Made of plastic and embossed with a melody, these tiny record brands are some of the strangest and most enchanting vinyl tracks around. Chris May examines how the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan came to produce the world`s “first talking stamps”. This file contains additional information, such as Exif metadata, that may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software used to create or scan it. If the file has changed from its original state, some details, such as the timestamp, may not fully reflect those of the original file. The timestamp is as accurate as the camera clock and can be completely wrong. Bhutan`s first stamps were issued in 1962, the same year the first motor road opened. [2] Before that, there was a postal delivery system for official mail with postal handlers, and between 1955 and 1962, tax stamps were accepted as a means of payment for internal mail. With the opening of Bhutan in the early 1960s, a formal postal system was introduced. American entrepreneur Burt Todd helped set up a stamp program in the country,[3] and Bhutan became known for the unusual designs and materials of its stamps, specially selected by Todd to attract attention. With the assistance of the Indian postal adviser, Mr. K.
Ramamurti, who was in Bhutan from 1964 to 1968, a suitable postal organization and infrastructure was put in place under the leadership of a young Bhutanese officer, Mr. Lam Penjor, who became Director of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. [4] The following year, P&T issued a simple and unique postcard with a purple 10 chhetrum stamp showing crossed dorjis or vajras. At the same time, a pair of answer cards with the same crossed out stamps of Dorjis was also released. This pair of answers had the size and dimensions of two postcards combined. In addition, a set of 10 postcards was released this year, with each postcard featuring a drawing of a different dzong or lhakhang on the front, each in a different monochrome color, drawn in a bright and modern style. The set was sewn with a single metal clip and a cream-colored paper lid with the words “Dzong Series”, “10 Postcards” and “His Majesty`s Govt. of Bhutan” printed in capital letters. These postcards are essentially an imprint on the individual postcard and bear the same imprint of a crossed purple Dorjis Chhetrum stamp. In the 1960s, the P&T department also attached stamps to telegrams as a sign of payment for telegraph costs.
Gold leaf stamps with various kings of Bhutan were issued in 1966 and 1968 and square in 1975. [33] Perfume-infused pink tokens were issued in 1973. In 1970 and 1972, thin, embossed cardboard stamps with paintings were issued. Regular stamps with paintings as a theme were issued in 1987 (combined with sculptures), 1989 (Titan), 1990 (Hiroshige), 1991 (Rubens), 191 (Van Gogh), 1993 (the no earlier edition of 1974), 1999 (Hokusai) and 2003 (Japanese art). Tax stamps cost number 5. They are used for revenue and to authenticate the receipt and payment of money. Bhutan Post uses shipping labels for regular and registered letters and express courier service (EMS). All shipping labels include date and time, shipping post office, recipient location, envelope weight, and postage. EMS and registered mail also indicate the recipient`s name, EMS or registration tracking number, and registration fee. National registered letters and EMS letters that use a postal label also have a separate registration or EMS label with a 13-digit reference number and corresponding barcode, while for international EMS coverages this is part of the main label. Registered letters with ordinary stamps have a similar registration number, which is often handwritten on the envelope. From the beginning, the issuance of stamps balanced the two objectives of introducing Bhutan to the world community and generating revenue, especially foreign exchange.
We will find it in the faces on the stamps: on the one hand Bhutanese themes and on the other hand typical international themes and commemorative themes that appeal to the philatelic market. The first stamp manager, Burt Todd, completed the latter goal with great success, and often as a world premiere, special materials (steel foil, silk, gold metal foil, molded plastic), special shapes (round, triangular), special prints (3D) and special effects (scented ink, recordings of real playable gramophones). [31] While in Todd`s time the balance between Bhutanese and general stamp designs was still fairly balanced, during the IGPC period this had to change dramatically in favor of global themes and commemorative themes. In 1960, with a royal order to establish Bhutan`s stamp issuance program, Todd established the Bhutan Stamp Agency. His program began conventionally with designs such as the Bhutanese royal coat of arms, a yak, a maharajah, a Himalayan fortress, a soldier of the royal bodyguard and a Buddhist monastery. The designs were pretty, but lacked novelty to be noticed in the global market of stamp collectors.