The following articles have been written by Stamporama members for your enjoyment and edification. We welcome new articles at any time. If you are not a member, sign up here. When your membership is approved, you will be able to write, edit, illustrate, and publish articles to the web site.
The Stitch Watermark
The topic of ‘watermarks’ is quite a broad and detailed one. This particular article was generated from the finding of a stitch watermark on an otherwise normal Scott #65 owned by Carl and spotted by Jacques, members of the Stamporama Stamp Club.
by Daniel Cohen
CREATING A PERSONALIZED STAMP BOOK
Making of a personalized stamp book
by Kenneth Perry
The 13 Stamps of Nova Scotia
The 13 Stamps of Nova Scotia
by Kenneth Perry
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Stamps
Here is the story of how the ASTP commemoratives were selected.
by John Macco
An Interesting Cover to Miss LeDuc 1898
Here is a cover that grabbed my attention addressed to Miss LeDuc from Hastings, MN to Palmyra, NY in 1898.
by Tim Auld
Space Shuttle Enterprise (OV-101)
Space Shuttle Enterprise
by John Macco
FAMOUS AMERICANS
Famous Americans
by Kenneth Perry
Flame McGoon
How one stamp is especially significant.
by Bruce Dangremond
Did you know ... How the bid increment works in the Stamporama Auction?
In answer to a question in the discussion board, the webmaster has set out the values used in calculating the Stamporama Auction bid increments.
by Tim Auld
The US 3-cent Stamp of 1861
Perhaps the most collectable US postage stamp ever produced.
by Bruce Dangremond
Gold in the Pan
Have you found gold in the bottom of your philatelic pan? An expert may be required to find out.
by Bruce Dangremond
Simple Grid Cork Cancels of 19th Century USA
The simplest of all cork cancel designs is the grid. Here is a method of classifying and describing them.
by Bruce Dangremond
Voyager Missions to the Outer Planets
Voyager Missions to the Outer Planets
by John Macco
1869 PICTORIALS
Information on the 1869 Pictorials
by Kenneth Perry
IN THE BEGINNING...
Adhesive stamps in the U. S. A.
by Kenneth Perry
THE COLUMBIAN'S
The 1893 Columbian Issues
by Kenneth Perry
THE STORY BEYOND THE STORY - PART 3
The story beyond the story of the U. S. commemorative stamps from 1929-1930
by Kenneth Perry
The Pony Express
The Pony Express was an innovative mail carrier service whose life was short.
by Bruce Dangremond
THE STORY BEYOND THE STORY - PART 4
The story beyond the story of the U. S. commemorative stamps from 1931-1932
by Kenneth Perry
US Fancy Cancels
US fancy cancels can only be understood by knowing some US postal history.
by Bruce Dangremond
THE STORY BEYOND THE STORY - PART 1
The story beyond the story of the U. S. commemorative stamps from 1924-1926
by Kenneth Perry
THE STORY BEYOND THE STORY - PART 2
The story beyond the story of the U. S. commemorative stamps from 1927-1928
by Kenneth Perry
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Tracking Station
The ASTP flight culminated 3 years of preparation between the United States and Soviet Union.
by John Macco
Did you know ... you can now mark the Auction Invoices as paid
Communication between the buyers and sellers in the Stamporama auction can at times be problematic. The new function to enable the buyer to mark an invoice as paid so that both parties can see that the payment is on it's way can only help.
by Tim Auld
Tips for Trading
Many Stamporama members trade stamps or want to trade stamps. Steve Davis is a long-time, advanced collector (over 40 years). and has some great tips.
by Steve Davis
Scanners and the Search for Varieties
A scanner can be a great deal more than a tool used to create pictures to e-mail to Aunt Nellie. It can be your own personal philatelic sleuth.
by Scott Gilmore
Jerry Abern, on himself
This autobiography was written by Jerry Abern, the founder of Stamporama, for the Stamporama web site in 2001.
by Jerry Abern
Autographs on Stamps
For 50 years, Stamporama member Richard Novick has been asking famous people to sign stamps which picture them or are otherwise related to their claim to fame. The story of Richard's unique collection was first featured in the November, 2003 issue of The American Philatelist, journal of the American Philatelic Society.
by Richard Novick
The Discovery of the Coelacanth
RSA celebrates the finding of the Coelacanths ("SEE-la-kanth"), an ancient species of fish that up until 1938 were thought to have become extinct.
by Eric Lingen
Make the most of the Stamporama Auction
Tips for selling successfully on the Stamorama Auction.
by Daniel Cohen
Fun with Phosphor
Examining some of the special tagging Canada Post has used on their 2009 issues.
by Alyn Lunt
Stamps, Postmarks, Covers and History
Joel Grebin’s collection of cancellations serves as a springboard to understanding the past.
by Joel Grebin
Early Motorcycles and Perfin Stamps
In the late 1800 the Indian and Thor motor cycle companies were competing head to head. Their signitures were often used as perfins. Read more .....
by Cully Granger
Did You Know .... about how to View Your Open Auctions?
For a long while I struggled with not having detailed information on the bids that I had placed on the Stamporama Auctions. Using "View Your Open Auctions" I have that information at my finger tips.
by Tim Auld
Mail in the Old West
The postal history of the Expressmen - private delivery companies that provided mail and freight service to the gold towns of America's westward expansion. There are some 1,870 different known expresses that carried on business in the west during the nineteenth century. Some were in business for only a few days while others provided a regular service for many years.
by John Edwards
Viking Simulation Test Covers
Viking Simulation Test Covers
by John Macco
Discovery of Planet Uranus Ring System
Uranus Ring Discovery
by John Macco
German inflation 1923 - Stamps and Postal History
Postal historians are fascinated to some extent by covers showing enormous postal rates during periods of gross inflation. A number of historical examples are available - Austria 1922-25, Hungary 1946, South American countries off and on this entire century. One of the most famous of all, however, is Germany of 1923.
by Roy Lingen
Approach and Landing Test Flight Crews
ALT Flight Crews
by John Macco
Skylab Space Station
Skylab
by John Macco
Apollo-17 Splashdown
Apollo-17 Splashdown
by John Macco
Canadians in Space
Canadians in Space
by John Macco
In Commemoration of the Enforcement
of the Constitution of Japan
Souvenir Sheet commemorating the Commemoration of the Enforcement of the Constitution of Japan
by Kenneth Perry
Pioneer-Venus Parachute Tests
Pioneer-Venus Parachute Tests
by John Macco
U. S. Definitive Issues
An introduction to the world of collecting definitive (or regular) stamp issues.
by Kenneth Perry
Sometimes, it's what's inside that counts!
Sometimes a non-descript cover can hold vast historical treasure inside, just waiting for whoever takes the time to read it. This cover was found for C$10 (US$7.50) in a dealer's box at a recent stamp show.
by Roy Lingen
Pan Am Air System Test of 1946
Prior to November 1, 1946, airmail rates from the US to points south of Mexico varied from 25c to 40c per 1/2 ounce, depending on the destination country. On November 1, 1946 the US Post Office dropped all airmail rates to points in the Western Hemisphere (except Canada, Mexico and Cuba, which were already lower) to 10c per 1/2 oz.
by Roy Lingen
STS-5 First Operational Shuttle Mission
STS-5 First Operational; Shuttle Mission
by John Macco
Pioneer-11 Saturn Encounter
Pioneer-11 Saturn Encounter
by John Macco
The Vin Fiz Flyer Semi-official Air Post Stamp
In 1911 Calbraith Perry Rodgers completed the first United States cross country airplane journey. The trip took 84 days. Rodger’s wife privately issued the famous Vin Fiz 25c black stamp for the flight (named for a product of Rodger's sponsor). This stamp has become a US Air Post rarity with twelve copies known to exist.
by John Edwards
How To Add Images To Your SOR Articles
Dress up your SOR articles with images - it's easy once you know how.
by Ralph Heymsfeld
Writing for Stamporama
Stamporama is always looking for new articles to publish on our website. Sharing your philatelic knowledge and experience with others is a great gift that you can give your fellow members, and it is also a great way to expand your own enjoyment of the hobby.
by Ralph Heymsfeld
Space Collecting
An introduction to astrophilately.
by John Macco
Art Stamps from Aland
Art Stamps from Aland - a booklet containing four paintings, depicting the summer in Aland.
by Ann Mette Heindorff
Greenland Sled Dogs on Engraved Stamps
2003 stamp issue from Greenland. A set of three stamps depicting the Greenlandic sled dog.
by Ann Mette Heindorff
The Danish Literary Expedition to Greenland 1902-1904
The first stamps in a series about the big Danish expeditions to Greenland in the beginning of the 20th century.
by Ann Mette Heindorff
The Spanish Prisoner
I am sure that everyone in the world with an email address has received dozens, if not hundreds of "Nigerian Scam Letters". They are now spreading beyond Nigeria, and coming from e-mail addresses in other places, including Europe and the UK.
by Roy Lingen
Did You Know .... how to stop all those Discussion Board emails
Have you been swamped with emails from the Stamporama Discussion Board when you are not interested in the particular discussion? Is there a particular topic on the Stamporama Discussion Board that you would like to receive email notifications about? Do you know how to turn these emails on or off? Read on....
by Tim Auld
Philately & World Conflict
Human life, of course, comes to mean little in wartime, and this is reflected in wartime stamps to some degree. In 1943-44, the Soviet Union issued a gory stamp in red and brown showing as its primary image a Russian soldier bayoneting a Nazi soldier. In the background is a ghostly image of a Russian cavalryman of an earlier war - presumably the First World War - running down an enemy soldier.
by Bob Ingraham
India's Fight for Independence during WWII
The story in stamps of the charismatic Subhas Chandra Bose, one of the most controversial figures in Indian history who fought for independence and ultimately became president of the Indian National Congress.
by Ann Mette Heindorff
Saint George
Various depictions of the legandary St. George - Byzantine Martyr, Patron Saint of the Scouts and of Great Britain - in stamps and covers from Russia, Romania, Great Britain, and Italy.
by Ann Mette Heindorff
Roses on Stamps
A survey of roses on stamps and covers of New Zealand, China, Spain, Bulgaria, Canada, and the United States.
by Ann Mette Heindorff
Easter
Explores the origins of the humble Easter egg with some striking examples on stamps and maximum cards.
by Ann Mette Heindorff
Seven Wonders of the World
Here depicted in stamps are the most famous buildings and works of art of Ancient Times as described in a Hellenistic epigram by Antinatros of Sidon (c. 200 B.C.).
by Ann Mette Heindorff
The Many Faces of Mt. Fuji
A collector I know says that if he needs a magnifying glass to see a detail on a stamp, then it's not worth seeing in the first place. I think that he denies himself of a great deal of the pleasure that can be derived from close examination of stamps. Often, in fact, he may miss the fact that "duplicates" in his collection are entirely different stamps.
by Bob Ingraham
The U.S.S. Turner Joy and the Tonkin Gulf Incident
A free-franked commemorative cover, prepared on the American destroyer Turner Joy in late December, 1973, serves as an ironic reminder of that ship's role in the beginning of the Vietnam War.
by Bob Ingraham
The Rambler: Gone from your mailbox, but not gone
New Stamporama members may not have noticed, but the Rambler, the club's newsletter, is among the missing. It was last delivered to real and virtual mailboxes in September, 2002. It is unlikely that it will ever again exist in its previous form. Its demise is a longish story, its history worth telling.
by Bob Ingraham