Volume 2, Number 7

Irish Philatelic Newsletter

Volume 2, Number 7                                                                                                                                 July, 2000

A periodic publication for the members of the Éire Philatelic Association, the Irish Airmail Society, the Irish Philatelic Circle and the Forschungs-und Arbeitsgemeinschaft Irland e.V. The newsletter will be e-mailed to all interested members.

Published and edited by Michael Connolly
 
IMP Notes 

New IMP slogan – IMP 17
Maurice Barrett
maurice.barrett@ie.pwcglobal.com

A new IMP slogan came into use on 22 May 2000 at both Dublin and Portlaoise and is worded: GUARANTEED / NEXT DAY / DELIVERY / SWIFTPOST with a map of Ireland and what appears to be a globe all inside a border. The earliest two examples that have been seen are dated 22 May 2000 and are from machine 1, DMC and
machine 2, PMC. These slogans have been numbered IMP 17 (D) and IMP 17 (P). This slogan replaced IMP 7 which was in use for the previous two months or so at both
locations.

This new slogan is illustrated below.

                           IMP 17 (D) and IMP 17 (P) Swiftpost used on 22 May 2000

New IMP slogan – IMP 18
Maurice Barrett
maurice.barrett@ie.pwcglobal.com

I can report a new IMP slogan from both Dublin and Portlaoise. It is worded THE EURO / IS COMING / 1 JAN 2002  with the euro symbol all inside a border. All examples that I have seen are dated 23 June 2000 and are from machines 1 and 2, DMC and machine 2, PMC. I have numbered the slogans IMP 18 (D) and IMP 18 (P).

The Portlaoise slogan that I have seen was on an envelope posted in Dublin so the transfer of mail from Dublin to Portlaoise for processing is obviously still continuing.

IMPs @ DMC
Maurice Barrett
maurice.barrett@ie.pwcglobal.com

The IMP slogan from machine 1 at the DMC has not printed the time in the town name portion of the slogan on or since 29 June 2000. The time continues to appear in all the machine 2 slogans at in the PMC slogans.
THE DONEGAL RAILWAY HERITAGE TOUR
David Brennan
BRENNAN704@aol.com

For those of you interested in Railway Letter stamps and Irish railways, check out this website and consider this tour. Martin was very helpful to Joe Foley, Barney Clancy and myself when we went to Donegal last fall.

Dave

Greetings from Donegal! Hope you are well. Just a quick e-mail to let you know that I have put together the very first Donegal Railway Heritage Tour 1-3 September 2000.  The tour will take in Donegal Town, Fintown and Derry – for more details visit our web site www.timeouttours.com

If you are interested in going let me know – if not could I ask you to spread the word!  Also if you have any contacts/railway magazines etc. that would be interested by all means let me know.  In any case it would be good to hear your feedback on the tour. 

Regards
Martin

Time Out Tours
Oakfield Demesne, Raphoe, Co. Donegal, Ireland.
T +353 (0)74 44033 
F +353 (0)74 45382 
E-mail info@timeouttours.com
Visit our web site at www.timeouttours.com

CRASH COVER BOOK
Ken Sanford
KAEROPHIL@cs.com

I am writing a book on the air crash covers of Imperial Airways, and would appreciate it if members can assist by sending any of the following items:

1. Copies of newspaper clippings on Imperial crashes.
2. Photographs of Imperial aircraft, either before or after the crash (original photographs will be returned).
3. Copies of crash reports.
4. Good photocopies of covers, especially those with cachet or label varieties not listed by Nierinck.
5. Copies of air mail etiquettes, baggage labels, advertising labels, timetables, etc., which will be used to dress up the book.
6. Complete names of the pilots and crew members involved with Imperial crashes and accidents.

Copies of items should be made on a Canon (or similar) color photocopying machine, set on black & white mode.

I will reimburse all photocopying and postage expenses.

Kendall C. Sanford
12 Chemin des Tuilots
CH-1293 Bellevue (GE)
Switzerland

New variety??
Iben Olsen
iben.olsen@adr.dk

I have attached a file and will ask if I have been lucky enough to have found a genuine variety of  the 10 p. Great Crested Grebe “Colour Missing”.  I have shown the normal stamp too. On the “variety-stamp” the brown colour only appears on the little bird in the background. It does not look like chemicals have been used or other attempt to remove the colour.

Perhaps similar copies have been found?  I will be very glad to hear from you.

Yours

Iben Olsen, Denmark

Irish Postal History
Vincent McDermott 
vincentmcd@hotmail.com

Would appreciate your help in the following matter.  I am a student of postal history and have studied and collected GB pre-stamp for many years.  My interests are Instructional charge marks, and in particular Inspector Stars and the Crown markings.  I have the County Cats and others by M. Wilcox and B. Jay, etc., but the information on Irish markings is very sparse.  Is there any more detailed info in papers of Irish study groups?  Should I join an Irish society ?  I am not a dealer, just an ordinary collector looking to better my efforts on GB postal history and improve my collection.  I am a member of the Scottish P.H.Society and the Huntingdonshire PS.  Any help or information you can give would be greatly appreciated. 

Sincerely.
Vincent McDermott.

New Dublin Shop
James O’Brien
JJJOBrien@aol.com

I thought you (and your colleagues) might be interested to know that I am opening a retail shop in Dublin.  I will be based in a small shop unit at Blackrock weekend market and will stock specialist Irish material, including postal history.

The shop is within 2 minutes walking distance from the suburban rail station in Blackrock on the southside of Dublin (20 minutes from city centre).  I will be bringing new stock from London on a regular basis (first weekend of every month) and I look forward to meeting old and new customers there.

If any of your US colleagues are thinking about visiting Stampa in November, you might also diary a short visit to my new shop.  I open as follows :-

Friday : 12.30 pm – 2.30 pm
Saturday : 11.00 am – 5.30 pm
Sunday : 11.00 am – 5.30 pm

Kind regards

James O’Brien
IPTA

The Town Sub-office Numbers of Cork
Stan Challis
challis@guernsey.net

Earlier this year the editor was kind enough to include a listing of the numbers found in the registration labels of the Dublin sub offices. I am pleased to report that I have had response from several collectors on this subject and as a result have acquired additional information which I will report in the newsletter in due course.  I would however welcome further reports.  So, if readers do have registered envelopes from the Dublin sub offices (and almost all of you surely have one or two at least!), please check the office numbers in the labels, check the listing in the April newsletter and tell me what you have, please.

A draft list for Dublin having been completed, it was time to look at Cork.  An initial listing is attached; much shorter than that for Dublin, but despite the relative absence of material in my own collection, it does in its way do much to confirm the system employed for issuing the office numbers.  Just in case anyone is still confused by office numbers, a quick word of explanation (skip a few lines if you already know).  Registration labels from town sub offices (not the town Head Office) will have two numbers on them. The first after the town name is the office number of the sub office at which the item was registered, the second is the serial number from that individual office.   This is the number for the town sub office at Blackpool (Linn Dubh) Cork and all items posted at this office will show the number 10.  The item is serial number 170.  Sets of labels for the town sub offices usually ran up to 250 (50 at rural offices and higher at Head Offices).  In theory this was about a fortnight to a months supply, thus it is possible to find other items with a Corcaigh 10 / 170 label, but, supposedly if the system worked, not used on the same day.  The system was introduced in (I think) 1907 and ended in October 1995.

The Cork list confirms that when the numbers were first allocated in 1907, it was seemingly done at random to offices open at that time.  There were 16 sub offices extant at that date and if we look at the list we see that the office numbers were not allocated in alphabetical order, order of date of opening or even town centre first, then suburbs, Grand Parade (8) coming after Barrackton (5) and St Luke�s (6) both some way distant from the Head Office.

Western Road office was opened in 1910 and thus received the next number in sequence (17); Blarney Street and Douglas Road both followed in 1913 and were given 18 and 19, Douglas Road being replaced by Douglas Road South in the 1970s.  The list follows through logically until 28 was seemingly issued in 1949 (to Farranree�s predecessor at Spangle Hill � can anyone confirm this?).

At that date it seems that label series were perhaps for the first time allocated to individual major users in Cork as we have an example of serials 33 and 36 being used from government offices.  New offices followed from the 1960s (Ballyphehane) and the highest number recorded in that for Knocknaheeny (45) opened in 1984.

Could I ask readers once again to check their collections and report what they might have to me.  I am especially interested in examples pre 1922 having nothing in my own collection.

The same system was applied at other towns with sub offices. I shall try and prepare listings for Limerick, Waterford and Galway later in the year.  I believe the same system operated in Belfast (and other cities in Britain) until the 1960s.  If anyone has information on Northern Ireland town sub offices that too would be especially appreciated, the material being considerably harder to find.  Good hunting!
 

CORK TSO Numbers as appearing in Registration Labels
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Office
Date office opened
Dates reported/ seen
 
Comment
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
Shandon Str
 
1976-92
 
assume replaced Buttermarket
2
North Main Str
1850
1973-89
 
 
3
Gt Georges Str/ Washington Str
1885
1963-89
 
 
4
King Str/MacCurtain Str
1887
1932-90
 
 
5
Barrackton
1873
1946-89
 
 
6
St Luke’s
1855
1944-89
 
 
7
Bandon Rd
1884
1978-89
 
 
8
Grand Parade
1851
1949-89
 
 
9
Glanmire Rd
1855
1982
 
 
10
Blackpool
1850
1976-90
 
 
11
Capwell
1883
1969-79
 
 
12
Sunday’s Well
1852
1977-89
 
 
13
College Rd
1904
1970-78
 
 
14
St Finbarr’s
1899
1931
 
 
15
Albert Rd
1899
1973-89
 
 
16
Ballintemple
reop 1895
1971-89
 
 
17
Western Rd
by 1910
1971-89
 
 
18
Blarney Str
1913
1978-89
 
 
19
Douglas Road South
1976
1980
 
assume replaced Douglas Rd open 1913
20
Blackrock
1831 prev rural
1981-89
 
 
21
High St
by 1931
1977-82
 
 
22
Friars Rd
1932
1981
 
 
23
Dennehy’s Cross
by early 1936
1965-89
 
 
24
Montenotte Park
1936
1983
 
 
25
 
 
 
 
?Boreenamana Rd open 1939
26
Gurranebraher
1948
1984-92
 
 
27
Bishopstown
1948
1982-89
 
 
28
Farrranree
1964
1977-90
 
was Spangle Hill open 1949
29
 
 
 
 
 
30
 
 
 
 
 
31
 
 
 
 
 
32
 
 
 
 
 
33
(Government Dept – An Cigire Canach)
 
1984
 
posted at Capwell
34
 
 
 
 
 
35
 
 
 
 
 
36
Cork Tax Office
 
 
 
reported by MMcN
37
Ballyphehane
1953
1975-89
 
 
38
Mayfield
1953
1980-89
 
 
39
 
 
 
 
 
40
Pouladuff Rd
1969
1972-89
 
assume previously used at Pearse Rd
41
Fair Hill
1961
1983
 
 
42
 
 
 
 
 
43
Ballinlough
1964
1981-89
 
 
44
 
 
 
 
 
45
Knocknaheeny
1984
1988-89
 
 
46
 
 
 
 
 
47
 
 
 
 
 
48
 
 
 
 
 
49
 
 
 
 
 
50
 
 
 
 
 
Recent Show Awards
Michael Connolly

Joseph E. Foley, “Ireland – Dog License Stamps”, Gold medal at WESTPEX in April, also American Revenue Association Gold

Patricia Stillwell Walker, “Ireland: Postal History 1661 to the 1890s”, Grand Prix National award at Stamp Show 2000, London, in May

Editorial statement:

In today’s cyber-age, its only fitting that we interact in cyberspace. I can’t see any reason why the members of our societies should not join in. More and more of our members are now accessing e-mail and the internet.

To subscribe to the Newsletter, send a request by e-mail to webmaster.  To remove yourself from receiving the Newsletter, send your request to the same e-mail address. 

Viewing of the newsletter is available online. 

Past issues are archived and are also available online.  E-mail requests for back issues are also accepted.

Members are encouraged to contribute articles or bits of news to the newsletter.  I believe that learned treatises belong in our society journals, where they can be shared with all members. I don’t feel that a newsletter should ever attempt to be a replacement for our journals.

“Newsy” bits would certainly interest me personally and would seem to be ideal for a newsletter such as this.

Requests for information and help with puzzling items can be submitted and, hopefully, some reader will have an answer.

Brief articles or informational pieces would also be welcome.

If you have e-mail access, you can send articles by e-mail to webmaster.

For those in the U.S.A., libraries providing access and free e-mail sites are proliferating.  Members could access the Web even without home or office access to cyberspace.

Input from members can even come via our beloved snail-mail.

Submitters should understand that any material published in the newsletter would, automatically, become available for publication in our journals.