presentation was made at the CanberraStampshow awards dinner in March. The citationas read by the APF president is reproducedbelow.

judging was for younger people and asked tobecome Emeritus. It gives me great pleasure togive Hans this certificate for his years of work asjudge and behind the scenes. "

lOur Secretary - Tony Luckhurst's

60th Birthday

Tony recently celebrated his 60th birthdaysurrounded by family, friends and a number offellow philatelists. Below are a few images fromthe party plus a picture of Tony's stamp inspiredcake.

One nice idea at Tony's party was a wishing wellwhere you placed money (instead of a present),which Tony can now spend on his hobby.

"Hans undertook his apprenticeship as a StateJudge in 1986 and judged at this level severaltime over the next decade. He un:~d=er~t~o~o~k....:h~l~·s_~====================================~apprenticeship at the National levelin 1996 in Melbourne and wasappointed a national judge in 1997.He judged several times after thismostly in Canberra and wasqualified to judge Postal History,Social and Postal Stationery.

However, in many ways Hans' mostvaluable contribution to Australianjudging has been the Showmanprogram. He has developed thisover many years and it hasbenefitted philately in Australia.Indeed he stepped in at the lastminute and has undertakenShowman for this exhibition at veryshort notice.

Hans decided a few years ago that

Volume 32, No.2 7

Capital Philately

Clipper Covers from Sarawak

Paul Barsdell

Fizure 1: 1940 Sarawak Clinoer cover

In an article entitled "More Clipper Covers"(Capital Philately, Vol. 2, No.1 January 2014),Darryl Fuller showed a Pacific Clipper cover sentfrom Miri in Sarawak to New York in October1940, which he had taken from the Internet. Hequoted the vendor of the cover as saying that itwas only one of two Clipper covers originatingfrom Sarawak he had seen. I recall a similarstatement made in an aerophilatelic exhibit someyears ago.

Let me put the record straight. There is no doubtthat such covers are scarce but there are morethan two. As a starting point, I have one, shownat Figure 1. As this cover is almost identical tothe two described immediately below, I add nofurther information about it.

In the Harmers of London auction catalogue of5 June 1980, containing the L.H. Shipmancollection of Sarawak, North Borneo, Labuan andBrunei, there is a second, described as "1940(September 14), envelope inscribed 'B.O.A.C. &

8

PAN/AMERICAN/ TRANS PACIFIC &TRANS/ATLANTIC AIRWAYS' in red MSbearing 20c. (2), $2, addressed to London inRajah's handwriting, with his signature on frontand back with violet 'RAJAH OF SARAWAK'handstamp. Censor in violet."

In the Sarawak Specialists' Society auction ofTom Coulson's Sarawak Collection Part 1 on 20March 2004, one lot is described as: "SG 113,119, 120 x 2 tied to a censored cover to SarawakGovt. Offices, Millbank by KUCHING 2 MAR1941 cds (3 strikes), addressed in the hand of TheRajah & initialled by him over straight line cachetRAJAH OF SARAWAK (further strike on theback). M/s B.O.A.C. & PAN-AMERICAN TransPACIFIC & TRANS ATLANTIC AIR-WAYSbeneath AIR MAIL impression. Fine strike of47mm x 26mm boxed PASSED BY CENSORcachet. Rare cover." The cover was sent at the$2.60 rate.

In the Sarawak Specialists' Society auction inOctober 1993, the description reads: "SG113, 118

Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philately

65, B~oa.dway,T~inity Station Pos~:Off1c~,

~,

BY AIR MAl L

NEW Y 0 R K, U. S. A.

f,d /'lnl- f'~Jy/~l"'"

7,~~~~(i

x 3, 119 on censored AIM cover to USA, canewith 3 good strikes of type 4 KUCHING cds,with condensed year date OF 3 Dee 1941. Scarce36 x 18mm boxed 'PASSED BY CENSOR'CACHET. Endorsed 'BY CLIPPER"'. The coverwas sent at the $1.50 rate.

As I am writing this article in mid July, I noticethat the vendor who prompted my putting fingersto keyboard (not very often pen to paper thesedays) has put up on eBay another Pacific Clippercover from Sarawak. This is presumably the otherof the only two covers seen by him. Hisdescription of this second cover is as follows:"Commercial air mail covers from Sarawakduring World War II are extremely rare and thisis one of only two Trans-Pacific clipper airmailcovers originating from Sarawak that I have seen.The cover is postmarked 11 April 1941 atKuching, Sarawak and is addressed to New York,NY USA. There is a Sarawak type 1a Censormarking in violet. The possible route: fromKuching to Singapore possibly by KNILM viaTarakan, or by surface ship; from Singapore toHong Kong by ship; from Hong Kong by Pan AmFAM 14 Pacific Clipper service to San Francisco;

Volume 32, No.2

USA domestic airlines from San Francisco toNew York. With no transit markings, the exactroute is difficult to determine. Exceptionallyscarce air cover." This cover is shown atFigure 2.

So, including the one in Darryl Fuller's article,there are now six documented. I am sure that Ihave seen more of these covers and that there areothers I have not seen.

One has to be careful when makingpronouncements about the number of covers of aparticular type one has seen or that exist.

As a final point, last year I wrote in this journalabout the value of auction catalogues forcollectors, especially those who are seriouscollectors. The information about four of thesecovers came from auction catalogues and the fifthfrom an online auction. It is simply a smalldemonstration of the use of auction catalogues.Ah, touche.

Articles always needed - contact theeditor.

9

Library Notes 3Capital Philately

Paul Barsdell- Librarian

Auction CataloguesIn Library Notes 2, I drew attention to theimportance of auction catalogues, especiallythose which contained specialised one countrycollections or significant sections with interestingmaterial. I went on to ask for donations to thelibrary of auction catalogues, which were nolonger wanted by their owners. I am glad that onemember has contributed quite a number ofauction catalogues of important sales, which wedid not have in the library. I would like to thankthat member for his generosity. I would also bepleased to hear from other members about anyphilatelic literature they might like to donate tothe library.

The De La Rue CollectionIn June, the Society received the newly- issuedsix-volume set of "The De La Rue Collection" ,edited by Frank L. Walton and published by TheRoyal Philatelic Society of London (RPSL). Thebook reproduces the 3,542 pages of the collectionand the six volumes are contained in a woodenslip box.

De La Rue's archivist, Leslie Newman, spent 15years searching through De La Rue's 325correspondence books and 66 day books whichDe La Rue had used since September 1853.Newman removed selected items from theprimary archive and mounted them on 3,500album pages arranged by country. This materialhas become known as the De La Rue Collection.

In the 1970s and 1980s, De La Rue decided tosell the collection through Robson Lowe Ltd.Before this happened, the whole collection wasphotographed. One set is held by Spink inLondon (the successor to Robson Lowe Ltd), asecond by the British Postal Museum andArchive, and a third partial set is held by theBritish Library Philatelic Collections.

It is estimated that the Collection comprises abouta third of the material that has come on to themarket since the 1970s. Not all the material wassold by public auction; as many items were soldby private treaty. So, even possession of all theRobson Lowe auction catalogues of public sales

10

of this material would not have enabled acollector of an area to necessarily be aware of allthe De La Rue archival material available for thatarea. This publication will be of inestimable useto serious collectors of material printed by De LaRue - most British Commonwealth countries anda number of other countries.

In preparing the material for publication, theRPSL used specialists from the 195 countriesrepresented in the collection to describe thematerial. This analysis resulted in an excellentindex of the material, which makes up the bulk ofVolume 1.

These books are not to be taken from thelibrary; they must be read there.

The Queen's StampsOur thanks to Jim Walker for donating to thelibrary Nicholas Courtney's book "The Queen'sStamps The Authorised History of the RoyalPhilatelic Collection. Published by Methuen in2004, the book takes us back to Prince Alfred the,second son of Queen Victoria, who started thecollection. It was not, however, until thecollection was taken over by his nephew, PrinceGeorge, later King George V, that it began to bebuilt up into the magnificent collection that it istoday. His successors have continued thedevelopment of the collection, including QueenElizabeth II, who also has encouraged publicaccess to parts of the collection through majorphilatelic exhibitions in Britain and abroad.

This book is located in the general BritishCommonwealth section on the bottom shelf onthe far wall near the row of cupboards.

Price Guide for Disney StampsSomeone left a copy of Brookman's "Price Guidefor Disney Stamps" (2nd edition) in the librarybox, presumably as a donation. The title is self-evident and the book is arranged alphabeticallyby country. There is obviously plenty of Disneymaterial available - a must to borrow for anycurrent or aspiring Disney collector. It is locatedin the thematics / topical section on the secondshelf from the bottom of the far wall near thetable by the window.

Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philately

Book Review

Sel Pfeffer's Australia & TerritoriesBooklet Catalogue

Bruce Parker

My interest in Australian Stamp booklets wasstimulated by the discovery of the "Mr Men"booklets in one of my local Post Offices. Thesebooklets contain reissues of a number of recentcommemorative/special issue stamps; one ofthem having stamps from a number of issuesover several years and with varying face values.I was stimulated to find what other stamps hadbeen reissued after some years and in differingformats (more of this to come in anotherarticlel),

I had the Comprehensive Colour Catalogue ofAustralian Stamps, but even with itssupplementary volume, only covers to about2010. I had seen advertisements over the yearsfor Sel Pfeffer's catalogue, but had neverpurchased a copy. The Mr Men issue prompted achange of thought and I sent an order to Sel forthe full catalogue.

I promptly received three spiral bound A4volumes as follows:

A. Australia & Territories BookletCatalogue 1904-2012;

B. Australia Booklet CatalogueSupplement - 2013; and

C. Booklet Insert Guide.

The "Insert Guide" contains details of all theprinted insert pages in all the booklets listed inthe catalogue - being in a separate volumemakes it easy to cross reference to the bookletlistings.

The Catalogue and Supplement list allAustralian and Territories stamp booklets with(up to the original cessation of bookletproduction in 1973) details of State editions andreferences to the information pages. From 1979,the "Sterner" booklets are listed with somedetails on the make-up of the trial booklets.From 1989 Koala & Kangaroo reprints are listed

Volume 32, No.2

as well as the many overprints for philatelic andother commemorations.

I have three (minor) concerns with thiscatalogue, firstly, the "Prestige" booklets aregiven a separate listing even though many issueshad both "conventional" (for postage?) bookletswith 10 or 20 letter rate stamps, often selfadhesive as well as a "prestige" booklet (forphilatelic collections?). I feel they could havebeen incorporated into a single listing, eventhough two sets of numbers (with "P" and "PB"prefixes) are used. Secondly, the Territoriesbooklets all have the same prefix letter "BK"thus any references must also include theTerritory name!

My third concern is that booklets, particularlythe "Prestige" booklets, which have stampswhioh were previously issued, do not have anyreference to the stamps included in the booklet -the extreme case is the small Kangaroo prestigebooklet "Story of the Kangaroo" issued forAustralia 2013 and containing (on gummedpaper) pre-decimal stamps with kangaroos. .

In all, however, I would strongly commend thiscatalogue to anyone with a deep interest inbooklets.

Available from Sel Pfeffer, PO Box 155,Boonah, Queensland, Australia, 4310;

Prices: Main catalogue volume $55.00;Insert Guide $30.00;2013 Supplement $18.00Postage to Canberra was $15.00

The Philatelic Society of Canberra hasone of the top five philatelic libraries inAustralia. It is an under utilised resourcebut can often help with those philatelicissues you can't solve.

Few of us can afford all the literature weneed for our own collections so give it atry. Also if it's not in our library askaround as another member may havewhat you are looking for.

11

Capital Philately

MAC~lXNA TXONSJOURNAL Of

THE MACHiN iNTEREST GROUPOf THE lPHlilATElliC SOCliETY Of CANBERRA ITNC.

All Rights ReservedMay 2014

ISSN 1329-9948

Machin Post and Go Stamps from NCR Machines

Daniel Tangri

In previous accounts in this journal of the MachinPost and Go stamps I have tried to provide anupdate on all the major new types and varieties asthey came out. 2014, however, has seen MachinPost and Go stamps issued in such great numbers,and in such diversity, that any attempt to covereverything in a single article would require farmore than the space that the editor has allowedme. Consequently I will concentrate in thisepisode on theMachin Post andGo stamps fromthe new NCRmachines.

On 28 February2014 two newmachines becameoperational at thepost office atHarpenden inHertfordshire(Figure 1). Thesewere redmachinesmanufactured byNCR of the USA,and the samebasic type ofmachine that wehave m our own

12

Figure 1: NCR machines atHarpenden.

larger post offices in Australia. The Englishmachines, however, are significant for a numberof reasons. In the first place, they are intended toreplace the Wincor Nixdorf machines that havebeen in post offices since 2004; they are. alsointended to be rolled our rather more widely thanthe Wincor machines, which were only installedat about 150 post offices. The machines seem tobe the vanguard of a new era for the post office,in which machines replace staff and self-servicebecomes the norm for the majority of postalservices.

Another significant aspect of the new machines isthat they can vend both the white Post and Golabels for first class and international services,and the blue labels for second class services. As aresult 2nd class Post and Go stamps are nowwidely available in post offices for the first time.

The stamps are available in two formats. First,there are the classic ready-printed stamps for theeight standard first class, second class andinternational rates - eight NVIs are printed withthe service indicator written on the stamp, forexample First Class up to 100g, Worldwide up to20g or Second Class up to 100g. Second, thereare new 'open value' stamps, which are not NVIs.These are, in fact, a sort of cross betweenHorizon labels and Machin Post and Go stamps.To obtain one of these open value stamps one has

Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philatelyto place the item to be posted on a scale at theNCR machine, and enter in the service to be used- a first class letter, a special delivery letter, aParcelforce item or an international letter, forexample. The machine prints both anabbreviation for the service on the stamp (usingthe same codes that are found on Horizon labels,such as lL for a first class letter, lLG for a firstclass large letter or 2SP for a second class smallparcel) as well as the postage cost of the item.

First let us consider the standard stamps, and thenturn to the open values.

stamps have the standard datastring for exhibitionstamps, containing letters and numbers. NCR andWincor Nixdorf stamps do not have any letters intheir datastrings; the first code in the string is thelocation code for the post office that vended thestamp, which is always missing from modemIAR labels.

There are several clear differences between thefonts on Wincor Nixdorf stamps and on NCRstamps. The two lines on the Wincor Nixdorfstamp for the service indicator are usually setfurther away from the left edge of the stamp, andcloser to the top, than the matching lines on theNCR stamp. On the Worldwide stamps (and latera Europe stamp) the second line of the serviceindicator is always inset, whereas on the NCRstamps the matching values have a second line

Standard stampsThe NCR machines can vend singles or multiplesof up to six individual standard stamps. Thefamiliar collectors' strips of six white stamps andtwo blue stamps are also .--------------------------~available, containing one each ofall eight available values. Thewhite labels were initiallyavailable with the then standardrange of values - 1st class letter,1st class large letter, Europe upto 20g, Worldwide up to 109,Worldwide up to 20g andWorldwide up to 40g. Whenfirst available at Harpendenthese were available on stockwith the MA13 security code inthe iridescent overprint. Theblue labels were available in acollectors' strip of the twosecond class values, 2nd classletter and 2nd class large letter(Figure 2). The blue labels havebeen found with both the MAl2and MA13 codes.

The font used on the stampsfrom NCR machines is differentfrom the fonts commonly knownfrom Wincor Nixdorf machines,and also from Hytech or IARmachines used at exhibitions.The HytechiIAR labels can bequickly dismissed; on the oddoccasions when these stamps aresold without an exhibitioninscription, for example at thisyear's York Stamp Fair, wherethe IAR machines were used, the

Volume 32, No.2

1st Classup to 100g

OOIlOJ:) bl OO()~44 IlJ

1st Largeup to loog

OOHVJ3 ~ I 000;.0." OJ

Europeup to 20g

0080:JJ ij DI)O~44OJ

Worldwideup to 109

O(JSQ>lJ <; I uoo~·,.04

Worldwideup to 20g

Worldwideup to 40g

OOllQ3~,1000,4. ou

Figure 2: NCR collectors' strips from Harpenden, 28 February 2014.

13

Figures 3-4: Wincor Nixdorf stamp (top)compared to NCR stamp (bottom).

that is aligned with the line above. Finally thedatastring on the Wincor Nixdorf stamps isslightly larger, bolder and set higher up than thedatastring on NCR stamps, which is often quitefaint (Figures 3-4).

On 31 March two new values were issued,replacing two current Post and Go values. Thiswas the first time this had happened; previously,when new values were introduced, such as theWorldwide up to 40g stamp and the two 2nd classstamps, the values were added to the existingrange. The Royal Mail decided, when introducingnew rates in March 2014, to do away with theWorldwide up to 40g rate and replace it with anew Worldwide up to 60g rate. Initially theWorldwide up to 109 rate was also to cease. As aresult on 31 March both the Worldwide up to 109and Worldwide up to 40g stamps were no longeravailable from NCR (or Wincor Nixdorf)machines, but were replaced by new Europe up to60g and Worldwide up to 60g values (Figure 5).

After initially deciding to remove the Worldwideup to 109 rate, the Royal Mail then decided tokeep it - too late, however, to stop the stampbeing no longer available from Post and Gomachines. Initially it was thought that the Europeup to 20g stamp could be used instead, becausethis rate (97p) was the same as the Worldwide upto 109 rate (also 97p). However, this clearlycould have left room for confusion with thegeneral public not expected to know all the ratesso closely, and so the Royal Mail decided tointroduce a new 'combi' stamp. This was firstintroduced at the BPMA (on its IAR machine) on28 April, but because of technical difficulties was

14

1st Classup to 100g

00255b 68-000041> 0:1

1st Largeup to 100g

002550 68-00004 b 02

Europeup to 20g

002555 61l 000046-03

Europeup to 60g

062555 68·00oo4b 04

Worldwideup to 20g

0025556800004605

Worldwideup to 60g

00255!> 68-O0004() 06

Capital Philately

Figure 5: 31 March 2014 values.

not available from NCR machines until 5 June.The combi stamp has never been available fromWincor Nixdorf machines; these are rapidly beingreplaced by NCR machines. The combi stampbears the legend 'Euro 20g/World 109'(Figure 6).

By the time the new values were released on31 March, people began to discover white stampson different stock. As mentioned above, the firstsuch NCR stamps were found on labels with theMA13 year code. On 1 July the first NCR stampswith the MA14 year code were discovered at theSutton post office in Surrey. Prior to 5 June, somestamps were discovered without a year code at

Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philatelythe Commercial Street branch in Halifax; afterthe combi value was introduced at NCR machineson 5 June such strips were again found at Halifaxand Wealdstone in Harrow. This gives asomewhat complicated picture of what has beenavailable, which is summarised below:

Date Values Yearcode

28 February 1st class up to 100g; MA132014 1st Large up to 100g;

Europe up to 20g;Worldwide up to 10g;Worldwide up to 20g;Worldwide up to 40g

31 March 1st class up to 100g; MA132014 1st Large up to 100g; No year

Europe up to 20g; codeEurope up to 60g;Worldwide up to 20g;Worldwide up to 60g

5 June 2014 1st class up to 100g; MA131st Large up to 100g; MA14Euro 20g/ World 10g; No yearEurope up to 60g; codeWorldwide up to 20g;Worldwide up to 60g

The stamps with no year code are probably therarities. Fewer than 20 strips are thought to existwith the 'Europe up to 20g' stamp. Strips all havea key characteristic. The cutting bar on theHalifax machine was set slightly out ofalignment, and as a result all strips without a yearcode have the perforations on the Worldwide upto 60g stamp slightly trimmed at the bottom right.

There appear to be rather more examples of stripswith the combi stamp and no year code, butknown strips are probably to be numbered in thetens rather than the hundreds.

Although Worldwide up to 40g stamps were nolonger available after 31 March, the post officeadvised that the stamps could continue to be usedon mail. They would pay the next rate up (i.e. the60g rate). A cover showing such usage is atFigure 7.

Both the white and blue labels are known withstripping of the security overprint at the base ofthe label. This variety has only been found onMA13 white labels with the new values issued on

Volume 32, No.2

1st Classup to loog

02800367-001824·07

1st Largeup to Loog

028003 67 00:1.82408

Euro 20gWorld 109

02800367001824-09

Europeup to 60g

62800367001824 10

Worldwideup to 20g

02800~ 67·001824 11

Worldwideup to 60g

280031>/·001824-12

Figure 6: Strip of 6 showing 'combi'value.

31 March, and on MA 13 blue labels. Variousprinter errors are also known on white labels,which resulted in parts of the service indicatorand datastring being missing.

Open valuesWithout a doubt the most significant impact ofthe new NCR machines was the introduction of'open value' stamps. The machines do not justvend the standard eight values, but can also printspecific stamps for particular services. The priceof each stamp may vary depending on the servicebeing used, the weight and size of the objectbeing posted, and the destination.

15

Capital Philately

I Tongri3405a. ACT 2603

rUA

ase do not bendFigure 7: UK to Australia. The rate was £4 for a small parcel to Zone 2 (all airmail letters over acertain size are now treated as small parcels). This rate was paid with two 1st class large stamps(93p each) and a Worldwide up to 40g stamp (here £2.15, paying the 60g rate). Total £4.01

Open value stamps have the same datastring asthe standard value type 6 stamps, but the serviceindicator is different and additional codes areprinted on the stamp. The service indicator is anabbreviation in large letters at the left, and newcodes include the VAT code and codes for theitem weight, postage paid and destinationpostcode. Buying an open value stamp is thesame process one follows at an NCR machine atan Australian post office. First you have to putthe letter or packet that you want to post onto ascale, and then select the service you want. Themachine weighs the item and calculates thepostage. The amount is then printed on the stamp.

33 services were initially available from the NCRmachines. With 2nd class stamps initially beingavailable with either MA12 or MA13 year codes,this made 41 different stamps. Four servicesbecame obsolete on 31 March 2014 and six newservices were introduced, making a total of 35services currently available.

16

The different services are as follows (and seeillustrations of some of the labels at Figure 8):

lL, 2L, lLG, 2LG, lSP, 2SP, IMP, 2MP, lLSigned For, 2L Signed For, lLG Signed For, 2LGSigned For, lSP Signed For, 2SP Signed For,IMP Signed For, 2MP Signed For, SDl, SD1Saturday Guarantee, SD9, SD9 SaturdayGuarantee, A Letter, A Small Parcel, IT Letter, ITSmall Parcel, IS Letter, IS Small Parcel, ITSLetter, ITS Small Parcel, 9, 10, 24, 48, AM, PS,GP.

The final seven services are Parcelforce services.'9' stands for delivery before 9am the next day;'10' for delivery before lOam the next day; '24'for 24-hour delivery; '48' for 48-hour delivery;'AM' for delivery the next morning; 'PS' forParcel Standard international delivery and 'GP'for Global Priority (which actually covers four orfive 'Global' express services). The four servicesonly available between 28 February and 31March were: A ISF Letter, A ISF Small Parcel,AAX Letter and AAX Small Parcel.

Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philately

Figure 8: Examples of open value stamps

The NCR open value codes are the same as thoseused in the Royal Mail Horizon computer system,and printed on large gold 'Horizon' labels withthe Machin head. However, some of the codesknown from Horizon labels are not known onopen value stamps. Codes for British Forces mailare not known, and nor is 'FP' for Fully Paid,used for items that were underpaid and returned

Volume 32, No.2

to the sender for additional postage and thenposted with the FP label. While a full range ofParcelforce and airmail service indicators is alsoavailable from NCR machines, NCR machinescannot process surface mail items and so the t Sl.I'indicator found on Horizon labels is not found onopen value stamps.

17

The standard value airmail stamps ineludedifferent stamps for mail to Europe and mail toworldwide destinations. By contrast, open valueairmail stamps are all marked 'A Letter' or 'ASml Parel' (Small Parcel) and do not differentiatebetween European and worldwide mail. Normallythe price of a stamp can show its intendeddestination - a stamp costing £1.88 or £3.50 musthave been printed for worldwide posting, becausethere have been no European rates with theseprices. Some of the lower rate worldwide stamps,however, are the same price as some Europeanrates - for example, when the open value stampsfirst came out, the Europe up to 20g rate and theWorldwide up to 109 rate were both 88p. TheVAT code on the stamps can help here; mail forEurope is exempt from VAT, so stamps will havea '4' in the VAT code to show this. Worldwidemail is zero-rated and will have a '5' in the code.

Theoretically, one should be able to put togethercomplete sets of open value stamps on whitelabels with MA13, MA14 or no year code, but itis not as simple as that. At first one could indeedprint out, and take away, all the 33 (and then 35)labels, and some people I know have completemint sets of all the white labels with the MA13year code. However, it now appears that it willnot normally be possible to complete sets of thelabels with MA14 year code or no year code.Previously, when a customer paid for a signedfor, special delivery, Parcelforce or internationalsigned or tracked stamp, a staff member had torelease the stamp, which was then given to thecustomer. Fromlate June,however,machines wereupgraded tocorrelate suchitems withmatching barcodelabels. Thismeant that when

Capital Philatelyitem to be posted. As a result, these stampsshould no longer be available mint and only 1L,lLG, lSP, IMP, A, A Small Parcel, 2L, 2LG,2SP and 2MP should be available mint.

That said, some mint signed for or specialdelivery labels have appeared on eBay with theMA14 year code. It appears that, if you bringstamps with you that match the value of the openvalue stamp you are printing off, when the staffmember comes to print out the stamp, you can putthe stamps you have already brought with youonto your letter or parcel and take away the mintopen value stamp.

It is actually something of a relief that open valuestamps will not be available mint on all types ofstock. The total cost of a complete set of serviceindicators is something like £400. The variousParcelforce and special delivery labels are thehighest value British stamps ever released. TheParcelforce '9' and 'GP' stamps usually cost over30 pounds each. Theoretically one could send a30kg parcel to Australia and print out a GP labelfor this. The cost of the label would be about£450!

With stamps with no year code being found onlyat a couple of machines, open value stamps arevery rare on this stock. As the stock was onlyfound after the post office had changed itsapproach to signed for, Parcelforce and specialdelivery stamps, I have not seen any mint labelswith these service indicators. I do, however, havea number on cover (Figure 9).

Royal Mail

Signed For 1.lG

a customerbought one ofthese stamps thestaff membernow had to placethe stamp,together with thebarcode label, Figure 9: First class signed for cover with open value stamp with no year codedirectly on the

18 Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philately

There is one rather quaint coda to the open valuestamps. On 7 July 2014 a presentation pack wasissued containing five open value stamps - two2nd class, two 1st class and one airmail. At firstsight the stamps look similar to the NCR openvalue stamps, but then it immediately becomesclear that something odd has gone on (Figure 10).The datastring at the bottom of the stamp is thedatastring normally found on stamps printed onHytech or IAR machines, and contains letters andnumbers. It seems clear that the stamps wereprinted on an IAR machine for the pack, ratherthan on a NCR machine - which makes themeffectively a new sub-type.

argued that, as open values are clearly designedto be bought on the spot rather than taken away tobe used at one's convenience, this makes themlabels rather than stamps. He has a point; the factthat the value on the stamp is correlated only withthe item you put on the scale means that, unlessyou are sending a batch of letters all the same sizeand weight, you may not be able to use the samelabel with two different items. Similarly, the factthat signed for, special delivery, Parcelforce andinternational tracked and signed labels have to beplaced on the item at the post office indicates thatthey cannot be taken away for later use.

However, against this one can note that thestandard letter rates can nonetheless be taken

NCR open value stamps are fast becoming quitean exciting area of collecting. That said, there isno standard approach to collecting them. Quite alot of people I know don't try to collect all thedifferent service indicators; they are happy withthe open values that match the eight standardstamps. Some stamp dealers won't stock them,though I can understand that, because, asmentioned above, a complete mint set of thesecan cost about £400. Few people will be willingto fork out that amount very often. Others are ofthe view that these are not stamps at all, butlabels just like the Horizon labels. Writing in theJuly Gibbons Stamp Monthly, John Deering

Volume 32, No.2

away and used at any time, so long as they areused on items of the same size and weight.Furthermore, there are no dates on the labels thatlimit their use to a single day. Consequently,while the open value stamps share a number ofcharacteristics with Horizon labels, they are alsodifferent.

In the end it is up to you whether you collectthese or not. To my mind they are part of thestory of Post and Go, and therefore anindispensable part of any Machin Post and Gocollection.

19

Capital Philately

PASTCARDSJournal of

CANBERRA PICTURE POSTCARD COLLECTORSa branch of the Philatelic Society of Canberra Inc.

No. 92

All Rights Reserved

May 2014

ISSN 1326-9941

Angkor

Peter Cheah

The place called Angkor in Cambodia, is oftenused interchangeably for that great templestructure known as Angkor Wat. "Angkor" is aKhmer term taken from the Sanskrit word"nagara", which means 'city' and 'Wat' meanstemple. So Angkor Wat means 'city temple' andAngkor Thorn, a former designated Angkordistrict, means 'great city'.

The Great Khmer civilisation which lasted some6 centuries, began in AD 802 with the reign ofJayavarman II who was proclaimed universalmonarch in a ritual that gave rise to the cult of thedeva-raja or "god king" for successivegenerations of Khmer monarchs.

The god kings who reigned in the followingcenturies all had names ending with 'varman'. Asa reflection of the king's greatness, the suffix"varman" was added to each king's name as theword "varman" means protector. Hence, besidesJayavarman II, some of the names of subsequentgod kings of that era were: Yasovarman,Harshavarman, Rajendravaman,Udayadityavarman, Suryavarman etc.

The region of present day Angkor has a core areaof approximately 200 square kilometres andwithin that area there are some 70 significanttemple structures that were built between the 9th

and 13th centuries. Not all god kings marked theirreigns by building monuments, while others hadmore than one monument built to commemorate

20

their reigns, e.g. Jayavarman VII had 12. Amonument marking a god king's reign would laterbecome his eternal monument after death.

Angkor Wat is the largest of these templestructures and is the monument that was bestbuilt. In terms of size, it is the largest religiousstructure not only in Cambodia but in the world.It has a commanding presence and took 36 yearsto build. Commissioned by god kingSuryavarman II, Angkor Wat faces west, the onlytemple structure in Angkor to be laid out to facethat way. According to Hindu and Buddhisttradition, west is the direction of death.

This temple was built at the height of the Khmerempire's achievements and was a symbolicexpression of that power. However, afterSuryavarman II's death, the Khmer empire beganto decline and its disintegration as a greatcivilisation is put at 1431.

The significance and symbolism of Angkor Watin Cambodia today is seen in the varying outlinesof that structure on the flags of different warringfactions in recent Cambodian history (see Googlefor examples). It also appears on one of thecountry's note currency.

The other temple structures in the Angkor regionvary in size and style. There are a number ofarchitectural styles attributed to these structuresthat were built between the 9th and n" centuries.

Volume 32, No.2

Capital PhilatelySome of these styles andperiods are:Preah Ko AD 875-893,Bakhong AD 893-925,Pre Rup AD 947-965,Banteay Srei AD 964-1000,Baphoun AD 1010-1080,Angkor Wat AD 1100-1175,andBayon lAD177-l230.

The earliest structurescomprised a single or aseries of single towers builtat ground level (e.g. PreahKo with 6 single towers).The next stage was a lowterraced pyramid with a Figure la: Angkor Wat before restoration.single tower on top (e.g.Baksei Chamkrong). Then came higher multi-terraced pyramids with 3 or 5 towers (e.g. TaKeo). Angkor Wat was built up over 3 levels andhas a central core of 5 great towers but it is not aterraced pyramid. The culmination of Angkor'sbuilding 'frenzy' was that of the Bayon with 54towers, each tower having a similar (but notidentical) type face pointing in 4 directions. Thisstructure was commissioned by Jayavarman VIIand it is sometimes inferred by Khmer historiansthat the multiple faces represented are those ofthat god king. A bust of Jayavarman VII wouldseem to indicate this.

RUINES D'ANGKOR - Angkor-VlJlh, Entrees oceidentotes. Vue prise de la chaussee d'accee

One of the most interesting and unusualmonuments in Angkor is Ta Prohm. This ruinedstructure was "discovered" more than 2 centuriesago with vegetation and large trees growing overmany of the crumbling walls and towers. Thehuge trees and tree roots have been leftsubstantially intact and are a fascinating sight. Itis a great example of the power of nature overman-made utilities.

Some countries have 'adopted' individual templestructures for conservation and restoration byproviding experts in the conservation field, aswell as finance, so as to benefit the Cambodian

nation and the world at large.

RlJtNF~S D'ANGI{OR - AngJcor-Vnfn. En/fie principnJe. Prisc de 1:\ route qui lcnge le fosse Ouest

Angkor is still a must for peopleinterested in historical buildingsand Khmer history. It was oncesaid, in the European context,that you should see Venicebefore you die. The samesentiment can be applied to theAngkor monuments.

It has now become a formidabletourist destination and isinscribed on the World HeritageList.

Figure Lb:Angkor Wat before restoration.

Volume 32, No.2 21

Capital Philately

Figure 2: Present day AngkorWat as restored.

Figure 3a: Galleries of AngkorWat before modem restoration.

RUNES D'ANGKOR - Angkor~VtJih, ftJrlloe Nord d~$ glJieries au 1~' ~(tJgl!

Figure 3b: Galleries of AngkorWat before modem restoration.

22 Volume 32, No.2

Capital Philately

RUINES D'ANGKOR - Angkor- Valh, AIJg": Nord-Ooest d~ I" cour Infirieurt du I" if"tc:

Figure 4a: Rear and side areasof Angkor Wat before modernrestoration.

Figure 4b: Rear and sideareas of Angkor Wat beforemodern restoration.

HV1:,,\F~ l)'Af\'Gj(OH - Angkor-Vafh. P4rfit' Cl:nlrn/(' des .rllJ1t'rit'!5Sud du z" t'ilJgr VUt prj'l tlils"uba~t"mt'nl du ,. ft.1Ft'

Figure 5: Bas-relief of one ofAngkor Wat's galleries.

Volume 32, No.2 23

CAMBODGE ~~~ CAMBODIA

Figure 6: Present day Banteay Srei (as restored).

Capital Philately

Figure 7: Detail of some of the very finesculpture of Banteay Srei.

19.• ANGKOR-THOM. - T ••••••• Royal. qui domino" pla.e centr.le deVue du Sod-E.t

Figure 8: The elevated royal processional way to the Baphuon in Angkor Thorn.

24 Volume 32, No.2

~~ -~~-----------

Capital Philately

IHHKES OOAKGl\On - Le BtJphaon. Fdrllde E${ du 2~ c(lJge. Vue prise de Ia terrasse du 2. ela,g'<'

Figure 10: Modern day Ta Prohmwith is huge trees and roots runningthrough the structure.

Figure 9: The Baphuon inruinous state.

Volume 32, No.2

Figure 11: An example of sculpture detail in theTerrace of the Leper King.

25

RUINr;s O'ANGHOR - Le Bayon, Vue aensemhle. Prise de I'ongte Sod-Ouest, I1U premier plan un stupe reconstuue

Capital Philately

Figure 12a: The Bayonbefore restoration.

Figure 12b: The Bayon afterrestoration.

KiNGDOM OF CAMBODIA

26

Figure 13: Bas-relief on one ofthe Bayon's walls

Volume 32, No.2

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CAPITAL PHILATELYMay 2014 - VOL. 32, No.2

Capital Philately

Editorial

Costa Rica: Two Little Known Airmail Flights

Hans Karman - Emeritus Judging Award

Our Secretary - Tony Luckhurst's 60th Birthday

Clipper Covers from Sarawak

Library Notes 3

Book Review: Sel Pfeffer's Australia & TerritoriesBooklet Catalogue

MACHINATKONSMachin Post and Go Stamps from NCR Machines

PASTCARDS

Angkor

Darryl Fuller

Richard Gurevitch

Paul Barsdell

Paul Barsdell

Bruce Parker

Daniel Tangri

Peter Cheah

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