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Romanian Classic Stamps

From the original Art on Stamps archive

1998. 140th anniversary of the first issue

The renown Romanian (Moldavian) coat of arms stamps issued in 1858 belong to the jewels of the world philately. Hand stamped in very small quantities, they were already collected by the greatest stamps collectors of the past, like by Count Ferrari and by Burrus. They display the head of a (probably mythical) animal named Bour and for this reasons they are know in Romanian under the name of Capete de Bour. This animal is the symbol of Moldova (Moldavia) and his head appears also on later Romanian stamps, because Moldova became later a province of Romania. The newer Republic of Moldova has also good reasons to consider these stamps as its first stamps. The English translation of the name of these stamps is Bull's Heads.

Romanian Classic Stamps — original stamp illustration

With values of Turkish origin (Parale), inscriptions in Kirilik (Slav) characters and obliterated by cancels with inscriptions using Latin fonts (see the stamps near by the title, that commemorate 140 years since the issuing), they are the coronation of every important collection of classic Romanian stamps.

Two sets were issued in 1958 to commemorate the centenary of Bull's Heads. They were issued in same colors, with one perforated and the other one imperforated (the imperfs are shown above). The subjects of the stamps, from left to right, are: Printer and hand press, Scissors cutting strips of 1858 stamps, Postillon, mail coach, Postillon blowing horn, courier on horseback, Various denominations of 1858 issue with Romanian rugs as background. The Souvenir Sheets shows the only known tête bêche pair of 27 parale, conserved at the Library of the Romanian Academy.

1983. 125th anniversary of the first Romanian stamps + Romania, founding member of the UPU.

1998. 140th anniversary of the first Romanian stamp issue (see also the stamps near by the title).

For other Romanian stamp day and coaches issues please click here .

Spain. World Exhibition Grenada-92. Spain No. 1 and Moldova No. 1.

Great Britain. World Exhibition London '90. GB No. 1 (Penny Black) and Moldova No. 1.

Background: Ion Andreescu, Trees in Blossom, 1880?, The National Art Museum of Romania, Bucharest.