The first Belgium stamps, issued for the purpose of raising money for charitable purposes, appeared in 1910. These are regular definitive and commemorative postage stamps, but they have a "value added tax" or "surtax" on them, designed to raise money for national organizations, public events, and public charities. Many of these stamps are inscribed with the Latin word "Caritas" or "Charity", and for the purposes of this category, they will be referred to as "Charity Stamps".
St. Martin of Tours Dividing His Cloak Painting (ca. 1618) by Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641)
The eight charity stamps shown above were issued June 1, 1910. They are actually two sets of four stamps, with each set being printed in a different format.
The stamps depict St. Martin of Tours Dividing his Cloak with Beggars, based on the painting by Anthony van Dyck, the world renown Flemish Baroque painter.
The 10 C. denominations were sold for 15 C. The other denominations were sold at double face-value. The surtax benefited the National Anti-Tuberculosis League.
1 C. (Scott #B1) - Gray.
2 C. (Scott #B2) - Purple Brown.
5 C. (Scott #B3) - Peacock Blue.
10 C. (Scott #B4) - Brown Red.
1 C. (Scott #B5) - Gray Green.
2 C. (Scott #B6) - Violet Brown.
5 C. (Scott #B7) - Peacock Blue.
10 C. (Scott #B8) - Carmine.
Martin of Tours(316-397) was the Bishop of Tours (371-397). He was born in Pannonia (Hungary), but he spent most of his childhood in Italy and most of his adult life in Gaul (France). He was conscripted, as a soldier, into the Roman Imperial army, but he found his duties incompatible with the Christian faith he had adopted, and he became an early "conscientious objector". He is best known for the account of having used his sword to cut his cloak in half, giving the other part to a beggar clad only in rags in the depth of winter. He is the patron saint of beggars and of soldiers, and today he is the patron saint of cities and towns across Europe. St. Martin is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church, and the Lutheran Church, placing him at an apex that few other Christian figures have achieved.
Sir Anthony van Dyck(1599-1641), born in Antwerp, was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court artist in England, after having enjoyed success in both Flanders and Italy. He is best known for his portraits of King Charles I. Along with his Dutch and Flemish contemporaries, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) and Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), he is considered one of the greatest artists of the Baroque Era.
The charity Belgium stamps of 1910 were re-issued on April 1, 1911 (Scott #B9-16). The re-issues are identical to the 1910 stamps, but they are overprinted "1911" at the upper right.
The 10 C. denominations were sold for 15 C. The other denominations
were sold at double face-value. The surtax benefited the National
Anti-Tuberculosis League.
The charity Belgium stamps of 1910 were again re-issued in June 1911 (Scott #B17-24). These re-issues are identical to the 1910 stamps, but they are overprinted "CHARLEROI / 1911" at the upper right.
Charleroi is a municipality of Wallonia in Southern Belgium. There was an International Economic Exposition held there in 1911. It is presumed that some of the proceeds from the sale of these charity stamps may have been used to fund the exposition.
The three charity Belgium stamps shown above were issued on October 3, 1914 (Scott #B25-27), and they all feature the portrait of King Albert I.
The stamps sold for double the face-value, and the proceeds went to the Red Cross.
The Scott catalog speculates that more than 90% of these stamps that are on the market are probably counterfeits. The prices in the catalog are for authenticated examples. A good rule-of-thumb for people buying unauthenticated examples ... DON'T PAY TOO MUCH FOR THEM!
The three charity Belgium stamps shown above were issued on October 3, 1914 (Scott #B28-30), and they all feature an allegorical depiction of Count Frederic de Merode.
The stamps sold for double the face-value, and the proceeds went to the Red Cross.
The
Scott catalog speculates that more than 90% of these stamps that are on
the market are probably counterfeits. The prices in the catalog are
for authenticated examples. A good rule-of-thumb for people buying
unauthenticated examples ... DON'T PAY TOO MUCH FOR THEM!
Count Merode (1792-1830), was a fighter for Belgian independence and one of the first casualties of the Belgian Revolution of 1830.
The three charity Belgium stamps shown above were issued on January 1, 1915 (Scott #B31-33), and they all feature the portrait of King Albert I.
Varieties exist in various perforation gauges, with some of them being quite expensive.
The stamps sold for double the face-value, and the proceeds went to the Red Cross.
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