A forgotten world

 1973 

The south coast of Crete between Ierapetra and Ferma

One camping site, two bungalows for tourists, no hotel, a lonesome beach

Agia Fotia a little paradise

The Cretan People riding on donkeys to reach their little fields in the rocky coastal plain

And sharing their tomatoes with the unknown tourists 

West of Ierapetra Moni Arvi with the special "Hippie smoke" hanging under the banana trees


In Iraklion was a stamp dealer .... What cretan postal treasures were in his store?


Probably it might have been possible to speak with a person, who was  born in the the 1880ties and could tell about the last years of Crete as part of the ottoman empire, the naval blockade, the occupation by 4 foreign military forces, indepedent Crete, the union with Greece and both World Wars.

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The Johann Ulrich Schmitt Collection

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Not only the single lots but also nearly every part of the larger lots in this unbelievable with love created collection - find it here  https://www.heinrich-koehler.de/de/366-auktion-m%C3%A4rz-2018?f%5B0%5D=field_catalogue_part%3A3466 - deserves its own article in this blog. One example: This page gets the title "Early greek postmarks in Xania/Crete"   It begins with a 5 Lepta Great Hermes Head bearing the scarce postmark of the greek post office, which works in Chania only 1881. first/last known postmark date 3. March/30. November 1881 here October 1881 followed by three stamps first issue independent crete each bearing the one circle cretan postmark, used in Chania 1900 to 1905 first/last known postmark date 1. March 1900/27. Januar 1905 here September 1900, 20. March 1900 (early usage) and 1901 followed by two stamps gothic ellas issue independent crete both bearing the double circle postmark, used in Chania 1900 to 1913 first/last known postmark date 4. Februar 1905/11....
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Re-Issue or Reprint Drachma Values first set "Independent Crete" with black overprint 1901 ?

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  Statement: The  values 1 Dr., 2 Dr. and 5 Dr. of the first set with black overprint can be divided in two issues (or the issue and a reprint); the second issue ( = the reprint) can be dated January/February 1901  ( Catalogues "Karamitsos" and Vlastos ) and can be identified by the  look of the overprint. "Karamitsos" even lists the so-called re-issues with own catalogue numbers. Facts: Very few of the three values occur with an overprint which is either very  faint (some overprinted letters might be nearly invisible) or has letters with diffuse typographic characters. In this cases the overprint color seems to be greyish. All the other stamps have clear bordered letters in black color which sometimes seems to be greyish and sometimes occurs in deep black. The left one of the following stamps is unused and  shows the usual look of the black overprint. The right one with a very faint XANIA  one circle postmark  shows an overprint that is tending t...
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The Therison Rebels Part 2

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 Usually it is said, that post from the Cretan Government  did not reach the territory of the rebels ( Kohl Handbuch ) or the Cretan Government postal service no longer functioned in the revolutionary area (Feenstra) or something similar. The authors can't imagine, that stamps of the Cretan Government were accepted by the rebels. But  postal history of Crete is full of hidden surprise. One example follows: This one lepton stamp of the first  issue  of  Cretan Government is a Gem of Cretan Philately. It bears the unique postmark combination of Rural Dotted Cancellation "31", used in the years 1900 to 1907 by a postman working for the  Cretan Government  and ΜΑΛΑΞΑ ?? OKT. 1905 ΜΑΛΑΞΑ is one of the postmarks used by the rebels. It is very rare. Only 10 other usages are known, all on letters, which were transported inside the territory of the rebels. The only suitable explanation for this postmark combination is, that the stamp was  postally use...
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