04 February 2014
|
Spanish Civil War 'Cinderella' stamp
A Cinderella stamp is a label which resembles a postage stamp but which has no postal validity. Cinderellas could be issued to advertise a company, to promote an event or to make a political statement, as our introduction to collecting Cinderella stamps reveals
A Cinderella stamp is a label which resembles a postage stamp but which has no postal validity. Cinderellas could be issued to advertise a company, to promote an event or to make a political statement, as our introduction to collecting Cinderella stamps reveals…
What is a Cinderella stamp?
Types of stamps which fall into the Cinderellas category include:
- Poster stamps
- Propaganda stamps
- Christmas and Easter charity seals
- Advertising labels
- Local post stamps
Some of the most provocative Cinderellas were produced during the Spanish Civil War by both sides. Local posts were set up during the conflict, producing an array of stamps, while other stamp designs were used to send political messages.
Cinderellas get their name as they were not invited
to the postage stamps' party - just like Cinderella!
The exact definition of a Cinderella stamp is open to debate, and the term can be used loosely to describe anything resembling a postage stamp.
The Cinderella Stamp Club website states that: 'Among the more curious which have found their way into the pages of The Cinderella Philatelist are copyright royalty stamps found on old gramophone records, glove and mitten duty stamps, and chemical reagent bottle deposit labels… pseudo-postal stationery, telegram forms, war-time street-appeal lapel tags and envelope economy labels.'
Stamp & Coin Mart magazine has covered many different Cinderellas in its monthly article, including:
• Christmas seals - initially inspired by the campaign against tuberculosis, these charity seals became very popular and were often used at Christmas
• The French air shows held in the years before World War One inspired a number of vignettes, labels and postcards
• The 'fantasy' stamps of Gerlad M King, who produced stamps for the fictitious Wonderland from the Alice in Wonderland novels
Are Cinderella stamps worth anything?
Just like postage stamps, Cinderella stamps can demand high prices depending on supply and demand, but such is the wide scope of Cinderellas, there are many different types to collect, many of which will not be too expensive.
A stamp and cover collection of Spanish Civil War Republican local issues was recently sold by Spink Shreves auction house for £16,000 (approximately £9,800).
Find out more about Cinderella stamps…
Cinderella Stamp Club - a UK-based club for Cinderella collectors
Never miss out on stamps news again. Subscribe to Stamp & Coin Mart today!