philatelic directory

The Philippine Philatelic Club must have sent out to collectors in 1945 (or 1946?) postal cards like the one shown here for its Philatelic Directory of the Philippines.

Was it planning to propose a Bureau of Philately back then?

OB missing hyphen

Clearly, a missing hyphen after the COMMON in this 1938 issue.

slogan cancel 3

The slogan cancellation on this stamp was used on mail posted from August 5 to November 5 in 1941.

missing hyphen

This stamp was described in an auction as a "no hyphen" error.

Under magnification, however, you could barely see the faint hyphen after COMMON — that is, if my eyes still don't deceive me!

straight edges 6

This, too, has a naturally occurring straight edge.

special delivery

The first time special delivery stamps were issued by the Philippines also came out during the American administration.

These were initially released in 1901.

Depicted on the stamp is a Special Delivery messenger. Mount Mayon is in the background.

O.B. Commonwealth 4

The last official stamp of the Commonwealth period was issued in 1946.

O.B. Commonwealth 3

In 1941 a lone official stamp was issued, again by overprinting O.B. (on the 2c apple green Rizal definitive of the Commonwealth issue).

O.B. Commonwealth 2

The next official stamps of the Commonwealth period came out in 1938-40.

Not shown above is the 4c value.

O.B. Commonwealth 1

The first official stamps of the Commonwealth period were also O.B. overprints.

Top stamp was issued in 1937 and bottom stamp in 1938.

clipper vinta

Finally, an airmail issue with a design of its own, rather than overprints.

Issued in 1941, the two main subjects are a clipper and a vinta.

These were the last airmail stamps released before the Japanese occupation.

'unofficial' official 5

Even though the post office had by this time issued official stamps, some USPI and Commonwealth issues were still handstamped elsewhere with O.B. for Official Business.

early in the morning

At 3:30 in the morning? And 4:30 a.m.?

Someone must have been up early in those days!

victory stamps

In 1945 after the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, a total of 10 USPI stamps were overprinted VICTORY COMMONWEALTH and 2 Commonwealth stamps were overprinted VICTORY.

All these victory stamps are shown above. 

Rizal's hair

The top stamp was issued in 1941, and the bottom stamp in 1946.

Top stamp portrays Rizal with hair parted to the left, and bottom stamp shows him with hair parted to the right!

first oath taking on stamp

The first Philippine stamp to show a president taking the oath of office was issued during the Commonwealth period on Feb. 8, 1940.

There were three values showing President Manuel Quezon's formal oath-taking, as follows:

2c dark orange
6c dark green
12c purple

Together with the Triumphal Arch issue and the Malacañan issue, this set likewise commemorated the 4th anniversary of the Commonwealth.

first Malacañan stamp

The first time Malacañan Palace was pictured on stamps came out during the Commonwealth period.

Issued on Nov. 15, 1939, there were three values:

2c green
6c orange
12c carmine

Together with the Triumphal Arch issue, this set commemorated the 4th anniversary of the Commonwealth.