Bulgaria
1st May 1879
↓ - Changes of Admin - Innovations
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Europe | 25 |  |
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| Bulgaria Sc1 |
perf 14½x15, wmk, typographed
Printed at the Russian State Printing Works, St. Petersburg
| Description | Scott# | SG# | Mi# | Y&T# | Mink# | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 centimes black and orange | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 5c black and yellow | 1a | 2 | 1a | ||||
| 10c black and green | 2 | 3, 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 25c black and violet | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Sc3a imperf | |
| 25c black and purple | 3b | 6 | |||||
| 50c black and blue | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1 franc black and red | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Minkus [1] reveals a surprising ancient Bulgarian history, waxing and waning from Thracian, Roman and Byzantine influence and control; tribal conflict through the 10th century; becoming "Europe's greatest power under Simeon I"; further decline and recovery and decline to subservience under Serbia (1330) and the Ottoman Empire (1366), becoming a "province of the latter [in] 1396". After "4 centuries of Ottoman political rule and religious domination by Greek patriarchs, Bulgaria faded into obscurity. [At the] beginning of the 19th century a Bulgarian literary revival led to a revival of nationalism which received support from Russia … Bulgarians supported Russia against [the] Ottomans in [the] 1877 war from which emerged an autonomous principality in Northern Bulgaria (1878) under nominal Ottoman suzerainty and strong Russian influence. In 1885 a coup drove [the] Ottomans out of Easterm Rumelia and it was annexed to Bulgaria."
Minkus also mentions overseas offices in Bulgaria from Austria Lombardy-Venetia (1863-67), Austria Levant (1867) and France (1857-76).
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Yellow variant |
| Bulgaria Sc7a |
There have been two articles on Bulgaria in the Newsletter:
1995 |
v5n2p5 |
Bulgaria Imposter, David Olson |
| This warns of mistaking the 5 stotinki Sc7 for the 5 centime Sc1, following the currency change of 1881. | ||
1999 |
v8n1p5 |
Bulgaria, a Yawner Country?, Bob Sylvester |
| Suggests that the similarity between the early issues, 1879-1887 makes Bulgaria less than exciting for first issue collectors but there are some subsequent highlights, see below. | ||
Changes of Administration
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Independent Kingdom |
Independent Kingdom, King Asen Tower |
People's Republic |
Republic, ST. Clement of Ohrid |
| 1909 Sc83 SG140 | 1910 Sc89 SG159 | 1946 Sc534 SG628 | 1990 Sc3576 SG3724 |
Gibbons identifies:
- the Principalty under Prince Alexander (1879-86) and Prince Ferdinand (1879-1908), as above
- Independent Kingdom under Tsar (formerly Prince) Ferdinand (1908-18), and Tsar (King) Boris III (1918-1943) and King Simeon II (1943-46). Ferdinand repudiated Turkish suzerainty in 1908 and Turkey recognised Bulgarian Independence in 1909. The first stamps after independence were mundane overprints and so the first original stamp is also shown (a set of 12 mpstly of Ferdinand in various uniforms).
- People's Republic 1946-1990
- Republic from 1990
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Sunday Delivery |
| 1925 SG286b Sc-RA1 |
Innovations
Bulgaria has a First First to offer with the world’s first Sunday Delivery stamp. As Bob Sylvester explains in the Newsletter,"the money thus raised was used to maintain a sanatarium for employees of the postal service".