Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Stamp Collector

So what do you think of it? The new definitive portrait has finally been unveiled and collectors and commentators have been sharing their views on the profile image of the King. As you might well expect, not all of it has been complimentary. Whatever you think of the image itself, many of us will be pleased to learn that philatelic traditions have been followed, with the design mirroring the portrait used on our coinage (though one does wonder whyThe Royal Mint were so much quicker to reveal their effigy). Whilst King Charles is keen to represent a modern, forwardlooking country, many of us will find the new designs reassuringly familiar. But is that really a good thing and has it really worked? Following the ubiquitous Machin design was never going…

The Manx Regiment that fought in the Battle of El Alamein is being commemorated in a new set of stamps from Isle of Man Post Office. The Battle of El Alamein, which took place between 23 October and 4 November 1942, was one of WW2’s most significant battles, leading to the Allies’ victory and surrender of German forces in North Africa in 1943. IOMPO collaborated with Ivor Ramsden MBE, Director of the Manx Aviation & Military Museum for this collection. Ivor selected the imagery to summarise the pivotal battle, including the involvement of the Manx Regiment, which were all then compiled and designed locally by Isle of Man Advertising & PR. Stamp 4 depicts members of ‘The Manx Regiment’ (£2.00), along with Sergeant Thomas Douglas Russell of Ramsey, Isle of…

SOLD FOR £3,560 St.Vincent, 6d carmine-lake QV 1893 surch. double ‘FIVE PENCE’ (SG60c) MH (with cert.) SOLD FOR £302 Netherlands, 25th anniversary of coronation of Queen Wilhelmina 1923 MNh (with cert.) SOLD FOR £352 Germany, 5pf (+5pf Emergency Aid) Wuerttemberg coat of arms 1926 MNH (Michel 398X) SOLD FOR £2,336 France, 2fr (+ 5fr) Merson, Philatelic Exhibition Le Havre 1929 MNH well centred block of four with sheet corner (with cert.) SOLD FOR £342 Belgium, 1F violet brown postage due (postage stamp overprint. ‘T’) 1919 block of four MNH with margin SOLD FOR £534 Thomas 1865 to Pointe-à-Pitre Guadeloupe carried by steamer SS Conway charged due upon arrival with handstruck ‘12’ décimes due marking. SOLD FOR £1,388 Madagascar, 1896-99 stamps overprinted (1902 issue) on piece cancelled Tananarive 1902 SOLD FOR…

Our next instalment of philatelic greatness is a man whose collection was as monumental as many of the stamp legends we have already highlighted, such as Ferrary, Hind and Caspary. Josiah K Lilly Jnr, writes Devlan Kruck. American philatelist Josiah K Lilly Jnr amassed a collection that took ten gigantic sales over nearly two years to dispose of. It included some of the rarest and most prized items contained in a single holding – a feat which few have ever been able to achieve before or since. Of course to do such a thing Lilly had to be enormously wealthy and indeed his fortune probably equalled or surpassed many of his philatelic predecessors. An industrialist and businessman who for five decades headed the pharmaceutical company his grandfather founded – Eli…

In August 1914, Belgium’s small army held off the German invaders for almost a month. Led by King Albert I, they allowed French and British forces to prepare for a counter-attack at the battle of the Marne. But inevitably, the Germans soon occupied the whole country, except from a heavily-defended strip along the River Yser, while the Government moved to Le Havre. But the country still needed stamps, and so they looked across the Channel to Waterlow – the printers of Belgian Congo stamps since 1894. Waterlow used all three printing processes for Belgian stamps: litho for a Red Cross set and a railway parcels set of 21, letterpress (typography) for postage dues and a mixture of letterpress and recess printing for the 1915 definitives. The lower values from 1c…

This simple affordable subscription will save you over 20% each month and we’ll send you a free pocket stockbook filled with a selection of modern stamps! The Importa pocket stockbook features eight pages (16 sides) and five glassine strips per page, and is perfect for taking to stamp fairs or club meetings and safely storing your stamps. Each stockbook will be filled with 20 modern stamps, creating a gift worth over £15! Stamps in the stockbook will be selected at random from stock and may not be the same as those illustrated. Requests for specific stamps cannot be taken. Offer only open to UK customers. Join today! Call the team on 01778 392020 or simply visit the website: stamp.cm/subs Please quote code SCM/FSBS…

With a variety of routes, and different rates to be charged, it was harder in the past for those wishing to send post long distances than it is now with details available via the internet. If a postal item was to travel by ship, and/or air, then mistakes could and were made with a shortfall of postage paid. However, we will never know about those items where an amount was paid beyond that required! For this cover, that did not happen, with the error of shortfall beginning when the postmark ‘GENÈVE 2/24.VIII.37-11/GARE CORNAVIN’ was applied three times in a row to cover the five stamps totalling 135 centimes. This is 1937 and the largest stamp was issued for the ‘Conference du Desarmement Geneve 1932’. The cover, which clearly was hotel…

Austria celebrates its engine technology pioneers in three new commemorative stamps. Austrian Post is honouring the country’s track record in motor innovation with three new commemorative stamps. Ferdinand Porsche is well known as a pioneer of automotive technology who gave his name to a famous brand. But Ferdinand Porsche also explored areas beyond traditional combustion technology (as used in the iconic Porsche models), namely electric engines! A patent for a wheel hub motor, registered as early as 1896, laid the groundwork for the 1899 ‘System Lohner-Porsche’ prototype developed with Ludwig Lohner, an electric car with a range of around 50 kilometres. Subsequent improvements included an all-wheel hub drive and more powerful batteries, which eventually led to the development of hybrid concepts, notably the ‘Semper Vivus’, the world’s first functioning full…

I magine a stamp collecting destination that brings together collectors and trusted traders from around the world, giving you the chance to browse the latest price lists, auction catalogues, and dealer offers, and find out about the latest new stamps being issued by post offices… all from the comfort of your own home. The internet is hardly a new concept, but the idea of a one-stop shop for stamp collecting is still as fresh and exciting as ever, and the www.allaboutstamps.co.uk website is enjoying record visitor numbers, with collectors from all over the world dropping by the website to build their knowledge and their collections. Editor Matt Hill said: ‘It’s so encouraging to see the growing number of visitors not only coming to the site but coming back again and…

Poland In 1795, the once-great kingdom of Poland was partitioned between Russia, Prussia and the Hapsburg Empire. But the idea of Polish nationhood never died and nor did the desire to re-unite the country – an ambition kept alive by occasional revolts and the formation of Polish Regiments in its occupiers’ armies. Poland’s first stamp dates from this period. It was issued by Congress Poland, or Russian Poland, which was created by the Congress of Vienna and ruled by the Tsar. This 10 kopec stamp was strictly unofficial but the St Petersburg Post Office allowed it to be used on mail within the territory and to Russia. It can easily be mistaken for a Russian stamp but its centre features the Congress Poland coat of arms. It was in use…

NORDIA 2023 will take place in Iceland this year, organised by the Icelandic Federation. The exhibition will host all competition classes on 700 frames with a very modest participation fee at 25 euros per frame or per Literature exhibit, while there is no fee for the Youth exhibits. More details can be found at: nordia2023.is SAVPEX 2023, Virtual Philatelic Exhibition, organised by the Philatelic Society of the Orange Free State and held under the auspices of the Philatelic Federation of South Africa will take place in June/July 2023. The exhibition will accommodate One Frame exhibits only. Entries are to be received by 31 May and scans of exhibits are to be sent for evaluation by 15 June. Judging will take place and be completed during July. The entry fees are…

World Day of Dance, which takes place on 29 April this year, is a lively celebration of dance of all kinds – and that includes on postage stamps. Because whose heart isn’t lifted by seeing the human body expressing all the things that dance can be? From ballet to breakdancing, there’s something in dance to appeal to everyone, and one of the joys of Day of Dance is that it celebrates not just traditional and formal dance forms such as ballet and ballroom, but dances that are living expressions of the communities that perform them. And just like postage stamps, dance can express who we are and where we come from, so choreographing a beautiful collection has much to offer thematics collectors interested in the cultural backgrounds and identities related…

Despite there being earlier examples of stamps depicted on stamps, the subject ‘Stamps on Stamps’ (often referred to by those in the know as ‘SOS’) began in earnest in 1940 as many countries started to commemorate their stamp centenaries with new releases portraying their respective first stamp issues – the most famous of which illustrated Sir Rowland Hill’s ‘Penny Black’ issued in Britain on 1 May, 1840. Throughout the nineteenth and well into the twentieth century, Britain had operated post offices all over the globe. These ‘British Post Offices Abroad’ used Great Britain stamps in far-flung destinations, so when the philatelic world commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Penny Black, most countries chose to show one of these images on their new issues. In 1867, Britain began creating high value…

Most collectors of British stamps will be familiar with the terms Machin, Wilding, and Downey Head, each named after the artist responsible for the philatelic portrait of the monarch. Arnold Machin, of course, created a sculpture of the Queen that become one of the most reproduced images in our history; Dorothy Wilding took photographs of the Royal Family on many occasions, her image of a young Queen adorning the first definitives of her reign in the 1950s. Turn the clock back further and we come to Court Photographers W. & D. Downey, who provided a three-quarter portrait of King George V for the shortlived, and often derided, ‘Downey Head’ stamps issued at the start of the Collector King’s reign. But not all photographers or artists have seen their name adopted…

St Maarten released a commemorative ‘Year of the Rabbit’ set of six stamp to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year in February. Each stamp featured an auspicious red lantern and an endearing illustration of the Rabbit, this year’s animal, who represents longevity, peace and wealth’. Medical plants are illustrated in a new set of three stamps from Kyrgyzstan, which depict colourful images of dandelions, nettles and red clover, each with their Latin botanical name. France Poste has issued a collectable stamp devoted to Fan Artists. Illustrated by Sophie Beaujard, the stamp has a value of €1.80 and it and its philatelic souvenir feature delicate illustrations that demonstrate how the fashion object that has been used since Antiquity is a work of art in its own right. Although there now fewer…

The X-Men are 60! But possibly because of their X-gene, which gives superhuman abilities to this ever-changing band of outliers, the Marvel Comics superhero team are going from strength to strength. Now Marvel Comics’ most successful, and recognisable, series, they’re celebrated on the new Royal Mail set of stamps commemorating their six-decade anniversary. The illustrations for the 12 stamps created by comic book artist Mike McKone feature some of the most memorable X-Men superheroes to have featured in the franchise since 1963: Angel, Beast, Colossus, Cyclops, Iceman, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Storm, and Wolverine. The stamps have their own Augmented Reality animation superpower, activated by downloading the Royal Mail app – when the stamps are scanned via the app, the viewer can see the artwork being crated, from…

French West Africa’s elusive officials In 1934 the French authorities decided to group eight colonial entities (Dahomey, French Sudan, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Upper Volta) into French West Africa. The separate stamp issues were discontinued and this arrangement lasted until 1959. French West Africa released 103 postage stamps, one souvenir sheet, ten postage dues and 12 official or service stamps. It is a handy area to collect and the stamps are beautifully designed and printed, spotlighting various aspects of life and culture in that part of Africa. Stamps from Africa’s colonial era are popular with many collectors. Most of French West Africa’s stamp issues have a very strong thematic appeal which also increases the demand from worldwide philatelists. The 1958 official stamps had a very short life.…

CINDERELLAS Mombasa Exhibition Most of the British colonies rarely marked important local events with special postage stamps, writes Christer Brunström. Notable exceptions were the many overprinted stamps publicising the Malaya Borneo Exhibition held in Singapore in 1922 or the New Zealand 1906 and 1913 sets noting exhibitions in Christchurch and Auckland. There were of course many other exhibitions throughout the British Empire which went unrecognised on postage stamps. Fortunately poster stamps were sometimes printed to advertise these events. They are non-postal labels which could be affixed to covers or invoices to inform about upcoming exhibitions. In 1920 most of Kenya became a British crown colony. The exception was a coastal strip which continued its previous association with Zanzibar. This area, with the port of Mombasa, became a British protectorate. Mombasa…

The world’s rarest stamps are always enigmatic and have an unmistakable glamour surrounding their existence. From the famous British Guiana One-Cent Magenta, to the Swedish Treskilling Yellow and the Mauritius Post Office issue, they all have an intriguing tale attached to them and reside in that iconic philatelic realm reserved for the most valuable stamps on the planet. The stamps mentioned above have all appeared on the open market in more recent years, and as such are arguably better known than another stamp which more than shares their attributes and which can be known as ‘The most valuable stamp of Asia’. The Japan 1871 500mon Centre Inverted is as legendary and mysterious as any of the most expensive philatelic items of the world, albeit the sales pertaining to this stamp…

Once you start to cut up animal skins to make clothes and shelter, you pretty quickly begin to look for ways to refashion those skins into the shapes and pattens you desire. The oldest known needles date from around 50,000 years ago but it was the Denisovans, rather than Homo Sapiens, who crafted them. It wasn’t until 40,000 years ago that needles made from bone and ivory begin to appear. These were gradually replaced by copper, then iron, and ultimately steel, which was developed during the tenth century AD. It’s hard to imagine now the impact that such a small item could have had on society, making clothes not just cheaper, but allowing for the evolution of embroidery and needlepoint as art forms in their own right. It’s also likely…

Postal strikes are back in the news again (indeed, there may well be another one scheduled by the time you read this). The most famous one, however, was that held in early 1971 – the first national ‘all-out’ postal strike in British history. It took place against a background of rising inflation and fraught industrial relations in the previous decade (both in the Post Office and the country in general). The Union of Post Office Workers (UPW) were asking for wage rises of 15% to meet cost-of-living rises in 1970, but the Post Office Board’s offer was only 8%. This was rejected by the executive on 15th January, who felt forced into industrial action, and a strike was called to start from midnight 19/20 January. Most of the country’s postal…