UPU SPECIMEN POSTAL STATIONERY


Preface
This is a detailed listing of worldwide UPU specimen stationery. It derives from the website created by James Bendon, who wrote the definitive 1988 handbook UPU Specimen Stamps. In order to give a wider distribution to the information contained in his website, Bendon approached the UPSS with the proposal that he transfer his website to the Society. The UPSS would maintain the website and its contents. Such a project would fulfill one of the missions of the Society, namely, to disseminate information about postal stationery, and promote its study and collection. The UPSS Board of Directors agreed to the transfer. The UPSS gratefully acknowledges its receipt, and the extraordinary amount of research its contents represent. In 2015 James Bendon issued a complete revision of the book UPU Specimen Stamps 1878-1961 incorporating additional material, some corrections and color printing.

Scope
This catalog only includes those items of postal stationery that a UPU member country sent in protected (demonetized) form, such as with the overprint "specimen", to the UPU in Berne, Switzerland, for distribution to other UPU members. Countries are listed in alphabetic order of their English names. Most stationery sent to the UPU was in normal, mint condition, and are not included here as they are indistinguishable from issued items. See the detailed information contained in the buttons UPU History, UPU Procedures, Receiving Authority Specimens and Sources and Further Reading.

Website Catalog Information and Layout of Checklists
Within each country, the type of stationery is listed in the order used in the Higgins & Gage catalog prefix system: Post Cards (none), Letter Cards (A), Envelopes (B), Registered Envelopes (C), etc. Within each type, the listing is generally by H&G catalog number order unless a more current and/or more widely used catalog is cited. The checklists are set out in a varying number of columns, depending on a number of factors germane to that country. The stationery listings are followed by a listing of the specimen types of protective marking information: Most of the British protective markings are listed and illustrated in the button Classification of specimen types.

A Cooperative Effort
The following countries in this catalog have little or no information, and assistance is requested. If you can help, please contact Didier LeGall didier.legall8@yahoo.com. Argentina, British Post Office in China, Ceylon, China, East Africa & Uganda, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Iraq, Japan, Jordan (Transjordan), Kenya & Uganda, Kenya, Uganda & Tanganyika, Liberia, Netherlands and Colonies (Curacao, Dutch Indies, Surinam), North Borneo, Rhodesia, Somaliland Protectorate.

If you can help, please contact Didier LeGall at didier.legall8@yahoo.com.