Airmail Provisional Issue with Overprint (Siamese Government Museum 2468)

อากาศไปรษณีย์ พิมพ์ทับ (สยามรัฐพิพิธภัณฑ์ ๒๔๖๘)

1925/2468

Initially to use for Airmail purposes and to promote the 1925 Trade Fair, but the latter was cancelled due to the King falling fatally ill, and the stamps remained unissued, but were later used for telegraphic payments, attached to the message and stamped, hence unused stamps are now rather rare.

P1925/1-8

0.02 Baht, 0.03 Baht, 0.05 Baht, 0.1 Baht, 0.15 Baht, 0.25 Baht, 0.5 Baht, 1 Baht

7,000 Baht, 3,000 Baht, 7,000 Baht, 3,500 Baht, 7,000 Baht, 3,500 Baht, 7,000 Baht, 7,000 Baht

45,000 Baht (unused), 880 Baht (used)

Used set

23 x 32 mm

100,000 pieces per design

Waterlow & Sons Limited, England, and the overprint by the Ministry of Finance, Thailand

Stamps of the Siam Airmail 1st Series of 1924 with a flying Garuda, overprinted with the Thai text Sayaam Rat Phiphithaphan (สยามรัฐพิพิธภัณฑ์ ๒๔๖๘), which means ‘Siamese Government Museum 2468 (BE)’, either in dark blue or red, according to the background. The overprinted text was intended to promote a Trade Fair, the first ever in Siam, scheduled for 23 October 1925, to coincide with King Rama VI's 15th year on the throne, and organized by the King himself to boost the economy and to promote Siamese products at home, as well as abroad. The King allocated a piece of royal land, his personal property, to organize the fair and which –once the 100 day event was over– the King had planned to make into a public park for his subjects. However, the King fell fatally ill and the fair was cancelled, and though the King passed away on 25 November 1925, the royal land near Sala Daeng was made into a public park nonetheless, which today is known as Lumphini Park, and a statue of Rama VI was erected at the park's main entrance near Sala Daeng.

Siam Airmail (1st Series), Siam, BE, Garuda, satang, Rama VI, Suan Lumphini, Siam, Sayaam