Origin of GBLA Collections
Hundreds of Great Bitter Lake Association stamps (even complete sheets), covers (sent from the GBL, delivered to the GBL and uncirculated souvenir ones) and other ephemera from the GBLA, such as programs, greetings and the like can be found in the leading collections of the Great Bitter Lake Association today. Just how did these collections originate?
Many collections were originally gathered by sailors during their service on ships on the GBL. They simply bought stamps from their creators, later received some as part of their GBLA membership. They added envelopes from relatives and, after they returned home, included the envelopes sent to them. More than 1,000 collections could have been created in this way. Mostly small, many of which are still owned forgotten by relatives, deteriorating by humidity and/or light.
I estimate that about 100 important collections were created, too. They were gathered by stamp producers as Marian Kasprzyk, masters of ships as Captains Benda of MS Lednice and Hill of MS Agalampus, sailors serving several tours of duty, as well as initiative collectors from the ranks of sailors.
The best known collection was formed by Graham Botterill, the Mate of Port Invercargill. Nicknamed Mush, he was the organizer of GBLA football tournaments and as you can see above, the best scorer. He was even honored by a set of GBLA stamps.
A part of his collection, which included incoming covers (they rarely survived), was exhibited at Sheffield 2011. After he passed away in January 2014, his exhibit was auctioned for 3.400 CHF (+ca. 20% commission + 7% VAT), even though the opening bid was as low as 1.000 CHF, as the GBLA Catalogue was not available, yet, and the auction was not online. If it had opened at say 3.000 CHF, the result would have been considerably higher, but even the real result would give a recalculated five-digit price today.
The second way GBLA collections originated was unique. When the world press reported on the stamp issues by Captain Kudrna in October 1967, thousands of collectors from all over the world turned to GBLA members with requests for stamps. Many have succeeded. If they had the luck and patience to write for full eight years, they could have created rather extensive collections. However, unlike the collections of sailors, they contain only stamps and covers, outgoing from the GBL. There could be another thousand such collections, but they are not forgotten. They circulate among collectors, gradually merge into large collections and split again over time. An example is the collection of Dr. Zappala from Catania, Italy.
This enterprising Italian
not only sent requests for stamps to GBLA, but had thousands printed himself
and sent some of them, in 1968-71, to the GBL, asking captains to use them on covers and send dozens back to him. Many did.
If he had known when to stop, he could have become a GBLA collecting legend.
1968
1971
Unfortunately, encouraged by success, he continued to print his imitations
also after summer 1971, sending them to fictitious addresses, from where they were
returned to him. They can be seen any many GBLA collections.
This is how he became a pariah from a hero. Many GBLA collectors don't know this, even though they might have read it in the GBLA Encyclopaedia & Stamp Catalogue, and drop relatively big bucks on such imitations, though their value is much lower. The covers shown below fetched about 100 USD each. For this sum, even genuine GBLA covers can be usually purchased.
Hopefully, the buyers will finally learn a lesson from this blog. Anyway, we can admire his ingenuity and steadfastness.
Even in 1978, he was still in contact with Captain Hill, author of the first book on GBLA stamps. Collectors used to describe their collections according to it for fifty years.
It is an interesting reading even today, though collections are formed and described according to much more detailed GBLA Encyclopaedia & Stamp Catalogue, now. It lists and shows in colour three times more stamps.
Sources: Internet and files of the author
Contact to the author: valdpete@yahoo.com
