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Among the most popular areas to collect are the stamps of the British Commonwealth of nations. Comprising hundreds of stamp issuing entities, these are all former British Colonies. British colonial stamps have always been popular not only with collectors residing in Great Britain.  Rather, they have been the second most popular collecting specialty in nearly […]

Unlike many hobbyists, philatelists strive for completion. Button collectors have the same feeling for the artistic quality of their buttons as stamp collectors do of their stamps. But only a few of the collecting hobbies have a canon of catalogs that you collect against and can offer the feeling that you have truly completed what

Very few modern African stamps have become rarities, but this set from Burundi is an exception. Increasingly, the stamps of post-independence Africa have become more and more popular, and there are many reasons for this.   First, the stamps are intrinsically rare. As of now, there are only a few thousand serious collectors of modern

Those of us who started in philately over thirty years ago remember H.E. Harris. Harris was the largest stamp dealer in the mid-twentieth century, growing rapidly during the Great Depression with the Captain Tim radio show. Harris was a leading  promoter of philately with album publishing and approvals, so that by 1975, Harris had tens of thousands of

The first three decades of the last century were popular years for the hobby of philately. Hundreds of stamp stores opened on Nassau St. (in lower Manhattan) alone. The United States Post Office was actively promoting the hobby with various issues in the late 1920’s, commemorating the sesquicentennial of various Revolutionary War themes. The so

The American Philatelic Society (APS) is the main stamp collector society in the United States. It has over thirty thousand members, puts out a wonderful magazine—The American Philatelist—runs sales circuits, offers inexpensive stamp insurance, and is an all around good membership value for philatelists, especially as they transition from novice to serious collector. Every stamp

Until revelations of Bill Cosby’s sexual assaults became well known a few years ago, he was one of America’s most beloved entertainers. There was even a stamp issued for “The Cosby Show” by the USPS, and Cosby was a shoo-in for a commemorative stamp ten years after he had died (The United States Postal Service

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is one of the oldest nature conservancy groups in the world. Founded in 1961, the organization began to partner with philatelic agencies worldwide to issue government postage stamps, a portion of whose funds went to the WWF for their conservation programs. The fund has provided tens of millions of dollars

Monaco is a tiny scrap of mountainous coast that has managed to retain its sovereign status over the last few centuries by offering itself as a tax and vacation haven for the world’s most wealthy people. On a per capita basis, Monaco is one of the world’s wealthiest nations, and it has on a population