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What sets the Standard Catalog of the Postage Stamps of Yemen and South Arabia apart from Michel and other catalogues listing the stamps of this area is the background information that Carlson Chambliss adds to the listings of some of the stamps of Yemen, Aden, and South Arabia.

He provides prices for almost all of the stamps issued officially as well as for those that were released unoffically. He notes issues that he calls "Rejected Issues" such as the "Roi Ahmed" overprints without pricing them.

He also includes the reported number of mint stamps printed when available. I use "mint stamps printed" because he does not include the numbers for CTO stamps, which were usually significantly higher. The American weekly Stamps often included the CTO numbers in their New Issues columns.

The catalogue is currently available from the author of the catalogue. Please email me for his postal address. It is also available on eBay from time to time. The price is around $40.00 US.

Mr. Carlson Chambliss has written about this area's stamps and postal history for Linn's Stamp News occasionally.

Disclaimer: This is a review of a catalogue that I bought for myself.

Disclaimer 2: I have not changed the spelling of my last name, despite what it may say in the catalogue.

Andrew

Thanks Andrew, always useful to know what the real specialists use in their areas. (My interest and expertise is in GCC areas such as Oman but obviously Aden / Yemen / South Arabia is of real importance.)

I would like to know if this catalogue is specialized? I know that there are many varieties of overprints such as double, inverted, triple, imperforate issues, so on.

In general Mr. Chambliss notes which series of stamps are known to have varieties - be it overprinted varieties or imperforates.

He includes the numbers issued for both perforated and imperforated sets when known.

The overprints are a bit more complicated. Some overprint varieties such as the YAR 1973 and Yemen 1993 varieties are included, but unpriced, in the regular listing. Others such as the Royalist overprint varieties from 1966-7 are noted, but unpriced, at the end of the listing of the set.

He notes overprint varieties such as missing letters or changes in the colour, as well as inverted, doubled and tripled varieties.

I hope that helps.

Best wishes,
AndrewG

Andrew,
I bought this book for my brother who started to collect Yemen early stamps as a Christmas gift. It is a nicely done work which contains a lot of information not available in any other source.

However, my brother has seen a booklet which contains one example of each from Scott Nos. C10, C11, C12 and C13 (stamps issued in 1952). The catalog mentions only that some proofs are known in this format. Do you know anything about it?

Blair Stannard wrote a brief article about these "booklets" at Arab World Philatelist, Issue 4, starting at page 35. I will have to check my notes - there is a chance that Bruce Conde may also have written something about the booklet panes.

The Stannard article includes a picture of a rejected design that use an image of Imam Ahmed.

Best wishes,
AndrewG

Andrew, many thanks for the link - it is a fantastic resource.

Andrew,

Regarding the issued quantities for Yemen stamps in the Carlson Chambliss catalog: I looked through the back issues of the 1967-1972 "Stamps Weekly" magazine for the Yemen Arab Republic, but found no information on the numerous topical stamps of that period.

I collaborated with Carlson in the preparation of the catalog, and provided what information I had regarding the issued quantities and printing firms for a number of stamps and souvenir sheets of the old kingdom, YAR, PDR Yemen and Yemen Republic.

Perhaps there is another source that you know of in the philatelic literature for this information on the YAR topicals ?

Peter Winders

Hi Peter,

Just to be certain, it is the American "Stamps Weekly" that you looked through?

A guess really, but "Stamp Wholesaler" and "Philatelic Trader" may be worth checking. Unfortunately the Canadian Archives in Ottawa only has scattered issues of these two magazines.

Do you happen to know Blair here in the Ottawa area? He published "The Yemenophile" in the 1970s. Perhaps he can help with the quantities issued.

I remember reading several of your Yemen articles in the "Arab World Philatelist" and "The Dhow". Thank you!

Best wishes,
AndrewG

Andrew,

Thank you for your reply. Yes, it was the old Harry Lindquist weekly "Stamps" magazine that I checked (which later merged with "Mekeel's"). I'll also look for that YAR topical stamp information in the "Stamp Wholesaler" and "Philatelic Trader" magazines. I can check the Collector's Club and APS libraries for them.

I was a member of Blair's Yemen Philatelic Society during it's existence, and contributed some material to "The Yemenophile" periodical, but I don't have his current contact information -- perhaps you could advise ?

Regards,
Peter

Hi Peter,

The email address that I had for Blair bounced. I will try contacting him by mail or telephone this week.

Best wishes,
Andrew

Hello Andrew,

Re: the Blair Stannard contact. My e-mail address is windersp@verizon.net.

Regards,
Peter

Hi Peter,

I mailed Blair your email address, enclosed in a Christmas card. There is a chance that he is not well.

I noticed Alex MacDonald's name mentioned a few times in the catalogue. Has he been able to help with the number of stamps issued?

For others reading this message: the Chambliss catalogue includes illustrations of stamps and postal history of various periods of Yemen's recent history - starting with the 1926 issues as well as prices for mint and used (where applicable).

What are missing are prices for the stamps and postal stationery used during the Ottoman period and for postal stationery after by Yemen after 1926, as well as illustrations of Yemen's postmarks.

There are various articles about Yemen's cancels as well as a chapter with illustrations from a series of books about cancels used during the Ottoman Empire, including cancels used in Yemen. The series is by Cole and Walker; the volume is Postal Cancellations of the Ottoman Empire, Part Two, The Lost Territories in Africa & Asia, pp 99-105. Murray Graham and Lou Dearlove wrote several articles about Yemen's postmarks for "The Journal of the Oriental Philatelic Society of London". Bruce Conde, Carl Catherman, and Brig. Glyn Gryllis, among others, have also written articles about Yemeni postmarks with illustrations for various journals and weeklies. Unfortunately the articles are scattered at best. There are no articles about recent or current Yemeni postmarks, as far as I know.

Bruce Conde wrote several articles about several pre-YAR Yemen's aerogrammes as well as aerogrammes issued by the Royalists. I have not seen any articles about the YAR's aerogrammes.

Proud's Aden book does a good job on the Aden and States postal markings. Edric Druce's articles about Aden and States postal stationery are an absolute must. My articles pages are also of use.

And yet, whenever I go through Mr. Chambliss's catalogue I am still amazed by the research that has gone into it. I wonder what Bruce Conde would have thought?

Best wishes for the New Year,
Andrew