1981 (16 Commemoratives, 1 SS, and 4 Definitives)

1 Jan - 2nd Bangladesh & 5th Asia-Pacific Scout Jamboree

• Above is the finished logo with the correct wording and below it a film negative, with a positive image from it of the item illustrated above. 

• At the top is the agreement as to the correct name of the event. The agreement states, "The above is the corrected theme and the monogramme lettering which is agreed by both Bangladesh Scouts and the World Scout Bureau, Asia-Pacific Region." Signed by Habibul Alam, by International Commissioner.
  

81-1 50p Deer and Boy Scout emblem - orangish background
81-2 Tk.5 Deer and Boy Scout emblem - light blue background
2 stamps

CCMs: Yes and No
Plate #: No
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: 50p - 500,000; Tk.5 - 250,000 (A quantity of the Tk.5 value was later overprinted for the 29 December, 1989 5th National Rover Moot issue)
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: Bruder Rosenbaum, Austria
First Day Cover: Yes. Four different postmarks; 1) Generic FIRST DAY OF ISSUE at top ; 2) Generic FIRST DAY OF ISSUE at bottom; 3) Circle with two half circles; 4) Circle with two half circles with Camp cancellation. All cachets and envelopes are the same.
Pmks.: Chittagong Type 2, Dacca Type 1, 2 and 3, Jessore Type 2, Mouchak: Scout Camp P.O. - on sight cancellation, Type 2
Insert: Light gray card stock, printed in black. A hand written correction was made to the English, correcting the value of the stamp from Tk. 2.00 to Tk.5.

• The CCM block is totally cut off the block on the left, but partially visible on the block on the right.

• The above covers have "First Day of Issue" in different positions in the cancelations.

• The above Scout FDCs have the four different types of cancellations that were used. The top one is referred to as Type 1, the second Type 2 and the two below it are Type 3 and Type 4. The top three covers are from Dacca. The bottom cover is an on-sight cancellation at Mouchak. It is not known what cancellations were used in other cities.

10 February - Definitive (Harrison printing)

Harrison Definitives

6 March - 2nd Census (Overprint on the 10 Feb., 1974 Census stamps)

• This doubling of the "2nd" is listed below as 81-5b.

81-3 20p Black three line overprint on stamp - greenish-blue and deep orange 
     a. another “2nd” on feet of second figure from the left.
81-4 25p Black three line overprint on stamp - blue and deep orange
     a. one centimeter gap between "2nd" and "CENSUS"
     b. double "2nd", one printed over "CE" of "CENSUS"
     c. double overprint, inverted with only "CENSUS 1981"
81-5 75p Black three line overprint on stamp - red and deep orange
     a. doubling of overprint
     b. double "2nd" spaced above the above the normal one
3 stamps

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Overprinted: 20p - 30,050; 25p - 150,050; and 75p - 40,050
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. Ltd., UK
Printer of overprint: Govt. Security Printing Press Tejgaon, Dacca.
FDC: Yes. Two types of cancellations used - 1.) A double circle with the date bisecting the circles across the center. 2.) A single circle cancellation. Some cover have a large square stamped image in black on the front or the reverse of the envelope. The image shows four people and the Bengali writing states "1981 6, 7, & 8 March. Population census in the whole country. Be counted and have everyone be counted". This slogan was stamped on the covers by post office employees to encourage people to cooperate with the counting.
Pmks.: Chittagong, Dacca, Khulna (Purple)
Insert:

Additional: Originally the overprint consisted of two lines that read "CENSUS 1981" . The overprint was done in a unit of 25 (5 five rows of five). Since the sheet consisted of 50 stamps, it had to be done in two procedures to overprint all the stamps. It was later decided to add "2nd" above the applied overprint so the sheets went through a second overprinting when the "2nd" was added. That explains how numbers 81-4b and 81-5a, listed above were created. Numerous consistent plate varieties of the overprint exist with broken letters that are found twice on each sheet because of the two applications of the first overprint.

• Illustrations of the two types of cancellations used at Dacca. The bottom cancellation seems to be the scarcer of the two. It raises the question if there were two cancellations found at other cities where covers were made.

• Many covers were rubber stamped in black, on either the front or the back of the cover, with the above image, urging people to be counted in the census. This stamped image most likely exists on commercial covers as well, but would be stamped on the back of the cover in an attempt to spread the word for peole to be counted in the census.
   

16 March - 80th Birth Anniversary of Queen Mother

• The stamps were all issued in small sheets with gutters. I have been told that due to the scarcity of the stamp, some people have taken the two stamps out of the SS and passed them as stamps from the larger sheets.

81-6 Tk.1 Portrait of Queen Mother - tan border
     a. gutter pair
81-7 Tk.15 Portrait of Queen Mother - deep orange border
     a. gutter Pair

81-8ss TK.16 Perforated miniature sheets of the two stamps with a blue border.
2 stamps and 1 SS

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Sheet: 10 (Two rows of five divided by a gutter and a border - for each value)
Quantity of Stamps Printed: unknown
Quantity of SSs Printed: unknown
Designer of Stamps and SS: Richard Granger Barrett
Printer: Brauder Rosenbum, Austria
FDC: Yes. Two different postmarks. Circular generic postmark "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE” at the top and “MAR.16,1981” (between two half circles) “DACCA G.P.O." at the bottom and “FIRST DAY OF ISSUE” at the bottom of an open circle, DACCA at the top and the date across the center.
Pmks. - stamps: Chittagong (2 half circles), Dacca
Pmks. - SS: Chittagong, Dacca
Insert:

Additional: The stamps were issued in sheetlets of ten stamps (Two horizontal rows of five with a wide gutter between the two rows. There is also a border around the stamps).

• This is somewhat of a mystery cover as the colors of the cachet are different shades of the normal color and the postmark is different. I have been told by one person that it is a forgery. The paper appears to be older than the covers above and a little yellower in color.
   

26 March - 10th Anniversary of Independence

81-9 50p Man holding rifle and flag of country
81-10 Tk.2 Map of country with people superimposed
2 stamps

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: unknown (A quantity of the 50p stamps were overprinted for the Combined Armed Forces Day issue of 21 November, 1982)
Designer: Pranesh Kumar Mandal
Printer: Bruder Rosenbaum, Austria
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark
Pmks.: Chittagong, Dacca
Insert:

15 May - Definitive (Harrison printing)

Harrison Definitives

15 June 1981 - Definitive (Harrison Printing)

Harrison Definitives

1 Sept. - UN Conference on LDC

81-11 50p Images of village and a man harvesting crop
1 stamp

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: 500,000
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: Bruder Rosenbaum, Austria
FDC: Yes. Generic Postmark reading "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE/SEP.1, 1981(Between to lines)/Name of post office".
Pmks.: Chittagong , Comilla (purple), Dacca, Rajshahi (purple), Sylhet
Insert: Cream colored card stock, printed in black.

10 Nov. - Birth Centenary of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

• The set of two stamps with Specimen rubber stamped on them were part of a folder given by the Postal Department to officials, etc. The folder included a FDC and these two stamps with SPECIMEN stamped on them. They are not essays, trials, nor specimens. They were stamped so that the recipient could not use them for postage. Due to protests by collectors, this process was stopped.

81-12 50p Portrait of Ataturk in a suit and tie
     a. major color shift
81-13 Tk.1 Portrait in military uniform
     a. major color shift
2 stamps

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: 500,000 of each value
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim and Pranesh Kumar Mandal
Printer: Bruder Rosenbaum, Austria
FDC: Yes. Circular generic postmark "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE/NOV. 10. 1981(between two lines)/DACCA G.P.O."
Pmks.: Chittagong, Dacca
Insert: White card stock printed in black. It is unusual that information about Ataturk is printed on the back of the card in Bengali and English.

Additional: Stamps with SPECIMEN rubber stamped in black exist that were included in the Presentation booklet.

• A presentation folder containing a pair of each of the stamps with "SPECIMEN" hand stamped on them nd a First Day Cover.

• A First Day Cover from Dacca with a shift in the colors of the cachet.

• Both stamps of the set exist with major shifting of the colors. One sheet of each was discovered by Ziad Husain. The sheet of the stamp above was sold to Mohammed Hasnat who broke up the sheet and sold the stamps. The other sheet was sold to a different local dealer who sold about 80% of the stamps to a foreign dealer. The second stamp is difficult to find in Bangladesh.
   

26 Dec. - International Year of the Disabled

81-14 50p Two men using sign language
81-15 Tk.2 Amputee writing
2 stamps

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: unknown
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark
Pmks.: Chittagong, Dacca
Insert:

31 Dec. - World Food Day

81-16 50p Cultivated field with wheat emblem
1 stamp

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: 500,000
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim Karim
Printer: M/s. Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Circular generic postmark "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE/ DEC. 31,1981 (between two lines)/city"
Pmks.: Chittagong, Dacca
Insert: White card stock printed in black.

1982

1980

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