The Pigeon Post Worldwide.

Pigeon Post

I had taken some out-takes from the British "Antiques Roadshow" BBC series
where a lady brought in from what I recall as the equivalent of The Victoria Cross for animals.
It was for a certain pigeon that made record flights over enemy lines.

I appear to have mislaid the captures.

Captured text,     (I get irritated posting text on stampboards, as one has to remove automatically inserted white space)



India 1989   (Orissa Police)



Values Circa 2010?

Pigeon Award     (CV £10,000 )
The Dickin Medal
This Dickin Medal was awarded to 'Cologne' - a brave pigeon who escaped a plane crash in World War Two and found his way home.

BBC   Antiques Roadshow     (And the most lovely Fiona Bruce)

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01j0hxr

I gather these values are from the Campbell-Patterson catalog. I used to think Scott's valuations were ridiculous. But what I see of other catalogs makes me think Scott is the soul of reason.

I just bought VP8 mint in a Mowbray auction (New Zealand). It has a pulled perf at the top. It also has no gum. I don't collect gum.



I paid NZ$40. That's a far cry from the NZ$250 listed in the catalog shot above. Is gum worth that much?



Recently, an Australian dealer advertised Belgium's 1932 Picard balloon set (Scott 251-253). According to his post, this is Stanley Gibbons 621-623. SG values it at £47 (US$73). Scott values this set at US$34, less than half of SG. The dealer was asking A$40 (US$29.50).

According to Stanley Gibbons, this was a helluva deal. I try to pay less than half of Scott. At that rate, his price was no deal at all. The dealer later lowered his price to A$30. But there is nothing on the post to show that it sold. That would still be several dollars too high for me if I wanted the stamps (I don't.).

This probably isn't a big issue for many collectors. But I've collected 99 percent of the low-hanging fruit for my collection. Today, I spend quite a bit for rarer stamps. A more advanced collector could go broke paying catalog values for expensive stamps.

I am in general alliance with your comments Ed.
I do collect gum (now), but I won't pay for gum.
Now I have mounts, I'll happily swap gum for badly hinged.

I try to be humble, and allow collectors to do what they deem fitting,
Market forces will always be the eventual arbiter.
From the slide into "perfect centreing" to the nadir of blocked stamps,
collectors who overpay, will not have an enjoyable hobby, in my view.

I am not sure, Ed, on the catalogue in question (2010 prices) I have 12 pages of that catalogue
downloaded from the vendor, (whom I cannot recall)  and not one page has the business name, or printer.  Sorry.

I am not a specialist as yourself, and can afford to be more strict on boundaries of price, as a worldwide collector.
My target is 25% of Scott or lower.
I bought two lots today 1/7th of scott, and 1/14th of scott, my main boundary however is my monthly budget for the hobby.

Herm Island Pigeon Post
Flimsy
Siegel Auctions 2010

Herm Island Pigeon Service, 1949.
Stamps issued in panes of eight,
Flimsy with stamp tied by "Herm Island 17 Jul. 1949"
circular datestamp to Blackburn, envelope with hole
at left for attachment to pigeon's leg and stamp tied
by "Herm Island 1 Aug. 1952" circular datestamp to
Guernsey, (prepared as a favor after service ended),
Extremely Fine, the service operated between late
May and Sept. 1949, making the flimsy a very scarce
item, pane and cover illustrated in Bofarull (p.134)

You are a Whizz , Jaysee.

Thanks, Jaysee.

Auckland City Stamps purchased Campbell Paterson on June 1, 2014. They are one and the same today. But that wasn't true in 2010. Rod's picture could have come from an Auckland City catalog, of course, but I think those are Campbell Paterson numbers. Of course, American dealers use Scott numbers and their own prices. So, maybe my assumption was wrong.

Auckland City still advertises their own catalog on their home page. According to the posts on Stampboards, the catalogs have different markets. Sounds like Campbell Paterson may be too big to horse around to shows, club meetings, etc.

By the way, it is Paterson (single T), not Patterson. Also, there is no hyphen. Otherwise, I spelled the name correctly!  My slapdash spelling will probably cost us the gold next year, Admin.

Rod: I confirmed this sale initially on Stampboards. I remembered the thread.

That is a fabulous Blog.  Thanks Jaysee.
Really well done by the webmaster.

Nice to see one of my scans used, (the Postmarks)
good to see information shared around the internet without image "watermarks"

A Pigeongram issued by Slovakia Post in 1996 to honour the upcoming Atlanta '96 Olympic Games. Postmarked Bratislava 26th June 1996. The Atlanta Olympics took place from 19th July to 4th August 1996.

Scan_20201024 by Daniel, on Flickr

Souvenir Pigeongrams from the London International Air Post Exhibition (APEX) 1934.

One used on the first day with a yellow hand stamp and one unused sheet. Jim and Amy Mollison, referred to in the Pigeongram, were aviation pioneers. Amy was better known as Amy Johnson and was the first women to fly solo from London to Australia. She died in 1941, possibly shot down by friendly fire, while flying for the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). Her body was never recovered.