Bhutan, a distinct stamp history

Very little has been written on the blog about Bhutan's stamps. On March 2, 2009, Daan Koelewijn and Janneke Mens did shed some light on the stamps this country has issued in the form of gramophone records and DVDs, but that is as far as it went. Bhutan's postal service has not existed for very long. Before 1955, the postal service was maintained by private 'postmen' who handled almost exclusively official mail from government institutions. In 1955, tax stamps were used to frank mail. That was about to change when the first roads suitable for cars were completed in 1960. Between 1955 and 1960, letter traffic increased enormously due to development work, particularly by foreign organizations and enterprises. In 1962, the official postal service was established on the initiative of an American businessman, Burt Kerr Todd. The first stamps, issued on October 10, 1962, were simple in design, but that soon changed. Todd seized upon the stamp as a means to earn a lot of money from collectors, as he put it, for the benefit of the country itself—for the improvement of the country's infrastructure. An application for financial assistance from the Government of Bhutan to the World Bank had been rejected. In 1966, he had a series of stamps printed on metal foil at the Walsall stamp printing company in England. The series consisted of nine denominations and was round in shape. The stamps were sold through the agency he founded, 'Bhutan Stamp Agency', based in Nassau in the Bahamas. The stamps were ignored by many collectors. In 1967, a series of 12 was issued printed on ribbed plastic, creating a three-dimensional effect. At the time, the stamps featured an enormously popular theme: space travel. Collectors now did buy the series. Bhutan became a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1969. However, the issuing policy did not change. Series appeared printed on steel foil and silk. In addition to space travel, other themes were featured, such as insects, the steel industry, birds, paintings, and so on. Even the Abominable Snowman was part of a series of wild animals, again printed with a three-dimensional effect on ribbed plastic. But space travel turned out to be the big sales success after all. Like the Apollo XIII series. A new phenomenon was discovered in the printing of embossed stamps on plastic foil. Sculptures were chosen as themes, not only from antiquity but also by more modern artists such as Rodin and Modigliani. And cars, of course, also such a beloved theme. First-day covers are, of course, also available! As examples, an envelope commemorating the passing of King Jigme Darji Wangchuk and the coronation of the new King Jigme Singye Wangchuk. On this latter envelope, a stamp is affixed in standard offset printing, on standard paper, with standard perforations. The aim is a move towards a more moderate issuing policy. But whether it is collected much? I doubt it!

View stamps from Bhutan here (freestampcatalogue)

Click here to go to a previous article about stamps with sound from Bhutan.