Philatelic Society talk

MIKE Fulford was the speaker at the Loughborough & District Philatelic Society meeting held on Thursday, November 28. His subject was Cyprus.

Mike gave a brief introduction, stating that the island lay in the east of the Mediterranean Sea. It had seen many changes in rulers. In 1571 the Turks took it from the Venetians.

After the Russo-Turkish war, in 1878, the administration was taken over by Great Britain, who annexed it in 1914. After the Treaty of Lausanne in 1924, Great Britain was allocated the island and it became a Crown Colony in 1925.

Before moving on, Mike displayed some fantastic pre-stamp material in the form of letters, including one dated 1488, just one year before the Venetians took over. Then five letters during the Turkish rule (the Ottoman Empire period).

The postal administration was originally governed by the Foreign Office, but in 1880 was in the hands of the Colonial Office. Mike displayed mint sets of the Queen Victoria issues of 1880 overprinted Cyprus. These were followed by a set showing a change in currency in 1881 when shillings and pence values were changed to paras and piastres. Mike said that both sets were extensively forged. He produced examples of some of the forgeries.

A couple of stationery cards were shown with the overprints.

The Cyprus administration took over the printing of the 1881 issues of the 1/2d. This resulted in many varieties of surcharges and double surcharges and watermarks. Mike showing items of all the varieties.

Postmarks of numerous town and country post offices were displayed, together with a map of their location. Other items included Newspaper wrappers, military mail and Registered letters.

A map showing the postal routes was also displayed. In 1903 further sets were issued, similar to those of Queen Victoria’s portrait, but now showing the head of King Edward VII. He then produced some of the stamps which were used for Revenue stamps, plus a selection of covers of handstamps from the major towns,

He finished the first half of his display with sheet of forgeries of Spirati, a famous forger of that time. Mike continued with the second half of his display with items from the reign of King George V.

The issues of 1912 followed the same designs as for Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, but this time with King George V’s profile. However, there was the addition of two high values, the 10/- and £1. (For some reason these were in British currency denominations).

When WWI broke out in 1914, Britain annexed Cyprus, since Turkey was on the side of the Central Powers.

After the war, Cyprus remained under British control. In 1924 another definitive issue was produced, with new colours and values plus a £5 stamp. In 1925, it became a British Crown

Colony.

The first pictorial stamps were issued in 1928 celebrating the 50th anniversary of British rule, dated “1878-1928”. In 1934 stamps showing a number of castles, churches and Roman and Greek ruins were issued.

In 1938 the first map of Cyprus appeared on a stamp with the addition of the monarch’s head, this time, King George VI. Most of the designs were as those issued in 1934, but with the edition of the King’s head.

Here Mike gave a display of ,miscellaneous items until the outbreak of WWII. They included, some SPECIMAN stamps, the Jubilee issues, picture postcards and Railway stamps, (Cyprus had five Station Post Offices). Some publicity handstamps, 1931 Airmail cover, a “Posted at Sea”, from a vessel of the “Cathedral Line” that sailed from Alexander (Egypt), to Cyprus via Palestine.

Also, some “Official Covers” and “First Flight” covers, plus some postal stationery and a variety of perforations. He then displayed some WWII Censorship covers, and some Indian Army (they were stationed for some time in Cyprus) covers and postmarks. After the end of the war, Mike produced some 1947 slogans (e.g. “Welcome to Cyprus”.

He concluded his displays with stamps of Queen Elizabeth issues of 1955 until 1960 when Cyprus became a Republic. His final sheets displayed stamps overprinted “Cyprus Republic” in both Greek and Turkish.

In his vote-of-thanks, the President, Chas Ford, thanked Mike for bringing along his wonderful display, saying he had been looking forward to it for a long time. He congratulated Mike, not only by providing a great philatelic display, but of a lesson in the history of Cyprus.

The next meeting will be on Thursday, December 12, when it will be the society’s annual Christmas Party, with the theme being, “As you like it”