AirmailEd
Member 
Posts: 174 
What I collect: Worldwide airmail stamps through 1940, unused
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Post by AirmailEd on May 11, 2014 22:43:32 GMT
I have posted my worldwide airmail collection at classicairmailcollection.com. It is nearly all mint, with nothing newer than 1940. About 5,000 stamps.
The images are too small, I know. The Secret Service requires that all mint stamps be either less than 75 percent of original, or more than 150 percent. Less than 75 percent is easy, but not optimal. When I set the images more than 150 percent, the software downsizes them automatically for horizontal (landscape) monitors. That makes them about 100 percent, precisely what I (and the Secret Service) do not want. I'm striving for a work-around.
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Post by stoltzpup on May 11, 2014 23:06:55 GMT
Great collection, Ed. I hope you keep posting information about your experiences building this collection.
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Jen B
Member
Inactive
Posts: 367 
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Post by Jen B on May 13, 2014 2:22:52 GMT
Beautiful collection! I really like the page borders and design of the country names.
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AirmailEd
Member
Posts: 174
What I collect: Worldwide airmail stamps through 1940, unused
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Post by AirmailEd on May 13, 2014 17:54:08 GMT
Beautiful collection! I really like the page borders and design of the country names. Thanks, Jen. The border comes from a program I bought in 1994 at Staples. I run it with ClarisWorks. Both programs were designed for Windows 3.11. I can still create the pages in Windows XP, but nothing more recent. So I have an old computer that I keep specifically for album page design. The border takes up a lot of room. Something plainer and narrower would work better. But it wouldn't look as good. The font is Gill Sans Mountain. It was available in Windows 3.11 and maybe Windows 95. Nothing more recent. When I upgraded to Windows 98 in 1998, I had to buy it on a font site. It's amazing that such a site exists. And, of course, that put me on their e-mail list for breaking font news! Anyway, thanks for looking at the collection and for the kind words. |
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on May 14, 2014 6:57:09 GMT
Wow, that's an impressive collection! I had a look at Canada first because that's what I know the best, and some of the varieties you show are pretty tough to find ...
Ryan
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Jerry B
Departed
Rest in Peace
Marietta, Georgia USA
Posts: 1,485
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Post by Jerry B on May 14, 2014 8:44:01 GMT
Hi Airmailed
I looked at Colombia as that is my main interest. Nice work! Hope you finish getting the rest of the SCADTA issues. I knew Debby Friedman and have seen her SCADTA collection and I believe it was complete. Unfortunately she auctioned it a few years ago.
Jerry B
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AirmailEd
Member
Posts: 174
What I collect: Worldwide airmail stamps through 1940, unused
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Post by AirmailEd on May 14, 2014 18:12:14 GMT
Hi Airmailed I looked at Colombia as that is my main interest. Nice work! Hope you finish getting the rest of the SCADTA issues. I knew Debby Friedman and have seen her SCADTA collection and I believe it was complete. Unfortunately she auctioned it a few years ago. Jerry B Once you complete your collection, what is there left to do? Sell it and start something else, I suppose. Don't think I'll ever face that quandary. |
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AirmailEd
Member
Posts: 174
What I collect: Worldwide airmail stamps through 1940, unused
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Post by AirmailEd on May 14, 2014 18:30:15 GMT
Wow, that's an impressive collection! I had a look at Canada first because that's what I know the best, and some of the varieties you show are pretty tough to find ... Ryan Canada has a lot of good auction houses. Most of the varieties come from them. Nice people. |
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Philatarium
Member
Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 1,032
What I collect: Primarily focused on Japan, but lots of other material catches my eye as well ...
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Post by Philatarium on May 14, 2014 19:24:45 GMT
Thanks for joining us, Ed! And apologies for my late welcome. This is a great board, with a lot of knowledgeable people, but mercifully attitude- and bicker-free. Although Japan has been my primary collecting specialty, I have a soft spot in my heart for early worldwide airmails, and have been thinking about taking up a modest collection of them, so your collection is very inspiring. (There's another member here, too, barhata, with quite a nice airmail collection as well.) I have posted my worldwide airmail collection at classicairmailcollection.com. It is nearly all mint, with nothing newer than 1940. About 5,000 stamps. The images are too small, I know. The Secret Service requires that all mint stamps be either less than 75 percent of original, or more than 150 percent. Less than 75 percent is easy, but not optimal. When I set the images more than 150 percent, the software downsizes them automatically for horizontal (landscape) monitors. That makes them about 100 percent, precisely what I (and the Secret Service) do not want. I'm striving for a work-around. This caused me to do a little research, because, on its face, I think practically every collector, and especially any seller, who has ever posted an image of a mint stamp is in violation of this restriction. It seems like the stamps section of Ebay, BidStart, the APS StampStore and many other sites would be shut down. My first reply was going to say that this restriction must be out of date, but a Googling indicates that it's not: From here: www.secretservice.gov/money_illustrations.shtmlStunning. But up at the very top of that page, there is this: Emphasis mine. And I think that's the key to this. By posting scanned images, you are not putting anything to paper. And the fact that either your image software or the web-browser software (I wasn't sure which you meant) may take images that are >100% and reduce them to 100% (and that's just an approximation, anyway -- you have no control over someone's resolution settings and monitor size) is far beyond your control. In fact, if a person chooses to print your image at 100%, wouldn't they be the ones in violation, and not you? They would be the ones actually creating the printed image. I say all this because I think it's a shame that you can't show your collection at a meaningful size. I had a hard time studying and appreciating it at 50% 75%. And I think about all the other collectors and sellers out there who would be in violation. If you don't mind, I think I'd like to raise this issue (without citing your site, just the Secret Service regulations) on another stamp discussion board, where there are a number of people with a lot of experience in professional philately, as well as some people involved with the APS. I don't think you should have to live with this self-imposed restriction. -- Dave |
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Jerry B
Departed
Rest in Peace
Marietta, Georgia USA
Posts: 1,485
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Post by Jerry B on May 14, 2014 20:09:48 GMT
Hi Ed
From what I understand Debbie was really down about selling the SCADTA collection as it was her "baby".
Jerry B
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on May 15, 2014 0:49:07 GMT
This caused me to do a little research, because, on its face, I think practically every collector, and especially any seller, who has ever posted an image of a mint stamp is in violation of this restriction.e A further consideration is that all US postage stamp designs prior to 1978 are in the public domain. The date of change is due to the creation of the United States Postal Service in 1978, which, as an agency independent of the US government, retains copyright on US postage stamp design. Prior stamps were issued under the authority of the US Post Office Department, and as that was a department of the US government, all of the older designs are in the public domain. For example, this US stamp as posted on Wikipedia contains the legal clause information that confirms its status as a design in the public domain.  Ryan |
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AirmailEd
Member
Posts: 174
What I collect: Worldwide airmail stamps through 1940, unused
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Post by AirmailEd on May 15, 2014 20:04:54 GMT
Thanks for joining us, Ed! And apologies for my late welcome. This is a great board, with a lot of knowledgeable people, but mercifully attitude- and bicker-free. Although Japan has been my primary collecting specialty, I have a soft spot in my heart for early worldwide airmails, and have been thinking about taking up a modest collection of them, so your collection is very inspiring. (There's another member here, too, barhata, with quite a nice airmail collection as well.) I have posted my worldwide airmail collection at classicairmailcollection.com. It is nearly all mint, with nothing newer than 1940. About 5,000 stamps. The images are too small, I know. The Secret Service requires that all mint stamps be either less than 75 percent of original, or more than 150 percent. Less than 75 percent is easy, but not optimal. When I set the images more than 150 percent, the software downsizes them automatically for horizontal (landscape) monitors. That makes them about 100 percent, precisely what I (and the Secret Service) do not want. I'm striving for a work-around. This caused me to do a little research, because, on its face, I think practically every collector, and especially any seller, who has ever posted an image of a mint stamp is in violation of this restriction. It seems like the stamps section of Ebay, BidStart, the APS StampStore and many other sites would be shut down. My first reply was going to say that this restriction must be out of date, but a Googling indicates that it's not: From here: www.secretservice.gov/money_illustrations.shtmlStunning. But up at the very top of that page, there is this: Emphasis mine. And I think that's the key to this. By posting scanned images, you are not putting anything to paper. And the fact that either your image software or the web-browser software (I wasn't sure which you meant) may take images that are >100% and reduce them to 100% (and that's just an approximation, anyway -- you have no control over someone's resolution settings and monitor size) is far beyond your control. In fact, if a person chooses to print your image at 100%, wouldn't they be the ones in violation, and not you? They would be the ones actually creating the printed image. I say all this because I think it's a shame that you can't show your collection at a meaningful size. I had a hard time studying and appreciating it at 50% 75%. And I think about all the other collectors and sellers out there who would be in violation. If you don't mind, I think I'd like to raise this issue (without citing your site, just the Secret Service regulations) on another stamp discussion board, where there are a number of people with a lot of experience in professional philately, as well as some people involved with the APS. I don't think you should have to live with this self-imposed restriction. -- Dave I don't mind at all. I'd love to raise the size of the stamps. Pretty hard to see the engraving details at 75%! The Secret Service explanation does use the word "printed." But in the same paragraph, it uses the phrase "color illustrations." I wouldn't think that "printed" would apply to Internet images. But "color illustrations" could. I also wonder whether the size is really important. If someone were determined to snag an image from the Internet and copy it, couldn't they grab a large one and shrink it? Wouldn't you just Photoshop the damn thing? I suspect these regulations were written when people snipped things out of magazines and used them on the mail. Anyway, here the Secret Service link: www.secretservice.gov/money_illustrations.shtml |
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Philatarium
Member
Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 1,032
What I collect: Primarily focused on Japan, but lots of other material catches my eye as well ...
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Post by Philatarium on May 15, 2014 20:15:20 GMT
Glad to see you back here, Ed! I wanted to wait and hear from you first before I posted anything else, but I'll go on and do that now. If there are any meaningful responses, I'll post a link back here.
-- Dave
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AirmailEd
Member
Posts: 174
What I collect: Worldwide airmail stamps through 1940, unused
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Post by AirmailEd on May 16, 2014 20:10:57 GMT
Glad to see you back here, Ed! I wanted to wait and hear from you first before I posted anything else, but I'll go on and do that now. If there are any meaningful responses, I'll post a link back here. -- Dave I talked with Renee Gardner (of the Stamp Store) and Ken Martin at the APS. Renee said she had never dealt with the Secret Service on the size of the Stamp Store images. She seemed sort of flabbergasted by the question. Renee passed me on to Ken Martin. Ken said he couldn't imagine that an Internet site would be covered by the rule. He agreed that given the way browsers handle pages, and the vagaries of Web site software, it would be unreasonable to expect images to appear at a certain size. He said the APS follows the Secret Service rules for printed matter carefully, but not for Internet images. Last night I measured the width of the design of my copy of U.S. C1 at about 21mm. I found a picture in the Stamp Store that also was 21mm. If the Secret Service started enforcing this rule, I think everyone would be in a jam. I believe you're correct -- I overthought this. I'll put up new scans of my album pages this weekend. They'll be 150 percent -- or more -- for those whose monitors can go that large. Otherwise, they should fill monitors vertically. Thanks for taking an interest. I look forward to future conversations. |
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Philatarium
Member
Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 1,032
What I collect: Primarily focused on Japan, but lots of other material catches my eye as well ...
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Post by Philatarium on May 16, 2014 22:08:52 GMT
Ed, I'm sorry that I didn't get back to you by email last night, as I had hoped to, but am so glad you went on and called the APS. You certainly reached the right people to discuss this with, and that's terrific!
I will definitely look forward to enjoying your collection at its "new and improved" image size -- can't wait!
-- Dave
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I.L.S.
Departed
Rest in Peace
I am in Clearfield, Pa. I love US Classic covers!
Posts: 2,113
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Post by I.L.S. on Nov 17, 2014 19:41:07 GMT
This is strictly my 2ยข on the whole "reproduction" issue: Simply ignore it. Now I'm certainly not telling you to break the law here -Know it exists and honor it, but common sense would suggest that if your not printing them out (@100%) and you're only scanning to show, or list your wares, then I'm pretty certain they'll leave you alone. You know, as long as your not doing anything dumb like printing out sheets of 1000's of them and have them slewn all over your house, then I really doubt they'll pay you any mind at all plus they have better things to do. Keep in mind that this, as well as other sites, are in-fact a venue for stamps and images and absolutely no secret is made whatsoever to any of our doings and the S.S. are quite welcome to join and share there stamp collections as well. Note- (by S.S. I meant Secret Service not "the bad" one)  |
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