96 THE SOUTH AFRICAN PHILATELIST JULY, 1958 THE CONTROLS OF THE ADHESIVE The next control mark is found almost invariably on the reverse or sheets of the POSTAGE STAMPS OF SIAM 1 att on 64 atts (SG 91) and 2 atts on 64 atts <SG 94) but has never been seen on Setting By C. E. D. ENOCH, F.R.lMi.,L. B of these two surcharges <SG 92 and 93) . (Read at Paarl Congress. October, 1957) The control consists of a rectangle slightly The controls of Siam are more often larger than a single stamp with a horse­ missed by the average stamp collector than shoe shaped Inscription in Siamese around otherwise, as, unlike most other Countries, the upper part and two lines of inscription they are not applied by the Printers (with at the base. This latter consists of the first one notable exception), but by the Control­ four characters or the Siamese inscription ler of Post Office Stores (?), and, again with ot the surcharge on the upper line with the the one exception. are normally found im­ words "l Tical" On Siamese) on the lower pressed on the back of the stamps. These line, (Fig. II). Row (page 31) discusses this are therefore not visible when the stamp ls mysterious control at some length but with­ the usual way up and, in the case of used out advancing any explanation !or its exis­ stamps, it usually disappears when the tence only on Setting A o! these two sur­ stamp ls used. charges. The value Cl Tical) is that of tlie Unfortunately very little appears to be original unsurcharged stamp (64 atts) but known about these Controls whtch appear the control ls never found on the sheets of to be much scarcer than might be expected the unsurcharged stamps. from what is known about them. Row (page 34) records the existence of a The first Control appears to have been different control on the back of one sheet brought into use as a check on sheets of of Setting A of the 2 .atts on 64 atts, but was stamps handstamped with a new value dur­ unable to decipher it. I also have a copy of ing the period December 1889 to 1891 and this particular Item applied ln red, but am Included by SG 25-39 and possibly 41-43. also quite unable to decipher it! The control mark consists of a reproduc­ Two more Controls appeared in 1908 ap­ tion of the signature of H.R.H. Prince Prls­ parently uniquely for use on two only of dang and the date (Fig. 1). This was hand­ the many surcharges of that year. The first stamped on the back of every sheet, usually consists of an ordinary date stamp exactly twice, and appears to have been impressed as used for cancelling letters at the Head by means of a rubber stamp_ Sheets are Post Office (No. 1) of Bangkok (Fig. Ill). known, however, on which this control does The inscriptions are entirely in Siamese not appear and a few are known with the and read "Bangkok' in the upper part of signature alone without the date. the circle and the Post Office Number at The late R. W. Harold Row in his Hand­ the bottom with the Siamese date across book (page 12) states that he does not the centre: the Illustration shows the date know of a control on either of SG 38 and 30-6-127 (I.e. September 30, 1908>. This con­ 39. I have, however, in my collection a pair trol ls only found on sheets o! the 4 atts of SG 39 showing part of a similar control surcharged on 5 atts (SG 237). (Fig. la). It will be seen that in this case the signature ls missing and that the con­ Strangely enough this control has not trol appears to be framed, at least In part. been recorded on this stamp further over­ The date on this particular control is March printed for the Jubilee Issue of November 1889, which is some 6 months before the 1908 (SG 243). first or these surcharges appeared in the A similar "postmark" control <Fig. IV) is Autumn of that year. found on the 9 atts on 10 atts (SG 239) and This extremely early date must, there­ on no other stamp. Again it is the normal fore, give rise to considerable doubt con­ type of postmark in use at the Head Post cerning the reason for these controls as Office Bangkok, but inscribed bUlngually­ given by Row on page 10 of his Handbook. Slamese at the top and English at the bot­ As far as I know these control marks tom-with the date across the centre In have not been found on the unsurcharged Siamese on the le!t and English on the sheets of SG 18 and 19, but surely the Autho­ right. rities did not take.six months to manufac­ The two foregoing controls are never ture the surcharges nor did they anticipate found on the unsurcharged sheets, nor, ap­ the necessity for these surcharges so long parently, on the other surcharge CSG 238) before they were needed. wnlch appeared at this time, and are kept JULY, 1958 THE SOUTH AFRICAN PHILATELIST 97 .., ~~Vl " tm ,\L4iJ1 '1cic 1s Jm.9o na~a~~su;iZi:wvi•tii n • 1. 9 fig. ,5. 'r ~.. ~69 Ftg. la. Fi fl• J. f(g. 8. f(g. 4. Ttg. 7. strictly each to its own value, consequently OFFICE OF TAXES the reasons, U any, underlying their use ISSUED 2 SEPT. 1909 are unknown. MINISTRY OF FINANCE I have recently discovered a control on The date. of course, varies on the different the reverse of SG 238 which is not men­ sheets and being in the Siamese calendar tioned by Row. Unfortunately it has been reads 128 for 1909 etc. The date given above very faintly applied in red and is quite in­ ls the English equivalent of that shown on decipherable. It appears, however, to be a the accompanying Ulustratlon (Fig. V). Postmark type, as for the other two sur­ An interesting sidelight on the use of charges, but of quite dissimilar size t o those this control ls that the sheets of the re­ described above. It consists of a small Issue of SG 258 made in July 1912 invariably double line circle enclosing two segments of show the date July 2, 1910 which indicates an inner circle separated from each other what a large stock of this surch arge must by a rectangular space, but appears to be have been on hand at the time of the issue entirely lacking in Inscription, whether of April 1910 making its appearance! English or Siamese. It ls possible that this The sheets of stamps surcharged during Is the same control as is found on the 1920 the years 1914-1916, comprising SG 291-297. Scout Stamps (Fig. VII). also bear the same control on the reverse The next Control came into use with the (Fig. V). surcharges of August 1909-1910 (Fig. V). The next control mark to be used broke This is a large rectangular cachet covering with previous custom inasmuch as, instead a block of six stamps and Is normally ap­ of being applied once or twice in the sheet. plied once only to each sheet and always it was usually, but by no means invariably, in violet. It- was applied by means of a applied once on every block of four stamps rubber stamp and is often blurred and il­ on the sheet in such fashion that prac­ legible. It is only found complete in large tically every stamp on the sheet bears o. (normally marginal corner) blocks. The in­ quarter of the full control on the reverse scriptions (entirely in Siamese) read:- (Fig. VI). 98 THE SOUTH AFRICAN PlilLATELIST JULY, 1958 This control was applied, in the ftrst in­ to be an inscription ln Siamese. The con­ stance, to the special overprinted Red Cross trol is invariably applied in black, but may Issue of 1918. In addition, a few copies of be Identical to a control applied in red to the 1914-16 surcharges are kn-Own with this the face of a single copy o! SG 237 in my control on the reverse, although there is no possession, which, however, is far too taint evidence as to whether such controls were to permit of any description or positive applied to the entire sheet or merely to identification. corner blocks as had hitherto been the So far as I know no controls have been practice. In addition, I possess one copy recorded on the 1 Tica! surcharges of 1885, only of SG 231, issued In 1907, with part of nor any issue later than (?) 1928. this control on the reverse. I have no know­ ledge of how this lone stamp came to re­ In addition to the foregoing controls ceive this control, and so many years before there are a number of stamps known which it was used again. appear to have portions .of what may be The control consists ot a large circular further controls on their reverse, but none design having the Arms of Slam in the of these is in the slightest way decipherable centre surrounded by an inscription in in whole or in part, and these items must, Siamese and English reading POST & therefore, remain an unknown quantit.y for TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT OF SIAM in future study and research. One particularly the centre of another and larger double­ interesting item among these mysteries is a llned circle (Fig.