The philatelic legacy of a doomed dynasty

Philatelically, Ahmed Mirza’s reign began with a backward look. Seventeen stamps of Mohammed Ali were overprinted with 1ch and 2ch to pay postage on newspapers coming in from abroad, but many were also used on ordinary mail.

As far as the Shah’s own definitives were concerned, the idea was to have a long, recess-printed set. But this would take time to prepare, so Enschede were asked to produce an interim set, printed letterpress.

It’s still a handsome production. The design shows the lion and sun symbol with a laurel wreath and crown. It is printed in two colours, with silver and gold inks for the higher values. And many non-specialised collectors have never seen a real one.

Buyers are warned to beware of reprints of Persian stamps from 1870 to 1925. But from 1909, the process goes into overdrive. This coincides with the arrival at the Post Office of a Mr A Kurdistani. He starts to order vast quantities of overprints, delivered to him and sold by him on the philatelic market. Looking