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Telegraph stamps of the World Click here for a site-map.

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Before Telegraph stamps	Telephone tickets	PCPs	Sanatorium Fund - 1925-29	Sanatorium Fund - 1930-33	Sanatorium Fund - 1935	Sanatorium Fund - 1941	Stationery	Telegram Seals

 

Hiscocks did not list these,  so I am giving them 'RH' numbers (Revised Hiscocks) to avoid confusion. I have added up to date prices and currency selection. CheckList         Setup

Contributors: Arkadiy Avrorov. RL - Rolf Lamprecht.

 

Bulgaria.

Telegraphic use of postage stamps.

According to wiki :
The Principality of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Княжество България, Knyazhestvo Balgariya) was a de facto independent,
and de jure vassal state under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878.
Bulgaria became a Kingdom in 1909.

This is the top value stamp (1 Leva) of 1889, used until 1901, with a telegraph cancel  -  from RL.
The cancel is of the negative type, typical of the Ottoman Empire.

 

Telephone tickets

A couple of Telephone tickets illustrated at half my normal size:

50 Stotinki green for 'Градски телефони', Urban telephone of 5 minutes - from RL.
The form number at bottom-right, suggests that this was printed in 1893.

1 Leva pink for 'междуградски телефони', Intercity telephone of 5 minutes - from RL.

 

RH#	Description	Mint	Used	Stub
RH-TP1	50 St green, for 5 minutes Urban	-	-	-
RH-TP1	1 L. pink, for 5 minutes Intercity	-	-	-

 

PCP (Pour Certificat Postal)

Rolf Lamprecht has shown me an article written in German by Thomas Hitzler and Nikolay Penev, participants of
INTERNATIONAL PHILATELIC SALON “SOFIA 2013”, that goes into some detail about these items.
He also provided the images for this. I have not seen a description of these in English, so I offer my translation of parts taken from this:

"The PCP stamps were used for acknowledgment of receipt of telegrams. The sender Of the telegram paid for this service in advance. The telegraph office of the recipient in Bulgaria handed over the telegram and sent an acknowledgment of receipt by registered letter to the Telegraph office of the sender. Initially the envelopes were given a 50 Stotinki stamp (international postage 25 Stotinki up to 15gm + Registration fee of 25 Stotinki). Later on, only the registration fee was added to the return envelope. During this period, we also find "franked" forms, which were put into free service letters."

This is the third cover I have seen similar to this, all Registered, with the same type of stamp and cover printed entirely in French except for the Cyrillic form number.
This one, courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht, is dated April 1908. Another is dated 1905 and the last, with a capital 'P' in 'Poste', looks like 1909.
They are all from Sofia to Berlin. This is the only one with 'de poste' crossed out, but they all have a variation of Central Telegraphs written underneath,
the last having H. T. A (Haupt Telegraphen Amt) and the left end slit open and re-sealed with a Berlin postal seal.

Since writing the above I have seen more examples, most of which have 'de poste' crossed out. I have also seen scans of a couple of the
bilingual 'Извѣстие за получаване / Avis de reception's that were sent in these envelopes.
John Barefoot tells me that in the Capital (Sophia), the 'de poste' is deleted because there was an office there dedicated to telegrams only.


 

The one on the left appears to be from a similar cover dated 1914.
On the right is a different stamp with 'PCP' and different cancel, dated November 1917 on what looks like a different cover.
The difference may relate to the fact that France and Bulgaria were on different sides in World War I at that time.
These two images and the four below showing a range of the stamps bearing this overprint, come courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

1905   -   50st (Mi# 58)	1907   -   25st (Mi# 56)	1909   -   25st (Mi# 70a)	1911   -   25st (Mi# 84)

I was surprised at the French influence displayed on these. I have Bulgarian telegrams from 1908 and 1912 which are entirely in Cyrillic characters,
so when I first saw 'PCP' I assumed that was Cyrillic too, but clearly not. The influence may be due to the aid provided by France in improving education in Bulgaria.

Table of stamp quantities overprinted 'PCP'.

RH#	Michel #	Denomination	Issue Date	Production Qty	Mint	Used	On Doc.
RH-PCP1	56	25 Stot.	1901	400 from 1906 onwards	100.00	-	480.00
RH-PCP2	58	50 Stot.	1901	100 from 1906 onwards	100.00	-	500.00
RH-PCP3	70a	25 on 30 Stot.	1909	100	200.00	-	-
RH-PCP3a	70b				200.00	-	-
RH-PCP4	84	25 Stot.	1911	400	100.00	-	600.00
RH-PCP5	105	25 Stot.	1915	600	100.00	-	600.00
RH-PCP6	114	25 Stot.	1917	400	50.00	-	-

The Michel numbers were taken from the 1956 catalogue, but they match my 2007 edition. Quantities are taken from the handbook by Rolf Weinbrecht. For 1901 issue it is incomplete. Michel# 70a has a red surcharge, Michel# 70b has a carmine surcharge. The 1911 series has a small monogram at the bottom-right of the King. The 1915 issue does not.

 

Table of envelopes and forms that I have seen scans of.

Date	Type	Denomination	Issue	Michel #	From	To	Source	Notes
Aug. 1905	Envelope	50 Stot.	1901	58	Sophia	Berlin	N. Penev	'de poste' crossed out.
Sept. 1905	Envelope	50 Stot.	1901	58	Sophia	Berlin	eBay	'de poste' not crossed out.
1908	Envelope	50 Stot.	1901	58	Sophia	Berlin	R. Lamprecht	'de poste' crossed out. 'accuse de reception / telegraphique central'
1909	Envelope	50 Stot.	1901	58	Sophia	Berlin	Gaertnerauk	'de Poste' not crossed out. 'H. T. A' + German seal
13 Nov. 1911	Envelope	25Stot.	1901	56	Sophia	Berlin	N. Penev	'de Poste' crossed out. 'Avis de réception / Telegraphique'
25 Feb. 1913	Envelope	25 Stot.	1911	84	Sophia	Berlin	D. Feldman	'poste' crossed out. 'Avis de réception / Telegraphique'
1 Aug. 1916	Form	25 Stot.	1911	84	Sophia	Bucharest	eBay	For 'Legation de Roumanie'
5 Aug. 1916	Form	25 Stot.	1915	105	Sophia	?	eBay	Part form

All of these envelopes went to Berlin (they were collected in East Germany). Considering the French influence, it would be surprising if none were sent to Paris.
Perhaps there are quantities there yet to be discovered.

 

Problems with authentication.

Whilst examples on a complete document would seem to be beyond suspicion, loose stamps, or even on small piece are not.
The overprint is applied with a rubber hand-stamp that leaves no trace on the back as with a metal stamp. A cancel can also be forged.
Mint stamps are a particular counterfeit risk. According to Nikolay Penev "there is currently no competent auditor for these overprints worldwide".
He trusts only Herm Karaivanoff. Having said all that, I bought one that was being offered on an auction site.
I show it here compared to the one above on a small piece:

 

Sanatorium Fund

According to the Scott Catalogue (under Postal Tax stamps), their numbers RA1 to RA18 were 'compulsory on letters etc., to be delivered on Sundays and holidays.
The money received from their sale was used toward maintaining a sanatorium for employees of the post, telegraph and telephone services.'
They do not explicitly say about telegraphs. This sounds similar to Iran so I will accordingly list them, though it may be that some were only used postally.
The Michel catalogue says "Sonntags zu bestellende Postsachen mußten diese Marken tragen." - "Postal goods to be ordered on Sundays had to carry these stamps."
This presumably would include the delivery of telegrams. As always it is for the collector to decide what to collect.
For those in doubt, there is an example below cancelled with "Телеграфна Кантора" (Telegraph Office).

They are all inscribed 'ФОНДЪ САНАТОРИУМЪ' (Sanatorium Fund).

1925-29 Typo. No watermark. Perf. 11½.

Type 1 H1 - View of Sanatorium courtesy of Arkadiy Avrorov	Type 1 H2 - View of Sanatorium	Type 1 H3 - View of Sanatorium

 

Type 1 H4 - View of Sanatorium, used at Teteven.	Type 1 H5 - View of Sanatorium	Type 1 H6 - Sanatorium Peshtera

 

Type 2 H7 - Sanatorium Peshtera	Type 2 H8 - Sanatorium Peshtera	Type 2 H9 - Sanatorium Peshtera

RH# Type. Description Mint Used RH1 1 1 l. black, greenish black 2.75 0.20 RH2 1 1 l. chocolate (1926) 2.75 0.20 RH3 1 1 l. orange (1927) 3.00 0.20 RH4 1 1 l. pink (1928) 4.50 0.20 RH5 1 1 l. violet, pinkish (1929) 4.25 0.20 RH6 2 2 l. blue green 0.35 0.20 RH7 2 2 l. violet (1927) 0.35 0.20 RH8 2 5 l. deep blue 3.00 0.80 RH9 2 5 l. rose (1927) 3.75 0.40

H5 cancelled with Телеграфна Кантора = Telegraph Office. Courtesy of Arkadiy Avrorov.

1930-33 Typo. No watermark. Perf. 11½.

Type 3 - St. Constantine Sanatorium - H10	Type 3 - St. Constantine Sanatorium - H11	Type 3 - St. Constantine Sanatorium - H12

 

#	Type.	Description	Mint	Used
RH10	3	1 l. red-brown and olive-green	4.00	0.20
RH11	3	1 l. olive-green and yellow	0.50	0.20
RH12	3	1 l. red-violet and olive-brown	0.50	0.20RH

 

1935 Typo. No watermark. Perf. 11½.

Type 4 , Trojan Rest Home H13	Type 4 , Trojan Rest Home H14	Type 5 , Sanatorium H15

 

RH#	Type.	Description	Mint	Used
RH13	4	1 l. chocolate and red-orange	0.30	0.20
RH13a	4	Perf. 11	0.30	0.20
RH14	4	1 l. emerald and indigo	0.30	0.20
RH14a	4	Perf. 11	0.30	0.20
RH15	5	5 l. red-brown and indigo	1.40	0.35
RH15a	5	Perf. 11	1.40	0.35

1941 Photo. No watermark. Perf. 13.

Type 6   1 l. - St. Constantine Sanatorium.	Type 6   2 l. - Children at the seashore.	Type 6   5 l. - Rest home.

 

RH#	Type.	Description	Mint	Used
RH16	6	1 l. dark olive-green	0.20	0.20
RH17	6	2 l. red-orange	0.20	0.20
RH18	6	5 l. deep blue	0.30	0.20

 

According to Scott, the same design, though smaller was also used for normal postage stamps (702-705).
They are valued similarly to the ones above.

1950 Typo. (Michel Nr. 19-22). Perf. 11½

1 l. - St. Constantine Sanatorium.	2 l. - Children at the seashore.	5 l. - Rest home.	10 l. - Children at the seashore.

 

Description
1 l. blue-green
2 l. red
5 l. orange
10 l. blue

Stationery.

Shortcuts to other sections
Delivery Forms #51	Delivery Forms #51a	Delivery Forms #51b	Delivery Forms #1	Delivery Forms #851

Telegraph Receipts

A range of receipts, all from RL.

Sophia, August 1898. Note, the '10 cm' at bottom right is lower-case Cyrillic for 10 st, short for 10 stotinki.

Varna, on the Black Sea, to Constantinople, 1898.
Note the form number in the bottom -right corner, these were probably printed in 1897.

Dupnitsa, 15 April 1910. The left edge is like the early French type with an inscription up a vertical strip.

 

Telegrams.

No. 51.

Not yet marked with a Form Number. These date from 1884 or earlier. There is space for the date on the front at top-left and under the address on the back.
The front has " КНЯЖЕСВО БЪЛГАРiЯ " (Principality of Bulgaria) over the Coat of Arms. This is dated 5 October 1884.
 
The front has an imprint up the bottom-right side reading "Скоро-Печатница на Янко С. Ковачевъ въ София и Пловдивъ." (Soon-Printing House of Yanko S. Kovachev in Sofia and Plovdiv.).

 

Many changes at the top. Now Form Number 51, style changes and a change to the Coat of Arms.
This is dated 11 March 1887.
 
The imprint is now horizontal, reading "Държ[ава] Печатница. — Стереот." (State Printing Office — Stereo.).

 

The top is the same except year prefilled as "189..." rather than "188...". The back has a similar change.
This is dated 30 October 1894.
 
Now two imprints, the first with little change, reading "Държ[ава] Печатн[ица]. — Стереот." (State Printing Office — Stereo.). The new imprint on the right includes the year "93".
  . . . . . .  

 

For the next several years, nothing significant appears to change except the imprints and year decades. The other number in the right imprint is a mystery. Used 25-4-1895   . . . . . .   Used 27-9-1898   . . . . . .   Used 24-12-1898   . . . . . .   Used 1-1-1900 (I suspect 1901)   . . . . . .   The Address label on the right dated 24/12/1898 is included because of the pentagram cancel. This is the earliest I have seen, but it is also on some of the later ones that I show.

 

 

Form 51 a ?

Used 4 March 1908 in Sofia.
This is clearly different from the last type. It is single sided and was presumably delivered in an envelope.
Unless there was a form number in the torn-off bottom corner, it was not marked with a form number or imprint.
For reference purposes, I will call it Form 51a. - Note the pentagram at the top, it could not have been a postal marking.

 

Form 51 b ?

Used in 1912.
This is headed "Телефонограма" (Telephone messages), so is clearly different from the last type.
It is single sided and was presumably delivered in an envelope. There is no form number or imprint.
For reference purposes, I will call it Form 51b. - Again, note the pentagram at the top, that could not have been a postal marking.

 

 

Form No. 1

Used in Plovdiv, 20 November 1940.
This is delivering a selected congradulatory type message through the post without envelope.
As such it is a very different usage. There is a "No 1" near the top.

At bottom-left, in place of an imprint is a Logo of a Rampant Lion

 

 

Form No. 851

Used 13 April 1942
This is says at the top "No 851 (старъ No 51)" or "No. 851 (old No. 51)".
This both provides a form number and acknowledges that No 51 was still valid until then.

At bottom-right, in place of an imprint is a clearer Logo of the Rampant Lion

 

 

 

Telegram Seals.

 
I have only seen two types. The first dates from 1884 or earlier and is quite rare, I only know of this badly trimmed one.
The other is only scarce and I have seen examples in the range 1888 to 1900.

 

If anyone can provide scans to help with this, I am happy to give appropriate credit.