About Stamps

[Rasputin]

مجموعه داری يکی از تفريحات رايج است. جمع کردن تمبر يکی از مواردی که علاقه بسياری را به سوی خود جلب کرده است. اگر چه مجموعه داری تمبر فعاليست قديمی ولی همچنان خيليها به جمع کردن و کلکسيون های تمبر علاقه دارند و به جای وقت گذرانی های امروزی، ترجيح می دهند با با تمبرها بازی کنند.
بازی با تمبرها و نگهداری از آنها می*تواند خيلی زيبا و دوست*داشتنی باشد به شرط آنکه قواعد بازی را بلد باشيد. يعنی بدانيد که به اين سادگی*ها نمی*شود هر دفتر تمبری را يک مجموعه خواند.

مجموعه داری تمبرعلاوه بر اينکه اطلاعات تاريخی، سياسی و اجتماعی شما را بالا می برد می تواند پس اندازی هم برای شما باشد. هر چه مجموعه بهتری داشته باشيد قيمت آن هم بالاتر می رود.

در دهه*های سی، چهل و پنجاه اشتياق برای جمع کردن آلبوم*های تمبر خيلی زياد بود. در بيشتر خانواده*ها يک آلبوم تمبر قديمی از آن دوران يا حتی دهه شصت باقی مانده است. اما اين اشتياق امروز کم*کم به فراموشی سپرده شد، حتی نمی*دانيم يک مجموعه تمبر با ارزش و نفيس چه ويژگی*هايی دارد

تاريخ پيدايش تمبر

اولين باری که تمبر به کار برده شد، سال ۱۸۴۰ ميلادی بود. در اين سال يک مامور پست انگلسی به اداره پست انگلستان مراجعه کرد و درباره چاپ و به کار بردن تمبر پست پيشنهاد داد، پيشنهاد او به علت آسان کردن امور پستی مورد قبول واقع شد.

همان سال يکی از وزرای کابينه انگلستان موسوم به "سرراولند هيل" طرح پيشنهادی مامور پست را به صورت لايحه ای به پارلمان انگلستان برد و نمونه بسيار کوچکی از تمبر را که هر فرستنده نامه می بايست از پست خريداری کند و در پشت پاکت نامه خود بچسباند به نمايندگان ارايه داد. اين طرح تصويب شد و اولين تمبر منتشر شد. قيمت آن يک پنس بود با عکس ملکه ويکتوريا روی آن. نمونه های کمياب و گران قيمت اين تمبر امروز در ميان کلکسيونرهای تمبر به "پنی بلاک" معروف است و آخرين بار به قميت ۶۵ ميليون فرانک خريد و فروش شده است.

آغاز مجموعه داری تمبر

مجموعه داری تمبر نيز از فرانسه و انگلستان آغاز شد. بزرگترين کلکسيون تمبر دنيا متعلق به پادشاه سابق انگلستان (جورج ششم) بود که اکنون در اختيار ملکه اليزابت است. دومين کلکسيون از لحاظ ارزش متعلق به فاروق پادشاه خلع شده مصر بود که در لندن به نفع دولت مصر حراج شد.

ايران هم ۱۹ سال بعد از انگلستان از تمبر برای ارسال نامه استفاده کرد. ناصرالدين شاه بعد از سفر به فرانسه تصميم گرفت از تمبر برای ارسال نامه ها استفاده کند.

اولين تمبرهايی که در ايران منتشر شد تمبرهای شيرو خورشيد بود که اکنون از با ارزش*ترين تمبرهای کلاسيک جهان به شمار می*آيند و برای مجموعه*دارهای حرفه*ای بسيار جذابند. خيلی*ها آروز دارند که يکی از آنها به آلبوم*شان اضافه شود تا مجموعه نفيس*تری داشته باشند.

مجموعه داری تمبر مثل يک بازی است. شما بايد مجموعه خودتان را کامل کنيد. تمبرهای کلاسيک بعضی از کشورها به چند نمونه ختم می شود اما آنچه تمبرهای شير و خورشيد را منحصر به فرد کرده اين است که هر کدام با ديگری فرق دارد. اين تمبرها با پنج قالب دست ساز و در چهار قيمت و چهار رنگ چاپ می شده است به همين دليل تفاوت بين قالب ها، رنگ ها و حتی نحوه چيدن قالب ها در کنار هم در هر بار چاپ تمبر باعث شده شيرو خورشيد از مجموعه های متنوعی باشد. تازه بعدها که قيمت تمبر بالاتر رفت اداره پست با دست کاری قالب ها قيمت ها را تغيير داد و خوراک بهتری برای مجموعه دارها ساخت.

از بعضی از اين نمونه ها تنها يک يا دو مورد در جهان باقی مانده و از بعضی بيشتر به همين دليل قيمت و ارزش هر کدام با توجه به کميابی آن متفاوت است.

نفيس ترين مجموعه تمبر شير و خورشيد متعلق به يک مجموعه*دار اسراييلی که نام «يوسف حَکْمی» است. مجموعه او در سال ۱۹۹۹ در نمايشگاه تمبر جهانی استامبول برنده جايزه «گراند پری» شد که بهترين جايزه تمبر جهان است. تا به حال سه کلکسيون ديگر شير و خورشيد هم توانسته جايزه گراندپری را دريافت کند.

تمبر های خوب تمبرهای نايابند

در گرانبها شدن تمبرها هميشه دو عامل مهم و اساسی در کار بوده است يکی کمياب بودن و ديگری سالم بودن آن البته اشتباه نکنيد سالم بودن ظاهری آن مد نظر است مثلا اگر پاره شود يا دندانه اش بشکند ديگر ارزشی ندارد اما تمبرهايی که در چاپ ناسالم از آب در می آيند جزء تمبرهای کمياب هستند و قيمت بالاتری دارند.

هر چيزی که بتواند مجموعه شما را متفاوت کند ارزش بيشتری دارد. عده ای به جمع آوری تمبرهايی مشغولند که نقصی در توليد آنها وجود داشته. مثلا ممکن است در هر سه هزار تمبر يکی از آنها با يک رنگ چاپ شود و يا قيمت روی آن نخورد. همين موضوع آن را از سه هزار تای ديگر متفاوت می کند. بعضی ها فقط دنبال تمبر های ناقصند. گاهی اوقات چاپخانه هايی که مسئوليت چاپ تمبر در دنيا را دارند شيطنت هايی می کنند و عمدا تعدادی از تمبر ها را تک رنگ و يا طوری چاپ می کنند که تصوير آن نصفه باشد. بعد هم تمبر ها را به قيمت بيشتری می فروشند.

قدمت هم به قيمت و ارزش تمبر اضافه می کند. پس اگر روزی خواستيد وارد بازی مجموعه داری تمبر شويد فراموش نکنيد که تمبرهای جديد را بخريد و بايگانی کنيد شايد ده سال ديگر بتوانيد چند تای آنها را به يک مجموعه دار که به دنبال تمبر خاصی است بفروشيد.

تمبرهای سری ارزش بيشتری دارند. مثلا مثل سری تمبرهای تاج گذاری احمد شاه که هفت تايی است و برای مجموعه دار پيدا کردن و جور کردن همه تمبرهای آن سری کار سختی است.
شما هم صاحب يک مجموعه تمبر شويد

بر خلاف ايران در کشورهای اروپايی و امريکا به مجموعه داری تمبر علاقه زيادی نشان داده می شود. در ايران تنها در دهه های ۵۰ و ۶۰ به تمبر علاقه زيادی نشان داده شد طوری که هر روز صف های بلندی برای خريد تمبر در مقابل پست مرکزی تشکيل می شد. اما رفته رفته اين موضوع به فراموشی سپرده شد. حداقل در هر خانواده ايرانی يک دفتر تمبر پيدا می شود که در گوشه ای خاک می خورد. برای شروع می توانيد سراغ آنها برويد. شايد بتوانيد يک تمبر گران و قيمتی هم در آن پيدا کنيد! و يا می توانيد کار را از خريد يک دفترچه تمبر از بازارهای جهانی که همه جا وجود دارد شروع کنيد. معمولا تمبر بازی از همين دفترچه ها شروع می شود. در آنها هزار تمبر مختلف با موضوعات متفاوت است. با پرداخت مبلغ کمی صاحب هزار تمبر می شويد که می توانيد از ميان آنها چند مجموعه دلخواه جدا و آن وقت مجموعه تان را تکميل کنيد.

مجموعه داری جوان های امروز کمی متفاوت شده است. تعداد کم تمبرهای کلاسيک و قيمت بالای آن باعث شد مجموعه داری شکل ديگری پيدا کند. به هر چيزی که علاقه داريد همان را برای مجموعه تان انتخاب کنيد. اگر به تاريخ علاقه داريد می توانيد يک موضوع يا دوره تاريخی خاصی رادر نظر بگيريد و آن را در تمبر ها جستجو کنيد. اين مجموعه منحصر به فرد از آن شماست.

نوع متداولی که امروز در دنيا بيشتر به آن گرايش وجود دارد مجموعه های موضوعی است مثلا تمبر هايی با موضوع هواپيما، گل، گربه، چهره، شخصيت های سياسی يا هنری و.... البته مجموعه داران حرفه ای سراغ موضوع های جالب تری می روند مثل پزشکی، جنايت، وقايع تاريخی، بررسی سير تحول تکنولوژی، بررسی پست ايران در دوره انقلاب، نهضت مشروطه و.... مجموعه اشياء مرتبط با تمبر هم کلکسيون های ديگری را تشکيل می دهد. مثل جمع آوری پاکت نامه ها يا مهر پست خانه های مختلف.

مجموعه های ديگری هم هستند که با عنوان «ماکسی فيلی» از آن ياد می شود. ماکسی فيلی ها نوعی کارت پستال است که با هر سری تمبری چند تايی از آن چاپ می شود. ارزش آن وقتی بيشتر می شود که تمبری با همان موضوع يا دقيقا با همان تصوير کارت روی آن بچسبانيد.

هر سال در سراسر دنيا نمايشگاه های بزرگی برگزار می شود و مجموعه داران از سراسر دنيا در آن شرکت می کنند. علاوه بر مدال های طلا، نقره و برنزی که به نفرات اول تا سوم می دهند، يک جايزه ويژه با عنوان «گراند پری» هم اهدا می شود که به بهترين و کامل ترين مجموعه تعلق می گيرد. نمايشگاه های بعدی فرصت خوبی برای مجموعه استثنايی شما خواهد بود.

مجموعه داری علاوه بر افزايش اطلاعات سرگرمی و پس انداز خوبی است. اکنون در اکثر کشورهای جهان کمپانی های مختلف خريد و فروش تمبر به کار وارد کردن و صادر کردن تمبر اشغال دارند سفارش شما را می گيرند و آن تمبری را که می خواهيد برايتان تهيه می کنند و منافع کلانی از راه خريد و فروش تمبر عايدشان می شود. امريکا از اين لحاظ در رتبه اول قرار دارد.

[Rasputin]

IRAN'S FIRST POSTAGE STAMP

Although the question of what is Iran’s first issue and when it was issued have kept many people guessing for many years and decades, if not over a century, some believed that it was issued in 1868, others guessed 1870, and even some people believed that it is 1875, when the rouletted stamps were issued after the reorganization and creation of the modern postal system by Herr Gustave Von Riederer of Austria.

First, the question of which one is the first issued stamp of Iran to pay for the postage could always be argued and many different opinions may be expressed. However, in this article I will try to write my opinion after studying the subject seriously for the past 30 years of my over 45 years of collecting and studying the Iranian philately.

To answer this question as when was the first Iranian stamp issued, first we have to decide as which is the first Iranian stamp.

Friedrich Schüller in his book published by him in late 1893 under the title of the Persian Post and the Postage Stamps of Persia (and Bochara), which I am quoting from its English translation have stated very nicely regarding the first Iranian issue as follows:

“As the execution of the most important orders is generally arranged verbally after a report at the “Divan”, and as such orders are only noted on small slips by one of the many clerks present, these sole documents about the orders given are rolled up into small little scrolls, and being considered private property, soon get lost in the wide pockets of the long Persian frocks, so it is quite impossible to get exact information as to the first issue of stamps. Mere verbal information is of course little to be relied upon, since the Persians in order to oblige will tell lies, but are always ready to support them with an oath. It is certain, that the first postage stamps came from Paris when the present Minister of Post, His Excellency Emine Eddaule (Amin-o-Dowleh) was in office. Whether they had been ordered or sent as an offer, I do no know.”

From this quotation from the Schüller’s book we can see that he has noted that, “the first postage stamps came from Paris”, and not printed locally in Iran as it was in the case of the Baqeri stamps. Schüller continues by writing that, “The 4 values (delivered) were: 1Chahi, lilac, 2Chahi, green, 4Chahi, ultramarine, and 8Chahi red, all of them toothed 13 (correct perforation: 12½), but a larger quantity was sent of 2Chahi green only. Of each value there were however 4 stereo-plates sent, and thus one may suppose, that the stereos and the 2Chahi stamps have been ordered, whilst the 1, 4, and 8Chahi were sent as samples.”

We know by now, that the stamps Schüller has written about and the only stamps delivered from Paris to Teheran were the Lion stamps, known as Barre Essays shown below (Fig.1-4).

As a proof to substantiate Schüller’s claim, there are also a few presentation panels (Fig.5) exist which were prepared by the Iranian postal administration in 1884, to be sent to the Universal Postal Union.

On each panel a number of stamps were affixed and at the bottom of the panels there were two postal markings; a TEHERAN 2/4 single circle postmark and a “DIRECTION GENERALE DES POSTES / LE PERSE TEHERAN” negative seal postal marking with French & Farsi inscriptions (Fig.6). The most interesting point regarding these panels is that the postal administration among other stamps, has affixed four Barre stamps in the colors, Schüller noted in his book, which are 1sh lilac, 2sh green, 4sh ultramarine, and 8sh red, as they can be seen in the photo below, and offered them as the issued postage stamps of Iran instead of the lion stamps known as Baqeri issue (Fig.4). One must note that these four Barre stamps are relatively much more scarcer than other colors of the same denominations, which proves that these four specific stamps were the ones apparently sent to Teheran from Paris, and these four specific colors were distributed among the dignitaries and other members of the Royal court as well as a small stock remained at the post office as specimens of the first Iranian stamps.

In addition, in article published in the January 1926 issue of the Philatelic Journal of Great Britain, in a paragraph in page 7, we read that, “It has usually been assumed that these (Baqeri) stamps were issued in 1870, but Herr Breitfuss states that the issue took place in 1868.” Apparently, this sentence was the beginning of certain prolonged confusion for over the next few decades as suggesting to the fact that Baqeri stamps were issued in 1868 and not 1870. Seemingly based on this article, Dr. Mohammad Dadkhah, in his book, “Lion Stamps of Persia (Iran) 1865-1879,” has supported this point of view and even suggested that there is a cover in the Tapling Collection of the British Museum, London, franked with several Baqeri stamps and with the manuscript date of Jamadi-ol-Thani 1285 Qamari (Islamic Lunar Calendar) corresponds to 1868.

Following my several trips to London, finally, I had the opportunity to have an appointment with Mr. Vousden, the Curator of the Philatelic Collections at the British Library, to view the Iran section of the Thomas Keay Tapling’s collection from close; right before the collections to be housed and mounted in the new building of the British Library.

In my astonishment, unlike what it was noted by Dr. Dadkhah in his book, I found no covers of any kind in the Tapling collection but two pieces or portions of supposedly covers, which were opened out.

On both fragments one can see that they were apparently sent to Teheran according to Farsi manuscript reading “Dar-ol-Khalafeh-e Teheran” One of these pieces franked with copies of a One Shahi and Eight Shahis tied with pen-marks and the word Tabriz, the manuscript date and address portions of the cover were torn off. It is necessary to note that the 9 Shahis rate is also quite unusual.

The second fragment, which indeed is supposedly the “cover”, noted by Dr. Dadkhah in his book, has a franking totaled 26 Shahis. This is quite strange for a cover used locally in Teheran with the letter postal rate of only two Shahis. The stamps affixed to this fragment from left to right are a 4sh blue green, 4sh blue (different shade from the first stamp), 2sh green, 8sh carmine, and finally a torn portion of an 8sh red (different shades) tied by pen marks as shown below which reads “Teheran 1285 beh tarikh 7 jim 2” which is 7th Jamadi-ol-thani 1285 (25th September 1868

Like the other piece in Tapling collection of British Library, this one is also missing the address and manuscript date portion of the cover and its too is torn off as well. In addition to these questionable pieces, I came across another piece offered at the Christie’s auction of 12th November 1987. This piece as it is shown in Fig.11, is similar to the pieces in Tapling collection, but the 8sh & 2sh stamps are tied by pen-marks reading in Farsi 1286 (1286 Tchapar-khaneh Ghazvin) corresponding to 1869. Like the other identical pieces, the address and manuscript date portion of this one was also cut off, which is suggesting that all of these pieces, regardless of how old they are, but they were made for collectors and cannot be considered as any evidence to establish the issue date of the Baqeri stamps.

Before getting into conclusion, I must add another statement from Schüller’s book, which it states that, “The 2Chahi stamps were, probably in order to make them known quickly…they have never sold in the post offices. It is very doubtful whether the toothed 2Chahi stamp has been in actual use.” In following paragraphs also writes, “But the larger quantity of these stamps will have got into the Enderun (Andaroon) (harems, to be shown as curiosities, and soon got lost to collectors for ever.”

By looking at the three statements made by Schüller, Brietfuss, and Dr. Dadkhah we can obviously make a deduction that the first stamp of Iran was issued in 1868, but the Philatelic Journal of Great Britain caused the confusion by incomplete quoting of Brietfuss, which made Dr. Dadkhah to come up with an erroneous conclusion.

When, Brietfuss stated that the first Iranian stamp was issued in 1868, he did not mean to suggest that the Baqeri stamps were issued in that year, but actually he was referring to a Two Shahi green stamp from the shipment delivered from Paris as noted by Schüller. And when Schüller noted that, “It is very doubtful whether the toothed 2Chahi stamp has been in actual use”, apparently he was right too as there is no evidence to the fact that any Barre Two Shahis green stamp ever found on a cover. However, if we assume that the presentation panels were made up by the postal administration (which they were based on the official postal markings (Fig.6), therefore in the absence of any written official documents, the panels could be considered as the statement by the Iranian postal officials as to the fact that the Barre stamps with the denomination with certain colors as noted were actually considered as the first stamps issued in Iran by the post office.

[Rasputin]

The postage stamp is regarded usually as a small rectangular paper with an adhesive label issued by a government and sold in various denominations to be affixed to items of mail as an evidence of the payment of postage. Stamps have been also issued in other shapes or made of materials other than paper. New Zealand issued the circular stamps and Sierra Leone and Tonga produced self-adhesive stamps in the form of fruit. Bhutan issued a stamp with its national anthem on a playable record, and Switzerland once made a stamp partly out of lace. The industrial revolution and economic growth in Britain, in late 18th and early 19th centuries, urged a demand for a better postal service, which were then under the framework of British stagecoaches. On May 1, 1840 Britain issued the Penny Black with the profile of Queen Victoria printed on it. That was the world's first postage stamp. Few years after Britain issued the first postage stamp, the governments of other countries decided to follow suit. Switzerland, the United States, France, Russia, Japan, and Iran issued their first postage stamps in 1843, 1847, 1849, 1858, 1871, and 1875 respectively. Since the issuing of the postage stamps, the philately or the collecting and studying of stamps as a hobby has also become popular around the world.

EARLY EFFORTS IN IRAN: During the reign of Nasser-e-Din Shah (1846-1896) of Qajar dynasty, a postal system of paying a fee for mail prior to delivery was established under the supervision of premier Taghi-Khan-e-Amirkabir. The notice on the new postal service was published on February 12, 1851 in the 2nd issue of an official newspaper named Happening Events (in Persian: Vaghayeh Ettefagheeyeh). The notice read as follows: 'In the view to bring order and harmony in the postal system of Iran, it was decided that post offices to be established in Tehran and other important provinces and those who wish to send letter by mail should bring it to one of those offices and leave it with the postmaster'.

According to the 7th issue of the same newspaper, the postal service started on March 21, 1851. On October 29, 1851, a senior governmental officer named Sha'fi Khan was appointed by the premier as the first postmaster. In those years, the units of currency in Iran were as follows: 20-Shahis=100-Dinars=1-Gheraan=1-Rial, and 10-Rials=1-Tomaan. The postage fee for letters delivered in Iran was fixed at 5-Shahis for one letter and 20-Shahis for five letters or more in one envelope.

FIRST IRANIAN STAMPS: In early 1860s when Nasser-e-Din Shah came back from his visit to Europe, upon the recommendation of Ali Khan-e-Amindowleh, Ministe of the Post Affairs, an Iranian group of representatives was sent to Paris. The group was permitted to make inquiries for establishing a modern postal system in Iran to issue and to utilize postage stamps. Albert Barre, the famous French artist at the time, was approached by the Iranian representatives and commissioned to design a postage stamp for the country. Barre designed the first Lion Stamps of Iran and possibly the said Iranian group printed the stamps and delivered them from Paris to Tehran in 1868.
Those stamps are known as Barre Essays. Some philatelists, however, believe that those essays were prepared by Charles Trotin, a member of the Money and Medallion Commission of France, and not by Albert Barre. The Lion Stamps were green and each valued 2-Shahis, and they were not issued to general public. The reason for the relative ban is unknown. Tow years later, in 1870 the same story happened for another postage stamp known as Baagheri design. And finally the Cardi stamp (spelled also as Kardi stamp), which is considered as the first official stamp of Iran was issued in 1875. Cardi stamp known also as Rouletted stamp was firstly used between Tehran and its northern suburb of Shemiran in August 1875.




OTHER POSTAGE STAMPS USED IN IRAN DURING QAJAR ERA: Before Iran issued her first official postage stamps, there were also other stamps in circulation and in use in the country. The Indian Postal Agencies (IPA) were opened and supervised by British officers at Bushehr (1857), Bandar-e-Abbas (1867), and Bandar-e-Langgeh (1867). All local IPA used the stamps issued in India. In 1923, Reza Khan-e-Sardar Sepah (later as Reza Shah, the founder of Pahlavi dynasty in 1925) banned the activities and the usage of all stamps of IPA.

MODERN POSTAL SYSTEM IN IRAN: The modernization of postal system started in 1925 when a Ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone (PTT) was established in Iran. PTT along with its responsibilities to provide all services for mail, telephone, and telegraph was also responsible to design, print and issue the postage and other legal stamps. In 1966, the PTT initiated the usage of nationwide postal code system for delivery and made its operations faster. In 1990, Post and Telecommunication Museum was re-established and the remains and the equipments from ancient Mail Carriers (in Persian: Chapaar or Barid) to the present System of Post were displayed. And on July 7, 2001 the name of the (PTT) was changed to the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).