Envelopes - ECHO'S PHILA HOUSE

15 July 1972 (20 P. Red embossed Shapla)

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:

First Day Covers illustrating the two different shades of brown for the first issue of the country.

7 April 1973 (20 P. Red embossed Shapla)

Design: 20 P., red embossed Shapla (Water Lily)
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian Security Press, Nasik
Comments: The image of the Shapla is now embossed. The brown, previous issue was a flat printing.

20p Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities

July 1974 (25 P. Red embossed Shapla)

Design: 25 P., red embossed Shapla (Water Lily)
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Indian Security Press, Nasik
Comments: A rate increase of 5 P. and the Shapla is embossed.

25p Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities

10 February 1976 (25 P. Red embossed Shapla)

Design: 25 P., red embossed Shapla (Water Lily) Designer: K.G. Mustafa Printer: Government Printing and Mint Agency, South Korea Comments: The “25” is larger than that of the previous issue. Clean copies of this envelope, without stains and foxing, are nearly impossible to find in Bangladesh, due to the weather. Some collectors in Bangladesh try to purchase a clean copy on the internet from Europe or America. As a result, a clean copy of this issue is quite expensive. Also, due to the high quality of the printing process, virtually no errors, other than an occasional albino envelope have been found.

2 October 1976 (30 P. Red embossed Shapla)

Design: 30 P., red embossed Shapla (Water Lily)
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Printed in West Germany
Size:130 x 91 mm.
Comments: New value. Clean copies of this envelope, without stains and foxing, are nearly impossible to find in Bangladesh, due to the weather. Some collectors in Bangladesh try to purchase a clean copy on the internet from Europe or America. As a result, a clean copy of this issue is quite expensive. Also, due to the high quality of the printing process, virtually no errors, other than an occasional albino envelope have been found.

30p Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities (Albino impression of the die on an envelope).

10 October 1979 (40 P. Red embossed Shapla)

Design: 40 P., red embossed Shapla (Water Lily)
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Printed in West Germany
Size:130 x 91 mm.
Comments: New value of 40 P. Due to the high quality of the printing process, virtually no errors, other than an occasional albino envelope have been found.

40p Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities (Albino impression of the die on an envelope).

Bangladesh was now prepared to print it’s own envelopes and no longer was placing orders with foreign printers. Below is a letter to the Deputy Controller, Printing and Stationary Department from the Senior Sales and Shipping Officer of the Khulna Newsprint Mills Limited, regarding an inquiry into paper for printing the envelopes. The second letter is from the Assistant Controller in the government to the Controller of Stamps at the Bangladesh Post Office, regarding the letter and samples of paper received from Khulna Newsprint Mills, Limited. He also states that a copy of the letter had been forwarded to the Manager of the Bangladesh Security Press, Tejgaon. Note that there is a typing error in the letter as it refers to the date 7.9.1959.

SPECIMEN PAPER SAMPLES FOR ENVELOPES

Seven paper specimens submitted to the Post Office by Khulna Newsprint Mills, Limited, for consideration for printing envelopes.

1 March 1983 (50 P. Blue Doyel)

Design: 50 P. blue Doyel (Mockingbird)
Designer: Ahmed Fazlul Karin
Printer: Bangladesh Government Press, Tejgaon
Size: 130 x 92
Comments: This envelope was reprinted many times and there are multiple images that have slight differences in them. Also, due to poor quality control, thousands of envelopes made it to the post offices with over-inking, albino prints, partial prints, mis-folding of the envelopes, etc. They are not rare, nor expensive.

50p Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities (find more below gallery).

50p Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities

15 October 1985 (Tk.1 Deep brown Monument of Sepoy Mutiny of 1857)

Design: Tk.1, deep brosn Monument of Sepoy Mutiny of 1857
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Bangladesh Government Press, Tejgaon
Size: 130 x 92
Comments:
During the five years of it’s use, this envelope was reprinted many times. As a result, many different variations in the image exist. Due to the poor quality control, thousands of envelopes with albino images, overinked images, partial images, mis-folds, etc., made it to the post offices and were sold. These variations are not rare nor are they expensive. Different shades of paper exist. Unfortunately, it is not known when the various die variations appeared. Only someone living in Bangladesh, who would have access to thousands of used covers would be able to do such research.

Many paper shades exist for this issue, but it is believed no one has documented the dates for such.

Tk.1, deep brosn Monument of Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities (find more below gallery).

Tk.1 Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities

9 January 1990 (Tk. 2 Brown Jatiya Smriti Shoudha)

Design: Tk. 2 barown Jatiya Smriti Shoudha (National Monument) of Savar.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Bangladesh Government Press, Tejgoon
Size: 131 x 90 mm.
Comments: Again, due to poor quality control thousands of albino, over inked, partiall printed, mis-folds, etc. were shipped to the post offices and sold. They are not scarce and not expensive. Paper shades exist.

Postal regulations state that when errors are found they are to not be sold and should be marked as not being as they should, and returned to the postal authorities so that the accounts will agree with what was sent to the P.O. and what the revenues earned were. The reality of the situation is that it is much easier to sell them to collectors than do the paperwork. That explains why there are so many errors available in the market. This envelope has a rubber stamp stating, “According to Post Office Manuel Volume (VI) – Rule 44 (3) this envelope is rejected Due to printing problem Deputy Post master General Pabna Division, Pabna – 6600”

Tk 2 Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities (Gallery)

29 July 1992 (Tk. 2 brown Jatiya Smriti Shoudha- Overprinted)

Design: Overprinted, brown Jatiya Smriti Shoudha (National Monument) of Savar.
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Bangladesh Government Press, Tejgaon
Size: 131 x 90 mm.
Comments: The previous envelope was overprinted in green and gray with the logo of Banglapex-92 and a slogan in Bengla that reads, “Join the National Philatelic Exhibition”.

A shift in gold around the runner image.

A different shift of the color around the runner image. Also, the color of the paper is different.

10 October 1993

Design: Tk. 2 grown on yellow, overprint in green. Jatiya Smriti Shoudha monument of Savar.
Designer: K G. Mustafa
Printer: Bangladesh Government Press, Teigaon
Size: 131 x 90 mm.
Comments: National Philatelic Week – 93 overprint done by the Postal Printing Press, Tongi.

Two images are of a double printing. The bottom is a close-up of the printing.

The above two envelopes have the message shifted to the left, with the bottom one a partial print (next envelope).

1 June 1994

Design: Tk. 2, green, embossed, Jatiya Smriti Shoudha (National Monument) of Savar. The image is somewhat a negative image of the previous envelope, wth the monument in white and the background green.
Designer:K.B. Mustafa
Printer: Bangladesh Security Printing Press, Gazipur
Size: 188 x 110 mm.
Comments: This issue is generally described as existing in two colors, Olive Green and Dark Green. The reverse of the envelope has printing on it for the name, address and postal code of the sender. Additionally it appears that the printing of the address code on the front and all the printing on the reverse is brown on many envelopes. This may be a combination of the color of paper used and the reaction of the green ink, although if that were the case it should affect the color of the stamps image, which it apparantly does not do. Due to poor quality control at the printing office thousands of envelopes were sold at the post offices with partial images, overinked, albino, angled printing, etc. They are not scarce and are not expensive. Paper shades and varieties exist

Tk 2 Envelope Errors, Freaks and Oddities (Gallery)

Date Unknown (Tk. 2 Green Jatiya Smriti Shoudha)

Design: Tk. 2, Green Jatiya Smriti Shoudha of Savar monument
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Bangladesh Security Printing Press, Gazipur
Size: 144 x 100
Comments: Double line slogan, “Two newly released services of the Bangladesh Post Office – Express Parcel Post and E-mail Post.

Date Unknown (Tk. 2 Green Jatiya Smriti Shoudha)

Design: Tk. 2, green Jatiya Smriti Shoudha of Savar monument
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Bangladesh Security Printing Press, Gazipur
Size: 144 x 100
Comments: Double line slogan with six digit post code box “Two newly released services of the Bangladesh Post Office – Express Parcel Post and E-mail Post.” At this point the Postal Code changed from four numbers to six, requiring a change to six boxes for the postal code. (Date Unknown – Six Boxes for Postal Code).

12 November 2002 (Tk.2 Jatiya Smriti Shoudha of Savar monument)

Unknown green marking on the left. It is not part of the design on the front.

Date Unknown

Design: Tk.2 Jatiya Smriti Shoudha of Savar monument
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Bangladesh Security Printing Press, Gazipur
Size: 144 x 100mm.
Comments: Eid Mubarak envelope with four small squares for the postal code. From this issue on, the Postal Code has gone back to being four numbers, requiring four boxes on the envelopes.

Date Unknown

Design: Tk.2 Jatiya Smriti Shoudha of Savar monument
Designer: K.G. Mustafa
Printer: Bangladesh Security Printing Press, Gazipur
Size: 144 x 100mm.
Comments: New value with single line slogan with four digit post code, “Taking and Giving of Dowery is a Punishable Offence”.

26 January 2009 (Tk. 3 green)

Design: Tk. 3, green Designer: K.G. Mustafa Printer: Bangladesh Security Printing Press, Gazipur Size: 144 x 100 Comments: New value with single line slogan, “Taking and Giving of Dowery is a Punishable Offense.”