FAROUK’S FALL

Press, Volume C, Issue 29620, 16 September 1961, Page 8

FAROUK’S FALL

[By KEN ANTHONY] CELDC M can royal pride have had so swift a fall as in the story told by this Egyptian stamp. In January, 1952. King Farouk of Egypt had ambitions to take over the Sudan, which was under joint Anglo-Egyptian control. For propaganda purposes he ordered that a whole series of Egyptian stamps bearing his portrait should be overprinted “King of Egypt and the Sudan.” This is the Arabic inscription which can be seen across the lower part of the stamp illustrated. But the inscription proved to be no

more than a fit of excessive optimism, and the Sudan in due course achieved inde. pendence. Moreover, within six months of the stamps’ appearance, Farouk was king of neither country. The stamps continued to be used in Egypt for some time after the revolution had forced Farouk to abdicate. But in,Abril, 1953, a republic was about to be proclaimed and something obviously had to be done about the stamps. So they were given an overprint of black bars to blot out the royal portrait.

A decree was issued de. claring that stamps without bars were no longer valid for postage and people holding them were told to return them to the post office in exchange for the “barred” variety. The stocks handed in were run through the presses and emerged with Farouk duly obiterated.

Practically all the stamps in the “barred” series—2s different ones altogetherhave been found with the bars applied twice. But these were not really errors. It was the usual practice to put the stami.is through the press a second time when it was considered that the first application had not fully wiped out the offending monarch’s face.—-'Cen-tral Press Features. All Rights Reserved.)