Innehållsförteckning för February 2025 från Stamp Collector

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The Museum of Philately has published its first book. Cape of Good Hope: The Triangular Stamps by Joseph Hackmey was unveiled in London by the museum’s president, Simon Martin-Redman, during the President’s Dinner of the Royal Philatelic Society London in October 2024. The publication is the result of the museum’s decision to honour a select few of the greatest collectors of our time by releasing a limited number of physical editions to highlight their exceptional collections. The museum has honoured Joseph Hackmey as the first recipient, celebrating his remarkable collection of the Triangular Stamps of the Cape of Good Hope. A special section in the Museum of Philately is now dedicated exclusively to many of his extraordinary collections. The book is available for purchase through the Royal Philatelic Society London…

The new Michel concept for its CEPT catalogue 2024/2025 focuses on the basics of European stamps. Barely four years have passed since the editors at Schwaneberger Verlag made surprising changes and additions to their Michel CEPT 2021 catalogue. A U-turn was made in autumn 2024. Prior to this, several additional issues were included, which were brought into circulation by member countries of postal associations: Euromed (Association of Postal Administrations of the Mediterranean Countries) (Figure 1); RSS (Association of Postal Administrations of the Former Soviet Republics); Sepac (Association of Postal Administrations of Small European States) (Figure 2); and UPAEP (Postal Union of America, Spain and Portugal) (Figure 3). The previously incompletely represented thematic NATO issues on the North Atlantic Defence Alliance were deleted without replacement in the 2021 volume. As announced…

7 January – Universal 4 The Old Coalyard, West End, Northleach GL54 3HE www.upastampauctions.co.uk 7–8 January – Cherrystone 300 Frank W Burr Boulevard, Box 35, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA www.cherrystoneauctions.com 8 January – AJH The Laurels, Manchester Road, Accrington BB5 2PF ajhstamps.co.uk 8 January – Warwick & Warwick Chalon House, Scar Bank, Millers Road, Warwick CV34 5DB www.warwickandwarwick.com 14 January – SGB 399 Strand, London WC2R 0LX sgbaldwins.com 18 January – AVH PO Box 569, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL7 9NP www.avhstampauctions.co.uk 21 January – Philangles Carson House, 44 Legh Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 1UJ philangles.co.uk 28 January – Spink RPSL, 15 Abchurch Lane, London EC4N 7BW www.spink.com 29 January – Spink 67–69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury. London WC1B 4ET www.spink.com 30 January–1 February – Sparks 1770 Woodward Drive, Ottawa, Ontario,…

When the first settlers arrived in America, individual colonies were separated by rough waters and vast, ancient woodlands, making travel between them difficult – if not impossible. However, in this brave new world, the earliest unofficial postal service wasn’t intended to facilitate communications between these settlements but between the settlers and the families they’d left behind. In the 1600s, ship mail was the most used colonial postal service, relying on ship’s captains to collect and deliver mail – for a price. Hugh Finlay, who was tasked with improving the colonial post, wrote a journal in 1774 (‘Journal Kept by Hugh Finlay, Surveyor of the Post Roads on the Continent of North America’) in which he dedicated a small section of his fascinating manuscript to describing how the mail had been…

My previous article outlined the role of Travelling Post Offices (TPOs) in moving and sorting mail efficiently over some 150 years. During that period, Royal Mail focussed on providing a high level of service. The practice of many businesses posting their letters in the late afternoon posed a significant challenge; sorting offices had only three hours in which to sort those letters in time for them to be despatched by TPOs and other mail trains running overnight to then be delivered on the next working day. The introduction in September 1968 of the two-tier system for inland letter mail eased the problem. Priority was given to first-class letters, and thereafter, TPOs sorted only letters prepaid at the first-class rate. During the second half of the 20th century, many factors impacted…

This edition of the magazine goes to press at the end of December, which is a time of change as we look forward to the new year. Among the articles in this month’s edition is a fascinating account from Susie Sandford of the Royal Mint Museum, which outlines her work in the museum’s tooling store and includes numerous stories about the items in the collection. I was particularly interested in the die created for Charles II, who became king following the end of the Commonwealth in 1660. The Restoration was a time of great change in the country, and one of these changes was that the process of coin production became fully mechanised. This change meant significant modifications at the mint, located in the Tower of London, to enable the…

A special lecture will be given on 24 January by Clive Stannard in celebration of his being awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters (HonDLitt) by the University of Warwick. The lecture, titled ‘The Non-State Coinages of Minturnae and Pompeii and the Silver/Lead Mines of South-Eastern Spain in the Last Two Centuries BC’, will explore non-state bronze coinages at Minturnae and Pompeii during the late Roman Republic, the Italo-Baetican group’s role in Roman silver/lead mining in Spain and trade dynamics, and Pompeii’s critical role in wine and maritime commerce. The lecture is being held at the University of Warwick, but online participation is also available. For more details, see the Money and Medals Network website (warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/classics/research/money-and-medals). The 55th NUMISMATA international numismatic fair will be held in Munich on 1 and 2…

Over the years, I have been asked several times if I was related to the Garrett family, whose vast numismatic collection was sold by Bower’s and Merena around 1980. The collection formed around the turn of the century and sold for tens of millions of dollars. The collection contained some of the greatest numismatic rarities to ever cross the auction block. After a brief laugh, I usually tell people my ancestors at that time lived in the mountains of Kentucky and read the Sears Roebuck catalog in an outhouse. Today, coins with the Garrett pedigree are highly coveted by collectors. Examples from the collection rarely appear on the market, but when they do, you can be sure the coins will bring a premium price. Collectors love coins that were once…

If you have been listening to the Royal Mint Museum’s ‘Coins and the Sea’ podcast recently, you may have heard about the museum’s tooling store. Located at the back of the Royal Mint site in Llantrisant, South Wales, this windowless, environmentally controlled room is full of numismatic treasures, and it is part of my job to care for it. I first set foot in the store in 2014, fresh out of a conservation of objects in museums and archaeology degree at Cardiff University. I had no idea what an effect this collection would have on my career or how passionate I would become about the stories it can tell, but I was fascinated from the start (Figure 1). I had just joined the museum team as part of a short-term…

The start of a new year is traditionally the time for plans to be released for the year ahead. In the stamp world, this includes the schedules for commemorative stamps to be issued in the next 12 months. This month’s edition has details of some of the new stamps from the USA, Åland, Guernsey and the UN. As usual, these special releases feature a range of different topics, from ones inspired by nature and the scientific world, such as the US issues using images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope and the one from the UN Postal Administration on endangered species, to those marking significant anniversaries. It is always interesting to see which anniversaries are selected to be honoured with a special stamp issue. Some of these are focussed…

HUNGARY 150th anniversary of birth of Harry Houdini On 29 November, Magyar Posta issued a souvenir sheet to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the world-famous escapologist Harry Houdini. The issue has been produced in collaboration with the House of Houdini in Budapest. Harry Houdini, arguably the greatest escape artist of all time, was born in Budapest on 24 March 1874. Born Erik Weisz, the family moved to the United States in 1878. As a child, the magic tricks of a travelling magician, Dr Lynn, captivated him to such an extent that he developed a deep interest in conjuring. At the age of 12, Erik ran away from home in the hope of finding a better life and a well-paid job. Erik, who changed his name first to…

Eight new stamps released by Royal Mail on 30 November mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of one of Britain’s most iconic figures, Sir Winston Churchill. To commemorate this significant milestone, the stamps celebrate the life and legacy of the man who led the nation through its darkest hours and captures Churchill’s remarkable journey – from his early years as a soldier and statesman to his leadership during World War II and beyond. Each stamp in the collection features a carefully chosen photograph of Churchill at a defining moment in his life. Accompanying each stamp is one of Churchill’s most famous quotes from articles, books, letters and speeches, offering words of wisdom that continue to inspire and resonate, embodying the strength, determination and wit for which Churchill is renowned.…

ARE YOU STILL AS BUSY AS EVER? Of course! It has been a very busy few weeks at Bill Barrell Ltd. Every two years in November or December, many leading collectors/dealers/exhibitors descend on Monte Carlo for MonacoPhil; a philatelic extravaganza offering displays of the best in world philately and significant talks by leading collectors, all in the very relaxing Christmas wonderland of Monaco. A most agreeable combination of philately and socialising with fellow philatelists, with the opportunity to browse dealers’ stocks and auction lots, considering what to add to the collection! We had an excellent time, and I heartily recommend you keep an eye open for the 2026 dates and join us there (www.monacophil.com). One of the highlights was the gala dinner in the presence of HSH (His Serene Highness)…

It was 60 years ago that the first stamps of a young British woman from Suffolk came into circulation. The career of Jennifer Toombs (1940–2018) as a stamp designer began at the age of just 22, and her designs resulted in more than 1,000 different postage stamps in the following decades. In the course of 1963, she provided drafts for three remarkable issues, which were realised in 1964–65. For the Lebanese Postal Administration, Jennifer Toombs designed a series of sports motifs to mark the IVth Mediterranean Games, which were held in Naples from 21 to 29 September 1963. Among the participating nations were 54 athletes from Lebanon. After they won a bronze medal in wrestling, a perforated set in two-colour printing, with six motifs from 2.50 to 30 piastres, was…

The name of Arthur Sandbach (1859–1928) might not live forever, but the correspondence consisting of envelopes and letters to and from him might well go some way to continuing his memory beyond a century or two. Fortunately, some old suitcases (not a tea chest this time!) were brought to the fore of the postal history world in about 1988 when a dealer was invited to view these at Bryn Gwyn, a house in Montgomeryshire. Apparently, a large cache hidden under a pile of clothes was purchased and later dispersed to other collectors. Just six envelopes belong to this writer, but regrettably they do not have the correspondence that was once with them. So, we may not have his personal thoughts, but much is known of his life and military background.…

POSTCARDS The turning point for Ireland The outbreak of World War I in 1914 initially put the Irish crisis into suspended animation, but with the British Army, the UDF and the Irish Volunteers all armed, the situation remained fragile, writes Richard Stenlake. By 1916, the Irish Volunteers, under the control of the Irish Republican Brotherhood’s military council, had resolved on an armed uprising while Great Britain was weakened by the war. Sir Roger Casement and Darrel Figgis went to Germany to purchase arms, which the Germans were only too happy to supply knowing their intended purpose, but their messages had been decoded, the ship delivering the weapons was intercepted and then scuttled by her captain. Casement was caught soon afterwards and sent to London to be tried for treason. As…

Unique ‘Cottonreel’ cover sold Part 1 of the British Guiana collection of Simon Greenwood was sold by Spink on 11 December. A standout item from the sale was the unique and iconic 1851 ‘Cottonreel’ cover, described as one of the greatest gems of worldwide philately, which achieved a hammer price of £240,000 (lot 47). The cover is known as the ‘Weill Cover’ because one of its previous owners was renowned American stamp dealer and philatelic expert Raymond H Weill. It featured a vertical pair of the 1850–51 2c. black on rose (type B), initialled ‘E.D.W.’, on a 26 November 1851 entire letter to ‘Edward Gordon Esq., Plant. Good Hope’. In an excellent colour for this stamp, the pair was cut square with good-to-large margins on three sides, and each stamp…

On 20 January, La Poste will issue a stamp in its artistic series featuring the painting The Gleaners by Jean-François Millet (1814–75) to mark the 150th anniversary of the artist’s death. Painted in 1857, The Gleaners depicts three women looking on the ground for ears of corn missed by the harvesters. Behind them, large stacks of hay are piled up. When it was presented at the Salon, it received a mixed critical reception, with the artist accused of mythologising poverty, the rural proletariat and of using pictorial realism for political ends. However, the painting is part of a process that he began after settling in Barbizon ten years earlier. At the beginning of his career in Paris, Millet had switched between painting portraiture and classical nudes inspired by the art…

Following the abdication of King Edward VIII, work started almost immediately to find designs for new definitives for the reign of King George VI. Once the design process for the low values (up to 1s) was complete, colours needed to be chosen. In the main, these were the same for each denomination as used in previous reigns. The exceptions were the 7d and 8d: initially essays were produced for the 7d in red and the 8d in green. However, to prevent any confusion with the ½d and 1d stamps, also in green and red respectively, the issued stamps were in emerald-green (7d) and bright carmine (8d). The new low values were issued from 1937: an additional value of 11d, added in 1947, was in plum. It might be thought that…

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

I found the article in the December issue of Stamp Collector on Sir Brian Tuke, Master of the Post in King Henry VIII’s time, very interesting. In particular, the comment ‘Regularly used routes, such as the one between Dover and London, were well supplied with horses and couriers, and the king’s mail had the right to be “furnished with able and sufficient” post-horses…’. This reminded me of an item in my collection that, although of a later period, was relevant. The year 1660 was a turbulent time in British history. Oliver Cromwell died on 3 September 1658 and his son, Richard, became protector, but he lacked his father’s authority and formally relinquished power after only nine months. Unrest followed and the power vacuum was filled by the army under Generals…

I started collecting stamps in the mid-1980s, when I was a schoolboy, while living in the Soviet Ukraine. Stamp collecting was a very popular hobby at the time for both children and adults. My major interest was worldwide fauna, especially prehistoric animals. I found my first fossil when I was 12–13 years old, in the mid-1980s. It was a tooth of a prehistoric fish in a piece of stone. I took it to the Natural History Museum, where an employee explained to me what I had found. It was astonishing because in Lviv, the Ukrainian city where I grew up, there was no sea or even a river. Prehistoric creatures began to occupy my imagination. At that time, there were few opportunities to obtain stamps. Mixes of CTO (cancelled to…

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8 January – Tooveys Spring Gardens, Washington, West Sussex RH20 3BS www.tooveys.com 9 January – Spink 67–69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury. London WC1B 4ET www.spink.com 17 – 18 January – York Stamp & Coin Fair The Grandstand, York Racecourse, York YO23 1EX stampshows.net 17–23 January – Stack’s Bowers (NYINC sale) InterContinental New York Barclay, New York, USA stacksbowers.com 15 January – St James’s 10 Charles II Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 4AA stjauctions.com 15 January – Tennants Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5SG www.tennants.co.uk 19 January – Chris Rudd PO Box 1500, Norwich NR10 5WS celticcoins.com 17–21 February – Christoph Gärtner Steinbeisstraße 6+8, 74321 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany www.auktionen-gaertner.de 19 February – Noonans 16–17 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ www.noonans.co.uk 19 February – Warwick & Warwick Chalon House, Scar Bank, Millers…

The Lunar New Year of the Snake starts on 29 January 2025. For many people across Asia, and around the world, Lunar New Year is the most important festival of the year. The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, which is based both on the Moon’s phases and the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The traditional Chinese calendar is used for religious purposes, festivals and for agriculture. Its system for naming years has been in use for about the last 2,000 years, but it is traditionally extrapolated back to 2637 BC when the calendar was supposed to have been invented. Collecting coins with the Chinese zodiac signs of the lunar calendar brings lots of fun and fascination. But it has also become a question of finances because there are so…