Monthly Archives: April 2018

New Canadian FDCs discovered!!

A bunch of new Canadian FDCs has been discovered on Ebay, see below. The Canadian Bank and Black Creek FDCs are probably issued in limited editions. See also local Salvation Army corps FDCs (Sarnia, Ontario and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan).

SA 16 - Canadian Bank FDC - RARE!!
SA 16 - Black Creek
SA 16 Ontario London
SA 16 Saskatoon corps - PM II
SA 16 Ontario Sarnia PM II


SA 16 Ontario Sarnia - 2x stamp & leaf PM

Trinidad & Tobago – overprinted stamp

2018 – SA Crest – overprinted SA stamp

Privately made Trinidad & Tobago cover 2018 with overprinted Salvation Army stamp (issued in 2001). Postmark: St. Ann’s, cachet: SA Crest. This cover has  both the orginal 75c stamp and overprinted $1.

2018 – SA Shield – overprinted SA stamp

In Spring 2017 the post office overprinted all their back stock of stamps to meet demand for $1 stamps ( the local letter rate). According to a dealer, 4500 sheets of the SA stamp were overprinted (50 on each sheet). On the cover below with the SA Red Shield, only the overprinted stamp is attached.

 

1932 Community Welfare Info sheet

1932 – Info sheet – SA community welfare

Community Welfare info sheet showing the first Salvation Army stamps issued in the Netherlands Indies 1932. The stamps were issued on December 01. Each stamp had a surcharge above its face value and the Salvation Army was given these charitable donations. The design showed various native occupations, in a Batik border, and each stamp showed the SA Crest in the bottom corners. Nice & rarely seen object (Ref. SA Historical & Philatelic Journal, 2006: Vol 1, no. 2).

SA 25 – Unlisted Norwegian FDCs

SA 25 – Reference cover – SA FDC Gjøvik

This Salvation Army cover from a local corps (Gjøvik) turned up on a Norwegian auction. Unfortunately I did not get hold of it.

This cover has not been seen before and is not listed in the SA catalogue. Must be RARE! Gjøvik corps is located a couple of hours north of Oslo.

Another unlisted cover was also seen this week with a Sami & reindeer vignette. It was sold for approx. £95 and must be a very rare item.

SA 25 – Sami vignette

Asian SA covers – postal history

The first Asian outpost was established in India, 1882, hence, the Indian centenary cachet. William Booth’s dying wish was for the Salvation Army to be established in China. In 1916 the first officers were sent. Following political difficulties by 1949 the Army withdrew from mainland but work still continued in the provinces of Hong Kong and Taiwan. The SA re-established in mainland China in 2017. The Chinese letter is really postal history; an official SA cover sent to Sweden in 1924, eight years after SA began in China!!  (Ref: The Salvation Army in mainland China).

1982 - India centenary cachet
1924 - Official SA cachet - China - RARE!

Rare country combos

These rare country combos have probably been made by connoisseurs. The US and GB 1965 stamps were issued with only a month delay, and only two have been observed of this UK Salvation Army FDC (on US cachet and with US stamp).

SA 4.3 - US Country combo (Switzerland)
SA 5 - UK FDC - Country combo (US)
1983 - US FDC w/ British SA stamp

Exciting US combos

Rare multistamped US combo covers including the Salvation Army centenary stamp (1965). Scarce covers, not often seen on online auctions!

US Servicemen combo w/ SA stamp
US Servicemen multistamped combo
Volunteer FDC - multistamped
Combo FDC w/ flag sticker & SA stamp
1972 - Apollo 17 - RARE combo!
1980 - Non-profit Ranto combo cover

Salvation Army Centenary in Norway

SA 25.6 – “Attack on a fishing village”

The work in Norway was officially opened in January 1888. Eight salvationist from Sweden “opened fire”. Typically for the SA, half of the group were women. The uniformed and music loving soldiers who showed their Christian faith in practice, received a mixed response, also with some unpleasant experiences. However, the work spread rapidly, and in one year there were already 10 corps in Norway.

SA 25 – Centenary stamp

Two centenary stamps were issued in 1988. One depicts an open air meeting and a SA band with singing soldiers in the back. A maxicard with similar motif was also issued by the SA army. The maxicard was a copy of “Attack on a fishing village”, a painting by Wilhelm Peters from 1895 (source: History of SA in Norway).