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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 28, 2013 6:10:56 GMT
I've seen a few of these mentioned on here before, but there are a few new ones as well. All are free. Bulk Rename Utility -- for bulk renaming files Stamp Compare -- a little piece of software for comparing scans of stamps. Video demo is here. PERFOMaster3000 -- software for straightening and cropping scans of stamps, then measuring the perfs. Video demo is available at my site. retroReveal -- website that allows you to analyze a scan of a stamp with various enhancements all at once. And for those who collect Germany, a useful online resource -- the German Wikipedia has lists, with pictures, of most of the major German stamps ever issued. They're organized by issuing authority and year.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 15, 2013 17:55:35 GMT
Time for a little show-and-tell from the collection -- the Vukovar Feldpost. Following the reconquest of Greece by the Allies, German forces stationed on Crete and the Aegean Islands could only be supplied by air. The postmaster for these regions, Feldpostmeister Dr. E. Schwarz of Army Group F, decreed that all mail in these regions should only use feldpost stamps overprinted "Inselpost". To accommodate this requirement, 200,000 feldpost package stamps (Michel 2B) were overprinted in Vukovar, Croatia, for distribution to the troops. Michel 6However, the aircraft transporting the stock of stamps was shot down during a supply flight in October 1944. The only copies of the Vukovar printing which survived were a small stock of approximately 2,000 stamps which remained in Vukovar. Most of these remaining copies were transported to Rhodes in December 1944, where they were distributed to collectors. They included normal copies, as well as a few double and inverted overprints. Michel 6 K (inverted OP) and Michel 6 DD (double OP)During the printing process, two freshly printed sheets were placed face-to-face, resulting in transfer from one to the other and creating the double overprint with one inverted and mirror-imaged (unlisted in Michel). The only known copies of this error are from a single block of 12 that were in the Inselpost reference collection of Dr. Schwarz himself. During the retreat of Army Group F through Yugoslavia, however, much of the Feldpostmeister's reference collection was lost, the inverted/mirror copies included. They were rediscovered over 30 years later in West Germany, where they were split into two blocks of 6. 1995 Mogler photo cert depicting one block of 6This copy was formerly in the middle row, first column of the above shown block (position 13 of the original sheet). Because of the irregular manner by which the mirrored overprint came to be on the stamps, the quality and position of the overprint vary greatly. This is one of the better copies in that is has a clean, almost complete mirrored overprint. Unlisted Michel 6 inverted/mirrored variety
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Post by PostmasterGS on Sept 14, 2013 1:52:53 GMT
antoniusra,
Though there's still a lot of debate on the issue, the prevailing theory these days is that 909 and 910 were never legitimately used, and any covers are philatelic in origin. The BPP won't even expertise them anymore. The vast majority on the market have forged postmarks from post offices that closed days, or even hours, before the stamps were issued.
For that reason, they've actually gotten a little cheaper in recent years.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Sept 13, 2013 19:03:32 GMT
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Post by PostmasterGS on Sept 10, 2013 14:37:54 GMT
I use HostingMatters for all my sites. $11/month for an unlimited plan, and I've run a ton of bandwidth and storage space without ever being charged an extra dime.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 30, 2013 2:47:25 GMT
I can't say for sure, but it's likely related to which stamps were available in multiple formats versus which ones weren't. The space shuttle stamp was only available in a sheet.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 29, 2013 18:21:00 GMT
Ryan,
I suspect that the premium (or lack thereof) has to do with the manner in which these issues were distributed. At the time, it was common for the definitives to be available in sheets or rolls. Though the number of stamps produced in sheet form often outnumbered the rolls, the rolls were more common for everyday use. Hence, a premium for used horizontal pairs (which could only come from the sheets) but not for used vertical pairs (which were common because of the rolls).
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 26, 2013 2:52:26 GMT
What are the cutting edge fellows doing? Using 3.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 25, 2013 14:03:55 GMT
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 24, 2013 4:13:13 GMT
I probably would have given them permission had they asked and/or included an attribution. But when they choose to rip-off my content without asking, it becomes a matter of principle.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 24, 2013 3:42:09 GMT
If you run your own stamp website, beware of Stampworld. They lifted hundreds of images from my site without permission and have yet to remove them despite my requests.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 19, 2013 17:13:07 GMT
Cons: 1. It's kind of hard to rip the double stick tape with the backing paper on it. 2. When moving a stamp, the tape stays behind on the page and not on the mount. This is good if you're tossing the page. But if you're re-positioning the mount, you risk the tape going across the split back opening. 3. It's a little slow going, cause you need to put the tape on the back of the mount and then you need to peel the backing paper off. Andy, I've found that the mounts stay securely attached with only a small strip of tape across the top (I cut the tape into strips 1/3 the width of the roll). This also helps avoid getting anywhere near the split back opening unless I'm doing a massive repositioning. To get the tape to come off with the mount more often, I apply the tape first to the page, then peel, then firmly apply the mount. On a side note, that's also part of the reason my stamp boxes are doubled -- the inner border is the same size as my mounts, allowing me to perfectly position the tape on the page, then perfectly align the mount.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 19, 2013 16:51:17 GMT
HOGWASH! With over 300,000 stamps in my collection. I've tried everything. Yes, you need scissors to cut the tape which makes it another step and then have to worry about it folding over on it's self and then aligning it to the mount. Oh yes that is much faster than just taking a swipe with a glue stick. I've tried both, and the tape is far and away the better choice. The adhesive is perfect -- not too sticky, not too light -- allowing you to perfectly position the mounts, and allowing you to remove and reposition them without leaving any residue on the mount or the page (and often without even having to replace the tape). It takes a few seconds longer to apply than glue, but the flexibility it gives you is unmatched.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 19, 2013 2:25:17 GMT
The tape is thicker than regular Scotch tape, but I wouldn't describe it as "thick". It's about twice as thick as regular Scotch tape.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 18, 2013 17:37:54 GMT
Tape allows me to move the mounts around as needed. If I need to redesign a page, I don't even have to remove the stamps from their mounts. If I miss in aligning a mount, I can just pull it off the page and re-stick it.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 18, 2013 15:21:49 GMT
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 18, 2013 2:42:02 GMT
The Scotch tape is far wider than you need to adequately secure a mount. I typically cut the length I need off the roll with a pair of scissors, then cut that piece into thirds horizontally. A roll will also go a lot farther that way.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 17, 2013 8:11:21 GMT
One of my favorites from Germany.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 17, 2013 4:25:37 GMT
Scotch makes an acid-free double-sided tape that works really well for securing mounts. It's designed for archival work and scrapbooking, so that's often where you can find it in stores.
It has a very light adhesive, so it's actually possibly to remove the mounts for repositioning, etc., without damaging the mount, stamp, or page. I have pages where the mounts were secured using this tape 15 years ago, and I can still remove the mounts and reposition them without a problem, often even reusing the same, 15 year-old strip of tape.
Just make sure you get the acid-free.
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