1998 (37 Commemoratives, 1 Definitive, and 1 SERVICE overprint)

22 Jan. - Definitive - EPI Program

Security Printing Corporation, Bangladesh Definitives

? 1998 - SERVICE overprinted on definitive in red in Bengali

Security Printing Corporation Printing

4 Feb. - Mohammad Mansuruddin

• The CCMs on this pane of stamps not only have the colors used, but spelled out the words.

• A rejected design for the proposed stamp. The actual painting is covered with an opaque sheet with the values and test drawn on the opaque sheet. The design is actually much brighter in color.

98-1 Tk.4 Portrait of Mansuruddin
1 stamp

CCMs: Yes
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Pranesh Kumar Mondal
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Dhaka
Insert: Tri-folded, cream colored paper printed in blue. Quantity of stamps printed not given.
 

• Rejected drawing for the proposed stamp. Although it was rejected, the image was used on the cachet for the First Day Cover.

15 Feb. - Golden Jubilee of East Bengal Regiment of Bangladesh Army

98-2 Tk.2 Charging soldiers carrying red flag
1 stamp

CCMs: Yes
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Md. Motior Rahman
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Chittagong, Dhaka
Insert: Tri-folded cream colored paper, printed in blue.
 

17 May - 44th Death Anniversary of Bulbul Chowdhury

98-3 Tk.4 Portrait of Chowdhury in an oval with blue background
1 stamp

CCMs: Yes
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown.
Designer: Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Comilla, Dhaka
Insert: Tri-folded cream colored paper, printed in blue. Quantity of stamp printed not given, nor the number of stamps in each sheet.

10 June - World Cup Football, France. ‘98

98-4 Tk.6 Gold trophy superimposed on image of earth from space
98-5 Tk.18 Soccer player and trophy
2 stamps

CCMs: Yes
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark. Cachet covers the entire front of the envelope.
Pmks.: Chittagong (purple), Dhaka, Jessore, Khulna (purple)
Insert: Small cream colored tri-folded paper printed in blue. Quantity of stamps printed and number in a sheet not given. The “1” of “1998” is missing in the English portion of the “Date of Issue”

23 June - Bangabandhu Bridge Inauguration

98-6 Tk.4 East approach to the bridge
98-7 Tk.6 West approach to the bridge
98-8 Tk.8 River training bridge
98-9 Tk.10 Bangagandhu Bridge and utility lines
4 stamps

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Md. Shamsuzoha
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark. There is also an "on-site" postmark for this issue. Many of the covers were not properly cancelled for the on-site covers and the postmark is only on the two bottom stamps, tying it to the cover, but leaving the top two uncancelled
Pmks.: Bhuapur S.O.- on-site postmark, Dhaka
Insert:

Additional: Specimen for Approval Folder known for Tk. 4, Tk. 6 and Tk. 10. Tk.8 most likely exists but has not been verirfied.
 

6 Sep. - Diana Princess of Wales

98-10 Tk.22 Blue dress
98-11 Tk.18 Black dress
98-12 Tk.4 Pink dress, white collar and hat
3 stamps - horizontal se-tenant strip of the three designs

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Inscription: Top in Bengali and bottom in English - Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997)
Sheet: 15 (5 horizontal strips of three)
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Md. Muslim Miah and Anowar Hussain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Bogra, Dhaka
Insert: Small tri-folded cream colored paper printed in blue. The original date of issue was to have been 31-8-1998, which is oblitarated, and the date of 6-9-1998 is stamped above it. Quantity of stamps printed is not given.

Additional: Approximately ten full perforated sheets of the stamps are known only in the Blue/Yellow progressive proof state. A few of these sheets could have been broken up into individual strips of three stamps, but there is no evidence of such at this point.

• A privately produced cachet for the First Day Cover. Cover produced by Dr. Redwan Al Karim Bhuiya.

• It is believed that about ten of these blue and yellow progressive proof sheets made it to the philatelic market.

24 Sep. - World Solar Program 1996-2005

• This cover was cancelled at Dhaka on the 16th and was sent registered mail. The cancellation is not the commemorative one, but a general Dhaka postmark.

98-13 Tk.10 Five circles containing meteorological images
1 stamp

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark. The stamp was put on sale on 15 September 1998 but after a few sheets and FDCs were sold, they stopped selling the stamps. These covers are on the official Post Office printed envelopes and have the commemorative postmark.
Covers also exist on the official Post Office printed envelopes with a date of 16th of September, prior to the later release date of 24 September. Covers are known with the commemorative postmark or a general use postmark for the Dhaka GPO. Many of these covers are addressed and registered.
Covers from both of the early dates are scarce.
It was again officially released on 24 September.
The stamp is also known on philatelic covers prior to the later release date. These were made with stamps purchased on the 15th of September before their sale was stopped. These covers are generally registered.
Pmks. for 15 September: Dhaka
Pmks for 16 September: Dhaka, Nakhalpara Sub P.O., Vidyarthi Bhawan
Pmks. for 24 September: Bogra, Dhaka
Insert: Bi-folded shiny, white paper, printed in blue. The insert lists the official date of issue as 16-9-1998, the date of the early covers mentioned above.

• This is a philatelic cover from Vidyarthi Bhawan, dated the 16th, before the official release date. Outside of Bangladesh philatelic covers hold little interest and value for collectors. However, in the case like this, this is documentation that the stamp was sold before the official release date.

5 Oct. - World Habitat Day, ‘98

98-14 Tk.4 Stylized people holding hands, cityscape and white emblem
1 stamp

CCMs:
Plate #:
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Dhaka
Insert: Bi-folded sheet of cream colored paper, printed in blue. Qunatity of stamp printed, not given.

Additional: An essay exists with the logo in the top left corner green, rather than the issued white.

17 Oct. - 20th Anniversary of International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD, 1998

98-15 Tk.6 Large "20" with sunflower in bottom right corner
98-16 Tk.10 Sunflower in center with vegetibles and woman holding baskets
2 stamps

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Dhaka
Insert: Tri-folded cream colored paper, printed in green. Quantity of stamp printed not given.

Additional: 

24 Oct. - Wills International Cup

98-17 Tk.6 Cricket player with ball and logo
1 stamp

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Sheets 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Bogra, Dhaka
Insert: Bi-folded cream colored paper, printed in blue. Quantity of stamp printed not given.
 

• The cover at the top is missing the red color and has an inverted impession of the cachet on the right side. The cachet is actually printed on the inside of the cover, double, in the correct position when viewed from the back, and when the flap is opened, the Post Office red logo is on the inside. Below it is a privately produced cachet for the Willis Cup FDC that has been cancelled a second time on 1 November 1998 the date of the final match plaed at the Bangladeh stadium, which is mentioned in the cachet.

9 Nov. - Begum Rokeya

98-18 Tk.4 Portrait of Begum Rokeya and students in background
1 stamp

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Md. Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks,: Dhaka
Insert: Tri-folded cream colored paper, printed in brown. Quantity of stamps printed not given.

Additional: Note that a set of stamps honoring Begun Roquiah was issued on 9 December 1980, but her last name was spelled differently, in English, on this issue. Since these are transliterations from a different alphabet, there is often more than one way of spelling names and no one way is correct. However, in this instance the Post Office made an error in the English spelling of her name and it should have been Roquiah on this issue, as that is how she spelled it in English.

10 Dec. - 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

98-19 Tk.10 Yellow flames within wreath on red sun with large "50"
1 stamp

CCMs: Yes
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Bogra, Dhaka
Insert: Tri-folded cream colored paper, printed in brown. Quantity of stamp printed not given.
 

14 Dec. - Shaheed Intellectuals (7th series - 2 sheets)

• Genuinely used stamps of Syed Akbar Hossain and Dr. Shyamal Kanti Lala, from the bottom of sheet with the bottom perforations missing between the stamp and the border design.

Sheet 1
98-20 Tk.2 Altaf Hossain
98-21 Tk.2 Aminul Hoque
98-22 Tk.2 S. M. Fazlul Hoque
98-23 Tk.2 Mozammel Ali
4 labels
98-24 Tk.2 Syed Akbar Hossain
     a. imperf. bottom margin
98-25 Tk.2 Sk. Abdus Salam
98-26 Tk.2 Abdur Rahman
98-27 Tk.2 Dr. Shyamal Kanti Lala
     a. imperf. bottom margin
98-20 - 98-27
     b. entire sheet has black and brown colors shifted left, creating perforation shifts with the designs

Sheet 2
98-28 Tk.2 Md. Khorshed Ali Sarker
98-29 Tk.2 Abu Yakub Mahfuz Ali
98-30 Tk.2 S.M. Nurul Huda
98-31 Tk.2 Nazmul Hoque Sarker
4 labels
98-32 Tk.2 Md. Taslim Uddin
98-33 Tk.2 Gulam Mostafa
98-34 Tk.2 A.H. Nurul Alam
98-35 Tk.2 Timir Kanti Dev

16 stamps and 8 labels (Eight different stamps and four labels per sheet). Two horizontal rows of four different designs, one above the other, separated by a row of four labels

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Sheet: 8 stamps and four labels
Stamps in each sheet: 8 (4 stamps - 4 labels - 4 stamps)
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: (1) Mozammel Huq: S.M. Nurul Huda; (2) Anowar Hossain: Nazmul Hoque Sarker, Abdur Rahman, A.H. Nurul Alam, Sk. Abdus Salam, Syed Akbar Hossain, Md. Taslim Uddin, Mozammel Ali, Gulam Mostafa; (3) Muslim Miah: S.M. Fazlul Hoque, Md. Khorshed Ali Sarker, Altaf Hossain, Timir Kanti Dev, Dr. Shyamal Kanti Lala; (4) Pranesh Kumar Mondal: Abu Yakub Mahfuz Ali; (5) Fazlur Rahman: Md. Aminul Hoque
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Dhaka
Insert: Booklet - 24 pages, plus covers. The booklets have been printed on two types of paper. One is whiter and a better quality. These were probably made for presentation to officials.

Additional: The margins of the sheets have a continuous line of gold colored writing with "Shaheed (Martyrd) Intellectual" and the year, in Bengali, outlined by two thick black bands.
Only two bottom margin imperfs. have been listed to date as they stamps appear to have all been used and it is not known if the other two stamps from the bottom row of sheet number 1 have survived.

• FDCs only exist on the large sized envelopes. As in the 1991 issue, there is a second line of text on the back flap of the larger envelope.

• Sheet 1 (98-20b - 98-27b). The perforations and the gold writing within the two squares of black are in the correct positions. It is the black and the brown of the printing on the stamps that are shifted. Note the black on the left margin of the sheet. It is believed possibly two sheets exist.

• The middle image is the original drawing of Nazumul Haque Sarker for sheet 2. It is so realistic, it looks like a photograph. Below it is the same drawing with an opaque sheet of paper with the value and text written on it. If you compare this mock-up of the stamp to the issued stamp, you can see that further changes were made to the drawing and the placement of the text. The drawing is mounted on a stiff piece of white paper and the outer size of the stiff paper is about 7 x 9ins. (17.8 x 22.9cms.).

• A similar drawing for A.H. Nurul Alam. The artist was also Mr. Anowar Hossain.

30 Dec. - 50 years of UN Peace-Keeping

• Original design for the stamp. The writing states that "Bangladesh" should be in a smaller size and that there should be a black margin around the pigeon.

98-36 Tk.10 Earth in center superimposed on dove with images around it
1 stamp

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Dhaka
Insert: Tri-folded cream colored paper, printed in blue. Quantity of stamps printed not given.

31 Dec. - Birth Centenary of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam

• These errors surfaced in 2008 and were not known to collectors until then. The block on the right is missing the gold of the frame and the block on the left has the gold frame shifted.

98-37 Tk.6 Portrait of poet against clouds and sky
     a. gold frame shifted to right
     b. missing gold frame
1 stamp

CCMs: No
Plate #: No
Sheet: 100
Quantity Printed: Unknown
Designer: Md. Anowar Hossain
Printer: The Security Printing Corp. (Bangladesh), Ltd., Gazipur
FDC: Yes. Commemorative postmark.
Pmks.: Dhaka
Insert: Tri-folded cream colored paper, printed in blue. Quantity of stamps printed not given.

1999

1997

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