363 / September 2016

The album cover page of the Roosman Album, designed by Axel Roosman, also the page with Decree

Designs by Axel Roosman for playing cards sold by the Estonian Red Cross, the origin of the Caritas heart and of the pre-perforated cardboards. Submitted design for a playing card by Axel Roosman, on cardboard 65,5x43mm with rounded corners, in pencil, the heart in read watercolor. On the back four glue marks, where the design was attached. The heart on playing cards was, according to the son of Axel Roosman, the origin of the Caritas heart. Axel Roosman had made designs of playing cards for the Estonian Red Cross, which was granted in 1923 the monopoly for the production and sale of playing cards for charitable purposes (E.F. 24-25, pp.163-170). The submission to Alexander Koenig of postage stamp designs on pre-perforated cardboards probably had its origin in Roosman's design of a playing card. One of the designs of a playing card was submitted to the Estonian Red Cross on a pre-cut cardboard with rounded corners, looking like a playing card. Similarly the designs submitted to Alexander Koenig were on perforated cardboards, looking like postage stamps. In addition another design for a playing card by Axel Roosman, in pencil, on paper with a red sticker of the Estonian Red Cross. Four glue marks at the back and a hole at the top. Both of the designs are from the estate of Axel Roosman.  

1936, Caritas 10-50s. tied by cds.  "TALLIN ESTONIA 1 II 36" to First Day cover to Narva with arrival mark, opend out two sides, otherwise fine (Hurt/Ojaste pp.662-664, No.18) 

1936, Caritas 10s., perforated large intermediate essay ("Makro-Essay"), 151x118mm, on black photo carton, no stickers at back. Pictured in Eesti Post No.55 (2012), p.6. Intermediate design, the place in the design sequence is pictured on p.11., unique  

1936, Caritas 15s., perforated large intermediate essay ("Makro-Essay"), 152x119mm on black photo carton, no stickers at back. Pictured in Eesti Post No.55 (2012), p.5. Intermediate design, the place in the design sequence is pictured on p.13, unique

1936, Caritas 25s., perforated large intermediate essay ("Makro-Essay"), 153x121mm on black photo carton, no stickers at back. Pictured in Eesti Post No.55 (2012), p.6. Intermediate design, the place in the design sequence is pictured on p.14, unique

1936, Caritas 50s., perforated large intermediate essay ("Makro-Essay"), 153x121mm on black photo carton, no stickers at back. Pictured in Eesti Post No.55 (2012), p.6. Intermediate design, the place in the design sequence is pictured on p.15, unique

1936, Caritas 285s. tied by cds. "TALLIN ESTONIA -1 II 36" to registered First Day cover to Tartu with arrival mark, fine (Hurt/Ojaste pp.662-664, No.18)

1936, Päts 50s. brown as proof as horizontal gutter pair, unused, scarce, fine, certificate Löbbering BPP

1937, Caritas 10-50s. tied by red special cancel "TALLINN ESTONIA 27.II.37" to registered cover addressed to Major General Dr. Hans Leesment in Tallin, he was the Chairman of Ühisabi 1936/1937 and also the Chairman of the Estonian Red Cross. His postal address, "Nigueliste 12", the address of the Northern Estonian Red Cross (" Eesti Noorte Punase Risti"), shows the close relationship between Ühisabi and the Estonian Red Cross

1938, Caritas 10-50s. as imperforate essay block (essays 39,5x50 mm) with old hand-gumming on reverse. The imperforate essay block is printed with black and yellow ink (the left side, where there is no yellow underprint, is black, see Eesti Post No.54, p.17). Horizontally folded between stamps, otherwise fine. Fits nicely to the preceding lot, making a matched pair of imperforate proof and imperforate essay. Only 2 imperforate essay blocks of 1938 are known to exist

1938, Caritas 10-50s. as perforated essay block with hand-gumming on reverse, fine

1938, Caritas 10-50s. tied by cds. "TALLIN-VAKSAL 21 1 38" to First Day cover Tallinn with arrival mark, fine

1938, Caritas souvenir sheet tied by arrival cds. and register mark to registered cover to Czechoslovakia, scarce, fine

1938, Caritas souvenir sheet with cds. "TALLIN 21 1 38" on registered First Day cover to Vienna with arrival mark, slightly stained at top, otherwise fine, scarce

1938, Caritas souvenir sheet 138 x 175 mm, imperforated, showing brown register cross at top, mint never hinged, some small wrinkles, vertical fold at left and small tear to the left of stamps, otherwise fine and rare (Hurt/Ojaste G1)

Caritas 1939, 15s. watercolor design by Günther Reindorff, on cardboard, not perforated, few tiny stains. Tower of the castle in Tallinn, according to legend the burial place of the Estonian national hero Kalev. CARITAS inscription similar to the submitted AK-16B, but only 1 Caritas heart. The 15S RE-1-1939 is in blue color, but the UPU color for foreign postcard postage, 15s. at the time, is red. EESTI POST is positioned on 2 lines, the correction mark on Roosman's AK-9B was probably overlooked by Reindorff. Reindorff positioned EESTI POST onto a single line in AK-16A, AK-16C and later. Two vertically positioned value inscription, one in large letters and the other in small letters, are also shown in RE-3-1939, AK-16B, AK-17A, AK-18A, AK-18B, AK-18C, AK-18D, AK-19A, AK-19B, AK-19C and AK-19D and on the postage stamps of 1939

Caritas 1939, 10s. watercolor design by Günther Reindorff, on cardboard, not perforated. The design shows Linda, Kalev's wife and mother of Kalevipoeg in the Estonian national epic poem Kalevipoeg. Inscription LINDA at the bottom right. Caritas heart without a flame. Two horizontally positioned value inscriptions, one in large letters and the other in small letters, as in AK-16C. Pictured on the cover page of Eesti Post No.56 (2013)  

Caritas 1939, 15s. watercolor design by Günther Reindorff, on cardboard, not perforated, few stains. The design shows Kalevipoeg with the magical sword in the Estonian national epic poem Kalevipoeg. Inscription KALEVIPOEG at the bottom. 2 Caritas hearts, with 1 flame, drawn only in pencil, not in watercolor. In the design sequence RE-3-1939 precedes AK-16B. Two vertically positioned value inscriptions, one in large letters and the other in small letters, are also shown in RE-1-1939, AK-16B, AK-17A, AK-18A, AK-18B, AK-18C, AK-18D, AK-19A, AK-19B, AK-19C and AK-19D and on the postage stamps of 1939

1939, Caritas 10-25s. imperforate essay block, with only 3 essays. Attempt to position the essays into their block positions. The 10s. essay is not yet in the desired vertical position, the 25s and 15s. are already in their final block positions. The 50s. value has not yet been printed. This essay block is pictured in Eesti Post No.54, p.20, unique.

1939, Caritas 10-50s., essay block of with an extra impression of 50s. with horizontal alignment on the 25s., The single 50s. essay is in a lighter colour tone than the 50s. essay in the block. Also used for perforation trials, the 25s. and 50s. have double perforation. This essay block is pictured in Eesti Post No.54, p.20

1939, Caritas 10-50 s., larger sized essay block, the 15s. impression with clear double print, without gum, very scarce

1939, Caritas 10-50 s., larger sized essay block, with missing vertical perforation between the stamps, without gum, very scarce

1939, Caritas 10-50s. tied by cds. "TALLIN 10 I 39" to local First Day cover, addressed to  V.Kuusik, whose book plate/ex-libris is inside the Roosman Album

1939, Caritas souvenir sheet tied by cds. "TALLIN -9 I 40" to registered cover to Germany, with censor tape and mark on front and reverse, fine

1940, Caritas 10-50s. as horizontally arranged essay strip in black on white paper. All arms shields have an extra line around the shields, in contrast to the essays of 1940 and the postage stamp. These black essays were prepared for creating two separate clichés, one for the frame, the other for the coat of arms, for the 2-color print. For the printing of the colored essay block, the cliché of the coat of arms was created from the innermost white line of the black essays, while the cliché of the frame was created from the outermost white line surrounding the black shield, so that on the 2-color essays the shields appear surrounded by a white line. Folded between the stamps, otherwise fine and very attractive

1940, Caritas 10-50 s., larger sized, imperforated essay block, without gum, this is the only imperforated essay block of 1940 known to exist

1940, Caritas 10-50 s., larger sized essay block, without gum, scarce

1940, 100 Years of stamps 15 s. on white paper, mint never hinged, fine, certificate Löbbering BPP

1937, PARO letter sheet No.6, essay without the "PARO" logo at the bottom, imperforated and without the stamp imprint, an essay for Paro Nr. 5, without the "PARO" logo, is pictured in E.F. 18-19, p.76  

PARO letter sheet 10 s., no. 12, used from "VIRU-JAAGUPI 14 III 38" to Tallinn, fine

1937, PARO letter sheet Nr.19, proof without the stamp imprint, very fine  

PARO letter sheet 10 s., no. 21, unused, very fine

PARO letter sheet 10 s., no. 20, unused, very fine

"PARALEPA EESTI-SKAUTIDE III SUURLAAGER 18 VII 36", six very clear strikes on franked carton, very rare cancel, fine

FIRST FLIGHT TALLIN-WARSAW: 1926, Smith 12m. tied by cds. "TALLINN 18 X 26" to flown card to Warsaw with red "WARSZAWA 19 PORT LOTNICZY 21 X 26" alongside, fine