THE FORMAT INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PRINTERS LTD. ARCHIVE

Information and Reference of What was Found in the Archive

Stamp issues for Ras al Khaima printed by the Format International Security Printers Ltd. in 1968-1969 and items found in the Archive

RAS AL KHAIMA
1968-1969

Ras al Khaima stamps printed by Format International Security Printers Ltd.
Links to pages with information on items found in the archive

Ras al Khaimah was the last of the Trucial States to issue its own stamps. Ras al Khaima post office was opened on December 21, 1964. Its first set, which was issued on the same day of the opening of the post office, was very similar to the original Trucial States designs. From the opening of post office in 1964 to the last issued set in December of 1972, According to Michel, Ras al Khaima issued 903 stamps and 148 souvenir sheets.
As far as the souvenir sheets are concerned though Michel has listed some of the deluxe sheetlets as souvenir sheets. They have also not listed many souvenir sheets also. Therefore the numbers are inaccurate.

Please visit my introduction page for the Trucial States to understand how the following sets have been determined to have been printed by the Format International Security Printers.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TRUCIAL STATES STAMPS PRINTED BY THE FORMAT INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PRINTERS

1968 MOTHERS DAY Michel #218-25, Block 40, Minkus #146-54

The single stamps were printed in panes of 6 or 10. Perforated and imperforates exist for all including the souvenir sheet. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles also exist.


SOUVENIR SHEET

DELUXE SHEETLET EXAMPLE

1968 INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS YEAR Michel #226-8, Block 41, Minkus #155-8

The single stamps were printed in panes of 6. Perforated and imperforates exist for all including the souvenir sheet. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles seem not to exist.


SOUVENIR SHEET

PANE OF 6 EXAMPLE


PROOF THAT THE FORMAT PRINTERS PRINTED THIS SET

1968 WINTER OLYMPIC WINNERS Michel #253-8, Minkus #179-84

The single stamps were printed in panes of 6. Perforated and imperforates exist for all. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist.

This is the first issue of the Winter Olympic Winners issues.


DELUXE SHEETLETS

1968 OLYMPIC GAMES (Mexico) Michel #259-62, Minkus #188-91

The single stamps were printed in panes of 6. Perforated and imperforates exist for all. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist.
Minkus states these are photogravure. This is in error...they are lithograph.

This is the first issue of the Olympic Games issues.


PANES OF 6

DELUXE SHEETLETS

1968 CHRISTMAS Michel #267-75, Block 50, Minkus #210-19

The single stamps were printed in panes of 5 plus label. Perforated and imperforates exist for all including the souvenir sheet. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles also exist.


SOUVENIR SHEET

EXAMPLE OF PANE OF 5 PLUS LABEL

DELUXE SHEETLETS

1969 COMPOSERS Michel #276-80, Blocks 51-5, Minkus #220-4, Sheetlets unlisted

The single stamps were printed in panes of 6. Perforated and imperforates exist for all. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist.
The deluxe sheetlets are listed in Michel as souvenir sheets (Blocks 51-5) wherein in reality they are the same as the other unlisted deluxe sheetlets.


DELUXE SHEETLETS

1969 FAMOUS OPERAS Michel #281-6, Blocks 56-61, Minkus #225-30, Sheetlets unlisted

The single stamps were printed in panes of 6. Perforated and imperforates exist for all. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist.
The deluxe sheetlets are listed in Michel as souvenir sheets (Blocks 56-61) where in reality they are the same as the other unlisted deluxe sheetlets.


DELUXE SHEETLETS

PROOF THAT THE FORMAT PRINTERS PRINTED THIS SET

1969 FAMOUS PEOPLE Michel #287-94, Block 62-5, Minkus #232-41

The single stamps were printed in panes of 6. Perforated and imperforates exist for all including the souvenir sheets. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles also exist.
Michel lists 3 of the deluxe sheetlets as souvenir sheets (Blocks 63-5) where in reality they are part of the deluxe sheetlet set and thus the same as the other unlisted deluxe sheetlets.


SOUVENIR SHEETS


DELUXE SHEETLETS

1969 THE FOUR SEASONS Michel Block 70, Minkus #231

The single stamps are actually labels. This souvenir sheet exists perforated and imperforate.
I am not for certain if this one was printed by Format. There is no description as to it's type of printing, be it lithograph or photogravure?

1969 INTERNATIONAL PHILATELIC EXHIBITION (Mexico '68) Michel #299-311, Block A 70, Minkus #195-206

Perforated and imperforates exist for all. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist.


SOUVENIR SHEET

DELUXE SHEETLETS

1969 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN OLYMPICS (Mexico '68) Michel #312-15, Block 71, Minkus #282-6

The single stamps were printed in panes of 10. Perforated and imperforates exist for all including the souvenir sheet. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist.


SOUVENIR SHEET

PANES OF 10

DELUXE SHEETLETS

1969 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN SPACE Michel #317-20, Block 72, Minkus #287-91

The single stamps were printed in panes of 10. Perforated and imperforates exist for all including the souvenir sheet. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist.


SOUVENIR SHEET

DELUXE SHEETLETS

1969 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF NAPOLEON Michel #322-5, unlisted souvenir sheet Minkus #317-21

The single stamps were printed in panes of 16 as four strips of 4. The set exists perforated and imperforate as does the souvenir sheet.

Many sellers and collectors are mistaking the deluxe sheetlet as being a(the) souvenir sheet. There are no single stamps as deluxe sheetlets for this issue. The deluxe sheetlets for this issue are one single sheetlet of the strip of four.

Michel does not list the souvenir sheet. Minkus does as #321. I believe the souvenir sheet may possibly not have been an officially sanctioned one.

A NOTE ON THE AGENCIES

It is at this time that disputes between the printers and contracts started. Finbar Kenny, Stolow being the agencies using British Security Printers versus The Middle East Stamp Company.
Once again we can see by the letters written by parties in conflict that rumors and lies using media sources were started and thus to this day have muddied the waters so to speak as to what the truth really was. These tactics have been used many times by many individuals in the stamp printing industry to cause conflicts, support personal biases and vendetta's against each other, and to promote lies and rumors to fulfill monetary gains and prestige in the stamp world.
Today many of these individuals have now passed on leaving mysteries and lies of which researchers and collectors like you and I must try to sort out and get to the real truth. Much of the evidence that they tried to cover up is still here my friends! It is the stamps themselves!

You see, most of the stamps issued between 1968 through 1972 were lithograph printing and were done by Format. Now the Middle East Stamp Company did not go through British printers therefore the question is....who really had the contract? Judging from what is listed in Michel and Minkus and seeing that the majority were produced by Format shows us that the proposed letters and contracts stated to be legitimate by the Middle East Stamp Company are looking a lot more like illegitimate hogwash to me! Reading these type written letters and contracts on ohmygosh does not convince me in the least on their authenticity. Anyone can write up that stuff and claim it to be truth. If you want to prove it...let's see the actual documents signed by the Sheik etc.! You won't see them because they don't have them!

Here is a tidbit of why I say the Middle East Stamp Companies evidence is false. It would mean that the 1968 Human Rights issue (which is proven made by Format) and the 1969 Famous Operas issue (also proven to be made by Format) are not legitimate issues?? Can you see it? I think that the letters written by the Middle East Stamp Companies representative are actually talking about themselves in regards to jealousy and envy in the fact that there really was no comparison in the benefits that could be offered by them versus the much more powerful British backed firms. Any high official could see that and would be foolish to change players when the profits from the British/U.S. backed firms were so good.


SOUVENIR SHEET

DELUXE SHEETLET

PANE of FOUR STRIPS OF 4

1969 APOLLO FLIGHTS (Apollo X and XI) Michel #326-33, Block 73, Minkus #300-3, 306, 308, 310, 312, 292

The single stamps were printed in panes of 16 as four strips of 4 (As a set) and also in panes of 20 of 4 strips of 5 singles of each value.
Perforated and imperforates exist for all including the souvenir sheet. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist.
This set and the following Apollo series sets have been misinterpreted by many dealers and collectors over the years and to this day many are describing this set or pieces from it using the wrong souvenir sheets or stamps. Many are using sheetlets and souvenir sheets from the 1970 series in error. The main cause is either from misinterpretation of Michel's descriptions (possibly because of language barriers or because the souvenir sheets are not imaged) or because of the mixed up fashion which Minkus has caused in their catalog.
As you can see Minkus listed the souvenir sheet for this set way before the set itself is listed. Also Minkus tried to combine the 1969 Apollo series into one group either due to misinterpretation or to justify errors caused in their own interpretation of the series and future series.
Whatever the case is, I present here the one and only way that the Apollo series should be organized and cataloged for future generations which Michel had correctly done in the first place.

This is the first issue of the Apollo Flights issues.


SOUVENIR SHEET

SOUVENIR SHEET WITH INVERTED OVERPRINT ERROR
One of the Format Printers first "made for collector" errors?

DELUXE SHEETLETS

1969 APOLLO FLIGHTS (Apollo X) Michel #335-8, Minkus #305, 307, 309, 311

The single stamps were printed in panes of 20 as five (vertical) strips of 4 (As a set) and also in panes of 20 of 4 strips of 5 singles of each value.
The singles exist perforated and imperforate. There was no souvenir sheet. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist as shown.
Dealers are mistaking the deluxe sheetlet with all four values on it as a souvenir sheet.

This is the second issue of the Apollo Flights issues.


DELUXE SHEETLET WITH ALL FOUR VALUES

DELUXE SINGLE SHEETLETS WITH WHITE BACKGROUND

DELUXE SINGLE SHEETLETS WITH PINKISH BACKGROUND
Note these are numbered

1969 APOLLO FLIGHTS (Apollo XII) Michel #339-43, Minkus #315

The single stamps appear at this point to have been printed only in the sheetlet form. I can find no pairs, blocks nor panes of them.
Michel lists them as singles with no reference to a souvenir sheet nor sheetlet. Minkus lists them under one single number and considers the sheetlet to be a souvenir sheet.
Minkus lists at the end the 10r "Inspecting Surveyer 3" souvenir sheet (Minkus #316). It was not issued until 1970 and is listed in Michel as Block 92.
Michel lists a gold foil souvenir sheet for this set but as explained that is out of the scope of this study.

The singles exist perforated and imperforate as the souvenir sheet exists this way. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles exist as shown.
It is interesting to note that at this point the deluxe sheetlets started being produced as perforated versions as well as imperforates.

This is the third issue of the Apollo Flights issues.

THE SOUVENIR SHEET OF 5 VALUES AND 4 LABELS

DELUXE SHEETLET SET WITH PERFORATIONS

DELUXE SHEETLET SET IMPERFORATE

1969 WINTER OLYMPIC WINNERS Michel #345-6, Block 75, Minkus #185-7

The single stamps were printed in panes of 6. Perforated and imperforates exist for all. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles and the pair exist.

This is the second issue of the 1968 Winter Olympic Winners issue.


SOUVENIR SHEET

DELUXE SHEETLET

DELUXE SHEETLETS OF SINGLES

1969 OLYMPIC GAMES (Mexico 1968) Michel #347-8, Block 76, Minkus #192-4

The single stamps were printed in panes of 6. The single stamps exist perforated and imperforate as well as the souvenir sheet. Deluxe sheet sets of the singles and the pair exist.
Minkus states these are photogravure. This is in error...they are lithograph.

This is the second issue of the 1968 Olympic Games issue.


SOUVENIR SHEET

DELUXE SHEETLET

DELUXE SHEETLETS OF SINGLES

References taken from:
Michel Asien II
Minkus Trucial States Stamp Catalog
Evidence found in the Format Archive
Online research

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