Faroese Europa (CEPT) Postage Stamps 1979

Provisional Stamps 1919
The first Faroese Europa (CEPT) postage stamps will be issued by Postverk Føroya, the Faroese Post Office, on 7th May 1979. This year, the subject for all Europa postage stamps is the history of post and telecommunications, and Postverk Føroya has chosen to show two provisional postage stamps used on the Faroe Islands shortly after the First World War. The story behind these provisional stamps is told in »The Royal Danish Post Office Jubilee Publication« published in 1924 on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Danish Post Office:

Due to unreliable shipping connections, the supply of new postage stamps failed to reach the Post Office in Thorshavn - from which the other post offices on the Faroe Islands were supplied with stamps - before 1st January 1919 and, when it became apparent that the increase in the local letter postal charge from 5 øre to 7 øre would bring about a heavy demand for stamps amounting to 7 øre and that the Faroese Post Offices' stock of supplementary stamps, 1 and 2-øre and 3 and 4-øre, would not be sufficient to meet demand, special provisions had to be made. The matter was subsequently settled in that the Post Office in Thorshavn received telegraphic authorization to bisect the ordinary 4-øre stamps and use the individual halves as 2-øre stamps. When the stock of 4-øre stamps began to run low, the Post Office was given authorization, also by telegram, to cut out and bisect the copies of the postage stamps printed on the 4-øre stamp wrapper and when these, too, were almost used up and there was still no shipping link to the Faroe Islands, either directly or via other countries, the above Post Office was authorized telegraphically on 11th January 1919 to overprint the required number of 5-øre stamps, and this took place immediately.«

Bisecting the stamps caused no difficulties but assistance had to be sought when it came to overprinting. Dimmalættings Printing Works was contacted but, probably because they were pressed for time, were unable to carry out the overprinting. So it was decided to use a hand stamp, and the figure 2 and letters Ø, R and E were brought from the printers. A master joiner by the name of Peter Poulsen mounted the figure and letters on a wooden block and used part of a chair leg as a handle. This post stamp, which has since been known as 'the chair leg stamp' and which is pictured on the First Day cover, was used from 13th January until 23rd January 1919 when a ship carrying new stamps arrived from Copenhagen.

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Bisected 4-øre stamp
The postage stamp shown is of the wavy line type from 1913 and was originally letterpress printed on paper with water-mark. The watermark is shown as the background pattern and is reproduced in offset together with the CEPT mark, the word 'Europa' and the frame, while the word 'Føroyar', the value and the stamp itself are steel plate printed.

5-øre stamp overprinted with 2-øre
The postage stamp shown carries a portrait of Christian X and was originally letterpress printed in 1913 on paper with water-mark. The watermark is shown as the background pattern and is reproduced in offset together with the CEPT mark, the word 'Europa' and the frame, while the word 'Føroyar', the value and the stamp itself are steel plate printed.

Perforation: 12 x 22
Size: 33,0 x 22,7 mm
The postage stamps are produced in sheets of 20.

The plate numbers are:
140 øre FR 37
180 øre FR 38

Both stamps have been designed by Holger Philipsen and engraved by Czeslaw Slania. They are printed in a combination of steel plate and offset by the Finnish National Bank Note Printers in Helsinki.