Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Stamp Collector

The Thailand 2023 World Stamp Championship took place 27 November–2 December, with its palmares ceremony being held on 1 December at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Bangkok. At the palmares ceremony, the major award winners of the show were presented with their prizes. The World Stamp Champion winner was Tay Peng Hian (Singapore) with his entry on ‘Netherlands East Indies 1655–1870’. The first World Stamp Champion runner-up was Tom Komnaes of Norway with ‘Norwegian Skilling Covers – Domestic and Abroad’, while the second runner-up was Martha Villarroel De Peredo of Bolivia with ‘Bolivia Airmail’. From Korea, Cheol Kyu Han was the recipient of the International Grand Prix for his entry on ‘Korea: The Daehan Empire Stamps 1884–1905’. The National Grand Prix was won by Prakob Chirakiti of…

The results of the 2023 PTS Awards were recently announced, recognising the very best in the philatelic trade. Since their launch in 2020 by the Philatelic Traders’ Society, the awards have recognised those who invest in the hobby, innovate and inspire others. The four new award categories launched in 2023 were: Best Website; Best Social Media; Best Physical Space (including retail stores, auction rooms and stamp show stand concept); and Best Publication (including catalogues, magazines and reference material). Stamp Collector was proud to have received multiple nominations in the best publication category. For the first time, the winners of the categories were decided purely based on a public vote, and Stanley Gibbons won in all categories, with runners-up in each category being: Empire Philatelists (runner-up for best website); Robert Murray…

The UK’s National Exhibitions are set to be held at the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL), whilst the York Stamp and Coin Fair will still host an exhibit in the summer. The national exhibits, which give UK collectors the chance to qualify for international exhibitions, were previously held at Stampex, but will now take place at the RPSL headquarters in the City. A spokesperson said: ‘It is no longer practical to hold UK exhibitions as part of Stampex, so instead, the Royal Philatelic Society London will become the new home of UK qualifying exhibitions in London. It is also intended to continue running exhibitions as part of the York Stamp Fair every July, and there may be other regional events.’ The first exhibition at the RPSL will be held from…

A new €8.75 stamp from La Poste commemorates the life of pilot Rene Mouchotte. Born on 21 August 1914 in Saint-Mande, Val-de-Marne, he learned to fly when he was 18 and did his military service in the French Air Force, obtaining his pilot’s licence and the rank of sergeant. In 1939, he was mobilised and assigned to train new pilots, despite his requests to join a fighter squadron. Stationed in Oran, Algeria, in May 1940, he decided to go to England after the Armistice of 22 June between France and Germany. With five others, he first flew to Gibraltar aboard a twin-engine Caudron C.440 Goeland on 29 June and then went on to England by boat. Mouchotte enlisted in the Royal Air Force on 13 July 1940. Once his training…

1 Back in January 2023, Royal Mail celebrated monsters of rock Iron Maiden with stamps showcasing the metal titans’ live gigs – they’ve performed more than 2,000 of them, across 64 countries, since they first formed way back in 1975. But what did the miniature sheet celebrate? 2 Marvel’s comic superheroes’ ability to mutate and survive in a variety of media saw them included on a set of themed commemorative Transformer stamps. The Royal Mail gave the stamps an Augmented Reality super-power of their own – but what was it? 3 The world’s most famous steam locomotive, the Flying Scotsman, had its 100th birthday celebrated by the Royal Mail with a special stamp set. In 2016, restoration work was completed on what was by then the oldest mainline working locomotive…

PALACE OF INDUSTRY ENVELOPE The recent sale at Cavendish on 5 December included a rare Palace of Industry envelope from the 1924 Wembley Exhibition (lot 1308). Dated 24 June 1924, this special official envelope was sent express from the Palace of Industry to East Hoadley in Sussex. It bore eight 1924 8d scarlet Wembley stamps plus a ½d green, all cancelled by the special Palace of Industry c.d.s. Its hammer price was more than four times the £240 estimate. SOLD FOR £1,100 PAPUA AIRMAIL The public auction at Abacus in Australia on 6–8 December included an extremely rare 1930 1s sepia and olive from Papua that had an inverted aeroplane overprint from the Harrison printings, which originated from the one sheet of 40 believed to have been produced (lot 3502).…

As a sequel to the articles on Wilding usages, this month we move on to their replacements – the set of small-format, pre-decimal Machins, issued at intervals during 1967–69. As before, this will focus mostly on the solo usages; one difference from the Wildings worth noting is that here the two lowest values of ½d and 1d didn’t have any solo uses on cover, since by this time there weren’t any postage rates as low as a penny left. The rates As before, here’s a quick reference to the main rates in this period. Other rates will be covered as they come up. For inland mail, the major change was in 1968, when the long-standing method of charging by the type of mail (letters, postcards or printed papers) was replaced…

Much has changed in our way of life since the end of the Great War in 1918, and not just in communication, which can now be nearly instant no matter where you are. Discussion concerning daily life continues, but an insight into how it has been in the past shows just how much social life has changed over the ensuing decades. The postal items that families have saved are revealing in this context, and if the envelope has also been retained, then the postal journey can be deduced. The two covers and letters illustrated were written in 1919 and 1921 by Dee (Lady Dorothea Ruggles-Brise) to her husband Harold, and they detail what has been happening at her parents’ home in Scotland while he is living in West London. Addressed…

This issue from 1986 marked the 900th anniversary of the Domesday Book and this cover the centenary of Legal and General, so I think you could argue that this cover does, sort of, work, writes Brian Austin. It has always been the hardest cover to find for this issue, and it is thought that only 100 of these full sets exist. They were produced by cover dealer Covercraft, who always seemed to make it very hard for collectors to get hold of them, though with this cover, Legal and General may have just wanted them supplied to their customers and suppliers, but if this was the case, it was normally done with just single stamp covers. I think every collection I am offered has at least one single-stamp first day…

Royal Mail have revealed their 2024 stamp programme, and it promises to be an exciting year with a wide range of issues released, covering anniversaries, the natural world and popular culture. The first release of the year, on 11 January, will see a stamp issue dedicated to girl power. Formed in 1994, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Spice Girls. Consisting of Melanie Brown (‘Scary Spice’), Melanie Chisholm (‘Sporty Spice’), Emma Bunton (‘Baby Spice’), Geri Halliwell (‘Ginger Spice’) and Victoria Beckham (‘Posh Spice’), the all-female quintet released hit albums such as Spice (1996) and Spiceworld (1997). Among their hits were the songs ‘Wannabe’, ‘Spice Up Your Life’ and ‘Viva Forever’. Later in the year, another music set will celebrate the rock band The Who, most likely part of…

The FEPA Board has invited nominations from its member federations for the 2024 FEPA Awards. The following awards are to be presented: FEPA Medal for exceptional service or support to organised philately (2023); FEPA Medal for exceptional philatelic research (2023); and FEPA Certificates of Appreciation. The FEPA Medal for exceptional service or support to organised philately is an award for those who have provided outstanding service and/or support to European philately, extending beyond purely national achievements. Other philatelic merits (e.g. study and research, exhibiting awards, publications, years of service) do not necessarily constitute a reason for the award. Only one medal will be awarded, but in exceptional cases, an additional medal may be awarded ‘in memoriam’ in case of the person’s death since 1 January of the year concerned. The…

This year, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) celebrates its 150th anniversary. It was on 9 October 1874 that 22 countries signed the Treaty of Bern, creating the General Postal Union, which would later become known as the Universal Postal Union. A century and a half later, the UPU now unites the postal networks of 192 member countries, having realised its founders’ vision of establishing a single postal territory to serve people everywhere. The UPU’s theme for its 150th year – ‘150 years of enabling communication and empowering peoples across nations’ – recognises this accomplishment and reinforces its commitment to serve all peoples for the decades and centuries to come. Throughout 2024, the UPU will be marking its 150th anniversary by celebrating its past, present and future. Events will begin with…

On 8 January, Jersey will issue its 2024 Europa issue on this year’s theme of ‘Underwater Fauna and Flora’. The issue features images taken by Nicola Miskin, who began taking underwater photographs in 2018. As well as mastering how to take underwater shots while being thrown around by the sea, Nicola has learnt how to use the light from the water’s surface to best achieve creative shots of vibrant underwater life. When describing how she achieves the images, Nicola said: ‘The intense colours and vibrancy in my photographs are from the water enhancing the colours and using the surface of the water to maximise the natural light. I don’t use flash nor do I colour enhance my images.’ The eight-stamp set features images of Jersey’s underwater fauna and flora, which…

On 7 November, the UN Postal Administration issued a CHF2.30 defintive stamp to honour Marie Curie. The stamp is part of a definitive stamp series illustrated by renowned engraver Martin Morck from Norway. Best known for her pioneering research in radioactivity and her discovery of two elements, polonium and radium, Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. Born Marya Skłodowska in Warsaw, Poland, on 7 November 1867, she overcame many obstacles in her early life to pursue her scientific career. In 1891, she went to Paris to study physics and mathematics at the Sorbonne. It was there that she met Pierre Curie, professor at the…

If you collect Great Britain, there are probably one or two stamps that you would ideally like to have in your collection. I recall a few years ago being invited to the 90th birthday celebrations of a collector who lived in north London. There was one stamp that he dearly wanted to own. It was the Postal Union Congress £1 of 1929 in fine used condition. His wish came true, as a birthday present from his son. The PUC £1 is probably one of those stamps that many collectors would still like to own, along with possibly the £5 orange of Queen Victoria issued in 1882, and maybe a fine example of the Penny Black. Naturally, there are many other stamps that may be on your personal ‘wants list’, such…

On 1 September 1939, Germany launched a surprise attack on neighbouring Poland, and Soviet forces occupied the eastern part of the country starting on 17 September, writes Christer Brunström. In this way, Poland was divided between Germany and the USSR. The German attack on Poland effectively started World War II. A Polish government in exile was established in London, where it remained for the duration of the war. A postal service was resumed on 15 December 1941, and a set of eight definitive stamps was released. The Polish postal service operated on Polish merchant and navy ships and at Polish military training camps in Britain. It was thus a fully legitimate postal service, albeit of a rather limited nature. The stamps were recess-printed by Bradbury and feature not only the…

SOLD FOR £2,175 Independant State of Congo, 10c blue and black 1894 issue, inverted centre (perf. 14) MLH (with cert.) SOLD FOR £854 St Pierre & Miquelon, Christmas 1941 set, 1938–39 issue red overprint. ‘Noel 1941 France LIBRE F.N.F.L’ MNH signed SOLD FOR £408 Monaco, 200f+300f 25th anniversary of the reign of Prince Louis on bluish paper 1947 SOLD FOR £385 Portugal, postcard franked 20$00 to Sao Paulo Brasil, special first flight Europe–South America by Dornier X January 1931 SOLD FOR £1,459 French Guiana, 35c purple-black on yellow 1892 cancelled Cayenne (with cert.) SOLD FOR £1,040 Mexico, airmail 20p brown and carmine ‘Pro universidad’ 1934 MLH SOLD FOR £352 Latvia, airmail special flight Riga–Bathurst (South Africa) 1933 MNH (with cert.) SOLD FOR £1,110 France, 1951 Red Cross set on special…

One of the easier German states to collect is the Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony was created by France in 1806, and it was a part of the Confederation of the Rhine, which was formed to supply troops for Napoleon’s armies. When Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, the Confederation of the Rhine dissolved, and Saxony lost two thirds of its territory to the Kingdom of Prussia. The much-reduced Kingdom of Saxony joined a newly formed German Confederation, a loose group of 39 German states designed to facilitate economic coordination and to function as a buffer region between the growing strength of Prussia and the Austrian Empire. The first king of Saxony was the former Elector of Saxony of the Holy Roman Empire,…

During its early colonial development, much of the Portuguese colony of Mozambique was quite remote and effective communication between the outposts was difficult. Therefore, in addition to Mozambique colony, the individual provinces also issued stamps for a time. Provinces such as Inhambane, Lourenco Marques, the city of Quelimane, Tete, Mozambique Company, Nyassa Company and today’s focus, the Colonial Province of Zambezia. Although originally claimed by Vasco da Gama in 1498, Portugal didn’t start developing Mozambique until the 1700s. During that period, Portugal attempted to claim the entire region between Angola and Mozambique but was forced to cede much of the territory to Great Britain during the ‘Scramble for Africa’ in the late 1800s. In fact, much of Mozambique’s infrastructure was developed with assistance from the British as both British Central…

It is a common misconception that undersea or submarine cable communication has been superseded by communication by satellite. In fact, over 95 per cent of international internet, telephone and data traffic is still accounted for by undersea cables, which are cheaper and more reliable than satellites. Undersea cable communication was triggered by the development of commercial electrical telegraphy. The first such telegraph was invented by William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone and was used on railways in Britain from the late 1830s. The successful introduction of telegraphy gave rise to the ambition to build undersea cables to transmit messages. An initial concern was how to insulate cables. Fortunately, this was solved by the introduction into the UK in 1843 of gutta-percha, a gum derived from trees of the genus Palaquium.…

The famous 1959 compilation album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong celebrated the popularity of the famous rock’n’ roll singer, and 34 years later the US Postal Service enjoyed their own slice of Elvis-mania when their Elvis stamp sold a reported 700 million copies. The image used on the 1993 ‘Legends of American Music’ stamp was the subject of a public vote, with an illustration showing a younger Elvis winning out. It still remains the USA’s most popular commemorative stamp, and it’s the first port of call for many collectors of Presley postage, but there are plenty more to add. Naturally, the USA are rather proud of Elvis, who sits second in the ‘biggest selling artists of all time’ list (behind The Beatles… more on fab philately next month) with…

Subscribe by Direct Debit and you’ll receive your first five issues of Stamp Collector magazine for just £5, after which you’ll switch to a quarterly payment of just £11.99 per quarter – still a 20% discount on the shop price. Subscribe today. Call us 01778 392463 or visit: bit.ly/stamp-subscribe…

CHAPTER THREE THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF A DEATH IN CAIRO The smokestack sent steam suffusing slowly above the train as it ground to a squawking halt at a platform in London. Travellers were crowded along the length of the siding and awaited the passengers to alight the carriages. Railway staff hurried along the length of the locomotive opening doors to enable the occupants to alight. Among those emerging onto the platform were Noella Bry and her fellow reporter Willliam Le Queux. Both stretched their upper bodies and looked around the station. ‘I have to say, Noella, it is good to be back in the city, despite the unwelcoming smell.’ Noella twitched her nostrils in agreement and noticing the signage for the Pall Mall exit nudged her colleague in the direction…

On 24 November, Gibraltar Stamps released a new definitive stamp set, featuring a portrait of HM King Charles III created by local Gibraltarian artist, Leslie Gaduzo. The design incorporates St Edward’s Crown and retains the same oval border as the 2014 definitive stamps, which were the last Gibraltar definitives for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and featured a portrait from the 1953 definitives. The 2023 definitive stamps are available in a range of vibrant colours, allowing postal users to differentiate between various denominations (12p, 14p, 18p, 30p, 60p, 90p, £1, £1.15, £2, £4). They are printed on high-quality, self-adhesive paper, rather than the traditional gummed paper. These new stamps will gradually replace the existing definitives once stocks at the Royal Gibraltar Post Office are depleted. The Minister for Postal…

At the Royal Philatelic Society London on 7 December, Richard Berry FRPSL presented an incredible collection, immaculately written up, of classic Afghanistan. The collection is owned by Camellia Plc, a global family of companies focused on agriculture, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. It is one of several collections, embracing fine art, furniture, manuscripts and philately, owned by the company, which were created some decades ago by the then chairman, who continues to take a keen interest in the collection. The Afghanistan collection, of which Richard Berry is the curator, covers the First Afghan War of 1839 to 1842, the classic stamps of Afghanistan and the Second Afghan War of 1878 to 1880. Giving the vote of thanks, Mark Bailey FRPSL, praised the ‘amazing, exceptional display’, wondering if members…

In early December, Royal Mail unveiled singing Christmas postboxes to bring festive joy and cheer to four locations across the UK. The four postboxes surprised and serenaded members of the public when they posted their cards and letters on some of the county’s busiest festive streets. The red and gold postboxes, located in each UK nation, were festively decorated with snowmen, snowflakes and gold stars. They respond to post with one of three festive tunes: ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ and ‘Deck The Halls’. The postboxes were located across the UK in: London – Oxford Street; Glasgow – George Square; Belfast – Donegall Square West; and Swansea – Union Street.…

Swiss Post released the latest in its series featuring ‘Typical Swiss Countryside’ on 9 November with a miniature sheet on the Tectonic Arena Sardona. Since the first release ten years ago, issues have featured the Bernese Oberland, the Appenzell region and Ticino. The Tectonic Arena Sardona, which is in the border area of the Cantons of St Gallen, Glarus and Graubunden, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008 due to the unique way it uncovers the history of the Earth. Remarkably, the area has a horizontal line running along the mountain peaks around Piz Sardona. The rock above the line is older than the rock below, when it should normally be the other way round, which implies these mountains are upside down. Until recently known as ‘Glarus Thrust’,…

For many centuries, a festive holiday intended for lovers has been celebrated in European countries. The tradition goes back to Roman times to the so-called ‘Lupercalia’ to bring couples together. In the Christian faith, this day was dedicated to the memory of Saint Valentine. Valentinus, priest and bishop of Terni, had worked in the third century AD and allegedly performed marriages for couples who were denied this under Roman law. He had to pay with his life as a martyr, when Emperor Claudius II had him beheaded on 14 February 269. So Valentine’s Day was introduced later as a day in his honour as the patron saint of lovers. In philately, stamps for Valentine’s Day are among the younger thematic areas. A predecessor was the USA special greetings stamp of…

Just weeks after her 18th birthday in 1837, the young Princess Victoria became Queen, following the death of her uncle, William IV. Her long reign was a significant time in Britain’s history, with the advances of the railways, communication and industry producing an apparent boom, and the British Empire continuing to expand. However, child labour, poverty and prostitution, known as the ‘Great Social Evil’, also left their mark on the era. The arrival of the postage stamp The introduction of the postage stamp in May 1840, saw Victoria’s image appear on millions of 1d and 2d stamps, and during her long reign, her portrait and name were familiar across the Empire, as colonies adopted the use of the stamp. The portrait of Victoria on British stamps remained consistent throughout her…

Among the timelessly coveted covers of classical philately in many countries are the so-called ‘Valentine’s letters’ – lovingly inscribed decorated envelopes, with embossed, printed or hand-added ornaments and decorations. To be truly meaningful, they should have been sent in the month of February, optimally around Valentine’s Day, 14 February. Often, however, the term is also used for ornamental letters in general. A number of such items were included in the Erivan Collection of US postal history and US philately, which came under the hammer at the auction house H.R. Harmer in recent years. A letter addressed to a Miss Celia Stow was the earliest example of a Valentine’s Day letter in the first auction – a now 180-year-old cover with no external decoration. It consists of a Valentine’s Day letter…

Understandably, submarine cables are vulnerable to damage from a number of sources. They can be at risk of interference from such as anchors, fishing vessels, earthquakes and underwater landslides. Cables, when damaged, are dealt with by cable repair ships, which tend to be smaller and more manoeuvrable than cable laying ships. A series of tests determine the location of a fault before a cable repair ship sails to the site. If the faulty part of the cable is less than around 6,500 feet down, the crew sends out a submersible robot, which grabs the cable, cuts out the non-working section and pulls the loose ends back up to the ship. In deeper water, the crew uses a grapnel to grasp the cable from the sea floor. The faulty cable section…

Over the years, there have been numerous clubs that have provided contact addresses for collectors interested in the exchange of stamps and other items that can easily be sent through the mail, writes Christer Brunström. Some of these clubs even had stamps printed to advertise their services. The Hobbyist was a magazine in the Canadian city of Winnipeg from 1893 until its demise sometime during World War I. It printed stories of interest to stamp collectors and other hobbyists. The magazine charged a most reasonable one dollar for 12 monthly issues. In 1908, The Hobbyist launched its Hobby Club in cooperation with the Winnipeg Stamp Club. Information about the Hobby Club was included as a supplement to The Hobbyist. The idea was to promote exchanges between club members. We know…

With the tariff change effective at the beginning of April, the Euro 100g–World 20g stamp in the collector strip became redundant and was replaced with the reappearance of Europe up to 100g, writes Stuart Leigh. Immediately, all the IAR (Intelligent AR) kiosks were up updated; therefore, we had new collector strips from all the naval museums, The Postal Museum (including Mail Rail), GWR Steam and Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust. However, the NCR kiosks in post offices up and down the UK were not updated until late November – just in time for the Christmas Greenery. This means that whenever a different roll of stock is inserted into a kiosk a new collector strip is potentially available, dependant on the series and/or date code. The Postal Museum, to coincide with their latest…