The renown Romanian (Moldavian) coat of arms stamps issued in 1858 belong to the jewels of the world philately. Hand stamped in very small quantities, they were already collected by the greatest stamps collectors of the past, like by Count Ferrari and by Burrus. They display the head of a (probably mythical) animal named Bour and for this reasons they are know in Romanian under the name of Capete de Bour. This animal is the symbol of Moldova (Moldavia) and his head appears also on later Romanian stamps, because Moldova became later a province of Romania. The newer Republic of Moldova has also good reasons to consider these stamps as its first stamps. The English translation of the name of these stamps is Bull's Heads.

http://www.values.ch/Countries/Romania/FirstStamps/classics....
http://www.romaniastamps.com/
http://www.sandafayre.com/gallery/country_318_1.htm
http://home.no.net/bhb1/ro-f09e.htm

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs 34 mins (2004-06-03 15:00:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Pt. http://www.romaniastamps.com/ : mergeti la \"Special Catalogue\" si apasati primul link din stanga sus.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs 45 mins (2004-06-03 15:11:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://catalogue.klaseboer.com/vol2/html/ruman.htm

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 5 hrs 22 mins (2004-06-04 17:48:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

ALTE EXEMPLE:
http://www.askphil.org/Monaco/Mon027.htm
The first stamps issued for Rumania were the famous Mo[l]davian \"Bulls\" issued in very limited numbers and very few surviving today.

http://www.stampdomain.com/country/romania/display.htm
The first stamps of Moldavia, the \"Bull Heads\", were issued on 21 July 1858

The Bull\'s Heads of Moldavia 1852-1862, by Fritz Heimbchler, 1995, 418pp
the result of 30 years research by the leading expert in this subject. Covers the prestamp period, exhaustive study of the two issues of \"Bull\'s Heads\", and postal markings of the period


FEDERATIA FILATELICA ROMANA
http://www.federatia-filatelica.ro/index-eng.htm
A sheet of \"Bull Heads\" stamps, 40 PAR, blue, cancellation by hand on white paper.
- A letter with three round \"Bull Heads\" stamps issue of 1858, July, 15, 108 PAR, blue on pale pink paper, canceled with red postal mark Jassy-Moldova and addressed to Galatzi: another letter of the same correspondence with 4 stamps \"Bull Heads\", first issue, as follows: 2 stamps of 27 PAR black on pink, one of 54 PAR, blue on greenish and one of 108 PAR, blue on pale pink canceled by round red \"Jassy-Moldova\" postal mark.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 19 hrs 30 mins (2004-06-05 07:56:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Despre \"AUROCHS HEAD\"
In contextul timbrelor \"Cap de Bour\" eu am gasit o singura pagina cu \"aurochs head\",la amabasada Romaniei din Danemarca: http://www.romanianembassy.dk/romania/transport.html (...the renowned series “Aurochs Head”, some of which are today of inestimable value in the philatelists’ world.) Nu mi se pare entuziasmant...
Nu stiu in ce masura putem schimba \"bull\'s head\" in \"aurochs head\"... In fond, ar insemna sa renuntam la o traditie de 140 de ani :-)

As lasa, totusi, "Cap de Bour", eventual cu traducerea in paranteza.
Asta pentru ca este consacrat ca un nume propriu si probabil cunoscut ca atare de filatelistii din toata lumea.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 days (2004-06-09 13:19:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Uite inca o informatie care pledeaza pentru \"Bison\'s Head\". Chestia cu Bull ma duce cu gandul la, scuze, altceva...

\"The old medieval principality of Moldavia had a red military flag with a bison\'s (not ox\'s, as you think) head in the center. The bison is a symbol of Moldova and as old chronicles said means \"power, independence and pride\". This head you can see on our coat of arms. The three colors of Romanian and Moldavian flags were proposed in 1848 and represented three part of Romania:

Red - Moldavia,
Blue - Oltenia (east Wallachia)
Yellow - Muntenia (west Wallachia)\"

Informatie preluata de pe http://www.flags-by-swi.com/fotw/flags/md.html.

Take a pick!


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 days (2004-06-09 13:28:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"The bison\'s head, star, rose, and crescent are traditional symbols of Moldavia. The colours are based on the Romanian flag. Effective date 3 November 1990.
(Image © epsflags.com)\"
Preluat de pe http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/countryfact...