Since the 2015 publication of UPU Specimen Stamps 1878–1961 – A Complete Revision of the 1988 Edition, many philatelists have continued to provide valuable new information, and my own research has also led to some important new findings. This collaborative effort has enabled me to compile this Supplement in a relatively short period of time.
The Catalogue section of this Supplement provides new or revised information for more than 60 of the 220 territories included in the 2015 edition, and introduces two new territories. Numerous new illustrations are included, many of which provide visual confirmation of information already recorded in the 2015 edition. Careful attention has been paid to the checklists, with revisions marked in a way that will enable them to be understood without constant reference to the originals.
In the section on Receiving Authority Specimens, information for Bechuanaland, French West Africa, Natal and Tunisia has been revised. This is complemented by the inclusion of two new Appendices, reproducing in full the auction catalogues of the sales in 1976 and 1980 of the Bechuanaland and Natal Post Office Archives by Robson Lowe and Sotheby Parke Bernet respectively. These provide a unique, accurate and detailed record of every single stamp that was included, most importantly during the early years of distribution by the Universal Postal Union.
Also included as a new Appendix is an article by Andrew Norris that details the many varieties of De La Rue Specimen overprint type D12.
To help readers quickly connect information in this Supplement with that in the 2015 edition, cross-references are marked in the left margin, and all new material is headed by a note indicating its placement in the 2015 edition.