One of the most attractive sets produced by any country is the 1897 Jubilee issue of Canada . The stamps were issued to commemorate the sixtieth year of Queen Victoria’s reign. The set is highly derivative of the United States 1893 Colombian Exposition issue. Both of these sets of stamps are among the first stamp […]
One of the enduring anomalies of philately is the tradition of expert’s signatures. Quality, more than rarity, determines price. So it seems odd that so many rare stamps are indelibly marked in ink on the reverse to signify their genuineness or quality when such marks, if made by anyone else but the expert, would be deemed
After months of hearing that the United States Post Office was failing and that only draconian service and staffing cuts would restore it to solvency, it appears that congressionally mandated accounting changes have been responsible for the issues that the Post Office now faces. Specifically, the Post Office is now required to expense and set aside money
The Post Office Is Not Really In Trouble After All Read More »
Burma, which its citizens call Myanmar, is one of the least developed countries in the world. Until two hundred years ago Burma was a feudal pre industrial society with the vast majority of land owned by a few war lords and families who were traditionally at war with each other. A hundred year British Occupation had little
If philately were a branch of sociology, political science or academic history it would be studied far differently from the way that it is studied by stamp collectors. Much less attention would be paid to printing and perfs and gum and far more to the actual stamp designs themselves. Scholars would study the new issue planning and approval process, how
Philatelists have a great knowledge of more recent history and geography. I am the crossword puzzle go to guy in my home for clues relating to when and where. But we fade back to normal if historical knowledge is needed before 1840 when the Penny Black was first issued. Imagine if stamps had been first issued during
The 1840 Boundary Read More »
Robberies of stamp collections used to be a real problem. In the 1970’s a large ring of stamp thieves were caught. They had an APS membership directory with them that they were using to figure out who to knock off next. When I was on the Board of Directors of the APS in the early
A Very Good Change Read More »
A remarkable aspect of philately is that unpopularity breeds further unpopularity. It is truly unusual to see a good collection of nearly any South and Central American country. Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Cuba are exceptions, but for the other twenty or so countries that make up rest of the southern Americas, collections that are even
Philatelic Popularity Read More »
Steve Jobs died this week at the very young age of 56. While many different people have been instrumental in the electronic transformation of the last thirty years, few have had more impact on how, when and why people use computers than he was. Information technology has changed all fields including philately and Jobs’ death
What Hath Jobs Wrought? Read More »