Most collectors collect in albums and most of the albums used are preprinted specialty albums. There are several main publishers of albums. The largest American publisher is Scott and American albums are also published by Minkus, White Ace, and Mystic. Three German album manufacturers make a broad group of specialty albums. They are Lighthouse, Schaubeck […]
If the European imperialist designs for Africa that occurred in the late Nineteenth Century are called, because of its frenzied quality, the scramble for Africa, then the colonization of the West Indies that occurred in the early Seventeenth Century could be called the scramble for sugar. Sugar cane and beet are not native to Europe
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There is a rule in determining philatelic popularity and it states that countries are collected in proportion to the popularity of stamp collecting in the home country. This accounts for the widespread philatelic popularity of say the United States or Great Britain or Germany. And it accounts for the relative philatelic unimportance of say Haiti
One of the most attractive sets ever produced is the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Postal Union set issued by Sweden in 1924. This set is attractively designed and engraved and has been on most collector’s short list of favorite stamps. But, there is another reason to acquire a set if you don’t already have
Some countries have small populations, stable domestic politics and little international impact but yet are philatelically very popular and important. Two countries that fit this model are Liechtenstein and Iceland. Both are part of a larger philatelic collecting group (in the case of Liechtenstein it is the Swiss-German area and for Iceland it is the
About twenty years ago an old customer of ours Walter Schwarz wanted to sell his stamps. Walter was a good friend of mine despite the fact that he was 80 and I was in my early thirties. His story was compelling. Walter was an Austrian Jew living in Vienna when the Anschluss made it obvious
When Stamps are More Than a Hobby Read More »
Almost thirty years ago Ron Daresh came into our office which was then located on Kennedy Blvd in downtown Philadelphia. His Dad had been a collector and he had the stamps loaded into the family home in which he lived in Charleston,West Virginia. I made arrangements to go see him and flew down there a
Every year in August the APS has its annual meeting and bourse. Lasting four days, the meeting begins with Board meetings for APS brass and continues with a dealer bourse on Thursday through Sunday. Various specialty societies have their meetings at the show and there is a large and well attended dealer bourse where a
American Philatelic Society Annual Show Read More »
One of the most interesting of the “classic” countries to collect is New South Wales. Now part of the Australian federation, New South Wales (NSW) is Australia’s most populous state and was an independent country until 1901 when the seven component states of Australia joined to create one country. The stamps of NSW have always