Dubai Automatic Telephone Exchange

1966, 14 January

Printer: Bradbury & Wilkerson, London
Designer: Unknown
Sheet size: Unknown
Perforation: 13 1/2 plus an imperforated souvenir sheet

It had been a year since the last set of stamps had been released and this is the first set produced by the new administration, after the termination of the Baroody contract.

To commemorate the opening of the Dubai Automatic Telephone Exhcange, a series of seven bi-colored stamps were issued, portraying the Ruler, telephone poles and lines and either a telephone or an automatic dial.

Now, a service charge of 1 rupee is mentioned on the postal announcement on orders under 20 rupees. Also mentioned is the fact that First Day Covers are available with a "special F.D.C. cancellation" at the price of 5 rupees, U.S. $1.00 and Sterling 7/6d. It is also stated that orders muct be received in Dubai by January 10th, four days prior to the release of the stamps, and "must be accompanied by a separate remittance." This was underlined for emphasis. These new rules are probably the main reason that the quantity of first day covers produced from this issue on dropped considerably and are very difficult to find.

The other reason is that they no longer had an agressive agency promoting the stamps and covers. The first day covers under the Baroody contract were plentiful, with the exception of the Educational Progress and Tokyo Olympic issues which were not under their total control. They would produce large quantities of first day covers and sell them. Now, apparantly covers were made only for orders received.

• A rare first day cover for the Automatic Telephone Exchange. This is the first F.D.C. created after the Baroody contract. Now customers had to pay special fees for them and from this point on until the last Dubai issue, they are very difficult to locate. The postmark is more in line with that used im many parts of the world and there are no more commemorative postmarks for the Dubai F.D.C.'s. Due to the large nature of these envelopes, many of the covers did not survive, and if they did, they are in rough condition.

• These blocks of four are all CTO'd. This is the second time this cancelation was used for CTOs and many people are convinced that they are genuine postally used stamps. The first use of this cancellation was for the Educational Progress set of stamps. The cancelation has the same 5 June date, and no year. They are fairly common and all bear the date of 5 June, with no year date.

• The first postal announcement released after the termination of the Baroody contract.

Churchill

Note Regarding Available Issues

Freedom From Hunger Souvenir Sheets

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