Postage stamps and postal history of Romania
Encyclopedia
_1858.jpg)
Postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems...
of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
19th century
The principality of MoldaviaMoldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
issued stamps immediately upon gaining autonomy in 1858, with the first cap de bour stamps being issued in July 1858. These were produced by handstamping on laid paper
Laid paper
Laid paper is a type of paper having a ribbed texture imparted by the manufacturing process. In the 19th century its use diminished as it was largely supplanted by wove paper...
, and are now quite rare. The initial round design was shortly followed by one using a square frame with rounded corners, and using blue or white wove paper. These are somewhat more common.
After the union of Moldavia and Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
in 1861, the design was adapted to show the emblems of both principalities side-by-side, and inscribed "FRANCO SCRISOREI". The first stamps inscribed "POSTA ROMANA" were issued in January 1865; the three values depicted Prince Alexander John Cuza
Alexander John Cuza
Alexander John Cuza was a Moldavian-born Romanian politician who ruled as the first Domnitor of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia between 1859 and 1866.-Early life:...
in profile, facing right.
Carol I of Romania
Carol I , born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was reigning prince and then King of Romania from 1866 to 1914. He was elected prince of Romania on 20 April 1866 following the overthrow of Alexandru Ioan Cuza by a palace coup...
, also in profile, but facing left, and in a style very similar to contemporary French stamps. The adoption of the leu
Romanian leu
The leu is the currency of Romania. It is subdivided into 100 bani . The name of the currency means "lion". On 1 July 2005, Romania underwent a currency reform, switching from the previous leu to a new leu . 1 RON is equal to 10,000 ROL...
in 1867 required stamps in new denominations, which appeared in 1868.
In 1869, a new design consisted of the profile as before, but enclosed in an oval frame, a change lasting only until 1872, when the previous round frame once again came into use, with an overall design reminiscent of the contemporaneous stamps of France. They were originally printed in Paris, and then reprinted in Bucharest from 1876, the reprints having a rougher appearance and coarser perforations. New colors and values appeared in 1879.
In 1885 a new definitive series used larger and more readable numeric tablets, and surmounted Carol's profile with a bird. In 1889 the stamp paper
Postage stamp paper
Postage stamp paper is the foundation or substrate of the postage stamp to which the ink for the stamp's design is applied to one side and the adhesive is applied to the other...
was also impressed with a coat of arms, similar to, but not a true watermark
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
. In 1891, Romania issued its first commemorative stamp
Commemorative stamp
A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event or person. The subject of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike definitive stamps which normally depict the subject along with the...
s, a series of five in which the usual profile of the king was framed by an inscription marking 25 years of his reign.
The series of 1893 introduced a variety of frames, and the first stamps denominated in lei
Leu
Leu may refer to:* Leu, a commune in Dolj County, Romania* Leucine, amino acid abbreviated Leu* LEU, Low-Enriched Uranium* Moldovan leu, the standard of currency in Moldova* Romanian leu, the standard of currency in Romania...
.
In 1896, Romanian stamps were overprint
Overprint
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage stamp or banknote after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public mail...
ed in Turkish currency for use on ships passing between Constanța
Constanta
Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
and Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
In 1903 the first pictorial designs were issued to note the opening of a new post office in Bucharest, followed by a series of 10 designs in 1906, for the 40th anniversary of Carol's reign.
World War I
During World War I, Romanian territory was occupied by Austria, Germany, and Bulgaria, each of which issued stamps for the occupied areas.See also
- List of people on stamps of Romania
- List of fish on stamps of Romania
- Poşta RomânăPosta RomânaCN Poşta Romănă SA is the national operator in the field of postal services in , sole supplier of universal service in any point on the Romanian territory, providing prices accessible to all the users thereof and at high quality standards....
- Postage stamps and postal history of MoldovaPostage stamps and postal history of MoldovaThis is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Moldova.Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries...
- Postage stamps and postal history of TransnistriaPostage stamps and postal history of TransnistriaThis is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Transnistria, an unrecognized breakaway territory of Moldova and the de facto independent Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.- Before independence :- Tiraspol Zemstvo stamps :...
- Zimbrul şi VulturulZimbrul si VulturulZimbrul şi Vulturul was a 19th Century Romanian newspaper, published in the city of Iași , capital of the Principality of Moldavia, and having readership in other parts of what was to become the Kingdom of Romania....
External links
Sources
- Stanley Gibbons Ltd: various catalogues
- Encyclopaedia of Postal History
- Stuart Rossiter & John Flower: The Stamp Atlas