The Advanced Collector

If you look at the Crete chapter in the international stamp catalogues, you will notice, that the official administration issued not only postal stamps but also Postage Due stamps and Official Stamps. Most of these three types of stamps on the  market are genuine.

Usually in the catalogues they are followed by two sets of stamps issued 1905 by the so called "Theris(s)on Rebels" or "Insurgents" and sometimes a third set that belongs to the "Theris(s)on Rebels" or "Insurgents" but were never issued.

Often the crete chapter ends with the issues of the british (1898/99) and the russian (1899) occupation forces.

 Estimated 90 % of the "Therison" issue, the british and the russian stanps on the market are forgeries.

So the collector of unused stamps better look at some catalogue subchapters with stamps issued in crete by the governments of Austria,  France and Italy. . The low values there are normally genuine.

The collector of used stamps belonging to "Independent Crete" will be far away from looking elsewhere in the catalogue, because he would be fascinated by the postmarks. At this point there is  only one way:
Buy these two publications:

Feenstra, Rienk M.
KPHTH CRETE  Postal History  Postage and Revenue Stamps  Coins and Bank Notes
Athens  2001

Karamitsos, A.
HELLAS  Stamp Catalogue and Postal History

Not only in my opinion the "Karamitsos" is the best national greek stamp catalogue for "Indepedent Crete", because beside stamps and their values every postcard with value is shown and 191 postmarks with value on letter and not on letter are listed. Last but not least every issue has an introducing description full with the knowledge, Mr. Karamitsos got studying the administrative publications and during his Stamp auctions.

The "Feenstra" is a real handbook for the Postal History of Crete beginning with the 14th century and ending after World War 2, divided in 30 chapters. So this book is "a must have" for collectors of any aspect of cretan philately.

Both works are not cheap; you save money with buying not the new issue of the "Karamitsos".


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