Philatelic Covers

Philatelic cover: An envelope, postal card or other item franked and mailed by a stamp collector to create a collectible object.

In the West, collectors generally are not interested in these types of philatelic covers. First Day Covers, and such are recognized the world over as highly collectible, and they are philatelic and not used to send mail. What is not universally recognized are the covers created using error, freak or oddity stamps, aerogrammes, or envelopes, fake stamps, and unissued stamps, In Bangladesh collectors have created thousands of such covers and value them. In the author's opinion this is a waste of some important items that would be worth more money if left mint. Plus, they serve absolutly no purpose, as one should have the stamps in one's collection, not on phoney covers created for them. These philatelic covers are constantly offered in the internet auctions and on private sites. In many instances Western dealers/collectors think these are genuine postally used errors and buy and sell them as such. Often they were sent registered mail so they would stand a better chance of arriving at the destination to which they were addressed. Frequently, you will find one end of the envelope slit and the registration receipt inside the cover. These receipts have absolutely no philatelic value, nor any other type of value, and there is no reason to keep them. Frequently they are left glued to the back of the cover and make it difficult to handle the cover at times, without tearing the receipt.

The one type of such cover that has some value are the covers that bear a stamp that was released before the announced release date. By having it cancelled on a cover, it is documented that it was released and used prior to the official release date.

Below are numerous examples of these philatelic covers.

• A tremendous waste of a valuable pair of imperforate essays of the 50p Hilsa fish stamps. This was a sample design submitted by Asher & Company in their proposed designs for the then to be new set of definitives. This large stamp was not issued, but it was issued in a smaller size and rose colored, in 1976. This cover was mailed in 2003. This cover, and the one below it, were sent to the same person in England. The covers were returned to Bangladesh as the author purchased them from the dealer who's name is on the reverse of the first cover.

• Another tragedy, but an interesting one. Someone most likely knew someone who worked for the government and had them send this cover using regular overprinted SERVICE stamps, plus a pair of an imperforate Asher & Company proposed design of the Tk.1 stamp. Only government offices were able to use the overprinted SERVICE stamps, and they were not to be sold to the public. The stamp was issued but with a lighter color of purple and was smaller in size and had a smaller SERVICE overprint. The back of the cover has two additional stamps on it to cover the cost of the registration fee and the postage. Note that it was sent to the same person in England as the cover above, that also has an essay on it.

• This cover is of interest as it has the ICC under 19 Cricket World Cup stamp on it. The stamp was scheduled to be released on 5 March 2004, but was not. It was released on 19 July 2006. Some of the prepared FDCs used as gifts to important officials, made it to the philatelic market, along with some mint stamps. This cover was cancelled on 5 December 2004.

• These covers were created because of the stamp image printed on the envelopes. As a collectible, they would have more value if they had been genuinely postally used.

• This cover was created because of the albino print of the stamp image on the envelope and the Palestine stamp that was never issued. The back of the cover has 11 25p. mail delivery stamps, from the Russian printing of the definitives.

• Another cover made to feature the unissued Palestine stamp.

• The two flower stamps are missing the pink color. There are two definitives on the back of the cover to pay the full postage.

• This example was created to show the two color varieties of the gold in the 1991 Tk.4 Archaeological Relics of Bangladesh stamp. The colors do not show well on the above scan, but are normally quite noticeable.

• This cover was made to show the color differences in the gold image of this 1991 Archaeological Relics of Bangladesh stamp. However, without the other shade on the envelope is it pointless unless the buyer knows why it was created.

• The above cover has a double overprinted Scout stamp that was released in 1985. These stamps were also played with and errors were created.

• The above cover has two examples of the Census stamps with the overprint. The one on the right has the "2nd" printed in a higher position than normal.

• This cover has a triple printing of the 1987 Rotary overprint. The stamps were heavily played with and the "errors" are not genuine.

• In this instance, the person used a registered envelope to make the cover. The oddity on the envelope is the blue Rotary stamp with the overprint. It is missing the oblitertion that covers the original value. Again, this is a created error stamp.

• Featured on this cover is the Martyr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain stamp that was on sale for only a few hours before it was stopped. At first it was believed that only a few sheets of the stamp were sold, later they must have been made available to some people as they are fairly common now.

• This cover was created to show the pair of 20p Bangladesh Gas stamps in the center of the cover. They are misperfed and it appears the person kept the perforation at the top, but cut the stamp across the bottom, and leaving off the bottom of the misperfed stamp. It is a very strange thing to do, as the entire perforations should have been left on the stamp so it could be seen as in it's entirety.

• One can almost overlook the fact that this is a philatelic cover. The purpose in creating the cover was to get the "Postage Due" marking. Such markings are rare, even in a use like this.

• This Registered Envelope was mailed just to have a "used" copy of the envelope. It is still unopened. If it were genuinely used it would be worth much more in terms of money, and interest.

Table of Contents