I find that CB1, CB2, CB3 and CB4 were surcharged for the Red Cross. Above this listing is reference to many other issues that i'm lost in the translation of what it is directing me to. I've some records that show the B12 to B16 and B17 to 22 are also surcharged for Red Cross. Anyone have these issues to confirm that they were surcharged for this.
From my 1934 Yvert & Tellier catalog: CB1 to 4 were overprinted in 1924 for the "War Orphans". The overprint were also applied to a number of other stamps. I have only the Y&T number: Y&T 212 to 226. I can send you pictures if you want.
Not Red Cross... In the Scott catalog, the four overprint designs on CB1-CB4 are the same as found on the semi-postal issues (see B1-B26).
The stamps that are Scott CB1-CB4 are listed in Michel #237-240 as surcharged for Kriegswaisen (War Orphans). Other semi-postal issues were indicated as surcharged for Kriegsinvaliden (War Wounded).
I did not find any semi-postal issues from Lithuania that were issued for the Red Cross, in spite of what Scott says.
This useful list gives the Michel and corresponding Scott numbers. You can click on any of the numbers to see the stamps. There is certainly no mention of the Red Cross.
My 1954-55 edition of Sanabria's Air Post Catalogue lists the four air post semi-postal stamps as #36-39. The listing reads, in part:
"1924, Mar. 2. WAR ORPHANS FUND. For benefit of Red Cross."
This suggests, to me, that the Lithuanian Red Cross (established in January 1919) was in some way involved in the distribution of benefits funded by this issue to war orphans.
By the final edition of the Sanabria catalog in 1966, the listing no longer references the "For benefit of Red Cross" notation.
During WWII, after the Fascist German attack on Poland in September 1939, The Republic of Lithuania received in excess of 18,000 refugees from Poland on December 2, 1939, according to data from the Red Cross of Lithuania.
A number of issues related with the newcomers had to be dealt with: safety and security, registration, accommodation, food provision, assignment of grants, provision of medical aid and assistance to orphans, education, etc.
These semi-postal issues were issued beginning from 1924-1926. So, if these were issued to fund the Red Cross of Lithuania, I would expect that a similar situation may have existed following WWI. However, I do not have any information to that affect. It might be that these semi-postals were issued to provide for the costs that the government itself would incur to undertake the assistance efforts during that period of time.
The truth is within and only you can reveal it 13 Dec 2016 12:56:59am
re: Lithuania overprints and surcharges
As per Scott the first two pages are the first semi postals from Lithuania, b1-41. The last page are Airpost semi postal CB1-4. These are rather difficult to find and show up only occasionally. I bid on a couple lots last weekend that had several I needed but was outbid.