GANEFO Sports Games

North Vietnam, GANEFO Sports Games, November 10th, 1963, Michel Nr. 283-286; The GANEFO Games were introduced by Indonesia as a developing world counterpart to the Olympic Games. The first games were held in 1963 in Jakarta, Indonesia but there was only one follow up event (Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 1966) and after that the event was disbanded. Four stamps with the nominals of 12 xu (three stamps) and 30 xu were issued. The set was released perforated (11.0) and imperforate.

Here is the mint set perforated:

Here is the mint imperforate set:

Imperforate set in mint blocks of four:

Paper as raw material was apparently still an issue in the country in 1963. The post office released perforated and imperforate stamps that were printed on much thicker white art paper/magazine news print. This means that the image does not shine through as on the normal stamps and that the image appears to be sharper. Also, many a times, the back of the magazine news print has already been printed on and unrelated images/colors appear. The different paper also appears to have an effect on how the color of certain stamps appears. According to the notes of Klewitz these stamps were accepted as normal postage. He did in fact use some of the magazine print stamps on postally run covers.

Here is a pair of  12 xu football stamps printed on magazine news print. The stamp to the right is printed on normal paper. The base color on the newsprint looks like “gold” while that of the normal stamp looks “brown”. Also the pair shows a shadow double print of the black color.

The back of the pair has some text printed on it, so clearly the paper used here was repurposed. Note that the image of the normal stamp can be seen from the backs the paper is much thinner.

The same error also occurs on the imperforate stamps. Here is the same stamp imperfroate on magazine news print. Again the color appears to be “gold” and the black color shows a double print that looks like the player has a shadow.

Here is the 12 xu value with the swimmer imperforate printed on magazine news print.

This is the print on the back of the stamps

The same stamps printed on magazine news print but this time perforated

This is how the back of the strip of three looks

Here is the 12 xu stamp with the volley ballers imperforate printed on magazine news print.

This is how the back of the stamps look

Finally the 30 xu value printed on magazine news print

This is how the back of the stamp looks

Here is the 30xu value on white magazine news print with a white back that also shows a significant passer-shift of the red color towards the right.

In addition to the paper varieties mentioned above some of these stamps have also come to market as imperforate proofs.  Here is the 12 xu volley baller stamp in a different base color as the issued stamp (ex Klewitz). Note the printer markings surrounding the stamp.

Here is the same stamp as an imperfroate proof in similar to the finally issued color but darker in tone

Imperforate proof of the 30 x stamp (ex Klewitz). Note the much darker color as compared to the issued stamp. Also note the printer guide markings surrounding the stamp.

First Day Cover featuring the imperforate GANEFO set.

Very rare single franking of the blue 12xu value on a local letter sent from Giu Thong (small post office). Most local letters were destroyed in the multi-decadal war, the tropical climate and recycling due to raw material shortages.

Rare single franking of the 12xu GANEFO stamp on a letter from Hanoi to East Germany from February of 1964 paying the correct 12xu rate for a standard letter to fellow socialist countries.

Rare single franking of one of the 12xu values used on a letter sent to Czechoslovakia in December of 1965.

Here is a letter featuring Block Nr. 2 (horizontal stripes) with a standard date canceller. The letter also features two 20D HCM Birthday stamps (in old currency) of which the left shows a plate error (white mark in left top corner) and one 12 xu GANEFO stamp. The HCM Birthday stamps were devalued by 1,000:1 which meant they were worth only 4xu at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 26xu.

Here is a letter that features the 10xu souvenir-sheet together with two 20D HCM Birthday stamps (in old currency) along with the 12 xu GANEFI stamp. The HCM Birthday stamps were devalued by 1,000:1 so were only worth 4 xu at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 26xu.

Rare registered express mail letter mailed to Klewitz in February of 1970 containing the entire im-perforated set. Im-perforated stamps on postally used covers are very rare. The envelope is franked with 1.3 Dong in overall postage.

Rare registered letter using three of the 12xu GANEFO stamps plus other NVN stamps for an overall postage of 1.57D addressed to an editor of a newspaper called “The People” in East Germany. Given that the standard letter postage to East germany was only 12xu and the registration fee 60xu this letter must have been heavier than the standard 20g.

Colorful mixed franking on a rare registered letter made up of three of the 12xu Democratic Republic stamps, two of the 40xu Lunar Calendar stamps, three Five Year Plan stamps of both sets and three of the 30xu GANEFO Games stamps for an overall postage of 2.78D. The letter was sent from Hanoi to a newspaper editor in East Germany in May of 1964.

Here is a very colorful franking sent to Klewitz in October, 1981. It carries an overall postage of 2.06 Dong. The postage must be accurate as the postal clerk specifically added a printed free frank of 65 xu at the back of the letter. Please note that the 12 xu GANEFO Games value shows a double print of the grey/black color that can be seen as a shadow of the football player. Also the GANEFO Games value are printed on magazine news print. This can be seen by the fine contours and the slightly darker colors.  The GANEFO issue also exists on standard white and thinner paper.

Registration Nr. 100850