1949 Universal Postal Union 75th Anniversary Omnibus

Commemorating the 75th anniversray of the UPU

Date: 10th October 1949
Cachet Purple and Red: COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION FIRST DAY COVER 10th OCTOBER, 1949
Stamps: 2½d Universal Postal Union 1874-1949 Hermes, Globe and forms of transport; 3d Universal Postal Union 1874-1949 Hemispheres, Jet-powered Vickers and Steamer; 6d Universal Postal Union 1874-1949 Hermes delivering letters; 1/- Universal Postal Union 1874-1949 UPU Monument in Bern – Union Postale Universale.

Type: First Day Cover
CDS: 10OCT49B HAMILTON BERMUDA
Back Stamps: OCT 11 1949 3? NEW YORK NY AIR MAIL FIELD / OCT 13 1949 COLUMBIA LA REGISTERED
Cachet: First Day of Issue, UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION, COMMEMORATING THE 75TH YEAR OF ITS FOUNDATION AT BERNE, SWITZERLAND ON 9th OCTOBER 1874
Registration Label: ST. GEORGE’S, BERMUDA No 0789
Address: Mint Stamp Bank, Columbia, LA, U.S.A

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Type: First Day Cover
CDS: 10OCT49B MANGROVE BAY BERMUDA
Address: Mr Ray Fiske, c/o Mr Herbert L. Hart, 1220 Liberty Bank Building, Buffalo, New York, USA
Reverse: Signed Edwin H. Pullman on Cambridge Beaches, Somerset, Bermuda stationery

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Type: OHMS First Day Cover
CDS: 10.OCT.49A HAMILTON BERMUDA
Envelope: ON HIS MAJESTY’S SERVICE, THE BERMUDA TRADE DEVELOPMENT BOARD
Address: The Bermuda Trade Development Board, Hamilton, Bermuda.

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Type: First Day Cover
CDS: 10OCT49B ST. GEORGES BERMUDA
Address: Mrs Raymond L. Myers, “Durnford Cottage”, St. George’s, Bermuda.

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Type: Commemorative Cover
Date: 21st January 1950
CDS: 21JAN50A HAMILTON BERMUDA
Cachet: Universal Postal Union, 75th Anniversary, 1874-1949 UPU 75th Anniversary POSTAL UNION C. W. GEORGE
Registration Label: G.P.O. Hamilton, Bermuda No 1116
Address: Albin Lemquist, 65 Nassau Street, New York 7, N.Y., U.S.A
Back Stamps: JAN 22 1950 1PM NEW YORK, N.Y / 1-22 1950 NEW YORK, N.Y REG’Y. DIV. / 1-23 1950 CHURCH ST. N.Y.-REG.-N.Y.

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Date: 11th October (Note: day after issue day)
CDS: 11OCT49A HAMILTON BERMUDA
Cachet:Universal Postal Union, 75th Anniversary, 1874-1949 First Day Cover October 10th, 1949
Address: Mrs Charles Rogers, 18 Tewkesbury Road, Handsworth, Birmingham 20, England

About the Universal Postage Union

The Universal Postal Union (UPU, French: Union postale universelle) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration (CA), the Postal Operations Council (POC) and the International Bureau (IB). It also oversees two cooperatives including the Telematics and EMS Cooperatives respectively. Each member agrees to the same terms for conducting international postal duties. The UPU’s headquarters are located in Bern, Switzerland.

Prior to the establishment of the UPU, each country had to prepare a separate postal treaty with other nations it wished to carry international mail to or from.

www.upu.int

About the Omnibus issue

Key facts

Designer: n/a
Printer: Waterlow and Sons Limited
Name Printer: Bradbury Wilkinson & Co Ltd
Process: Recess-Printed
Name Process: Typographed
Perforation: n/a
Watermark: Multiple Script CA
Release Date: 10th October 1949

Issuing territories: 65 + 11 GB and local designs (Have seen quoted 84?)
Number of stamps: 310

The Universal Postal Union Omnibus issue marks the 75th anniversary of the UPU. It was only the second British Empire Omnibus Collection not to mark a Royal anniversary and is the largest Omnibus collection.

List of issuing territories

1. Aden
2. Aden – Seiyun
3. Aden – Shihr and Mukalla
4. Antigua
5. Ascension
6. Bahamas
7. Barbados
8. Basutoland
9. Bechuanaland
10. Bermuda
11. British Guiana
12. British Honduras
13. British Solomon Islands
14. British Virgin Islands
15. Brunei
16. Cayman Islands
17. Cyprus
18. Dominica
19. Falkland Islands
20. Falkland Islands Dependencies
21. Fiji
22. Gambia
23. Gibraltar
24. Gilbert & Ellice Islands
25. Gold Coast
26. Grenada
27. Hong Kong
28. Jamaica
29. Kenya Uganda Tanganyika
30. Leeward Islands
31. Malaya – Johore
32. Malaya – Kedah
33. Malaya – Kelantan
34. Malaya – Malacca
35. Malaya – Negri Sembilan
36. Malaya – Pahang
37. Malaya – Penang
38. Malaya – Perak
39. Malaya – Perlis
40. Malaya – Selangor
41. Malaya – Trengganu
42. Malta
43. Mauritius
44. Montserrat
45. New Hebrides (2 sets English and French)
46. Nigeria
47. North Borneo
48. Northern Rhodesia
49. Nyasaland
50. Pitcairn Islands
51. St Helena
52. St Kitts-Nevis
53. St Lucia
54. St Vincent
55. Sarawak
56. Seychelles
57. Sierra Leone
58. Singapore
59. Somaliland Protectorate
60. Southern Rhodesia
61. Swaziland
62. Tonga
63. Trinidad and Tobago
64. Turks and Caicos Islands
65. Zanzibar

Local design – list of issuing territories

1. Australia (1)
2. Bahrain (GB overprints)
3. British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia* (GB overprints)
4. Ceylon (3)
5. Great Britain (4)
6. India (4)
7. Kuwait (GB overprints)
8. Morocco Agencies – Tangier (GB overprint)
9. Pakistan – Bahawalpur (4+4)
10. South Africa (3 billigual pairs)
11. South West Africa (3 South Africa billigual pairs overprints)

*British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia issued early postage stamps used in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat and Qatar. Muscat and Dubai relied on Indian postal administration until 1 April 1948 when, following the Partition of India, British agencies were established there. Two agencies were opened in Qatar: at Doha (August 1950) and Umm Said (February 1956). In Abu Dhabi, an agency was opened on Das Island in December 1960 and in Abu Dhabi City on 30 March 1963. The agencies also supplied stamps to Bahrain until 1960; and to Kuwait during shortages in 1951–53.

The agency in Dubai issued the Trucial States stamps on 7 January 1961. As each state took over its own postal administration, the offices closed. Closure dates were: Qatar on 23 May 1963; Dubai on 14 June 1963; Abu Dhabi on 29 March 1964; finally Muscat on 29 April 1966.