Irish Overprints: 1922 (17 February) Dollard 5-line overprint in black – 2½d Ultramarine “S21” Control (single stamp) perforated
Irish Overprints: 1922 (June) 5-line overprint, by Harrison (coil stamps)
This short set of five ‘Provisional Government of Ireland’ coil stamps (shown below) were issued in June of 1922. They were overprinted in glossy black ink by Harrison & Sons Ltd in London because the Irish suppliers did not have the specialist equipment to ‘join’ stamps in strips / rolls for use in coil machines.…
Stamps of the World – Ascension Island (1922 to date)
Stamps of Ascension Island Like other British Overseas Territories, Ascension Island issues its own postage stamps, which provide a source of income for the island from sales to overseas collectors, as well as being used for domestic and international postage. Originally mail was carried on an irregular basis as ships called A datestamp was in…
Stamps of the World – Finnish Occupation of Karelia: 1939-44
The Finnish Occupation of Karelia: 1939-44 At the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, The Soviet Union attacked Finland, thus starting the Winter War. The Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940 handed most of the Finnish Karelia to the Soviet Union. Over 400,000 people, virtually the whole population, had to be relocated within Finland…
Stamps of the World – The Aunis Expedition 1919
The Aunis Expedition: The Aunus expedition was an attempt by Finnish volunteers to occupy parts of East Karelia in 1919, during the Russian Civil War. Aunus is the Finnish name for Olonets Karelia. This expedition was one of many Finnic “kinship wars” (heimosodat) fought against forces of Soviet Russia after the Russian Revolution of 1917…
Stamps of the World – Karelia
The Republic of Karelia: Karelia, the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden. Finland was a part of Imperial Russia up until its independence in 1917 and, once independent, soon sought to unite other former Finnish lands and embarked on a series of…