Azerbaijani RTS covers

As I mentioned in my previous post, I also managed to send out some RTS covers while I was in Azerbaijan in order to get postmarks from towns either too far away or too remote to visit.

İ made it a point to send out all the letters registered since İ had a feeling that they would not return if there was no record of them in the first place. Registration used to cost only 0.7 AZN (0.68 EUR) more, so it was not too much to shell out.

 

Here are (almost all) of the covers:

I send this cover to Astara, the town on the Azerbaijan-Iran border. I wanted badly to go to Iran since it was only a few hours away by land, but because of my citizenship, there was what I might call an "Iron Curtain" in my way.

 

The cover was sent out from the central post office on 11.02.12 and it arrived in Astara on 15.02.12. The distance between the two cities is a mere 320 km, or 5 hours by car. In Germany, letters sent from anywhere to anywhere in the entire country are often delivered the next day. When I lived in America, I remember that the maximum waiting time used to be 3 days from the East coast to the West coast.

On 16.02.11, a notice slip was attached, with "Ünvan düzgün deyil" (Adress incorrect) crossed out. The letter arrived back in Baku on the 21st. An interesting thing to note is that, when mail arrives in Baku, it seems that it is delivered to the recipient on the same day. Or it could also be that they just stamp the back of the envelope in the morning on the day it is to be delivered. Who knows?

This is a cover I sent to the town or Daşkəsən, a town 390 km from Baku and even farther away and more remote than Astara! This town lies near the border with Armenia as well as the de facto border with the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Daşkəsən has recently been in the news because of some hazing issues in the Azerbaijan military. Apparently, a conscript was beaten to death by superiors during hazing at the military camp in Daşkəsən. Read more about it here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-11/facebook-calls-rally-azeris-to-protest-army-hazing-after-death.html

 

This letter left Baku on  16.02.12. There is not backstamp to show when it arrived, but the notice slip was stamped and signed on 20.02.12. It arrived in Baku on the 24th

This cover was sent out to the interesting little Autonomous Republic of Naxçıvan, which is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. This region is extremely hot and dry in the summer and cold and freezing in the winter. It is here whence the current president and his beloved  father Heydər Əliyev, the former president, hail. Local legend also has it that Noah's ark ended its journey on the peak of one of the region's mountains. It is a land known for snakes an mystery, and (ironic considering its climate) wealth and abundance. People from Naxçıvan are apparently the richer half of Azerbaijani society, and many in office find their roots here. Of course, this is all according to what I gathered from the locals, who take pride in their land, their heritage, and their precarious political and geographical position.

 

The cover left from the AZ-1038 post office in the Balaxani district of Baku on 22.02.12 and arrived in Naxçıvan on the first of March. The notice slip was attached on the same day, and the cover arrived back in Baku on the fifth, in less time than it took for the letter to make to Naxçıvan to Baku. I wonder if it took less time because the letter was driven over through Iran when it was sent out and then flown back over to Baku when it was returned. Or is it just Naxçıvan's efficiency that was at work? The region is known among other Azerbaijanis as a place where everything is strict, old-fashioned, and efficient. Some people even claim that they still live as though there were in the Soviet Union!

 

I cannot really make out the very first handwritten line at the top, but it seems to read, "1 eb." I cannot decode what that might mean Under it is written "qayıdır," which means "returns" so maybe "1 eb." has something to do with "1 piece"? Just a guess. At the bottom it says, "arxaya baxın," or the polite way of saying "Look at the back," since the return address was there.

 

This cover was sent to the mountainous neighbor to the northeast, Georgia, or "Gürcüstan" in Azerbaijani and Turkish.  It was sent out on 18.02.12 from the main post office (notice the meter postage) and arrived in Tbilisi on 22.02.12. It was then stamped again in Tbilisi on 28.02.12 although it is not clear why.

 

A notice of return slip was then attached to it and stamped on 20.03.12, stating that the item was unclaimed, which is strange since the address did not even exist, so of course it cannoot be claimed! It arrived back in my hand in Baku on 28.03.12

This next cover was something I sent out to Iran because I thought it would be great fun. From past experience, I knew that the Iranian Post rewrites the addresses of foreign letters in Farsi (I imagine that there is a special section of the central mail distribution center called "Address Translation Department). This is why I could not give up the chance to have a cool cover from Iran, and cool is this cover indeed! The return notice is not a slip of paper like it is in Azerbaijan and Georgia, but a nice, big, bold blue stamp! Wonderful!

This cover was sent out on the same day as the one above sent to Georgia (18.02.12) and received  backstamp in Iran (presumably in Tehran) on 6 Esfand 1390, which corresponds to 25.02.2012 of the common era calendar. There is no indication as to when it was dispatched back to Azerbaijan, but it was received back in Baku on 24.03.12, more than a month after it was sent out.

 

This last cover is something I sent from Germany to Naxçıvan using an envelope printed by Azeri Post and bearing the cachet design celebrating the 80th year of the Autonomous Republic's autonomy, which is not obvious since the pink slip attached to the cover is covering more than half of it. 

The cover left Deggendorf on 24.11.2012 and was received in Naxçıvan City, the region's capital, on what seems to be 30.11.12. It was then received in Ordubad, a town at the very tip of the nation, wedged between the Armenian and Iranian borders, on 03.12.12. The cover was then received back in Naxçıvan City on the fifth and back in Deggendorf on the fourth of January, 2013.

A Year's Worth of Azerbaijani Philately

Unbelievable! I haven't posted anything for almost two years! I guess it was just that too much has going on in my life - too much moving, at least. During my online absence, I lived in Azerbaijan for about a year and visited a number of countries: South Korea, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, North Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, and the UAE. I was also able to visit Abkhazia, but since it was the weekend when I was there, the post offices were closed!

Now I live in Germany, in a small town where the philatelic scene is not so lively. I have seen a collector's shop somewhere in the town center, but have never really visited as I suspect there won't be anything too exciting there.

At any rate, I suppose from now on I am back to regular programming, and for my first post I would like to share some SASE's that I managed to send while I was in Azerbaijan.

Of course, this is only a small selection of covers that I sent. I sent covers from as many branches in Baku (the capital city) and of course, when possible, from all the other towns I managed to visit in the country: Zaqatala, Ordubad, Naxçıvan, Şəki, Gəncə, etc. I also sent out some covers with wrong addresses in order to obtain postmarks from obscure, smaller towns like Daşkəsən and Astara.

Here are a few samples of the Azerbaijani covers that have enriched my collection:

The postmarks in Azerbaijan are, unlike in the Philippines, uniform. All of the ones I saw being used (although admittedly the ones I usually saw were in the bigger cities and towns) used the same machine and had the same format: "Azərbaycan" (Azerbaijan in the Azerbaijani language) on top, two eight-pointed Azerbaijani stars on the sides, and then the city or town name at the bottom, written in Azerbaijani. Under "Azərbaycan" is the postal code of the city/town (format: AZ-0000) and on top of the city/town name is where they add some sort of postal agent or department notation. In Baku, it is usually a letter, which I suppose refers to the agent who handled the letter. In other towns, there would be something that says "Letter section" or something to that effect in Azerbaijani.

The postmarks are almost always blue and use a self-inking rubber stamp machine. Only once did I see a non-blue postmark, and this was a purple one from Daşkəsən, which, as I understand, is an extremely small town in the middle of nowhere (as most of Azerbaijan outside of Baku is).

Here is a cover with meter postage. I saw a meter postage machine only at the central post office in Baku, and I suppose the one machine they have is more than enough for the entire country as mail is not so widely used there outside of business transactions and official notices, and I suspect most of these kinds of things happen only in Baku. 

I quite like the franking from the machine. The round part on the side reads " 1 Saylı Poçt Filialı (Post Branch Number One), AZ-1000." The top of the box part reads "Azərbaycan Poçtu" (Azerbaijan Post) and the bottom reads "Milli Operator" (National Operator).

The funny thing about this meter stamp is that it can only be used for registered letters and the ladies at the post office cannot be persuaded to use it for other types of letters, such as, say, normal airmail.

Azerbaijan's currency is called the Manat (AZN), and is divided into 100 qəpik. Manat was the word used for the Ruble during the Soviet Union and qəpik is the Azerbaijani version of the word "kopek." The Manat's value is at present almost equal to the Euro, but the case was not always so. The Azerbaijani currency was revalued in 2005 at the exchange rate of 5000 old Manat = 1 new Manat. It's actually quite strange because, although the Manat and the Euro are almost at par, there are unbelievable stark differences in the quality of life in the European Union and in Azerbaijan. The value of the Azerbaijani currency does not seem to reflect the true status quo in the country.

The Azerbaijani alphabet is similar to that used by Turkish in that it has ö, ü, ş, ç, and ğ, and there is a difference between i and ı.

Speaking of Turkish, the design of the meter stamp is very similar to that of one I got in Turkey, seen below:

Here is a registered local cover I sent from Naxçıvan, an exclave of Azerbaijan that is separated from the rest of the country by the nation's mortal enemy, Armenia. The only way to get there is by flying or going through Iran. If you are an American citizen like I am, then the latter is not an option!

Here are a few more covers:

Twenty years of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, one of the last issues before I left

Azerbaijan - Mexico joint issue, among my favorites

 

90 years of the first Republic of Azerbaijan, which was proclaimed in 1918.

A Case of Postal Fraud

For this post I have an example of postal forgery which was done by none other than the postal clerk herself.

I show here a scan of the cover and I also post a copy of the letter I have sent to the Postmaster General of PhilPost.

Quezon City

08 March 2011

Atty. Antonio Z. de Guzman, CESO I

Postmaster General

Philippine Postal Corporation

Liwasang Bonfiacio 1000

Manila

Re: Case of Postal Fraud

Cc: Ms. Elenita DL San Diego

Dear Atty. de Guzman,

I have been meaning to write this letter for quite some time now, but circumstance has not afforded me the luxury of free time to do so until now. Nonetheless, I hope that the passage of time will not hold prejudice against the gravity of the matter at hand.

In January of this year, I was on a trip to the Ilocos region and I visited the usual tourist attractions; Vigan, Bangui, Pagudpud, and Paoay. As is my usual practice when on a trip away from home, I made sure to send myself some covers as souvenirs from my trip to add to my collection. I do this as much as possible whenever I travel as I am a cover collector interested in collecting as many different postmarks as possible. This is why the covers I send are addressed both to and from my address.

One of the post offices that I visited during the trip to send myself a cover was the Paoay Post Office (Zip: 2902) in Ilocos Norte. It is a small and run-down post office, as can be expected from small provincial Philpost branches. When I visited, I believe that there was only one postal clerk to attend to customers, of which I suspect there are few anyhow.

At any rate, I had a terrible experience at the Paoay Post Office. The postal clerk was rude and seemed as though she would rather be doing something else (although I cannot blame her, really). I try my best to be polite to these older ladies who work at post offices because I understand their plight, but this old lady was certainly a tough nut and I left the post office upset with what transpired during my visit.

What upset me most was the fact that she refused to frank my covers with postage stamps and then tie the stamps to the cover in front of me so that I would know what to expect in my postal box when the letter would arrive (postal clerks do this for me most of the time – even abroad). It was not the lack of postage stamps that kept her from doing so as I saw with my own two eyes that she had a canister of the recent marine biodiversity definitive stamps. I kept insisting on her to frank my envelope, but it seemed as though my requests were falling on deaf ears as she was giving the cold shoulder. All she did was stuff my envelope in the canister with the mint stamps. This was what really ignited my frustration and caused me to up and leave the place with a huge frown. I really did not understand why she could not let me see her frank my envelope.

I would learn the reason when I received the cover. Thankfully, I sent my letter registered and so I had proof of mailing which compelled the postal clerk to actually send my letter. Perhaps, had I not sent the letter registered, it would have conveniently found its way to the garbage bin and the lady would not be “digging her own grave,” so to speak.

The reason why she refused to frank my cover with postage stamps is because she never had the intention of doing so – at least with real postage stamps. She used FAKE postage stamps on the cover.

I attach hereto a reproduction in black and white of the cover in question, zoomed in to allow for a better view of the fake stamp, which does not even have perforations! In fact, it seems that the stamp is just a color photocopy done on normal typewriting paper and then cut into squares of paper. Anyway, the main point is that it is fake. Also, notice that the cancel on the cover is very heavy; most likely this was an effort to cover up the fake stamp and make it less noticeable. Ironically enough, it was this heavy cancel that initially made me happy and caused me to further examine it (clear chops are a rarity these days and cover collectors like me are very happy when we receive them on our covers).

To add insult to injury, I was charged PhP 38 to send my letter. I have been made aware that the tariff for a registered letter from Paoay to Metro Manila is only PhP30. I do not mind shelling out the extra PhP 8 if it is for a legitimate reason, but it is the idea that I was charged extra money most probably to cover for the production cost of the fake stamp itself that irks me! The audacious nerve of the postal clerk is just beyond me!

I do not write this letter as a disgruntled philatelist, but rather as a concerned citizen. Actually, I should be a bit happy because the cover I have in my collection with a fake stamp and clear cancels is a valuable item, if not an interesting conversation piece. Many fellow collectors from abroad have asked me to send them such a cover, but I told them that I would not intentionally play a part in postal fraud and also that Paoay is just too far away.

Beyond the issue of the stamp being a curious philatelic novelty, consider the implications this may have on your revenues as a government agency struggling to keep standing on its own two feet. While Paoay may not have as many customers as other post offices like those in metropolitan areas, it is still lost revenue on the part of the PhilPost. This is not to mention the moral and ethical dimension of this matter and the need for justice to be served. We cannot successfully run a post office if its own employees are cheating it. It would be like a worker hammering at a brick wall while his co-workers are struggling to build it. And should this situation escalate to a larger scale and see more and more postal clerks committing fraud, the post office might shut down altogether. I am not one to sit back and let that happen on my guard and certainly hope that you are the same.

The Portuguese have a saying, “Água mole em pedra dura, tanto bate até que fura,” which is roughly translated as, “Water dripping day by day wears the hardest rock away.” I believe that we should not let this situation get out of hand and that we should prevent it from boring a hole in the postal system while we can. I hope you are of the same opinion and that you also sense the same urgency that I do.

Should my participation be required in further proceedings regarding this matter, I would like to inform you beforehand that I will not be able to attend to such matters after mid-May as I will be leaving the country for a few months, if not for good. Thus, please do inform me as to how I can help and what more I should do to see to it that this matter be addressed and resolved.

With hope that we can work together in purging the post office of such heinous and immoral practices as postal fraud practiced by none other than postal clerks themselves, I remain

Yours Most Sincerely,

Myron De La Paz