One of the fun sides to buying the occasional mixed bag of stamps is that you’ll inevitably find the odd rarity that pays back your minimal investment. For example, I was delighted to come across this George VI £1 brown (SG 478b). First issued on 1 October 1948 this stamp is actually harder to find in good used condition than mint! It was the final stamp in the “Royal Arms” set of six which comprised the 2s 6d brown, 5s red and 10s dark blue issued in 1939, and the 2s 6d yellow-green and 10s ultramarine, which were both issued in 1942.
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Posted: September 23rd, 2007 by debs
| Filed under GB stamps, Royalty
Here’s an interesting curiosity…A very nice strip of three London Post c.1839 13p GB commemorative stamps on an envelope above another strip of three Policeman on the Beat 10p GB stamps. What makes this unusual, however, is that I received this envelope in the post the other day – in fact if you look carefully you’ll see a post mark dated 10 September 2007 - whilst the commemorative stamps were issued in 1979! As it happens, this is no accident – the envelope contained other stamps purchased on eBay. One of the fun things about buying stamps from dealers on eBay is that on some occasions you get more than you bargained for!
The London Post stamp (SG Cat. 1097) was part of the four stamp set produced for the Centenary of the Death of Sir Rowland Hill (22 August – 24 October, 1979), whereas the Policeman on the Beat (SG Cat.1100) was issued on 26 September, 1979 along with three other stamps celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Metropolitan Police.
The London Post Stamp also appeared in the 1980 Miniature Sheet issued at the London 1980 Stamp Exhibition.
Posted: September 17th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Anniversaries, Commemorative stamps, GB stamps
Fauna Extinguida
This 1974 set of Cuban Postage Stamps featured five notable examples of extinct bird species - namely the Dodo (1c), Macaw (3c), Passenger Pigeon (8c), Moa (10c) and Great Auk (13c).
The Dodo - This meter-high flightless bird was found on Mauritius. It is one of the world’s most infamous examples of how man’s impact on the natural habitat of a species can rapidly drive it to the point of extinction. The last specimen was killed in 1681, only 80 years after the arrival of Dutch settlers on the island.
Cuban Red Macaw - This small species of parrot was native to Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud. Unconfirmed records note the continued existence of the birds until 1885.
Passenger Pigeon - The passenger pigeon was once probably the most common bird in the world, with single flocks numbering up to several billion birds. However, it was hunted close to extinction for food and sport in the late 19th century and the last living example died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.
Moa - This giant flightless and wingless bird was native to New Zealand. Although some cryptozoologists claim the moa still exists it is thought to have become extinct in around 1500.
Great Auk - This flightless bird used its wings to swim underwater. The only species in the genus Pinguinus to have survived into modern times, the great auk was hunted extensively for both food and eggs, as well as down, with the last example of the great auk seen in the British Isles in July, 1840.
Posted: September 12th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Birds, World stamps
This 5 yen Japanese Mandarin duck (or in Japanese oshidori) postage stamp was in use from 1952 - 1968. By no means rare - it sells by the bag-full on eBay - I’ve always found this little postage stamp extremely attractive.
Photo: philspics
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Posted: September 10th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Birds, World stamps
1971 Postage Stamp issued in North Vietnam to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Tay Son
Rebellion led by the Tay Son Brothers in 1771.
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Posted: September 9th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Animals, Anniversaries, Commemorative stamps, World stamps
In the opening track of Badly Drawn Boy’s latest CD Born in the UK
there’s a line in it that talks about being a kid in the UK back in the summer of 1977:
Vicious and his brothers
Were trying to set us free
But much more than this to you and me
This was the Silver Jubilee
This line really made me smile…1977 and the Silver Jubilee - if you were nine years old at the time the Sex Pistols weren’t really going to have made much of an impression that year! Anyway, here’s a scan of the first day cover with bureau postmark celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. The address is that of my primary school.. I distinctly remember complaining at the time when the school ordered the FDCs and they came back with the school name not our own names on the envelope!
Posted: September 9th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Anniversaries, First Day Covers, GB stamps, Royalty
2007 has seen a series of anniversaries and celebrations - the pilgrimage to Memphis by Elvis fans from around the world on the 30th anniversary of his death and the concert held at Wembley Stadium to celebrate Princess Diana’s birthday in the year of the 10th anniversary of her passing were major media events.
Last year the Dutch postal service paid homage to Elvis with their own Elvis stamp, joining the numerous countries throughout the world which have issued Elvis postage stamps.
This Elvis stamp was released alongside a promo CD entitled Heartbreak Hotel Collector’s Edition. Only 500 copies were pressed and the special presentation pack also included four of the Dutch Elvis Stamps - a must have for Elvis fans although limited in number and not easy to track down now!
Posted: September 8th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Commemorative stamps, Famous people
Whilst leafing through some old stamp albums from childhood recently I suddenly felt a renewed interest in some of the postage stamps that I had long ago dismissed as a merely juvenile collection of jumbled commemorative issues from around the world, in favour of my adult interest in Victorian line engraved stamps. With a jolt I realised that most of these stamps had been issued in the late 1960s and early 1970s and that I’d hardly looked at them in last twenty years! Although none of them were particularly rare some them of them were actually rather interesting…
I’m now in the process of scanning and researching the stories, anniversaries and events behind the postage stamps in my collection and will post them here regularly.
Posted: September 7th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Commemorative stamps, World stamps
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