Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i Stamp Collector

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The 2025 edition of Collect British Stamps has been published by Stanley Gibbons. This all-colour catalogue provides a straightforward, simplified listing of every British stamp from the Penny Black onwards, with all commemorative designs illustrated for ease of use. New for this edition are complete listings of all 2024 issues, a review of prices throughout and style and content have been brought in line with the Great Britain Concise catalogue to give greater consistency between SG catalogues and more technical information. To order, see the SG website (www.stanleygibbons.com) or email directly (support@stanleygibbons.com). The Collectors’ Club of New York, USA, has announced that Dr Yamil H Kouri, Jr of Sarasota, FL, is this year’s winner of the Alfred F Lichtenstein Memorial Award for Distinguished Service to Philately. The award was announced…

The month of January is traditionally an opportunity for reviews and voting in many countries, with stamps being selected as the most beautiful and popular of the previous year. Several issues of recent decades have also been designed after public research for illustrations to be printed on stamps. FINLAND The Åland Islands presented two perforated winners of a stamp image competition for ‘The most beautiful cat in Åland’ (Figure 1). Finalist ‘Tovis’ was reproduced on a multicoloured 2nd class portrait value with a sale price of 45c at the time of issue (Mi 217). First place was awarded to ‘Randi’ in a 1st class landscape format of 55c (218). Sheetlets included four blocks of four, and the circulation was 400,000 sets. SWEDEN’S INSTAGRAM COMPETITION In Sweden, a stamp competition took…

Charles Darwin (1809–82) was an English naturalist best known for his scientific theory of evolution by natural selection, which became the foundation of modern evolutionary studies. EARLY LIFE Darwin was born on 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and he was the fifth of six children of wealthy society doctor and financier Robert Darwin and Susannah Darwin (née Wedgwood). An eight-year-old Charles already had a taste for natural history and collecting when he joined a day school run by the local preacher in 1817. In October 1825, Darwin went to the University of Edinburgh Medical School. In his second year at university, he joined the Plinian Society, a student natural-history group featuring lively debates in which radical students with materialistic views challenged orthodox religious concepts of science. In 1827, Robert…

‘Silk Road’ is the collective term for a network of routes that sprang up between China and the West in the early Middle Ages (Figure 1). It began when the Han Chinese Empire (206 BC–AD 220) opened up to foreign trade and built roads to access trading partners further west. It grew to expand across India and into the Middle East and Europe. Eventually, it reached a total length of over 4,000 miles, carrying goods, ideas and sometimes diseases as well. RISE AND DECLINE Silk was the principal product. It was highly priced but also very light in weight, and there was a near-insatiable demand for it from the Romans and other, later, western cultures. But they also traded gunpowder, tea, paper, porcelain and medicines. In return, they received horses,…

The Flag Act of the USA came into force on 22 December 1942 and since then has strictly regulated the use of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ as the national flag of the United States of America, also known as the ‘Stars and Stripes’. This includes the rule that the depiction should not be used for objects that are intended for temporary use with subsequent disposal. However, this does not apply to postage stamps. And the rule that the flag representation may not be altered is not always observed in the case of stamp designs and varieties. The longest-lasting definitive series of the United States is the small-format postage stamps with depictions of the national flag. With their high circulation figures, they form a treasure trove of production varieties and printing deviations…

CINDERELLAS Formosan forgery In the Chinese lunar calendar, 2024 was the Year of the Dragon, which began on 10 February, writes Christer Brunström. The Chinese zodiac comprises 12 different animals ranging from the rat to the pig. In position five, we find the only mythological animal – the dragon. The dragon used to be the symbol of the Chinese emperors and consequently also of power and riches. The Year of the Dragon is considered the most propitious for success and happiness, and images of dragons can often be found in Chinese homes as a symbol for this to happen. When the Chinese Empire released its first stamps in 1878, the choice of design was easy. They featured a dragon. For the rest of the 19th century, the dragon returned on…

Auctions at NYINC The New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) was held 17–19 January and featured seven days of auction sessions that ran from 13 January until 19 January. A highlight from the auctions held at the NYINC was the sole example of a gold ‘9’ pond of 1898 from the South Africa Republic, which is regarded as the most prestigious piece in South African numismatics (lot 31069). Offered in the platinum session of the world and ancient coins signature auction held by Heritage on 13 January, it sold for $1,800,000 (£1,448,220), excluding buyer’s premium. Overstruck with a ‘9’ punch at the Pretoria mint when the expected reverse dies for 1899 were held up by British forces, the fact the ‘9’ intersected with the truncation of President Kruger’s effigy means…

CNG held a sale of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, world and British coins on 22–23 January. One of the highlights was a silver crown from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603) (lot 6627). From the seventh issue of her reign, the coin was stuck 1601–2 at the Tower mint in London. On the obverse, it featured a crowned and draped bust of Queen Elizabeth facing left and wearing a ruff, while holding a lis-tipped sceptre. The toned reverse had a coat of arms over long cross fourchée, with some flan flaws, tiny edge ding and a slight double strike. Described as in a very fine condition, it achieved $8,000 from a $1,500 estimate. SOLD FOR £6,394 A spotlight auction of shipwreck and treasure coins was held by Heritage on 20…

For years, the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) and Florida United Numismatic Convention (FUN) annual events were conducted during the same week of January. This prevented most US coin dealers from attending the NYC show. The FUN show has grown to be one of the largest coin shows in the world and cannot be missed. Even some world and ancient dealers choose the larger FUN show instead of the more boutique NYC affair. Luckily, the two coin shows now coordinate, and they are held over the first two weeks of January each year. As mentioned above, the 2025 FUN convention was gigantic in every way. There were more than 650 individual tables and about 10,000 attendees. Our company was in Orlando, FL, for nearly eight days and were busy…

In this month’s magazine, we include details of the PostEurop stamp competition to select a common design motif for their 2026 issue on the theme ‘70th Anniversary of the EUROPA Stamp: United in…’. With votes from 50 postal organisations, the winner was the design submitted by Posti of Finland. This new issue will mark the 70th anniversary of EUROPA stamps, whose designs have been intended to foster stronger relationships among European countries and promote lasting peace and unity since the first issue was released on 15 September 1956. That first EUROPA issue featured a common design of a tower made up of the letters of the word ‘EUROPA’ surrounded by construction scaffolding. It was released by Belgium, France, (West) Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Since then, the initiative has…

SOUTH GEORGIA AND THE SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS 250th anniversary of possession As South Georgia celebrates its 250th year, each set of new stamps in 2025 will focus on a different element of South Georgia and shine a light on both its history and its future. The first issue of the year, released on 17 January, is a miniature sheet that commemorates the possession itself. On 17 January 1775, Captain James Cook landed at Possession Bay on the north coast of what is now South Georgia. While his vessel HMS Resolution sat at anchor in the bay, Cook went ashore, hoisted the British flag and performed the ceremony of taking possession of the island, in the name of King George III and his heirs. Cook and his vessel, HMS Resolution, departed…

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

For centuries, trade cards have been used as a business promotion tool, ranging from the simple printer’s type to sophisticated engravings of the shop signs that identified trades before street numbering became commonplace. In general, the more prosperous the business, the more effort and expense would be devoted to the trade card, as befitted the business’s status in the local community. However, in the late-19th century, the meaning of the term ‘trade card’ was adapted to encompass multicoloured collectable cards printed as give-aways by commercial companies to promote their products. The process of chromolithography enabled brightly coloured cards to be produced in large quantities and at low cost; a market that was centred on the United States and on continental Europe but much less so in Great Britain. The popularity…

Whether you call them postboxes, pillar boxes, or letter boxes, the idea of a nominated safe space in which to store letters and parcels for posting likely goes back to the earliest postal services. However, it wasn’t until 1653 that Jean-Jacques Renouard de Villayer (1607–91) developed a modern system of mailboxes for use with the short-lived Paris City Post. Despite the Post’s failure, boite aux lettres remained a common sight on French streets. Strangely, though, despite France’s artistic reputation, these boxes were plain affairs – approximately 48cm high, 26cm wide, made of oak, painted white and with a sloping roof to keep off the rain. The door was painted grey and had an indicator to show the time of the next collection. Austria was also an early fan and adopter…

For families from the past, especially in the last two centuries before the current loss of communication by letter, reliance was upon the written word if not face-to-face meeting. There was a wish, as now, to advise, inform, give advice and even chastise at times, people we know and love. Hence, letters were written often weekly. Here illustrated and described are just one letter and three covers from within the Courthope family, whose letters and the history therein were saved and has been widely distributed, much of which is in the East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Record Office. Apparently, Courthope is an English surname originating in the south-east of the country and historically most prevalent in Kent and Sussex. Many of the letters are to Anna Courthope from her…

INCORPORATING COIN COLLECTOR ON SALE 14 MARCH Postal Premiers in Australia A SURVEY OF THE EARLY STAMP ISSUES IN NSW AND VICTORIA Spotting a Wrong ’Un YOUR GUIDE TO SPOTTING COUNTERFEIT MACHIN STAMPS WITH THE NAKED EYE How to Collect San Marino EXPLORING THE ISSUES OF THE TINY COUNTRY OF SAN MARINO 1890 Penny Postage Jubilee Commemorative Medal THE STORY BEHIND THE MEDAL Coins Through the Centuries HOW THE 7TH CENTURY AD SAW THE EMERGENCE OF THE PENNY AVAILABLE IN ALL GOOD NEWSAGENTS OR DIRECT FROM https://ccgb.mymagazinesub.co.uk/…

11 February – Spink 67–69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 4ET www.spink.com 12 February – Tennants Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5SG www.tennants.co.uk 17–21 February – Christoph Gärtner Steinbeisstraße 6+8, 74321 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany www.auktionen-gaertner.de 18–19 February – Noonans 16–17 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ www.noonans.co.uk 19 February – Warwick & Warwick Chalon House, Scar Bank, Millers Road, Warwick CV34 5DB www.warwickandwarwick.com 22 February – Martello 4b Prospect Road, Hythe, Kent CT21 5NN www.martelloauctions.com 26 February – Noonans 16–17 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ www.noonans.co.uk 1–2 March – London Coins 4–6 Upper Street South, New Ash Green, Kent DA3 8JJ www.londoncoins.co.uk 6 March – Noonans 16–17 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ www.noonans.co.uk 7 March – St James’s 10 Charles II Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 4AA stjauctions.com…

The first currency for the coins of the First Republic of Czechoslovakia in 1921 was the crown (koruna). These nominals had already been in circulation in the preceding decades during the time of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. The values with the corresponding meaning of the German ‘krone’ had been introduced as the first modern gold-based currency in the area from 11 September 1892. With the currency reform of April 1919 in Czechoslovakia, the government tied the equivalent value to that in the First Austrian Republic. The first standard circulation coins of 1 koruna were issued on 1 June 1922. They were produced by the Kremnica Mint in Slovakia in copper-nickel with a weight of 6.66g, a diameter of 25mm and a thickness 1.9mm. Until 31 December 1924, they circulated in parallel…

One of the early 2025 releases from the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau is a new issue featuring some of the different cat breeds kept as pets. The history of cats and their domestication stretches back thousands of years, with evidence suggesting that wild cats began living alongside humans around 9,500 years ago. Initially drawn to human settlements for food, cats quickly became invaluable for their pest control abilities. Over time, they evolved into affectionate companions, and today, cats are among the most cherished pets around the world. The six cat breeds featured in this stamp issue, brought to life by local graphic artist Stephen Perera, represent some of the most popular and well-loved breeds, both in Gibraltar and globally – ragdoll (30p), Siamese (60p), British shorthair (90p), Persian (£1), Bengal (£1.15)…

17–21 February – Christoph Gärtner Steinbeisstraße 6+8, 74321 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany www.auktionen-gaertner.de 19 February – Tennants Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5SG www.tennants.co.uk 21 February – Martello 4b Prospect Road, Hythe Kent CT21 5NN www.martelloauctions.com 21–22 February – Eastern 132 Main Street, Bathurst NB, E2A 1A4, Canada www.easternauctions.com 22 February – Somerset Hill Farm, Hemyock, Cullompton EX15 3UZ www.somersetstampauctions.com 24–25 February – Tony Lester Unit 2 The Sidings, Birdingbury Road, Marton, Rugby CV23 9RX www.tonylester.co.uk 26 February – Tooveys Spring Gardens, Washington, West Sussex RH20 3BS www.tooveys.com 1 March – South West 2nd Floor, The Watermark, Erme Court, Leonards Road, Ivybridge, Devon PL21 0SZ www.swpa-stamp-auctions.com 1–2 March – Garden City Auctions 811 Princess Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 1K7, Canada gcpauctions.com 4–6 March – Cavendish Cavendish House, 153–57 London Road, Derby…

After Hitler’s blitzkrieg blasted its way through France in May/June 1940, Churchill reluctantly admitted that the Channel Islands were not worth losing men and weaponry for. As many children and men of fighting age as possible were evacuated to the mainland. On 30 June, the Luftwaffe landed unopposed in Guernsey and were met by the island’s ‘Bailiff’ carrying a surrender note. Jersey joined it the next day. The first German troops arrived two weeks later. The existing government was allowed to function, but now with all serious decisions made by the Germans. It still had to run the local postal service. This initially used British stamps left over from pre-invasion days, but these soon ran out. The first new ones were produced in Guernsey in early 1941; Jersey quickly followed…

This edition has news of the first coins to be struck in 2025. Unsurprisingly, these were produced at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Prior to its opening in 1965, coins had been struck in the country at branch mints of The Royal Mint in London. These mints were established from the mid-19th century onwards to produce sovereigns from the new sources of gold that had been discovered. Minting the coins near the gold reduced the transport and insurance costs of bringing the material back to The Royal Mint’s headquarters in Tower Hill, London. In total, three branch mints were established in Australia – Sydney in 1855, Melbourne in 1872 and Perth in 1899. Additional overseas branch mints were also established in…

The Worcestershire Conquest Hoard, one of the largest early Roman coin hoards ever found in Britain, is now on temporary display at the Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum until 30 March 2025. Anyone wishing to donate to help keep the hoard in Worcestershire, can do so online at www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk or via the donation station in the exhibition. To coincide with the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Winston Churchill, there is a free display in the Money Gallery at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Featuring highlights from the J Eric Engstrom Churchill medal collection, the display includes a rare proof of a commemorative anniversary £2 coin produced by the Royal Mint. The display runs until 30 November. For more details, see the museum’s website (www.ashmolean.org). On 16 January,…

The numismatic community didn’t use the quiet days between Christmas and New Year to just admire the latest additions to their collections under the Christmas tree, browse through numismatic reference books or place bids at numismatic auctions. Once again, discussions flared up in Facebook groups, online forums and discord servers. A popular topic was the World Money Fair. For many collectors and dealers, the world’s largest coin fair has become the true New Year’s celebration because Berlin sets the tone for the year ahead in numismatics. New coins are unveiled, new deals are made and new contacts are established – and this year would be no exception. However, 2025 is set to bring some changes. For the first time, the new fair management has introduced the so-called ‘Minting Experience Centre’,…