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Iran 1950, a new young Shah takes credit for an old Palace in former capital Isfahan

One problem with royalty is that sometimes a country is left with one too young for the job. As here where the young Shah shows off finery from 300 years before and a different Persian Empire with a different royal line and indeed even a different capital. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The state of the Iranian Royals lets down this otherwise well designed stamp. A young son Shah recently replaced his father who was a foot soldier in the Persian Army promoted to an officer since he was the only guy who figured out how to use the army’s sole Russian machine gun. As an officer he was mister coup man until he declared himself Shah. So much for ancient blue blooded royals. Are Iranians to believe this Shah will build great monuments like Shah Abbas II or the ancients like Darius and Cedric. The Shah might answer, don’t worry, I will build plenty of Palaces and steel mills and airports that will far outlast my line.

Todays stamp is issue A71, a 25 Dinar stamp issued by the Kingdom of Iran in 1949. The stamp showed the Chehel Sotoun Palace in Isfahan and was part of a 16 stamp issue in various denominations showing architectural wonders of Iran and Shah Pahlavi. I covered one of the others here,https://the-philatelist.com/2017/10/31/the-party-is-over-and-no-one-cleaned-up-the-mess/ . The stamp is worth $2 unused.

Isfahan was originally founded by Jews who had come from Babylon. The legend is that they had with them examples of the soil and water of Jerusalem and Isfahan closely matched it. Over time the city attracted Georgians and Armenians and had a golden period. In 642 Arabs captured the city and a decline set in. Around 1600 Persians under Shah Abbas  were inspired by the beautiful ruins and made Isfahan the new Persian capital. It was during this period when the Chetal Sotoun Palace( 40 columns) was built for the Persian Shah Abbas II to host foreign dignitaries. The insides were elaborately decorated with ceramic tile mosaics depicting history and allegories of love. Many of the tiles are still in place.

In 1722, Isfahan was looted by new invaders, this time from Afghanistan. Nobody will be surprised that they were not good stewards of the city. The Persian Empire capital left for Mashad never to return.

Shah Pahlavi turned out to be not such a bad steward of Isfahan. Under him the biggest steel mill in the middle east was constructed in Isfahan. The airport was expanded and the connected air force base contains many of the Iranian Air Forces F14 Tomcats acquired by the Shah to chase off Soviet cold war overflights by Mig 25s. You may remember the F14 from “Top Gun”. It is now 40+ years old and the Americans don’t use it anymore but the Iranians have found it irreplaceable. It is of course amazing they still fly without outside help.

The Shah’s everlasting swing wing F14 Tomcats based in Isfahan. Pilots probably not Maverick and Iceman

Well my drink is empty and it would be wrong to get a toasting regarding a Muslim city. So I will patiently wait till tomorrow when there will be another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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France 1968, French tourism invites you to check out the ancient stones of Carnac

Ancient stones lined up like an army turned to stone. Well you probably have heard of Stonehenge and Easter Island. Well France would like to remind you that the town of Carnac has it’s own stone mystery and invites you to come check it out. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

These tourism promoting issues are some of my favorite French stamps. It reminds the tourist that there is more to see than Paris. That in itself would make the stamps worth doing. What makes them even more special is that instead of photos, little paintings are done very much in the style of the impressionist, which remember itself had French origins. The reason the issues have been so long lived is in my opinion how effective they are to the French themselves reminding them of their patriotic feelings in a non political way.

Todays stamp is issue A440, a one Franc stamp issued by France on July 10th, 1965. It was a single stamp issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used. There is an overprinted version for use on the island of Reunion.

It is believed that the stones date back to 3300 BC. There are about 1000 stones still around, though some have toppled. An early theory of why they exist was put forth by Christians was that the stones were pagan soldiers in pursuit of Pope Cornelius around 250 AD when God saved him by turning the army to stone. Another legend that is more popular locally is that the stones are the remains of a Roman Legion that was turned to stone by Merlin. This legend shows how close Britany was tied in to Welsh and King Arthur style mysticism of the British isles.

Around 1800, French soldier and celtomaniac antiquarian de la Tour d ‘Auvergne put forth the theory that the stones were placed by ancient Druids. This theory is more in keeping with the age of the stones. The work was built upon to claim that stone placement was aligned with the astrology of the stars. This fits in with the revival among modern hippies of what they perceive of as druid roots to there own movement. Recently a group calling itself everyone-together collective stormed the visitor center of Kermerio Alignment of stones to demand more open axess to the stones so they be communed with and not just visited in organized tours. Haha.

Well my drink is empty and I expect the bartender will soon cut off the everyone-together collective so I think I will call it a day. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Cameroun 1925, Bismarck decrees merchant first, soldier second then France reorders

Germany initiated the colony of what they called Kamerun. A skeptical Bismarck, to avoid a financial boondoggle, specified merchants being in charge. So when war came it was easily conquered. To prevent a German revival, France was quite militaristic and Bismarck would not have been surprised it became a boondoggle for them. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This stamp shows that the French had at least the ambition to retain German productivity showing a large cattle drive in an area of agricultural richness. A cattle operation like this would have just been stolen from the civilian German farmer. The operation would have quickly  deteriorated without German efficiency and the will to use the old German methods that achieved it.

Todays stamp is issue A5, a 2 Centimes stamp issued by the French League of Nations mandate in Cameroun in 1925. It was a 42 stamp issue in various denominations issued over 15 years displaying the economic vitality of the colony. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents.

German Chancellor Bismarck was very reticent about a German colonial empire. He had seen the weakness of France in the Franco-Prussian War while so much of it’s army was bogged down in far off colonies. Bismarck was nevertheless approached by German merchants, explorers, and adventurers telling him what could be accomplished in Cameroun. He agreed to a colony but informed the colonial authorities their job was to support the merchants. The occupying army was almost entirely part time militiamen farmers. It was not an easy go. The time of slavery was past and it was difficult to get the locals to work for the colonial operations, many of which were labor intensive. A British colony would have brought in Indian contract labor but the Germans had other more efficient ideas. The colonial authority simply mandated that the locals work. They kidded themselves that this was not slavery as the workers were paid and could theoretically change jobs. The productivity was great. Roads, bridges, and railroads were completed and the farming indeed proved lucrative with rubber and beef exports almost paying for all that required importation.

World War I saw Cameroun invaded by the British, conquered and then divided with the French. The British colonial office did a study of their new territory and decided the best course of action was to leave the German civilians in place to continue development. The French, understandably, were much more suspicious of the Germans. The economic properties were seized and taken over by a large French trading house. The practice of forced, paid labor was done away with. The occupation became much more militaristic. During World War II, the mandate was Free French but the military began public floggings of people believed pro German. This also may be understandable with German puppet Vichy France still claiming the place. The floggings however were of local blacks with Germans long gone.

Around 1960, French Cameroun and the southern part of British Cameroun reunited. The northern part was mainly Muslim and elected to join Nigeria.  A bit of the old German prosperity survived in the old British part. See below, amazing it still stands. West Germany was generous with aid to former colonies and I expect that has something to do with the survival.

German style hunting lodge in old colonial capital Buea

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Bismarck for his sensibility about colonies. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Ireland 1948, remembering Theobald Wolfe Tone for trying for French help in the Society of United Irishmen Rebellion

We think today of Irish Catholics rebelling against Anglican British rule. Earlier revolts were not so religious. We did an Irish stamp here  https://the-philatelist.com/2019/03/15/ireland-1967-100-years-later-irish-stampmakers-fantasize-about-alternate-history/  , that remembered the failed Fenian rebellion that was less about religion. In 1798 there was another rebellion, inspired by the French and American revolutions that sought an Irish republic and it’s leader was a Protestant. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist,

It is surprising to me how much this Irish stamp ascribes the 1798 Rebellion to the French. Tone was of French protestant heritage and spent the years up to the Rebellion serving in the French Army, while trying to lobby France to send troops to support an Irish Rebellion. The ship you see on the stamp is French. The rebellion failed though and Tone died in British custody.

Todays stamp is issue A22, a two and one half penny stamp issued by the Republic of Ireland on November 19th, 1948. It was a two stamp issue marking 150 years since the uprising of 1798. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used.

Theobald Wolfe Tone was born into the Irish wing of a French Protestant family that emigrated to England to avoid religious persecution. English/ Irish aristocrat Theobald Wolfe was his godfather and perhaps natural father. Tone attended Trinity and became a lawyer and worked with a Belfast Society of United Irishman that wanted to expand the vote to all, at the time non Anglicans were excluded from voting. At first they worked within the British system and the right to vote was extended. At this point the group became more radical inspired by the American Revolution. France had agreed to support the American Revolution while letting the victorious Americans to be governed by the revolutionaries, not the French. Promoting Irish independence was illegal and United Irishman began to be rounded up.

Tone then emigrated to Philadelphia but found Americans even more repulsive than the British. No word on how repulsive Americans found Tone. Anyway, Tone was soon off to France where he joined the Army and began lobbying for French help in an Irish uprising. Tone had some success but the first French flotilla had to turn back having been caught by the Royal Navy. The French General in charge soon died and Napoleon came to power. Napoleon at the time was more interested in Egypt but agreed on a few naval raids that included Tone. The help was not enough and Tone fell into British hands and was sent to Dublin to be tried for treason. Tone’s perhaps half brother Judge Wolfe tried twice to issue a writ of habeus corpus to get Tone released but was unsuccessful as he was held by the Army. Tone did not regret his actions but asked to be shot as a soldier rather than hung as a spy. He had a case for this as he was captured wearing a French uniform. This was not granted but Tone died in custody before he could be hung. The Wolfe family maintained and flowered Tone’s grave as if he was one of them.

Prisoners from the rebellion were treated harshly as traitors to the Crown rather enemy combatants and Irish in turn did likewise. A British Union Act banned discrimination against Irish Catholics but hostility persisted now often on grounds of taxation  and evermore on sectarianism.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast the efforts of Judge Wolfe. It is going above and beyond to put his neck out for his brother by another mother on the other side. The United Irishmen still resented his presiding in trials of others of them. In 1802 during another rebellion, he was pulled from his carriage and stabbed to death. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

 

 

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Jordan 1963, Recognizing the Red Crescent Society for bringing Swiss humanitarian ideals beyond Christiandom

The Red Cross emblem is the Swiss Flag with the colors reversed. Therefore it communicates neutrality rather than a Christian Cross. However in some places it was necessary to change it in order to kowtow to the local beliefs. Going the extra mile to do good. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This stamp is meant to honor the Jordanian Red Crescent Society. To my thinking, it does not do a very good job. The presence of King Hussein on the stamp, he wasn’t on all Jordanian stamps, seems to be him taking credit for the work done by the Society. Also notice that this is not a semi postal issue with a contribution  to the Society. In this third world context, another example of come do for us what we are too lazy to do ourselves.

Todays stamp is issue A42, a 2 Fils stamp issued by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on December 24th, 1963. It was a six stamp issue in various denominations honoring 100 years since the Red Cross founding. Adding to my cynical view of the stamp, there is a version meant for the international collector fixing the problems I describe above with the Red Cross substituted for the Red Crescent and the King’s portrait removed. Still no surcharge to contribute though. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 30 cents unused.

Henry Dunant was a Swiss businessman who operated a trading house with operations in Switzerland and Algeria. He was Protestant Christian who was part of the Reveil Swiss reawakening going on then. Troubles with the colonial authorities in Algeria saw Durant travel to Italy to seek an audience with Napoleon III. He found Napoleon III during the aftermath of the Battle of Soiferino were France and Sardinia had fought Austria. 40,000 men on both sides lay dead or wounded on the field in the aftermath of the battle and the sight of the carnage deeply moved Dunant.  He thought if there was a neutral army of nurses and doctors to come in and move freely among the wounded, many lives could be saved and much suffering alleviated.  He believed that once a soldier was wounded, his part of the fighting was over and he should be treated by all with Christian dignity and compassion. Dunant wrote a book describing what he saw at the battle and how he proposed to fix it. He published the book at his own expense and sent copies to leaders around Europe. The Society was founded in 1863, but Dunant was shortly pushed out by the organization when his trading house went bankrupt. Discredited, he lived in obscurity and poverty in Paris until stories were later written that remembered his contribution. His reputation was fully restored when he shared the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.

Henry Dunant

In 1876, Red Cross volunteers were trying to help casualties on all sides of fighting between Russians and the Ottoman Empire. In order for the Ottomans to accept the help, the volunteers came up with a new emblem, the Red Crescent , which was a color reversal of the Ottoman instead of the Swiss Flag. Long after there are no more Ottomans, the Red Cross has operated in Muslim countries under the Red Crescent. Interestingly, when they first helped after an earthquake in Japan, a non Christian country, no offence was taken in regard to the emblem. They were just glad for the help.

Two other nations  required a separate emblem  for the local Red Cross Society. In Shah era Iran, a color reversal of the Iranian Red Lion and Sun Emblem was recognized by the Swiss agency for activities in Iran. In 1980, Iran reverted to the Red Crescent. In Israel, the Magen David Adom  Society operated with a red Star of David emblem in a manner similar to the Red Cross but with more Israeli government involvement. They were denied membership until 2006 in the Red Cross when they agreed to a separate  but not Star of David emblem. This organization was started much later.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Henry Dunant. His bankruptcy haunted him the rest of his life but at least in his last years he got some recognition for all he accomplished. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Yugoslavia 1967, Easing out the Serb, even if he is the real Yugoslav

Yugoslavia despite going it alone on the world stage, was getting ahead pretty fast in the 50s and 60s. There was a very unusual stable peace. As always though, there were those who want stick to their own. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair, Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

Todays stamp celebrates the UN organized International Children’s Week by displaying a child’s drawing of winter. The stamp is from the period of the economy taking off and the issue definitely has the look of a western stamp issue. With the success, an aging President for life Tito began decentralizing power to the ethno-states that made up the Yugoslav federation and in doing so set in motion the process of the eventual breakup.

Todays stamp is issue A217, a 30 Paras stamp issued by Yugoslavia on October 2nd, 1967. It was a single stamp issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents.

Marshal Tito had lead the resistance to the Germans and was in position to take over at the end of the war. He had made contacts with the west during the war and they had changed their affiliation to him from the former Yugoslav royalist regime with their drunken child King, see https://the-philatelist.com/2018/07/30/communist-yugoslavia-1950-sells-off-the-invalid-exile-stamps/ . This put Tito, a Croat, in position to break with Stalin and charter his own course for Yugoslavia. He had with him a cadre of economists from Croatia that suggested a form of Socialism where the means of production were owned by the in place worker cooperative instead of the state directly if distantly.The access to markets on both sides of the iron curtain, the flexibility of the worker coops and the low conversion value of Yugoslavia’s currency allowed for high rates of economic growth.

It should be noted the disparities. The economic powerhouse was mainly in the north of the country in Croatia and Slovenia. The center of the country, as in older days contained the security apparatus of the country and was mainly Serb. Serbian Aleksandar Rankovic was a Communist who had fought in the resistance with Tito. As head of the security section of the Yugoslav League of Communist parties, it was his job to keep a lid on nationalist sentiment of the various peoples of Yugoslavia. This made him revered by Serbs and resented by the rest. In 1966, Tito purged Rankovic and threw him out of the party. This was seen as telling the security agencies to lighten up. Tito had an excuse, there was an accusation that Rankovic had bugged Tito’s private quarters.

Lighten up they did. By the early 1970s, there was a Croatian spring where Croatians began protesting that more power should be with them and less in Serb Belgrade. Also in Bosnia, Muslims were protesting talking up a Greater Albania. Instead of a crackdown, Tito, now well into his 80s, responded with a new constitution that devolved much power to the ethnostates that comprised federal Yugoslavia. This was much in line with the demands of the Croatian Spring.

Serbia saw all this differently than the rest of the country. Despite living in obscurity for the last 17 years of his life and there being no official public announcement of his death in 1983, approximately 100,000 Serbs turned up for Aleksandar Rankovic’s funeral. Pretty unusual for the purged head of the secret police of an authoritarian country. An early sign though of how serious the Serbs were about keeping Yugoslavia together.

Well my drink is empty and the Balkans are too lively a place to toast anybody and risk the following fight. So instead I will wait patiently till tomorrow when there will be another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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500th article at The-Philatelist.com

John C Publisher

Later today the 500th article on this website will publish. I have been doing this for two years. It was and is the plan for the website to write about 1000 articles in mostly common individual stamps from my personal collection. This would happen over about 4 years in order to build a website that promotes stamp collecting by telling the hopefully interesting stories that are learned from the hobby of stamp collecting. So far the readership is not as high as I would hope it to be but is rising. The library of articles is building and most days back articles are the bulk of the views. I don’t think people search online for someone who gasbags about postage stamps so SEO tools aren’t much good for what I do. So If I could make a request of my readers, if you like what I do, tell a friend. Also remember to notice and perhaps click on the Google ads that they have selected for you. I have kept the ads to a minimum and do not make you keep clicking to “read on” to enhance the readability of the site. My style is text heavy and picture light, you can see photography is not a talent of ours, my wife does the pictures, and if you think hers are bad you should see my attempts. Anyway hope you enjoy the stories still to come.

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Malaya 1960, Sultan Ismail of Johore forgets about the rice farmer

The British left the Sultans in place to ease relations with locals as they put together one of there most successful multi racial colonies. This would have worked well if the Sultans remembered the interest of their subjects. Johore was not so lucky when it came to that. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This stamp is definitely modeled on British Empire stamp issues with Sultan Ismail looking on where Queen Elizabeth would be. The difference is most British believe Queen Elizabeth was working for them. Is this Chinese rice farmer expected to believe that Sultan Ismail is looking out for him. You really can’t expect him to be that stupid. The picture is even just repurposed from a Kedah issue from 1957 with Sultans changed out.

Todays stamp is issue A8, a four cent issue from the Sultanate of Johore in 1960 while the area was subordinate to the British colony of the Federated Malayan states. It was part of an eleven stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents whether used or unused.

1960 was an exciting time in Johore with a new Sultan Ismail. Except that he was really nothing new. Ismail’s father Ibrahim had been Sultan since 1895 but lived as a European playboy. Starting in the late 1930s, Ismail had acted as Regent on his father’s behalf in Johore while Ibrahim married a string of European women, got caught cheating when he painted one of his thoroughbred horses to get better gambling odds, spend too much time in the red light districts of Vienna and chasing cabaret dancers. He did return once to Johore just in time to collaborate with the Japanese occupation. Seems the British couldn’t rely on him any more than the Malayans. Surely after his fathers death, Ismail could be his own man and an improvement?

1960 was a complicated time in Malaya. Independence was coming despite the Sultan of Johore writing an op-ed hoping for Strait Settlements forever. The independence groups were divided. Some wanted union with Indonesia and some were more militant Muslims who desired closer connections with the Middle East. Meanwhile thanks to the British, there were large numbers of Indians and especially Chinese. Just after the war, the British forced the Sultans to accept a new constitution that gave the Chinese and Indians citizenship. With the divisions among Malayans, they proved able to buy off the Sultans the way the British had. The Sultans thus still represent their areas and cost a lot, but are really at the fringe of political power.

Ismail proved to be ineffectual as his power decreased with independence. That in itself was an improvement. He was immediately faced with trouble from his first born son Iskandar. Ismail removed him as heir after having two policemen chained up in dog kennels for days after annoying him. Even after being removed there were several road rage incidents involving assaults by Iskandar. He then shot and killed a man for standing too close to his helicopter. Ismail was around to hush things up and issue pardons.

By 1981 Sultan Ismail was elderly and fell into a coma before death. When he went into a coma is up for debate as suddenly Iskandar appeared with documents restoring him as heir presumptive. Ismail never came out of the fatal coma to validate Iskandar’s documents but he still became Sultan. In 1987, a caddy laughed when Sultan Iskandar missed a putt. The Sultan then beat him to death right there on the golf course. As Sultan, he had immunity from criminal prosecution. The Malaysian government used the incident and others  to strip the Sultans of their criminal immunity.

Rice production it will surprise nobody was not one of Malaya nor Malaysia’s strengths. It is the third largest crop but is not run efficiently with up to date techniques. This might have been guessed from the stamp. Malaya had to import about one third of it’s rice consumption, That was true in 1960 and still true today.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast the simple rice farmer. To the extent that Malaysia has gotten ahead it is built upon the labor of people like him. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Albania 1953, Albania goes for self sufficiency in economy and culture

You don’t think of Communist, suddenly Atheist, Albanians building a Greek style temple to culture. That is what they did though and it shows how serious they were about going it alone under Enver Hoxha. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

I keep coming back to this stamp issue from 1953. I have covered other ones here https://the-philatelist.com/2017/11/09/communism-provides-smokes-for-atheists-and-then-a-refugee-camp-for-muslims/   , and here https://the-philatelist.com/2018/08/24/albania-1953-it-was-correct-to-chose-the-forces-of-hoxha-over-fake-royal-zog/ . The communist government was new and facing many challenges. It also had an ideal of where it wanted to go. To get there, the country had to have a unique advanced culture. In 1953, the country opened its first film studio, in order to tell the countries’ story at home and abroad. The Greek temple like structure shows how important it was to Albania, and how much resources were allocated. This had never happened before and to date has not happened since.

Todays stamp is issue A94 a 5 Lek stamp issued by Albania on August 1st, 1953. It was an 8 stamp issue in various denominations. The stamp displays the new that year Kino movie studio. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $2.10 unused.

Germans and Italians abandoned their occupation of Albania in late 1944. The former royal, King Zog was quickly deposed and sent abroad. The most effective resistance to the Axis was Communists. Communism is an international movement that was to be locally organized. Marshal Tito in neighboring Yugoslavia thought that he did the hard work of kicking out the Axis while local Communist leader Enver Hoxha was just a subordinate.. At first there were attempts at cooperation. A joint 5 year plan had the Albanian Lek currency devalued and all raw inputs from Albania exported to Yugoslavia to be processed and then reimported at high prices. Hoxha saw this as exploitive and broke ties. There was a scism among Communists in the 1950s between Stalinists and those who wanted a reformed Communism. Albania stayed Stalinist, isolating itself. After Mao died in China, Albania also broke ties with it. Some international communist organizations began referring to themselves as Hoxhaist.

The Albanians made some progress going it alone. Literacy went from 5 percent to 98 percent. Starting lower and ending far higher than what India achieved in the same period. See https://the-philatelist.com/2019/07/17/india-1958-is-this-girl-really-reading/ . The country was electrified. A free national health service expanded to even the smallest villages.  The country had no foreign debt and a small trade surplus. Albania was still the poorest country in Europe and always has been as would be expected of a Muslim country, and Hoxha was trying his best to spread scientific Atheism. Hoxha also built modern cultural institutions such as the Kino studio in Tirana.

The Kino studio opened in 1953. The first film produced was called “Scanderbeg” about a 14th century Albanian that rose up against the Ottomans. The Albanians are portrayed as noble and the Ottomans are portrayed as unEuropean pedophile brutes. A perhaps stereotypical Balkan portrayal of Ottomans see https://the-philatelist.com/2018/10/16/ottoman-empire-1873-what-to-modernize-what-to-protect-what-bills-to-pay-and-what-to-do-with-all-these-people/   , but a professional movie with a classic orchestral score and a large cast. You can watch it here https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=film+scanderbeg&view=detail&mid=3E543D940FC0815BE1C33E543D940FC0815BE1C3&FORM=VIRE  . Pretty good for a small, poor, mostly illiterate, Muslim country. The studio went on to make over 200 films. Hoxha was against bringing in foreign culture to Albania. He found the modern culture with it’s long hair and rebellion  to be degenerated and designed with a glossy veneer to convert the masses from strivers into passive consumers. He spotted all this before the smart phone when it all became more obvious.

Hoxha died in 1985 and the regime was not the same without him. It was overthrown in 1991 and Hoxha’s statue was pulled down in Scanderbeg Square. Ironic no? Kino studio would not be needed by a modern Albania and closed in 1996. The building on the stamp still stands but now is a derelict. Albania now is famous for exporting it’s people and it’s mob crime. The trade balance has gone negative and they have acquired much foreign debt. Not it worry, there is attempt to join the EU and the EU gives over a billion Euros a year in pre-entry aid. Money well spent?

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Hoxha. It is not popular to toast people like him but I don’t think there has been anyone better for Albania before or since. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Bolivia 1943 Remembering General and President Jose Ballivian

Bolivia can be a rough place, but it is a place, and not just a province of Peru. That was due to General Ballivian, who was able to combine Bolivia’s three governments and armies into one and defeat Peru. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This stamp displays General Ballivian and what proports to be transportation in his time 100 years before and in 1943. I suspect transportation in Bolivia still was more represented by the vintage view than the American C45 airplane.

Todays stamp is issue A114, a 10 Centavo airmail stamp issued by Bolivia on November 18th, 1943. It was part of a 5 stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth 30 cents unused.

In the 1840s Bolivia was in a chaotic time. In fact there were three different groups claiming to be the legitimate government of Bolivia. Meanwhile next door, Peru had ambitions of regaining control of Bolivia as during the period of the Spanish Empire.  In a very unusual move, General Ballivian was able to convince the other two governments of the threat and the sides joined up to face Peru. The Peruvians, lead by their President Agustin Gamarra did not expect to face such organized resistance. At the Battle of Ingavi, the Peruvians were defeated and President Gamarra was captured and executed by Bolivia. The remnants of the Peruvian army fled back to Peru and were not pursued. The shocked and delighted ruling class of Bolivia quickly named General Ballivian President. There was perhaps here a missed opportunity in not taking the Peruvian (now Chilean) port of Arica, giving Bolivia it’s long desired outlet to the sea.

There were several opportunities the now President Ballivian took advantage of.. He appointed his friends to high positions. Among the was now Army Commander Manuel Belzu. As a Captain Belzu had married a 15 year old Argentine exile named Juana Manuela Gorriti. She bore him three daughters but the marriage was not a happy one. Separated, Betzu had a child with another women out of wedlock. However in 1845 he came home to find his wife en flagrante with President Ballivian. He drew his pistol and took a shot at the President, missing. General Belzu fled to the countryside with troops loyal to him but arrest warrants for him in the capital. Now Bolivia was getting back to normal.

General Belzu was more of a populist figure and was able to attract around him a large following in the countryside. When his forces later marched on the capital, President Ballivian decided to go into exile in Rio. Belzu became President and managed to hold on for seven years before passing the job to his son in law and become an ambassador at large in Europe. When son in law was couped out of office and later assassinated. Belzu was outraged and attempted a return to Bolivia to retake the Presidency. He was invited to the Presidential Palace and assassinated himself. Should have gone to Rio.

Belzu’s wife Juana(they never divorced), herself moved to Lima and set her self up nicely with a school and a political salon. She began writing melodramatic novels including one about a young man who cannot afford to marry his true love until he finds out he is the beneficiary of an insurance policy. The book was sponsored by an insurance company. Through the political salon she mentored many young Peruvian female writers.

Seductress, estranged Bolivian First Lady, authoress and insurance shill Juana Manuela Gorriti

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Juana Manuela Gorriti. If there are any insurance bigshots out there, I would be happy to write up a stamp that plays up the benefits of being fully insured. For a small fee, or better yet, a large fee. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting