Postal History | Discover Topical Stamp Collecting

Aeolipile – The Steam Engine’s Role in Postal History

usa postage stamp transcontinental train

Aeolipile: The Unexpected Connection Between Steam Power and Stamp Collecting When we think about stamp collecting, our minds often drift to the intricate designs, historical snapshots, and cultural narratives each tiny adhesive square contains. But today, let’s explore a surprising parallel between stamps and an ancient invention you may not know about—the aeolipile. What Is an Aeolipile? The aeolipile, or Hero’s engine, was an ancient steam-powered device invented by Hero of Alexandria in the first century AD. It’s considered the … Continue reading →

Ernie Wlock Talks About Stamp Collecting and Postal History

In this video created by UpOnThePrairies, you will hear Ernie Wlock, from the Canadian Prairies, share his thoughts about what people can do when they inherit a box of papers or letters containing postage stamps and are not interested in it themselves. . “Stamp Collecting is a wonderful hobby when you are retired. It passes the time and you make a lot of friends” Soliloquy of a Stamp Collector by Ernie Wlock I began my stamp collecting before I … Continue reading →

Discover Topical Stamp Collecting With Catapulted Flights and Famous Aircrafts on Stamps & Covers

There was a time when airplanes could not fly non-stop across the oceans and consequently, mail was transported by catapulted aircrafts from a ship at sea. In the late 1920’s, experiments were undertaken from the deck of big passenger ships. The first in history was in 1928, aboard the French Ocean Liner “Ile de France” and was followed by others such as on the German Ocean liners, Bremen and Europa in 1929 and 1930. Even though the Ile de France could … Continue reading →

Discover How Mail Was Smuggled Out Of Prisons Inside Uniform Buttons During The American Civil War

Did you ever wonder how prisoners barred from communicating with persons in the outside world managed to smuggled letters out? If so, you will enjoy listening to the podcast (audio recording of => 04 Approaching the Philately from a Different Angle: How to Share a Country’s History) of the APS Stamp Talk radio show hosted by Nancy Clark in which she talks with Galen D. Harrisson, about how he managed to find samples of the uniform buttons used by prisoners at war to carry out mail and where he first read … Continue reading →

Scotland on Stamps: “The Vanguard” by Scottish Painter J.A. MacWhirter Adorns 1898 USA “Cattle In The Storm” Postage Stamp

Topical stamp collecting is such a thrilling and fascinating hobby! As an example, let me tell you what happened yesterday. Being a topical stamp collector of many subjects, but primarily of ‘Unicorns on Stamps’ and ‘Scotland on Stamps’, I performed the indian “rain dance” ! following my view of the video (see below) taped during the AM Northwest TV Show hosted by Helen Raptis and Dave Anderson. Why? Read on… The show was about stamp collecting and featured rare and valuable … Continue reading →

Traveling Through Time with Postal History and Postage Stamps

Ever wondered why stamps were invented? Watch this short animated video created by the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. It is a great introduction to postal history, which by definition “tells you the story of how mail has been handled, who has handled it, and why.” The history of postage stamps goes way back in time…. Postal history is a another example of how you can specialize your stamp collection to a particular subject inside the realm of philately. As mentioned on their … Continue reading →

A bridge between language, history, and collecting for Topical Stamp Collectors - Janice Dugas

Tag Archives: Postal History