Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
01:20:52pm
It's a posting contest. The rules are simple.
The theme is : My favorite definitive series
Create an interesting post consistent with the theme - either some information others may find useful or just plain interesting, or show a single page (please make it 800-900 pixels wide). I have posted some samples of my own to give you an idea (I won't be competing in my own contest!).
Post your entry in this thread. Comments and discussions mixed in with the displays are welcome.
Viewers are asked to hit the "like button" to vote. The highest number of likes at the end of the contest period will be declared the winner.
Contest will run for 2 weeks and close at 10:00pm EST Saturday February 8 (that's when I will review the "likes").
Here is the prize for the winner:
I will mail it anywhere in the world, free of charge.
Let's see some interesting entries!
Roy
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01:22:11pm
Great Britain Seahorse issues: A Brief tutorial
This very popular issue causes a quite a bit of confusion, but it's really quite simple to identify one from another. There are four different issues (except there is only one £1 green)
Here's a way to tell one from another!
First of all, neither perforation gauge nor watermark detector will help. All the issues are perf 11 x 12, and all are watermarked Crown and GvR (Scott wmk #34). So where to start?
The easiest path is to start with the latest issue and work backwards.
The last issue (Scott #222-24) is the easiest to tell. It is called the "Waterlow re-engraved issue". Look at this picture:
The Waterlow re-engraved issue of 1934 (Scott 222-4) has a cross-hatched background behind the king's head. All the others have only horizontal lines. If your's is cross hatched, you've identified it! If it has horizontal lines, more investigation is necessary.
Ok, so you have horizontal lines -- could still be one of three issues. Look at this picture.
See the dot in the top center of the stamp in back? If your stamp has one, you have identified it. Only the Bradbury Wilkinson (BW) printing of 1919 has the dot (Scott #179-181). If the dot is there, it's definite, but not all the BW stamps have the dot! so the absence of the dot proves nothing!
No dot? Check the vertical dimension, from outer frame-line to outer frame line. The BW stamps are 22 3/4mm. If that's yours, you have Scott #179-81 -- dot or no dot! The remaining two possibilities are only 22mm. The difference doesn't sound like much, but if you have a good perf gauge, it should have a precise millimeter scale, and the difference is obvious. These pictures are not to scale!!
So your stamp is 22mm high! (It had better be at this point, or you missed something!) Still two choices -- the two earliest printings. Scott #173-176 was printed by Waterlow Brothers & Layton Printing in 1913. Scott #173a-75a was printed by De La Rue & Co.
Look at this picture:
Now you look at the perfs. De La Rue (#173a-75a) has two big teeth top right and top left, plus smaller perf holes. This is the trickiest step and a reference copy would help a lot. But look at a few and you will soon see the difference.
Now go to your local stamp club and be the expert!
Roy
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01:23:09pm
Great Britain Penny Reds: A brief tutorial
This series of stamps, in use from 1841 to about 1880 causes a lot of headaches, and miss-identifications.
Here are the three basic types:
Once you have learned to look at the upper corners first, the first one (#3) and last one (#33) do not present much of a problem. This tutorial is exclusively about the more complicated middle issue, Scott #8 to #20, with stars in the upper corners.
In my mind, if you have had a problem with these issues, it is not you, it's the catalogue's fault! They seem to go higgly piggly all over the place -- but there is an underlying logic that can streamline identification.
The "set" has 4 basic properties, which show up in various combinations. If we pursue the properties in a logical order, everything becomes easy. These properties are:
Perforation : Either 14 or 16
Watermark: Either small crown (Scott wmk 18 = SG wmk 2) or Large crown (Sc wmk 20 = SG wmk 4) (See below)
Die : either original (equals SG die I) or re-engraved ( equals SG Die II) (See below)
Paper : either white or bluish (with varying depth of blue)
(SG means "Stanley Gibbons catalogue").
Sounds complicated, but it's not! Here's a useful ID table:
Here's the routine. Start with the perf gauge: 14 or 16? That puts you immediately into the top half or bottom half of the table, with only 4 choices now.
Next is the watermark: Small crown (18) or large crown (20)? Now you are down to 2 choices! Now the final narrowing down to one stamp may depend on either re-engraved or not, or bluish paper or not, but never both.
For example: Lets say your stamp is perf 16, wmk 20 (large crown). Only two choices for that combo, both of which are re-engraved -- either white (Scott #14) or bluish paper (Scott #18). Could it be much easier?
How about: perf 14, wmk 18 (small crown). Now you will see two choices again, both on bluish paper - the original die, and the re-engraved. Pull out your 10x magnifier and check the face -- that's it!
Here is the "close-up stuff" you are going to need:
Note that I have ignored the Scott sub-numbers ("a", "b"). These are mostly colour shades. Gibbons gives most of these colour shades major numbers. That's why one Scott number translates to as many as 6 Gibbons numbers. In my mind, it is a great error for a novice collector to concentrate on colour for identification. Colours change over time. The red pigment in these stamps contains iron, and is subject to oxidation (rust). Frequently, there are many printings that are slightly different in colour, but are considered still be be colour "A", whereas to the novice, he/she sees a slightly different colour and thinks "one of them MUST be the better shade!". -- not so! Colours are best left to long experience, or verification by experts. (This is the subject of a whole 'nother tutorial). If you have never actually seen a correctly identified "orange red" vs. a "brick red" vs a "red brown", don't believe for a minute that you can tell the difference from word descriptions!
Now attack your penny reds! I'd be delighted to hear if this tutorial actually made it easier for you.
Roy
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01:23:58pm
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...it appears as if Roy is trying to win his own contest!
Just kidding, Roy - great stuff!
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04:02:23pm
Bump.
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Mine is the Centennial Definitives from Canada initially issued on February 8, 1967.
When I first started collecting stamps, Canada Post was trying to get rid of them so I bought quite a few, that are still in my collection along with many others. I saw how involved one could get watt this series, and as a result, I like definitives more than commemoratives. Well, that is until the newer style defin's caste to be. Most being self-adhesive, slightly differing serpentine cuts or "imperforate". I'm putting a stop to Canadian defin's at the Beneficial Insects. No more after that.
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One of my favourite series were the Wildings of Great Britain which ran from 1962-67, then being replaced with the Machin series. A few images below.
There are also numerous flaws and varieties to make closer study worthwhile.
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Very nice - I've never seen the training stamps before. I've been working on completing the basic Wildings collection for my album. Some of the graphite and phosphor issues can be tough to find. Not to denigrate what you have in any way, but I think of it as "Machins Lite"
Geoff
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well this is off to a good start !!! All very cool ! I will have to see if I can whip a lil something up to join the fun tonight.
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Thanks folks, I'm sure someone enjoys the Italian castles sets or maybe one of the Belgium or other country bird sets. How about the Sweden engraved animals/fish. Norway posthorns etc.
Come on stampers, we all have long series that we enjoy, work of a few moments to scan and post.
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Roy, are we only allowed to have one Definitive Series that we collect!! I have challenged myself with collecting all QEII definitives for both UK and Canada; that is, in all formats and usage. To decide which series is/are my favs, then for Canada, it is the 1967 Centennials and for UK, it is the 'short' issue that many call Machins.
I would add some photos here but I'm holidaying in Hawaii and don't have any albums with me.
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09:51:36pm
"Roy, are we only allowed to have one Definitive Series that we collect!!"
Nah, it's just a title. Post something interesting about any set that turns your crank.
Roy
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I have a soft spot for butterflies since childhood and I like fruits of all kinds, so this 1988 Antigua and Barbuda set works for me.
Still looking for the 1c, $5, $10, $20 to have it complete.
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Second entry - St.Kitts 1997
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Third entry: Dominica 1991-1993 Butterflies
Missing 1c, 2c, $1.20 , $2, $5, $10
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Fourth entry : Grenada 1994
Missing $3, $5, $10, $20
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Here's one of my favourites: "Italy at work" from the 1950s. Unfortunately I am still missing a few values from this series, and others aren't in too great a condition, but these stamps are such a beautiful depiction of the various trades, I had to show them.
Maybe a little nostalgic, too, but anyway ...
-jmh
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Here is my favorite definitive series. The first stamps issues by the Commonwealth of Australia in 1913.
As you can see, this page shows the history of my stamp collecting efforts from when I was 12 to 63. 
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02:39:04pm
January 31 2:30 EST
Sheepshanks "GB Wildings" in the lead.
Be sure to read the first post in this thread to see what's going on, and vote (with the "Like" button)!
Get your entries posted so readers have time to vote!
Roy
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My favorite is the Papua 1933 series which shows so much of Papuan culture.
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Then I had another think about it and came back to the 1964 Papua & New Guinea Bird of Paradise series.
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here's one of mine - its a bugs life!!
note there are two different printings of the cents issues. Most easily identified by the length difference in "Singapore" as shown below. Quite a difference in the catalog values as well.
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I had a tough time deciding between the Irish overprints or the first Irish definitive series. I chose the overprints because you could spend a lifetime studying and finding variations in the overprints, plus the seahorses have to be simply one of the most beautiful engraved issues ever.
Here is a little sample - an overprint proof and the first issues postally used:
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my favourite definitive set is from the Netherlands and is very well known, I assume. It is the socalled 'flying dove' made by Chris Lebeau.
It is an intriguing design in many ways, one can admire the Art Deco curly lines and the stylish letters, but there is also another way of looking at it. At least, that is what I did as a child, when I first saw these stamps at the attic of my grandparents' home, hunting for stamps on old postcards with granddad. For me the dove also is a ferocious bat with its mouth wide open. Whether it is just my own interpretation or something that the artist created knowingly, I am not sure.
Another curious thing about this stamp is that it was widely used during the German occupation of the Netherlands in WW2. In it self not that strange perhaps, the occupier was looking for stamps without the Dutch queen on it, and these were the only definitives from the recent past without her face. But when you think of it, Chris Lebeau was a known anarcho-communist with strnong anti-German feelings. He even created a small diplomatic incident when another stamp of his design was seen by the Germans as a protest against the Nuremberg race laws and the persecution of Jews in Germany. Lebeau was arrested in 1943 for helping to hide Jews, and was sent to Dachau where he died in April 1945. He might have survived if he had given up being a vegetarian: in the camp he often refused the soup because he thought it could contain meat. Even then, he could not let go of his principles.
Anyway, without further ado, behold the most beautiful definitive set in the world:
The 250 and 500 overprints are some of the most difficult stamps to get in order to complete your Netherlands collection.
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12:04:15am
Don't neglect to vote (with the "like" button)!
Wildings still in the lead, but it could be close!
Roy
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01:37:44pm
We have a new leader!
Jan-simon and his "Netherlands Flying Doves".
Deadline for voting is tomorrow, Saturday Feb. 8 at 10:00pm EST
Roy
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10:19:53pm
And the winner is:
Jan-simon with his "Netherlands Flying Doves"
Jan-simon, your Grizzly Bear First Day Cover will be in the mail Monday!
Thanks to all who participated. Some nice pages!
Roy
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Thank you Roy and all who voted. There were so many beautiful pages. I still cannot fathom why my entry won (apart from the fact that it is without any doubt the most beautiful definitive set in the world of course ;-) )
Jan-Simon
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Congratulations Jan-Simon and many thanks to Roy, just a shame so few of us participated.
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"We have a new leader!
Jan-simon and his "Netherlands Flying Doves"."
Didn't you read his write-up? This is the Yawning Bat series.
Ted
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I realise that the contest is over, however, I don't think a "favourite definitive" thread could be complete without including the Rhodesia/British South Africa Company Double Heads first issued in 1910, and the Admirals that succeeded them in 1913.
The Double Heads consisted of 18 values ranging from 1/2d to £1. The Admirals, with the addition of a 1 1/2d stamp consisted of 19 values.
Unfortunately, I don't have a complete set of values from either set to illustrate this thread.
Actually, with perf varieties and colour shades, these are fairly large sets, Gibbons lists about 90 Double Heads and over 100 Admirals which add in three different dies to the mix. And this is without taking constant flaws, of which many are documented, into account.
Unfortunately, many of the stamps in these two definitive sets are rather expensive especially the higher values, but this even applies to many of the lower denominations as well.
Clive
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Today the prize arrived in the mail. Many thanks Roy!
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07:04:11pm
With all the talk about bad mail service - posted Monday in Canada, delivered Thursday in the Netherlands!
Roy
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I was amazed as well. But it is not the first time this happened. For some reason mail between Canada and the Netherlands can be fast, but not always. Netherlands-USA usually takes 7 to 10 days...
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My letter to you, Jan-simon, was mailed on Tuesday, but then it comes from the Coastal mountains of Western Canada. I will be shocked if it arrived in 5 days.
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I will keep an eye on the dog for the coming days 
. It could be today, but most likely Tuesday or Wednesday.
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"My letter to you, Jan-simon, was mailed on Tuesday"
it arrived today, so that's 7 days. Not bad, considering there is no delivery on Sunday and Monday.
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Congratulations Jan-Simon 
I like your flying doves although I've always thought of them as seagulls.
They become quite scary when you think of them as yawning bats!
There have been a lot of great Dutch designs in this format but my favourite has to be the later numeral design such as these Dutch New Guinea stamps:
The Netherlands version of this set were among my favourites when I started collecting.
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they are indeed simple, elegant and just right for a lower denominations definitives set. J. van Krimpen, the designer specialized in lettering and his fonts can be seen on many Dutch stamps of the 1940s and 50s. Even when the overall design was by someone else, he did the letters and numbers.
I can remember the joy I felt as a kid when I found a grey 6 cents in a bunch of letters. The 2 1/2 cents orange used to be out of reach when I just started, and even now every time I see one (not that often actually) I smile and think "that's a special one, I have to put it aside".
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"it arrived today, so that's 7 days. "
Wow! Unbelievable. I had another surprise today learning my parents in Bulgaria got my parcel in 10 days. It was supposed to travel 6 weeks by ground!
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BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 500 categories
25 Jan 2020
01:20:52pm
We haven't done this for a while, so I am launching a new "posting" challenge!
It's a posting contest. The rules are simple.
The theme is : My favorite definitive series
Create an interesting post consistent with the theme - either some information others may find useful or just plain interesting, or show a single page (please make it 800-900 pixels wide). I have posted some samples of my own to give you an idea (I won't be competing in my own contest!).
Post your entry in this thread. Comments and discussions mixed in with the displays are welcome.
Viewers are asked to hit the "like button" to vote. The highest number of likes at the end of the contest period will be declared the winner.
Contest will run for 2 weeks and close at 10:00pm EST Saturday February 8 (that's when I will review the "likes").
Here is the prize for the winner:
I will mail it anywhere in the world, free of charge.
Let's see some interesting entries!
Roy
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25 Jan 2020
01:22:11pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Great Britain Seahorse issues: A Brief tutorial
This very popular issue causes a quite a bit of confusion, but it's really quite simple to identify one from another. There are four different issues (except there is only one £1 green)
Here's a way to tell one from another!
First of all, neither perforation gauge nor watermark detector will help. All the issues are perf 11 x 12, and all are watermarked Crown and GvR (Scott wmk #34). So where to start?
The easiest path is to start with the latest issue and work backwards.
The last issue (Scott #222-24) is the easiest to tell. It is called the "Waterlow re-engraved issue". Look at this picture:
The Waterlow re-engraved issue of 1934 (Scott 222-4) has a cross-hatched background behind the king's head. All the others have only horizontal lines. If your's is cross hatched, you've identified it! If it has horizontal lines, more investigation is necessary.
Ok, so you have horizontal lines -- could still be one of three issues. Look at this picture.
See the dot in the top center of the stamp in back? If your stamp has one, you have identified it. Only the Bradbury Wilkinson (BW) printing of 1919 has the dot (Scott #179-181). If the dot is there, it's definite, but not all the BW stamps have the dot! so the absence of the dot proves nothing!
No dot? Check the vertical dimension, from outer frame-line to outer frame line. The BW stamps are 22 3/4mm. If that's yours, you have Scott #179-81 -- dot or no dot! The remaining two possibilities are only 22mm. The difference doesn't sound like much, but if you have a good perf gauge, it should have a precise millimeter scale, and the difference is obvious. These pictures are not to scale!!
So your stamp is 22mm high! (It had better be at this point, or you missed something!) Still two choices -- the two earliest printings. Scott #173-176 was printed by Waterlow Brothers & Layton Printing in 1913. Scott #173a-75a was printed by De La Rue & Co.
Look at this picture:
Now you look at the perfs. De La Rue (#173a-75a) has two big teeth top right and top left, plus smaller perf holes. This is the trickiest step and a reference copy would help a lot. But look at a few and you will soon see the difference.
Now go to your local stamp club and be the expert!
Roy
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25 Jan 2020
01:23:09pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Great Britain Penny Reds: A brief tutorial
This series of stamps, in use from 1841 to about 1880 causes a lot of headaches, and miss-identifications.
Here are the three basic types:
Once you have learned to look at the upper corners first, the first one (#3) and last one (#33) do not present much of a problem. This tutorial is exclusively about the more complicated middle issue, Scott #8 to #20, with stars in the upper corners.
In my mind, if you have had a problem with these issues, it is not you, it's the catalogue's fault! They seem to go higgly piggly all over the place -- but there is an underlying logic that can streamline identification.
The "set" has 4 basic properties, which show up in various combinations. If we pursue the properties in a logical order, everything becomes easy. These properties are:
Perforation : Either 14 or 16
Watermark: Either small crown (Scott wmk 18 = SG wmk 2) or Large crown (Sc wmk 20 = SG wmk 4) (See below)
Die : either original (equals SG die I) or re-engraved ( equals SG Die II) (See below)
Paper : either white or bluish (with varying depth of blue)
(SG means "Stanley Gibbons catalogue").
Sounds complicated, but it's not! Here's a useful ID table:
Here's the routine. Start with the perf gauge: 14 or 16? That puts you immediately into the top half or bottom half of the table, with only 4 choices now.
Next is the watermark: Small crown (18) or large crown (20)? Now you are down to 2 choices! Now the final narrowing down to one stamp may depend on either re-engraved or not, or bluish paper or not, but never both.
For example: Lets say your stamp is perf 16, wmk 20 (large crown). Only two choices for that combo, both of which are re-engraved -- either white (Scott #14) or bluish paper (Scott #18). Could it be much easier?
How about: perf 14, wmk 18 (small crown). Now you will see two choices again, both on bluish paper - the original die, and the re-engraved. Pull out your 10x magnifier and check the face -- that's it!
Here is the "close-up stuff" you are going to need:
Note that I have ignored the Scott sub-numbers ("a", "b"). These are mostly colour shades. Gibbons gives most of these colour shades major numbers. That's why one Scott number translates to as many as 6 Gibbons numbers. In my mind, it is a great error for a novice collector to concentrate on colour for identification. Colours change over time. The red pigment in these stamps contains iron, and is subject to oxidation (rust). Frequently, there are many printings that are slightly different in colour, but are considered still be be colour "A", whereas to the novice, he/she sees a slightly different colour and thinks "one of them MUST be the better shade!". -- not so! Colours are best left to long experience, or verification by experts. (This is the subject of a whole 'nother tutorial). If you have never actually seen a correctly identified "orange red" vs. a "brick red" vs a "red brown", don't believe for a minute that you can tell the difference from word descriptions!
Now attack your penny reds! I'd be delighted to hear if this tutorial actually made it easier for you.
Roy
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25 Jan 2020
01:23:58pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
...it appears as if Roy is trying to win his own contest!
Just kidding, Roy - great stuff!
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27 Jan 2020
04:02:23pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Bump.
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Mine is the Centennial Definitives from Canada initially issued on February 8, 1967.
When I first started collecting stamps, Canada Post was trying to get rid of them so I bought quite a few, that are still in my collection along with many others. I saw how involved one could get watt this series, and as a result, I like definitives more than commemoratives. Well, that is until the newer style defin's caste to be. Most being self-adhesive, slightly differing serpentine cuts or "imperforate". I'm putting a stop to Canadian defin's at the Beneficial Insects. No more after that.
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Approvals
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
One of my favourite series were the Wildings of Great Britain which ran from 1962-67, then being replaced with the Machin series. A few images below.
There are also numerous flaws and varieties to make closer study worthwhile.
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06:06:27pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Very nice - I've never seen the training stamps before. I've been working on completing the basic Wildings collection for my album. Some of the graphite and phosphor issues can be tough to find. Not to denigrate what you have in any way, but I think of it as "Machins Lite"
Geoff
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06:29:19pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
well this is off to a good start !!! All very cool ! I will have to see if I can whip a lil something up to join the fun tonight.
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Approvals
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Thanks folks, I'm sure someone enjoys the Italian castles sets or maybe one of the Belgium or other country bird sets. How about the Sweden engraved animals/fish. Norway posthorns etc.
Come on stampers, we all have long series that we enjoy, work of a few moments to scan and post.
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Roy, are we only allowed to have one Definitive Series that we collect!! I have challenged myself with collecting all QEII definitives for both UK and Canada; that is, in all formats and usage. To decide which series is/are my favs, then for Canada, it is the 1967 Centennials and for UK, it is the 'short' issue that many call Machins.
I would add some photos here but I'm holidaying in Hawaii and don't have any albums with me.
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28 Jan 2020
09:51:36pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
"Roy, are we only allowed to have one Definitive Series that we collect!!"
Nah, it's just a title. Post something interesting about any set that turns your crank.
Roy
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
I have a soft spot for butterflies since childhood and I like fruits of all kinds, so this 1988 Antigua and Barbuda set works for me.
Still looking for the 1c, $5, $10, $20 to have it complete.
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Second entry - St.Kitts 1997
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Third entry: Dominica 1991-1993 Butterflies
Missing 1c, 2c, $1.20 , $2, $5, $10
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Fourth entry : Grenada 1994
Missing $3, $5, $10, $20
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01:06:18pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Here's one of my favourites: "Italy at work" from the 1950s. Unfortunately I am still missing a few values from this series, and others aren't in too great a condition, but these stamps are such a beautiful depiction of the various trades, I had to show them.
Maybe a little nostalgic, too, but anyway ...
-jmh
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Here is my favorite definitive series. The first stamps issues by the Commonwealth of Australia in 1913.
As you can see, this page shows the history of my stamp collecting efforts from when I was 12 to 63.
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31 Jan 2020
02:39:04pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
January 31 2:30 EST
Sheepshanks "GB Wildings" in the lead.
Be sure to read the first post in this thread to see what's going on, and vote (with the "Like" button)!
Get your entries posted so readers have time to vote!
Roy
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
My favorite is the Papua 1933 series which shows so much of Papuan culture.
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Then I had another think about it and came back to the 1964 Papua & New Guinea Bird of Paradise series.
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05:26:08pm
Auctions - Approvals
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
here's one of mine - its a bugs life!!
note there are two different printings of the cents issues. Most easily identified by the length difference in "Singapore" as shown below. Quite a difference in the catalog values as well.
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
I had a tough time deciding between the Irish overprints or the first Irish definitive series. I chose the overprints because you could spend a lifetime studying and finding variations in the overprints, plus the seahorses have to be simply one of the most beautiful engraved issues ever.
Here is a little sample - an overprint proof and the first issues postally used:
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
my favourite definitive set is from the Netherlands and is very well known, I assume. It is the socalled 'flying dove' made by Chris Lebeau.
It is an intriguing design in many ways, one can admire the Art Deco curly lines and the stylish letters, but there is also another way of looking at it. At least, that is what I did as a child, when I first saw these stamps at the attic of my grandparents' home, hunting for stamps on old postcards with granddad. For me the dove also is a ferocious bat with its mouth wide open. Whether it is just my own interpretation or something that the artist created knowingly, I am not sure.
Another curious thing about this stamp is that it was widely used during the German occupation of the Netherlands in WW2. In it self not that strange perhaps, the occupier was looking for stamps without the Dutch queen on it, and these were the only definitives from the recent past without her face. But when you think of it, Chris Lebeau was a known anarcho-communist with strnong anti-German feelings. He even created a small diplomatic incident when another stamp of his design was seen by the Germans as a protest against the Nuremberg race laws and the persecution of Jews in Germany. Lebeau was arrested in 1943 for helping to hide Jews, and was sent to Dachau where he died in April 1945. He might have survived if he had given up being a vegetarian: in the camp he often refused the soup because he thought it could contain meat. Even then, he could not let go of his principles.
Anyway, without further ado, behold the most beautiful definitive set in the world:
The 250 and 500 overprints are some of the most difficult stamps to get in order to complete your Netherlands collection.
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06 Feb 2020
12:04:15am
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Don't neglect to vote (with the "like" button)!
Wildings still in the lead, but it could be close!
Roy
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07 Feb 2020
01:37:44pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
We have a new leader!
Jan-simon and his "Netherlands Flying Doves".
Deadline for voting is tomorrow, Saturday Feb. 8 at 10:00pm EST
Roy
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BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 500 categories
08 Feb 2020
10:19:53pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
And the winner is:
Jan-simon with his "Netherlands Flying Doves"
Jan-simon, your Grizzly Bear First Day Cover will be in the mail Monday!
Thanks to all who participated. Some nice pages!
Roy
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Thank you Roy and all who voted. There were so many beautiful pages. I still cannot fathom why my entry won (apart from the fact that it is without any doubt the most beautiful definitive set in the world of course ;-) )
Jan-Simon
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Congratulations Jan-Simon and many thanks to Roy, just a shame so few of us participated.
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
"We have a new leader!
Jan-simon and his "Netherlands Flying Doves"."
Didn't you read his write-up? This is the Yawning Bat series.
Ted
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
I realise that the contest is over, however, I don't think a "favourite definitive" thread could be complete without including the Rhodesia/British South Africa Company Double Heads first issued in 1910, and the Admirals that succeeded them in 1913.
The Double Heads consisted of 18 values ranging from 1/2d to £1. The Admirals, with the addition of a 1 1/2d stamp consisted of 19 values.
Unfortunately, I don't have a complete set of values from either set to illustrate this thread.
Actually, with perf varieties and colour shades, these are fairly large sets, Gibbons lists about 90 Double Heads and over 100 Admirals which add in three different dies to the mix. And this is without taking constant flaws, of which many are documented, into account.
Unfortunately, many of the stamps in these two definitive sets are rather expensive especially the higher values, but this even applies to many of the lower denominations as well.
Clive
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Today the prize arrived in the mail. Many thanks Roy!
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13 Feb 2020
07:04:11pm
re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
With all the talk about bad mail service - posted Monday in Canada, delivered Thursday in the Netherlands!
Roy
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
I was amazed as well. But it is not the first time this happened. For some reason mail between Canada and the Netherlands can be fast, but not always. Netherlands-USA usually takes 7 to 10 days...
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
My letter to you, Jan-simon, was mailed on Tuesday, but then it comes from the Coastal mountains of Western Canada. I will be shocked if it arrived in 5 days.
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I will keep an eye on the dog for the coming days . It could be today, but most likely Tuesday or Wednesday.
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
"My letter to you, Jan-simon, was mailed on Tuesday"
it arrived today, so that's 7 days. Not bad, considering there is no delivery on Sunday and Monday.
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
Congratulations Jan-Simon
I like your flying doves although I've always thought of them as seagulls.
They become quite scary when you think of them as yawning bats!
There have been a lot of great Dutch designs in this format but my favourite has to be the later numeral design such as these Dutch New Guinea stamps:
The Netherlands version of this set were among my favourites when I started collecting.
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they are indeed simple, elegant and just right for a lower denominations definitives set. J. van Krimpen, the designer specialized in lettering and his fonts can be seen on many Dutch stamps of the 1940s and 50s. Even when the overall design was by someone else, he did the letters and numbers.
I can remember the joy I felt as a kid when I found a grey 6 cents in a bunch of letters. The 2 1/2 cents orange used to be out of reach when I just started, and even now every time I see one (not that often actually) I smile and think "that's a special one, I have to put it aside".
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re: My favorite definitive series - A new posting challenge! -
"it arrived today, so that's 7 days. "
Wow! Unbelievable. I had another surprise today learning my parents in Bulgaria got my parcel in 10 days. It was supposed to travel 6 weeks by ground!
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