Page 32 - Delcampe Collections classiques EN-007

Stamps

1/2d. stamp and was cancelled on comply with the conditions of use. The
18 September 1914. text in question reads as follows:
Unfortunately, many letters were lost 1. The characteristics of the envelope
and the number eventually recovered are 9 x 14.7 cm, on yellowed paper,
was much lower than the 900 letters with a glued flap in the centre only.
sent out. The Red Cross received many 2. The date 18 September 1914 and
requests to reuse the vignette, but they the time 3 PM must be the same as the
were turned down, since the authorisa- Port of Spain date stamp.
tion was only valid for one day: 18 Sep- 3. The address is to be handwritten by
tember 1914. Mrs. E.M. Phillips or typed in purple ink
The Red Cross also published a docu- (3).
ment stating the characters needed by 4. All addresses must correspond to
these letters in order to be valid and to properties within the districts of Trini-
dad Island.
5. A limited number of the letters
written by Mrs. E.M. Phillips bear her
handwriting: «The Red Cross Society /
E.M. Phillips» over two lines (3).
6. The date stamp used is a single
circle of diameter 24 mm bearing the
words: «G.P.O. Port of Spain» and be-
low that «Trinidad». Between these 2
inscriptions over 3 lines appear: «3PM»
then «SP 18» and the year «14».
7. Letters returned to the G.P.O. in Port
of Spain by the Provincial Offices for
non-delivery must bear one of the fol-
lowing marks:
2 - Letter which left Trinidad on 18 September 1914 and arrived in Port of Spain
on 20 September 1914. • A date stamp similar to the cancella-
tion stamp, but of diameter 23 mm,
or
• the word «Unclaimed» in the form of
a large-letter stamp, or
• The letter «T» in a 25 mm circle.
Upon receiving copies of these letters,
the Stanley Gibbons firm resolved not
to include them in its catalogue, as they
were an unofficial issue, merely tole-
rated, and with no face value appearing
on the figurine. It was not until 1974
that these letters were mentioned in
the British Commonwealth Catalogue.
Nor were they immediately accepted
3 - Letter typed in purple ink, which left Trinidad on 18 September 1914 at 3 PM by the U.S. Scott catalogue. The circu-
and arrived in Port of Spain on 20 September.

32 Delcampe Magazine