THE FORMAT INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PRINTERS LTD. ARCHIVE

Information and Reference of What was Found in the Archive

Stamp issues for Comoro Islands printed by the Format International Security Printers Ltd. and items found in the Archive

COMORO ISLANDS

Comoro Islands stamps printed by Format International Security Printers Ltd.

The Format Printers are quite a mystery with the Comoros. The majority of issues produced for this country do not have any identification such as color guides or logo's which can give positive proof that the Format Printers were indeed the printers. It is therefore a difficult task to narrow down to which issues were actually printed.

On this page are listed the issues that do have evidence either through items found in the archive or evidence stated by others. Therefore sets may be missing or in some cases the set shown may not have been printed by the Format Printers. Should you have evidence proving the printing to be done by others or of sets not shown please feel free to contact me on it.

Some sets contain embossed gold or silver foil stamps. The embossed versions were not printed by the Format Printers and in cases where they are shown they were most likely printed by Walsall or other British Printers in partnership with Format. The Format Printers never printed these type of stamp issues. They were strictly lithograph printers only.

I note that as with the majority of African and middle east country issues, many varieties were produced by all the printers. The Format Printers were no exception nor unique in the production of imperforates, deluxe sheetlets and deluxe souvenir sheets. They all produced them and in some cases the other printers did it on a larger scale.

In 1975 Anjoun, Grand Comoro and Moheli united to declare independence as the State of Comoro. It is at this time that a massive production of stamp issues began. It is when gold embossed issues began. It is when production of varieties increased dramatically. Evidence is showing that between 1976 to 1978 only one issue was printed by the Format Printers and issued. More issues were produced by Format but were not issued at the time. It appears that there were contract problems. Certain sets such as the Rubens Paintings issues were produced in 1977 by other printers. The sets produced by Format were not released and are considered unissued without overprints. They are similar in design to the same topics used on other countries stamps within the region printed by Format. Because some topics were the same as the issued sets they were "held". The government changed in 1978 when these sets were overprinted.

1976 SUMMER OLYMPICS, MONTREAL
Scott 183-9, SG 279-82




Imperforate Stamp Set


Deluxe Sheetlet Set with White Background


Deluxe Sheetlet Set with Pink Background


1976 TELEPHONE CENTENARY
Scott 196-203, SG not listed


Ship-to-Satellite Communications

Global Communications

Deluxe Sheet Set


1977 AIRSHIPS AND LOCOMOTIVES
Scott 247-53, SG 221-6, MS227


Graf-Zeppelin

Imperforate Stamp Set

Deluxe Sheetlets


The following six sets are the unissued sets which were later overprinted. They are considered unissued without overprints. Scott catalog states the sets without overprints are no scarcer than previous listed sets.

1977 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CORONATION OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Scott noted

The noting in Scott states it is a set of nine. Several embossed stamps exist with "etat" (state) country name having 1977 dating and are inscribed for "Silver Jubilee". I show them below this set. Noted by others that they were printed by Format. The foil stamps were not.




Gold Foil Embossed 1000F Stamp

Gold Foil Embossed 1000F Imperforate Souvenir Sheet

STATE OF COMOROS

The following gold foil issues are not noted in Scott.

Gold Foil Embossed 500F Stamp in Sheetlet of Four

Gold Foil Embossed 500F Deluxe Souvenir Sheet

Gold Foil Embossed 1000F Souvenir Sheet

1978 BUTTERFLIES
Scott noted

No proof that Format produced this set.




1978 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF WORLD TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Scott noted

Noted by others that they were printed by Format.



1978 HISTORY OF AVIATION
Scott noted

No proof that Format produced this set.




1978 RUBENS PAINTINGS
Scott noted

No proof that Format produced this set. Similar to other issues from other countries.





Deluxe Sheetlet Set


1978 DURER PAINTINGS
Scott noted

No proof that Format produced this set. Again similar to other issues from other countries.





Deluxe Sheetlet Set


End of unissued sets.

1978 BIRDS
Scott 285-91, SG 271-6, MS277



Imperforate Stamp Set

1978 DEATH CENTENARY OF SIR ROWLAND HILL
Scott 393-401, SG 300-305, MS306



Imperforate Stamp Set

Deluxe Sheetlet Set
Exists perforated and imperforate.


Gold Foil Embossed 1500F Stamp in Sheetlets of Four
Exists perforated and imperforate.

Gold Foil Embossed 1500F Stamp Souvenir Sheetlet
Not listed in Scott Catalog. Exists perforated and imperforate.

Gold Foil Embossed 1500F Stamp Souvenir Sheet
Exists perforated and imperforate.

1981 CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF PICASSO
Scott C113-17, SG 442-6, MS447

Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.



Deluxe Sheetlet Set with White Background


1981 SPACE EXPLORATION
Scott 517-21, SG 447-50, MS451

Imperforates exist for this set. 5,000 sets were produced.
Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.
Unique perforated press sheets for this issue were found in the archive purchases of Kasimir Bileski. Gutters and Souvenir Sheet Pairs were created from them and are extremely rare.



Deluxe Sheetlet Set with White Background


1981 ROYAL WEDDING OF PRINCE CHARLES AND LADY DIANA
Scott 522-4, 524a, SG 452-4, MS455

Imperforates exist for this set. At least 5,000 sets were produced.
Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.
Several perforated press sheets for this issue were found in the archive purchases of Kasimir Bileski. Gutters and Souvenir Sheet Pairs were created from them and are extremely rare.



Imperforate Stamp Set

Deluxe Sheetlet Set with Light Blue Decorative Background


1981 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GRAND PRIX
Scott 535-40, SG 469-73, MS474

Imperforates exist for this set. 5,000 sets were produced.
Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.
Unique perforated press sheets for this issue were found in the archive purchases of Kasimir Bileski. Gutters and Souvenir Sheet Pairs were created from them and are extremely rare.



Deluxe Sheetlet Set with Light Green Decorative Background


1982 SCOUTING YEAR
Scott 541-5, SG 475-8, MS479

Imperforates exist for this set. 5,000 sets were produced.
Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.



Deluxe Sheetlet Set with Light Brown Decorative Background


1982 21ST BIRTHDAY OF PRINCESS DIANA
Scott 546-8, SG 482-3, MS484

Imperforates exist for this set. 5,000 sets were produced.
Several perforated press sheets for this issue were found in the archive purchases of Kasimir Bileski. One unique press sheet containing both the 21st Birthday issue and the Goethe issue was found. Souvenir Sheet Pairs were created from the souvenir sheet press sheets and are extremely rare.




1982 JOHANNES VON GOETHE
Scott 549-50, SG 480-1

Imperforates exist for this set. 5,000 sets were produced.
Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.
A unique perforated press sheet for this issue along with the 21st Birthday issue was found in the archive purchases of Kasimir Bileski.



Deluxe Sheetlet Set with Light Green Decorative Background


1982 BIRTH OF PRINCE WILLIAM OF WALES
Scott 551-3, 553a, SG 485-7, MS488

Imperforates exist of the souvenir sheet for this set.
Several perforated press sheets for this issue were found in the archive purchases of Kasimir Bileski. Gutters and Souvenir Sheet Pairs were created from them and are extremely rare.




Red Overprint
Many call this an error. It is not. Simply a limited printing.


1982 NORMAN ROCKWELL PAINTINGS
Scott 561-6, SG 495-500

Imperforates exist for this set. 5,000 sets were produced.
Several perforated press sheets for this issue were found in the archive purchases of Kasimir Bileski. Gutter Pairs were created from them and are very rare.



1983 BICENTENARY OF MANNED FLIGHT
Scott C122-6, SG 505-8, MS509

Imperforates exist for this set. 5,000 sets were produced.
Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.



Deluxe Sheetlet Set with Light Blue Decorative Background


1983 PRE-OLYMPIC YEAR SAILING
Scott C127-31, SG 510-13, MS514

Imperforates exist for this set. 5,000 sets were produced.
Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.




Deluxe Sheetlet Set with Yellow Decorative Background


1983 HORSES
Scott 579-86, SG 523-30

Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.


Deluxe Sheetlet Set with Yellow Decorative Background


1983 RAPHAEL PAINTINGS
Scott 587-90, SG 531-4



1984 SUMMER OLYMPICS
Scott C132-7, SG 536-40, MS541




1984 SHIPS AND AUTOMOBILES
Scott 591-8, SG 542-9



1985 BICENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF JOHN J. AUDUBON BIRDS
Scott C139-42, SG 550-3

Imperforates exist for this set. 5,000 sets were produced.



1985 ANNIVERSARIES AND EVENTS
Scott 604-8, SG 557-61

Deluxe sheet sets exist for the stamps. 1-3,000 sets were produced.



Deluxe Sheetlet with Blue Decorative Background


1985 SEA SHELLS
Scott 609-13, SG 566-70

Several perforated press sheets for this issue were found in the archive purchases of Kasimir Bileski. Gutter Pairs were created from them and are very rare. Also a set of the color proof press sheets were retained. Also quite rare in any form.



Cross gutter Color Proof Set from the Press Sheets


These were the last stamps printed by the Format International Security Printers Ltd. for the Comoro Islands (Comoros, Comores).

References taken from:
Stanley Gibbons Online Catalog
Scott Catalog
Inventory list for the Format Archive by Robson Lowe
Internet Research

All Content Copyright © 2016 Golowe's Collector Stamps, All Rights Reserved

Return to Format International Security Printers Reference Homepage Here.