Author Archives: Stefan

Let’s start with a statement: Cancels besides Erevan or Aleksandropol are a rarity on stamps of the Dashnak period [Ceresa]: namely framed and unframed Z overprints on Tsarist stamps. So when I got this stamp for certification, I was quite … Continue reading →

I am a big fan of multiples. You can see how the “human factor” of the manual approach results in specific differences of the individual overprints. Each one was applied in a single step. So, without further ado, here is … Continue reading →

The Raritan Auction #93 presents several stamps, including a description reading “ex-Zakhary Umikov”. Since the Auctioneer put this in the text, I assume, he wants to get a message to the potential buyer. Perhaps: Signed by an expert; or ex … Continue reading →

The cancels used during Dashnak and Soviet-Armenia times are generally well known and described. Some are very rare, others quite common. Especially the ones used for cancelled to order purposes are plenty. Next come the ones of the large cities … Continue reading →

As a general rule, the surcharges used came in different styles: with serifs or without serifs thin lines or thick lines. Sometimes it is difficult to spot the differences. For example, this stamp: what type of surcharge was applied? Let … Continue reading →

The manual overprint process in combination with a wide variety of ink(s) used, based on what quality and ingredients were present, lead to quite a range of different overprint appearances. T&A describes is a the “human factor”. This can be … Continue reading →

While working on the Transcaucasian Star Overprints (used almost exclusively in Azerbaijan) I found a scan of this Money Transfer Form ex B. Taylor collection. This item is extremely rare and interesting for the following reasons: Latest documented use of … Continue reading →

Recently I bought some postcard / cover with cancels from the Caucasus region I found attractive and wanted to add to my cancel collection for later reference. Also useful for documenting used inks and types of devices. When I received … Continue reading →

While gathering material for a collection of the Transcaucasian star overprints I bought the following item. A bit roughly opened but looking quite interesting and showing a lot of cachets and added script texts. A typical oversee letter. There are … Continue reading →