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February 2019 Stellenbosch Filatelistevereniging Stellenbosch Philatelic Society Posbus/P.O. Box 3950 SOMERSET-WES/SOMERSET WEST 7129 Telephone : 083-289-1825 (Niel) E-pos/mail : [email protected] Webwerf : stbphilatelic.wordpress.com Klubaand : 1ste Dins van mnd om 19:00 Club night : 1st Tues of month at 19:00 Jaargang/Volume: 40 No/Nr: 5 Venue: Die biblioteek, Klubhuis, La Clémence, Webersvallei Road, Stellenbosch NUUSBRIEF JANUARIE 2019 VORIGE BYEENKOMS 27 NOVEMBER Die byeenkoms was die jaarlikse afskeidsfunksie, wat deur die Voorsitter by Spur in die Stellenbosch Square Winkelsentrum gehou is. Die bywoning was egter erg teleurstellend, aangesien slegs 12 (insluitend eggenotes) dit bygewoon het. Dit lyk nie asof hierdie funksie die nodige ondersteuning geniet om daarmee voort te gaan nie, en miskien moet slegs ʼn gewone klubaand gereël word. Nogtans het die wat wel bygewoon het, dit terdeë geniet, en is die jaar se aktiwiteite goed afgesluit. The meeting was the year-end function, arranged by the Chairman at the Spur at the Stellenbosch Square Shopping Mall. Attendance was, however, disappointingly poor with only 12 (partners included) attending. It seems as if this function does not enjoy much support, and should maybe be replaced by a normal club evening. The people attending enjoyed themselves, and it was a fitting close to the year’s activities. Volgende vergadering: Die volgende vergadering is op 5 Februarie 2019, wat ook die Jaarlikse Algemene Vergadering is. Die kennisgewing sal ter gelegener tyd aangestuur word. FACTS AND FEATS: THE POSTAL SERVICES Stamps issued simultaneously in two language versions were first produced by Switzerland in 1850. Stamps of 2½ rappen values were issued in French-speaking areas inscribed as POSTA LOCALE and in the German-speaking areas inscribed ORTS POST. No attempt was made to accommodate the Italian-speaking areas at the time. These stamps were printed in separate sheets and not in bilingual pairs. Subsequently Switzerland got around the language problem by inscribing stamps FRANCO (franked) which is understandable in French, German and Italian, and rendered the country name in Latin – HELVETIA (or CONFEDERATIO HELVETIA). Stamps issued simultaneously in three language versions were produced by Switzerland between 1939 and 1942. The first such issues publicised the Swiss National Exhibition in Zürich and were inscribed in French (right top), German (left) and Italian (right bottom). In 1940 stamps for the National Exhibition and Red Cross fund were inscribed in one or other of the three languages, according to the face value of the stamps. There was no attempt at that occasion to each denomination in all three languages. In Mar 1942 stamps publicising the national salvage campaign were inscribed TO SURVIVE, COLLECT SALVAGE in either French, German or Italian. Subsequent Swiss stamps have tended to be inscribed in all three languages or merely in Latin. Bilingual inscriptions, in countries with two major languages, were first used in Belgium (French and Flemish) in 1893, and in Canada (French and English) in 1927. In the latter case, the first concession to the Francophone population was the inscription TERCENTENAIRE DE QUEBEC on the series of 1908, English on that occasion being confined to the value and the word POSTAGE. In 1927 a set celebrating the diamond jubilee of the Confederation had the words POST and POSTES in the side panels. Since cents, dollars and the country name are the same in both languages Canada has neatly solved the problem of bilingualism by confining inscriptions to a minimum, and the showing considerable ingenuity in the use of words common to both languages or arranging the inscriptions in such a way as to minimise the repetition of words common to both languages. The first stamps with inscriptions in two different alphabets were issued by the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1856. The value (in kopecks) was rendered in the Roman and Cyrillic alphabets. The first stamps issued by Moldavia (now part of Romania) were likewise inscribed in the Roman and Cyrillic alphabets. The first stamps in Roman and Oriental scripts were issued by Hong Kong in 1862 (in English and Chinese), while the first stamps in Roman and Arabic scripts were issued by Egypt in 1866. Jammu and Kashmir was the first country to issue stamps in two different Oriental scripts (Arabic and Hindi) in 1866. Facts and feats come from: Mackay, James, The Guinness book of Stamps, Guinness Publishing Ltd, Enfield, 1988 Please note that the information used for this article has in many cases been overtaken by events – Ed THE EVOLUTION OF MAIL AND POSTAGE STAMPS (10) This is an article written by Tom Fortunato, and can be found at the indicated website, and an excerpt will be featured over the next few months. (http://www.frontiernet.net/~stamptmf/exhibits/stampcollecting/index.html) IV - Security Measures Inks Optically variable inks contain tiny flakes of special film that change color as the viewing angle is varied. This technology was first used on banknotes. before and after heating - see the lower cloud color change before and after heating - check out the pan Heat-sensitive thermochromic inks have been used on stamps that turn color when heated by slight rubbing with a finger. before heating - pink lei turns white before and after heating - black turns grey revealing the inner molecule and Chemistry inscription (silver Queen's head did not reproduce well in upper left corner of each stamp) when warm checkerboard background and boxes in the border turn color Hidden Images Scrambled Indicia® is a "patented pre-press process that scrambles, distorts, intertwines, overlaps or otherwise manipulates images making encoded information on them unreadable by the naked eye, and non-copyable by current color copiers and digital scanners" per the Graphic Security Systems Corporation's web site. The technology has been in use since 1977, and was adopted as an anti- counterfeiting measure on US postage stamps in 1997. When printed, the images are seen through a simple plastic decoder lens allowing the viewer to see the encoded images. Here are two demonstrations of the decoding technology from the company. A variety of images appear on the 1998 "Bright Eyes" animal commemoratives and $1 fox definitive USPS issues. Perforations Printers have also experimented with different perforation shapes to deter counterfeiting. In 1993 Great Britain postal authorities uncovered a massive plot selling fake 24 pence Machin definitive stamps (on the right) around the country. Their perforations were uneven and crude, but probably not noticeable to the general public. The Post Office turned to Dutch printer J. Enschede that created an elliptical perf to thwart future forgeries. The 29 pence stamp was issued this way later that year. Two different distinct types of these perfs have been used on British definitives, best seen while two stamps are attached together. J. Enschede and other printers have used variants of these perfs on other stamps. horizontal elliptical perfs "B" shaped elliptical perfs maple leaf perfs double elliptical perfs elliptical perfs and large holes in corners star perfs in corners To be continued… TIMELINE Battle of Marshall Islands. On 3 Feb 1944, American forces invaded and took control of the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands are located approximately 350 km northwest of the Gilbert Islands, and had been occupied by the Japanese since World War I as part of the South Pacific Mandate. The Japanese regarded the islands as an important outpost for their navy. Japanese forces occupied the Gilbert islands on 10 December 1941, landing troops of the South Seas Detachment on Tarawa and Makin islands, a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbour, in order to protect their south-eastern flank from allied counterattacks, and isolate Australia. The islands were to become a staging post for the planned invasion of the Tuvalu islands by the Japanese, under the codename Operation FS, but their setback at the Battle of the Coral Sea delayed the plans, and their defeat at the Battle of Midway and later in the Solomon Islands put a definitive end to it. Allied commanders knew that an eventual surrender of Japan would require penetration of these islands. While commander of the U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur wanted to push towards the Philippines via New Guinea, the U.S. Navy's Admiral Chester Nimitz favoured a drive across the central Pacific, through the Gilberts, the Marshalls, the Carolines, and eventually the Marianas, which would put American B-29 bombers within range of Tokyo. In addition to forcing the Japanese to fight two fronts against the Allies (Nimitz driving from the east and MacArthur from the south), Nimitz's plan would neutralize the outer Japanese defences, allowing American ground, naval, and air bases to be stationed there for future attacks against other occupied island groups. These outer islands included the atolls of Tarawa and Makin in the Gilberts, and Majuro, Kwajalein, and Eniwetok in the Marshalls.[5] After the Gilberts fell to the Americans in late November 1943, Operations Catchpole was aimed at capturing Japanese Bases at Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Majuro in the Marshall Islands. On 3 Dec 1943, Task Force 50, under Rear Admiral Charles Pownall, using fleet carriers launched carrier aircraft against Kwajalein. Four transports and fifty Japanese aircraft were lost, but the attack lacked strategic value. Fearing a counterattack from Wotje, Pownall ordered a second strike against the island. The Japanese did counterattack via a night bombing strike, in which Lexington sustained a torpedo hit but was not sunk. The task force later returned to Pearl Harbour. The Yorktown's aircraft would continue to fly air cover over the atoll on 29 Jan, 31 Jan, and from 1 Feb to 3 Feb 1944. International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors, Wikipedia and other sources Geskryf deur Robert Harm 17 Januarie 2019 CLUB PROGRAMMES (Western Cape) Bellville Philatelic Society, at the Bellville Public Library at 19:00 on 2nd Wednesday of the month.
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  • Full Text(PDF)
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