"Dunes"

The "Trucial states"...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunes_(stamps)

A friend of mine collects them. His collection is stocked in two or three big binders, with self made pages. I've never seen something similar. I don't know if complete or not, but it's quite difficult that someone have the few stamps he's missing over the thousands produced...
About postal usage, he has some letters sent by the producers franked just with those stamps. Letters containing price lists, commercial proposals (all of course related to their stamps).
It's nice to see such a collection, but i don't feel to begin collecting them...

Many such stamps had some educational value for the young collectors.
"I'm speaking for a friend".

Whetting the appetite for general culture, before the Internet Age.

Many of them are miniature artwork. Beautiful graphic design, commissioned outside the Trucial States.

People, please don't hate them blindly! Be reasonable, and look beyond the commercial intent of them.

Yup!

There are some great stamps available from the region and for the thematic collector, some of these issues may depict that rare image of a specific mushroom type, Royal figures (Habsburg Dunes) or even penguin species ;-)

Review your topic's checklist, but I would encourage individuals to add items with caution, the commercial interest or value often is limited and you may just find your heirs selling them for 10¢ stamp at the end of the drive...

Steiner has some pages for these issues. The issues were usually jumbo size so certain designs (like paintings) really showed off the design.

Second half 

Facing the 1971-73 period, the most controversial one, some aspects are evident: the differences in the number of issues from the various emirates, the repetitiveness of the same and the multiplication of "accessory elements" such as mini-sheets.
To a great extent they can be considered expected, given the confusion and forcing of the contracts, but when the number of pieces considered increases it becomes evident that some of these cannot be contemporary.
Putting a bit of curiosity and a dose of experience into the service of these battered stamps, we first come to understand that (at least for Ajman and Umm al Qiwain) there are probably two main moments in the early 70s, which I call "first release" and "massive press", followed by at least two further waves, around the 90s and after 2005.
Even today, huge quantities of this material are placed on the market and through various passages they arrive above all in the collections of those who love themes.
How to call them? Illegal reprints? Fake of stamps that were already dubious at the outset? We could play on the definitions but the substance is the same. On the one hand it is necessary to think that the fake does not require high values ​​to be productive, on the other hand that there are spaces to refine one's experience at minimal cost.
There are many themes on the pitch, now I'd like to hear your voices. 

Hi vikingeck


You touched several important aspects.
Like many people I have known these colorful pieces of paper when I was a boy, I remember that I always found 4 or 5 pieces when I went to buy a new binder.
Then the curiosity was to discover the place of origin (in the atlases, at best, you found the mysterious "Trucial States" and "internet" meant what you found in the public library). The passion for history and geography certainly helped to get me a fairly clear idea right away.
Of course, there has always been a kind of snobbery on the part of the "serious" collector and even today I often hear myself defined as "that of the sheets"  (only to be silent when perhaps we go talking about, i.e., the plating of Victorian series ).
I believe I have always kept an open attitude considering them for what they were: a tool for acquiring valuable foreign currency, used extensively by an infinite number of countries that came out of the colonial period with the resources plundered and the coffers empty.
In this they are certainly no different from the productions of other well-known and collected countries.
I believe that an important obstacle for many is the printed cancellation, but after all, what real difference is there with the matrix cancellations of so many other nations?
Another objection consists in the illustrated themes, certainly not very relevant to the places of origin, but again I could say "how would you define those who try to produce something to sell and do not care what the tastes of their customers are?".
The clientele was of course the European and North American market and therefore ...
Many consider these issues as the only production of that area, without considering that instead there are "real" series and issues that can easily compete in rarity with many important pieces in our collections.
In short, it is always necessary to know what we are talking about.
The thing that I struggle to understand (but here we enter the field of variety hunters, real or presumed) is the people who get to spend even $ 20/30 for material that I see selling at $ 2 for 50 pieces. I understand desire but when it happens I find myself shaking my head. 

I am sure it was because of the large Christian population in the region (grin) but could see cases where areas once controlled by Western countries like Britain.  But then the areas also must have had an interest in winter skiing too given all the Winter Olympics stamps.

now what's the fun in that?  

renden my rule of thumb to establish legitimacy of stamp like pieces of paper is, can they be found postally used on a cover. I realize that my thumb may well be narrower than most

adamgarfinkle , I too have enjoyed the discussion and reading the various thoughts on the topic :-)


Send me a private message or an email and we can certainly discuss further...


Happy collecting!

Well, different reactions and I could say all quite predictable. 

I will try to propose some reflections and, later, to answer some questions that have arisen.

First of all: what do you mean by "dunes"? I have the idea that, some more and some less, everyone means by this definition the entire production of the "emirates" (let's call them that).
This is nonsense.
We can use that term (perhaps even in a derogatory way) only for a certain number of issues between 1971 and 1973. Before those dates there is no reason to do so.
They were countries fully entitled to issue postal values. You may not like the subjects, you may not like the quantities, but they are in effect stamps.
Has anyone ever bothered to question the use of overprinted British postage stamps in the pre-1963 period? Has anyone ever objected to the fact that they were senseless productions because "there were only camels" over there? I do not think.
Has anyone contested the UAE emissions or their legitimacy? I do not think.
Has anyone ever complained that some British colony, little more than a rock in the ocean, has issued (via the London GPO) series after series up to the pound? No, on the contrary, everyone to collect them, beautiful and MNH, paying nice pennies.
Of course, other graphics, other appeal, but the substance does not change.
I think a moment of reflection is necessary if you do not want to fall into banality.

Second point.

It has been said (and I agree) that we can consider them stamps if we see them traveled on envelopes. Good. 

But how many of those who say it have spent more than 3 minutes looking for them?

The envelopes exist, even for the strangest or "absurd" issues such as those in gold foil (or any other metal that is).
There are certainly, and are often found, envelopes sent to the publishers of the catalogs, to the philatelic magazines, to the specialized newspapers, typically containing the issue bulletins. How do you think the information got into the catalogs?
There are commercial envelopes, even if with certainly less conspicuous postage, from banks, offices abroad, commercial branches, importers ...
There are envelopes sent to private individuals, typically for subscriptions (yes, there was also the subscription service) and regularly traveled with regular arrival cancellation.

Let's talk about the volumes of the USPS? Of course not ...

But how many non-philatelic, unofficial, unprovoked envelopes have you seen from S. Helene? And how many from Tony to Andy INTO S.Helene territory? 

Here are in the photo a couple of envelopes sent and received in Italy to a person who had subscribed. There are several others and if necessary there is no problem posting the back. Just one example.
Again I wonder if we stop long enough to look for what we comment on or if we are often prey to clichés. 

PS. I hope my bad translator-helped  English is not too poor not to let my thoughts understand, misunderstanding is always around the corner. 

Great posted envelopes, our Italian collaborator - Do you write a book or maybe for a newspaper (Editor ??)
Interesting as I said. The "substance" of these stamps are in the "eyes of the person" !!

René

keep sharing, btw = acronym (I hate them) for by the way !! If you are more "objective" (less subjective and questioning our writings) you will help this Forum by presenting facts on the subject of this thread "Dunes" !!

You seem not to stop (writing etc) while I write so I will give you more time to reflect and see if our members like it !!