Fresh looking imperf. Edges are razor sharp. Nice face free cancel. I love it!
-Ernie
Beautiful stamp, Chris. Your year long quest was worth it!
You might try retroReveal.org
The cancels on the second row are probably fake. I will send them off to be expertized. Too bad Bill Weiss has retired.
The last two stamps on the fourth row are patent cancels.
The last cancel on the page is initials "NH"
Here is another page of cancels from the show. On the first row is a "KKK" in circle that came with a cert. The next stamp is an ax head from Collinsville, Connecticut. There are some better cancels on the bottom row.
I have some covers to scan and post later.
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-11-22 23:08:57)
Sooo... I was sorting through some old covers that I bought in a huge box lot many years ago. And suddenly a name pops out at me. If that was for sale on eBay I'd think it was fake, but since I found it randomly in a large box...
thoughts?
Interesting. A google search shows that President Eisenhower's surname was and still is often misspelled as "Eisenhaur". "Eisenhaur" does exist as a surname, but it doesn't seem to be very common. A White Pages search for "Eisenhaur" in New York City shows just one telephone listing.
The vague address may not be all that unusual. Shortly after my family moved from New York City to Silver City, New Mexico in 1949, my father received a letter addressed to "Bob Ingraham, New Mexico". His only claim to fame at that time was that he had won an editorial award in New York State a few months before.
Here's something interesting. After more googling, I learned that presidential-candidate Eisenhower's headquarters was in Denver in 1952. Any letter addressed to him in Denver certainly would have reached him, even with the name misspelled.
The Republican National Convention that year was in Chicago. My wife, Susan, has been very involved in her family's genealogy in recent years. In her collection is this photograph of Eisenhower, taken in Hastings, Nebraska, during his 1952 whistle-stop campaign. The photograph was hanging in her grandparent's rec room in Hastings. Her grandfather, Lloyd Hansen, is shown in the photograph.
Susan would be interested in learning who the other men in the photograph are. Tom: If you'd like a copy of the photograph without the annotation, let me know. Looks like your cover is the real deal.
Bob
Two weeks before the election in'52 ?
As far as I can recall Ike was living in New York where he held an office at Columbia University.
So I'd guess either another DD Eisenhower or some kind of a prank. I am thinking that I read something about an envelope like this either to Ike or to MacArthur in a stamp newspaper in the 1970s.
Picked up a couple of older albums at a local household auction last weekend. A Jarret Canada to 1970 fairly complete for later years all in clear mounts but stamps sliding out of the side of them.
The other album is for USA and is a Minkus populated with used mainly in the 1960-70 range, again in mounts that seem to not hold the stamps well. The frontspiece shows a price of $1.49, which seems very cheap unless it/s meant to be $149.
Total cost for the two C$70, also a number of coin wallets(8) and stockpages (5) full of used USA included.
Will have to incorporate into my other albums and will probably transfer all to Steiner pages eventually.
Hi All
Here is a nice patriotic cover of the Carls-Rite Hotel in Toronto that I bought last weekend at an antique show here. Inside there is a menu showing prices at the time. Sure wish prices were like that today.
Chimo
Bujutsu
Bujutsu,
I love it!
"Living is a real pleasure at these two hotels. We cater to the nation's greatest asset, the babies."
Vinnie,
Those are some great cancels - find those at the APS show?
Very nice.....might make me want to begin a new collecting area!
Thanks for the show-N-tell!
Randy
@cdj1122
My information came from this Wikipedia article:
"When asked about his campaign itinerary during a news conference at campaign headquarters at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colorado, Eisenhower said the details had not been worked out, but that his headquarters were likely to remain in Denver at least until he departed to New York City in late August to address the national convention of the American Legion."
In 1988 I resumed my stamp collecting after a long hiatus. Shortly thereafter the Chinese stamp market took off. With most of it's stamps often selling for cat or multiples above, I pretty much ignored China. I would guess that 95% of all my China are stamps that I got when I was a kid. Every once in awhile I will look at the auction listings for China hoping to get some of the larger size stamps from pre 1930's. Today I was rather stunned to win the first larger format high values of China Scott #'s 22-24.
They cat for $720.00 but for some reason I picked them up for just over 10% of cat. It seems no one was paying attention to the lot. There were several other Chinese lots in the auction of early 19th century that went for around 1/2 cat. These three, 1st page stamps, were at the top of my list of stamps wanted for China and I doubt many people have them. For the issue the 12 and 24 cent are very nicely centered.
Hey Mitch, Congrats on the purchase. There's no better feeling than picking up something You've been wanting a price you KNOW you can live with without heartburn later. My only thought is, "I can't believe they let it go for that." With shill bidders, minimum reserves etc etc it's been my experience that truly hot material never goes for such a low % of cat. Great score!
-Ernie
Ernie, Thanks! I would think that these would be highly desirable for any collector of China. I was surprised that I won them but not as much as you might think. I usually get really great deals every week. I have not seen much evidence of shilling at the auction house I use and there are seldom reserves on the better lots. I also won an Italian lot of 1930's stamps this past week for $30 that cataloged for over $800. Did not need any of them but Italy is pretty hot and they sell well.
A couple of the most ridiculous wins I've had are the two stamps below. The 1869 24 cent Pictoral was described as a forgery. However there are no known forgeries of the set and I could tell from the scan that it was not a shaved proof. The stamp is unused, no gum, and free from fault, I got it for under $60.00. It is certainly genuine!
The second stamp is the top key for Venezuela. It came in a lot of other values of the 1880 set. It was described as including some forgeries. Well, the only known forgery of these is the 5 center and there was one of them included in the lot. I've had the 25B checked out by an expert and he concluded it was genuine. There are only 34 known copies of the stamp! I paid $66.00 for the lot and sold several of the others in the lot for over what I paid.
I seldom buy stamps that I know I might not get my money back from. If it were not for this site I would not be adding much to my collection.
My best trading buddy turned me on to the auction site and had me promise not to tell anyone else about it. He is a highly placed Senior Federal Judge whose trust I would not betray.
Ok.....so you've got secret auction sites AND federal judges in your hip pocket??? Now I'm really jealous! Who are you, Michael Corleone? Haha. Keep bidding and winning I've enjoyed looking at your collection online.
Ernie
As far as Pictorals go..............................
My favorite new acquisition is the unused 122 in the top row. It has been my favorite stamp since I was a kid. It has some of the nicest centering I have seen on one. Although I did not get it super cheap, 12.7% wasn't bad. I got it about a month ago to replace the used copy, 2nd at top that I have had for 25 years or so. The first stamp in bottom row is a proof I have had for a long time and the second is a proof that was perforated and gummed to appear as a stamp. For $25 I could not help but buy it. A few months ago I saw one
just like it on Ebay sell for $150. Every time some one tries to fake a proof into a stamp there is one less proof in the world. I think proofs have long been under cataloged and every time this is done makes them more so.
This one came through this morning. I'm surprised I hadn't been aware of its existence over the past dozen years since I've been collecting WW2 commemorative material - it was referenced in an interesting Gibbons Stamp Monthly feature this month. The unusual thing is that designer Restall contributed only a single stamp to the 1965 Battle of Britain set (the others were by the husband-and-wife team of David Gentleman and Rosalind Dease). The reason for Restall's sole stamp is given as late-applied pressure from the ground forces (anti-aircraft, spotters, etc.) to acknowledge their contribution. I'd like to see the evidence surrounding this - presumably Restall had a design up and ready while Gentleman and Dease did not. It accounts for the 'odd one out' nature of the 1965 set.
Three years later someone had the good idea to release Restall's other designs for the 50th anniversary of the RAF, which completes the 'set'. I like both sets of designs, perhaps preferring Gentleman-Dease (which caused bother on issue since certain stuffy persons objected to the swastika shown on one of them!).
Oh dear, I bought and read Simon Garfield four years ago - what a very strange and unwarrantably rich chap, I thought! I didn't remember him mentioning the BoB set at all... just shows how much I take in.
"...the unused 122 in the top row..."
£2 SPECIMEN Ridley King
The stamp on the left is my recent acquisition, it is the rare 1964 pre-decimal £2 Specimen (on cream paper, dark toning) of Admiral Ridley King with the words "SPECIMEN" just below central position, it is seldom seen and rare, compared to the scarce version on the right with "SPECIMEN" on bottom right (on white paper). Both are superb mint unhinged.
Mitch, I LOVE them!
Nothing too exciting but I recently got this fun little set of 4 X 4 stamps, some Airmail ones (39C, 40C and 44C)and one little set commemorating JFK (5C):
Then I also got this interesting First Day of Issue for postal workers which included a nice long string of stamps at the top of the envelope:
Lastly I also got some other interesting ones which I have posted in other discussion areas here on SOR as I had more questions about them. Thanks, and hope you all have great weekend,
Paul.
Chris, the upper left one is definitely unused. However it is a little dirty in places but I am afraid of cleaning it. The one at right is the used one I have had nearly 30 years.
One of the best things going for it is the light face free cancel at bottom.
Zipper, I love them to. Like I said it have always been my favorite stamp and I know I am not alone in this feeling. The two stamps are the most I have ever spent on single stamps. I was a bit surprised when I asked my wife if I could spend $700 on the unused one.
She told me to go for it, even though we are both barely existing on SS.
Mitch, I learned a valuable lesson from a "society" friend of mine. Never ask if you can buy something. Buy it, and say Look what I bought. It's worked for her for 69 years.
Olympic stamps of that series exist in two different perforations. I think one is significantly less common than the other. Check your catalog.
Nearly gave up on the auction this week but I just won this Berlin sheet. With the help of Frank filling in most of the last modern issues it just leaves me with one key stamp to complete Berlin.
At 87.77, 17.5% of catalog it the cheapest I've seen one go for after many years of searching.
Just got this.... Gotta love them Columbians.. I've been looking at what similar multiples of higher values go for... They go up very quickly! The Columbians and Trans-Missippis are some of my all time favorites.
-Ernie
Nice find in an old 19th century album I bought at a stamp show
"During the years 1918-1922 the postal service was disorganised by revolution and civil war..." (Gibbons catalogue note introducing the RSFSR section). These were dramatic and desperate times, as the following extract from a Wikipedia entry shows (apologies to those for whom this is old hat!):
"In the years of the Civil War, postage stamps served as a kind of currency in a number of regions. During the later famine, postage stamps were used as a means of exchange for products. The Pravda newspaper issue of 9 March 1922 "urged the population 'not to throw away stamps' and called on all citizens and children of the RSFSR to gather and send all canceled stamps, stamp collections, and anything they had on hand to be exchanged for chocolate and other products for starving children."
I am not exactly sure what a "Control Stamp" is, but these (which I've just received) were authorised in August 1921 for postage:
Who had stocks of these - surely not ordinary people? Who used them - civilian letter-writers... municipal organisations...? The postal rate at the time was 250r, so a 25k. stamp, the first shown above, would not have been much use - unless every Control Stamp was purchased for 250r., regardless of face value.
Anyone know about this?
@AntoniusRa, your China #22-24 look very suspicious, could be fake.
In the picture, left side is yours, right side is a genuine one.
Just added three more to my 1902 Louisiana Purchase set. I had the Jefferson:
and added these:
Now just need the map...
I just added the 1933 Paris - Noumea set. I collect used and find French Colonies quite hard to come by, so when I can find a good set it always is a happy day.
Nice set, congrats!
Nice, Arno.
Not new to me, just newly rediscovered... Harry Chapin autographed covers. I had about 5 of these signed by the singer back in that 1977 era. So I can personally vouch for the authenticity. This is on one of my ODDITY branch cachets I produced back then.
I was continuing on the dig of my old stamp hoard and came across a few. I immediately put one in my "Cool Stuff" cover album. Then I thought of my buddy Mike, also a big Harry Chapin fan. In fact he and I went to a reunion concert with Harry's band a few years ago. Mike is one of the model car guys and I knew I'd see him at a show last Sunday. The minute I saw him, I knew I forgot to bring the cover! So I said nothing, and just put it in the mail this week. He emailed me very happy! Gotta do fun stuff for your friends.
@Rob, the £2 Navigator with the "Specimen" is an excellent find. I'd add that to my collection.
Regards ... Tim
Today, I won 3 auction lots for Turkey. They will complete my Turkey from 1936 to 1954 except for one SS sheet. There were 102 stamps I needed and were all mint, for only 11% of catalog. I also bought another 37 stamps this past week for Turkey.
This will fill in the weak area, besides the boring early overprints (which I do not care about), enabling me to scan the rest of Turkey and make a decent showing up through 1984.
Should be able to get them up on the web for showing in the next month
Also won an early Peru lot with three difficult stamps I needed and a German occupation lot with 5 stamps I needed. Pretty good day for stampin........
Aaaah, the pleasure of putting the last stamp on a page, and admiring it all filled!
Well worth sharing!
French Andorra, the landscape series of 1931-32, page 1 with the rare 1.75F violet (the 1.75F ultramarine is much more common) in place. That is Scott #54, Y&T #50A.
(The 1F green has a bit of toning and thus may still get replaced)
Now to be all done with F. Andorra, I need to find the missing earlier Merson stamps, Scott # 19-22 (have just one Scott #18). Overprinted, and therefore always suspicious without certification. Still looking...but I know they are most likely outside my budget, so am I wrong to hope for a donation?
rrr..
" .... so am I wrong to hope for a donation? ...."
Surely thou maketh a jest and have becomith over wrought with jocularity, sir.
I'm not exactly sure about what Charlie speaketh, because I'm not sure he's got the right proper English, but I will second that remark and defend him, to the death, for saying it.
Keep up the good work Charlie!!!!!
Mike
Found this in a long forgotten shoe box
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-11-22 23:10:49)
Just recieved this from my dad. I saw another one on eBay. It went from Havanna, Cuba to a lawyer in Portland, ME.
I can't stop buying Columbian and Trans-Mississippi stamps! Even if a already own several of the type
.
Love this one. Troops guarding train. What an awesome stamp!
"I can't stop buying Columbian and Trans-Mississippi stamps! Even if a already own several of the type"
i took my wife to a local church yard sale this morning with out any expectations. One fellow was selling books and other paper goods and he had a small box of postcards. Usually these boxes avail me nothing..but he had 2 cards from the Hudson Fulton 1909 celebration. I have a small Hudson Fulton cover collection so the price was right at 2 for 5 bucks. The icing on the cake would have been if they were postally used..oh well, i like that the images of Hudson and the steamboat are indented into the back of the card.
Today, I won an auction lot that contained exactly half of the 72 regular issues I needed for Honduras. Quite exciting to me as Honduras is one of my weakest Latin American countries. Many of the issues from 1915 to 1930 are very difficult to find at any price. I find it quite interesting that Honduras only produced 392 regular issues, 91 of which were
overprinted previous issues. According to my 2008 catalog the last regulars were issued in 1999 and there were no regular issues produced from 1944-1984.
On the other hand they produced around 1,500 air mails.
Cant wait to receive them an update my pages.
Recently got this beauty at BALPEX
Handsome fellow!
Woot! Another page filled. My new Columbians!
Thanks Bob!
Great stamps blair! Thanks for sharing. Gotta love them lightly cancelled stamps. I've seen these marketed as a "short set" Would love to hear what members think about the idea of a short set. Hope everyone had a great weekend.
Ernie
Thanks Ernie! ... I doubt I'll be getting the other half of this set anytime soon...lol
Hey blair. If youre anything like me you'll find a find a slightly faulty copy that faces up like a "gem". We can get them stamps!
I lived with a short set of Columbians and Trans Mississippis for many, many years. It gives one something to dream about!
The Mideast as a whole is my least favorite area to collect and I have spent little time on most of the countries. Kuwait was possibly the weakest but today I added 382 stamps (1948-1971) I needed. I have the Scott specialty pages for it, after I mount them it will be good enough to add to my site. Pretty exciting for me to be able to add another country!
Vietnam "Operation Brotherhood" set that was issued Oct. 11, 1955 to commemorate the mass exodus of North Vietnamese civilians from North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the partition of the country in 1954.
Several months later, on Aug. 6, 1956, the 35 piaster value was re-issued, with the the inscription Chiến-dịch Huynh-đệ (Brotherhood Campaign) overprinted with a black bar:
I have not been able to learn why the inscription was obliterated. If any Stamporama members know about this, I'd really like to hear from them.
I have learned that there was no "Operation Brotherhood" as such. Following the French defeat by Ho Chi Minh's communist forces at Dien Bien Phu and the subsequent division of Vietnam into the communist north and "democratic" south, tens of thousands northerners (possibly hundreds of thousand) either chose to leave their homes for the south, or were coerced to leave, or even forced to leave by their Roman Catholic priests. CIA propaganda attempted to convince northerners that Ho Chi Minh's communists would imprison, torture, and/or kill anyone, especially Roman Catholics, who disagreed with their politics, and would confiscate private property. In some cases, entire villages were evacuated.
There was indeed a threat against non-communists, and thousands of people were killed, but it was nothing like the bloodbath portrayed by the CIA and, especially, by the (in)famous Dr. Tom Dooley in a book that he wrote, detailing gruesome acts by communists which never actually took place. It's worth noting that the South Vietnamese government also regularly imprisoned, tortured, and murdered its opponents, and forced its largely agrarian population to live in extreme poverty.
Several nations took part in the evacuation. The U.S. Navy participated by mounting Operation Passage to Freedom, evacuating thousands of North Vietnamese to South Vietnam, and unwittingly aiding Ngo Dinh Diem, who cynically supported the evacuation in the hope that the catholic emigres would support him in a presidential election. He needn't have worried: Diem got 98% of the vote in a heavily rigged election; more votes were counted than there were voters. Many of the catholics from the north were installed in important jobs in the government, and Diem went on to establish one of the most repressive governments in the world, a government that the U.S. supported by huge injections of cash, military hardware, and military advisors, right up until the time that President Kennedy authorized the assassination of Diem, just 21 days before Kennedy himself was assassinated. Diem was simply replaced by a string of equally bad leaders.
Back to the stamps: Many desperate northerners actually did reach the south on rafts and other small watercraft, so in that respect the stamps represent historical accuracy.
Bob
If you collect the World Refugee Year (WRY) Topical, this is one of the early precursor sets prior to the launch of the 1959-1960 UN sponsored program. Nice stamps. The UN program had a distinctive FDC designed by J. Cocteau, as well as standard designs using the uprooted tree and the refugee family theme, but I like the Cocteau design best because of its simplicity. This one FDC design alone was used by more than 30 countries.
And I like this cover in particular because of the unique cancelation:
Vietnam did design a specific set of 4 stamps for the 1960 WRY, but I like this earlier group shown by Bob so much better!
This was the first topical subject I ever collected, because I ran into an album designed for it which made it simple to start. It had some good material, and lots of empty spots to keep me busy for several years (i still need 6 covers).
Also because it is a subject dear to me. (here is the unrelated sales pitch..lol "Out of Cuba", by my wife Regina, available on Amazon and elsewhere and in digital form, and now in Spanish "Fuera de Cuba")
rrr..
Just a cheap pick up!
There's a lot to like about this set commemorating Lenin's death: simplicity, clarity and the engraver's skill. I did not pay top dollar for these stamps: newer collectors might be interested to detect why there was a set going for three times what I paid. The centering on three of the stamps is good, but on the 10k and 15k less so; while on the most expensive set I might have preferred better corner perforations.
Incidental to this is the quality of my scanning: the contrast between the 5k and the 20k is very discernible here, but not at all in the album!
I have yet to figure out how to scan things in, my son has shown me twice, so it is difficult to show recent acquisitions. However, I just finished working on my Mexico. Some time ago, I bought a stock which started at about number 1100. Several months ago, I bought a collection at our local club auction which to my surprise, after I looked more closely, went up to about number 1100. I finally got around to working them into my collection and added 676 stamps. My central and south american countries are all rather weak but with this addition, I now have over 1000 Mexico and a nice batch left over for trade and maybe sale on the auction once I figure out how to use it. My son has also shown me twice how to do it but it just doesn't seem to take.
Jack
I have to admit I just put the stamps on the plate of my scanner and press 'go'. Like another member who posted recently, I have attached a sheet of black paper on the underside of the scanner lid.
Once scanned and saved to the appropriate folder, I do smarten up the stamps by rotating them until they are straight, and altering the contrast. In fact, it takes me longer to enter a scanned stamp into my database now than to mount and affix it in its place in my album!
Timely arrival, as a parallel discussion on Syria is found elsewhere in the discussion board. I just completed (Thanks Michael) my Hatay collection. It had been linguering for years with just a couple of stamps missing.
Hatay? (Alexandretta before)
Heard about it?
A province of Southern Turkey annexed by the French after the Ottoman Empire fall, declared independence in 1938 as world war 2 was looming. That was Sept 2, 1938. It voted to join Turkey on June 29, 1939.
A mere 52 stamps were issued under the Republic of Hatay. (13 are postage due)
Syria does not recognize the vote (could have been rigged) and considers Hatay (Alexandretta) to be part of Syria.
This is the last page (page 4, postage due stamps) of my Hatay, now complete, collection.
rrr...
New additions to my definitive collection. It's really coming together. Thank you Nelson!
Nice assortment, Blair. A word of caution, do not trust the IDs on the Washington/Franklins given by the Sellers; from my experience, while they usually prove correct, about 1/3 of the time they are not.
Thanks Bobby and yes I have already experienced that on a purchase on ebay. Nelson I know is very knowledgeable, so his identification I do trust. I'm trying very hard to learn to ID the stamps myself but Scotts doesn't make that easy... when in doubt I will always turn to the experts here for help. To this point I'm not buying super expensive stamps so if I get something other than what I was told something was I'm not too upset... I chalk it up to a learning experience and usually can add the "mistake" to my collection anyway. If I was buying very expensive stamps it would be different.
oh and the one that was misidentified... the seller refunded my money and told me to keep the stamp when I pointed out his mistake. An honest mistake on his part I do believe. (I had purchased two from him and the other was identified correctly.)
France Sinking Fund (Caisse d'Amortissement) stamps of 1927 to 1931
There was a separate discussion elsewhere on the France Sinking Fund (1927-1931).
I have finally (at long last) completed this challenging series, and include a couple of scans, and some discussion below.
The sinking fund was created for the purpose of retiring the French National Debt, which became a hot issue after Germany stopped paying its reparations as mandated at the end of WW 1.
In 1927 the first set of 3 overprinted stamps was issued and it was expected that collectors would show their patriotism by buying them, but it was a failure (10% were sold producing a mere 350 000 Francs for the fund).
This was followed by special engravings in 1928 and subsequent sets of 3 in different colors in 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931. Sales got worse and worse! Special engravings in 1930 and 1931 did not fare any better than in 1928.
This makes the Sinking Fund semi postal sets relatively rare.
The impact of the fund (which continued until 1958) was miniscule!
Of interest philathelically speaking, the surcharges were applied at the same time the stamps were printed, making them "bicolor" stamps rather than surcharged stamps, and to prevent counterfeiting of the surcharges, the stamps were actually produced in colors different from the earlier stamps! (It did not prevent counterfeiting).
For some of the larger engraved stamps, (the first so called "taille douce" engravings in France), they were released for very short durations (the 1928 was only available for 17 days), and with an intense advertising campaign...but sales were again dismal (less than 165,000 sold out of a production run of 650,000) probably because of the large face value of the stamps.
From 1928 to 1931, each subsequent set of stamps yielded less sales than the previous one, which makes some of the latest sets quite expensive in today's collector market.
rrr...
and a close up of the 1928 engraved "Industry and Agriculture 1.50F + 8.50F (Scott B27).
I love finding varieties and other items, especially when the seller has "under-described" them. I recently found these 2, separately, on ebay. The first is Sweden #236. However this is the variety of the 3 and 4 touching, not Scott listed, but listed in Facit and nothing mentioned about the variety so I got it for the price of the common one. The next one is Denmark, Scott #37 MH, with the small numerals. There was no mention of the small numerals and no catalog numbers given, just a generic "20ö blue" description, so I was able to snap it up within minutes of it being listed. First mint one I've run across on ebay. It has awful shiny gum however, so I am wondering if it has been regummed. That's OK, still got it cheap..
I'd been wanting to get this set (Graf Zeppelin North Pole Flight, 1931) for some time. It is an interesting example of how stamps were used to fund scientific expeditions, as both the German airship and the Russian rendezvous-vessel were loaded with mail for eventual sale to philatelists - see this link for more detail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZ_127_Graf_Zeppelin - testimony to the worldwide appeal of stamps and covers in that decade.
It is not a cheap set, and comes both perforate (two kinds) and imperforate. For some reason I preferred the more expensive, the perforate. This was, on reflection, a mistake. The set belongs to the 'Stamps of Ivan Dubasov' album, and as such the design should be paramount. Obviously the design is the same whichever set I chose, but an imperforate set would have avoided the results I ended up with:
As you can see, none of the stamps is centred at all well, which rather detracts from the overall impact. I'm still very fond of the design, but the experience shows that a little thought would have served me better.
Ah well, we learn from our mistakes!
I've been really finding myself drawn to US revenues. I picked up this group on ebay for just the opening bid... I was surprised no one else bid.
"I was surprised no one else bid."
Today I received this 1926 Portugal Ceres 3E. It is one of the scarcest of the many Ceres issues and I've been trying to get one for a long time. It brings my Portugal Regular issues to 99.2% of completion thru 1982. Out of the 13 stamps I need to complete, 7 are under 4.00 in catalog value. It seems very odd that I can't seem to lay my hands on those 7 stamps. I've found it much easier to find many thousand dollar stamps than these 7. Go figure.....
Nice stamp Mitch. Tough getting the last ones! I still miss 6, including this beauty, but most are the very expensive ones. How are you doing on the o/p? (I miss 4, uncluding one that catalogs under $1, but is never to be seen! Catalog prices are over-rated!)
Rrr...
RRR, In the last few years Scott has made many changes in cataloging the different types of the Ceres issues. My specialty pages are of course older and do not reflect these new additions and changes. As far as the older numbering goes I am missing three of the Ceres stamps; 64c Ultra, 2.40E Apple Green and 4.50E Orange w/imprint.I have not yet made pages to accommodate the new additions which are based on different perf and paper types. I have a stock sheet (below) that I have been adding stamps that differ from the ones mounted on my pages.. Hopefully I have most of them but can not be sure until I get around to getting them all sorted out. Portugal is one of my very favorite countries to collect. There are a great many different sub types of the early issues, all of which I have made additional pages for and have been able to obtain all but a few. As far as the Ceres overprints go I need 4 of them, 3 of which are under $7.00
I generally do not buy from dealers because of their high prices. If you know of one for Portugal I would appreciate the info. I would be happy to pay full cat for the few stamps I need that have low cat value.
My Portugal collection of regular issues can be seen HERE
If you can be of any help in pointing me in the right direction to fill the holes I would greatly appreciate it.
MItchell
Impressive Portugal Collection, Mitch...I am a long way from completing my Portugal for the early years like you have, but I have been hacking at it one by one when I am not distracted by France, which is just a few stamps shy of completion.
The 2.40E Apple Green and 4.50E Orange are tough ones...I don't have them nor do I have the 3E, 5E, 10E and 20E with imprints. Don't have many duplicates to look for variations now, as I put most of the ones I had in an Approval book, some time ago. The 64c pale ultramarine must be mispriced in Scott, as I think it is hard to find..see the 60 o/p on 64 which I am still looking for!
Here is my o/p ceres page (iphone photo..not very good) for comparison with yours. By the way, I still use the old Scott numbering system, which complicates my search for the missing stamps...bummer...I hate it when they do that! Why are some of these o/p so hard to come by?
rrr...
RRR, Thanks, I spent around 3 years with Portugal as my main area of focus before moving on to Greece. It is one of the more difficult European countries to collect but it is possible to complete, which I hope to do. On the other hand my France is also nearly complete (99.3% regular issues thru 1977) but I cannot ever hope to complete it. Numbers such as 9, 71, 87, C3 and C4 make it to tough without deeper pockets than mine.
I have seen the Ceres overprints many times offered at auction in complete sets. However they always seem to sell in the $70-$80 range. Since I only need 4, I don't want to buy the whole set for that much.
Thanks for the tip on the 4.50E. I don't really like Delcampe but if I can figure out how it works again and this dealer takes PayPal then I'll try and get it.
Not having a scanner handy here I haven't managed to get into the new acquisition bagging contest, but today I won this gem.
Not expensive, but a very interesting usage. I'd love to dig into it more but That will have to wait a bit
.
Sometimes acquisitions come to you by sheer luck. I bought this Sweden duo, on piece, at a show a few months ago. First show I'd been to in about 10 years. As the card states it's suppose to be Scott 30, 33, cost was $2. I just thought it was cool, so I got it. Tonight i was looking at the 2 stamps with my loupe and noticed something strange about the 20ö. I was seeing a faint doubling, just to the left of the red impression, but in a yellowish color. I remembered seeing something about a double impression for this issue, so I checked both my Scott Classic Specialized and my Facit, but didn't see anything mentioned for this issue (#33, perf 13). There is a double impression mentioned for the first issuance though (#23, perf 14), so I pulled my perf gauge out and checked them. Sure enough, they are both from the perf 14 set ( Scott #19 & #23), and the double impression is red printed over yellow, which makes it a 23b. From what I understand, the yellow is the original color these were printed in but was too faint to see, so they ran them again, in red, on the sheets printed in yellow. You can plainly see the yellow image in the larger scan of the 20ö below. Not a world class rarity I know, but still nice to find.
Richard, serendipity meets memory and curiosity. very nice
David
"Not expensive, but a very interesting usage. I'd love to dig into it more but That will have to wait a bit."
"Lady Chancellor Road, which ascends the hills overlooking the Savannah, is one of Port of Spain's most exclusive residential areas and is the current home of former West Indies cricketer and record breaking batsman, Brian Lara."
" ...I couldn't resist doing a little 'digging' on your behalf, Charlie.
Thanks Ian.
I'm glad you did. I started to look for some connection but only got to an obscure legal case involving heirs to a small fortune in the late 1800s or so in which a Mr Pain was mentioned as on of the solicitors.. Then some thing else came up and I'd not gotten any further
I think I'll type up something about your result and add it to the cover as an insert..
Sometimes, when you're working on a specialty collection, certain low-priced sets just won't be found. The three below were in that category for me, until I found them in the APS stamp store. Total cost: $4.50.
Top to bottom, they are Paraguay C36-38, French Guinea C1-5, and French Guiana.
Ed Foster
Won this set yesterday (my 65th birthday). I only needed the last stamp (Reddish 5l + 3l) but several of the others I had in the set were used, so now I have a nice mint set. The set was issued in 1937 Italy to help fund camps for poor children. It appears the government felt that all a little girl needed was a rifle and she was good to go. The stamp was a very welcome addition as it was one of the last three I needed to complete my Italian airmails. Of the two remaining, one is not to hard to come buy but the other will probably never come my way.
While on the subject of Italian Airmails, I'd like to show my favorite pages from anywhere.
Shouldn't be hard to see why it's one of my favorites.
Date check. The last date stamp on the discussion list for this thread is Sept 24th.
I'm posting this to see if it corrects the date.
Great find Ed!
Happy Birthday, Mitch!
Chris, Thanks! It's one of those milestones that definitely cause one to take notice.
Picked up these lovelyKGV Arch coil pairs.
Here are some new fancy cancels I added to my collection.
The top four are patent cancels. The dots in those cancels punched through the stamps so it could not be used again.
I'm new to the hobby but find these proofs to be one of my favorite topics. Here's one I just got. Anybody else into these I'd like to hear from you. Thanks
Not a proof, but Playing Cards revenues...on cover!:
My wife and I enjoy a winter season-long cribbage tournament. We play a game most evenings. She picked up these vintage cards at a flea market some time ago, and I couldn't open them after noting the Playing Cards revenues on them, coils no less...
Can't find a date, but it's pre-zipcode, so before 1963.
I don't think I've ever seen these stamps in situ before...
-Paul
PS, had a 20-point crib last night, leading to a come-from-behind victory! Woo-HOO!
Paul -
nice crib !
Who donated more? ...or was it 50/50?
I discarded an 8 and a 7. Wife discarded a 6 and a 7. Six was cut.
Wife managed a 14-point peg on me last night by playing the fourth 4 in-a-row to hit 31. Not only that, I had to say "Go" at 27, so she got the 6 points for the third 4! That's unusual! I managed to squeak out a win on that game, counting first, with a 5-card flush in my last hand. If I had not cut the 5 of spades, I would have lost.
Cribbage is a lot like poker, in terms of the objectives and the odds. And OH, can the luck (or lack thereof) be exasperating!
I used to be a regular on American Cribbage Congress (online cribbage). Found the monkeyshines to be a bit intolerable...But, I did learn that 61-point games are very stimulating, indeed!
And, now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Double-censored airmail covers attract me. Here are a couple recent acquisitions:
-Paul
PS, can anybody suggest a reference for decoding the information on censors' markings? I'm interested in learning primarily WHERE items were examined, among the many possibilities.
Australia £2 Kangaroo Sc#129 and Sg#138. The cds is smudged, but for my budget I am well satisfied with it.
Tooler,
Any £2 Kangaroo Map stamp is beautiful by default, smudge or not. I have this stamp as well, and mine is smudged as well. Still costs enough for a pucker factor.
Cheers!
Wine
"Picked up these lovely KGV Arch coil pairs. "
Picked up this one last year, rather toned gum but not too bad on the face. Completes the mint set which is also shown together with the used.
Now to get the short "R" vareties.
My latest arrival came today from Australia. 10sh grey and pink kangaroo die 2 Sc#101
Sg#112
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Fresh looking imperf. Edges are razor sharp. Nice face free cancel. I love it!
-Ernie
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Beautiful stamp, Chris. Your year long quest was worth it!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
You might try retroReveal.org
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
The cancels on the second row are probably fake. I will send them off to be expertized. Too bad Bill Weiss has retired.
The last two stamps on the fourth row are patent cancels.
The last cancel on the page is initials "NH"
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Here is another page of cancels from the show. On the first row is a "KKK" in circle that came with a cert. The next stamp is an ax head from Collinsville, Connecticut. There are some better cancels on the bottom row.
I have some covers to scan and post later.
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-11-22 23:08:57)
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Sooo... I was sorting through some old covers that I bought in a huge box lot many years ago. And suddenly a name pops out at me. If that was for sale on eBay I'd think it was fake, but since I found it randomly in a large box...
thoughts?
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Interesting. A google search shows that President Eisenhower's surname was and still is often misspelled as "Eisenhaur". "Eisenhaur" does exist as a surname, but it doesn't seem to be very common. A White Pages search for "Eisenhaur" in New York City shows just one telephone listing.
The vague address may not be all that unusual. Shortly after my family moved from New York City to Silver City, New Mexico in 1949, my father received a letter addressed to "Bob Ingraham, New Mexico". His only claim to fame at that time was that he had won an editorial award in New York State a few months before.
Here's something interesting. After more googling, I learned that presidential-candidate Eisenhower's headquarters was in Denver in 1952. Any letter addressed to him in Denver certainly would have reached him, even with the name misspelled.
The Republican National Convention that year was in Chicago. My wife, Susan, has been very involved in her family's genealogy in recent years. In her collection is this photograph of Eisenhower, taken in Hastings, Nebraska, during his 1952 whistle-stop campaign. The photograph was hanging in her grandparent's rec room in Hastings. Her grandfather, Lloyd Hansen, is shown in the photograph.
Susan would be interested in learning who the other men in the photograph are. Tom: If you'd like a copy of the photograph without the annotation, let me know. Looks like your cover is the real deal.
Bob
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Two weeks before the election in'52 ?
As far as I can recall Ike was living in New York where he held an office at Columbia University.
So I'd guess either another DD Eisenhower or some kind of a prank. I am thinking that I read something about an envelope like this either to Ike or to MacArthur in a stamp newspaper in the 1970s.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Picked up a couple of older albums at a local household auction last weekend. A Jarret Canada to 1970 fairly complete for later years all in clear mounts but stamps sliding out of the side of them.
The other album is for USA and is a Minkus populated with used mainly in the 1960-70 range, again in mounts that seem to not hold the stamps well. The frontspiece shows a price of $1.49, which seems very cheap unless it/s meant to be $149.
Total cost for the two C$70, also a number of coin wallets(8) and stockpages (5) full of used USA included.
Will have to incorporate into my other albums and will probably transfer all to Steiner pages eventually.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Hi All
Here is a nice patriotic cover of the Carls-Rite Hotel in Toronto that I bought last weekend at an antique show here. Inside there is a menu showing prices at the time. Sure wish prices were like that today.
Chimo
Bujutsu
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Bujutsu,
I love it!
"Living is a real pleasure at these two hotels. We cater to the nation's greatest asset, the babies."
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Vinnie,
Those are some great cancels - find those at the APS show?
Very nice.....might make me want to begin a new collecting area!
Thanks for the show-N-tell!
Randy
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
@cdj1122
My information came from this Wikipedia article:
"When asked about his campaign itinerary during a news conference at campaign headquarters at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colorado, Eisenhower said the details had not been worked out, but that his headquarters were likely to remain in Denver at least until he departed to New York City in late August to address the national convention of the American Legion."
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
In 1988 I resumed my stamp collecting after a long hiatus. Shortly thereafter the Chinese stamp market took off. With most of it's stamps often selling for cat or multiples above, I pretty much ignored China. I would guess that 95% of all my China are stamps that I got when I was a kid. Every once in awhile I will look at the auction listings for China hoping to get some of the larger size stamps from pre 1930's. Today I was rather stunned to win the first larger format high values of China Scott #'s 22-24.
They cat for $720.00 but for some reason I picked them up for just over 10% of cat. It seems no one was paying attention to the lot. There were several other Chinese lots in the auction of early 19th century that went for around 1/2 cat. These three, 1st page stamps, were at the top of my list of stamps wanted for China and I doubt many people have them. For the issue the 12 and 24 cent are very nicely centered.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Hey Mitch, Congrats on the purchase. There's no better feeling than picking up something You've been wanting a price you KNOW you can live with without heartburn later. My only thought is, "I can't believe they let it go for that." With shill bidders, minimum reserves etc etc it's been my experience that truly hot material never goes for such a low % of cat. Great score!
-Ernie
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Ernie, Thanks! I would think that these would be highly desirable for any collector of China. I was surprised that I won them but not as much as you might think. I usually get really great deals every week. I have not seen much evidence of shilling at the auction house I use and there are seldom reserves on the better lots. I also won an Italian lot of 1930's stamps this past week for $30 that cataloged for over $800. Did not need any of them but Italy is pretty hot and they sell well.
A couple of the most ridiculous wins I've had are the two stamps below. The 1869 24 cent Pictoral was described as a forgery. However there are no known forgeries of the set and I could tell from the scan that it was not a shaved proof. The stamp is unused, no gum, and free from fault, I got it for under $60.00. It is certainly genuine!
The second stamp is the top key for Venezuela. It came in a lot of other values of the 1880 set. It was described as including some forgeries. Well, the only known forgery of these is the 5 center and there was one of them included in the lot. I've had the 25B checked out by an expert and he concluded it was genuine. There are only 34 known copies of the stamp! I paid $66.00 for the lot and sold several of the others in the lot for over what I paid.
I seldom buy stamps that I know I might not get my money back from. If it were not for this site I would not be adding much to my collection.
My best trading buddy turned me on to the auction site and had me promise not to tell anyone else about it. He is a highly placed Senior Federal Judge whose trust I would not betray.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Ok.....so you've got secret auction sites AND federal judges in your hip pocket??? Now I'm really jealous! Who are you, Michael Corleone? Haha. Keep bidding and winning I've enjoyed looking at your collection online.
Ernie
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
As far as Pictorals go..............................
My favorite new acquisition is the unused 122 in the top row. It has been my favorite stamp since I was a kid. It has some of the nicest centering I have seen on one. Although I did not get it super cheap, 12.7% wasn't bad. I got it about a month ago to replace the used copy, 2nd at top that I have had for 25 years or so. The first stamp in bottom row is a proof I have had for a long time and the second is a proof that was perforated and gummed to appear as a stamp. For $25 I could not help but buy it. A few months ago I saw one
just like it on Ebay sell for $150. Every time some one tries to fake a proof into a stamp there is one less proof in the world. I think proofs have long been under cataloged and every time this is done makes them more so.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
This one came through this morning. I'm surprised I hadn't been aware of its existence over the past dozen years since I've been collecting WW2 commemorative material - it was referenced in an interesting Gibbons Stamp Monthly feature this month. The unusual thing is that designer Restall contributed only a single stamp to the 1965 Battle of Britain set (the others were by the husband-and-wife team of David Gentleman and Rosalind Dease). The reason for Restall's sole stamp is given as late-applied pressure from the ground forces (anti-aircraft, spotters, etc.) to acknowledge their contribution. I'd like to see the evidence surrounding this - presumably Restall had a design up and ready while Gentleman and Dease did not. It accounts for the 'odd one out' nature of the 1965 set.
Three years later someone had the good idea to release Restall's other designs for the 50th anniversary of the RAF, which completes the 'set'. I like both sets of designs, perhaps preferring Gentleman-Dease (which caused bother on issue since certain stuffy persons objected to the swastika shown on one of them!).
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Oh dear, I bought and read Simon Garfield four years ago - what a very strange and unwarrantably rich chap, I thought! I didn't remember him mentioning the BoB set at all... just shows how much I take in.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
"...the unused 122 in the top row..."
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
£2 SPECIMEN Ridley King
The stamp on the left is my recent acquisition, it is the rare 1964 pre-decimal £2 Specimen (on cream paper, dark toning) of Admiral Ridley King with the words "SPECIMEN" just below central position, it is seldom seen and rare, compared to the scarce version on the right with "SPECIMEN" on bottom right (on white paper). Both are superb mint unhinged.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Mitch, I LOVE them!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Nothing too exciting but I recently got this fun little set of 4 X 4 stamps, some Airmail ones (39C, 40C and 44C)and one little set commemorating JFK (5C):
Then I also got this interesting First Day of Issue for postal workers which included a nice long string of stamps at the top of the envelope:
Lastly I also got some other interesting ones which I have posted in other discussion areas here on SOR as I had more questions about them. Thanks, and hope you all have great weekend,
Paul.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Chris, the upper left one is definitely unused. However it is a little dirty in places but I am afraid of cleaning it. The one at right is the used one I have had nearly 30 years.
One of the best things going for it is the light face free cancel at bottom.
Zipper, I love them to. Like I said it have always been my favorite stamp and I know I am not alone in this feeling. The two stamps are the most I have ever spent on single stamps. I was a bit surprised when I asked my wife if I could spend $700 on the unused one.
She told me to go for it, even though we are both barely existing on SS.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Mitch, I learned a valuable lesson from a "society" friend of mine. Never ask if you can buy something. Buy it, and say Look what I bought. It's worked for her for 69 years.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Olympic stamps of that series exist in two different perforations. I think one is significantly less common than the other. Check your catalog.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Nearly gave up on the auction this week but I just won this Berlin sheet. With the help of Frank filling in most of the last modern issues it just leaves me with one key stamp to complete Berlin.
At 87.77, 17.5% of catalog it the cheapest I've seen one go for after many years of searching.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Just got this.... Gotta love them Columbians.. I've been looking at what similar multiples of higher values go for... They go up very quickly! The Columbians and Trans-Missippis are some of my all time favorites.
-Ernie
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Nice find in an old 19th century album I bought at a stamp show
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
"During the years 1918-1922 the postal service was disorganised by revolution and civil war..." (Gibbons catalogue note introducing the RSFSR section). These were dramatic and desperate times, as the following extract from a Wikipedia entry shows (apologies to those for whom this is old hat!):
"In the years of the Civil War, postage stamps served as a kind of currency in a number of regions. During the later famine, postage stamps were used as a means of exchange for products. The Pravda newspaper issue of 9 March 1922 "urged the population 'not to throw away stamps' and called on all citizens and children of the RSFSR to gather and send all canceled stamps, stamp collections, and anything they had on hand to be exchanged for chocolate and other products for starving children."
I am not exactly sure what a "Control Stamp" is, but these (which I've just received) were authorised in August 1921 for postage:
Who had stocks of these - surely not ordinary people? Who used them - civilian letter-writers... municipal organisations...? The postal rate at the time was 250r, so a 25k. stamp, the first shown above, would not have been much use - unless every Control Stamp was purchased for 250r., regardless of face value.
Anyone know about this?
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
@AntoniusRa, your China #22-24 look very suspicious, could be fake.
In the picture, left side is yours, right side is a genuine one.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Just added three more to my 1902 Louisiana Purchase set. I had the Jefferson:
and added these:
Now just need the map...
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I just added the 1933 Paris - Noumea set. I collect used and find French Colonies quite hard to come by, so when I can find a good set it always is a happy day.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Nice set, congrats!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Nice, Arno.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Not new to me, just newly rediscovered... Harry Chapin autographed covers. I had about 5 of these signed by the singer back in that 1977 era. So I can personally vouch for the authenticity. This is on one of my ODDITY branch cachets I produced back then.
I was continuing on the dig of my old stamp hoard and came across a few. I immediately put one in my "Cool Stuff" cover album. Then I thought of my buddy Mike, also a big Harry Chapin fan. In fact he and I went to a reunion concert with Harry's band a few years ago. Mike is one of the model car guys and I knew I'd see him at a show last Sunday. The minute I saw him, I knew I forgot to bring the cover! So I said nothing, and just put it in the mail this week. He emailed me very happy! Gotta do fun stuff for your friends.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
@Rob, the £2 Navigator with the "Specimen" is an excellent find. I'd add that to my collection.
Regards ... Tim
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Today, I won 3 auction lots for Turkey. They will complete my Turkey from 1936 to 1954 except for one SS sheet. There were 102 stamps I needed and were all mint, for only 11% of catalog. I also bought another 37 stamps this past week for Turkey.
This will fill in the weak area, besides the boring early overprints (which I do not care about), enabling me to scan the rest of Turkey and make a decent showing up through 1984.
Should be able to get them up on the web for showing in the next month
Also won an early Peru lot with three difficult stamps I needed and a German occupation lot with 5 stamps I needed. Pretty good day for stampin........
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Aaaah, the pleasure of putting the last stamp on a page, and admiring it all filled!
Well worth sharing!
French Andorra, the landscape series of 1931-32, page 1 with the rare 1.75F violet (the 1.75F ultramarine is much more common) in place. That is Scott #54, Y&T #50A.
(The 1F green has a bit of toning and thus may still get replaced)
Now to be all done with F. Andorra, I need to find the missing earlier Merson stamps, Scott # 19-22 (have just one Scott #18). Overprinted, and therefore always suspicious without certification. Still looking...but I know they are most likely outside my budget, so am I wrong to hope for a donation?
rrr..
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
" .... so am I wrong to hope for a donation? ...."
Surely thou maketh a jest and have becomith over wrought with jocularity, sir.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I'm not exactly sure about what Charlie speaketh, because I'm not sure he's got the right proper English, but I will second that remark and defend him, to the death, for saying it.
Keep up the good work Charlie!!!!!
Mike
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Found this in a long forgotten shoe box
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-11-22 23:10:49)
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Just recieved this from my dad. I saw another one on eBay. It went from Havanna, Cuba to a lawyer in Portland, ME.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I can't stop buying Columbian and Trans-Mississippi stamps! Even if a already own several of the type
.
Love this one. Troops guarding train. What an awesome stamp!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
"I can't stop buying Columbian and Trans-Mississippi stamps! Even if a already own several of the type"
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
i took my wife to a local church yard sale this morning with out any expectations. One fellow was selling books and other paper goods and he had a small box of postcards. Usually these boxes avail me nothing..but he had 2 cards from the Hudson Fulton 1909 celebration. I have a small Hudson Fulton cover collection so the price was right at 2 for 5 bucks. The icing on the cake would have been if they were postally used..oh well, i like that the images of Hudson and the steamboat are indented into the back of the card.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Today, I won an auction lot that contained exactly half of the 72 regular issues I needed for Honduras. Quite exciting to me as Honduras is one of my weakest Latin American countries. Many of the issues from 1915 to 1930 are very difficult to find at any price. I find it quite interesting that Honduras only produced 392 regular issues, 91 of which were
overprinted previous issues. According to my 2008 catalog the last regulars were issued in 1999 and there were no regular issues produced from 1944-1984.
On the other hand they produced around 1,500 air mails.
Cant wait to receive them an update my pages.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Recently got this beauty at BALPEX
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Handsome fellow!
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Woot! Another page filled. My new Columbians!
Thanks Bob!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Great stamps blair! Thanks for sharing. Gotta love them lightly cancelled stamps. I've seen these marketed as a "short set" Would love to hear what members think about the idea of a short set. Hope everyone had a great weekend.
Ernie
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Thanks Ernie! ... I doubt I'll be getting the other half of this set anytime soon...lol
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Hey blair. If youre anything like me you'll find a find a slightly faulty copy that faces up like a "gem". We can get them stamps!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I lived with a short set of Columbians and Trans Mississippis for many, many years. It gives one something to dream about!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
The Mideast as a whole is my least favorite area to collect and I have spent little time on most of the countries. Kuwait was possibly the weakest but today I added 382 stamps (1948-1971) I needed. I have the Scott specialty pages for it, after I mount them it will be good enough to add to my site. Pretty exciting for me to be able to add another country!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Vietnam "Operation Brotherhood" set that was issued Oct. 11, 1955 to commemorate the mass exodus of North Vietnamese civilians from North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the partition of the country in 1954.
Several months later, on Aug. 6, 1956, the 35 piaster value was re-issued, with the the inscription Chiến-dịch Huynh-đệ (Brotherhood Campaign) overprinted with a black bar:
I have not been able to learn why the inscription was obliterated. If any Stamporama members know about this, I'd really like to hear from them.
I have learned that there was no "Operation Brotherhood" as such. Following the French defeat by Ho Chi Minh's communist forces at Dien Bien Phu and the subsequent division of Vietnam into the communist north and "democratic" south, tens of thousands northerners (possibly hundreds of thousand) either chose to leave their homes for the south, or were coerced to leave, or even forced to leave by their Roman Catholic priests. CIA propaganda attempted to convince northerners that Ho Chi Minh's communists would imprison, torture, and/or kill anyone, especially Roman Catholics, who disagreed with their politics, and would confiscate private property. In some cases, entire villages were evacuated.
There was indeed a threat against non-communists, and thousands of people were killed, but it was nothing like the bloodbath portrayed by the CIA and, especially, by the (in)famous Dr. Tom Dooley in a book that he wrote, detailing gruesome acts by communists which never actually took place. It's worth noting that the South Vietnamese government also regularly imprisoned, tortured, and murdered its opponents, and forced its largely agrarian population to live in extreme poverty.
Several nations took part in the evacuation. The U.S. Navy participated by mounting Operation Passage to Freedom, evacuating thousands of North Vietnamese to South Vietnam, and unwittingly aiding Ngo Dinh Diem, who cynically supported the evacuation in the hope that the catholic emigres would support him in a presidential election. He needn't have worried: Diem got 98% of the vote in a heavily rigged election; more votes were counted than there were voters. Many of the catholics from the north were installed in important jobs in the government, and Diem went on to establish one of the most repressive governments in the world, a government that the U.S. supported by huge injections of cash, military hardware, and military advisors, right up until the time that President Kennedy authorized the assassination of Diem, just 21 days before Kennedy himself was assassinated. Diem was simply replaced by a string of equally bad leaders.
Back to the stamps: Many desperate northerners actually did reach the south on rafts and other small watercraft, so in that respect the stamps represent historical accuracy.
Bob
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
If you collect the World Refugee Year (WRY) Topical, this is one of the early precursor sets prior to the launch of the 1959-1960 UN sponsored program. Nice stamps. The UN program had a distinctive FDC designed by J. Cocteau, as well as standard designs using the uprooted tree and the refugee family theme, but I like the Cocteau design best because of its simplicity. This one FDC design alone was used by more than 30 countries.
And I like this cover in particular because of the unique cancelation:
Vietnam did design a specific set of 4 stamps for the 1960 WRY, but I like this earlier group shown by Bob so much better!
This was the first topical subject I ever collected, because I ran into an album designed for it which made it simple to start. It had some good material, and lots of empty spots to keep me busy for several years (i still need 6 covers).
Also because it is a subject dear to me. (here is the unrelated sales pitch..lol "Out of Cuba", by my wife Regina, available on Amazon and elsewhere and in digital form, and now in Spanish "Fuera de Cuba")
rrr..
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Just a cheap pick up!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
There's a lot to like about this set commemorating Lenin's death: simplicity, clarity and the engraver's skill. I did not pay top dollar for these stamps: newer collectors might be interested to detect why there was a set going for three times what I paid. The centering on three of the stamps is good, but on the 10k and 15k less so; while on the most expensive set I might have preferred better corner perforations.
Incidental to this is the quality of my scanning: the contrast between the 5k and the 20k is very discernible here, but not at all in the album!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I have yet to figure out how to scan things in, my son has shown me twice, so it is difficult to show recent acquisitions. However, I just finished working on my Mexico. Some time ago, I bought a stock which started at about number 1100. Several months ago, I bought a collection at our local club auction which to my surprise, after I looked more closely, went up to about number 1100. I finally got around to working them into my collection and added 676 stamps. My central and south american countries are all rather weak but with this addition, I now have over 1000 Mexico and a nice batch left over for trade and maybe sale on the auction once I figure out how to use it. My son has also shown me twice how to do it but it just doesn't seem to take.
Jack
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I have to admit I just put the stamps on the plate of my scanner and press 'go'. Like another member who posted recently, I have attached a sheet of black paper on the underside of the scanner lid.
Once scanned and saved to the appropriate folder, I do smarten up the stamps by rotating them until they are straight, and altering the contrast. In fact, it takes me longer to enter a scanned stamp into my database now than to mount and affix it in its place in my album!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Timely arrival, as a parallel discussion on Syria is found elsewhere in the discussion board. I just completed (Thanks Michael) my Hatay collection. It had been linguering for years with just a couple of stamps missing.
Hatay? (Alexandretta before)
Heard about it?
A province of Southern Turkey annexed by the French after the Ottoman Empire fall, declared independence in 1938 as world war 2 was looming. That was Sept 2, 1938. It voted to join Turkey on June 29, 1939.
A mere 52 stamps were issued under the Republic of Hatay. (13 are postage due)
Syria does not recognize the vote (could have been rigged) and considers Hatay (Alexandretta) to be part of Syria.
This is the last page (page 4, postage due stamps) of my Hatay, now complete, collection.
rrr...
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
New additions to my definitive collection. It's really coming together. Thank you Nelson!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Nice assortment, Blair. A word of caution, do not trust the IDs on the Washington/Franklins given by the Sellers; from my experience, while they usually prove correct, about 1/3 of the time they are not.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Thanks Bobby and yes I have already experienced that on a purchase on ebay. Nelson I know is very knowledgeable, so his identification I do trust. I'm trying very hard to learn to ID the stamps myself but Scotts doesn't make that easy... when in doubt I will always turn to the experts here for help. To this point I'm not buying super expensive stamps so if I get something other than what I was told something was I'm not too upset... I chalk it up to a learning experience and usually can add the "mistake" to my collection anyway. If I was buying very expensive stamps it would be different.
oh and the one that was misidentified... the seller refunded my money and told me to keep the stamp when I pointed out his mistake. An honest mistake on his part I do believe. (I had purchased two from him and the other was identified correctly.)
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
France Sinking Fund (Caisse d'Amortissement) stamps of 1927 to 1931
There was a separate discussion elsewhere on the France Sinking Fund (1927-1931).
I have finally (at long last) completed this challenging series, and include a couple of scans, and some discussion below.
The sinking fund was created for the purpose of retiring the French National Debt, which became a hot issue after Germany stopped paying its reparations as mandated at the end of WW 1.
In 1927 the first set of 3 overprinted stamps was issued and it was expected that collectors would show their patriotism by buying them, but it was a failure (10% were sold producing a mere 350 000 Francs for the fund).
This was followed by special engravings in 1928 and subsequent sets of 3 in different colors in 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931. Sales got worse and worse! Special engravings in 1930 and 1931 did not fare any better than in 1928.
This makes the Sinking Fund semi postal sets relatively rare.
The impact of the fund (which continued until 1958) was miniscule!
Of interest philathelically speaking, the surcharges were applied at the same time the stamps were printed, making them "bicolor" stamps rather than surcharged stamps, and to prevent counterfeiting of the surcharges, the stamps were actually produced in colors different from the earlier stamps! (It did not prevent counterfeiting).
For some of the larger engraved stamps, (the first so called "taille douce" engravings in France), they were released for very short durations (the 1928 was only available for 17 days), and with an intense advertising campaign...but sales were again dismal (less than 165,000 sold out of a production run of 650,000) probably because of the large face value of the stamps.
From 1928 to 1931, each subsequent set of stamps yielded less sales than the previous one, which makes some of the latest sets quite expensive in today's collector market.
rrr...
and a close up of the 1928 engraved "Industry and Agriculture 1.50F + 8.50F (Scott B27).
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I love finding varieties and other items, especially when the seller has "under-described" them. I recently found these 2, separately, on ebay. The first is Sweden #236. However this is the variety of the 3 and 4 touching, not Scott listed, but listed in Facit and nothing mentioned about the variety so I got it for the price of the common one. The next one is Denmark, Scott #37 MH, with the small numerals. There was no mention of the small numerals and no catalog numbers given, just a generic "20ö blue" description, so I was able to snap it up within minutes of it being listed. First mint one I've run across on ebay. It has awful shiny gum however, so I am wondering if it has been regummed. That's OK, still got it cheap..
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I'd been wanting to get this set (Graf Zeppelin North Pole Flight, 1931) for some time. It is an interesting example of how stamps were used to fund scientific expeditions, as both the German airship and the Russian rendezvous-vessel were loaded with mail for eventual sale to philatelists - see this link for more detail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZ_127_Graf_Zeppelin - testimony to the worldwide appeal of stamps and covers in that decade.
It is not a cheap set, and comes both perforate (two kinds) and imperforate. For some reason I preferred the more expensive, the perforate. This was, on reflection, a mistake. The set belongs to the 'Stamps of Ivan Dubasov' album, and as such the design should be paramount. Obviously the design is the same whichever set I chose, but an imperforate set would have avoided the results I ended up with:
As you can see, none of the stamps is centred at all well, which rather detracts from the overall impact. I'm still very fond of the design, but the experience shows that a little thought would have served me better.
Ah well, we learn from our mistakes!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I've been really finding myself drawn to US revenues. I picked up this group on ebay for just the opening bid... I was surprised no one else bid.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
"I was surprised no one else bid."
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Today I received this 1926 Portugal Ceres 3E. It is one of the scarcest of the many Ceres issues and I've been trying to get one for a long time. It brings my Portugal Regular issues to 99.2% of completion thru 1982. Out of the 13 stamps I need to complete, 7 are under 4.00 in catalog value. It seems very odd that I can't seem to lay my hands on those 7 stamps. I've found it much easier to find many thousand dollar stamps than these 7. Go figure.....
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Nice stamp Mitch. Tough getting the last ones! I still miss 6, including this beauty, but most are the very expensive ones. How are you doing on the o/p? (I miss 4, uncluding one that catalogs under $1, but is never to be seen! Catalog prices are over-rated!)
Rrr...
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
RRR, In the last few years Scott has made many changes in cataloging the different types of the Ceres issues. My specialty pages are of course older and do not reflect these new additions and changes. As far as the older numbering goes I am missing three of the Ceres stamps; 64c Ultra, 2.40E Apple Green and 4.50E Orange w/imprint.I have not yet made pages to accommodate the new additions which are based on different perf and paper types. I have a stock sheet (below) that I have been adding stamps that differ from the ones mounted on my pages.. Hopefully I have most of them but can not be sure until I get around to getting them all sorted out. Portugal is one of my very favorite countries to collect. There are a great many different sub types of the early issues, all of which I have made additional pages for and have been able to obtain all but a few. As far as the Ceres overprints go I need 4 of them, 3 of which are under $7.00
I generally do not buy from dealers because of their high prices. If you know of one for Portugal I would appreciate the info. I would be happy to pay full cat for the few stamps I need that have low cat value.
My Portugal collection of regular issues can be seen HERE
If you can be of any help in pointing me in the right direction to fill the holes I would greatly appreciate it.
MItchell
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Impressive Portugal Collection, Mitch...I am a long way from completing my Portugal for the early years like you have, but I have been hacking at it one by one when I am not distracted by France, which is just a few stamps shy of completion.
The 2.40E Apple Green and 4.50E Orange are tough ones...I don't have them nor do I have the 3E, 5E, 10E and 20E with imprints. Don't have many duplicates to look for variations now, as I put most of the ones I had in an Approval book, some time ago. The 64c pale ultramarine must be mispriced in Scott, as I think it is hard to find..see the 60 o/p on 64 which I am still looking for!
Here is my o/p ceres page (iphone photo..not very good) for comparison with yours. By the way, I still use the old Scott numbering system, which complicates my search for the missing stamps...bummer...I hate it when they do that! Why are some of these o/p so hard to come by?
rrr...
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
RRR, Thanks, I spent around 3 years with Portugal as my main area of focus before moving on to Greece. It is one of the more difficult European countries to collect but it is possible to complete, which I hope to do. On the other hand my France is also nearly complete (99.3% regular issues thru 1977) but I cannot ever hope to complete it. Numbers such as 9, 71, 87, C3 and C4 make it to tough without deeper pockets than mine.
I have seen the Ceres overprints many times offered at auction in complete sets. However they always seem to sell in the $70-$80 range. Since I only need 4, I don't want to buy the whole set for that much.
Thanks for the tip on the 4.50E. I don't really like Delcampe but if I can figure out how it works again and this dealer takes PayPal then I'll try and get it.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Not having a scanner handy here I haven't managed to get into the new acquisition bagging contest, but today I won this gem.
Not expensive, but a very interesting usage. I'd love to dig into it more but That will have to wait a bit
.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Sometimes acquisitions come to you by sheer luck. I bought this Sweden duo, on piece, at a show a few months ago. First show I'd been to in about 10 years. As the card states it's suppose to be Scott 30, 33, cost was $2. I just thought it was cool, so I got it. Tonight i was looking at the 2 stamps with my loupe and noticed something strange about the 20ö. I was seeing a faint doubling, just to the left of the red impression, but in a yellowish color. I remembered seeing something about a double impression for this issue, so I checked both my Scott Classic Specialized and my Facit, but didn't see anything mentioned for this issue (#33, perf 13). There is a double impression mentioned for the first issuance though (#23, perf 14), so I pulled my perf gauge out and checked them. Sure enough, they are both from the perf 14 set ( Scott #19 & #23), and the double impression is red printed over yellow, which makes it a 23b. From what I understand, the yellow is the original color these were printed in but was too faint to see, so they ran them again, in red, on the sheets printed in yellow. You can plainly see the yellow image in the larger scan of the 20ö below. Not a world class rarity I know, but still nice to find.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Richard, serendipity meets memory and curiosity. very nice
David
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
"Not expensive, but a very interesting usage. I'd love to dig into it more but That will have to wait a bit."
"Lady Chancellor Road, which ascends the hills overlooking the Savannah, is one of Port of Spain's most exclusive residential areas and is the current home of former West Indies cricketer and record breaking batsman, Brian Lara."
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
" ...I couldn't resist doing a little 'digging' on your behalf, Charlie.
Thanks Ian.
I'm glad you did. I started to look for some connection but only got to an obscure legal case involving heirs to a small fortune in the late 1800s or so in which a Mr Pain was mentioned as on of the solicitors.. Then some thing else came up and I'd not gotten any further
I think I'll type up something about your result and add it to the cover as an insert..
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Sometimes, when you're working on a specialty collection, certain low-priced sets just won't be found. The three below were in that category for me, until I found them in the APS stamp store. Total cost: $4.50.
Top to bottom, they are Paraguay C36-38, French Guinea C1-5, and French Guiana.
Ed Foster
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Won this set yesterday (my 65th birthday). I only needed the last stamp (Reddish 5l + 3l) but several of the others I had in the set were used, so now I have a nice mint set. The set was issued in 1937 Italy to help fund camps for poor children. It appears the government felt that all a little girl needed was a rifle and she was good to go. The stamp was a very welcome addition as it was one of the last three I needed to complete my Italian airmails. Of the two remaining, one is not to hard to come buy but the other will probably never come my way.
While on the subject of Italian Airmails, I'd like to show my favorite pages from anywhere.
Shouldn't be hard to see why it's one of my favorites.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Date check. The last date stamp on the discussion list for this thread is Sept 24th.
I'm posting this to see if it corrects the date.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Great find Ed!
Happy Birthday, Mitch!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Chris, Thanks! It's one of those milestones that definitely cause one to take notice.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Picked up these lovelyKGV Arch coil pairs.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Here are some new fancy cancels I added to my collection.
The top four are patent cancels. The dots in those cancels punched through the stamps so it could not be used again.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I'm new to the hobby but find these proofs to be one of my favorite topics. Here's one I just got. Anybody else into these I'd like to hear from you. Thanks
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Not a proof, but Playing Cards revenues...on cover!:
My wife and I enjoy a winter season-long cribbage tournament. We play a game most evenings. She picked up these vintage cards at a flea market some time ago, and I couldn't open them after noting the Playing Cards revenues on them, coils no less...
Can't find a date, but it's pre-zipcode, so before 1963.
I don't think I've ever seen these stamps in situ before...
-Paul
PS, had a 20-point crib last night, leading to a come-from-behind victory! Woo-HOO!
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Paul -
nice crib !
Who donated more? ...or was it 50/50?
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
I discarded an 8 and a 7. Wife discarded a 6 and a 7. Six was cut.
Wife managed a 14-point peg on me last night by playing the fourth 4 in-a-row to hit 31. Not only that, I had to say "Go" at 27, so she got the 6 points for the third 4! That's unusual! I managed to squeak out a win on that game, counting first, with a 5-card flush in my last hand. If I had not cut the 5 of spades, I would have lost.
Cribbage is a lot like poker, in terms of the objectives and the odds. And OH, can the luck (or lack thereof) be exasperating!
I used to be a regular on American Cribbage Congress (online cribbage). Found the monkeyshines to be a bit intolerable...But, I did learn that 61-point games are very stimulating, indeed!
And, now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Double-censored airmail covers attract me. Here are a couple recent acquisitions:
-Paul
PS, can anybody suggest a reference for decoding the information on censors' markings? I'm interested in learning primarily WHERE items were examined, among the many possibilities.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Australia £2 Kangaroo Sc#129 and Sg#138. The cds is smudged, but for my budget I am well satisfied with it.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Tooler,
Any £2 Kangaroo Map stamp is beautiful by default, smudge or not. I have this stamp as well, and mine is smudged as well. Still costs enough for a pucker factor.
Cheers!
Wine
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
"Picked up these lovely KGV Arch coil pairs. "
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
Picked up this one last year, rather toned gum but not too bad on the face. Completes the mint set which is also shown together with the used.
Now to get the short "R" vareties.
re: Show your most recent acquisitions - Part 3
My latest arrival came today from Australia. 10sh grey and pink kangaroo die 2 Sc#101
Sg#112