Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 22, 2016 23:49:04 GMT
Hooray for Frog Moms!
Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 21, 2016 8:33:50 GMT
Marvelous stuff, Ryan, thank you. Long had I mused about the particular style / personality of Bulgarian stamps, as Czechoslovakia, they have a certain "look" "feel" about them that has lasted for decades. I would think it does not appeal to everyone. Your link on Mr. Kanchev puts meaning to a lot of that. Using his fanatical industry to his work, is a fine excuse on why we all spend so much time with stamps. Time to re-visit an old thread. I'm in the midst of a project, going through the Scott New Issues listings in Linn's Stamp News over the past 14 months or so, snipping text and images to create files showing all the new issues released since the latest ones found in Scott's 2016 catalogues (thanks again to tomiseksj for his post in the Shoutbox which alerted me to the screamin' deal sale price for these catalogues). This way I'll be able to keep the catalogues up to date (more or less - price changes, of course, won't be found in Linn's, nor are most catalogue number changes). It's slow work because there's a lot to do! But I've worked my way up to the listings found in the December 2015 edition of Linn's, and a nice issue from Bulgaria is relevant here. They've released a nice souvenir sheet commemorating the 100th anniversary of Stefan Kanchev's birth. The sheet shows elements from a few Bulgarian stamps designed by Kanchev, as well as a number of logos he had designed - more info on his logo design can be found on the site I've linked to in my old post. I don't own the sheet, so I've nabbed the image from a Delcampe seller. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 20, 2016 14:39:22 GMT
Ryan,the shown 10 Kip Ramayana has an interesting cancellation: an US-american one ! Looks like Washington. I hadn't noticed that! I think these larger American postmarks were used for registered mail - perhaps my stamp was placed on the back of the envelope and received its cancellations that way, as part of the backstamps used in the registered mail transit process in the US. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 19, 2016 22:12:13 GMT
As for cataloging Austria.... Also, the fine Gindl specialized catalogues for plate flaws for those who like flyspecking. Here's an example page from the catalogue for the women's dress definitive series. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 19, 2016 2:32:54 GMT
Wow, a £1 Victoria - you're moving up in the world, Zipper! (says the guy digging through a 1/2 lb. box of old musty Nigerian stamps ....)
Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 17, 2016 3:09:27 GMT
Just from German-language searches, which refer to the Erl Passion Play productions as "Erler Spiele".
Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 17, 2016 2:30:28 GMT
Google translates it as 'Learn games' ...Ok The town of Erl in Austria has been staging Passion Play productions since the 17th century - that will be the subject of your cinderella. Here's a brief history on the town and its Passion Play. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 14, 2016 6:32:08 GMT
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 13, 2016 1:41:25 GMT
My Branch theory may be all wrong. My book on Canadian RPOs by T.P.G. Shaw says the North Simcoe Railway Co. was incorporated in 1874 to build from Barrie to Midland, and this line was then leased to the Northern Railway in 1878. The next year, the Northern Railway merged with the Hamilton & North Western and was named the Northern & North Western Railroad. In 1886 in became part of the Grand Trunk Railroad and in 1888 became part of the Canadian National System. Given the date on your cancellation, you have a cancellation from the North Simcoe branch of the GTR. Shaw gives a rarity factor of 120 for your cancellation. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 13, 2016 0:45:47 GMT
These stamps aren't listed yet in the 2016 edition of Scott, but they'll be shown in the 2017 edition - they were included in the Scott New Listings Update in the January 2016 monthly edition of Linn's Stamp News. Here's a snip from that issue which shows how they're listed - a single issuing entity ("Caribbean Netherlands") with separate major numbers for each island. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 8, 2016 18:29:30 GMT
I've always liked the 5d value in that set - upside-down show-off bird!
A bad day for the right-side-up Gypsy Jazz bird of paradise ...
Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Apr 2, 2016 22:15:59 GMT
What can you tell us about the "mellow yellow" shade of the 1/2 penny kangaroo? Shades are, for me, far more difficult to determine than anything "simple" like perforation or watermark varieties - does the shade stand out under ultra-violet light? The single sheet known was found as a complete mint sheet, I assume? Very interesting to see that a listed shade was found so late after the original issue date.
Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 29, 2016 18:33:35 GMT
Back in the nineties (1990's, not 1890's) a friend of mine went to Russia for a couple of months on business. He described to me in some of the outdoor market places that were in their infancy, stamp dealers were selling thousands of sheets of Russian CTO's for very little money. The same thing occurred with mint stamps, I think. You will often see large quantities for sale for not much money - I assume they were demonitized at the breakup of the Soviet Union so they are of no postal use any longer, and a mint stamp is now about as useful to them as a CTO stamp! I bought a fair-sized box of mint later Soviet-period stamps, almost 3 Kg of stamps in the box, for a bit less than the price you would expect to pay for a random mix of worldwide off-paper kiloware. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 14, 2016 5:56:42 GMT
If anyone can supply a Michel, Scott, or another number please let me know and I will see if I can edit this post to include it. Antigua and Barbuda 2003 Birds Mini Sheet My Scott catalogue shows the full sheet as being Scott 2709. The four individual stamps are given minor numbers 2709a-d. There was a second sheet of four x $2.50, Scott 2708, and a souvenir sheet of one x $5, Scott 2710. Issue date was December 8, 2003. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 14, 2016 0:24:06 GMT
In China, they don't even put stamps on letters much anymore. .... I have some higher value stamps that are CTO. I've read somewhere before that Chinese collectors prefer CTO stamps. They then get into gum requirements for their collecting, and there is a preference for "CTO never hinged", full gum of course. Such stamps would be more desired by them than postally used copies. Horses for courses, as the Brits say .... Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 12, 2016 20:50:29 GMT
These hooded cancel postings [**edit - reference to previous posts which have been deleted due to broken image links] reinforce something that has always astounded me; the speed with which things were delivered in those days. Pre-airmail, obviously, yet mail posted in England in the afternoon on one day shows up in Germany the next. 100+ years later and I bet the mail doesn't travel that fast, not unless you're paying through the nose for some sort of FedEx-equivalent service.
Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 11, 2016 3:53:25 GMT
I can take care of the mail here last summer checking an igniter before place it in the motor ( all fibreglass rocket , 23 pounds ) Wow, that's quite the rocket - what altitude does it reach? Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 9, 2016 23:16:13 GMT
Certainly, just send me a message with your e-mail address. I won't get around to it until later tonight though, I'm just heading out the door now.
Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 9, 2016 12:20:41 GMT
Since you are the soaking king, would you be willing to share that spreadsheet? I will send you my email. I'm rather guessing you have it in Excel? If so, I'd love to see it. I can send you an Excel copy, certainly, either .DOC / .DOCX or .PDF (the spreadsheet is optimized for printing, so it's easier to deal with the columns when it's shown as it would be printed - I'd recommend the .PDF version unless you plan to further update the spreadsheet yourself). I had made the offer to send out the spreadsheet earlier (during a time you were away from the forum, I think), but interest was, um, modest ... The spreadsheet is, of course, a continual work in progress. I didn't start it until I decided to start attacking the non-soakable issues, so I'm sure some of the older ones I haven't come across recently have passed my eyes at some point in the past. I'll get those updates made when / if I ever get around to sorting through those! Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 9, 2016 12:07:09 GMT
I didn't see anywhere on the video, nor comments here, that after you have scrapped and cleaned the gum, would you not want to wash the chemical off the stamps? Just wondering if this is a necessary step. Stamps I've removed with chemicals receive a post-soak in water, where possible. There are a number of U.S. stamps that get damaged when soaking in water due to excessive curling and a resultant crinkling of the top layer. I give those just a brief splash in water and then they immediately get sandwiched between a flat plastic thing (usually my stamp sweatbox) and the formica counter top next to my sink. Those stamps curl rapidly so I only do a maximum of 4 like that per soaking batch, they are the absolute last ones to go in the drying book and if I have too many of them, I can't get the book closed before some of them start curling. There are some stamps that don't even get the splash of water, mostly those Spanish ATMs printed on thermal paper. Just like an old fax that's been exposed to the atmosphere, the denomination printed on those things can fade badly, and soaking in chemicals makes it worse. But the image on those stamps is somewhat water soluble, and if you try to soak them in water afterwards, the image comes off! Those stamps still seem to look fine after removal from their backing paper, however. Just a bit more faded on the parts printed thermally - Rod posted one earlier in this thread, it looks nice. And there are a very few stamps that get damaged by the chemicals - I completely removed the hologram from an Italian stamp once. The stamp was already damaged, so it wasn't a huge loss. It's rarely a huge loss in any case, usually my stamps are the kind of stuff where it's exciting if I find something with a catalogue value over a dollar .... Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 9, 2016 11:20:41 GMT
The dealer notice, in my non-expert opinion, seems to be a combination of facts and incorrect information .... Kim states his opinion - I'll state my guess! I think this is just a guess by the dealer that the non-water-soluble adhesive (more correctly, the primer layer as described above) found on many post-2007 stamps means that the adhesive is the same as what they tried in 1975. And, as Kim says, that isn't true. I keep a spreadsheet for the purposes of determining whether I can soak the U.S. self-adhesives in water or not. There are some pre-2007 issues that can't be soaked but they're relatively uncommon (and in some cases, those older stamps can't be soaked due to excessive curling & resultant crinkling in water, not because they won't come loose). For example, in the 37 cent letter-rate era, I have 4 different issues I won't soak in water (not counting any non-letter rate stamps, my lists are organized according to face value, not according to date or catalogue number). In the 39 cent era, I have 3 different issues I won't soak in water. But in the 41 cent era (started in April 2007) I have 14 issues I won't soak, and for anything with a 2009 or later date on the stamp, I won't even bother trying to soak it because so few of them come loose in water. Those head straight for the pile that gets removed with chemicals and gets further sorted into groups of stamps that either will or will not tolerate a post-soak in water (again, due to curling and crinkling). Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 8, 2016 1:38:25 GMT
Too right, as the Aussies say! I wouldn't do anything that left the gum behind. Some leave the gum behind and then stick the stamp on a piece of clear plastic film, sort of like Mylar. I guess that allows you to see perforations that you wouldn't see if the stamp was left on a piece of white envelope, but it doesn't seem like it's helping much. I want that gum altogether gone! I have all kinds of copies of that 1975 Christmas stamp that are varying stages of brown because the self-adhesive gum has discoloured the paper over time. I think it's a better bet to get rid of the gum and then soak the stamp in water like normal to remove any residual effect the adhesive removal might have had. (Although it must be said, many U.S. stamps don't tolerate a post-soak, the stamps crinkle in water and damage the surface - I've learned through trial and error which ones can't be post-soaked.) Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 7, 2016 22:25:10 GMT
reena, I use plain old paint thinner for removing self-adhesives. It's easy to find and it gets most stamps off the backing paper without damage, there are just a small handful that use an adhesive that isn't soluble. It's much less flammable than some other chemicals people like to use, and I think the toxicity is relatively low, too. We use a similar chemical labelled "Varsol" in big quantities in the shop, we'll literally wash our hands in it. Many people who remove self-adhesive stamps will leave the gum on the stamp and then use talcum powder to remove the stickiness, but Rodney & I both prefer to scrape the gum off. If there's any risk of damaging the stamp it usually comes in that stage. Some gum comes off very easily, others (like that on Machins with security cuts) needs a bit of tender care to come completely clean with paint thinner, at least - Rod's Fuelite or something like Bestine (a kind of heptane) might be a better solvent for that gum, I don't know. And as far as Fuelite is concerned, I always thought that was more the kind of stuff that we can buy here as camping stove fuel. Or?? I use regular tap water - two sinks full, one for soaking and removal of the paper, the other for removing any gum that stays adhered to the stamp. Some modern water-activated gums are real messy and they sometimes require me to change out the water in the second sink - PVA gum on Canadian stamps and whatever it is they use on German stamps both make the water real cloudy. Old dextrine gums (like we had on Canadian and US stamps back in the '40s, '50s and '60s) dissolve completely in the first sink and don't cause any problems for me in the second sink. Note that our tap water here almost always has chlorine in it and that acts like a bleach, giving a subtle brightening to the stamp paper. If you leave the stamps soaking for hours, you can often see a change in paper brightness when using a UV light. That can be a real problem for identifying some Canadian definitives like Frog's beloved Centennials (ha ha), with all the different grades of fluorescence (none, dull, low, medium, high, hibrite). But get them out of the water within a couple of hours and you should be fine. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Mar 3, 2016 15:52:20 GMT
Any members have a Czech Specialist Catalogue ? Ryan ? Info sought. Czechoslovakia 1974 Brno '74 Stamp Expo Emissions: At last 8,000 BLACK PRINTS This is listed in two of my specialized catalogues but neither of them show the size of the edition. My 1996 Trojan catalogue does show some numbers printed for a few of the other blackprints (there haven't been all that many issued). In 1974, one other stamp was issued as a blackprint, in an edition of 7000 - catalogue price for that was 200 Korunas, whereas the blackprint you show has a value of 40 Korunas. I'd have to guess the number of copies was a fair bit higher than 7000, judging by the relative values. Something I learned while looking through the catalogues is that this stamp was issued in 2 formats - a sheet of 25, and a sheet of 16 + 9 labels. The issue with the se-tenant labels is less common, there were about 3 times as many sheets printed with only stamps and no labels. My copy shown here has a serial number fairly close to yours - the piece shown in the Trojan catalogue bears number 00007! Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Feb 29, 2016 14:36:05 GMT
I started at age 10 and am still going - I go in fits and starts depending on what else is on the go (I decided to finally rip all my CDs to MP3s now that external drives are so inexpensive so I've been busy doing that lately) but I've never had too long of a break before digging out more stamps to sort, so I'll add 41 years to the total. That makes 549.
Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Feb 25, 2016 10:18:35 GMT
It's the 5th end break at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and I happened to come across this stamp in my album: Ah, old-timey curling - I love the "SLAP SLAP SLAP" you used to get back in the day. Curling Canada's YouTube page has a great selection of old footage from previous Briers (Brier = men's national championships, Tournament of Hearts = women's). By 1961, the game was starting to look a bit more modern with long sliding deliveries - some guys used that, some still were releasing the stone in the circles. Have a look back to the 1952 Brier footage to see one old dinosaur who still had a standing delivery! Just like golf with its big differences in the modern game (especially drive length and speed of the greens), this old curling looks vastly different for those of us who watch it today. Draw weight back then equals a massive takeout weight today. ha ha My home town of Calgary was the host in 1961, so I like the views of the city as it once was. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Feb 17, 2016 23:48:03 GMT
The topics listed by the ATA don't seem to have too narrow a focus, although you do see some occasional listings for topics with very few matches (John Cabot, only 7 stamps! doesn't seem right, must be more than that ..). Then again, you could broaden your topic a bit and choose "Explorers", there are almost 1500 stamps on that list. Or you could buy the list for "Art" stamps, and it has over 11,000 matches. I'm sure it's just like the inventory in a book store, you'll have some books that sell like hotcakes and others have a single copy that sits on the shelf for 5 years. Same thing with their topical lists, some will be their best sellers and some will be something they need to knock the dust off before they send it away.
I would bet the rodent list is worth their while, though - there must be plenty of people with pet mice who would collect stamps with mice on them. Certainly I'd expect it to be a bigger hit than the list of weasel stamps!
679 stamps for my Dürer topical collection, hmm, that's a lot to gather up.
Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Feb 16, 2016 9:15:15 GMT
That USA 22 cent Whistlepig is a favorite. Wonder if anyone has done a topical collection of rodents on stamps? You'll need a copy of Canada #1, the Three Penny Beaver! Way back in the rec.collecting.stamps.discuss days, I recall somebody with a collection of mustelid stamps (mustelids = otters, weasels, skunks, etc.). I don't remember anybody claiming to be a rodent stamp collector, but I'm sure there is somebody out there somewhere. The American Topical Association's checklist shows 658 different stamps available on the subject. Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Feb 16, 2016 8:51:45 GMT
Wow again! canadianphilatelist must also be saying "WOW", he was the source for many of us for the first issue basic set of three. He had access to a vending machine so he gifted a number of sets to those of us not so fortunate as to be within range of a machine. But looking at those prices, I'm guessing the higher rates will stay out of my collection for a very long time ... ha ha Ryan
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,722
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 Feb 12, 2016 12:27:00 GMT
And I've never had any luck with French Polynesia, nor with TAAF (French Southern & Antarctic Territories). There are plenty of collections out there but it always seems they go for high prices - good if you like to sell, not good if you like to buy. And Afars & Issas too, maybe those are always stupid expensive just because they come near the front of every album so people think about those stamps first. Oh well.
Ryan
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