Category Archives: #1 in Postage Stamps

Stamps as Gateways Jeff Magnus’ Journey Through History and Culture

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[IN THE NEWS] Philatelic Journeys –  Uncovering History with Jeff Magnus Beyond the Adhesive: The Cultural Odyssey of a Stamp Collector   From the distinctive portraits of historical figures to the vivid sceneries of distant places, each postage stamp in Jeff Magnus’ collection narrates its own tale. Spanning over fifty years, this enthusiast stamp collector and member of the Janesville Stamp Club has gathered much more than mere adhesive-laden pieces of paper. For him, seeking out rare stamps has been … Continue reading →

India’s Tribute to its Saint & Poets : A Stamp Collecting Gem

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Stamps of Distinction: Celebrating India’s Poetic and Spiritual Legacy India’s 1952 ‘Saints and Poets’ collection is a beautifully crafted and vibrant set. While I appreciate each stamp, the 12 annas featuring the illustrious Bengali genius, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), holds a special place for me.   Stamp collecting is a journey through the annals of history, culture, and art. Every stamp tells a story, and sometimes, these stories are groundbreaking. Such is the case with India’s 1952 ‘Saints and Poets’ series. … Continue reading →

How Sir Rowland Hill’s Postal Reform Changed The World

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Imagine my enthusiasm as I stumbled upon an episode of BBC News podcast titled ‘Postage Stamp‘ inside the series 50 Things That Made The Modern Economy.  I really enjoyed listening to this entertaining story on the positive impact Rowland Hill’s creativity had on postal services and happy to share it here with you.   ‘In the mid-19th Century, a man named Rowland Hill got fed up with how Britain’s postal service worked, and decided to come up with a new system … Continue reading →

Factors behind the rising prices of collectibles such as Rare Stamps

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In a recent article on ThinkAdvisor’s website, Keith Heddle, global head of investment with Stanley Gibbons, talks about several forces supporting the demand for rare stamps, at least for the foreseeable future. ” (…) The first—no surprise here—is demand from wealthy Chinese collectors and investors. Speaking simplistically, he says, many of them have accumulated sufficient “bling” assets and are seeking something “a bit more considered and less flashy.” One reason for this cohort’s interest in stamps was Chairman Mao’s ban … Continue reading →

First Ass to Appear on a Canadian Stamp…

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  Canada Post just launched their fourth issue in ongoing series of postage stamps celebrating Canadian musical talent with a set of four stamps depicting legendary bands:  The Tragically Hip, Rush, The Guess Who and Beau Dommage. Probably not the issue for which I would vote “best of the year” but something very interesting did trigger my attention in this set of stamps that woud fit just lovely inside a music on stamps topical stamp collection! For people who know … Continue reading →

France Rugby Silver Stamp Commemorates Rugby World Cup Editions

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Great news for Gold & Silver topical stamp collectors! To commemorate the 7th Edition of the Rugby World Cup, France issued on July 11, 2011 a beautiful silver stamp made of 0.999 silver and housed in a protective capsule to help resist tarnishing. Valid for postage, the stamp has a nominal value of 5 euros, which is quite high. In 2007, France hosted the Rugby World Cup and therefore issued a series of stamps devoted to Rugby in April, June … Continue reading →

Netherlands Guilders Silver Stamp on Cover!

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. When I went to pick up my “snail mail” today, I noticed in the pile of letters an envelope with a particular stamp on it… !?! . At first glance, its silver color got me thinking it was an hologram stamp, but checking it out more carefully revealed it was a stamp printed on silver foil. Imagine my excitement, as you don’t get this kind of mail every day! 🙂 . . I continued on the Web my investigation about … Continue reading →

Queen Elizabeth II’s Head To Be Chopped Off from Royal Mail Postage Stamps?

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United Kingdom, the only country in the world to not carry the country’s name on their postage stamps, are faced with financial difficulties leading them to consider the privatization of the Royal Mail’s operations. Under the actual rules and regulations, the new owner(s) is not obliged to keep up with the tradition in place since 1840 of printing the queen’s head profile on the Royal Mail postage stamps.     What a reaction that announcement caused when the news hit the media! Enough so, that members of the British Parlement … Continue reading →

Which Country Issued The First Robert Burns Postage Stamp?

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Great Britain, Russia or Romania?  Watch this short video for the answer….  🙂 Further reading:  Scotland’s National Poet & Bard, Robert Burns (1759-1796) on Postage Stamps Happy collecting! Talk soon, Janice aka Stampy PS:  If you have a topical stamp checklist of Robert Burns on postage stamps that you would like to share with all our readers, do not hesitate to send it over and we will publish same in the TOPICAL CHECKLISTS section of the blog. You can get in … Continue reading →