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Steve Hiscocks did not include Albania. I have added it with current prices together with currency selection. I am using 'RH' numbers (Revised Hiscocks), as I have done with other countries where I have made needed to make additions and/or corrections. CheckList Setup |
Contributors:
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Albania.
According to wiki :
Albania proclaimed independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912 in the southern coastal city of Vlora.
This was recognised by the Conference of London on 29 July 1913. In 1914, with WWI, Greece took control of the area, until 1917 when they were driven out by Italy.
The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 awarded the area to Greece. However it reverted to Albanian control in November 1921, when Greece was defeated by Turkey.
I have only seen these listed in the Michel Catalogue under 'Central Albania, Essad-Post'. Their description is:
1915, 10 February - Tarabosh 1913 issue with violet, black or red double circle overprint having Turkish text; Perf. 11½.
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 This is a similar cachet, but the top-right section looks different. Anyone know what either of them say ? |
| Type b - 5 Para. Michel 11 |
Type b - 10 Para. Michel 12 |
Ottoman Overprint. |
These stamp images from RL have a cancel that is probably telegraphic, though the face values are fairly low. ZYRA means Office.
This set comprises the vales of 2Pa, 5Pa, 10Pa, 20Pa, 40Pa, 100Pa and 5Pia
John Barefoot has kindly supplied the following information regarding these:
Your Tarabosh stamps : prepared (un-overprinted) by philatelic speculators in Trieste, along with some cancellers - small supplies were sent
to Essad Pasha in Central Albania in 1914 for possible postal use but most were kept in Italy and placed (not very successfully) on the philatelic
market (includes cto "used"). During his brief second regime in 1915 Essad Pasha got his supply overprinted with the cachet you illustrate, for postal use.
See "Albania & Epirus" by John S. Phipps, page 154, he quotes a translation by Dr John Caney, stating central section translates as "Shijak 10th May 1913"
(Shijak is a place, presumably site of the battle) and the outer circle translates as "The surrender of the Dutch officers and seizure of the cannons".
The postmark reads ZYRA E TELEGRAFEVET (Zyra = Office. i.e. Post Office).
This postmark type recorded with the town names of TIRANE, ELBASAN, LUSHNJE, SKRAPAR. The postal service under his regime operated in limited and difficult
circumstances throughout 1915 with an office in Durres and sometimes reaching other offices, but much of the claimed territory of Central Albania had Serbian troops
in control. Although these four cancellers mention the word Telegraph, a telegraph service was probably a dreamed aspiration for a distant future in primitive
Central Albania. These are normal "postal" cancels (mainly applied by favour for collectors). Phipps does refer to them as telegraph cancellers (meaning, they bear
the word "telegraph" as opposed to some more basic cds which simply bore a town name) but I have not seen any evidence that a telegraph service existed.
As to the reference to 'Dutch officers', John thinks they are more likely to have been Austrian. Personally I know the term 'Dutch' can be used in English ("double Dutch")
to simply mean 'foreign', just as 'Greek' can be used in English or Spanish (Juan Griego) to mean the same, so it may not have been meant literally.
Stamps are known inscribed in Italian for Telegraphic use in Vlora (Italian Valona) and Himara (Italian Chimara).
Technically these appear to be Franks, since they did not have a monetary value,
but were instead designated as 1, 5 or 10 'Parole', Italian for 'Words'.
These are described (in Albanian) in the book HISTORY OF ALBANIAN STAMPS 1913 - 2013 by Thimi Nika.
1916 (MCMXVI) Typography-printed by “Laterza” in Bari, Italy. Perf. 11½.
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| Type 1 - "Valona" (Vlorë), 5 word mint. - from RL. Imprint: LATERIA - BARI - 3826 |
Type 1 - "Valona" (Vlorë), 10 word mint. - from RL. Imprint: LATERIA - BARI - 3824 |
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| Type 1 - "Valona" (Vlorë), 1 word. click image to see eBay item. |
Type 1 - "Valona" (Vlorë), 5 words. click image to see eBay item. |
Type 1 - "Valona" (Vlorë), 10 words. click image to see eBay item. |
| Images by kind permission of Emi Gimjani and Nika Thimi. The imprint on these does not appear to include a number ! | ||
These have oddly non-rectangular frames, they are known with Italian Military cancels (Vlorë Naval Base, 1919), and Vlora Prefecture cancels of 1919.
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| Type 2 - "Chimara" (Himara) - 1 word inscribed 'TELEGRAFO DI CHIMARA'. |
Type 2 - "Chimara" (Himara) - 5 words inscribed 'TELEGRAFO DI CHIMARA'. |
These have a central imprint at the bottom, which looks different to above, but also with a number.
There is also a small monogram at the bottom-right, like on the ones above, it is larger but looks the same.
Can anyone identify either of these? Anyone have better images?
The Chimara images are with kind permission of gattastro on eBay.
I will take the 'basic stamp' as having an imprint that includes a number which is dependent on location and denomination.
| RH # | Hisc. | Type. | Description | Mint | Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RH1 | - | 1 | 1 word, blue | - | 55.00 |
| RH1a | - | no number in imprint | 55.00 | - | |
| RH2 | - | 1 | 5 words, yellow-brown | - | 85.00 |
| RH2a | - | no number in imprint | 85.00 | - | |
| RH3 | - | 1 | 10 words, green | - | 110.00 |
| RH3a | - | no number in imprint | 110.00 | - | |
| RH4 | - | 2 | 1 word, blue-green | 85.00 | - |
| RH5 | - | 2 | 5 words, orange | 130.00 | - |
| RH6 | - | 2 | 10 words, green ? | 165.00 | - |
If anyone can provide scans to help with this, I am happy to give appropriate credit.
