New GBLA Catalogue and Encyclopaedia
Peter Valdner (2026)
The first two editions of this book were intended primarily for collectors of ASFE and members of the GBLA. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all GBLA members and many GBLA collectors have now passed away. This has brought many stamps and documents that had previously remained hidden onto the market. While the previous editions of the book were based on the recollections of GBLA members, the current edition refines or corrects them. The third edition documents postal operations in detail and also presents changes arising from the available documentation.
The most important change is the confirmation that GBLA stamps were indeed used for postal purposes without restrictions. Therefore, this book is aimed at both dedicated philatelists and hobbyist GBLA stamp collectors.
Even if you already own one of the previous editions, this book will additionally tell you:
Who initiated the establishment of the GBLA
On what occasion the GBLA was established
Who came up with the idea of issuing GBLA stamps
What the correspondence from the UPU looked like
What was the real name of “Jack Rodriguez” and when he commanded the MS African Glen
What was the real name of Captain “Louis Bayer”
Captain Šlechta’s full name
When George Brown visited the GBLA
What the “church” programme consisted of
Who served as the “preacher”
What the GBLA’s regular weekly programme was
The advantages and disadvantages of staying on the GBL
The additional pay received by seafarers for staying on the GBL
What the results sheet of the football competitions looked like
Why the Czechoslovak flag was flown upside down during the GBLA Olympics
Which ships did not organise the main monthly regattas, and why
On which ship bowls was played
Which is the best-known GBLA collection and what happened to it
The postal rates of the Egyptian Post
Why sailors used Egyptian stamps and how they obtained them
When the refrigerators on refrigerated cargo ships were switched off and what happened to the cargo
Which other books and documentary films cover the GBLA
The deadweight tonnage (DWT) of each ship
Which ships left the GBL under their own power
What ammunition the Agapenor was carrying and what happened to it
When the Ledmelaga broke free from its anchors
How the British ships left the GBL and who commanded them
Who commanded the American ship African Glen in June 1967
How old the only woman among the crews on the GBL was
How old the Swedish captains were
Where and when the Khofo dredger was built
What Robert Hornby looked like in a contemporary photograph
When the “church” was held for the last time
The total number of days taken by the voyages of the MS Munsterland and the MS Nordwind
How many mailbags the Nordwind carried from Pakistan
What printing process Roman Kluža used to produce stamps
How the mail-order trade in GBLA stamps operated
Why Dr Zappala sent stamps to the GBL
What counterfeit GBLA stamps and cancellations look like
The name of the ship that towed the MS Lednice to Rijeka
The names of the ships that cleared the Suez Canal
Why PCU = GBP
How much it cost to deliver mail from the mainland to the ships
Which captain received the highest French military decoration and for what
Which foreign captain is buried at Brookwood Cemetery (Necropolis) in London
What the GBLA beer mats looked like
Who produced GBLA stamps using photographic techniques
Who produced the Djakbiporst stamp series
Who produced several GBLA cancellations, including both Djabiporst cancellations
Why Hector Thompson suddenly stopped producing stamps
What Dr Zappala’s postcards looked like and what they are worth
What Dr Zappala’s printing waste looked like
What Captain Hill’s stamp printing sheets looked like
Who coloured GBLA stamps aboard foreign ships
Why some stamps bore the name Muewinikies
Which was the only joint stamp issue produced by several ships
Who drew the joint issue
What Captain Twarowski created and who reported on it
The hierarchy of values assigned to GBLA philatelic collectibles
How many letters Captains Hill, Fischer and von der Mehden sent to collectors
Who sent large-format envelopes containing dozens of stamps
Why Marian Kasprzyk produced only thirteen ship linocuts
Stamp and cover prices between 2021 and 2026
How many stamps, printing sheets and covers have survived to the present day
And, of course, the book includes updated catalogue values and many added encyclopedic data.
