What's in your Library?

jimjung, I assumed Rod was referring to Mr. Gibbons' inclusion in this book.
I hadn't read up to that part yet, but a quick look tells us that he 'engaged in certain practices not now considered completely reputable.'

In 1871 Gibbons purchased the litho stone of the 5 ct value o the 1862 issue from Argentina and proceeded to produce large quantities of unofficial reprints, and 'caused some of the figures of value to be altered to 10c and 15c in order to produce imitations of the complete set.'
The book continues that 'since originals of these higher values were printed from stones having a broad C in the CENTAVOS and the 5c plate acquired by Gibbons had a narrow C, the reproductions of the 10c and 15 must be considered forgeries.'

The intro of the book states that it uses the term 'forgery' in the broadest sense, and the way it is employed is synonymous with counterfeit, facsimile, imitation, reproduction, reprint-forgery ( a reprint tom an altered die or plate), fake or even bogus item. The author proposes that he is only presenting the facts and the reader can draw it's own conclusions.

Umm, he also mentions that Gibbons had 6 wives, though not at the same time, and, I assume he needed to pay support. But that's MY own conclusion.

...and yes, it was Edward.

Wow, that looks like a great find.  I have literature for Canadian RPOs so I have a habit of looking at the cancellation on older Canadian stamps.  Quite a fair percentage of stamps from the 1930s, for example, will have RPO cancellations on them - I don't know, maybe those were peak years for patronage of the post office on trains.  I don't think of it with US stamps, though, and in any case I can't think of coming across an American RPO cancellation before.  I'm sure there are a few lurking in my mountains of stuff but I'd hazard a guess that they're more common on my Canadian stamps.

Ryan

james, not sure if you're referring to the RPO or the Forgeries. For the RPO, the site for the Railway Post Office Study Group  has alot of info and links to Bookstore has moved. For the forgeries, Ken Pugh is the expert in Canadian Forgeries and his website is here. I believe Ken Pugh has some books also that you can search for at the Bookstore link.

Congratulations on joining BNAPS and welcome to the club. I have been a member for a few years and found it enjoyable and the Study Groups can provide help and contact with collectors who are very knowledgable in that specific area. The BNAPEX is coming up in September in case you wish to attend a Stamp Show. Remember you get a nice discount on books when you provide your membership number upon purchase.

Super! Zipper.

Wow!  now we shall come to you, for advice 
Nice one.

That little floral postmark near the "P" of postmarks, 
I only Identified that last year.

Billig's Philatelic handbooks

I have been discussing Billig's with a colleague,
I thought I would broadcast, for all members the contents............

Billig's Philatelic Handbooks, Volumes 1-30, by Fritz Billig. Contains in depth studies from various expert sources
about the arcane and obscure in the philatelic world, plus a tremendous amount information on worldwide stamps,
cancellations, locals, usages and additional information not found elsewhere. There are indexes every 5 volumes or
so (see scans of Volume 30 with index pages for Volumes 26-30) which makes locating articles of interest very
easy. 1944-1964, approximately 5,500 pages in 30 volumes, many are the revised and updated versions, hardcovers,
illustrated in B&W, in excellent overall condition from a private library. Size: 6" X 9"; requires about 21" of shelf
space.

PARTIAL CONTENTS BY VOLUME:
Volume 1, U.S. N.Y., Foreign Mail cancellations, Allenstein specialised listings, Angra specialised listings, Austria
and Lombardy Venetia, Danube Steamship Co. Hungary cancellations on Austria and first issues, Hungarian locals,
Western Hungary, etc., Russia airmail forgeries, Switzerland first issues specialised and Hotel Posts.

Volume 2, U.S. canc, Batum-genuine and forgeries, Belgium numeral cancellations, Luxembourg miniature sheet -
genuine and forgery, Standard Philatelic Dictionary.

Volume 3, U.S. disc, flower and single-letter canc A-D, World War I postmarks, Algeria parcel post stamps, postal
stationery and cancellations, Bosnia canc and postal stationery, France locals, numeral cancellations, specialised
balloon Monte Fr. Colonies and Morocco forgeries, Morocco locals.

Volume 4, U.S. anchor, diamond, figure, head and single letter E to G, skull and cross-bone canc, Australia
specialised catalogue and first flight lists and locals, lonian Is. pre-stamp postmarks, New Hebrides Co. Iocals,
Samoa express locals, Western Australia Coolgardie cycle locals.

Volume 5, U.S. 1893 Two cent Columbians, U.S. privately perforated coils, U S cancellations, handstamped
postmarks Maine, slant-serif postmarks, La Aguera, Andorra, Argentine Confederacy, Australia essays, Australia
historical and official first flights, Bavaria, Bermuda numerical postmarks, Brazil Empire cancellations, seals,
Cameroons forerunners, Canada postal stationery, Chile airmails, Congo cancellations, Cuba originals and
forgeries, Curacao, Czechoslovakia list, major plate varieties on first issue, Danube Steamship Co.

Volume 6, U.S. canc, Brazil cancellations, Danzig post offices, Elobey forerunners, Estonia post offices, Fernando
Po forerunners, Finland cancels, Fiume Arbe-Veglia, France cancels, Germany booklet panes, submarine and
telegraph stamps, German offices in China forerunners, Great Britain list of railroads using stamps, Hungary
cancels on Austrian stamps, Indian native states postal stationery, Ireland straight-line postmarks, numeral
cancellations, Italy advertising stamps, Kiauchau forerunners, Marianas, Marshalls, Mauritius postmarks,
Netherlands first issues, Poland post offices after 1918, Puerto Rico genuine and forgeries, Sweden specialized.

Volume 7, U.S. List of route agents, county and postmaster postmarks, shield cancellations, Argentine 1863-1909
specialized listing, Fiume specialised listing, France list of couriers convoyeurs, Wurttemberg specialized.

Volume 8, U.S. cross cancellations, Brazil cancels, Salvador airs, Sardinia post office Schleswig cancels, Spain
numeral cancels and miniature sheets, Spanish offices in Morocco, Sweden post offfices, Turkey cancels, Upper
Silesia post offices, Thurn and Taxis history, posts, postal markings.

Volume 9, U.S. cancels Brazil cancels, French Morocco airs, German Cols forerunners, cancels, German East
Africa forerunners, German New Guinea, German South West Africa, Hamburg cancel forgeries, Hanover post
offices Heligoland, Italy numeral cancels, Japan post offices, Norway plating the first issue, Orange Free State
numeral and letter cancels, Paraguay airs, Prussia numeral cancellations.

Volume 10, U.S. country and postmaster postmarks (180 pages, 90 of these illus) Brazil cancels, Philippines
telegraph stamps and postal cancels, Western Hungary.

Volume 11, U.S. railway cancels, Baden, Canada postbands and wrappers and list of railway post offices, Canal
Zone, Corfu airs, Curacao airs, Dutch Indies airs France 1863-71 lists and plating 20 cent Laure, French Sudan airs,
Funchal German offices in Morocco, Greece first issues specialized, airmails, Italian occupation, Honduras post
offices, lonian Is. airs, Italy airs and locals, Yugoslavia airs and locals, Lubek Fournier canc forgeries, Mecklenburg
Fournier canc forgeries, Montenegro airs, Netherlands airs, New Zealand - Great Barrier Is. platings, Oldenburg,
Reunion airs, Roman States and Parma Fournier canc, Saxony Fournier canc forgeries, Schleswig, Senegal airs,
Sudan airs, Thurn and Taxis forgeries, Wurttemberg forgeries.

Volume 12, U.S. year date, star and crescent, padlock, Jack-o-Lantern, rectangular canc, Baden numeral cancels,
Brazil cancels, Columbia Republic and Cuba forged cancels, Fiji post offices, France plating 1863 20 cent, German
post offices in Turkey, Great Britain postmarks and numerals, Hanover cancels, Newfoundland traveling post
offices.

Volume 13, U.S. cancels, reversed letters, multiple letters, arrow heads, Brazil cancels, Denmark numerals plate
varieties, Germany airmails, 19th Century locals Aachen to Bergedorf, Guernsey, Jersey, Channel Is., Honduras
Lempira airs, Romania 1858-1932 forged cancels, Philatelic Dictionary German-English.

Volume 14, U.S. Iistings 1847-95, cancellations circle, miscellaneous, Catalogue of Naval Postmarks Part 1, Brazil
cancels, Brunei, Burma, Labuan, North Borneo, Philippines-Japanese Occupation Issues Specialized Catalogue,
Prussia list of numeral canc, Album weeds illustrated, Afghanistan, Cuba, Dominican Rep.

Volume 15, Distinguishing characteristics of classic stamps of European countries except Old German States illus
(by H. Schloss).

Volume 16, U.S. numeral cancels 1 to 5, list of Minnesota post offices, Catalogue of Naval Postmarks Part ll,
Germany 19th Century locals, Berlin to Breslau, Japan prisoner-of-war mail 1914-18, Mexico district names on
first issues, Norway postal stationery cat. and list of numeral cancels, Roman States and Parma forged cancels,
Roman States post offices 1863, Sarawak, Straits Settlements and Malay States Catalogue of Japanese Occupation
stamps, Uruguay list of letter and numeral cancels, airmail 1926 plated, Wurttemberg post offices 1875.

Volume 17, U.S. cancellations, numerals 5 to 185, Catalogue of Naval Cancels Part lll, Bohemia Moravia catalogue
of German Occupation, Bahamas postmarks, Fiji list of post offices, Ireland slogan postmarks, Jamaica alphabetical
list of post offices, Japan scenery postmarks, first series, Prince Edward Is. cancels and catalogue, Trinidad and
Tobago postmarks.

Volume 18, U.S. canc funny face hearts, mask, pin wheel, Brazil canc, Canada airs and local lists, Cape of Good
Hope triangle listings, Christmas Is. German Empire specialized cat., 1870-1923, Rhuleben, Great Britain mobile
post offices, local lists college stamps, Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., Herm Island., India Scinde Dawk, Kermadec
Is., Lithuania list of OB, OST canc, Lundy Island. Handbook, Luxembourg Fournier cancellations, Mexico
Fournier cancels.

Volume 19, U.S. O.K. cancels, four point stars, Japanese Occupation in South East Asia (handbook by N. H.
Hedeman and R. Boekema ), Bavaria list of numeral cancels.

Volume 20, U.S. canc, five-pointed star, China mobile posts, Honduras study of 1922-23 provisionals, Mexico
Sonora issue, New Zealand advertisements on back, pigeongrams and airmails, Rhodesia Matabeleland, Russia
Wrangel.

Volume 21, U.S. star cancels, Australia World War ll postmarks, Egypt cat. of interpostal seals and airmail,
military stamps and postal stations, Great Britain triangle cancels, Blitz posts, Malta cancels, British New Guinea
forerunners, Papua listings, Spain railway cancels, Album weeds Costa Rica, Danish West Indies, Ecuador,
Guatemala, Haita, Honduras, Liberia.


Volume 22, U.S. cross road cancels, words as cancels, Brazil Amazonia locals, boxed cancels, Canada catalogue of
constant plate varieties, Cuba pioneer, national and historical flights, Germany oval railway post office cancels,
1945 locals forgeries, German field posts, Inselposts, Tunisia parcel stamps (Swastika and Palm Tree) forgeries
illustrated, ship post, India Chagai local, Scinde Dawk, Indian airways.

Volume 23, Rocket Mail Catalogue, Postal markings of the Allied Forces in Great Britain 1940-46, Iceland postal
stationery, Norway catalogue of by-posts.

Volume 24, Japan scenery postmarks, Norway supplement to the Postal Stationery Catalogue, Sweden private posts
to 1947, Album weeds illustrated Japan, Persia, Shanghai, color by Copeland.

Volume 25, U.S. Iocals Chesooncook Lake, McGreely, San Francisco bicycle mail, Wells Fargo, Germany 19th
Century locals, Breslau to Danzig, Indian airways Part lll, North West Pacific Is., Saar Cat., St. Lucia Steam
Conveyance Co., San Marino Cat., Sardinia cancellation forgeries, Spain cancel forgeries, South Africa commando
brief, Mafeking, Mount Currie Express, Natal, Witness, Pretoria, Surinam Cat., Thurn and Taxis cancel forgeries,
Transvaal Fournier forgeries, Tuscany Fournier forgeries, Trinidad David Bryce P.O., Uganda posts of George
Wilson, Uruguay airmail forgeries.

Volume 26, U.S. Naval cancels Part IV, Postal History of Delaware Pt. 1, U.S. railway markings 1861-90 Pt. 1,
U.S. registered cancels, Finland postal stationery 1917-54, Occupied Germany, Allied Forces in Great Britain, letter
seals, Jamaica temporary rubber stamps 1881-1946 by Nicholson.

Volume 27, Postal history of Delaware, U.S. rail markings 1861-62 Pt. 2, Antarctica by Morris, Rocket Mail Cat.,
Canada addendum to Constant Plate Varieties, Cook Is. postal history, Occupied Germany Russian Zone, German
War Stamps 1914-18, Gilbert and Ellice Is. postmarks.

Volume 28, U.S. post office in Maine, Canada war tax stamps, Denmark stamped envelopes, Germany World War
ll Occupation issues, German post offices abroad, Kermadecs New Zealand, Nauru by Morris, New Zealand Marine
P.O., Niue, Norfolk Is., Norway Crown and Posthorn postmarks, numeral ship postmarks North Cape military field
postmarks, first railway postmarks, postal stationery official cards of the railroads, Papua-New Guinea, Phoenix Is.,
Tokelau or Union Is., Zemstvo offices, Turkey used abroad locals, Prussian offices in Turkey.

Volume 29, French philatelic facts by Kremer - a study of early French stamps, history of postal rates, cancellations
to and including the Bordeau issue.

Volume 30, The Zemstov Gazetter, Turkey plating and canc, Turkey forgeries, Phantom Philately Pt. 1.

Billig's Volumes 34, 35, 7

Came away from my stamp club meeting last night with a huge boost to my library. Or a huge fire trap in my basement, I've not decided yet. There's a nice gentleman there who keeps offering to sell things to me. Mainly I think he's just trying to clean out his basement, and I seem to be his main target. I'm learning to say no, but...
For $10 he gave me a box full of back issues of The PHSC Journal, the journal of the Postal History Society of Canada. 132 issues in all, plus 2 indexes.



Includes a 1978 reprint of Vol.1 No.1 from 1972



Other issues run from 1980 to 2013, with years 1981 to 2012 complete.





You may not hear from me for a while!

I recently had the good fortune to win a five volume set of the American Air Mail Catalogue, fifth edition at auction on ebay. The hard-bound 5th edition was produced by the American Air Mail Society over the period 1974 to 1985. Accompanying the set was the 1990 pricing supplement.

Added this little booklet to my library today.
Published by the US Postal Service in 1904 outlining Domestic and Foreign Mail Matter - Classification, Conditions, Rates of postage.
Will it be helpful? Who knows, but it's pretty neat



Measures about 4.25x5.375 inches

Also picked up '100 Years of Canadian Stamps 1851 - 1951' by Ralph S. Mason, Ryerson Press, 1951
Plain hard cover, so no point in scanning.

So, my first thought, WHERE THE HECK IS SANABRIA -- I've never even heard of that country.

But I don't feel foolish because I figured it out before I googled it :-)

STICKER SHOCK..I was looking at a few publication I could probably use the cheapest was over $60 plus shipping,most of the others were twice that.Can't get a handle on that.If not sold to collectors they will rot away.In my eyes it's holding hostage information for ransom.

OHIO SALES TAX REVENUES: Stamps, Punch Cards, Tokens, and Related Memorabilia
by Monte Christo Dean

Limited Signed and Numbered First Printing of 100 copies (this one is #88).
439 Pages, Case Hard Bound, 8.5 X 11, 777 Photographs

Book is black and white, with a CD offered showing all of those pictures in full color. Thousands of auction prices realized and price estimates, scarcity and rarity listings, with the most advanced Ohio Sales Tax Stamp Identification Index ever created with 268 types and 641 major varieties individually specified. A short list of the topics covered in this book includes: Sales Tax Token Identification and Photo Index with details on Types and Varieties, Identification of Non-Conventional Merchant Punch Cards, Merchant Punch Cards, State Issued Punch Cards, Transitional Punch Cards, Checklists of Known Merchants, State Issued Specimens, Over Perforations, Shipping Boxes, Methods of Storage and Display, Subdivision of Major Group Types, Types, Varieties, and Minor Varieties, Index to Identification Success, Identifying Specimens, M&D, Hubbard, Witt, and ‘Chits’ Number Translations, Known Numbers of Ohio Sales Tax Stamps Printed, Denominational Production Numbers, Chronological Group Listings, Publications and Books, Printing, Production, Distribution, and Use of Ohio Sales Tax Stamps, Major Error Types, Reserve Scrap Printings, Stamp Pad Booklets, Columbian Bank Note Sample Books, Stamp Blocks, Strips, and Sheets, Rarity and Value of Stamps, Related Memorabilia including Collection Buckets, Counter Stamps, Dispensers, Merchant Envelopes, Merchant Bracket Cards, Merchant Invoice Receipts and Accounting Books, Merchant Signs, Political Brochures, State Issued Bracket Cards, Charge Plates and Treasurer Envelopes, State Rules and Regulations, State Issued Signs, and so much more.