Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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For me, the stamp is Scott US #962.
My first stamp album was "The Majestic". I faithfully tried to put all the stamps I could in there to fill it up. One day, my grandfather gave me a large packet of used US stamps. I couldn't wait to get home to start adding all those treasures to the album. So, I did, except when I was done, there was one space on a page that was not filled. Yep, #962. I was getting cheap approvals from Mystic, and asked them to send me the stamp. They included it in the next approval selection. It was torn, so I didn't buy it. A few years later, I got a Harris Standard album. I transferred the stamps into that album. Yes, #962 was still empty. I ordered a year set from Brookman. I was surprised that unused year sets were so cheap! They sent it, and I began swapping out the used stamps for the unused ones. Well, #962 was not in the year set. They left it out by mistake! I wrote to them, and they sent me the stamp, which I proudly placed in the album. When never hinged became the way to go, I began replacing my hinged stamps. In my Scott National album, I got #962 never hinged. Here it is:
Now, there is a post-script to this story. As I was typing it out, I hit the wrong key on my keyboard and deleted the message......
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Michael:
I am disappointed that your discussion topic did not solicit more response as I believe there are all sorts of interesting stories, anecdotes, drolleries and what-have-you wanting to be told by Stamporama members.
I do not have a "stamp nemesis" as such; but, as an unofficial and unwanted spokesman for Canada Post, let me recount this tale of that unillustrious Crown Corporation's nemesis - the mailbox.
In the early 1980's or thereabout, Canada Post upgraded its much smaller, standard national mailbox (often affixed to walls or utility poles) with the model illustrated above. This proved to be disastrous. Because the mailboxes were not permanently anchored, the less-than-honest Canadian turned them upside down to dump the contents and to remove any mailing of potential value. Within a couple of years, Canada Post had to replace this mailbox nationally, at heaven knows what horrendous cost, with a more tamper-proof version.
There is a "cold war" subtext to this story: complicating this issue was the almost unknown fact that Canada Post then, and perhaps even now, did not know how many mailboxes it had (as noted by our Auditor General in at least two annual reports).
Enter slyly the KGB and the CIA who, it now appears, did know that Canada Post did not know how many mailboxes it had scattered about the country. In Ottawa, our nation's capital, as well as elsewhere, both these ostensible "friends of Canada" deployed unauthorized identical-looking mailboxes in strategic locations not visited by Canada Post mail collectors; as well as collecting (without Canada Post's authority) mail from legitimate mailboxes using duplicate keys. To the best of my knowledge, none of this has ever been officially admitted by the culpables.
Okay, it's not as serious as rendition or some of the other lethal acts committed in the name of national security, and Canada has a deservedly scandalous international reputation of always playing softball in a hardball league; but it never fails to bring a tear (of joy? desperation?) to my eye when I gaze upon this ill-fated, short lived, uncomplaining and faithful all-weather servant of Canada Post and the Canadian public.
John Derry
P.S. As I mentioned in an earlier "discussion" item, Canada Post is clandestinely reducing the number of mailboxes it does not know it has. As noted by Albert Einstein and many others, the difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.
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03:45:08pm
I had a nemesis, it was Great Britain Scott 10. When I started looking for it back in the early 1990's it had a catalogue value of about $40 used. I asked every dealer at every show to see their GB stock. No one ever had it. Every passing year the value would go up about $5. I came across one at a show in the early 2000s but it was in lousy condition so I passed on it. Believe me it took every ounce of stregnth to say no. Finally, I went to a show and a dealer asked me what I collect and I told him older used GB. He said he had very little but handed me a small stack of stamps in approval cards. Low and behold there was my #10 in nice condition. The catalogue value was $100 at the time. The dealer sold it to me for $40. I may never have been happier with a purchase. Of course this was from a dealer who had very little inventory of GB stamps. Funny how things work out. If I had found the stamp in the early 1990s and paid 40% it would have cost me $16 but I can't complain. Also the catalogue value of the stamp has not gone up a penny since I bought it, which is also ok.
Bob
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10:24:47pm
Do you ever come across a stamp that gave you fits to the point that you though it had it out for you? Would you like to share your experience?
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10:34:49pm
re: Stamp Nemesis, US 962, Canadian Mail boxes, and finding that cheap, elusive stamp
For me, the stamp is Scott US #962.
My first stamp album was "The Majestic". I faithfully tried to put all the stamps I could in there to fill it up. One day, my grandfather gave me a large packet of used US stamps. I couldn't wait to get home to start adding all those treasures to the album. So, I did, except when I was done, there was one space on a page that was not filled. Yep, #962. I was getting cheap approvals from Mystic, and asked them to send me the stamp. They included it in the next approval selection. It was torn, so I didn't buy it. A few years later, I got a Harris Standard album. I transferred the stamps into that album. Yes, #962 was still empty. I ordered a year set from Brookman. I was surprised that unused year sets were so cheap! They sent it, and I began swapping out the used stamps for the unused ones. Well, #962 was not in the year set. They left it out by mistake! I wrote to them, and they sent me the stamp, which I proudly placed in the album. When never hinged became the way to go, I began replacing my hinged stamps. In my Scott National album, I got #962 never hinged. Here it is:
Now, there is a post-script to this story. As I was typing it out, I hit the wrong key on my keyboard and deleted the message......
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The past is a foreign country, they do things different there.
12 Mar 2012
03:24:57pm
re: Stamp Nemesis, US 962, Canadian Mail boxes, and finding that cheap, elusive stamp
Michael:
I am disappointed that your discussion topic did not solicit more response as I believe there are all sorts of interesting stories, anecdotes, drolleries and what-have-you wanting to be told by Stamporama members.
I do not have a "stamp nemesis" as such; but, as an unofficial and unwanted spokesman for Canada Post, let me recount this tale of that unillustrious Crown Corporation's nemesis - the mailbox.
In the early 1980's or thereabout, Canada Post upgraded its much smaller, standard national mailbox (often affixed to walls or utility poles) with the model illustrated above. This proved to be disastrous. Because the mailboxes were not permanently anchored, the less-than-honest Canadian turned them upside down to dump the contents and to remove any mailing of potential value. Within a couple of years, Canada Post had to replace this mailbox nationally, at heaven knows what horrendous cost, with a more tamper-proof version.
There is a "cold war" subtext to this story: complicating this issue was the almost unknown fact that Canada Post then, and perhaps even now, did not know how many mailboxes it had (as noted by our Auditor General in at least two annual reports).
Enter slyly the KGB and the CIA who, it now appears, did know that Canada Post did not know how many mailboxes it had scattered about the country. In Ottawa, our nation's capital, as well as elsewhere, both these ostensible "friends of Canada" deployed unauthorized identical-looking mailboxes in strategic locations not visited by Canada Post mail collectors; as well as collecting (without Canada Post's authority) mail from legitimate mailboxes using duplicate keys. To the best of my knowledge, none of this has ever been officially admitted by the culpables.
Okay, it's not as serious as rendition or some of the other lethal acts committed in the name of national security, and Canada has a deservedly scandalous international reputation of always playing softball in a hardball league; but it never fails to bring a tear (of joy? desperation?) to my eye when I gaze upon this ill-fated, short lived, uncomplaining and faithful all-weather servant of Canada Post and the Canadian public.
John Derry
P.S. As I mentioned in an earlier "discussion" item, Canada Post is clandestinely reducing the number of mailboxes it does not know it has. As noted by Albert Einstein and many others, the difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.
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Immediate Past President - West Essex Philatelic Society www.wepsonline.org
12 Mar 2012
03:45:08pm
re: Stamp Nemesis, US 962, Canadian Mail boxes, and finding that cheap, elusive stamp
I had a nemesis, it was Great Britain Scott 10. When I started looking for it back in the early 1990's it had a catalogue value of about $40 used. I asked every dealer at every show to see their GB stock. No one ever had it. Every passing year the value would go up about $5. I came across one at a show in the early 2000s but it was in lousy condition so I passed on it. Believe me it took every ounce of stregnth to say no. Finally, I went to a show and a dealer asked me what I collect and I told him older used GB. He said he had very little but handed me a small stack of stamps in approval cards. Low and behold there was my #10 in nice condition. The catalogue value was $100 at the time. The dealer sold it to me for $40. I may never have been happier with a purchase. Of course this was from a dealer who had very little inventory of GB stamps. Funny how things work out. If I had found the stamp in the early 1990s and paid 40% it would have cost me $16 but I can't complain. Also the catalogue value of the stamp has not gone up a penny since I bought it, which is also ok.
Bob
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