The Historama
Alex Ben-Arieh
P.O.Box 32128
Tel Aviv, Israel 61321
Tel/Fax: +972-3-546-1971
Mobile: +972-547-680-086
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The Historama Alex Ben-Arieh P.O.Box 32128 Tel Aviv, Israel 61321 Tel/Fax: +972-3-546-1971 Mobile: +972-547-680-086 |
| Israeli Stamps and Philatelic Resources |
| RESOURCE MENU: Postage Rates |
Although philatelics is complex and often dependent on small details, it's probably the best source of first-hand historiography because every frank, cancellation mark and recorded use of post indicates the occurence of certain events in history. Postal material is literally a stamped document attesting to a historical occurence. To help collectors better understand the material in their hands, and to give enthusiasts a better appreciation of the details of history, on this page is a collection of assembled information and reference material on Israeli, pre-State Israel, Ottoman and Mandatory Palestine stamps and philately. More related resources will be added as I come across them. |
KEY DATES 3 November 1947 - 14 March 1948 The "Lechi" underground movement changes foreign names of certain streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Hebrew names. Postal employees were requested to alter addresses on mail, by hand, to the new names: Allenby => HaCherut Kikar London => Kikar HaMaapilim King George => King David (source: Lechi-'Yair' Museum, Tel Aviv) 25 April 1948 Lod (Lydda) Airport closes; no more regular incoming air mail from abroad 1 - 15 May 1948 Labels of the Kofer Ha'Yishuv (Jewish Community Tax) used (infrequently) as legitimate postage 2 May 1948 First day of use of Minhelet Ha'am stamps 5 May 1948 Last day of British Mandate in Tel Aviv and Haifa 5 May 1948 Ship mail services to Israel cease completely 14 May 1948 Last day of Minhelet Ha'am post 15 May 1948 The armies of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria invade Israel 16 May 1948 Last day of use of Minhelet Ha'am postmarks 16 May 1948 Demonitization of all British Mandate stamps 16 May 1948 First day of Israel State stamps ("Doar Ivri" - Hebrew Post) 16 - 22 May 1948 Mixed franking of Doar Ivri and Minhelet Ha'am stamps 22 May 1948 Last day of extended validity for Minhelet Ha'am stamps 23 May 1948 Accepted and delivered mail from earlier days with no tax 24 - 30 May 1948 Mail from 23rd May delivered and taxed 28 May 1948 Foundation of Israel Defense Forces; IDF cachets on army mail instead of "Hagana" 1 June 1948 The Egyptian administration in Egyptian occupied (southern) Israel opens 8 post offices, including in Be'ersheva and Ashkelon (Isdud) 17 August 1948 Bank of Israel sets 1000 Mils equal to 1 Israeli Lira (Pound) 24 December 1948 Bank of Israel sets 1000 Prutot equal to 1 Israeli Lira (Pound) |
POSTAGE RATES The purpose of the information in these tables is to assist collectors to better appraise whether the cover they have or intend to acquire is properly franked as per the rates of the relevant period. All the information in this section comes from Bale's Israel catalogues of 1994, 2004 and Bale's Palestine Mandate catalogue from 2001. ISRAEL 1948 The information in this section covers Pre-State Israel and the period immediately after her declaration of independence, from April-June 1948. This period is set against the backdrop of the undeclared War of Independence which unofficially began on 29 November 1947, with the United Nations assembly resolution to partition Palestine. From then until the day after the declaration of Independence (on 14 May 1948), when external Arab armies invaded Israel, there waged a partisan type of war between Jewish Israelis and Arab Palestinians for control of transportation arteries and population centers. Between April to June 1948, certain Jewish (i.e. soon to be "Israeli") communities were cut off or beseiged - Nahariya, Rishon Le'Zion, Tzfat (Safed), Jerusalem and generally the western Galillee - prompting need to deliver mail by armoured convoy or special air service (like "Menora" air mail service), and bringing about the creation of special "seige" postmarks and cachets, and "armoured car" stamps. In late April and early May incoming air mail and sea mail ceased, leading non-postal organizations to act as tranferring bodies of mail from abroad into Israel: the Jewish Agency (mail from France and Italy); Peltour Tourist Agency (mail from London); Jewish National Fund 'Suisse' (mail from Switzerland); Louis (mail from Cyprus); and Postal Communications Box 18 (mail from South Africa). 1948: Interim Period Postage Stamps In Israeli postal history, the specific period of 2 May 1948 until 22 May 1948 is known as the Interim Period of postage stamps. Though the functions of the British Palestine Mandate continued until its end on 14 May, 1948, against the backdrop of the War, the Mandate's Postal Administration began to phase out its activities during the period of 15 April to 14 May 1948 (Israel declared her independence that same day), and this led to a lack of service in many cities and towns.
Further details: Requisitioned JNF stamps were overprinted with the word "Do'ar" in Tel Aviv in violet or red ink; those overprinted in Haifa bore the word "Do'ar" in a circle, all in black ink. However, Tel Aviv overprinted stamps were sometimes used to send mail from Haifa, and likewise Haifa overprints were used on mail from Tel Aviv. And Jerusalem produced her own set of labels altogether. Many philatelists produced "philatelic covers" with stamps during this period though these often bore incorrect postage and incomplete franking. Nevertheless as long as such covers conform to proper franking and bear full postmarks they may be considered proper commercial covers. However, there are also some period frauds: airplane labels inscribed or overprinted with "P.A.T.C.O" (Palestine Air Transport Company) are fake; some fake addressee names used (in Hebrew) were Robintel, Korngold and Korniel.
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