Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i Stamp Collector

1 If You want to learn how the stamp trade works, please read on… When I was 15, I did. I wondered if there was some secret source of supply? So, I bought my 1st stamp mixture, (wholesale I thought), broke it into 50 smaller units, advertised it in Stamp Magazine ‘Classifieds’, and waited for the orders to roll in… I’m still waiting, 51 years later!… Wrong Offer Wrong Price Wrong Place (naïve seller) me but I was only 15 at the time! 2 Three years later, attending my first public stamp auctions I wondered how some bidders seemed to buy everything, paying the highest price? It didn’t occur to me that they were probably Auction Bidding Agents, paid by absent (dealer) bidders to represent them. I wondered why two…

The Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC) is a specialist corps in the British Army that provides dental care services to its personnel and their families in war and in peace. The Corps is part of the Army Medical Services (AMS) and celebrates it 100th birthday in January 2021. To mark this centenary BFPS, in conjunction with Headquarters RADC, has issued a commemorative cover featuring historical images and the Corps cap badge. A bespoke Royal Mail Smiler® stamp, bearing the Corps centenary logo will be cancelled by the BFPS special handstamp, numbered 3233. The centre of which carries the silhouette of the Corps’ cap badge. The standard edition will cost £9 whilst a numbered limited edition, signed by the Chief Dental Officer (Army), will cost £18. A limited quantity of the…

Stamp Active Network (SAN) has announced this year’s one page competition open to collectors up to the age of eighteen, based on the ‘philately of favourite things’. A spokesperson for SAN explained: ‘It could be favourite flowers, authors, toys, animals, sports or transport or it could be anything that the entrant likes to do or see or places they like to go to. The possibilities are endless. Entrants may choose to focus on one area, like football or cars, or they may wish to cover a range such as sports or transport.’ Stamps, covers and other philatelic items can be used on the page, which must have a title, and either captions or a short write-up that tells the story. The entrant’s full name and address (home or school) should…

Isle of Man Post Office’s latest stamps feature popular and unusual species of birds captured by photographer Luke Stephenson, who has spent a number of years photographing the varied species of show bird. This distinctive style shows the birds with a vibrant and decorative background, contrasting with the colour of the plumage. The following species are featured on the stamps; The Fife Canary (1st class value), Gouldian Finch (EU value), Budgerigar (Large letter value), Redpoll Hybrid (ROW value), Paradise Tanager (£1.82) and the Diamond Sparrow (USA value). During a three year period of photographing birds Luke Stephenson met many people who were very enthusiastic about their hobby and were happy to share their knowledge. This became very infectious and turned Stephenson into a sort of collector of birds himself: not…

Slovenia Post have celebrated the double victory in this year’s Tour de France of cyclists Tadej Pogacar and Primož Roglic with a miniature sheet featuring a single stamp. Described as ‘the greatest achievement of Slovene cycling’ which ‘triggered a new wave of sporting euphoria in Slovenia’ the Tour de France win saw Tadej Pogacar win the famous race ahead of compatriot Primož Roglic who looked as though he was destined to win the race before being overtaken on the penultimate stage. Slovenia Post explains: ‘Roglic rode well, but, with a stunning ride that many have described as one of the finest in recent decades, Pogacar took the lead in the general classification and, the following day, celebrated an extraordinary victory on the Champs-Élysées… The initial euphoria has died down, but…

A stamp, originally planned to be jointly issued by China and India in April 2020 to celebrate seventy years of bilateral relations, has been cancelled. A simple statement on China’s State Post Bureau website confirmed the cancellation but gave no reason. According to the India Times: ‘Diplomatic relations between China and India have been tense since June, when at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the western Himalayas after being attacked by Chinese troops.’ La Poste, the French post office, have revealed the design of their Valentine’s Day stamp which features the famous perfume Chanel No.5. The stamp joins a series of designs issued over the years celebrating France’s luxury goods and, let’s face it, buying the stamp for your Valentine will be a lot cheaper than getting a…

France, block of 4x 15c grey Sage Type I 1876-78 MNH/MLH SOLD FOR £1,993 Great Britain, 2/6; 5s; 10s (SG 260+263+265) KEVII 1902 issue MNH (with cert.) SOLD FOR £881 Spain, 19c brown MH SOLD FOR £445 Mariana Islands (Spanish era), Entire letter with full contents from Saipan August 1874 to Agaña (Guam) SOLD FOR £4,523 Luxembourg, 1c gry precancelled 1900 type C SOLD FOR £479 South Africa, Complete set KGV 1913 (SG3/17) MLH SOLD FOR £488 Belgium, Block 10 stamps 75c Heraldic Lion inverted stamps (têtebêche) with gutter and advertisings 1930 MNH SOLD FOR £712 Switzerland, local Post Neuchâtel 5c 1851 used SOLD FOR £427 Buy and sell on Delcampe, more than 80 million collectables are waiting for you!…

Last month Stuart Leigh looked at the Post & Go stamps issued from kiosks located in Post Offices following the Overseas Rate changes on 1 September, at the same time the kiosks located in various museums started to re-open after lockdown closures. One of the first being the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) on 2 September, along with the Royal Naval Submarine, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Trincomalee, and Naval Museum of Firepower over the next few days. On 17 September, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Steam Museum of the Great Western Railway re-opened. Unlike the NCR kiosks in post offices, the kiosks in the museums are made by Intelligent AR and are programmed differently, therefore, as well as purchasing a collector strip they are capable of issuing any of…

The world’s smallest independent country, known as the Vatican City State, is not only landlocked, it’s entirely surrounded by Rome, the capital of Italy. It has an area of just 108.7 acres, and a permanent population of 783 (only Pitcairn, Tristan and South Georgia rank lower in the world population table). It’s also the world’s sixth most densely populated country, and the entire country also has the distinction of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So what of the stamps? The Vatican wields an authority, morally, spiritually and politically that far transcends its modest acreage. And when it comes to philately size doesn’t matter either. On 1 February 1929 Benito Mussolini concluded a series of treaties between the Italian government and the Holy See, recognising the Pope’s sovereignty in the…

One of the RPSL’s main objectives when managing and developing its collections is to preserve the history of philately. One important facet of this is documenting the various ways in which people have become involved in organised philately and the role played by local and specialist philatelic societies. Our library holds bulletins and newsletters from local clubs and specialist societies, no matter how small or how short-lived. We also collect records, ephemera and artefacts relating to philatelic societies. Many of these items have come to us as donations from individuals, usually members of the RPSL, who are also members of these other societies. The late Rosemary Green FRPSL used her skills gained during her career as a librarian to curate and catalogue the material that she and her parents had…

When Stamp Collector drops through your letterbox you’re treated to a friendly guide full of knowledge and know-how, news and views, all helping you to build your collection. It’s the perfect collecting companion during these long winter nights! With a subscription there’s no need to go to the shops, you’ll never miss an issue and if that wasn’t enough, you’ll also save as much as £26 per year with this fantastic ‘PRICE FREEZE’ offer! THE OFFER EXPLAINED Sign up by Direct Debit and you’ll be charged just £3 for your first 3 issues. From your fourth issue onwards your Direct Debit will be £9.99 every quarter, so that’s still a third cheaper than buying the magazine in the shops! The 44% saving is for your first year and is based on £3…

This stamp was issued in 1965, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Otto von Bismarck. In the UK, he remains something of a villain, blamed for the rise of Prussian militarism which led to the First World War. There is some truth in the first part of this, but he had no desire for a pan-European war, which he understood would be disastrous. He opposed the ultra-militarism of ‘Kaiser Bill’ (Wilhelm II). Shortly be-fore dying, in 1897, he predicted that the Kaiser’s policies would lead to war in two decades’ time – and that the spark for that war would be ‘some damned foolish thing in the Balkans’. This stamp shows an austere and cold man and contemporary accounts bear this out Bismarck was born into a…

The recent results of the PTS Awards were a nice reminder of how our hobby continues to adapt to the world around it. Winners included the stamp enthusiast behind a popular YouTube channel, and an experienced stamp dealer who pushed himself out of his comfort zone to embrace the ‘virtual world’ we have found ourselves in of late. Congratulations to everyone who took part in the awards (you can see the full results in our Stamp Update pages). It just goes to show that this wonderful hobby is truly universal; it’s there for everyone, new or experienced, traditional or virtual. This month we reflect the all-encompassing aspect of stamp collecting with a wide range of topics, dipping in to myriad moments in history and many different locations around the world.…

The results of the 2020 Europa Stamp Jury Competition have been revealed with Poland taking first place for its stamp showing the postal routes along the Vistula River. The annual competition asks a special jury of eight philatelic experts to select their favourite stamps issued on the Europa theme for that year, with ‘Postal Routes’ being the theme for 2020. According to PostEurop this year’s judging was held at a later date than usual and in a new hybrid format, with some jurors meeting in person and others discussing the designs over the internet. The winning stamp from Poczta Polska, the post office of Poland, is in a larger, vertical format, allowing the artist to depict the complex routes around the country’s longest and largest river which have been used…

The ongoing restrictions across the country mean that many museums and visitor attractions are having to close their doors, including The Postal Museum which, at the time of going to press, is closed until further notice. The Postal Museum, which includes the Mail Rail attraction, recently confirmed that bookings are not being taken for January, but that you can book tickets for dates in February and March. A statement from The Postal Museum said: ‘As an independent museum and educational charity, we are particularly vulnerable as we rely on ticketed income. We have received life-line funding from Arts Council England and DCMS from the Culture Recovery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund to help us through this challenging time, but with every new closure we face new…

Guernsey Post’s philatelic bureau has announced the release of a new set of definitive stamps depicting some of the colourful birds found regularly in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The new designs follow the release earlier in 2020 of definitive stamps depicting some of the birds found on the island of Alderney. Bridget Yabsley, head of philatelic at Guernsey Post said: ‘Guernsey’s diverse habitats provide a haven for visiting and resident birds. Despite its small size, over 200 species are recorded in the Bailiwick each year and the islands see around 80 breeding bird species including quite a few rarities. ‘We’re really excited to feature some of these colourful birds on our latest definitive stamps, from garden visitors and waders to birds of prey.’ The stamps depict a House Sparrow (1p…

La Poste, the French post office, have revealed the design of a new €1.50 stamp to celebrate the centenary of The Kid, the first film to be directed by Charlie Chaplin. The stamp, set to be issued on 1 March, features an illustration by Stéphane Humbert-Basset showing the silent comedy star in his famous role of The Tramp with the eponymous kid, played by Jackie Coogan, in the foreground. The stamp is also available in a sheet of ten with a decorative frame, and 600,000 copies are set to be printed. The life and career of Charlie Chaplin has been celebrated on a huge range of stamps over the years, with Great Britain honouring the star on a 64p stamp in 1999. Issue date: 1 March 2021, www.laposte.fr/toutsurletimbre…

The scramble for Africa in the late 19th century saw many countries become distant pockets of the British Empire, and the region and period provide much interest to philatelists, as many pioneering colonial postal services were introduced across the continent at this time. The nature of these early services, amid the undeveloped African culture and without the tools of industry used back in Europe, means that many varieties of stamps were produced, often with primitive designs. An example of an intriguing early African issue is the provisional one penny stamp produced in British Central Africa in 1898. The Mosely Collection housed at the British Library contains a variety of examples of this stamp, including an inverted error, one of only a handful known to exist. Few casual collectors will appreciate…

Every year, philatelic shows organise popular votes to identify the best stamps in specific categories and the winners of such competitions make a great starting point for a ‘perfect’ stamp thematic. The International NexoFil Awards is one such event, rewarding great stamp art and design. Their Best Stamp in the World in 2020 was Norway’s Harald Sohlberg, 150th Anniversary commemorative, which featured a scene from his painting of a street in Roros in the winter. Runners up included Peru’s Citadel of Machu Picchu and Austria’s Crypto stamp (see the news story in Stamp Collector, January 2021). Other awards, such as the Premio Internazionale ďArte Filatelica, offer equally beautiful food for thought when building this thematic. One of the joys of a theme like this is that someone has already done…

If you know what a ‘B – Blank’ is, chances are you appreciate the calibre of collections/collectors that we seek to serve. If you have a collection of this calibre that you are developing or considering disposing of – contact our Managing Director Andrew McGavin – for he will be pleased to assist you without personal charge or obligation. If you have experienced ‘cherry-picking’ along your collecting journey, you’ll be pleased to know that his company is almost unique in philately, by offering integrated selling systems that, to put it bluntly, eliminate most ‘middle-men’ to get the best out of your collection. Author of numerous internationally published articles, Andrew has built up extensive expert knowledge by handling valuable stamps for the past 48 years. Not just classic British stamps like…

Nicola Davies is Head of Collections at the Royal Philatelic Society London, the oldest philatelic society in the world, established in 1869. Nicola writes about Royal’s collection each month in our exclusive column (page 59), this time focussing on how philatelic history is preserved for future philatelists. Author Chris West has written about many different subjects, from crime fiction through history to how to start a business. He has written books on stamps, including First Class: A History of Britain in 36 Postage Stamps and Lost Countries: Exotic Tales from an Old Stamp Album, and writes our Stamp Story on page 81. Paula Hammond has worked as a publisher, copy-writer, ghost-writer, author, and journalist. She’s written over thirty fiction and non-fiction books as well as comics, poetry, and scripts for…

The Great Britain Philatelic Society (GBPS) has launched its own YouTube channel, to host videos of Society Zoom meetings and other presentations provided by members. John Davies of the GBPS said: ‘These videos are intended as a member benefit and some are restricted to members of the Society… [The videos] cover a wide range of topics in GB stamps and postal history. To see them you need the direct links which are on the Society website at www.gbps.org.uk/videos. We plan to add more videos to both the public and members’ sections of the channel in the coming months.’ The British Thematic Association has announced its first-ever ‘One-Page Competition’. A spokesperson for the BTA said: ‘We have launched this to encourage people, regardless of age and experience, to exhibit something from…

As a thank you to our growing number of loyal Stamp Collector subscribers, we’ve introduced a new Subscriber Prize Draw which will take place every month giving one lucky subscriber a range of new stamps, covers and presentation packs from post offices around the world. Editor Matt Hill said: ‘We want to thank all our subscribers for their support, and whilst the challenges of 2020 have been tough, we’ve actually seen a big increase in collectors signing up to receive the magazine by post, as getting to the shops has proved to be difficult at times. We’re working on a number of projects to bring subscribers more benefits, and the prize draw is the first of these. ‘You don’t need to do anything, we’ll put every subscriber’s name into a…

Award-winning playwright August Wilson will feature on a USA stamp, to be issued on 28 January. One of America’s greatest playwrights, Wilson is hailed as a trailblazer for helping to bring non-musical African American drama to the forefront of American theatre. Wilson collected innumerable accolades for his work, including seven New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards; a Tony Award, for 1987’s ‘Fences’; and two Pulitzer Prizes, for ‘Fences’ and 1990’s ‘The Piano Lesson.’ Luxembourg recently issued a special ‘twenty years of reign’ stamp to mark the two decades of reign of HRH the Grand Duke. Claude Strasser, Director General of POST Luxembourg and Emile Espen, Head of the POST Philately Service, received an audience with the Head of State to discuss this project, and the Grand Duke was presented with…

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) recently celebrated National Stamp Collecting Month with a Christmas stamp featuring a tribute to the contemporary Filipino family. The image of the family includes a mother in medical uniform wearing a face shield, reflecting the Covid19 pandemic and its effect on us all. PHLPost said in a statement: ‘At the end of this extraordinary difficult year, the Christmas stamp will remind us that spending time together with the Family will bring much needed respite from the worries and adversity, and looking forward for better days to come.’ Last year was a difficult one for all countries, and the Philippines also suffered the onslaught of the Taal volcanic eruption and the recent devastation from Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses. The statement added: ‘In the face of harrowing…

COLLECTING FOR BEGINNERS Doctors have the Hippocratic Oath. Boy scouts have their promise. Even the mafia has a code. All of which has led me to wondering recently: what sort of etiquette should be expected of stamp collectors? The thought struck when I was sitting having lunch with some nuns after attending a funeral. One mentioned that she heard I collected stamps. ‘Is it true?’ she asked, peering through her glasses, ‘Because I have something you should see.’ A few moments later she held out a padded envelope and hastened me to look inside. Pulling out the contents I was faced with hundreds of modern, postally-used Vatican stamps and covers. Many had higher face values – sometimes as much as €3 and €5 – presumably as Sisters had sent packages…

CELEBRATED SETS Liechtenstein is a rare echo of an older Europe; one split up into dozens of duchies, free cities, kingdoms and principalities. It is still run by a Crown Prince whose family have been in charge since 1699, but who didn’t actually live there till 1938. Liechtenstein (capital Vaduz) is located in the Upper Rhine Valley, bordered by Austria and Switzerland and occupying 62 square miles of stunning alpine scenery. Most people speak an Alemannic dialect of German, as well as German itself. Thanks to its financial services sector, Liechtenstein is the second-richest country in the world where the number of companies exceeds the population of just under 39,000. It’s also a major centre for winter sports, and the world’s largest exporter of false teeth. Up until the first…

If you’ve been reading this series from the beginning, you’ll have noticed that the French had a fair amount of input into establishing philately as we know it today, writes Devlan Kruck, and their contributions were particularly noteworthy in the very early days of stamp collecting. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that we thanked Georges Herpin, our Papa, who birthed the word philately. And it is no surprise that we derive the word ‘catalogue’ from the old French word ‘catalogus’. But, there have been several other cross-channel transactions which also point to the influence of the French. As much as it pains me to say this as an Englishman, the French were ahead of the rest of the world’s philatelists, because if it wasn’t for our next legendary…

The Nobel Prize was founded by Swedish-born Alfred B Nobel, an engineer and scientist who devoted much of his life to the development of explosives and scientific inventions (including dynamite) for which he held more than 350 patents. Alfred was born in Stockholm in 1833 and made a fortune during his lifetime through his work as an inventor, engineer and chemist. He lived an unassuming life, despite his huge wealth and towards the end of his life, decided that he would like to ensure that he was remembered for something other than inventing substances such as dynamite. His final will, made a year before his death, established a substantial prize fund which he requested should be given to people and organisations who had conferred the ‘greatest benefit on mankind’. In…