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Caerdroia Cinderellas (by Nigel Keegan)

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Post Options Post Options   Quote Admin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Caerdroia Cinderellas (by Nigel Keegan)
    Posted: 21 November 2014 at 04:02
Hi, after a titanic technological struggle and much help from people brighter than me I’ve finally managed to put together some information about this most attractive and interesting issue.

I’ve used the words of Jeff Seward who runs the project as after all he is the expert.following that are a few examples of the catalogue descriptions and some photos of some of the stamps I have in my collection. He has also kindly sent me the complete catalogue with some fine illustrations of their various issues, if you would like one then please PM me with your email address and I’ll send it to you.

Jeff has asked me to point out that he doesn’t have any for sale at the moment but is considering another issue possibly commemorating an anniversary of the project.


Nigel Keegan




                                                 Caerdroia Cinderellas

The Caerdroia Project was founded in March 1980, to co-ordinate research into the history of mazes and labyrinths, indeed, this work continues to this day under the mantle of Labyrinthos, although the Project as such is now defunct. Since its founding, the Project, and more recently Labyrinthos, has produced its journal, Caerdroia, and from 1980 until the mid-1990's also produced an extensive series of labyrinthine adhesive labels which were attached to outgoing mail and journals posted from Caerdroia headquarters. Many, but by no means all, of the labels depicted mazes and labyrinths, and often the designs were adapted from the covers of issues of Caerdroia.

Produced back in the days before scanners and inkjet printers, the production was mostly by paste-up and photocopy techniques, and over the years a number of different cancellers were used to tie them to envelopes and various overprints and special covers were issued. They proved a useful adjunct to operations over the years, and while the labels were technically advertising labels, they also acted as an inexpensive means of personalising envelopes and as recognition for the Caerdroia Mail Service, namely the long hours spent answering enquiries and questions, and the frequent trips to the post office that entailed!

These decorative labels produced by Caerdroia soon attracted the attention of the philatelic world, especially those interested in what are known as "Cinderella Issues" - unofficial stamps and advertising labels, etc. The Cinderella's of the Caerdroia Project were first mentioned in The Stamp Magazine, July edition, 1981, (p.74-5), in The Cinderella Philatelist vol.21 pp61-2 (July 1981) and an example of our labels appeared as the free gift in The Cinderella Philatelist vol.26 p49 (July 1986). Subsequently, several updates appeared in the British Private Post Study Group Newsletter, most recently in issue 73 (October 1996).

Although no new labels have been issued since 1993, examples of the final 26th sheet are still occasionally used on mail, and an overprinted version of this sheet was produced in 2005 to mark the 25th anniversary of the publication of Caerdroia, although the advent of email has now all but replaced old-fashioned letter writing!

For the benefit of those interested in these matters, below is a complete listing of all the Cinderella labels issued by Caerdroia between 1980 and 2005.
Jeff Saward, Labyrinthos, November 2014.




To learn more about mazes and labyrinths, the work of Labyrinthos and Caerdroia – the Journal of Mazes & Labyrinths, visit our website: www.labyrinthos.net

Sheet 4: July 23, 1980. Two designs, both 5lf, 'Annwn' & 'Yns Witrin' (56.5 x 49mm). Two labels surrounded by decorative border, two versions of border, but labels from both sheets identical, ten of each issued, black on white ungummed.






Sheet 12: September 23, 1981. Fayum - Egyptian Labyrinth visit special, 25lf (67 x 67mm) depicting design of the Labyrinth temple. Black on yellow gummed paper, 8 to a sheet, 8 sheets printed. 25 stamps were used on special envelopes posted at Fayum, Egypt.









Sheet 17: May 27, 1983. "Caerdroia Project Mail 1983", six designs - 12, 16 & 17, ancient coins from Knossos with labyrinth designs; 17, Tragliatella Vase; 17, Shoemaker's Maze; 49, Val Camonica labyrinth carving (all 40 x 40mm). 24 to a sheet, black on yellow gummed (10 sheets), black on white gummed (40 sheets).





Sheet 19: 1985. "Caerdroia Project Mail 1985" single design - Cranes in flight past Mt.Fuji, 18lf value. Six different printings of this issue exist, details as follows:
19a - brown on dull white gummed paper (34 x 48mm), January 19, 1985. 19b - brown on gloss white gummed paper (35 x 49mm), March 16, 1985. 19c - blue on gloss white gummed paper (35 x 49mm), March 16, 1985. 19d - brown on dull white gummed paper (36 x 51mm), April 25, 1985. 19e - blue on dull white gummed paper (36 x 51mm), April 25, 1985. 19f - brown on buff gummed paper (35 x 49mm), September 11, 1985. All are printed 25 to a sheet except printings d & e, which were 16 to a sheet in blocks of four with an attached address label.




Sheet 22: August 24, 1987. "Caerdroia Project Mail 1987", two designs (both 45 x 36mm) Old Oraibi Labyrinth & Pima Basket, 19lf. Blue on white gummed paper, 10 sheets; blue on white self-adhesive paper and thus imperf, 5 sheets; blue on yellow self-adhesive, 5 sheets; blue on orange self-adhesive, 3 sheets; 15 to a sheet. A number of self-adhesives used on postcards from Old Oraibi, New Mexico, September 1987. 22a -as above but 55 x 46mm, blue on white gummed paper, 5 sheets, used on parcels.

Sheet 25: March 14, 1990. "Labyrinth '91", issued to advertise the Labyrinth'91 conference, one design (66 x 44mm), Daedalus & Icarus escape the labyrinth, 16 to a sheet; black on buff self-adhesive paper, 10 sheets; black on yellow self-adhesive, 5 sheets. 25a - 22-5-90, as above but 44 x 29mm and 32 to a sheet, red on white gummed paper (rouletted), 5 sheets; blue on white gummed paper, 30 sheets.


25b - 10-7-90, as above but perforated, 16 to a sheet (47 x 31mm) blue on white gummed & green on white gummed paper, 25 sheets of each; black on white gummed paper, 10 sheets.




Sheet 26: January 11, 1993. "Caerdroia Post", one design (46 x 30mm) labyrinth coin from Knossos, 36 to a sheet. Four colours: red, blue, green & brown, all printed on gloss white gummed paper, 120 sheets of each.











I began this forum as a place to discuss and share ALL cinderella stamps. It is my first forum and is not perfect BUT I will endeavour to make it the best available.

Any positive help appreciated!
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Steve Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 November 2014 at 07:54
A nice write up Nigel, and its good to see a collection posted up here.
Have you done this with exhibiting in mind?
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Keegan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 November 2014 at 04:48
Hi Steve,
Appreciate your kind words and it's lovely to be able to share some of my collection. I've long admired the quality and craft of my fellow forum members and it's satisfying to be able to show the creative amongst you some other efforts of a similar high standard. My inability to upload photos to the forum has been a long running frustration for me but Colin was most patient and helpful (by doing ALL the hard stuff)
It would be nice to show my collection to interested people but opportunities are scarce, my kids think I'm mental, I have very busy weekends and I live 130 miles from London which is when and where any cinderella activity occurs. God I sound like a grumpy old man!
Anyway, please enjoy it for what it is and keep your eyes open for any of these for me please.
I'd love to be able to put a complete set together - but what then?
 
 
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