On this page I will show some Romanian stamps, revenues etc which I have not been able to identify.

• As collector of European topics I found some very interesting Romanian stamps from 1956-1962 with designs of the famous CEPT series! These stamps have bright colours and I got them via ebay. But I couldn't find them in any catalogue - may be somebody can help me? Does anybody know something about the story of these stamps? I heard, that they were produced in Spain during the Romanian King Mihai's exile in Great Britain and later in Switzerland.

ANSWER:

2004-05-20: (Mats Blueckert, Sweden):

• These stamps are propaganda issues, made in Madrid. They have never been used for postage. Some were even printed in Brazil. It is worth noting that even though the fight against the communist regime could be justified, most of these issues were made by former members of the Iron Guard. In other words, it was one evil fighting another. There exists a detailed but very rare catalog over these issues: Traian Popescu / Flor Strejnicu: "Din lupta exilului românesc". Furthermore, an overview with pictures of all these issues can be found at www.romaniastamps.com under Specialities/Exile cinderellas.

	The text at the bottom of this set is in Romanian: "Europe cannot survive without the Eastern countries".
	The text on the sidefield of this stamp is actually in Spanish(!): "Europeans! Eliminate the communism from your road! Freedom for Eastern Europe!"

• I am writing to you because, as a collector, I have exhausted my local resources. I have an unused copy of a 10 Bani Romania postage due which is printed (not a transfer) on the back-side, under the gum. Scott has no listing for this variety. I think it may be Scott # J16. Is this type of error common? Should I have it authenticated? I have enclosed a jpeg of both sides of the stamp. I rotated the scan of the backside 180 degrees. Also, I have been reluctant to watermark this stamp, in case the ink is fugitive. Because of the printing on both sides and the cracking of the gum, it's difficult to determine if there is a watermark w/o immersing in fluid. Are any of the Romanian postage due stamps printed using fugitive/analine inks? Thanks for any help/suggestions you may be able to provide.
  

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2004-05-20: (Mats Blueckert, Sweden):

• CMR 74 (Catalogul Marcilor Postale Romanesti 1974) lists the following issues with printing on the back (also called "Recto-verso"): 
• 1887: 10B green w/o watermark
  
• 1902/10: 10B and 30B green or emerald, pink paper on the back
  

Here are two new Romanian perfins I would like to identify. The first (on Mi #252 and #253 from 1920) shows the letters "M.W". The other (on Mi #278 (1925) and #285 (1923)) shows the letters "BdR".

- Does anybody know which companies used these perfins and in which period?

ANSWERS:

2002-05-11: (M. Chiriac, Constanta, Romania)

According to "Catalogue des Perforations Commerciales et Officielles Roumaines" by Laszlo Eros (1996):
• B.D.R - "Banque de Roumanie" from Bucharest, which used the perfins between 1892-1944. Common perfins.
• M.W - The catalogue records 5 types with almost the same/similar perfins, with only two identified: "Marius Weismann", Commercial Agent (Broker) from Galati (no other details available), and "Banca Moldova" from Iasi, used in 1892, rare.

I believe that the identifikation of "M.W" belonging to "Banca Moldova" in Iasi must be an error in the catalogue. The catalogue also lists the perfin "B.W" with "Banca Moldovei" in Iasi and "Banca Moldova" in Bucharest as source.

2002-04-08:  I cannot find this stamp in my Michel catalog. The motive seems to been a young King Carol from the 1880's. Blue color on thick yellow paper. Imperforated. Does anybody have any information about this issue?

ANSWERS:

2002-05-06: (John Lechtanski):

It turns out that your mystery stamp is about ten years older than you thought.  I found the stamp listed in an old 19th century J B Moens catalog published in Belgium that I have.

It is listed as a Printed Matter Band (Bandes pour Imprimes) January, 1871, 1 1/2 bani, blue on yellow. The picture is listed as Ch. Hohenzollern. He did not become King Carol until 1881 according to the information I found on the Internet.

There is also another very similar stamp with his picture in a ring of pearls, 15 October 1870, 1 1/2 bani, black on green.

Comment: Karl I (Charles) (1839-1914), younger son of Karl Anton, prince of Hohenzollern. Elected as prince of Romania 1866 after A. I. Cuza was forced to abdicate. In 1877 Karl joined Russia in the Russo-Turkish war 1877-78, and commanded the Romanian army during the operations. When Romania's independence from the Turks was proclaimed in 1881, he was elected through a referendum as the country's first king under the name of Carol I.

Does anybody have any information about these "posthorn" cancellations?

- When were they in use?
- What was their purpose?
- Are the numbers related to different post offices?

Any help will be highly appreciated!

ANSWERS:

2002-01-24: (Mats Blueckert, Sweden)

These cancellations are called "Post Master Cancellations", and are very common but an interesting area of collecting. They refer to a person more than a specific post office.

These posthorn cancellations were used in Bucharest by mailmen in order to deface any stamps that remained uncancelled or used in general upon arrival. These cancels are common and there are meny numbers. The numbers were assigned to mailmen, however, we don't know who used what number. Some numbers and/or colors are rare. These cancel where used somewhere between app. 1890 and 1940 (as far I know and have seen them). The posthorns are almost in any case used on postal items that arrived in Bucharest but are rare on letters/postcards that were sent from Bucharest to other destinations.

2001-11-26:

Here are two different Romanian perfins I would like to have identified. The left perfin (on Mi 181) shows the letters "Z&Co". The perfin to the right (on Mi 217)  is some kind of rosette pattern, not letters.

- Does anybody know which companies used these perfins, and for which time period??

ANSWER:

2002-01-24: (Mats Blueckert, Sweden)

Your perfins are:
- Zweifel & Co, Bucharest, Commercial Enterprise period somewhere between 1892 - 1918
- The second one, if I´m not mistaken, is one of several bank perfins consisting of a pattern made of C B R. This is mostly Banca de Credit Roman in Bucharest or Banca Comerciala Romana in Bucharest. Your perfin though is probably Banca de Credit Romana in Timisoara

2001-11-04: (Ben Greenberg) I have a question about one stamp and can't find an answer for some years.  This stamp must be from Romania, but it's not in the Scott catalogue.  Do you know where it is listed? Is it a postage stamp?

ANSWERS:

 2001-11-07: (Mats Blueckert, Sweden)

This is a cinderella issue - a "university-stamp". We are not sure what it was used for - several universities issued such stamps. For diplomas or admission papers??

In Ing. Mihai Cojocar's "Catalogulul Timbrelor Fiscale Romanesti" this stamp is listed under local issues  / Cernauti but only with the value of 10L purple.
Catalog no 2.22.g.4
193?  (The exact year is not known)
Carol II University
Number of issued values = 1  (now we know there are at least two!!)
Format 25x39, picture 21 x 35
Perforated 14:14 1/2
No watermark
Litographed

This stamp is a locally issued revenue stamp from around 1931. It was issued in/for the town Cernauti, which is now Cernowitz in Ukraina. This area is called Bucovina and was a part of Romania before the second world war. Romania has issued many fiscal stamp that where used locally. So, this stamp was not used for any nationwide tax, revenue etc., but was probably used for fund raising (but this is not sure: this counts for many locally issued revenue stamps). A similar type of revenue stamp was issued for Bucharest in 1931. 1931 is the most likely year of issue, because that year the Kingdom Romania existed 50 years.

Among the local revenue stamps, this stamp counts as one of the rarer ones,
market value is difficult to say, because not many (western) European
collect these locally issued revenue stamps of Romania.

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