I've been working with Faroe Islands stamps again today. Like most Scandinavian stamps they are very well designed and appropriate. Most of my stock of Faroes is used but I do have some mint as well.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
faroe islands
A very popular collecting area is the Faroe Islands, which lie to the north of the Shetlands. They are Danish islands but have a large amount of self rule and their own language.
Stamps are well designed and all are appropriate to the islands, with just a few issues each year. They are also surprisingly cheap in used condition considering how few people live on the islands!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
the british seaside
With the latest issue from the PO showing various British seaside scenes this stamp harks back to 2008 when another series was produced.
This is the die-cut version from the booklet issued on 13.5.2008. Although only catalogued at 80p this is the first I've ever found!
I'm currently listing mainly modern GB commemoratives which are getting harder and harder to find. They sell amazingly fast with about half of them selling on the same day they are listed! We are now offering postage/packing and insurance at just 50p anywhere worldwide!
If you haven't visited the website lately why not take a look? A LOT of new material has been added recently ranging from GB through Commonwealth to modern Europe.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Pitcairn Facebook group
Another Stamp Thing Facebook group has just been launched, for the Pitcairn Islands. If you have an interest in this collecting area please join and add pictures, stories etc.
Austria new issue 14.6.2014
Facebook Stamp Thing - Austria
20th anniversary of the referendum that resulted in the accession of Austria to EU
14.06.2014
On 06.12.1994 the Austrian people was asked to join the European Union and 66.6% voted “Yes”. On 1.1.1995 was admitted to the EU. Austrian Post is dedicated in cooperation with the Economic Chamber Austria this event a special anniversary brand.
For a long time Austria’s accession to the European Community, especially from neutrality legal reasons, had been unthinkable. Today, there is wide consensus on the benefits that are associated with the membership: From the free movement of people, a free educational mobility as well as various grants and research projects benefiting countless people in Austria. Not only an unrestricted access to the EU single market, a common currency, but also the EU’s eastward expansion a boost and internationalization of the domestic economy was a result of the accession.
For the design of the special stamp Austrian Post and Austria Chamber of Commerce held a competition in which all pupils of the country could participate. The design of Moritz Dittrich, Raphael Strasser and Jacob Chisté Class 3c of Brigittenauer Gymnasium in Vienna was able to convince the jury and won the first place.
For a long time Austria’s accession to the European Community, especially from neutrality legal reasons, had been unthinkable. Today, there is wide consensus on the benefits that are associated with the membership: From the free movement of people, a free educational mobility as well as various grants and research projects benefiting countless people in Austria. Not only an unrestricted access to the EU single market, a common currency, but also the EU’s eastward expansion a boost and internationalization of the domestic economy was a result of the accession.
For the design of the special stamp Austrian Post and Austria Chamber of Commerce held a competition in which all pupils of the country could participate. The design of Moritz Dittrich, Raphael Strasser and Jacob Chisté Class 3c of Brigittenauer Gymnasium in Vienna was able to convince the jury and won the first place.
Alderney new issue 18.6.2014
Alderney celebrates 25 years of issuing stamps
18.06.2014
The third-largest of the Channel Islands, this year Alderney celebrates 25 years of issuing stamps. As it might be expected, the first set of definitives – 17 of them – gave the world a pictorial look at the island, courtesy of the designer, Gordon Drummond. The illustrations ranged from a map to some beaches and from a lighthouse to a lifeboat.
Since that first issue, the stamps have continued to reflect the character of the island, with subjects including its military history (regiments that were garrisoned there and the forts which they manned), ships (both naval and civilian) and wildlife (mainly birds, but also marine life).
This year a set of commemoratives based on the first definitives was issued, with the designer revisiting the sites chosen by the original artist, but capturing the images on camera.
In addition to these, a £5 definitive and £5 silver stamp replica, a wafer-thin piece of solid silver– a first for Guernsey Post and the British Isles were produced. Bold and clear-cut, the design of both the paper stamp and the silver stamp replica features nothing but the lion rampant from the island’s flag (along with the standard features: value, Queen’s head and the island’s name, of course).
The lion has been redrawn by the designer, Andy Fothergill, who has brought a contemporary touch to it without straying too far from tradition. This is a handsome beast, a crown on its head and holding a sprig of broom.
The lion is a popular inclusion in coats of arms, national flags etc, and the reason for that is simply its reputation as the king of the jungle, the mightiest of all creatures and therefore a symbol of strength and power with which people generally want to be associated.
In addition to being a common plant in Alderney, broom has great significance in British heraldry. Its medieval name is plantagenista, which is the origin of Plantagenet, the family name given to descendants of Geoffrey of Anjou (father of Henry II of England), who is said to have worn a sprig of broom in his hat when going into battle, so that his troops could see where he was. The plant was also adopted as the badge of Brittany.
Since that first issue, the stamps have continued to reflect the character of the island, with subjects including its military history (regiments that were garrisoned there and the forts which they manned), ships (both naval and civilian) and wildlife (mainly birds, but also marine life).
This year a set of commemoratives based on the first definitives was issued, with the designer revisiting the sites chosen by the original artist, but capturing the images on camera.
In addition to these, a £5 definitive and £5 silver stamp replica, a wafer-thin piece of solid silver– a first for Guernsey Post and the British Isles were produced. Bold and clear-cut, the design of both the paper stamp and the silver stamp replica features nothing but the lion rampant from the island’s flag (along with the standard features: value, Queen’s head and the island’s name, of course).
The lion has been redrawn by the designer, Andy Fothergill, who has brought a contemporary touch to it without straying too far from tradition. This is a handsome beast, a crown on its head and holding a sprig of broom.
The lion is a popular inclusion in coats of arms, national flags etc, and the reason for that is simply its reputation as the king of the jungle, the mightiest of all creatures and therefore a symbol of strength and power with which people generally want to be associated.
In addition to being a common plant in Alderney, broom has great significance in British heraldry. Its medieval name is plantagenista, which is the origin of Plantagenet, the family name given to descendants of Geoffrey of Anjou (father of Henry II of England), who is said to have worn a sprig of broom in his hat when going into battle, so that his troops could see where he was. The plant was also adopted as the badge of Brittany.
Spain new issue 18.6.2014
General Bodies of State Administration are to be honored with a new Spanish stamp
18.06.2014
Under the generic title General Bodies of State Administration, two stamps are being issued, dedicated respectively to the Body of Civil and Port Engineers and the Body of Agricultural Engineers.
In the reign of Isabel II, when Manuel Alonso MartÃnez was Minister of Public Works, the Body of Agricultural Engineers came into being following the royal decree of 1855, which established the Central School for Agriculture on the La Flamenca estate, belonging to the Royal Estate of Aranjuez (Madrid). A royal decree in 1876 introduced a new admissions system and the institution was renamed the College of Agricultural Engineering, at the same time as the School of Agricultural Technicians was created.
Over the years, different fields of study and agricultural training specialities have been established, and research is now considered to be one of the activities at the School of Agricultural Engineering.
In the reign of Isabel II, when Manuel Alonso MartÃnez was Minister of Public Works, the Body of Agricultural Engineers came into being following the royal decree of 1855, which established the Central School for Agriculture on the La Flamenca estate, belonging to the Royal Estate of Aranjuez (Madrid). A royal decree in 1876 introduced a new admissions system and the institution was renamed the College of Agricultural Engineering, at the same time as the School of Agricultural Technicians was created.
Over the years, different fields of study and agricultural training specialities have been established, and research is now considered to be one of the activities at the School of Agricultural Engineering.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
St Vincent
Postage stamps and postal history of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Since around 1988, the country has been a client of the Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation
Contents
Early Issues (1861-1912)
The islands first began to issue stamps in 1861 and featured Queen Victoria. They were followed by the stamps of King Edward VII by 1902, which featured his portrait, then those of King George V in 1912.King George V, King George VI and early Elizabethan issues (1912-1970)
The King George V of 1912 had just only featured his portrait, later ones featured his portrait with island scenes.
They were followed by stamps of his silver jubilee in 1935.Coronation issues of King George VI followed in 1937, along with the new King George VI stamps, the following year (pictured above).
This was followed by the Victory Stamps of 1946, featuring the king's portrait, along with the Tower of Westminster; as well as the Royal Silver Wedding of 1948.
By 1953 stamps of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II were introduced, along with stamps showing her portrait and island scenes.
1970-1988
By around 1970 the portraits and the royal ciphers of the Queen were removed. A number of issues had increased since the 1960s and 1970s, showing both local (such as Carnival events) and International events (such as the American Independence Bicentennial of 1976).Stamps featuring the American Independence Bicentennial in 1976 and the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977 featured portraits of the past presidents and monarchs of UK and USA.
By 1983 the stamps began to show a series of automobile and locomotive stamps, which continued until 1986. As well as showing footballers on the 1986 stamps honouring the 1986 World Cup, as well as cricketers on the 1988 stamps.
IGPC years (1988-present)
Around 1988 the country became a client of the Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation, which the island began to issue stamps of baseball players from 1988 until the mid-1990s, such as Babe Ruth on the 1988 issue. It was followed by Disney Christmas stamps of 1988, featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends on Christmas Trains.By the early-1990s an excessive number of issues arose. In 1994 it began issuing stamps on Japanese football players and teams (such as JEF United) as well as the 1994 World Cup in the USA.
In 1996 it became one of the first countries to issue stamps featuring Star Wars. The following year it began to issue stamps on Star Trek: Voyager
By 2001-2 it issued stamps featuring Pokémon. As well it was also the first country to issue stamps on Elvis Presley since 1987, which in recent it has dominated its recent issues. Even characters from Popeye and Betty Boop.
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Today from GB
Sustainable Fish Stamp Set
Issue Date: 5 June 2013
Catalogue code: AS07A
Beautifully painted by David Miller, the Mint Stamps feature ten sustainable fish species: Herring, Red Gurnard, Dab, Pouting and Cornish Sardine; and five threatened species: Common Skate, Spiny Dogfish, Wolffish, Sturgeon and Conger Eel. The stamps also feature the name and status of each species.
Sustainable species
Pouting This small, fast-growing relative of the cod likes to lurk on seaweedswathed reefs and around shipwrecks, and it is sometimes accidentally caught in bottom trawls targeting larger fish. Chefs say the pouting’s firm flesh should be enjoyed when very fresh.
Herring The life cycle of the herring once influenced how we lived. Shoals would appear in spring off the coast of Scotland and swim south; the fishermen then followed the herring and their nomadic wives and children followed the fleet, processing the catch onshore. Herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil), proven in clinical studies to be beneficial to health.
Dab Rapid growth and early mating habits protect dabs against overfishing. Though flavoursome, these delicate flatfish were under-appreciated in the past, but today you will find them more and more on the supermarket fish counters and on restaurant menus.
Cornish sardine An ancient favourite – the Cornish sardine has been fished off the south west of England for a thousand years, and annual catches once topped 10,000 tonnes. Fewer were caught by the beginning of last century as tastes changed, but happily they are now back in fashion as a health food.
Red gurnard The wily gurnard crawls on finger-like fins across the sea floor, stealthily taking prey such as unwary crabs, fish and worms. It has also done well in today’s tough seas, its communities expanding north as waters warm up and flourishing where larger fish have suffered from overfishing.
Threatened species
Common skate Unfortunately the skate no longer lives up to its name – it is now very uncommon indeed in the seas around Britain. Once you would have found it everywhere, and it was caught in its thousands. But this huge fish is also a sensitive one, ill-suited to mass exploitation. Today it hides in terrain too rough for bottom trawling.
Wolffish Consumers have been misled by false claims that the fearsome-looking wolffish is a sustainable alternative to cod. In fact it is now much rarer than cod, after the extension of bottom trawling fishing methods across British seabeds caused a surge in wolffish catches.
Conger eel Habitually haunting shipwrecks, conger eels used to be far more abundant and widespread, growing to three metres and weighing in at a robust 150kg thanks to their copious diet of shellfish and fish. But modern commercial fishing has slashed their numbers.
Sturgeon Hunted for thousands of years, the prehistoric-looking sturgeon with its bony scales was an awesome sight, five metres long and often weighing half a tonne. It would seasonally travel from ocean to rivers, but has been a rarity since the Middle Ages when rivers were dammed to power mills, blocking the sturgeon’s route to spawning grounds.
Spiny dogfish A small shark that grows over a metre long, the dogfish made for a popular meal in the early 20th century – grilled dogfish fillets and chips. The population has plunged due to overfishing, which has prompted sea anglers to campaign for the dogfish’s protection.
Special Stamps Technical Specifications
Design Kate Stephens
Stamp format /size Landscape 37mm x 35mm
Printer International Security Printers
Print process Lithography
Perforation 14.5 x 14.5
Phosphor All over
Gum PVA
Number per sheet 25/50
Sustainable species
Pouting This small, fast-growing relative of the cod likes to lurk on seaweedswathed reefs and around shipwrecks, and it is sometimes accidentally caught in bottom trawls targeting larger fish. Chefs say the pouting’s firm flesh should be enjoyed when very fresh.
Herring The life cycle of the herring once influenced how we lived. Shoals would appear in spring off the coast of Scotland and swim south; the fishermen then followed the herring and their nomadic wives and children followed the fleet, processing the catch onshore. Herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil), proven in clinical studies to be beneficial to health.
Dab Rapid growth and early mating habits protect dabs against overfishing. Though flavoursome, these delicate flatfish were under-appreciated in the past, but today you will find them more and more on the supermarket fish counters and on restaurant menus.
Cornish sardine An ancient favourite – the Cornish sardine has been fished off the south west of England for a thousand years, and annual catches once topped 10,000 tonnes. Fewer were caught by the beginning of last century as tastes changed, but happily they are now back in fashion as a health food.
Red gurnard The wily gurnard crawls on finger-like fins across the sea floor, stealthily taking prey such as unwary crabs, fish and worms. It has also done well in today’s tough seas, its communities expanding north as waters warm up and flourishing where larger fish have suffered from overfishing.
Threatened species
Common skate Unfortunately the skate no longer lives up to its name – it is now very uncommon indeed in the seas around Britain. Once you would have found it everywhere, and it was caught in its thousands. But this huge fish is also a sensitive one, ill-suited to mass exploitation. Today it hides in terrain too rough for bottom trawling.
Wolffish Consumers have been misled by false claims that the fearsome-looking wolffish is a sustainable alternative to cod. In fact it is now much rarer than cod, after the extension of bottom trawling fishing methods across British seabeds caused a surge in wolffish catches.
Conger eel Habitually haunting shipwrecks, conger eels used to be far more abundant and widespread, growing to three metres and weighing in at a robust 150kg thanks to their copious diet of shellfish and fish. But modern commercial fishing has slashed their numbers.
Sturgeon Hunted for thousands of years, the prehistoric-looking sturgeon with its bony scales was an awesome sight, five metres long and often weighing half a tonne. It would seasonally travel from ocean to rivers, but has been a rarity since the Middle Ages when rivers were dammed to power mills, blocking the sturgeon’s route to spawning grounds.
Spiny dogfish A small shark that grows over a metre long, the dogfish made for a popular meal in the early 20th century – grilled dogfish fillets and chips. The population has plunged due to overfishing, which has prompted sea anglers to campaign for the dogfish’s protection.
Special Stamps Technical Specifications
Design Kate Stephens
Stamp format /size Landscape 37mm x 35mm
Printer International Security Printers
Print process Lithography
Perforation 14.5 x 14.5
Phosphor All over
Gum PVA
Number per sheet 25/50
Friday, April 04, 2014
concentration camp post
The Litzmannstadt Ghetto stamps
Few stamp designs give us so much history.
Under German occupation the Polish city of Lodz was renamed "Litzmannstadt" and very quickly the Jewish population of around 250,000 came under pressure as the Ghetto, located in the poorest part of city was closed and all personal interaction with the outside world was forbidden.The Germans chose Chaim Mordechai Rumkowski as head of the Jewish Council, granting him apparent autonomy. Rumkowski established post offices and ran a contest for stamps to be used for correspondence within the Ghetto. It is likely he saw the opportunity to raise precious funds from collectors, perhaps even those amongst the occupying forces.
Chaim Mordechai Rumkowski (February 27, 1877 - August 28, 1944) was himself a Polish Jew and believed that by organizing the ghetto as an industrial site he might ensure Jewish survival. The winning stamp design tells much of the ghettos tragic tale. The head is that of Rumkowski himself and the industrial imagery spoke largely to the German overlords who would, it must have been hoped, value the ghettos industriousness.
Before the Nazi German invasion of Poland, Rumkowski was director of an orphanage. On October 13, 1939, the Nazi occupation authorities appointed him the Judenälteste ("Elder of the Jews”). In this position he reported directly to the Nazi ghetto administration headed by Hans Biebow, a ruthless administrator concerned with the ghetto's productivity and his own personal gain. Directly responsible for staring the ghetto's population and he assisted the Gestapo in rounding up Jews.
In 1944, following Russian advances, the Germans proceeded to liquidate the ghetto and Biebow arranged for large burial pits to be dug for the few hundred remaining Jews. In August, Rumkowski and his family voluntarily joined the last transport to Auschwitz and were murdered there the same month. Many had come to see Rumkowski as chief collaborator and it has been suggested that fellow inmates murdered him. History may judge him in a slightly better light, the Lodz ghetto survived two years longer than the Warsaw ghetto and a few thousand inhabitants ultimately survived.
The first Ghetto stamps were issued on March 9, 1944. Soon after the Germans decided the stamps wouldn't be permitted, and only a few were sold and very little mail bearing them survived. The real tragedy isn’t philatelic of course. As Jews were shipped in to the ghetto the population swelled to over 200,000 - but by the time the Russians liberated the area only 877 remained alive.
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