P.U.C.

Postal Union Congress

The first booklets to contain commemorative stamps were issued for the Postal Union Congress in May 1929. There were five editions of the 2s booklet and five editions of the 3s booklet, each taking sequential edition numbers from the then current series of BB12 and BB24.

Proofs for the front covers were made using edition number 102 (the number of the BB12 immediately before the first BB13). They were for the colour and substance of the card, and for the setting of the header across the top. Each was lettered in pencil. The first proofs lettered “A” to “D” were received on 27 March. They were printed in blue and red on four shades of cream card (at least two sets of eight exist).

Further proofs lettered “E” to “H” and “J” to “T” were received on 8 April. They were in a paler blue with various header settings of “POSTAL UNION CONGRESS, LONDON, 1929”. Proof “R” was approved for the 2s booklet; proof “A” in red was approved for the 3s booklet but with the header setting of proof “R”.

Booklets Sold

2s	2,453,839
3s	2,500,269

2s Booklet Series 4: BB13

To see more BB13 booklets click here.

Date: May 1929
Editions: 103-107
Printer: Waterlow
Watermark: Block Cypher
Makeup: FC, int, NComB4, int, NComB3, int, NComB2, int, NComB1, BC
Cancels: 33 (ed 103), 33P

Issue dates for the 2s editions are taken from cancels on Advertisers Voucher Copies as the date was not printed in these booklets. The date was printed on the Postal Rates interleaf in 3s booklets.

* These editions are known bound with staples.

A missewn booklet, given new covers and stapled so that stitch holes are present in the contents but not in the covers, and an Advertisers Voucher Copy dated 3 July 1929, cancelled Type 33P.

3s Booklet Series 3: BB25

To see more BB25 booklets click here.

Date: May 1929
Editions: 168-172
Printer: Waterlow
Watermark: Block Cypher
Makeup: FC, int, NComB3, int, NComB3, int, NComB3, int, NComB2, int, NComB1, BC
Cancels: 33P

Editions 171, 172: omit the first interleaf.

* These editions are known bound with staples.

Advertisers Voucher Copies dated 10 May 1929 and 3 June 1929, cancelled Type 33P.

Booklet Panes

Booklet panes of six were printed in letterpress, each sheet having an equal number of upright panes, and inverted panes. Cancellations are equally likely to be found on upright or inverted panes, unless otherwise noted.

The vertical gutter between the left and right halves of the sheet contained short horizontal bars which can be seen in the selvedge of panes from the inner two columns. Panes from the outer two columns do not have these bars. Panes with and without bars occur in equal numbers.

Sheets were perforated by Waterlow using a vertical perforating machine which could be fed left side or right side first, the first pane to enter the perforator receiving an imperforate selvedge Type B3(I), and all other panes receiving perforated selvedge Type B3A(P).

Full sheet reconstructions are shown under Sheets & Perforations.

Watermark Block Cypher.

NComB1/a: Booklets BB13, BB25; Perfs P, I; Cancels 33, 33P

NComB2/a: Booklets BB13, BB25; Perfs P, I; Cancels 33, 33P
Variety NComB2b: Broken O in POSTAL (R2/2)

NComB3/a: Booklets BB13, BB25; Perfs P, I; Cancels 33, 33P
Variety NComB3b, NComB3ab: Q for O in UNION (R2/1)

NComB4/a: Booklets BB13; Perfs P, I; Cancels 33, 33P

To see all advert panes click here.

Adverts & Interleaves

Adverts in the PUC booklets were similar to those in the preceding Block Cypher booklets. Of note were the Dean & Dawson adverts which were printed on the front of the second interleaf, their chosen position in Series 3 and 4 booklets for a number of years.

BB13 edition 104 interleaves.

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