30 Years Peoples Republic of Albania

North Vietnam, 30 Years Peoples Republic of Albania, November 28th, 1974, Michel Nr. 786-787; Two stamps, both with a 12 xu nominal were issued in perforation 11.0. The stamps were printed in an alternate fashion within a single sheet.

Here is the mint set.

Here is a horizontal strip of 10 stamps the shows the arrangement within a sheet:

The sheet margins varied widely as can be seen on this block of eight that shows ver large sheet margins:

These stamps were not officially released imperforate however a very small number of imperforate trial proofs have come to market. Here is the imperforate pair.

Printing flaws, like this significant passer-shift of the black color to the left, did occur:

Here is another printing flaw. In this case the rubber mat that was used to transfer paint to the paper was apparently not adjusted tight enough. The ensuing vibration during the printing process caused a double impression of the black color:

Detail view of the double impression:

Rare local letter using a single 12xu stamp on a letter (full content preserved) sent from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi in September of 1975. South Vietnam was administered by the National Liberation Front and until full reunification in 1976 the South Vietnamese Dong was used in the South. As such North Vietnamese stamps were not officially valid in the South, however, this letter (franked correctly for domestic mail in the North) was delivered without incident.

Another rare local letter using a single franking of the 12xu stamp this time sent correctly from North Vietnam to the South (Saigon). Old type (without the addition of “M.N.”) machine arrival cancel on the reverse (August 14th, 1975).

Letter mailed from Hanoi to Oxford, England in May of 1975. It carries the set plus an assortment of other NVN stamps including the 6 xu flower stamp that is rare on postal history. Overall postage amounted to 2.90 Dong which appears to be high given that the standard 20 gram registered express mail letter to Western Europe amounted to 2.10, however the letter may have been heavier than the standard 20 grams.

Mixed franking featuring the complete Albania set together with stamps from the Chrysanthemum and Air Defense set paying an overall postage of 1.44D on a letter sent from Hanoi to France in July of 1975.

Very rare registered express mail letter sent to Klewitz in May of 1975. The letter features the set plus a number of im-perforated stamps of the fish set. Im-perforated stamps on postally used cover are very rare. The overall postage on the letter amounted to 2.60 Dong which is above the Tariff of 2.10 Dong, but th heavier may have been heavier than the standard 20 grams.