Typography Stamps

In the Collecting by Engravers thread (page 33) I mentioned that typographed stamps also
were created by engravers.http://goscf.com/t/9106&whichpage=33

Since the consensus was that it wouldn't really fit there and possibly cause confusion
I have decided to start a new thread strictly about typography stamps and if known,
who engraved them.


Typography is one of the oldest print methods and was used to print stamps from nealy the
beginning.
It is very similar to a woodcut printing like this beautiful
example by Durer.



Here is a diagram which shows in a simplistic way the differences between relief, recess, & surface printing



(a) Typography (Letterpress) relief, raised

(b) Engraving (intaglio, recess, gravure ) recess, below the surface

(c) Lithography (Offset ) surface, on the surface



The first British stamps printed (De la Rue) by this process were issued in 1855 and
all except the highest values were printed this way until 1934 when photogravure
was introduced by Harrison& Sons.

To start off here are a couple from Great Britain

Scott 67



Scott 82

Austrian set issued in 1908 for the 60th year of the reign of Emperor Franz Josef, depicts
him in various stages of his life and some of his Hapsburg predecessors.


Designer : Koloman Moser ( 1868 – 1918)

Engraver : Ferdinand Schirnböck (1859-1930)

Print : Typography/ Letterpress

Printer : kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei ( Imperial & Royal Court and Stateprinting Works ) Vienna


Scott 110a - 120

Karl VI




Maria Theresia



Josef II



Franz Josef



Leopold II

FJ



Franz I



Ferdinand I



FJ



FJ in 1848




FJ in 1878

Here are images of four stamps depicting a Fachi woman, designed by French artist Louis Pierre Rigal (1889-1955), engraved by Abel Mignon (1861-1936), printed by typography, and issued by France in November and December 1930 to publicize the 1931 International Colonial Exposition in Paris, Scott Nos. 258-61, Y&T Nos. 270-73.

- nethryk


_

Nice ones nethryk. The design looked quite modern for
the time, n'est-ce pas?

It looks like poster art and therefore typography
fits it rather well I believe.

Omygosh! These stamps were as mysterious and exotic as any snowbound 1967 10 year old boy could possibly imagine, thanks for posting. I have not seen these images for over 30 years.

Poland 1927 Scott #243 printed by typography.

lithograving & fredcdobbs - Thanks. Yes, I would agree that the design of the exotic Fachi woman stamps was well suited for typography.

Here is an image of another striking stamp that also may bring back boyhood memories: Sakalava chief, designed by Belgian artist Henri Cayon (1878- ?), engraved by Georges Hourriez (1878-1953), printed by typography, and first issued for use in Madagascar (Malagasy) on December 8, 1930, Scott No. 148, SG No. 146.

- nethryk

One could say that Typography is a more "primitive" print method than for instance recess engraving or photogravure
but for a long period of time it was the the most popular.

Typographed stamps were much cheaper to produce than engraved plus it was within the means
of most countries to produce them locally instead of having those nice engraved ones
printed by those expensive printers in London or New York.

Besides stamps were meant to prepay postage and typography stamps did that as well as engraved
ones no matter how "shabby" some of them appeared.

These Romanian stamps were printed by the State Printer Bucharest.

Scott 120 1893



Scott 223 1918



Scott 254 1920



Scott 282 1920



Scott RA13 1921

Many of the earlier Polish stamps were printed via Typography.

Scott lists them as Litho whereas Michel states they were
Typography (ger. Buchdruck). I tend to agree with Michel.

Scott 155A 1921




Scott 164 1921



Scott 210 1924

By the middle thirties Poland had bought new printing presses
and was issuing some excellent engraved stamps.

But some typography were still issued like these three
from 1935.

Enravers : M.R. Polak and W. Vacek

Printer : PWPW, Polish Security Printing Works.

Scott 294 - 296







Compare with the one below from the same set but
printed steel engraving.

Scott 302

"Germania" was designed by Paul Edward Waldraff (1870-1917) who worked at the Berlin Reich Printing Office. His model was the actress Anna Strantz Führing (1866-1929). Die Walküre wears the imperial crown and a breastplate, and she holds a sword and an olive branch in her right hand. This definitive stamp was printed by typography, and first issued by Germany on January 8, 1900, Scott No. 56, Michel No. 57.

- nethryk

Typography stamps weren't all drab looking as you can see from these
Yugoslavian stamps printed by the State Printer, Belgrade in 1957
using four colours.

That Germania is a good one nethryk. I can't even imagine
this stamp engraved or photogravure.
Typography fits it perfect.
They used the same design for 22 years and must have printed
a few billion of them.
A true postal workhorse.

lithograving - Thanks. Yes, that bodacious "Germania" proved herself to be a real trouper.

Here is an image of a typographed stamp depicting a Hausa chief, designed by E. Becker, engraved by G. Daussy, and issued for use in Upper Volta (Burkina Faso) in 1928, Scott No. 43. That's one hefty sabre he's sporting!

- nethryk

Great stamps all. Those art nouveau influenced Austrian stamps are classics.
And je t'adore the Fachi woman. The art deco design is so strong. I posted some of those on another thread a while ago as my favourites, or most beautiful, I can't remember. But they are great.
Please excuse my high school French. Tres mal!