1983 (24 Commemoratives, 2 SSs, 10 Definitives, and 9 SERVICE overprints)

10 Jan. - Introduction of Metric System

83-1 50p Scale - blue, orange and black
     a. thicker printing of writing of top line
83-2 Tk.2 Three types of weights and measurements - pink, green and orange
2 stamps

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Chittagong , Dhaka, Rajshahi, Sylhet (purple)
Insert:

20 Feb. - Centenary of Discovery of TB

83-3 50p Portrait of Dr. Robert Koch and Cross of Lorraine
83-4 Tk.1 Lungs, slide and microscope
2 stamps

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: 250,000 of each design
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks:.
Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna (magenta), Sylhet (purple)
Insert: White card stock, printed in black.

14 March - Commonwealth Day

83-5 Tk.1 Performers on stage
83-6 Tk.3 Boat racing
83-7 Tk.10 Snake charmer
83-8 Tk.15 Picking tea
4 stamps

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim and Pranesh Kumar Mandal
Printer: Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Circular generic postmark "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE/14.3. 1983 (between two lines)/city"
Pmks.: Barisal, Dhaka, Chittagong, Jessore, Khulna (purple), Rajshahi
Insert:
 

10 July - Dr.Mohd. Shahidullah

83-9 50p Portrait of Dr. Shahidullah
1 stamp

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: 500,000
Designer: Pranesh Kumar Mondal
Printer: Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Generic postmark "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE/10.7.1983(Between two lines)/Name of post office"..
Pmks.: Chittagong (purple) - postmark looks black., Dhaka, Sylhet (purple)
Insert: Tri-folded large sheet of white paper (Yellows with age) with a black and blue image of Dr. Shahidullah on the cover with red Bengali printing. All text in Bengali and in black. This insert it too large to fit into the envelope, thus many were not saved.

17 Aug. - Birds of Bangladesh (1st Series)

83-10 50p Copsychus saulari
83-11 Tk.2 Halcyon smyrnensis - multicolored
83-12 Tk.3.75 Dinoplum benghalense - multicolored
83-13 Tk.5 Carina scutulora - multicolored
83-14 Tk.13 The four stamps in a miniture perforated sheet
4 stamps and 1 SS

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity of Stamps Printed: 50p - 500,000; Tk.2, Tk.3.75 and Tk.5 - 250,000 each
Quantity of SSs printed: 40,000
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim and PraneshKumar Mondal
Printer: Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Circular generic postmark "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE/17-8-83 (between two lines)/city" SAME ENVELOPES???
Pmks. - stamps: Dhaka, Sylhet (purple),
Pmks. - SS: Dhaka
Insert: Bi-folded white paper (inside), printed in black with images of the birds and their description. The front and back are a cream color with a cover photo of a bird in light blue, red and black.

31 Oct. - Fishes of Bangladesh (1st Series)

83-15 50p Macrobrachium rosengergii
83-16 Tk.2 Stromateus cinereus
83-17 Tk.3.75 Labeo rohita
83-18 Tk.5 Anabas restudineus
83-19ss Tk.13 The four stamps in a minature imperforate sheet
4 stamps and 1 SS

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity of Stamps Printed: Unknown
Quantity of SSs printed: Unknown
Designer: Mahbub Akand, Wahid Kamal and Salauddin Associates
Designer of souvenir sheet: 
Printer of stamps and SSs: Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Generic postmark "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE/31.10.'83/city". The same envelope was used for either the stamps or the SS.
Pmks. - stamps: Bogra, Chittagong, Dhaka
Pmks. - SS: Chittagong, Dhaka
Insert:

14 Nov. - Visit of Queen Elizabeth II, Nov. , 83 (overprint on one value of the 7 February, 1977 Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II)

• The stamp on the left has the normal "Nov. 83" overprint, but the stamp on the right has the error of "Nov. 33". After numerous sheets were sold, the Postal Department became aware of the error date on the one stamp in the sheet. A few days later they removed the error stamp from each sheet and sold the sheets, minus the one stamp. It is not known what happened to the removed stamps. Most likely they were destroyed.

83-20 Tk.10 Small red overprint on portrait of Queen and Prince Phillip
     a. "Nov., 33" error in the overprint (Constant variety in 3rd stamp up from the right hand bottom side of the sheet)
1 stamp

CCMs: Yes
Plate #: 1A
Sheet: 50
Quantity Overprinted: 30,000*
Designer & Printer: Harrison & Sons Ltd. England
Printer of overprint: Government Security Printing Press, Tejgoan
FDC: Yes. Circular generic postmark "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE/14. 11. '83 (between two lines)/city"
Pmks.: Chittagong, Dhaka, Pabna
Insert:

Additional: *Mosharaf Husein was verbally given this number by a government official.

• Note that the color trial of the overprint is in black, and doubled. 

• Note that the above strip includes the error, the CCMs and the plate number.
   

From this point on most of the First Day Covers for the commemorative stamps again have commemorative postmarks. Due to pressure from the Bangladeshi stamp collectors the Postal Department again began to make the attractive postmarks for the new issues.

5 Dec. - Islamic Foreign Ministers Conference

83-21 50p Modern building (Sangsad Bhaban) - Tan and black
83-22 Tk.5 Building (Shait Gumbar) - Gray, green brown, etc.
2 stamps

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: 250,000 of each value.
Designer: Mahmuda Begum and Manzare Shamim
Printer: Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Dhaka, Khulna, Rangpur
Insert: Large bi-folded cream colored paper printed in brown with the cover and the P.O. logo in black.

21 December - Definitives (Referred to as the Mezhdunarodnava Kniga, or Russian printing)

Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Definitives

21 Dec. - World Communication Year

• The color differences are due to the difference in the scanners used to copy the images. The bottom block is a one of a kind item. It contains the color missing, a partial color missing and two bottom stamps with a slight portion missing of the gold. Also missing is part of the gold in the bottom of the upper left stamp. How all this could happen is somewhat of a mystery.

83-23 50p Messenger
83-24 Tk. 5 Jet, train and ship
83-25 Tk. 10 Dish and runner Blue
     a. missing the gold printing
     b. gold shifted downward
     c. gold shifted downward further
     d. dry print of the gold
3 stamps

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 50
Quantity Printed: 50p - 500,000; Tk.5 - 250,000; and Tk.10 - 250,000
Designer: Mahbub Akond, Pranesh Kumal Mandal and Manzare Shamim
Printer: Ueberreuter, Austria
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Chittagong, Dhaka
Insert: White card stock printed in black.

21 Dec. - SERVICE overprints in English and in red ink (Referred to as the Mezhdunarodnava Kniga, or Russian printing)

• The 50p value also exists with the red English overprint placed diagonally. It is the only small stamp in the set with the diagonal overprint. The date of issue is not known. Go to the link of the SERVICE overprints in the Table of Contents to view the stamp.

Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga SERVICE Printing
 

1984

1982

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