The Stamps of Syria (1927)

The following article was first published in “Stanley Gibbons Monthly Journal”, September 1927.

The postage stamps of Syria offer a wide and interesting field of study to the general collector as well as to the most minute and exacting of philatelic specialists. There is a wide field of issues, overprints, surcharges, errors and provisionals. One can collect a representative collection of fifty or accumulate a specialised collection running into the thousands.

While Syria was part of the Turkish Empire the various stamps of that country were, of course, used in Syria. The Turks, however, were defeated by the Allied forces in 1918, and during February and March, 1918, the Palestine type, 1 Piastre, deep blue, and then light blue, was used. Printed by the Typographical Department, Survey of Egypt, in Cairo; watermark Royal Cipher and rouletted 20. The deep blue was issued ungummed and the light blue gummed. Then, later, followed a eleven values, issued also in Palestine in 1918, and printed by the stamping department of the of Inland Revenue, Somerset House, London; watermark Royal Cipher and perforated 15 x I4.

The above issues were chiefly used in Palestine, parts of Asia Minor and in Eastern Syria only.

Meanwhile, in 1919, in Beyrout, the centre of the French zone of operations, new stamps were issued consisting of French issues of 1900-1906 overprinted “T.E.O.” and surcharged in Egyptian currency, the “T.E.O.” standing for “Territoires Ennemis Occupés.” Later, French Levant stamps of 1902-1906 were used and similarly overprinted. The above stamps were in use only in Western Syria or in the territory now known as Grand Liban.

In 1918 the Emir Feisal, now King of Iraq, entered Damascus and established a provisional government under his administration but under British control. In the beginning of 1920 the stamps of Turkey from 1913-1919 were used provisionally and overprinted in Damascus with the Arabic seal “Hakuma el Arabia,” and some of the stamps surcharged in Egyptian currency. On March 4th, 1920, the Emir Feisal was proclaimed King of United Syria, and a special set of stamps was issued by the Arabian Government of Syria, and one of the set, the 5 milliemes, pink, overprinted in Arabic with green ink, “In commemoration of the independence of Syria. Adar (March) 8th 1920.” The overprinted Turkish provisionals continued in use for about two months, and one can find covers with the British E.E.F. stamps, Turkish overprints and regular Syrian issues together on same. On July 24th the independent Syrian Arab kingdom ceased to exist; the Syrian army was defeated by French troops, and the French seized the machinery of government and have continued to have control of the country ever since.

In July, 1920, the French administration in Damascus seized the remaining stocks of Syrian stamps issued by the Arabian Government and overprinted them ”O.M.F.” (“Occupation Militaire Francaise”). This overprint was already in use in Western Syria, on French stamps and surcharged in Egyptian currency. The “O.M.F.” overprints continued in use in Eastern Syria till 1922. In 1923 the stamps of France 1900-1921 were overprinted “SYRIE-GRAND LIBAN,” for use in all parts of Syria. In the early part of 1924 the same issue of French stamps (1900-1921) were overprinted “SYRIE,” while in Western Syria, henceforth known as Grand Liban, the same stamps were overprinted “GRAND LIBAN.” In the latter part of 1924 a new issue for Alaouites came out separately. Previously this district of Syria used the postage stamps of Syria. At this time also the stamps of France were overprinted and surcharged in Arabic as well as French. The stamps of Great Lebanon and Syria also received this bi-lingual overprint.

On January 1st, 1925, the present Pictorial set was issued, consisting of one set for Syria and another for Great Lebanon. There were thirteen values from 10 centiemes to 25 Piastres, four Air Mail stamps, and five Postage Dues. The stamps were designed by J. de la Néziére and printed in France by the Helio Vaugirard. The set for Alaouites consists of Syrian current stamps overprinted bi-lingually.

In the latter part of August 1926, the 75 centiemes, 1 Piastre 25 centiemes, and 2 Piastres 50 centiemes were withdrawn from all three countries and surcharged respectively 3 P.50, 12 Ps., and 6 Ps. On October 4th, 1926, the 25 centiemes was withdrawn and surcharged 4 Ps., and remaining stock of 1 P. 25 surcharged 20 Ps. In the latter part of November, 1926, the remaining stocks of 75 centiemes and 2 Ps. 50 were surcharged 4 Ps. 50 and 7 Ps. 50. This became necessary on account of the fall of Syrian currency which is based on the franc. To meet the demand for a new value the 25 Ps. was surcharged 15 Ps.

An entire new series is in preparation for Great Lebanon.

Errors and varieties exist in abundance in all issues, such as reversed surcharge, double surcharge, missing letters and figures forming all manner of combinations and freaks.

There is no doubt that the stamps of Syria form a good investment for the near future. There will no doubt be a considerable rise in catalogue prices. In fact, they are already rising. Some of the stamps of Syria are already getting scarce. For instance, the 2 Piastres on 45 centiemes, green and blue, S.G. 153, S.G. 155, S.G. 151. The same is true of the various Olympic sets. S.G. 212 has already leaped to a shilling before the new catalogue is hardly thought of. S.G. 214 and S.G. 219 will be rarities in the new catalogues when out.

Forgeries of the Feisal overprints abound. A knowledge of Arabic is essential for the inexperienced novice to be able to detect them. The specialist will have no difficulty in finding them out. Beware of unused copies and examine carefully the postmarks of all used copies.

Feisal provisionals were only issued in Eastern Syria and should, if postally used, bear the postmarks of Horns, Hama, Aleppo and Damascus and the towns in these districts only. At the time these stamps were used the postmarks in use bore the Christian date in French (and it should be “1920”) and the Moslem date year “38” in Arabic. If it bears any other it is a forgery. I have seen some with the date “1915” with the Damascus postmark, but they were only used Turkish stamps of the time when Damascus was a part of the Turkish Empire, with the overprint forged later.

The same numbers were printed of the Pictorial sets of Grand Liban, and the same number of the Refugee sets.

The numbers for Syria include those afterwards overprinted for the use of Alaouites.