The King’s Stamp
8 February – 3 September 2023 A new exhibition opens 8 February at The Postal Museum in London to coincide with Royal Mail’s release of a new definitive stamp design for the UK, for the reign of King Charles III. The exhibition displays treasures from The Postal Museum’s unrivalled British philatelic (stamp) collection, dating back to 1840. The exhibition will culminate in the newest design for the reign of King Charles III, the 7th monarch to feature on British stamps. The story of definitive (everyday) stamps is revealed from the very first design, the famous Penny Black featuring Queen Victoria, to today. Visitors will see rare and valuable stamps from the reigns of seven monarchs, including King Edward VII’s Tyrian Plum and Queen Victoria’s Two Penny Blue. Alongside this, visitors will see how designs developed through original artworks and priceless proofs and discover how previous monarchs influenced designs. Highlights include:
Laura Wright, CEO, The Postal Museum said: The new design for King Charles III’s reign will be the first significant change to everyday stamps in many people’s lifetime. Launching our exhibition, in partnership with Royal Mail, on the day the world sees the new design for the first time is a real privilege for the museum. We’re looking forward to giving our visitors the first and only chance to see these stamps in person, until they’re in circulation later this year. Chris Taft, Head of Collections, The Postal Museum said: The exhibition charts the development of these familiar, everyday objects since the very first stamp was designed for Queen Victoria. Each monarch made decisions about designs that influenced both how the public perceived them, and the decisions successive monarchs made for their stamps. We hope visitors will come away with a better understanding of how the design for King Charles III fits within the rich postal history of the UK. This special exhibition is included with entry to The Postal Museum.
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It seems that everyone is currently talking about Discord. Not sure what it is or how to join? We asked Jack Preuveneers to tell us all about it, why he started a Discord channel and how we can get involved. ![]() Many people question the future of Philately – how to get the Youth involved, and how to make philately engaging? It’s a difficult subject and a challenging task. Stamp collecting is a pleasant hobby – it encourages an interest in the world, in design, in history, in geography and politics. But quite frankly, when it comes to the battle for the hearts and minds of young people, stamps have been beaten in submission by Nintendo and Playstation. The idea that children can trade stamps in the playground these days is completely outdated. Children simply do not collect stamps in the way that they used to. And there is no-one to trade them with. They are unlikely to get duplicates to even begin to trade with too, simply because relatively few letters actually carry stamps these days. Few schools have a stamp club or indeed are interested in establishing one. I felt in order to create an interest in philately, you need to approach the youth on a level they can understand and resonate with. I believe this to the social medium of Discord. So, what is Discord? Discord is a chat app, similar to programs such as Skype or TeamSpeak, or professional communications platforms like Slack. It has chat and channel features very much like the Virtual Stampex 2020. Why is this the “kid’s” choice? Discord is geared almost exclusively toward video game players, providing them with ways to find each other, coordinate play, and talk while playing. It supports video calls, voice chat, and text, allowing users to get in touch however they please. But it is not exclusive to video games, and Discord ‘servers’ as they’re called can be based on any topic you wish. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, ‘servers’ based on Baking, Knitting, or in our case, Stamp Collecting cropped up. In order to explain why Discord works for the youths’ needs, I’m going to delve into my collecting history. I’m 24 years old from England. Much like any teenager, I enjoy my fair share of Video Games and engage with my peers on social media. Unlike my peers, I collect stamps. My collection covers all Scandinavia stamps, specialising in early Sweden. I’ve won awards for my exhibition on Classical Swedish stamps from 1855-1911. I’m part of a Patrick Maselis’s Youth Program alongside fellow youth collectors and I’ve been to various events such as Stampex, the RPSL Opening and Monacophil. While I like to share details of never seen before proofs, Swedish mail to foreign destinations, or my Sperati forgeries, my friends aren’t interested. So, in order to engage with collectors my age across the world I’ve created a youth collectors Discord server where other users can share their collections, expertise or ask for help identifying stamps! There’s even sales/ trade channels where people can swap stamps! So far we’ve managed to get over 800 members to join! These members collect loads of different countries and live all over the world. I think it would be really progressive towards Youth Philately if youth collectors, or even adults who were keen to progress philately were to join. There’s no age criteria to join, anyone of any age or background is welcome. I’d like to think that some of the keener youth members are in essence youth ambassadors to their country and their hobby to inspire people to collect and to encourage collecting. Users join the server and fill out a short bio, then one of the moderator team can assign roles based on what countries you collect! If you’d like to join, here’s the link; http://discord.gg/mPnGUEC We recently caught up with PTS Member Tony Shields from Shields Stamp and Coins. He told us about a trip he went on to the South Pole. Here is his story
'A week ago I was a speaker on the first ever plane to fly from another continent to the South Geographical Pole in Antarctica non-stop. It was a Qantas Dreamliner with about 250 passengers and crew and a 16 hour flight from Tullamarine to Victoria Land in the Antarctic, Mount Erebus which is one of only two active Antarctic volcanoes, and then a route due South following Captain Scott's historic trip in 1911 on which he died. We circled the South Pole for about 30 minutes looking at the icy Plateau which extends to the horizon in all directions and the only feature we could see was the Scott-Amundsen Antarctic Base. The pole is 2000 feet higher than Mount Kosciuszko, and it was bathed in sunlight. Everything from there is North, and east and west do not exist which makes navigation very interesting. They also have one night of darkness for 6 months and one day of sunlight for 6 months per year so a very different reality in a 24-hour period from what we are used to. It was a sensational trip and I had a number of friends on it. We also flew over the Dry Valleys which are the driest place on Earth, with no rainfall or snow for over 2 million years! On December 28th I am going again to the Antarctic but this time by ship via the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The trip is a little over a month and I have done it before but this one has a number of descendants of the original famous explorers on board and is commemorating the death Centenary of Ernest Shackleton who was the most famous of them. It's wonderful to hear what our philatelic traders get up to outside of stamp collecting. PTS Member Empire Philatelists found more than they expected in a recent set of auction lots that they had purchased. On review it was found that a very rare unique item was found. In fact hidden between the masses of stamps was in fact a Hong Kong stamp which had a "double surcharge”. The team sent off for a certificate and the item came back as genuine. It is the Hong Kong 1891 20c on 30c Grey-Green SG48b with a catalogue value of £25,000
Why is it rare? During the reign of Queen Victoria, Hong Kong surcharged her stamps because postage rates changed so frequently that existing denominations were unable to cover demand. On an ad hoc basis the Hong Kong government sent stamps, with outdated denominations, to a local company to be overprinted as surcharged issues, in order to plug the gap, before stamps with new denominations arrived from Britain At that time Hong Kong had a shortfall of 20c stamps so they overprinted the 30c stamp to make it a 20c stamp. However, this particular stamp was overprinted twice in error. It is known that some, 20c on 30c, stamps were double overprinted in error (as evidence by Stanley Gibbons listing it in their catalogue) but very few, if any, other than this one, has survived. The Empire Philatelists team have researched and found no evidence of this particular error ever being sold, or available. It is possible that there are others out there, maybe one exists in the Kings Collection, but currently this stamp is unique and the only one available on the International stamp market. Stuart from Empire Philatelists comments “These moments are so exciting. First finding a stamp worth tens of thousands of pounds in a lot which I thought was all worth a couple of hundred pounds was a thrill. But to find something so rare and then to have it confirmed as genuine definitely doesn’t happen every day!” You can see the stamp online here: https://www.empirephilatelists.com/hong-kong-1891-20c-on-30c-grey-green-sg48b-surch-double-fine-used-extremely-rare-cv-25-000 PTS Member, The Postal Museum have recently announced the digitisation of the Frank Staff collection, set to be made available on the museum’s online catalogue for the first time.
This new digital resource will serve as a unique and valuable insight for postal historians, and anyone interested in mail sent by sea, bringing to life the extraordinary journeys made by British letters before the arrival of airmail. This collection of 11 albums was accumulated by renowned postal historian, author and expert in maritime mail, Frank Staff. His own hand drawn replicas of ship markings can also be found among the pages. The Museum's online catalogue can be found here Run by PTS Member John Rice, the Stafford Stamp Show is held on Friday 11th November 2022 - Saturday 12th November 2022
The Stafford Stamp Show is the Major Stamp and Postal History Fair in the Midlands with up to 50 International and National dealers taking part. They are pleased to be back in the Ingestre Suite and as well as dealers from around the UK, they'll be hosting societies including The Cannock Philatelic Society, The TPO Society, The Railway Philatelic Group and The American Stamp Club of Great Britain. More information including a floor plan and opening times can be found on their website https://jrs-stamp-shows.co.uk The Philatelic Traders’ Society is excited to share what’s happening at Stampex in September. The 2022 show, proudly sponsored by Spink, is set to have more stands and even more philatelic attractions than last year. A full list of exhibitions, events and talks will be announced nearer the time or sign up to the newsletter at www.stampexinternational.com/signup or follow the PTS and Stampex @ptsandstampex across social media to be the first to hear the latest news. Meet the PTS Member With 80+ PTS Members taking part, the show will be packed with dealers, auction houses and businesses, including Spink, Royal Mail, Stanley Gibbons, Michael Chipperfield, Glasgow Stamp Shop, BB Stamps, Doreen Royan, Philasearch, Laser Invest, Colonial Stamp Company and more. New Tables At the “clock end” the main Mezzanine floor, you will find a wonderful new ‘Table Top’ zone. Here you will be able to meet with those individuals you will have previously seen on the gallery bays including GB Naval Stamps & Covers, Benstamps, Philangles, Thames Themes, Stephen T. Taylor, John Curtin Stamps, Ian Perry Stamps and Thematix to name a few. eBay Auditorium The eBay Auditorium will be host to daily Stampex Talks throughout the show. The full talk schedule will be announced at the end of August but expect to listen to Curators Chris Taft and Daniel Piazza, the British Library’s Richard Morel, Christopher Harman, Ian Shapiro and others. Court of Honour We are delighted to be showing Christopher Harman’s Chalon Heads collection. World Postcard Day Hosted on Saturday 1st October, we will be celebrating World Postcard Day with a dedicated postcard and a Postcrossing Meet Up! Exhibitions The ABPS organised competitive exhibitions with the lead theme focusing on Africa will showcase over 250 faces of national exhibition level material. More information is online at www.abps.org.uk Bill Barrell Head to stand 69 to meet line engraved experts, Mike Williams and Graham Stockdale who will plate your 1d blacks and 1d reds free of charge. Also, if you have any ‘oxidised’ GB line engraved stamps then they will reverse the chemical reaction for you – watch them put 1d blacks into water! #xtremephilately Interactive Display Want to give xTreme Philately a go? We will be hosting a special display of some of the very best #xtremephilately images to admire and inspire. Global Philatelic Network and the GBPS Head to the Global Philatelic Network’s stand at Stampex where you will also be able to meet and learn more about the Great Britain Philatelic Society. Society Day On Saturday, we have a whole host of societies scheduled to meet including the GBPS, Philatelic Congress of Great Britain Study Group, Ceylon Study Circle, Egypt Study Circle and East Anglia Postal History as well as others. This is a great opportunity to join a new society or meet them face-to-face. Youth Zone The Youth Zone and Stamp Active are back. The kid’s auction is scheduled for 2pm on Saturday 1st October and is a big hit with the younger generation, as they are able to bid on lots and enjoy their very own auction. GENERAL INFO Please find all details about the event and register your attendance at: www.stampexinternational.com/tickets Early Bird price: £10.00 ticket opening day (includes show guide) Free Entry Thursday – Saturday and families welcome VENUE THE BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE, 52 UPPER STREET, ISLINGTON, LONDON N1 OQH Nearest Tube Station-Angel Islington (Northern Line) DATES/TIMES: Wednesday 28th September: 10:30 – 17:30 Thursday 29th September: 10:30 – 17:30 Friday 30th September: 10:30 – 17:30 Saturday 1st October: 10:30 – 16:00 FOR MORE INFO OR TO JOIN THE SOCIETY PLEASE VISIT www.thepts.net or www.stampexinternational.com For further information, contact Isobel Klempka [email protected] About the Philatelic Traders’ Society Formed in 1929 by a group of established stamp dealers, The Philatelic Traders’ Society was created to act for and on behalf of its members for the good of philately. With a Code of Ethics and a service for dispute resolution, The Philatelic Traders’ Society is regarded as a reputable organisation within the industry, upholding the values of honesty and integrity. The PTS also organises Stampex – the UK’s leading philatelic exhibition. www.thepts.net New exhibition reveals ground-breaking technology that revolutionised Britain and the post forever15/8/2022 From wartime tech pioneers to ‘Poco the Postcode Elephant’ the surprising story of the postcode is uncovered in a new temporary exhibition at The Postal Museum in London.
Opening on Wednesday 30 March, Sorting Britain: The Power of Postcodes, delves into the Post Office innovation that revolutionised how post was processed, sorted, and delivered and its unintended outcomes for life in Britain. Exhibition highlights include:
Tech pioneers Tommy Flowers, Dame Stephanie Shirley CH and Sir Gordon Radley, were some of the brilliant minds working at the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill in the 1930s to 60s. Their impact will be explored, from postal mechanisation and postcodes to inventions like Colossus, the world’s first programmable electronic computer, and even hearing aids. ELSIE, original 1950s Electronic Letter Sorting Indicating Equipment, will give visitors the chance to try coding the post:
Visitors can find out about the importance of ‘Poco the Postcode Elephant’ - and the array of incredible memorabilia created for it - which helped change the nation’s habits in the 1980s through a decade-long advertising campaign. And, finally, Sorting Britain will consider ‘what does my postcode say about me?’, as it delves into how postcodes are now used to sort people, as well as post. Contemporary British artist, Alison Turnbull, has been commissioned to create a response to the exhibition’s themes. Alison is known for transforming and reimagining readymade information, such as plans, diagrams, blueprints and charts, into vivid abstract paintings. Chris Taft, Head of Collections said: “There was a great sense of national pride at the heart of the drive for innovation at the Post Office. The mechanisation of traditional systems, and ultimately the adoption of the postcode system, helped changed the face of Britain forever. Today, the advent of new technology continues to change how we communicate with each other at astonishing speed. Sorting Britain is a fascinating look into this little-known history, told through the wonderful collections at The Postal Museum.” Sorting Britain: The Power of Postcodes, 30 March 2022 – 1 January 2023 The exhibition will be accompanied by events throughout 2022 at The Postal Museum and online. Details to be announced soon. Admission included in the ticket price for The Postal Museum (£16 online) www.postalmuseum.org By Stephen T Taylor
When I started dealing in USA material full-time in January 2000, there was a philatelic auction in London which had a couple of USA “box lots” with short descriptions and low estimates (£200/£300 each) One was full of “duck stamps” which I wasn’t very interested in and didn’t place a very high bid on but the other box was full of covers and folded letters, exactly what I needed for stock – very disorganized with a few auction catalogues at the bottom of the box including Harmers New York 12 Jun 1990 “The Hessel Autograph collection of Presidents, Statesmen & Signers”. I always carefully view large lots as there’s no telling what’s lurking inside and might have been missed by their describers. This particular lot had numerous common covers worth £10 to £50 each but two caught my eye: one was franked “Free G. Washington” and the other “Free B Franklin”! Both were ex-Hessel and listed in the auction catalogue that came with the lot. Fortunately, no one else spotted these and I bought the box at their opening bid, a fraction of my top bid. As I didn’t yet have any clients who collected Free Franks, I consigned them to a US auction house where the pair sold for USD19,000 in May 2000. As David Phillips taught me when I lived in Miami in the 1990s, always read every letter and look carefully at every marking. The Philatelic Traders’ Society is delighted to announce that eBay will become the official Stampex 2022 partner for the Stampex Talks Auditorium. Now in its third show, the auditorium space has become a key part of the Stampex experience both for visitors in person, and online. The eBay Auditorium is set to boost an array of philatelic talks throughout the four days. We are delighted to confirm that talks by Richard Morel from The British Library, Chris Taft from The Postal Museum, Daniel Piazza from Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Graham Beck of Exploring Stamps, Ian Shapiro at Spink, and Court of Honour collector, Chris Harman have already confirmed their attendance as speakers. A full schedule will be announced at the end of August.
Suzanne Rae, The PTS comments ‘We have been working with eBay for two years now ensuring the PTS shield can be seen across eBay UK so that collectors can buy safe in the knowledge that they are purchasing from a verified PTS Member. We are delighted that eBay are joining us at Stampex celebrating their prominent philatelic community and supporting the Auditorium.” Frances Monroe, eBay comments “Collectors and enthusiasts have been at the heart of our marketplace for over 25 years. That’s why we’re extremely excited to bring eBay to Stampex this year, providing the ideal arena to connect and celebrate with the vibrant community of philatelists that trade with us.” GENERAL INFO Please find all details about the event and register your attendance at: www.stampexinternational.com/tickets The Great Britain Philatelic Society have announced their upcoming meeting dates. It is wonderful to see so many in person meetings.
Saturday 1 October 2022 - Stampex MeetingThe first meeting the new season of the Great Britain Philatelic Society will be on Saturday 1 October 2021 at Stampex in the Business Design Centre, Islington from 1:45pm in room “C”. At this meeting Ray Barton will be showing some of his collection of Sideways Spoons & Scots Locals. Ray says, ‘’By 1854 mail was increasing so fast that a quicker way of cancelling mail was needed so the spoon and sideways duplexes were introduced as an experiment to try to speed up the process. The spoon cancels were also used in Wales and Ireland as well as England though the sideways were only used in England and Wales. In Scotland it was decided that they would allow the Village hand stamps to be used to cancel the mail meaning they did not have to be cancelled by the Head Offices thus saving time.” Saturday 22 October 2022 – KGVI Definitive & QEII Wilding DayThe meeting on Saturday 22 October 2022 will be held at the Royal Philatelic Society, 15 Abchurch Lane, London EC4N 7BW from 11:00 a.m. This will be a King George VI Definitive & Queen Elizabeth II Wilding Day consisting of as many members’ displays as possible. This is an opportunity for members to show any aspect of the KGVI or QEII Wilding definitives that are interesting be they stamps, covers, proofs, errors or whatever. Do you have a new theory to air with your peers? Do you have a problem with which you would like some help? The only restriction for the day is it must be GB King George VI Definitive or Queen Elizabeth II Wilding related material. As the day consists solely of in-room members’ displays there will be no PowerPoint/Zoom element so please do come along and join us in person, if you are able. with thanks to PTS Member Dauwalders. If you are looking for a sophisticated means to store or display your collection, LIGHTHOUSE will likely have something to suit. See also the range of Optical Accessories, magnifiers from 2x-20x in a range of styles with various illumination options, and microscopes – which are ideal to quickly identify Penny Red plate numbers. Below are a handful of popular options from the available range of over 6,000 products. LIGHTHOUSE Great Britain Albums Unmatched in detail, accuracy and quality and is the benchmark for all others. Using the SG Great Britain Concise catalogue for guidance, each stamp is represented by a photo image and necessary technical information. https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/great-britain-albums-2338-c.asp Loose leaf, 4-ring leatherette binders. Available in a range of sizes and colours. Suitable for mint sheets, strips, blocks, single stamps and everything in between! Pictured left: Kanzlei, Maximum, Folio, Grande, Vario & Optima binders. Right: A selection of Grande sheets. Stamp stock approval cards The stamp dealers choice – we supply the stamp trade with hundreds of thousands of stock cards each year. An ideal way to store and display & priced-up higher value stamps. https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/stock-approval-cards-147520-p.asp Hawid Stamp Mounts Every avid stamp collector is familiar with the HAWID brand. Since 1st September 2021, the popular HAWID stamp mounts have been part of LEUCHTTURM’s portfolio. The stamp mounts are made of polystyrene (PS), which is PH- neutral and does not contain chemical softeners. This extensive range comprises strips, block mounts and pre-cut mounts. The stamp mounts are available with either a black or a clear backing film. https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/hawid-mounts-2159-c.asp “6 in 1” Pocket Magnifier Handy, multifunctional magnifier with practical LED microscope. In addition, two aspheric Perspex lenses (large lens with 3x magnification, small lens with 10x magnification). White LED lights, longwave UV light and a leatherette protective case. https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/pocket-magnifier-6-in-1-15x-magnification--with-led-146109-p.asp LCD Digital Microscope With 10x - 500x Magnification
With its built-in 3.5" LCD screen, this digital microscope is easy to use and doesn’t have to be plugged into a PC or laptop. The 5-megapixel active pixel sensor, the 8 LEDs for illumination, and the adjustable focusing ensures excellent definition and crystal-clear images. Ideal for identifying paper repairs, errors and plate numbers. https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/lcd-digital-microscope-with-10x---500x-magnification-146072-p.asp We have been UK distributors for Leuchtturm (Lighthouse) stamp and coin accessories since taking over from Duncannon in 2018. Our staff are knowledgeable in the large range of Lighthouse accessories and GB stamps. Visit us at Autumn Stampex on stand 102, at our large shop in Salisbury, or online at www.dauwalders.co.uk We caught up with Sandie Robb founder of StampIT to find out more about the youth programme and what a typical day is like.
2. How did you start it? StampIT started in 2004. It was originally a programme I developed for youth groups and Girlguiding took part in an amazing competition to design some Cinderella stamps which were produced in mini sheets. However, StampIT has evolved in so many ways since then. I started to design language board games which still have their place but now StampIT is developing more online activities. I have always wanted children to discover stamps as tools for learning, as inspiration for art, for finding facts and just for fun! 3. What do you do in a general day? I am not able to work on StampIT everyday because I am very busy with my job at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS). When I do have time to set aside for StampIT, then it will usually be developing a new game, organising a competition or preparing for an event. I can’t really say how or where my inspiration for designing the games comes from, I just suddenly get an idea and then start to make rough drawings of the designs. If the game features certain stamps, then I first have to write to the relevant country postal authority to ask for permission and this can take some time. For competitions, I like to keep the rules as simple as possible and they are mainly aimed at non-stamp collectors to take part. Preparing for an event takes a lot of time as I will prepare craft and stamp activities, goody bags with stamps, covers, miniature sheets etc. and some interesting displays. 4. Do you collect stamps, if so what ? I do have my own collection. I collect China because I teach about China, giant pandas and the Mandarin language and have visited the country twice. However I also collect postal history and other associated ephemera. I’ve started collecting perfins and I also have a wide eclectic collection of just whatever stamps I happen to like. I started collecting as a child and still have my first world album. 5. Why do you enjoy working in the hobby? I find stamps fascinating! They are beautiful little pieces of paper with an incredible amount of information within them. 6. What plans does StampIT have this year? I hope to launch a new game and to continue Stamp over October but I may redesign some of the activities within the month. The Around with World competition will not be continuing for now but there will be a revamp of the Language Competitions and they run all year round. 7. What is your favourite game you have on the website? Oh this is a difficult question. I have more than one for different reasons. The Japanese Sugoroku board game is my favourite for its design. The Australian board game is my favourite for a fun way to learn about the wildlife. The Nature Language Cards are my favourite online interactive games and available in Spanish, French, Mandarin and Gaelic. 8. You have the coolest job, tell us what that is and how you bring stamps into it! I am the RZSS Language Project Coordinator and that means I manage a programme called ‘Science in the Language Class’ which is an educational programme providing resources that link language learning to RZSS conservation projects in the wild or to the conservation breeding programmes within RZSS sites. There are programmes for Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Mandarin and Gaelic! I don’t speak all those languages. I speak a little Spanish and some Mandarin. Within that wider programme there is a major Mandarin project called ‘Beyond the Panda’ and that’s what I spend most of time working with. Developing resources, delivering sessions, teaching both online and in-person. Recently I am back to travelling across Scotland. Over the years I have been to various schools from Shetland Islands to the Borders and many places in between. RZSS and StampIT have often joined forces for events and competitions. Stamps are an excellent medium for learning languages. Of course, animals and the conservation work is an excellent attraction and thus both can complement each other. It is fantastic to bring along skulls and other interesting objects to stamp events. To discuss biology and wildlife conservation; to introduce language learning and then show examples of wildlife, geography, nature, the environment on stamps! In an interview which first ran in the June Issue of Gibbons Stamp Monthly (back copies are available to buy here). Isobel Klempka spoke with Chairman of CAPEX David McLaughlin. David shared his knowledge and insight into One Fram Exhibiting as well as a little on how to get started. Below is some of the interview.
Richard Monteiro, Founder of Zeboose.com shares his thoughts on the must have memorabilia for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. ![]() Given the fanfare, and of course extra holiday, there’s no missing the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year. Unsurprisingly Royalty-related collectables, particularly those concerning the 1953 Coronation, are the must-have memorabilia of the moment. The enormous publicity surrounding the event has sparked fevered interest in the stamps and ephemera issued then and now. There’s certainly choice... Some 80 territories issued stamps celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London on 2 June 1953. An overwhelming 62 of them opting for the Crown Agents-commissioned design prepared by Bradbury Wilkinson’s Ernest Jackman. Astonishingly, given the stamps were printed by De La Rue and Bradbury Wilkinson and shipped to countless remote destinations, most territories released the commemoratives on the actual day of the coronation. Something which didn't happen in Britain as the day was a public holiday meaning post offices were closed. History repeats... Great Britain plus Australia, Canada, Ceylon, New Zealand, South Africa, South West Africa, and Southern Rhodesia ignored the omnibus design on offer and did their own thing. All notable for different reasons. Great Britain’s four-stamp set laboured to market going through an unprecedented approval process involving a palate-busting 76 essays by 28-odd different designers. Eventually the designs of Edgar Fuller (2½d), David Gentleman (4d), Edmund Dulac (1s3d), and Michael Farrar-Bell (1s6d) were selected. Edmund Dulac never got to see his work in printed form as he died days before the issue’s release. Australia and New Zealand colluded to issue commemoratives simultaneously on 25 May 1953 before the rest of the pack. But that’s as far as any joint venture went. Australia’s three-value set was designed/engraved by Frank Davies Manley and printed locally. New Zealand’s five-value set involved two designers, James Berry and Leonard Mitchell, and three printers making Great Britain’s coronation commemoratives look positively cohesive
South Africa issued the tallest, Southern Rhodesia the highest value (2s6d), Canada the ugliest, and Ceylon the smallest (but arguably the most majestic). Assembling the 106 stamps issued (mint and/or used) for the 1953 Coronation is the starting and ending point for many collectors. Positional pieces are more of a challenge. Relatively straightforward for many individual territories, but a life-long pursuit if completion is key. The omnibus printings are particularly tricky. Collating a complete run of plate sequences is probably impossible. For a start there is no consensus on all the sequences used or indeed those to have survived. Official records provide an inkling, but not the full picture. Some have been wrongly attributed. Some don’t appear to have been used. Happy hunting… Exhibition-grade material like proofs and essays exist, are invariably in established collections and often unique. De La Rue proofs of the omnibus portrait turn up more often than anything else, but even they are extremely difficult. Presentation and publicity material is also highly collectable. Although not necessarily readily available. Much depends on the number produced. For instance, personalised presentation cards cancelled 2 June were awarded to the 39 exhibitors at the Pall Mall Coronation Exhibition. They are near impossible to find. More readily available are the Harrison-produced presentation cards featuring the Great Britain set. Although not available generally, the number of recipients was generous. All official outlets (apart from East African Posts) missed a trick by failing to provide official first day covers for the 1953 Coronation. It was left to philatelic societies, publishers, businesses, dealers and anyone with a little nous to satisfy demand. Everyone who could became a cachet maker. The eruption of envelope art resulted in hundreds of first day cover designs from every corner of the globe. Mildred Hodson and Aleksander Stocki, based in Scotland and trading as Three Arrows, being responsible for a deluge of designs for every territory. The low numbers issued for specific territories combined with chaotic colour variations certainly make for a collecting challenge. Find out more at: https://www.zeboose.com/blogs/features/mildred-hodson-coronation-cachets The closest to an official first day cover, purely because of the industry heavyweights involved, is the joint offering from the British Philatelic Association and Philatelic Traders’ Society (BPA/PTS) – and the revised design produced under licence in New Zealand. Some 500,000 examples of the all-pervasive design were produced by the BPA/PTS and offered blank to anyone anywhere who wished to service covers. Countless took up the call meaning the eponymous cachet exists used in all 80 territories – a feat no other cachet maker can boast. More here: https://www.zeboose.com/blogs/features/1953-coronation-covers-of-the-bpa-pts Attempting to collect all the cover designs for even a single territory is another life-long pursuit. Many are still being discovered by catalogue compliers given their small print runs and local distribution. Alongside cover designs, postmarks offer great collecting potential. Not those serviced by the major philatelic suppliers as they exist in abundance. But those of limited local use, with unusual or pertinent place names, and of course pre-release and other cancel varieties. Many pertinent cancel place names like CORONATION, QUEEN STREET and WINDSOR have been philatelically mined, but there are plenty of gems out there. Postmarks with pre-release or inverted dates are scarce, but doubtless many remain to be discovered considering the enormous volume of mail processed at the time. Whatever your philatelic preferences, there are countless 1953 Coronation collecting avenues. Costs and complexity of the challenge are your call. For a free resource to the stamps and cachet designs: https://www.1953coronation.com Note from the organises : This year's Philatelic Congress of Great Britain is being held at the Jurys Inn Hotel, 245 Broad Street, Birmingham (centre of the city) from Thursday, 8 September 2022 to Sunday, 11 September 2022.
The theme of the Congress is going to be "Organised Philately" - how our hobby is organised in different ways. During Congress there will be input from local societies, specialist societies, national societies, international societies, the philatelic trade and international philatelic organisations demonstrating what each type of society or organisation brings to the hobby - and displaying what is collected! Amongst the Societies taking part will be The Great Britain Philatelic Society. This will give the Society the opportunity to showcase the best of what we offer members including their award-wining website. This will also showcase a variety of different GB collecting areas. Other Societies taking part will include the Royal Philatelic Society, National Philatelic Society, British West Indies Study Circle, Birmingham Philatelic Society and Leeds Philatelic Society. The Kay Goodman Lecture will be given by Bill Hedley, the current President of FEPS who will give an international perspective. There will also be presentations by The Philatelic Traders’ Society and others. Although Congress is spread over four days, it is possible to attend as a day visitor if there are any particular areas of interest. For more information, a copy of the booking form and the draft Congress programme please go to the ABPS website: www.abps.org.uk/philatelic-congress/
To coincide with Earth Day 22.04.22, The Philatelic Traders' Society are delighted to announce that they will be planting a tree for every member and for all new members. This is our commitment to help support our members and become more climate positive.
Working with Ecologi, an environmental organisation to help fund projects which plant trees for businesses all over the world helping organisations to become climate positive.
Ecologi facilitate the funding of tree planting around the world. Their mission is to reduce 50% of global CO2 emissions by 2040 and responsibly plant billions of trees every year. To do this they are calling on businesses to take personal responsibility and help tackle the biggest threat of our generation. Collectively, with a little input from a lot of people, we have the power to secure our future. We are delighted to be launching this on Earth Day, a day which has been a growing movement since 1970 and is recognised every year on the 22nd of April. Earth Day raises awareness for global environmental protection and gives the world an opportunity to come together and take action. International Women's Day is a day to highlight the achievements of women all over the world. Groups around the world use the day to either showcase women or rally for equality. Today we are celebrating the women in philately.
We asked philatelists 'What International Women's Day mean to them?' Here are the responses New exhibition reveals ground-breaking technology that revolutionised Britain and the post forever28/2/2022 The world of philately in all its splendour - Heinrich Koehler's spring auction has many unique collections and valuable rarities (21-26 March 2022).
The time will soon come again: from 21 to 26 March 2022, Germany's oldest stamp auction house Heinrich Koehler invites you to its traditional spring auction. The programme includes an exceptional range of rare and valuable stamps, covers and collections. In addition to an impressive variety in the main catalogue, another seven special catalogues offer highlights with rarities of national and international philately and postal history. Collectors from all over the world are eagerly awaiting the starting signal and one can assume that the noticeably high demand in recent auctions will continue in 2022 with such excellent material being offered. |
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