Great Bitter Lake
Association
Peter Valdner (2017, updated)
There are already a few articles on the GBLA on this blog - Mail from Ships and warning against GBLA Imitations.
Now a few preliminary data from the book GBLA Encyclopaedia & Stamp Catalogue for the fellow ASFE collectors. So far I have identified following 83 names on GBLA stamps. The list is being updated.
1. Afr. Glen,
Djakbier GBLA
2. African Glen
3. African Glen
GBLA
4. African Glen
Yellow Fleet GBLA
5. Agalampus
6. Agalampus GBLA
7. Agalampus GBLYC
8. Agalampus Great Bitter Lake Association
9. Agalampus, Port
Invercargill
10.
Agapenor GBLA
11.
Agapenor,
Melampus
12. Agapenor, Melampus GBLA
13. B. Bierut GBLA
14. Bierut
15. Bierut GBLA
16. Bierut Melampus
17. Bol. Bierut, Djakarta
18. Boleslav Bierut GBLA
19. Djabiporst
20. Djabiporst Canal Maritime de Suez
21. Djabiporst GBLA
22. Djabiporst Suez Canal GBLA
23. Djabiporst Yellow Fleet GBLA
24. Djakarta
25. Djakarta GBLA
26. Djakarta Suez Canal
27. Djakarta SWJG
28. Djakbier GBLA
29. Djakbier, Muwinikies GBLA
30. Djakbier, Porstar GBLA
31. Djakbier, Portstar GBLA
32. Djakbiporst GBLA
33. GBL
34. GBLA
35. GBLFA
36. GBLYC
37. Great Bitter Lake
38. Great Bitter Lake Association Suez Canal
39. Killara GBLA
40. Killara, Nippon GBLA
41. Lednice
42. Lednice GBLA
43. Ledmelaga GBLA
44. Ledmelaga Yelow Fleet GBLA
45. Levsky GBLA
46. Melampus GBLA
47. Melpenor GBLA
48. Muewinikies GBLA
49. Munsterland
50. Munsterland GBLA
51. Munsterland, Nordwind GBLA
52. Muwiniki
53. Muwiniki GBLA
54. Muwinikies
55. Muwinikies GBLA
56. Muwinikies Norway
58. MWNKE GBLA
59. Neleus
60. Nippara GBLA
61. Nippon GBLA
62. Nordwind GBLA
63. Polish Oceanic Lines GBLA
64. Polskie Linie Oceanyczne GBLA
65. Port Invercargill
66. Port Invercargill GBLA
67. Portstar GBLA
68. Scottish Star GBLA
69. Scottish Star Great Bitter Lake GBLA
70. Sindh
71. Sindh Canal de Suez
72. Sindh Canal de Suez GBLA
73. Sindh GBLA
74. Suez
75. Suez GBLA
76. Suez Canal GBL
77. Suez Canal GBLA
78. V. Levsky GBLA
79. Vasil Levski GBLA
80. Vasil Levsky GBLA
81. Vasil Levsky Yellow Fleet GBLA
82. Vassil Levski GBLA
83. Yellow Fleet GBLA
Note that this list does not include the imitations by Dr. Zappala, nor stamps issued by Captain Hill on the Talhybius, which are of interest to ASFE collectors, too.
If you have any GBLA stamps with different inscriptions, let me know, please, to be added to the list.
Stamps were issued by crews of all fourteen trapped ships. They traveled first to the "GBLA Post Office" on the Nordwind, where the stamps and covers were cacheted, then to the port on the Lake bank. From there, they were transported to "official" post offices, mostly in Egypt.
If you collect covers, you can collect ASFE not only by a name on stamps, but also according the ship or ship group where the stamp was produced. Identification can be difficult, you will have to consult the catalogue. Another good option is collecting according to ships where the items were mailed from to the Nordwind. Either the cachet Mailed on Board or the sender could indicate it.
Stamps will be shown in the Catalogue. I would like to show them all in color. Next picture illustrates the difference between a black&white and color picture .
If you have any GBLA stamps in your collection, I would like to ask you to contact me to discuss providing scans. There is a chance you have some stamps which I have not listed, yet.
GBLA is represented only once in the 780 ASFE list, otherwise the list would get too complicated for practical collecting. I have also several lists of local stamps, which refer to the main list. Each ASFE collector can choose himself which stamps to collect, but at least a few GBLA stamps should not be missing.
Sources: Internet a archív autora
Sources: Internet a archív autora
Contact tot the author: valdpete@yahoo.com
