COVERS (after 1959)

The final part of the covers pages, mostly to provide coverage of the mysterious reissue of Kingdom-era stamps in the early 1970s. Covers from this period which carry stamps of the 1941 pictorial series are dealt with separately on account of their particular interest and problems.

Rates. Now on their own page.

Postmarks. The postmarks encountered in this period are frequently smudgy, indistinct, or otherwise obscure. That’s when they even have English text, as very often they don’t — and I, to my continued regret, am wholly ignorant of Arabic. So the commentary here will frequently be confused and unreliable.

A feature of this period is that external covers, having been sent down to Baghdad before leaving the country, were postmarked on the reverse with a purple circular postmark. This usually read “Baghdad Reg.”, in Arabic and English, or “Dir. Central Post / Baghdad Reg.” in English only, but there were many permutations. For the purposes of this page I refer to these generally as “Baghdad central registry” postmarks.

Straight-line datestamps. A ubiquitous feature (if not universal, then very nearly so) of external covers from this period is a straight-line datestamp on the reverse. These are usually in purple but other colours are also encountered. My conjecture is that these are subtle censorship marks. I’ve seen one cover where the datestamp and a full censor stamp are both somehow under the stamps, which suggests that the datestamp was applied at the same time the cover was opened for inspection. However this is just a conjecture, for the moment.

Mosul 🠚 London, 11 February 1963

Très interesting item. The coup which overthrew General Qasim played out between 8 and 10 February, with the general being killed on the 9th. This cover is postmarked 11 February, which can only have been a day or so after the post offices had reopened, if not the day. We see Qasim’s portrait defaced with a large black “X” — no stamps were ever issued thus, so this seems to have been an initiative of the Mosul City post office, or perhaps the sender himself. The Iraq Times of 17 February contains this pertinent notice: “New postage stamps were placed in circulation yesterday […] These stamps will replace those stamps which were carrying the picture of the tyrant Qassim. It has been decided that stamps bearing the picture of Qassim are not to be used and that any letter to which such stamps are affixed shall be neglected.” Either, then, the prohibition on stamps with the general’s portrait was already in place on 11 February, or this was simply an act of local zeal. Highly intriguing, either way.

I should note, for context, that any fervour against Qassim’s head on stamps seems to have died down fairly quickly — covers with his portrait can be seen throughout 1963 and probably also later.

Postmarks: Mosul City 11 February 1963 twice on the reverse.

Franking: 43 fils, which is a rate one commonly sees.

? 🠚 Baghdad, February 1973

I’m not nearly as certain as I’d like to be about this one, but, it’s eye-catching and internal uses are always less common. Less common, likewise, is actual government —instead of bank, etc.— correspondence. The envelope is headed “Iraqi Republic” but the remainder of the text is unfortunately illegible to me.

Postmarks: obverse is illegible to me. On the reverse we have Mosul(?) sorting office(?) 7 February 1973, Mosul sorting office 11 February, and Baghdad delivery office 12 February. Mosul would have been my first guess for the obverse postmark but the text there seems to be noticeably longer. But it must surely have been in the Mosul area, wherever it was.

Franking: 25 fils for a basic-weight domestic letter.

Baghdad 🠚 Düsseldorf, 12 April 1973

Little family reunion of the two previous régimes — a General Qasim above two Faisal IIs. The registration label is noteworthy. Instead of the single-line boxed handstamp typically used on these, we have an impression of a three(?)-line boxed handstamp in purple. The post office at Bab al-Sharqi did indeed possess a three-line boxed registration handstamp, which it frequently applied directly to covers (i.e. without the use of a registration label) but it was of a different design to the stamp which seems to have been used here. For further research.

Postmarks: All-Arabic Bab al-Sharqi / Registered 12 April 1973 twice on the obverse and once on the reverse. On the reverse a straight-line datestamp with the same date, and a Baghdad central registry postmark dated 16 April. The black “Poststelle” handstamp on the obverse will have been applied by the Commerzbank.

Franking: 140 fils — 70 for postage and 70 for registration.

Kirkuk 🠚 Sheffield, 3 May 1973

In fairly dismal condition, but a nice franking.

Postmarks: Kirkuk 3(?) May 1973, one on each side. The oval purple marks on each side are Rafidain Bank handstamps, the one on the obverse “signed off” by someone. The purple mark at the bottom-right reverse is dated 4 May 1973 but is otherwise illegible — some variety of Baghdad central registry mark I must assume. Above that is a straight-line datestamp also dated 4 May.

Franking: 140 fils — 70 for postage and 70 for registration. Nice combination of Group II and Group V (as I’m calling them) stamps.

Baghdad 🠚 Germany, 10 October 1973

The addressee is unfortunately lost to posterity but I assume from the “Poststelle” handstamp on the obverse it was somewhere in Germany — perhaps even it was the Commerzbank, who employed a stamp of the same design (see 12.IV.1973 above).

Postmarks: the obverse is utterly illegible but I take it (following the registration label) to be Bab al-Sharqi 10 October 1973, as is seen much more clearly on the reverse. Also on the reverse a smudgy Baghdad central registry postmark and straight-line datestamp, of the same date.

Franking: the usual 140 fils.

Baghdad 🠚 London, 22 December 1975

Considerably above-average in terms of the clarity of the postmarks. The Madinat al-Tib (“Baghdad Medical City”) was, for a time, picturesquely renamed “Saddam Medical City”. Note also the laconic return address.

Postmarks: Madinat al-Tib, 22 December 1975, twice on the obverse and once on the reverse. The purple boxed stamps are the hospital’s own. Black registration handstamp (in lieu of a label) on the obverse. On the reverse, also, Baghdad central registry postmark dated 22 December, and a straight-line datestamp with the same date.

Franking: 140 fils — again, 70 for postage and 70 for registration.

——

Nothing too exciting but a pleasant franking. Sent by the Rafidain Bank to, once again, the Commerzbank.