Stamp_&_Coin_Mart_2016_01_

66 JANUARY 2016 http://www.stampandcoin.co.uk

T

he very first postage

stamp was released

on 6 May, 1840 but

we don’t seem to

know exactly when

the very first coin

was minted. However, coins had been

minted in Asia Minor (today’s Turkey)

well before 600 BC.

To be considered a coin it has

to carry some sort of government

guarantee and have the same content

of bronze, copper, silver or gold.

Antique coins usually carried the

image of the ruler or some other

easily recognised symbol. To qualify

as a coin a substantial quantity also

needs to be in circulation.

Coins and good communications

were of course paramount for trade

to develop. Previously most trading

activities had been on a barter basis

and this was not always convenient.

Until 1840, written communications

were sent with the postage being

paid in cash and frequently by the

addressee. The introduction of the

postage stamps obviously facilitated

matters considerably.

As regular readers will know, stamps and coins have many connections, including the artwork

and engraving used. The two collectables have also crossed paths on many stamps which depict

currency, as Christer Brunström explains

Many coins from pre-Christian

times are quite rare today but they

have frequently been depicted on

postage stamps and can thus be

added to a collection of coins on

stamps with a nominal outlay. As

we reveal in this article, there are a

huge number of stamps which have

featured old and not so old coins,

making it relatively easy to start a

themed collection.

Greek and Roman

Antique Greek and Roman coins tell a

lot about daily life and religious beliefs

in Greece and the Roman Empire.

Greece has issued several stamps

depicting ancient coins, notably in

1959 and 1963. In total these two

sets depict no less than nineteen

different coins. A study of a Greek

stamp catalogue will reveal many other

stamps featuring ancient coins.

When Crete issued its first set of

stamps in 1900 several currencies

circulated on the island but the

authorities still decided to use the

Greek drachma. The order to print the

stamps went to Bradbury, Wilkinson &

Thematics

Co. Ltd. in England. The illustrations

on the 1, 5, 20 and 50 lepta values as

well as the 1 and 2 drachma values had

been inspired by ancient Cretan coins.

The curator of the monetary museum

in Athens had suggested the designs.

There were several other Cretan issues

based on coins.

Epirus is an area located on the

border between Albania and Greece

and in 1914 it was a highly contested

region. Several stamp issues were

produced for Epirus, some of which

are listed in catalogues others just get

footnote status.

The bogus nature of a set of fifteen

stamps claimed to have been issued

at Voskopojë in 1914 appears to be

evident. At the time it was a very

small town. The stamps are inscribed

‘EPIRUS’ in Greek. Only the drachma

values are of interest to ‘coins on

stamps’ collectors as they depict

ancient coins in an elaborate frame.

Errors in the form of wrong colours

and inverted centres exist.

San Marino’s coins

From the 1950s until well into

the 1970s the Republic of San

Marino excelled in issuing long sets

of pictorial stamps which always

included several completely useless

low values. These were apparently

mainly intended for the packet trade

to junior collectors.

In 1972 there was a most interesting

set of eight stamps featuring San

Marino coins ranging from 1864 until

1938. This set can still be had for
      around 50p.

Coins on stamps

Above, from left: a 1959

Greek stamp showing

Apollo on an ancient coin;

Hermes on a Cretan coin;

a coin shown on a bogus

Epirus stamp claimed to

have been issued in 1914;

a Nigerian stamp form

1953 showing Old Manilla

money – armlets used as

currency in West Africa

From left: stamp showing

a San Marino 10 lira coin

minted in 1932; cowry

shells were once used as

currency, as shown on this

value from Tuvalu

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