Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2026 i Stamp Collector

Following ‘Philatelic Firsts’ by Paula Hammond on the first commemorative stamps in the November issue, Michael Goodman, who is president of the National Philatelic Society, contacted Stamp Collector about another possible first commemorative. Michael Goodman of Bournemouth writes: ‘The USA issued a 15-cent black stamp depicting Abraham Lincoln in April 1866 (SG 17). Although it was issued to pay an overseas postage rate, many regard it as a mourning stamp as it was issued only a year after his assassination. It is widely regarded as a mourning stamp, so should it be considered as an early commemorative?’ Paula’s response: ‘This is why philately is so interesting! Even a relatively simple question like “what was the first commemorative” has so many candidates. The US Post Office considered the stamp to be a regular issue. It…

Complete series of imperforated phase prints provide particularly fascinating insights into the production of Austria’s traditional and technically sophisticated Christmas stamps. For many collectors, these phases represent the most instructive form of printing documentation available. They record the individual printings that combine to form the finished multicoloured stamp. By isolating each layer of colour or texture, these prints make the design process visible in a way that even proofs or essays cannot rival. The viewer can follow how a motif gradually emerges: first faint halftone surfaces, then engravings, then gold effects and finally the full chromatic depth of the completed issue. Many phase prints resemble misprints or incomplete impressions of imperforate stamps. Yet they were produced deliberately and systematically, with no element of accident involved. Each phase corresponds to a…

6 December – Somerset Hill Farm, Hemyock, Cullompton EX15 3UZ www.somersetstampauctions.com 7 December – Cambridgeshire 27 Fore Hill, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 4AA www.cpa-ely.co.uk 7 December – Provincial Benson Parish Hall, Sunnyside, Benson, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 6LZ provincialphilatelics.co.uk 9 December – Hansons Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire DE65 6LS hansonsauctioneers.co.uk 9–10 December – T&T New Barn, The Estate Yard, Eridge Green, Tunbridge Wells TN3 9JR tandtauctions.com 10 December – AJH The Laurels, Manchester Road, Accrington, Lancs BB5 2PF ajhstamps.co.uk 13 December – Bil & Co Washingborough Community Centre, Fen Road, Lincoln LN4 1AB www.bilandco.co.uk 13 December – South West 2nd Floor, The Watermark, Erme Court, Leonards Road, Ivybridge, Devon PL21 0SZ www.swpa-stamp-auctions.com 18 December – Siegel 21 West 38th Street, New York, New York 10018, USA siegelauctions.com 6 January – Universal 4…

In 1954, Ernest Trory (a name familiar to many) published the second edition of his booklet titled A Catalogue of the Cylinder Flaws on King George VI Great Britain Commemoratives (Figure 1). This title discussed the constant flaws of this reign’s issues and was the precursor to all specialised catalogues concerning this monarch, and it served as the catalyst for the compilation of my newly published book titled A Study of the Constant Flaws with Other Observations on the Commemorative Issues of King George VI 1946–1951. Trory’s booklet was unique in being the only publication dealing with such flaws, with no further investigation being undertaken until the new book was published, which took Trory’s product and vastly expanded it to produce a contemporary book of greater detail, including more sheets…

Any student of Spanish history will soon discover there is one year of pivotal importance – 1492. In that year, Spain was finally united as one kingdom, Jews and Muslims were expelled (unless, of course, they abandoned their old faiths), Columbus travelled to America and the first Spanish comprehensive grammar was published. Thus, it was in 1492 that Spain commenced the creation of a vast colonial empire, which at its peak would comprise large parts of the Americas as well as the Philippines. What pushed the ‘conquistadores’ was the search for immediate wealth. In fact, this has always been the driving force behind all kinds of colonial enterprises. Most of Spain’s American colonies achieved independence in the early part of the 19th century after years of struggle. When the first…

INCORPORATING COIN COLLECTOR ON SALE 9 JANUARY Postal History A LONG-LIVED CLASSIC – THE PENNY RED King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy THE HISTORY OF A REIGN THROUGH ITS PHILATELY Celebrated Sets  NEW ZEALAND ISSUE MARKING A CENTENARY OF BRITISH RULE Banknote Printers THE DE LA RUE STORY Treasure Hunt COINS OF THE LAST TSAR AVAILABLE IN ALL GOOD NEWSAGENTS OR DIRECT FROM https://ccgb.mymagazinesub.co.uk/…

9 December – SGB 399 Strand, London WC2R 0LX sgbaldwins.com 9–10 December – Spink 67–69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 4ET www.spink.com 10 December – Warwick & Warwick Chalon House, Scar Bank, Millers Road, Warwick CV34 5DB www.warwickandwarwick.com 12 December – SGB 399 Strand, London WC2R 0LX sgbaldwins.com 14 January – St James’s InterContinental New York Barclay, 111 East 48th Street, New York 10017, USA stjauctions.com 14 January – Tennants Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5SG  www.tennants.co.uk 18 January – Chris Rudd PO Box 1500, Norwich NR10 5WS celticcoins.com 27 January – Noonans 16 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ www.noonans.co.uk 27–28 January – Lockdales 52 Barrack Square, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich IP5 3RF www.lockdales.com 10 February – Noonans 16 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ www.noonans.co.uk 18 February –…

One of the most fascinating chapters of 19th-century European numismatics is the monetary iconography of the French Second Republic (1848–52) In a short span of barely four years, France redesigned almost its entire coinage, oscillating between classical republican symbolism, the legacy of the First Republic and the exigencies of political instability. At the centre of this story stands Eugène-André Oudiné (1810–87), one of the most influential engravers of his generation, and the creator of the dignified female head now universally known as ‘Ceres’; the serene face of the French Republic on silver denominations from 20 centimes to 5 francs. We took a first brief look at the design in the October 2024 column. SILVER SERIES OF 1849–51 Although the Republic was proclaimed on 24 February 1848, the mint could not…

Being published around the middle of December, this edition includes several articles on a Christmas theme. These include the second part of ‘The Post at Christmas’, which highlights the pressures put on the GB postal service during the festive season in the past, and particularly, the difficulties of getting mail to Father Christmas. However, to help with these deliveries, Royal Mail offers a special service to enable letters to be sent to ‘Reindeerland’. Other countries offer similar services to help with the volume of letters being sent north. A long-standing service offered by Canada Post has been running for more than 40 years. All letters sent to Father Christmas at the North Pole, which has a postcode of H0H 0H0, receive a response in the same language as the letter…

The Liverpool Stamp Fair is being held 7–8 February at the Liner Hotel, Lord Nelson Street, Liverpool L3 5QB. Sponsored by Philangles, the fair has free admission. For more details and free programmes, contact Terry Barnett (terryhuntsc@yahoo.com). Phoenix Fairs have announced the dates of their 2026 fairs. In the first quarter of the year, the Exeter Stamp Fair is being held on 24 January and 28 March at the Village Hall, Clyst St Mary EX5 1AA. Meanwhile, the Plymouth Stamp Fair is being held 7 February at the Plymstock Community Centre, Memory Lane, Plymstock PL9 9GH. Slovakia has taken on the task of hosting its very first world stamp exhibition under the patronage of FIP and recognised by FEPA. The event will be held in Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, where exhibits…

Unusual Bermuda cover Argyll Etkin held an auction of GB and worldwide stamps and postal history, comprising over 2,000 lots on 6–7 November. One of the postal history highlights was a cover of 24 April 1864 from Bermuda addressed to Kupio in Finland, which was sent via St Petersburg (lot 893). The cover bore a prepaid 1s 9d with a red ‘PAID/AT/IRELAND ISLE BERMUDA’ crowned circle, red oval ‘PD’ and datestamps for Aachen (7 June) and London, with a boxed postmen’s delivery handstamp. It was backstamped ‘IRELAND-ISLE/BERMUDA’ (14 May) and upon arrival at Kupio in Finland. The enclosed letter was from a Finnish seaman and told of running aground, going to look for an Italian warship in danger in a storm, and going to Bermuda for rudder repairs. The cover,…

It is amazing to think that when nations began to establish their own postal services, there was no agreed system for sending mail overseas. Countries relied on local, national and international agreements, and the route a letter took, along with how much it cost, had to work within – or sometimes in spite of – these agreements. It was clear that if postal services were to flourish something had to be done, but it wasn’t until 24 years after the advent of the Universal Penny Post that the world’s first international stamp organisation was formed (Figure 1). DIVIDED WE FALL In the years following Britain’s groundbreaking postal reforms, the world fell in love with letter writing. By 1860, more than 90 countries and territories had their own postage stamps. Yet,…

British Discovery and Invention was the third pictorial (as opposed to commemorative) issue of 1967 after British Wild Flowers and British Paintings (Figure 1). It was effectively a follow-on from the previous year’s British Technology set, but this time focussing on British inventors. Arriving at its theme, however, was far from straightforward. OPTIONS FOR THE SET Originally, the set was to have been about ‘historic forms of transport’: four stamps featuring transport by road, rail, sea and air. But Edward Short, the Postmaster General, found that too limiting and for a while preferred to plan for a second series of British Landscapes. That idea was soon set aside, and the new focus was on ‘British Technical Achievements’. This conveyed a more upbeat, celebratory message than transport, and it was more…

Most people whose five senses are in good order fear losing one of them, especially hearing or sight. Helen Keller (1880–1968) lost both, at the age of 19 months, after an illness (probably meningitis, though nobody knows for certain). She did her best to adapt to this, learning to recognise people from the vibrations of their footsteps in the family home, a farmstead in rural Alabama. At the age of seven, she was sent to the Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts. Here, she met Anne Sullivan (1866–1936), who became first her teacher then her lifelong companion. There is a famous story of Sullivan teaching Keller to ‘read’ (in other words to understand that letters related to real objects rather than just being meaningless symbols). Sullivan would trace out…

This edition of the magazine includes details of the final striking of the circulating 1c coin (penny) in the USA. After a production period of 232 years, the final coins were produced in November, with a ceremonial striking taking place at the Philadelphia mint. This decision is in line with other countries who have also taken the decision to cease production or limit the use of low-denomination coins. In Canada, the last penny was stuck on 4 May 2012 in Winnipeg, but the country’s first penny had been struck in London at the Royal Mint in 1858. Pennies were first struck on Canadian soil when the Ottawa mint opened in 1908, and 35 billion had been produced by the time the final one was minted. A system of rounding was…

A first call for delegates to the British Association of Numismatic Societies (BANS) Congress for 2026 has been made. The event is being held from Friday, 10 April to Sunday, 12 April at the Royal Marine Hotel, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin A96 K063, Ireland, and it is being hosted by the Numismatic Society of Ireland. Early booking is recommended as there is only capacity for 70 delegates (to include speakers and guests) at the event. Due to the likely increased attendance costs, the reluctant decision has been made to defer the 2026 autumn conference – meaning this will be the only BANS event planned for 2026. The Royal Mint’s precious metals recovery partnership with Excir (Canada) has been recognised by the Government of Canada at the recent G7 Summit…

A nyone tracking preciousmetal prices this year might be forgiven for thinking that silver has quietly resolved to reclaim its old nickname as the ‘common man’s gold’. After years of stagnation, the silver price has surged in 2025. At the start of the year, 1oz traded between $24 and $30; by late summer it had pushed past $42, reaching new highs in autumn. Within just a few months, silver has become more than 60% more expensive – a trajectory few would have predicted. Analysts point to tight industrial supply, particularly in the photovoltaic sector, to geopolitical tensions and to the growing appeal of tangible assets at a time of weakening bond markets. This rise has had unexpected consequences for a niche collecting field that rarely makes headlines: Germany’s commemorative coins.…

Between the 12th and 15th centuries, silver, gold and billon (debased silver) coins were struck in the names of English monarchs in France. The series, known as the Anglo-Gallic coinage, began as early as the reign of Henry II (1154–89) as English kings minted coins in the continental part of their cross-channel domains. Probably the most abundant and stylistically creative span in this period took place during the Hundred Years War, a series of conflicts fought between England and France for the French throne between 1337 and 1453. In areas of France controlled by Edward III and his son, Edward the Black Prince, an interesting and wide-ranging series of coins were produced. In this month’s article, we examine these coins and look at how design and concept differed from what…

BRITISH ANTARCTIC TERRITORY Aurora at Halley A new four-stamp set released by the British Antarctic Territory on 17 November illustrates the aurora at the Halley Research Station. Observation of the sun has revealed that it has a distinctive 11-year cycle of activity, with the peak and lower levels of this activity called the ‘solar maxima’ and ‘solar minima’. The intensity of auroral displays tend to follow this cycle, with a notable peak at solar maxima. Auroral displays are caused by the incoming ‘solar wind’, the intensity of which is also affected by the solar maxima and minima. The solar wind is a stream of electrons and protons that can travel as fast as 750km/second (450mph/second). When this incoming solar wind reaches the vicinity of the Earth three days later, some…

BUY AND SELL ON DECAMPE, MORE THAN 80 MILLION COLLECTABLES ARE WAITING FOR YOU!…

For more than a century, Christmas charity seals have accompanied postal mailings, often causing confusion among collectors. Because of their design, they can easily be mistaken for postage stamps. However, they do not fall into the category of valid postal issues and, therefore, cannot be found in standard stamp catalogues. Their ‘invention’ is attributed to the Danish postmaster Einar Holbøll (1865–1927). The son of a naval officer, he entered the postal service in 1886. According to the story, the idea came to him in December 1902 while sorting through piles of Christmas post: glancing out of the window, he saw two homeless children wandering aimlessly through the snow. In 1903, moved by this encounter, he proposed a goodwill label that could be purchased for a small donation and affixed to…

It was Swaziland’s handsome and quite pricy King George V set (SG 1½0), currently catalogued at £275, which set me thinking. I’d bought it, promptly mislaid it and only just rediscovered it. If not, it would have lain buried among papers only to be sold off by my executors in a ‘£5 desk clearance’ or, even worse, tossed out as landfill. High time, I thought, to mount this – and my other Swaziland, too – in a proper album to avoid its going astray again. Most British Empire/Commonwealth countries issued stamps in a similar pattern, gradually switching from surface-printed key-plates to 1930s pictorials (often recess-engraved), then colonial definitives and omnibus commemoratives, and finally, independence, leading us down paths ranging from admirable to risible. Swaziland joined the pattern in 1933. Previous…

POSTCARDS Onward Christian Soldiers Aged 18, Wilson Carlile, who was born in 1847, took control of his grandfather’s successful cloth import business, but it failed in 1873, writes Richard Stenlake. Impoverished and unwell, Carlile took to his bed for several weeks then got religion. Fast forward, and as a young curate, he lost patience with a church system that ignored widespread unmet need and broke free from the comfort zone of the Sunday service, doing outreach work in the slums of Westminster, which at that time was ‘deprived and poverty-stricken’, and training ordinary men to become preachers. In 1875, Carlile had got involved with touring American evangelist Dwight L Moody and learned the techniques of evangelism, hence his novel approach of playing his trombone in the streets to attract curious…

The latest Chris Rudd auction, held on 16 November, included an excessively rare gold quarter stater of c.55–45 BC known as a Danebury Sun Snake, which was struck in western Britain by the Regini and derived from the QC series defined by Sills (lot 6). Excessively rare, with only one other recorded, this example, which was found at Worldham in east Hampshire on 22 October 2020, was struck with a wellused obverse die but a new reverse die. The obverse featured a central wreath, with a large sun in the bottom-right angle and two ‘S’-shaped snakes at the top right. On the reverse, there was an annulate horse to the left that had an exuberant mane, with knees and feet formed from conjoined trefoils of long, sharp blades. There was…

The coin market in the United States has been profoundly impacted in recent months by streaming sales platforms. These platforms allow anyone with an iPhone to become an auction company. The first company to capitalise on live video streaming sales was Whatnot. The company was founded in Los Angeles in December 2019. The idea for live streaming sales flourished during the Covid-19 boom for collectables. The company offers a wide array of collectables on the platform, with rare coins being one of the most popular categories. The company recently announced an equity raise that values Whatnot at over $10 billion. Not to be outdone, eBay has recently entered the live streaming sales business with the launch of eBay Live. The company is a giant of online collectable auctions and sales,…

All medal collectors love to reunite groups of awards that have been split up. But the case of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Beaver was very unusual and involved an appalling case of medallic vandalism. Long ago, I bought a single 1914 Star with the August–November clasp (Figure 1). Somebody had tried to gouge out the naming to ‘Lieut P.S.L. Beaver, Wilts R.’on the reverse but, although they had failed to do this entirely, they had mutilated the medal horribly. With the Star was a handwritten index card outlining Beaver’s service, which added: ‘Deep scratches on name. Split from group of erased medals: B.W.M., Victory & G.S.M. Palestine’. So whoever had tried but failed to erase the naming on Beaver’s 1914 Star had succeeded with the three other named medals in his…

The latest release in the Royal Mint’s Music Legends series celebrates the legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, who was one of the greatest musicians of all time. While he rose to fame as the frontman of Queen, he also enjoyed a successful solo career. This is the first UK coin solely dedicated to Freddie Mercury. Its reverse features a design of the icon centre stage mid-performance, accompanied by this singer-songwriter’s signature. The design’s intricate details tell the story of Mercury’s extraordinary talent through carefully crafted design elements. Freddie’s legendary four-octave vocal range is represented by a musical stave that runs around the edge of the coin, spanning from bass to treble notes. The studded armband edge design draws inspiration from his iconic Live Aid performance outfit, considered by many to…