Paper Heritage - Algerian Railways - Control Overprints:

This article deals only with the pictorial designs of the Algerian Railways (Parcel Post) issues and their control overprints. We have shown Yvert identifications for these stamps, historially the most widely used catalogue. There were five pictorial designs, Gare de Philippeville, Renault Railcar, Micheline Railcar in an Oasis, Viaduct, Gare de Bône.

Since we wrote this article in about 2002, Dallay and its successor Maury, have provided much more information on the control overprints, in particular, but we have not updated the article to include this information.

The control overprint CONTROLE DES RECETTES, meaning 'Control of Receipts' was applied to the majority of the stamps, presumably in the railways' accounts offices and probably because of inadequate security for stamp stocks either there or at the printer's premises. In theory, all stamps should have this control but there are many examples of stamps found in quantity without the control whilst other values are scarce or even unrecorded without the control. The evidence points towards many of the commoner stamps without control probably being 'remainders', rather than errors.

timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps

Above:
Left: Violet Control (the stamp has the listed variety 17F in the centre of the stamp, rather than at the right). The stamp in the commonest colour for this design, greenish-blue.
Centre: Without Control. The stamp is in the Deep Blue colour. Although this is, overall, much less common than the greenish-blue, it is a shade quite frequently encountered when the Control has been omitted.
Right: With Magenta Control, only found on occasional stamps.

timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps

Left: Control in Bluish-Grey. Stamp has variety Surcharge Double, One Inverted. The control is also inverted.
Centre: Control in Grey-Black. Stamp is the Dark Green type, usually found on yellowish paper.
Right: Control in Blue. So far, this colour of Control has only been reported on this value.

For the majority of values, the standard colour for the control overprint is violet (deep to pale) or grey-violet. There are also several issues which have controls in a range of shades from grey to black, sometimes with a hint of blue or violet, leading, sometimes, to difficulty in deciding to which of these two main groups certain stamps should be assigned. The table below lists all the colours of which we had been made aware (as of 2002), thanks to the input of several collectors.

Key to Table
Columns 1 to 4 :As per headings.
Column 5: A 'yes' indicates this stamp is known to exist, perforated, in the standard colour of handstamp Control, violet to grey-violet. A (yes) in brackets indicates that the stamp is believed to exist but not confirmed.
Column 6: 'No.C.' stands for (perforated) stamp without Control overprint. A 'yes' in this column indicates that it has been confirmed, a '??' means there is some doubt about its existence in this state.
Column 7: This column describes all other Control colours and varieties reported on perf stamps. Exceptionally, we have used this column to mention one Imperforate stamp known without Control, Yvert 91.
Column 8: This is a listing of Imperf Stamps. As far as we are aware, these are only known with the standard colour Control (as defined in Column 5 above). A (yes) in brackets means the standard control has been assumed by us but is not confirmed.

In 2006, an auction house offered FIFTEEN imperforate single stamps with moderately wide margins, which we had not previously seen listed. However, none of these were marginal copies, which creates considerable doubt about them. We have marked the column with ~~ in the case of these stamps.

General Notes about this listing:
1. C. or Cont. is an abbreviation for 'Control' throughout.
2. We have provided two check-boxes which could be used for mint/used or, alternatively, for stamps with or without control.
3. For the manuxcript surcharges (Yv.98-109), which are often sold mint in complete sets and which, we believe, always have controls, we have not provided a stamp-by-stamp listing, but have provided a scan of all values.

timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
... Algerian Railways Summary of Controls . ..
Yvert. Design Face Value. Stamp Colour Viol.(p). No.C. Other C. Imp.(V) Yvert
83 Gare Phil. 0f 6 black yes yes 83 [ . ] [ . ]
84 1f 8 black yes yes 84 [ . ] [ . ]
85 2f 4 black yes yes 85 [ . ] [ . ]
86 3f black yes yes yes 86 [ . ] [ . ]
87 Renault 2f 2 bluish-green yes 87 [ . ] [ . ]
2f 2 grass green yes [ . ] [ . ]
88 2f 8 bluish-green yes 88 [ . ] [ . ]
grass green yes [ . ] [ . ]
89 3f 3 bluish-green yes 89 [ . ] [ . ]
grass green [ . ] [ . ]
90 Oasis 4f 15 grey-lilac yes 90 [ . ] [ . ]
91 5f 55 deep lilac yes +Imp.w/out cont yes 91 [ . ] [ . ]
92 8f 25 deep lilac yes yes 92 [ . ] [ . ]
93 11f 05 bright deep lilac yes yes 93 [ . ] [ . ]
94 16f 55 bright lilac yes yes 94 [ . ] [ . ]
94A 16f 55 black yes 94A [ . ] [ . ]
95 Viaduct 2f 2 Orange yes yes 95 [ . ] [ . ]
... . .. . .. . ..
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
98-109 set/12 manusc.surch yes (12 v) 98-109 [ . ] [ . ]
... . .. . .. . ..
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
Yvert. Design Face Value. Stamp Colour Viol.(p). No.C. Other C. Imp.(V) Yvert
111 Gare Phil. 0f 9 orange-yellow/toned yes yes control in black 111 [ . ] [ . ]
112 1f 8 orange-yellow/toned yes yes yes 112 [ . ] [ . ]
113 2f 7 orange-yellow/toned yes yes yes 113 [ . ] [ . ]
114 6f 3 orange-yellow/toned yes yes control in black 114 [ . ] [ . ]
115 9f 9 orange-yellow/toned yes yes yes 115 [ . ] [ . ]
116 13f 5 orange-yellow/toned yes yes control inverted 116 [ . ] [ . ]
117 17f 1 orange-yellow/toned yes yes 117 [ . ] [ . ]
118 20f 7 orange-yellow/toned yes yes yes 118 [ . ] [ . ]
119 Renault 2f 7 dull green/straw yes (yes) 119 [ . ] [ . ]
120 3f 9 dull green/straw yes ?? yes 120 [ . ] [ . ]
121 4f 2 dull green/straw yes yes 121 [ . ] [ . ]
122 5f 8 lilac/straw yes yes yes 122 [ . ] [ . ]
123 8f lilac/straw yes 123 [ . ] [ . ]
124 10f 3 lilac/straw yes yes 124 [ . ] [ . ]
125 12f 5 lilac/straw yes 125 [ . ] [ . ]
126 17f 4 greyish-lilac yes ?? yes 126 [ . ] [ . ]
... . .. . .. . ..
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
Yvert. Design Face Value. Stamp Colour Viol.(p). No.C. Other C. Imp.(V) Yvert
130 Renault 3,2/2f 7 dull green/straw yes ~~ 130 [ . ] [ . ]
deep blue-green/straw yes [ . ] [ . ]
131 4,1/2f 7 dull green/straw yes yes 131 [ . ] [ . ]
deep blue-green/straw yes [ . ] [ . ]
132 4,6/3f 9 dull green/straw yes 132 [ . ] [ . ]
133 4,9/4f 2 dull green/straw yes 133 [ . ] [ . ]
134 5,2/3f 9 dull green/straw yes yes control in black 134 [ . ] [ . ]
135 6,2/4f 2 dull green/straw yes yes 135 [ . ] [ . ]
136 Oasis 6,2/5f 8 lilac/straw yes 136 [ . ] [ . ]
137 7,4/5f 8 lilac/straw yes yes control in black 137 [ . ] [ . ]
138 8,4/8f lilac/straw yes ?? 138 [ . ] [ . ]
138a surch.inverted (yes) 138a [ . ] [ . ]
138b surch double, one inverted yes 138b [ . ] [ . ]
139 9,6/8f lilac/straw yes yes ~~ 139 [ . ] [ . ]
(139) surch.inverted (139) [ . ] [ . ]
140 10,7/10f 3 lilac/straw yes 140 [ . ] [ . ]
141 11,9/10f 3 lilac/straw yes yes 141 [ . ] [ . ]
surch.double, one inverted yes [ . ] [ . ]
142 12,9/12f 5 lilac/straw yes ?? 142 [ . ] [ . ]
143 14,1/12f 5 lilac/straw yes yes ~~ 143 [ . ] [ . ]
143a surch.inverted yes 143a [ . ] [ . ]
144 18,6/17f 4 greyish-lilac yes yes control in black 144 [ . ] [ . ]
... . .. . .. . ..
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
Yvert. Design Face Value. Stamp Colour Viol.(p). No.C. Other C. Imp.(V) Yvert
151 Renault 5f 2 emerald yes yes yes 151 [ . ] [ . ]
152 9f emerald yes yes yes 152 [ . ] [ . ]
153 Oasis 7f 3 magenta yes yes yes 153 [ . ] [ . ]
154 9f 5 magenta yes yes yes 154 [ . ] [ . ]
155 11f 8 magenta yes yes yes 155 [ . ] [ . ]
156 14f magenta yes yes yes 156 [ . ] [ . ]
157 18f 6 magenta yes yes control in black yes 157 [ . ] [ . ]
157a (var.13f 6) 18f 6 var. magenta yes (yes) 157a [ . ] [ . ]
158 25f magenta yes yes yes 158 [ . ] [ . ]
... . .. . .. . ..
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
159 Gare Bône 12f 4 greenish blue yes yes (yes) 159 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue yes [ . ] [ . ]
160 18f 8 greenish blue yes yes (yes) 160 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue [ . ] [ . ]
161 25f 2 greenish blue yes yes yes 161 [ . ] [ . ]
... . .. . .. . ..
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
Yvert. Design Face Value. Stamp Colour Viol.(p). No.C. Other C. Imp.(V) Yvert
162 Renault 7f/5f 2 emerald yes yes (yes) 162 [ . ] [ . ]
163 Oasis 18f 5/18f 6 magenta yes yes control inverted yes 163 [ . ] [ . ]
Var. 13f 6 yes yes [ . ] [ . ]
163a surch.double (yes) [ . ] [ . ]
163A 20f/18f 6 magenta yes 163A [ . ] [ . ]
164 Gare Bône 15f/12f 4 greenish blue yes yes ~~ 164 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue yes [ . ] [ . ]
165 20F/18f 8 greenish blue yes yes 165 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue yes yes ~~ [ . ] [ . ]
166 30f/25f 2 greenish blue yes yes ~~ 166 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue yes
... . .. . .. . ..
Yvert. Design Face Value. Stamp Colour Viol.(p). No.C. Other C. Imp.(V) Yvert
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
167 Renault 8f /7f/ 5f 2 emerald yes yes 167 [ . ] [ . ]
168 10f /7f /5f2 emerald yes yes control inverted 168 [ . ] [ . ]
169 10f / 9f emerald yes ?? (yes) 169 [ . ] [ . ]
170 13f / 9f emerald yes 170 [ . ] [ . ]
171 Oasis 8,3/7f 3 magenta yes yes yes 171 [ . ] [ . ]
172 10f 3/ 7f 3 magenta yes ?? 172 [ . ] [ . ]
173 10,5 / 9f 5 magenta yes yes (yes) 173 [ . ] [ . ]
174 12f 5/ 9f 5 magenta yes ?? ~~ 174 [ . ] [ . ]
175 12,8/11f 8 magenta yes yes yes 175 [ . ] [ . ]
176 14f 8/ 11f 8 magenta yes 176 [ . ] [ . ]
177 15f/ 14f magenta yes yes (yes) 177 [ . ] [ . ]
178 17f/ 14f magenta yes yes control double ~~ 178 [ . ] [ . ]
control inverted [ . ] [ . ]
178a surch.double 178a [ . ] [ . ]
179 19,5/18f5/18f6 magenta yes yes control doubble 179 [ . ] [ . ]
13f 6 for 18f 6 [ . ] [ . ]
180 21f5/18f5/18f6 magenta yes yes 180 [ . ] [ . ]
13f 6 for 18f 6 [ . ] [ . ]
21f 5 surch inverted magenta yes [ . ] [ . ]
181 26f/ 25f magenta yes yes (yes) 181 [ . ] [ . ]
182 28f/ 25f magenta yes yes ~~ 182 [ . ] [ . ]
183 Gare Bône 17f/ 15f/ 12f 4 greenish blue yes yes ~~ 183 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue [ . ] [ . ]
183a 17f in centre greenish blue yes 183a [ . ] [ . ]
184 22f/ 15f/ 12f 4 greenish blue yes yes control in black 184 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue yes [ . ] [ . ]
185 23f/ 20f/ 18f 8 greenish blue yes yes control in black 185 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue yes [ . ] [ . ]
186 30f/ 20f/ 18f 8 greenish blue yes yes 186 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue [ . ] [ . ]
187 35f/ 30f/ 25f 2 greenish blue yes yes ~~ 187 [ . ] [ . ]
grey-blue [ . ] [ . ]
188 46f/ 30f/ 25f 2 greenish blue yes yes control in black 188 [ . ] [ . ]
... . .. . .. . ..
Yvert. Design Face Value. Stamp Colour Viol.(p). No.C. Other C. Imp.(V) Yvert
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
timbres-poste Algerie CP Colis Postal Algeria Railway Parcel Stamps
189 Gare Phil. 1f / 0f 9 orange-yellow/toned yes 189 [ . ] [ . ]
189A 1f / 13f 5 orange-yellow/toned yes yes control in black 189A [ . ] [ . ]
1f / 13f5 orange-yellow/toned control in magenta [ . ] [ . ]
190 2f/ 1f 8 orange-yellow/toned yes yes cont.in Black;also Blue ~~ 190 [ . ] [ . ]
191 3f/ 2f 7 orange-yellow/toned yes yes control in black 191 [ . ] [ . ]
192 7f/ 6f 3 orange-yellow/toned yes yes 192 [ . ] [ . ]
193 11f/ 9f 9 orange-yellow/toned yes yes 193 [ . ] [ . ]
194 15f/ 13f 5 orange-yellow/toned yes yes 194 [ . ] [ . ]
195 19f/ 17f 1 orange-yellow/toned yes yes 195 [ . ] [ . ]
196 23f /20f 7 orange-yellow/toned yes yes control in black 196 [ . ] [ . ]
196a surch.double, one inverted control in black 196a [ . ] [ . ]
197 Oasis 13f/10f 3/7f 3 magenta yes yes ~~ 197 [ . ] [ . ]
198 15f/12f 5/ 9f 5 magenta yes yes ~~ 198 [ . ] [ . ]
199 19f/14f 8/11f 8 magenta yes yes control inverted 199 [ . ] [ . ]
200 24f/ 14f magenta yes yes control double 200 [ . ] [ . ]
201 30f/ 28f/ 25f magenta yes yes 201 [ . ] [ . ]
202 Renault 14f/ 4,1/ 2f 7 dull blue-green/straw yes control in black 202 [ . ] [ . ]
dull blue-green/straw control in blue [ . ] [ . ]
202a 14F surch. double dull blue-green/straw control in black 202a [ . ] [ . ]
14F surch. double dull yellow-green/straw control in black [ . ] [ . ]
203 17f/ 10f / 9f emerald yes yes 203 [ . ] [ . ]
left vertical bar missing from the 17F surcharge yes [ . ] [ . ]
204 19f/ 9f emerald yes control inverted ~~ 204 [ . ] [ . ]
emerald control in blue [ . ] [ . ]
emerald control in blue-grey [ . ] [ . ]
... . .. . .. . ..
.

Additional control information on varieties:

1. The following controls exist on Imperf Between Pairs ( all vertical pairs ):

Yv. 84 1 f 8 Black : Top stamp with control, bottom stamp without control.
Yv. 84 1 f 8 Black : Top stamp with upright control, bottom stamp with inverted control.
Yv. 93 11 f 05 Bright Lilac : Top stamp with control, bottom stamp without control.
Yv. 94 16 f 55 Bright Lilac : Top stamp with control, bottom stamp without control.

2. The following stamps have been seen with normal ( violet ) controls :

Yv. 84a 1 f 8 Black : Stamp with Double Impression of Design
Yv. 90 var. 4 f 15 Grey-lilac : Stamp with Double Impression of Design **
Yv. 93a 11 f 05 Bright Lilac : Stamp with Double Impression of Design
Yv. 94a 16 f 55 Bright Lilac : Stamp with Double Impression of Design

** The Double Impression on Yvert 90 is not catalogued, but exists. We have not seen a copy of the 2f2 Bridge with Double Impression ( Yv. 95a ), but it probably has a normal control.

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