1946 Large red 5 Piastre Cedar stamp
A discussion with my friend Albert Massaad led me to delve into the curious topic of the anomalous difference in width between the 5 Piestre red of the Cedars stamps issue and the others four values which have a smaller but uniform width on all four sides. To be clear, these are the stamps issued together with the Heron series in 1946/1947. Values include 0.50 Piastres red-brown, 1 Piastres brown-purple, 2.50 Piastres bright violet, 6 Piastres gray and our star, the 5 Piastres red. Their widths are between 33.5 and 34 mm in the 5 Piastre and between 32.5 and 33 mm in the other four stamps. The height however it is uniform in all five values.
The perforation in all five stamps of the set is 12¾ linear type made with the same perforating machine of the Imprimerie Cattolique of Beirut that printed in offset the stamps made by Paul Koroleff. To be clear, linear perforation is more complicated than the comb perforation one because required two passages in the perforator: one to perforate the stamps sheet vertically and one horizontally and between the two operations it is also necessary to reset the distances between the perforation punches. Looking at these stamps individually it is not possible to understand the reason for this anomaly in the 5 Piastre stamp width, but having the series in blocks of four one can observe that the horizontal distance between stamp and stamps is 4.75 mm in the 5 Piastre red and 3, 25 in the others. The height separator space without taking into account the writing “P.Koroleff” and “I.C.Beyrouth” instead is constant at 4 mm in all five values.
Therefore if we look at a block of eight stamps show below we immediately see wath appened. If you wanted to center the vertical perforation between stamp and stamp operator was forced to widen the horizontal space between punches and punches of the perforator. This occurred when the vertical linear perforations were created to allow constant horizontal sizing in the 5 Piastre red stamp. This made the stamp not harmonious due the difference in size of the horizontal and vertical margins between the perforations and the design frame. In the other stamps of the Cedar set, however, the reduction in width of the vertical perforation space between stamp and stamp has uniformed the four perimeter margins of the stamps.
Some might argue that he is in possession of a stamp with four uniform margins. Sorry to disappoint but this is most likely a fake stamp printed typographically in the late 1960s along with many others. I illustrate two examples below, one with perforation and fake cancel and one block of four mint without gum unperforated. I will deal with Lebanese fakes in a future articles.
We cannot exclude the perforation of some sheets of the 5 Piastre red with the vertical perforation similar to the other stamps in the series. But this would have happened by mistake, causing a noticeable variety of perforations where only one of the stamps is normally uniform as shown in the simulation below.
It must be said that the red stamp was the first issued in the second half of 1946 and also the first small format postal stamp issued by this legendary Lebanese printing house. That is: they didn’t have the experience to set it properly, which instead happened for the others four Cedars value issued later. Moral: you learn from mistakes, at least this is that was happened in the past.
Below are envelopes illustrating the periods of use and some rates.
Registered air mail envelope from Beirut on 23/9/1946 to Saint Louis USA. Rightly franked 130 Piastre + 5 Piastre Army tax. This use of 5 Piastre red Cedar stamp was the early date recorded in my archive, this does not exclude earlier use dates.
An UPU surface rated envelope sent from Beirut on 26/3/1947 to Chicago USA, rightly franked 25 Piastre. The 5 Piastre red show the sheet edge.
Domestic double weight Registered cover (between 21 and 50 grams) from Beirut to Becharre on 16/6/1947 with six 5 Piastre red stamp. In all specimens the same characteristic width can be observed.
Air mail cover from Beirut on 23/8/1947 to Bale Switzerland paid double air mail weight (25P surface + 20P x 2 air mail scharge) using a strip of three 5P red stamp.
Air mail cover from Maasser El Chouf on 4/11/1947 to Waterbay USA paid single air mail weight (25P surface + 40P air mail scharge) using a vertical pair and single 5P red stamp.
Envelope at surface UPU rate from Beirut on 19/1/1948 to Aurora USA paid single weight (25P surface rate) using 0,50P, pair of 1P and 5P red stamp.
Domestic envelope for printed matter sent from Beirut on 26/12/1947 to the city paid single weight (2,5P each 50 grams), using strip of five 0,50 Piastre red-brown Cedar stamp.
Envelope at surface UPU rate from Beirut on 18/2/1947 to Istanbul Turkey paid single weight using 20P Victory postage stamp and vertical pair of 2,50P bright violet Cedar stamp.
Air mail cover from Bikfaya on 4/11/1947 to Wellsville USA paid double air mail weight (25P surface + 40P x 2 air mail scharge) using a badly cut 6P grey and 100P Heron stamps (overfranked 1 Piastra).
This last air mail cover show the mixing use of two types of 5 Piaster Cedar stamps, ours and what will be issued later. From Beirut 18/4/1948 to Istanbul Turkey.
Bernardo Longo
