| Liberia
is located on the western coast of Africa near the equator. It
was formed from the settlements established by the American Colonization Society where freed African-American slaves could emigrate. The
territory was granted by the British and French governments for this
purpose. |
There were numerous conflicts between
the inhabitants and the new settlers.
Jehudi Ashmun greatly contributed in
establishing the colony despite these conflicts. In 1847 it became the
independent nation of Liberia and the first postage stamps were issued
in 1860. |
Liberia
| In 1952, commemorative stamps were
issued to honor Ashmun and other people who have contributed to the
foundation of Liberia. The stamps were designed by Arthur Szyk and were
engraved and printed by H. L. Peckmore and Sons in New Jersey, USA. |
| In 1978, a consultant to Sotheby's
wrote up the stock of the Homan-Krassa stamp Company for auction.
Sotheby's sale #4099 held March 28, 1978 had the Liberia portion:
"From looking at the immense piles of Ashmun
material my conclusions were as follows: Homan-Krassa arranged the
printing of the issue and was allowed to keep all of the trial
printings and proofs. There were immense quantities of this material."
"If I recall correctly, the deal was that Bill
Homan arranged the printing, and delivery, of the stamps at no cost to
the Liberia government on exchange for him getting the proofs,
progressives, etc."
Furthermore, it was reported that
Kasimir Bileski, the well known Canadian stamp dealer, Arthur Szyck,
the designer, and Peckmore and Sons, the printer, had good contacts
among themselves. It appears that Bileski had the opportunity to
acquire some of the printer's archives and many of the printer's
rejects.
These reports lead us to believe there
may be many more varieties than those listed here or known elsewhere in the body of Liberian philatelic knowledge. I have
seen unfinished 1˘ issue and Souvenir Sheet designer proofs and we
may assume there are similar items for the other denominations, plus
color proofs. We may also assume that other "errors" exist as inverted
centers, shifted centers and color errors.
This issue is loaded with affordable
varieties to study. |
|
Bibliography and Links
von Saleski,Lothar,
Liberia 1975
Specialized Catalogue,
Stanley De Shay, printer,
1975.
Rogers, Henry H.,
A Century of
Liberian Philately,
Kasimir Bileski,
publisher, 1971
History Of Liberia: A Time Line
The Library of Congress | |
Jehudi Ashmun (1794–1828), U.S. agent to
Liberia, born in Champlain, N.Y.
After entering the Congregationalist ministry and spending a few years
in teaching and editorial work, he was sent by the American
Colonization Society to Liberia. He found the colony ridden with fever,
short of supplies, and threatened by native attack. Ashmun with a
handful of men repulsed the attacks, and for the next six years,
despite severe hardships, he built up the colony. He wrote History
of the American Colony in Liberia from December 1821 to 1823 (1826). | |
| NOTE
The image links will open in new windows
for easy reference and comparaison. The pages can be open in new
windows by right clicking on the mouse. |
The Issue
The Varieties
| Arthur Szyk (1894 - 1951) was one
America's leading political artists during World War II, when he
produced hundreds of anti-Axis illustrations and cartoons in aid of the
Allied war effort. Throughout his career he created art in the service
of human rights and civil liberties -- in his native Poland, in Paris
where he was trained during the 1920s, and in America, the country he
adopted in 1940. Settling in the United States, Szyk announced, "At
last, I have found the home I have always searched for. Here I can
speak of what my soul feels. There is no other place on earth that
gives one the freedom, liberty and justice that America does."
Born of Jewish parents in Lodz, Poland, Szyk
acquired his early art training in Paris and Cracow. Between 1919 and
1920, during Poland's war against the Soviet Bolsheviks, he served as
artistic director of the Department of Propaganda for the Polish army
regiment quartered in Lodz. In 1921, he moved to Paris where he lived
and worked for ten years. In 1934, Szyk traveled to the United States
for exhibitions of his work, including one at the Library of Congress
where a series of thirty-eight miniatures commemorating George
Washington and the Revolutionary period were shown. In late 1940, after
a period of residence in England, he immigrated to the United States.
In America, Arthur Szyk embraced the patriotic and
democratic spirit of his adopted country. His work entitled The United
States of America, includes portrayals of an African American and
Native American, representing the diversity of American society, as
well as familiar imagery -- Hoover Dam, the Manhattan skyline, the
Golden Gate Bridge, and the Pony Express. His anti-Axis cartoons
appeared frequently in such popular magazines as Collier's and in two
published compilations, The New Order (1941) and Ink & Blood
(1946). He also illustrated numerous works, including a richly
rendered, magnificently printed Haggadah (1940), reflecting his passion
for his own Jewish heritage and concern for the Jewish people in the
face of Nazi hostility.
Extracted from the Library of Congress | | |