Aerogrammes - ECHO'S PHILA HOUSE

17 March 1972 - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Design: 75P. light orange-brown on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The design is a portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with a circle to his right enclosing a sunset over the water, with a palm tree and people in a boat.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Quantity printed: The Nasik order was for 588,000 aerogrammes.
Size: 248 x 190mm
Comments: The wavy overlay of this series can be found in different shades of blue which can make the aerogramme seem like a different issue.
There is no special First Day Cover cancellation, only a large round one from the Philatelic Bureau, Dacca. Aerogrammes can also be found with the Commemorative Cancellation “Long Live Sharat Bangla Friendship”, listed under that section in this catalog, as the event took place on the same date of 17 March. Both are considered First Day Covers.

First Day Covers of the new aerogramme can be found with the Philatelic Bureau cancellation (Upper) and the Special Postmark marking the friendship between India and Bangladesh.

28 April 1972 - Sheikh Mujibar Rahman

Design: 20P. Red on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The design is a portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with a circle to his right enclosing a sunset over water, with a palm tree and people in a boat.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Quantity printed: The Nasik order ws for 408,500 aerogrammes.
Size: 248 x 190mm
Comments:

A rare proof of the 20P Sheikh Mujibar Rahman aerogramme.

Design: 30P. Purple on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The design is a portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with a circle to his right enclosing a sunset over water, with a palm tree and people in a boat.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Quantity printed: The Nasik order was for 108,000 aerogrammes.
Size: 248 x 190mm
Comments:

Design: 90P. Violet on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The design is a portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with a circle to his right enclosing a sunset over water, with a palm tree and people in a boat.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 248 x 190mm
Comments:

A rare proof of the 20P Sheikh Mujibar Rahman aerogramme.

The four aerogrammes of the first set issued by the country. Notice that the paper and colors of the background are not all similar.

127 April 1973 - Rerelease of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman set

The original set of four aerogrammes was reissued a year later with the colors of the imprinted stamp different
Design: 20P. Green on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The design is a portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with a circle to his right enclosing a sunset over water, with a palm tree and people in a boat.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 248 x 190mm
Comments: The wavy overlay of this series can be found in different shades of blue which can make the aerogramme seem like a different issue.

Design: 30P. Red on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The design is a portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with a circle to his right enclosing a sunset over water, with a palm tree and people in a boat.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 248 x 190mm
Comments:

Design: 75P. Olive-green on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The design is a portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with a circle to his right enclosing a sunset over water, with a palm tree and people in a boat.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 248 x 190mm.

Design: 90P. Deep blue on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The design is a portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with a circle to his right enclosing a sunset over water, with a palm tree and people in a boat.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Quantity printed: The Nasik order was for 35,000 aerogrammes, a very low number.
Size: 248 x 190mm
Comments:

Illustrated together are the first (Lower) set of aerogrammes and the rerelease (Upper) in different colors. The two illustrations are for comparison as it can be very difficult distinguishing between the two sets. Also note the more uniform coloration of the backgrounds and paper of the rereleased set.

28 October 1974 - Flying Bird (First two denominations)

Design: 20P. Deep blue on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The image is of a modern stylized flying bird.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 250 x 190mm
Comments: There are various shdes of the blue stamp imprint. The issued color is dark blue.

Pale blue stamp imprint with the issued color of dark blue illustrated above it.

Design: 90P. Red on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The image is of a modern stylized flying bird.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 250 x 190mm
Comments:

20 October 1976 - Flying Bird (Last four denominations)

With the issue of the second set of denominations for the Flying Bird set of aerogrammes we are now seeing a new design of the base design of the background of the aerogrammes. The height and width of the blue overlay, for the new base is larger – 130 x 190mm (124 x 188 for the older one). The width of the right SECOND FOLD HERE flap is narrower – 13mm (19mm for the older one) and there is now a verticle, white, narrow rectangle on the front of the aerogramme that says SECOND FOLD HERE in Bengali and English. Additionally, the distance between the bottom of the space where the stamp imprint is printed and the first line of the address area below, is different from the 1976 issues (About 19 mm), compared to two denominations issued in 1974 (15 mm).

Design:Tk.2.50 Blue on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The image is of a modern stylized flying bird.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 250 x 190mm
Comments: Printed on the new base design.

20 October 1976 – 30 P. Flying Bird Errors Freaks and Oddities

This is possibly an error as it is the same color – dark blue, as the 25P. aerogramme.

A double impression of the stamp image. The first one appears to be well centered and paler and the second one darker and shifted to the left.

Design:Tk.2.50 Light chocolate-brown on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The image is of a modern stylized flying bird.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 250 x 190mm
Comments: Printed on the new base design.

Design:Tk.2.75 Orange on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The image is of a modern stylized flying bird.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 250 x 190mm
Comments: Printed on the new base design.

Design:Tk.3.00 Violet on light blue paper with a darker blue overlay of wavy lines. The image is of a modern stylized flying bird.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian security Press, Nasik
Size: 250 x 190mm
Comments: Printed on the new base design.

Note that the distance between the bottom of the white space where the stamp image is printed and the first line of the address section below, is larger on the four aerogrammes of the second part of the Flying Bird set of aerogrammes. The 30P. value in the center of the image is part of the second portions of the set.

28 October 1974 - Blank from first set of Flying Bird denominations

20 October 1976 - Blank from second set of Flying Bird denominations

20 February 1980 - Tourism issue without "Sender's Name and Address".

Tourism issue without “Sender’s Name and Address”, that was added in Bengali and English later to the set listed below.

Design: 50P. Navy blue on light blue with a Family Planning logo and slogan on the front left, and on the back a design of Cox’s Bazaar Beach. All printing and images are in the same color, that differs on each denomination.
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: McCorquodale Printers Limited, England
Size: 317 x 150mm
Comments:

A rare proof of the Tourism aerogramme. Note that the world “PROOF” is not printed on it as it is not the finished aerogramme. The aerogramme has not been cut to form the flaps that hold the glue.

Design: 70P. Light green on light blue with a Family Planning logo and slogan on the front left, and on the back a design of Cox’s Bazaar Beach. All printing and images are in the same color, that differs on each denomination.
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: McCorquodale Printers Limited, England
Size: 317 x 150mm
Comments:

rare proof of the Tourism aerogramme. Note that the world “PROOF” is not printed on it as it is not the finished aerogramme. The aerogramme has not been cut to form the flaps that hold the glue.

Design:Tk. 2.50 Sky blue on light blue with a Family Planning logo and slogan on the front left, and on the back a design of Cox’s Bazaar Beach. All printing and images are in the same color, that differs on each denomination.
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: McCorquodale Printers Limited, England
Size: 317 x 150mm
Comments:

Design: Tk. 2.75 Pink on light blue with a Family Planning logo and slogan on the front left, and on the back a design of Cox’s Bazaar Beach. All printing and images are in the same color, that differs on each denomination.
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: McCorquodale Printers Limited, England
Size: 317 x 150mm
Comments:

rare proof of the Tourism aerogramme. Note that the world “PROOF” is not printed on it as it is not the finished aerogramme. The aerogramme has not been cut to form the flaps that hold the glue.

Design: Tk. 3.00 Dull green on light blue with a Family Planning logo and slogan on the front left, and on the back a design of Cox’s Bazaar Beach. All printing and images are in the same color, that differs on each denomination.
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: McCorquodale Printers Limited, England
Size: 317 x 150mm
Comments:

April - May 1981 - Tourism issue with "Sender's Name and Address".

The same set of aerogrammes was reissued with the text, “Sender’s Name and Address”, added to the back, under the image of the beach.

Very pale printing of the aerogramme, making it difficult to read.

1990 - Forces Mail

Design:50P. Blue on light blue paper. The front has a circular Family Planning logo and slogan on the left side of the address portions of the aerogramme. The back has an illustration of Cox’s Bazaar Beach. At the top center is a brick-red circle with crossed swords and a line of text in Bengali below it.
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: McCorquodale Printers Limited, Egnland
Size: 317 x 150mm
Comments: This overprint exists on both varieties of the aerogramme, with, and without the added line of text. The aerogrammes were to only be used by the Bangladesh Army serving in Saudi Arabia, during the 1990 – 91 Gulf War. It was not sold to the public, nor to military personnel, other than those in Saudi Arabia. As expected others were able to obtain it and “Pnilatelic Covers” were made.

1996 Date of Use - Of Unknown Origin

Aerogrames with no stamp image printed on them. Blank space for affixing the required stamps.

The above two aerogrammes do not have any stamp image on them and they are obviously “Philatelic Covers” as they were sent from Dhaka, to Dhakka. There would be no need for airmail to be used. The upper aerogramme was sent by registered mail and the receipt is on the back. In terms of measurement of the various aspects of the previous issued Bangladesh Aerograms, they do not match any of the base designs. Both are dated August and December 1996.

1999 - PABEX-99 Overprint

Design: Tk. 3.00 Dull green on light blue with a Family Planning logo and slogan on the front left, and on the back a design of Cox’s Bazaar Beach. Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karim
Printer: McCorquodale Printers Limited, England
Size: 317 x 150mm
Overprinte:
Comments: Overprinted on Tourism issue without “Sender’s Name and address”.