Young Pioneers — monetary reform surcharges

On 28 January 1952 the Romanian People's Republic deflated its currency overnight: existing money lost its validity without a transition period, and the post office was left with stocks of stamps denominated in the old lei. A limited selection was urgently surcharged in the new bani, and four of those provisionals fall inside the Scout / Pioneer theme. Domfil lists them in its 1952 «Serie basica / Basic set» block under the issue date 28/01, as 952.38, 952.39, 952.40 and 952.53.

The first three are surcharges of 55 bani on the first-anniversary Young Pioneers set of 1950: 55 b on 8 lei blue, the bugle design by Pavlin Nazarie, surcharged in red (Domfil 952.38 / Michel RO 1332 / Scott RO 841A); 55 b on 11 lei violet-red, the learning design by Angela Rosenblum, surcharged in red (952.39 / Michel RO 1333 / Scott RO 841B); and 55 b on 31 lei vermilion, the march-past design by Nicolae Popescu, surcharged in black (952.40 / Michel RO 1334 / Scott RO 841C). The fourth takes the 35 lei orange award design by Ion Dumitrana from the second-anniversary set of 1951 and surcharges it 55 bani in black (952.53 / Michel RO 1347 / Scott RO 853). All four keep the original photogravure printing from Fabrica de Timbre, Bucharest, comb 14½ × 14.

Quantities issued were small — 98,500, 84,300, 94,800 and 182,450 respectively — because the reform had emptied pockets at exactly the moment the provisionals went on sale, collectors included. Romania's first commemorative set free of surcharges did not appear until 16 February 1952, and the first unsurcharged definitives only in May 1953, which makes this short bani-surcharged run the bridge between the two Pioneer anniversary issues already in the catalogue. The four pieces are ordered here by the face value of the underlying stamp.