Protected animals, 15 October 1959, no’s 35-361

Design: Jean van Noten (1903-1982)

Printer: Hélio Courvoisier, La Chaux De Fonds (Switzerland)

Overprint CONGO in black: 401, 402, 407 (Sometimes blue)

Overprint Congo in red: 400, 403-405, 408-411.

Some overprints are pink-carmine and some are brown instead of red.

Paper with silk thread.

Perforation: 11.5 x 12

Sheet: 50

Circulation:

 

No 400 10c, blue. Roan antelope-Hippotragus equines (no.350)

No 401 20c, orange. White rino- Ceratotherium simum (no.351)

No 402 40c, blue. Giraffe-Artiodactyla (no.352)

No 403 50c, blue. Galogo (Bush baby) (no.353)

No 404 1Fr, green. Gorilla (no.354)

No 405 1,50Fr, ochre, Black buffalo-Ictiobus niger (no.355)

No 406 2Fr, red. Colobus monkey-Colobus guereza caudatus (no.365)

No 407 3Fr, lilac gray. Elephant-Loxodonta Africana (no.357)

No 408 5Fr, green. Okapi-Okapia johnstoni (no.358)

No 409 6,50Fr, brown yellow. Impala-Aepyceros melampus (no.359)

No 410, 8Fr, lilac. Pangolin-Manis temminckii (no.360)

No 411, 10Fr, brown yellow. Moose and zebra (no.361)

 

The series:

 

Many variations and curiosities are known; in principal they were all made for collectors.

Apparently there was a man in Belgium named van Bierbeek (spelling?) who worked with the printers and made many variations and curiosities in the Belgium and Belgium colonies stamps. Although these overprints are deliberately manipulated are these stamps considered to be real and are listed in the O.C.B. As soon I have more information, I will put it on this website.

 

Reversed overprint, standard is that the overprint is on the topside or center of the stamp:

(401a in O.C.B.)                      (401aa NOT in O.C.B.)           (402a in O.C.B.)

                                   

 

(403a in O.B.C.)                      (405a in O.C.B.)                      (409a in O.C.B.)

                       

 

(409Aa in O.C.B.)                   (409A in O.C.B.)                     (411a in O.C.B.)

                       

 

“Moved” overprints are not uncommon, straight or slanting:

 This moved overprint be called “a cheval”

 

Recto verso is another curiosity here are some examples:

No.400                                    No.407

        

 

Double, triple or multiple overprints; here some examples:

 

Examples of poor overprinting, partly lacking or incomplete:

 

It is suggested that overprints made in another color than standard color used in the normal series could have been proofs (here no. 408):