Add this Jordan souvenir sheet to your collection

Tip of the Week — By Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan lies on the east bank of the Jordan River bordered by Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria. In biblical times it, comprised the kingdoms of Moab and Edom.

Formerly a province of the Ottoman Empire, it was administered by Great Britain as a League of Nations mandate territory known as Trans-Jordan after World War I. It became an independent kingdom in 1946.

There is a small cadre of Jordan collectors in the United States and a much larger group in the United Kingdom. Some of Jordan’s issues are also of interest to topical and classic stamp collectors.

On Sept. 14, 1966, Jordan issued as set of 14 Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa stamps (Scott 531-531M) and an imperforate souvenir sheet of one 100-fils stamp (531N). The stamps are readily available, but the souvenir sheet is harder to find.

The stamp in the souvenir sheet depicts Jesus being questioned by Pontius Pilate who is about to wash his hands and send Jesus to the Cross. Pilate, the fifth prefect of the Roman province of Judea, was in office from 26 to 36 A.D.

In addition to being popular with collectors of religion on stamps because it is a rare depiction of a Roman prefect, this souvenir sheet is also in demand by Old World archeology and Roman Empire topical collectors.

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The 2018 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue values the souvenir sheet at $30 in mint never-hinged condition and $27.50 in used condition with both values in italics. The souvenir sheet is a good buy in mint-never hinged condition in the $30-to-$35 price range.