For many years, few stamp collections required many steps to be taken for their security. Few were valuable enough for the average burglar to bother with, and even if damaged by fire, the low value of stamps in general meant that they were easy to replace. But the rise in philatelic values in the last […]
Theft or Other Loss of Your Stamps Read More »
When Rowland Hill invented the postage stamp, an integral part of his design was a “wash of mucilage applied to the back, which, when moistened would allow the stamp to adhere to paper.” In the very early years of stamp collecting, collectors primarily collected used stamps. After all, the reasoning went, why spend good money
Original Gum and Regumming Read More »
There are very few long term savings certificates that are tied to the rate of inflation, but several years ago the United States Post Office effectively issued an even better investment vehicle. With the “First Class Forever” stamps, the Post Office promised completely paid first class postage any time in the future. In 1960, the
A Novel Savings Plan Read More »
Almost from the very day that Philately began as a serious hobby, stamp collectors were plagued by forgeries. Forgeries exist in two types; those made for philatelic consumption and those produced to defraud the postal service of revenue (called postal forgeries). These postal forgeries are in nearly all cases not only very rare but highly
Russian stamps of the 1930s have always fascinated me. They are beautiful and well designed with friendly, internationalist themes, and yet they were issued by a vicious regime that was systematically exploiting its citizens and was highly militaristic in orientation. Another aggressive state of this period, Germany, at least was more honest about its goals
Stamps as Political Propaganda Read More »
The biggest mistake newer dealers make is the inventory trap. They go out, buy some stamps, and begin to resell them. Generally, they get very good prices for some of the things that they offer (“very good” defined as far more than they expected), good prices for some material, weaker prices for more, and no
Some Advice for eBay Seller Read More »
There is one entire country under the United States collecting umbrella that has issued hundreds of stamps, which is popular on two continents, and which is completable by even collectors of modest means. The country is the Ryukyu Islands which were captured during WWII by the United States at an enormous loss of life and
US Occupation of Japan Read More »
Presidential topical collections in general are not very popular largely because there is so little philatelic material that has been issued for most Presidents (Quick! name three stamps that have Garfield or the current Presidential flavor
President Kennedy Read More »
By 1975, Henry Harris was an old man and was ready to
H. E. Harris and Keeping the Good Old days Alive Read More »