Philatelists today are apt to look askance at the new issue policies of many countries. Between 2005 and 2010 the United States issued over 500 different stamps. Did we really need that many? OK, maybe we did; after all we are a diverse nation of 320 million people (with plenty of special interests that need […]
Today’s Classics Were Yesterday’s New Issues Read More »
Grace and Calvin Coolidge were considered generous and gracious people. But little did they realize that the invitations that they sent out in 1927 had more than just the significance of being able to have cocktails with the President. On the White House stationary that was used for this invitation the President used a rare
Always Look Carefully at Your Mail Read More »
Remember how you organized your day was in 1970. Your clock radio alarm went off and you listened to a bit of news or some music while the percolator made coffee. The morning newspaper was at the front door and you read that before going off to work. At your office you did your professional tasks
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It is almost ancient history now, but the issuance of the 1989 Scott catalog almost caused the demise of stamp collecting. New editors of Scott felt that the traditional discount structure of our hobby needed to be changed, though this system had served the hobby well for decades. Then as now stamps sold at discounts from Scott
Catalogs do make a Difference Read More »
Among the most interesting specializations in our hobby are the stamps of Canada and especially the issue of 1880-1890 that are called the “Large Queens”. The name that philatelists have given this set refers to their physical relationship to the set of stamps that came after them. These stamps are large-the next issues was much
Classic Canadian Issues Read More »
The first stamp issued in the world portrayed the ruling monarch of the issuing country (Great Britain Penny black). After that it became protocol to use the portrait of the ruler of a country on postage stamps or in the case of the United Sates to use a deceased president or statesman. Some countries without
Essays are designs for stamps that don’t get issued. If they are issued, these designs are then called Proofs. Essays come in two main types- design essays and production essays. Design essays are artist’s productions for proposed stamps. These designs may come as a result of an authorized postal authority stamp production process where artist’s
The revenue stamps of the United States offer numerous sub-specialties for collectors: There are the stock and document transfer tax stamps, the vice tax stamps, and the special services tax stamps. Among the most interesting of this last group are the Consular tax stamps. Scott lists 40 main varieties that were issued from 1906-1952. These
Deep Back of the Book US Revenues Read More »
We are so used to enormous technological change impacting our lives that we have become quite casual about it. But major technological change was more unusual a century ago, and no technology ever seemed as liberating as the first manned flight. Soaring like the birds has been the aspiration since Icarus, and the Wright’s feat