| A comprehensive
collection of Philippine security stamps was offered in eBay of which included
the two values of the 1929 RAMBLER / MANILA overprints. Both have been
deemed by several Philippine specialists as the rarest of the Philippine
commercial security stamps. Others believe it is the 10 PESOS Brias Roxas
"Manila / P.I." overprint.
Including the
those recently offered in eBay, I have seen 12 copies of the 2c and 10
copies of the Rambler and 7 seven copies of the 10 pesos Brias Roxas, existence
first reported in 1988 (or was it in 1987?).
I have a different
opinion. Until recently the rarest for me is the 30c BRIAS ROXAS "Manila
/ P.I." overprint (Scott #299), having seen only two in my lifetime and
both were in the late 1980s. Now like a bolt of lightning that knocked
me off my chair, Dr. Tommy Sim of Texas, sent me the image on the left:
1 PESO BRIAS ROXAS. This could be the rarest of them all.
My first reaction
was not a wow but to look for my shoe box and Shoe Mart shopping bag of
used USPI definitives, empty its contents in our dining room table and
with prayers to all the gods, wished to find one among the pile. It turned
out to be just a back breaking search that required me to take a Flanax
Forte pain killer.
The Philippine
Philatelist is honored to be the chosen venue to officially document the
existence of the overprint on Scott #300. If this has been documented
previously, I stand corrected. |
