Innehållsförteckning för June 2025 från Stamp Collector

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A century ago, on 22 May 1925, the painter and sculptor Jean Tinguely was born in Fribourg, Switzerland. He spent his childhood in Basel and, after training as a decorator, attended the General Trade School in the city. Tinguely became known in art history for his moving objects and machine-like kinetic sculptures, often driven by electric motors. In 1960, his gigantic machine in the garden of New York’s Museum of Modern Art caused a sensation. Assembled from scrap metal and capable of destroying itself, it was part of Gustav Metzger’s ‘Manifesto of Autodestructive Art’. From the 1970s onwards, Tinguely began designing fountains. He focussed on working with flowing, splashing and, in winter, freezing water. A landmark for his hometown of Basel was the Fasnachtsbrunnen (Carnival Fountain). It was built in…

ON SALE 13 JUNE The Castle of Curiosities POSTCARDS AND STAMPS TELL THE STORY OF A PREHISTORIC DISCOVERY IN GERMANY How to Collect Papua New Guinea YOUR GUIDE TO COLLECTING STAMPS FROM THE WORLD’S SECOND LARGEST ISLAND Cover Explained THE CHALLENGES OF DELIVERING WORLD WAR II CORRESPONDENCE A–Z of Coins 18TH-CENTURY COPPER TOKENS Focus on Medals THE STORY OF GALLANT AIRMEN ON THE GROUND AVAILABLE IN ALL GOOD NEWSAGENTS OR DIRECT FROM https://ccgb.mymagazinesub.co.uk/…

Maundy money distributed This year’s Maundy Service was held at Durham Cathedral on 17 April. At the service, the King and Queen distributed Maundy money to selected recipients. The service takes place each year on the Thursday before Easter Sunday and is a special service in which the monarch expresses their gratitude for those who serve and volunteer in their communities. The service is rooted in the tradition of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet the night before his death and goes back to mediaeval times. During the service, HM King Charles III presented 152 recipients, 76 men and 76 women (signifying the age of the monarch), with specially minted Maundy money to thank them for their outstanding Christian service and for making a difference to the lives of people in…

SOLD FOR £537 Spain, 1879 25 pesetas Alfonso XII Madrid gold coin, XF SOLD FOR £157 Netherlands, 1056–1106 Tiel denarius Heinrich IV silver, VF SOLD FOR £139 Bulgaria, 1988 1 lev nickel-brass coin, SUP SOLD FOR £870 French Equatorial Africa and Cameroon, 1957 1,000 francs, UNC banknote SOLD FOR £470 France, 1793 2 sols Pau bell metal or copper coin SOLD FOR £191 Belgium, 1835 5 francs Leopold I Bruxelles silver coin, XF SOLD FOR £117 Mauritius, 2000 10 rupees Chamber of Commerce and Industry silver coin, VF SOLD FOR £348 Mexico, 1866 100 pesos Banco de Mexico BUY AND SELL ON DECAMPE, MORE THAN 80 MILLION COLLECTABLES ARE WAITING FOR YOU!…

Paper money came late to Yemen, the name given to the south-western region of the Arabian Peninsula bounded by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Yemen’s rich cultural history goes back well over 2,000 years, but its paper money history starts only in 1964. This is relatively complex, featuring two quite separate political entities before unification took place in 1990. Today’s political turmoil, however, threatens to divide the country once again, with Houthi rebels in the north and west challenging the central government. THE EARLIEST NOTES Historically, northern Yemen was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1918, while the south was British controlled as part of the Aden Protectorate. Both the north and the south followed very different paths, not only politically but also in terms of currency.…

GUERNSEY 80th anniversary of liberation Guernsey Post has announced that a commemorative set of six stamps to mark the 80th anniversary of Guernsey’s liberation from German occupation during World War II will be released on 1 May. The Channel Islands were the only part of Britain occupied during World War II. German forces invaded Guernsey on 30 June 1940 and occupied the island until 9 May 1945. This was the day after the unconditional surrender of the Germans came into force on 8 May, known as Victory in Europe Day. Winston Churchill’s speech on the radio on 8 May about the official end of hostilities the next day included the words: ‘our dear Channel Islands are also to be freed today’. On 8 May, the local population were allowed to…

From John O’Groats to Land’s End, the landscape of the UK is steeped in myths, legends and folktales that have captured imaginations for centuries. A new eight-stamp set from Royal Mail, which was released on 27 March, explores some of the well-known mythical creatures and legendary figures of folklore. Exploring these tales uncovers not only intriguing stories but also the deeper meanings and values they convey. As these tales continue to captivate and inspire, they offer a fascinating window into the collective psyche of the UK. The eight striking stamps, all with a 1st class denomination, were illustrated by London-based artist Adam Simpson, whose work has been shortlisted for a British Design Award. Folklore draws on many sources, from oral traditions to literary works. Each region has its own unique…

Whatever your views on them, stamp dealers do much to delight the stamp collector. Notwithstanding their support of the various levels of the hobby, from bedroom collector to international exhibitor, they are often the ones who somehow locate that elusive item that has been evading the clutches of the avid collector. But there is also another contribution our trusty dealers should be recognised for – the preservation of material. Often, it is the dealer who identifies what is rare and ensures it is appropriately saved from being lost or destroyed. A good example of this is our featured Grenada 1881 1d light blue on buff stationery postal card, which is very difficult to find in used condition (Figure 1). This example, which is one of a handful known, has been…

SOLD FOR £2,177 Belgian Congo, 1890 letter franked with the 1886 and 1887 issues sent from Léopoldville to Bruxelles and forwarded in the city SOLD FOR £835 France, 1868 imperforate telegraph stamp issue, MH SOLD FOR £740 Great Britain, £1 deep green Seahorse (SG403), cancelled Jersey 1914, with margin SOLD FOR £599 Brazil, 1843 90r Bull’s Eye, used fine SOLD FOR £1,488 Belgium, 1850 letter franked 10c from Waver to Wavre forwarded to another city in Belgium but redirected to France by mistake SOLD FOR £870 Romania, inverted red overprint on 1959 10th anniversary of the state philatelic trade sheetlet, MNH SOLD FOR £518 Italy, 1933 Balbo Squadron airmail overprinted ‘SERVIZIO DI STATO’, MNH SOLD FOR £392 French Congo Gabon, 1910 2f carmine and light brown, MNH SOLD FOR £1,201…

To keep in regular contact with friends is joyful and rewarding, but to do so with members of your family can be much more. Firstly, to know they are alive and safe, and secondly, they are able to live a life that is not too harrowing is a constant worry and concern. A telephone call might just be possible sometimes, but usually it is to wait for, hopefully, a regular letter from a younger member of the family, often to a mother and father, or a wife. Fortunately, the postal services in World War II continued in this time of conflict between nations, although the journey of delivery was often slow and not direct. But that mattered not, it was the continuance of contact that was important, and many recipients…

There is something bizarre about this stamp, with its dove of peace towering over gun-toting fighters (Figure 1). It is also odd because it is a celebration of a military operation, the 1968 ‘Tet Offensive’, which was viewed at the time as a defeat. Vietnam was partitioned after gaining independence in 1957. However, the Communist North had clear designs on the South. In response to this, America began sending help to the South. At first, that was mainly money and ‘advisers’. In 1964, after a naval incident in the Gulf of Tonkin, US President Lyndon Johnson launched a bombing campaign and sent in hundreds of thousands of armed personnel. In 1967, it looked like this was working. The forces from the North and local Viet Cong guerillas, who had taken…

Hoards are constantly discovered across the UK. Of course, all of those hoards that are found today represent hoards that were either never retrieved by those who buried them or only partially recovered. Of course, as we saw in the last article, not all hoards were intended to be recovered; some might have been burial goods or votive deposits. Clearly, if a hoard was recovered shortly after its original burial then we will never usually know anything about it. But there is one fascinating exception; the chaotic and confused retrieval of a hoard buried by the famous 17th-century diarist, Samuel Pepys. The story is worth telling in full. In 1667, the year after the Great Fire of London, Britain was at war with Holland (Figure 1). It proved to be…

The early years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II saw few commemorative stamps being released, with just four special issues between 1952 and 1959 – a sharp contrast to the first years of the reign of King Charles III. However, it was a different situation when it came to the definitives. It was only a matter of days after the accession that the Queen visited the studios of Dorothy Wilding with the aim of finding a portrait to appear on stamps. The chosen photograph would be used not only on definitives but also on special issues until the 1960s. The low values, from ½d to 1s 6d, started to appear from 5 December 1952 with the release of the 1½d and 2½d values (Figure 1). As was the custom…

AUCTION RESULTS PRICES EXCLUDE BUYER’S PREMIUM UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED Rare Zeppelin cover The Argyll Etkin auction of GB and worldwide stamps and postal history on 10–11 April included an example of Zeppelin Mail sent from Singapore (lot 1484). Dated 13 June 1934, the cover from Imperial Chemical Industries was sent ‘AIR ALL THE WAY’ from their Singapore office to their Buenos Aires office. Franked with $2.12 and tied by a Singapore CDS, it was carried by Imperial Airways and then on the Graf Zeppelin Argentine flight. Additionally, it bore a violet Graf Zeppelin cachet and was backstamped at Berlin (23 June) and Buenos Aires (28 June). Apparently a commercial cover, this was the first Zeppelin cover Argyll Etkin have seen from the Straits Settlements. This very rare cover went under…

In spring and early summer, families around the world can celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. In the UK, Mother’s Day is celebrated in March and Father’s Day is marked in June. At this time, many collectors will be thinking of their parents in a special way or will be honoured as parents themselves. However, our collections rarely reflect these close family ties. How about creating a personal ‘family album’. In this way, a family tree can be created that might also interest future generations and bring the family history to life in a condensed form. PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE Selected letters and postcards from and to your mother or father, perhaps from journeys, special holidays and events, can contribute to this. If you are lucky, you may also find correspondence from…

This series of articles looks at mail from the World War II period that illustrates the conditions of the time, focusing on the effects of the war as seen by the civilian population of Britain. The previous article looked at some material from the bombing raids and the civil defence responses to them. This one will look at how Britain was fed and supplied during the war – another huge subject, so the examples given can only be illustrative! THE MINISTRY OF FOOD As had been done in World War I, a Ministry of Food was formed on 8 September 1939 ‘to ensure that there is an adequate supply of essential foodstuffs available for all classes of the community’ (Figure 1). On the supply side, it controlled imports, acting as…

CINDERELLAS Hotel publicity label On a few occasions in the 1990s, my wife and I enjoyed traditional afternoon tea at the Hyde Park Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, writes Christer Brunström. While sipping our tea accompanied by sandwiches and scones, we were treated to music played on the piano. It was all a delightful experience, and we had dressed up for the occasion. If memory serves me right, we had a nice view of the park from the tearoom. I was reminded of those precious moments when I located the poster stamp shown nearby. It shows the impressive hotel as seen from the park. The label is just as impressive. It must have been produced by one of the more famous British printing concerns. The building housing the hotel was completed…

Snakes serve as multifaceted symbols due to their behaviour and characteristics, such as vanishing underground, possessing venom, shedding their skin, demonstrating fertility and moving in a sinuous manner. Across various cultures, they represent themes of the underworld, such as death, renewal and fertility. Serpents have important significance in mythologies all over the world. They often play an important role, either positive or negative, and have a close relationship with a god or a goddess. The anguipede is a composite creature consisting of a human body and serpent legs. The prototype of an anguipede has two snake legs. However, sometimes a single serpent with human/humanoid head is also included in the definition. As many composite creatures originated in the Near East, one of the first known images of an anguipede was…

Stories of World War II The Royal Mint has commemorated the service of those that served Britain and the Commonwealth during World War II before, but to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, a new coin pays tribute to the millions of ordinary people who served by retelling their stories and experiences. When Britain and the Commonwealth were thrust into a world at war, everyday citizens showed their true grit and determination as they endured a global conflict both at home and overseas. The reverse design for the coin features bespoke artwork by artist Timothy Noad, who has created numerous heraldic coin designs for The Royal Mint in recent years, including the coronation of HM King Charles III and the 95th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.…