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Official Stationary Handstamps
| Official handstamps in violet on Ethiopian Government stationary.
Used without postage stamps or when insufficient postage applied as on
some first day covers.
SH1 to SH5 were used in Addis Abeba with SH2 and SH4 used by the Philatelic Department. SH6 was used in Asmara. |
SH1
SH2 |
SH3 |
SH4 |
SH5 |
| SH1 | PREPAID with serifs; 52 x 27½ mm
Dates: 1950, Oct 10 - 1954, June 6 |
| SH2 | PREPAID without serifs; 43½ x 23 mm
Dates: 1955, Nov 8 - 1955, Dec 30 |
| SH3 | ON POSTAL SERVICE / SERVICE DES POSTES, 66 x
20¼ mm
Dates: 1953, Oct 23 - |
| SH4 | ON POSTAL SERVICE unboxed; no serifs, 42 x 3 mm |
| SH5 | ON POSTAL SERVICE unboxed; with serifs, 41 x
3 mm
Dates: -1973, Nov |
| SH6 | ON POSTAL SERVICE in box; 52 x 14½ mm
Dates: 1957, Aug 19 - 1973, Jan |
Unofficial Air Letters
| Ethiopian Airlines began service in 1946. To meet a new demand, there soon appeared unofficial private printings of air letter forms. Usage increased from 1946 to 1952 when the Ethiopian Post Office issued its first air letter. Usage of the private forms declined until their use was outlawed in early 1963. [by Jerry Kasper and Ken Doig] |
SU2
SU3 |
SU6 |
SU9 |
SU12 |
| SU1 | Inscribed: None.
Unwatermarked; no frame design; grayish paper without overlay. Dates: 1946, Nov 26 - |
| SU2
|
Inscribed: "MEHTA STORES - - ADDIS ABABA" in blue (29mm) on reverse.
Watermarked "Castle" Waterton Bond; no frame design; blue ink; greenish paper. Dates: 1948, June 21 - |
| SU3 | Inscribed: "TIP: ARTISTICA DI ABA" in blue (16mm)
on reverse, top left.
Unwatermarked; frame of red and blue lozenges; blue paper. Dates: 1949, Apr 14 - |
| SU4
|
Inscribed: "ARTISTIC PRESS A ABEBA" in red (16mm) on reverse, lower
left.
Unwatermarked; frame of red, green, and yellow lozenges; light green overlay front and back panels on cream paper; no space for stamp. Dates: 1950, Apr 6 - |
| SU5
|
Inscribed: "ARTISTIC PRINTING PRESS" in red (22mm) on front, lower
left.
Unwatermarked; frame of red, green, and yellow lozenges; light green overlay front and back panels on cream paper; no space for stamp. Dates: 1950, May 12 - |
| SU6 | Inscribed: "ARTISTIC PRINTING PRESS" in green
(22mm) on front, lower right.
Unwatermarked; frame of red, green, and yellow lozenges; greenish paper; space 43mm x 28mm without overlay in upper right for stamp. Dates: 1951, June 11 - 1952, Sept 30 |
| SU7 | Inscribed: "ARTISTIC PRESS A ABEBA" in red (16mm) on reverse, lower
left.
Unwatermarked; frame of red, green, and yellow lozenges; light green overlay front and back panels on cream paper; no space for stamp. Dates: 1950, Apr 6 - |
| SU8 | Inscribed: "ARTISTIC PRINTING PRESS" in red (22mm) on front, lower
left.
Unwatermarked; frame of red, green, and yellow lozenges; light green overlay front and back panels on cream paper; no space for stamp. Dates: 1950, May 12 - |
| SU9 | Inscribed: "COMMERCIAL PRINTING PRESS" in green
(31mm) on front, lower left.
Watermarked EXTRA STRONG; frame of green, yellow, and red stripes; light green overlay on white paper. Dates: 1950, Dec 11 - 1951, Dec 12 |
| SU10
|
Inscribed: "COMMERCIAL PR. PRESS" in green (28mm) on front, lower left.
Watermarked "EXTRA STRONG / MADE IN SWEDEN" inside normal; frame of green, yellow, and red stripes; very pale green overlay front and back panels on cream paper. Dates: 1953, Jan 4 - |
| SU11
|
Inscribed: "Artistic Pr. Press" in red (18mm) on front, in lower right
corner (7 mm from right red frame line).
Unwatermarked; frame of red, yellow, and medium green stripes; light bluish paper without overlay. Dates: 1952, Sep 9 - |
| SU12 | Inscribed: "Artistic Pr. Press" in red (18mm)
on front, lower right (4 mm from right red frame line).
Unwatermarked; frame of red, yellow, and green stripes; light bluish paper. Dates: 1952, Oct 11 - 1953, Feb 19 |
| SU13
|
Inscribed: "ARTISTIC PRINTING PRESS" in quote marks in red (22mm) on
front, lower right. [See SH2 above]
Unwatermarked; frame of red, yellow, and green stripes; light bluish paper. Dates: Unused. |
Last update: July 4, 2004