Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2022 i Stamp Collector

Royal Mail has announced the launch of its Swap Out scheme that will allow customers to swap their non-barcoded definitive stamps for the equivalent value of barcoded stamps. Definitive stamps without a dot matrix code, actually more like QR codes, will become invalid on 31 January 2023 as new barcoded stamps replace them. Now Royal Mail have revealed how members of the public can exchange their old stamps for the new versions, also confirming that any mail posted with non-barcoded definitive stamps after 31 January 2023 will be treated in the same way as if there is insufficient postage on an item. Customers are being encouraged to use-up their non-barcoded stamps before 31 January 2023. However, those who cannot do so can swap their non-barcoded stamps for the equivalent value…

Featuring images from vintage postcards from World War One, the 2022 commemorative Anzac Day stamps from Australia Post are a reminder of the messages of love and support sent by tens of thousands of people to Australians serving overseas. The postcards chosen for the three base-rate domestic stamps ($1.10) feature postcard images of Australia’s iconic Laughing Kookaburra. The cards represented the naval, infantry and air forces through the different uniform hats the birds are wearing, and also included poignant little verses that expressed hope, support, and warm desire to see the card’s recipient safely home. The original images were created by Valentine & Sons Publishing, and are now held in the collection of State Library Victoria. The new stamps were designed by Jo Muré of the Australia Post Design Studio.…

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the world’s longest running national club competition, Jersey Post has issued 150 Years of the FA Cup Final – Great FA Cup Moments! – a set of eight commemorative stamps illustrating classic moments in FA Cup history. The stamp set has been created by comic artist David Sque, whose iconic Roy of the Rovers character is known and loved by football fans worldwide. ‘I’ve been involved with illustrating football for most of my career, and I am probably most known for drawing England’s famous national football comic hero, Roy of the Rovers,’ said David. ‘I was both honoured and humbled when Jersey Post kindly commissioned me to illustrate a set of postage stamps together with further illustrations connected with the issue. It was quite…

BURMA OVERPRINTS ‘The Libra Collection - Featuring King George V Issues’ was recently offered by Spink at an auction held at the Royal Philatelic Society London. One of the highest prices achieved was for a set of 1937 Indian stamps, overprinted ‘Burma’. The lot consisted of 3p to 25r values in blocks of four, the 10r. 15r. and 25r. from the top left corner, fresh and fine mint with the lower pair in each unmounted. The lot was said to be ‘a rare and stunning set.’ SOLD FOR £6,600 RARE US SPECIMENS A range of USA ‘Specimen’ overprints were recently offered by Robert A Siegel, including what was said to be the only recorded example of the 15-cent 1869 pictorial re-issue with any type of ‘specimen’ overprint. The blue handstamped…

WILD ABOUT THE WILDING Since its appearance, the Wilding has been overshadowed by the ubiquitous Machin stamp, but its short life and use of photography mean it is a firm favourite with collectors. Within a week of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February, 1952, the Post Office was asked about its plans for new stamps. The priority was to find a suitable photograph and a sitting took place at the Dorothy Wilding Studio on 26 February and, after consultation at the Post Office, a further shoot was held in April, after which a photograph to be used for stamps was selected. In all, 75 design ideas were received, with a short-list of nine designs later being cut down to five. The Wilding definitives provide much of interest,…

1 What was Roland Hill’s first job at the age of twelve; and in which town was he employed? 2 In 1951 Denmark celebrated a century of postage stamp use. What was illustrated on the commemorative stamp? 3 Which was the first country to issue postage stamps for use in Lebanon? 4 Why did Colombia issue triangular stamps in 1865 and 1869? 5 What rare and famous error occurred on the first few printings of the India 4 Annas stamp of 1854? 6 In which monarch’s reign were stamp booklets first introduced in Great Britain? 7 Which two animals featured on the St Louis, Missouri, USA stamp of 1845? 8 What word completes the following instruction on sheets of early GB stamps: In wetting the back be careful not to…

With the exception of Salisbury Cathedral, best known for having the tallest spire in England and one of the best preserved copies of Magna Carta, Wiltshire is recognized by many collectors as being one of the principal homes of the British army which consequently provides also many opportunities for building up a thematic collection based on military material. In his book on the county Dr. John Siggers identifies no fewer than 187 different postmarks used at military camps and units, giving ample scope using such a topic alone. Especially prior to the First World War, the designation ‘Field Post Office’ was often included which is more usually associated with overseas units and more than twenty different types of postmark were used at Bulford Camp alone. Large numbers of soldiers were…

The recently issued Ukrainian stamps featuring a provocative image of a soldier making a gesture at a Russian warship have proved hugely popular, with customers queuing outside the postal headquarters in Kyiv in order to buy the stamp. As reported in last month’s Stamp Collector, Ukrposhta, the Ukraine postal service ran a competition to find a stamp design to sum up the country’s defiance in the face of the Russian invasion. The winning piece of artwork, showing a soldier making a rude gesture at the Russian warship Moskva, took on added meaning following the attack and eventual sinking of the ship. To coincide with the stamp’s launch, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posed with the stamps, his social media post being shared by thousands. Following the destruction of the warship, Ukrposhta…

We asked you for your thoughts on the plans to replace definitives… ‘My main concern is how can you prove what value of stamps have been forwarded to them if no check is being made by post office workers. It will be an added expense having to send them recorded delivery but what proof have you unless someone checks the value enclosed before the envelope is sealed. Just because you list what’s enclosed doesn’t prove it. They have not be clear enough on procedures for the exchanges and I think it’s diabolical that they have put a deadline on use of present NVI stamps.’ Rodger Hall, Doncaster ‘I’ve been a stamp collector for years, and hate the barcode stamps. I will not be saving them… it costs more and more…

Want to escape the nine to five, turn off your mobile phone and focus on stamps? Now you can get paid for the privilege, so long as you don’t mind taking a shower as and when a ship passes, working in temperatures as low as -5°c, and helping count penguins. The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust recently advertised for a Base Leader for Port Lockroy, also known as ‘The Penguin Post Office’, who will be responsible for managing the British Antarctic Territory Post Office. Duties of the job will include: liaising with International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) ship Hotel Manager’s for any on-board sales of stamps; managing all postal stock, promoting and selling all postal stamps, hand franking all mail processed through the Post Office (up to 80,000 pieces…

Birds have regularly landed onto British stamps, with this set being the thirteenth (including the Post & Go stamps of 2010 and 2011) to feature our feathered friends. So this set is certainly nothing new, but this time focuses on those birds that, perhaps wisely, only choose to come to Britain during the warmer months. The ten featured birds on the ten stamps have been illustrated in detail by Irish ornithologist Killian Mullarney, one of Europe’s best-known bird artists. His work has featured in the Collins Bird Guide and on stamps issued in the Republic of Ireland. Bird migration is the annual, seasonal movement of birds along predefined routes, known as flyways, between their breeding and nonbreeding grounds. It might seem like the ideal way to live, flying from one…

There was a time when relations between China and the United States were a lot friendlier than what is the case today. On 4 July 1939, China released a set of four large pictorial stamps marking the 150th anniversary of the constitution of the United States. The stamps were printed by the American Bank Note Co. using a combination of recess and lithography. The date of 4 July is, of course, significant as it is date when the thirteen original states declared their independence from Britain in 1776. It is an attractive set in bold colours featuring the flags of China and the United States along with a map of China and with text in Chinese only. Exactly why the Chinese Post Office decided to honour this important anniversary is…

At the time of their first stamp issue, Brazil was ruled by the fifteen-year-old Emperor Dom Pedro II, who had inherited the throne nine years previously but had ruled through regents until 1841. So while Pedro II used his 49-year rule to lay the foundations of the modern Brazilian state, it is likely that the drive for postal reform originated amongst Dom Pedro’s advisers, who remained a major influence on the young Emperor. In contrast to Britain, where the Penny Post was Rowland Hill’s creation, no single name stands out. But the Emperor’s court contained a number of highly intelligent, forward-looking people who had worked or studied in Europe and who kept up date with events in Britain, which at the time was Brazil’s largest trading partner. Two decrees were…

Earlier this year, Platinum Jubilee Souvenirs hit the headlines again with the misspelling of Jubilee as ‘Jubbly’ on thousands of commemorative plates and mugs. When they are offered to collectors, I am sure they will be popular, though I am just that little bit suspicious that it was done deliberately, there is, after all, no such thing as bad publicity! Putting this to one side, it did make me think of this Royal Doulton Official Cover featuring a Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday Commemorative Plate on this 1990 Official First Day Cover in a limited edition of just 1,000. It has a Stoke on Trent special postmark which features one of the Kilns found round the city. As you would expect this issue was dominated by various special postmarks at her…

Ukrainian nationality goes back to the 9th century, when Kyiv became the capital of an expanding empire founded by Vikings. By the 10th century, this empire covered much of modern Ukraine, Belarus and parts of Poland and Russia. Its most famous ruler was Prince Volodymyr the Great, who converted to Christianity in 988. The tryzub (trident) featured on the 10, 20 and 40 shahiv stamps illustrated here was his emblem. His son Yaroslav built the St Sophia cathedral that (at time of writing) still stands in Kyiv. As all empires do, the Kievan one fell apart, with later princes fighting (Svatyopolk the Accursed managed to murder three of his brothers). The arrival of the Mongols administered the death-blow. When they departed, the lands of Ukraine fell first under Polish domination,…

Are the large ‘parcel’ type Machins and the 1990 Machin with QEII & Victoria’s portrait in the swap out scheme? Yes, all definitive Machins are included in the scheme. Further information about stamps eligible for the Swap Out scheme can be found here: royalmail.com/barcodedstamps. All five values in the Penny Black Anniversary Stamps 1840-1990 issue are eligible for the Swap Out scheme. Can I send single stamps or must they be in the stamp booklets of twelve stamps? Customers can complete a standard Swap Out form for stamps worth up to the value of £200. Self-adhesive stamps must be attached to their original backing paper or book. Individual stamps that are not self-adhesive must be stuck to the Swap Out form within the box overleaf. For applications of stamps in…

Following the success of 2021’s set of special stamps on Swiss Parks, Swiss Post has released another set of Swiss Park stamps, designed by Pierre-Abraham Rochat, La Sarraz The twenty Swiss Parks were created to preserve and promote their unique natural and cultural landscapes, and actively promote the sustainable development of their region. The Swiss Parks stamps not only feature stunning locations, but show the interventions of human beings in the Swiss landscape. The Beverin Nature Park has been working to put new shingle roofs on the region’s stables, and that is what its stamp shows. The Doubs Nature Park stamp depicts the Freiberger horses that have been bred in the region for centuries. The Grantrisch Nature Park stamp portrays a region known in Switzerland for the traditional folk song…

I wonder what Arnold Machin would have made of the new ‘barcode’ definitives, the values from 1p to £5 issued on 4 April, that now have a white background? Machin’s plaster cast of the Queen was photographed with lighting created specifically to allow the portrait to be shown against a coloured background. Machin favoured deep colours: it has been well documented that the Queen preferred olive brown with sepia for the 4d value of the new definitives when issued in 1967. While some of the pre-decimal and early decimal values had graduated pastel backgrounds, these were dropped in favour of dark colours throughout with the arrival of the palette of colours developed by Jeffery Matthews. Machin’s design has been universally praised for its simplicity, reminiscent of the beauty of the…

In 1897, Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee and, to the disappointment of many, the British Post Office chose not to issue stamps to mark this important event, writes Christer BrunstrOm. The anniversary was marked in Canada by a splendid (and today valuable) set of sixteen showing two portraits of Her Majesty; one as a young woman and one as a widow in her old age. But the royal event didn’t go unnoticed as a number of creatives wanted to pay a philatelic tribute to the Queen and her jubilee. One of those people was W.S. Lincoln who had his shop at 2 Holles Street in London. Lincoln was not only one of the pioneering stamp dealers but also a publisher of picture postcards. Lincoln arranged for the printing of…

Interesting postcards don’t always need to be expensive, writes Richard Stenlake. This nice real photo card of the 1 in 100 scale model of Milan Cathedral costs as little as £2.20, including postage! Outside working hours and Sundays, English eccentric Richard Old made 767 scale models and the cases for them, all of which were constructed and housed in his terraced house in Middlesbrough. This five-foot-long model was the star item of his collection. The miniature hospital by contrast was made for a purpose, that being to show the public the workings of a state-of-the-art modern hospital and raise funds in the cash-strapped 1930s. Made out of various metals, textiles, glass, plastic, wood, paint and paper it housed miniature X-Ray equipment and had a working lift. Queen Mary was so…

I first came across the Isle of Man stamps back in May 2020, writes Stuart Leigh, when they issued a set featuring acts of kindness and the coming together of communities with help and caring, under the banner of ‘#CarryUsThrough’ during the Covid19 pandemic. The Isle of Man refer to the stamps as ‘Variable Value Definitives’ (VVD) from their range of ‘Stamps On A Roll’ (SOAR) The first set of these stamps was issued in 2017 and showed the Triskelion, the three-legged symbol of the island. Traditionally they are available in four denominations, corresponding to UK and IOM up to 20g, Europe up to 20g, Worldwide up to 20g, and Europe up to 100g and Rest of the World up to 40g. In 2018 the theme was the 125th anniversary…

George V’s reign was a busy time for stamp collectors, as territories around the world issued their first pictorial sets. It was a busy time for stamp printers, too, culminating in the Silver Jubilee Omnibus set. This was a massive undertaking; made all the more so by the use of recess-printing for all values. So it was not the ideal time for Ceylon to make the switch to pictorials. And the island’s booming economy needed a lot of stamps. Ceylon’s first cash crop was coffee, which grew wild on the slopes of the central hill country. Governor Edward Barnes encouraged the development of plantations and built a network of roads from the coffee areas of Kandy to the Port of Colombo. By the mid 1870s, Ceylon was the world’s largest…

Over 200 years ago, as now, postal services were disrupted by conflict between states and countries. Disruption of post during those years of war meant that the length of time for letters and parcels to reach their final destination was often considerably more than peace time. For people, travel became more difficult and could be curtailed, so when Europe had returned to peace after the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte had been defeated and exiled to St. Helena, those with position in society, and more importantly the money to go with it, could again travel leisurely around Europe on their own ‘Grand Tour’. Visiting places of interest, correspondence to them often had to be sent ‘poste restante’, meaning it would wait for their collection at a given place and in a…