British success at Efiro 2008

Grand Prix National awarded to British collector

The international stamp exhibition, Efiro 2008, was held in Bucharest, Romania, on June 20 to 27. Staged in spacious halls just outside the capital, the event marked the 150^th anniversary of the first Romanian stamp, and was the first such exhibition held in Romania for some years. Organised mainly by the Romanian Post Office, it was a tribute to their careful planning and efficiency. The disappointment was that the number of ‘local’ visitors was low, perhaps because the economic situation in the country is not conducive to collecting.

Those who did visit were particularly attracted to three exhibits from the United Kingdom. In the Court of Honour was material from The Royal Philatelic Collection, and the Cape of Good Hope ‘Woodblock’ error of colour kindly loaned by Joseph Hackmey, while the exhibit of Classical Romania, also by Joseph Hackmey in the competitive exhibits, also drew much attention.

There was a total of 25 entries from British collectors, with Joseph Hackmey’s exhibit winning the prestigious Grand Prix National. Another British exhibitor, Alan Holyoake, was a candidate for the Grand Prix International, but sadly, in the secret ballot by the members of the Jury, did not win this award.

The results of the British exhibits are as follows:

Grand Prix National and Large Gold medal:

Joseph Hackmey (Classical Romania)

Large Gold medals:

Christopher Harman (Great Britain Revenue Duties from 1694 to the Great Reform of 1853)

Alan Holyoake (The Development and Usage of the Mulready envelope and letter sheet stationery) – also candidate for the Grand Prix International

Alan Huggins (Great Britain postal stationery stamped to order issues 1855-1901)

Brian Trotter (The King’s Head Postal Stationery of South Africa to 1920)

Gold medals:

Alan Anyon (Colombia Revenue Documents and Stamps)

Paul Hirsch (Romania and Moldavia)

Birthe King (Denmark: Conscience, Conflict and Camps 1932-1949)

Greg Todd (Postal stationery of North Korea 1947-1958)

Arthur Woo (Guatemala Revenue stamps)

Large Vermeil medals:

Patrick Campbell (Panama Mail to UPU)

Kenneth Clark (Japanese Military Mail of Korea 1894-1910)

John Dahl (Revenues of Macau from 1879)

Michael Fulford (Postal history of Smyrna, Turkey)

Christopher King (Slesvig: From Danish Duchy to Prussian Province 1615-1872)

John Miller McGrath (Glasgow – Aspects of its Postal History to the end of the 19^th century)

Hans Smith (The Austrian Post in the Balkans)

David Stirrups (To Portugal from UK. Rates on Maritime Mail by British Packets 1810 to 1859)

Vermeil medals:

Clive Akerman (The Revenue Stamps of Peru) – Literature

Kenneth Clark (Prisoners of the Russo-Japanese War)

Brian Hymer (Zeppelin Contract Mail 1932)

William Robertson (Turkey by Air)

Melvin Tillman (Transatlantic Mail – South America to Europe to 1880)

Large silver medals:

Jan Simons (Roman Lettering Postmarks of Japanese Post Offices in Manchuria)

Peter Wood (Irish Life)