hdm1950
Member
Posts: 1,636
What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Nov 15, 2021 16:58:44 GMT
That Hong Kong Coronation FDC with Stanley PO , illustrated a couple of posts above, has just gone crazy . I listed it on behalf of a neighbour at £4.99 starter ,which I thought was a reasonable price. Within a few days it was up to £21 which exceeded my best expectations. I thought we had done very well . Suddenly in the last hour as bidding ends, it rockets to £276. ………unbelievable! Wish it had been my own to sell. (As we have three other Hong Kong Coronation FDCs. ( different cachets) one with a block of the low value , also cancelled Stanley, all less than £10 ,this defies all logic.) I see there was a second run away. Well done. Every now and then this happens on eBay. I have had a few damaged porcelain items take off to that sort of money. I listed them hoping that I would get a bid rather than toss them in the dumpster.
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,295
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 15, 2021 17:30:35 GMT
That Hong Kong Coronation FDC with Stanley PO , illustrated a couple of posts above, has just gone crazy . I listed it on behalf of a neighbour at £4.99 starter ,which I thought was a reasonable price. Within a few days it was up to £21 which exceeded my best expectations. I thought we had done very well . Suddenly in the last hour as bidding ends, it rockets to £276. ………unbelievable! Wish it had been my own to sell. (As we have three other Hong Kong Coronation FDCs. ( different cachets) one with a block of the low value , also cancelled Stanley, all less than £10 ,this defies all logic.) I see there was a second run away. Well done. Every now and then this happens on eBay. I have had a few damaged porcelain items take off to that sort of money. I listed them hoping that I would get a bid rather than toss them in the dumpster. Yes two of the covers went stratospheric, with half a dozen serious Chinese buyers competing against each other .. The rest of the Hong Kong covers went at the sort of range I was expecting around £10-£15 which I feel was more reasonable.
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Mr. H
Member
Member - APS #129381
Posts: 939
What I collect: US, Netherlands, Whatever suits my fancy.
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Post by Mr. H on Nov 15, 2021 23:31:59 GMT
Spent a little too much at the Rasdale Auction on Saturday, mostly books and a small collection. Some for me, some to sell (this is how I finance my habit). I'm ahead for the year, even after this buy, just need to find the time to go collection.
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,147
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Nov 16, 2021 0:00:21 GMT
I have also been on a bit of a spending spree of late. My wife gave me an early birthday present...way early because my birthday is December 15! The gift was a $100 to spend as I see fit and I have seen fit to spend it on mainly stamps. Much of it has been purchases for my blooming topical collection but, today, I picked up some nice lots of classic Peru from a seller in Mexico. The images on eBay are too numerous to download and post but I feel I got a really good deal on both lots.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,665
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Nov 17, 2021 1:33:34 GMT
Somewhat low key day- corrected some typos on a couple of pages , and have reprinted what I think are the final versions! Started the revision on the next pages in the France Sage Type I stamps- most of which are margins and borders, having recently realized that those pages I printed at work come out a bit compressed compared to the ones I print at home - and I like the home printed pages better as it gives me a bit more room
Threw some bids out at a few stamps... will see- they are not necessarily stamps I need, but ones I do not have. All stamps starting at $0.01 so if I won them all it wouldn't be too painful LOL!
Tomorrow is a garden day.... damn rats are eating down my lettuce, parsley, spinach and beets! I'll be building cages to go over then raised beds.... in the past it's been a very minor issue, but must have a family of devoted vegetarian rats in the area!
Keep on stamping!
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brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Nov 17, 2021 14:22:36 GMT
I've opted to spend less time on here and more on my stamps.
I finally printed out 20 album pages of the DDR. Only 1-½ years worth! They printed out far too many & far too large stamps! But I am now on 1977. In a few weeks I'll be done. Using Album Easy is just that, and quick. Although I need to translate Michel due to Scott's sketchy translations, and research the stamps to see what they are really about. So that takes time.
Colnect is a pretty good source for stamp sizes, although their sorting leaves me wondering what's up with that! I had been logging in, but gave up & just use it as a guest. No issues so far doing that.
Today, a brief respite from that & get back in to Canada. An order arrived yesterday from Quebec, with the typical French pen scrawl cancel! But I'll be filling pages & printing out new ones for the stamps that arrived yesterday.
Peter
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brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Nov 17, 2021 20:35:54 GMT
Between one thing or another, it took me all day to get the Canadian stamps mounted. I had to print out a check sheet of two pages, double sided. Oh no! Now there are two pieces of paper stuck inside my Brother laser! But at least it will still print!
I had to check on some stamps for more information. This page though spoke for itself. I finally ended up with the top right two $1 Glacier stamps! Finally. It took long enough. Another page completed. Some people will tear off any selvedge on their stamps. I do too if there isn't anything there (usually!) but not with the $1 and $5 with part plate inscription. They'll stay put even if it does look a bit odd.
Now to relax in front of the TV.
Peter
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REL1948
Member
Posts: 584
What I collect: 1840-Pre-Decimal, GB and Colonies, 1840 1 penny reds, Postal Histories
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Post by REL1948 on Nov 17, 2021 23:10:24 GMT
Ascension Island
I've been thinking of collecting a new colony, namely Ascension, from KGV to QEII 1954. My intention this time around is to collect it used. The problem I'm struggling with is whether any used stamps I might find have been legitimately used on cover or instead are CTOs. I want to be able to tell the difference.
I have a reason for asking. Reading up on its history etc. nobody really lives there. "Officially, nobody is from there. The UK government denies the right of abode, turning Ascension's 800 or so British citizens - some of whom have lived on the island for decades - into temporary visitors. To enter, you must get the written permission of the Queen's representative, known rather chillingly as the Administrator."
BBC News, 19 April 2016
It's been occupied a number of times over its history by different military and government groups etc.etc. but where would used stamps come from in any quantities sufficient to feed the demands of decades of philatelists? Looking at the various sources, there's certainly no shortage of used Ascension stamps for sale.
I ran into a similar dilemma considering the stamps of the Falkland Island dependency of "South Georgia" decades ago. Lots of used stamps for sale but really; the 18 scientists that live on the islands would have to quit their day jobs just to lick that many envelopes.
Collecting CTOs just doesn't feel right to me personally. These stamps have NOT fulfilled their purpose postally, yet they wear the mark of usage and travel.
I'm also thinking the only practical way to verify usage will be on covers or if they have gum?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Rob
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hrdoktorx
Member
Posts: 6,650
What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
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Post by hrdoktorx on Nov 18, 2021 6:53:05 GMT
Yesterday I received a packet of Angolan stamps. Nominally 100 different stamps. About 20-30 of them were actually non-issued stamps from the year 2000, bearing the denomination of KZ 3,500,000 (it was a crazy inflationary time in Angola back then), but all rendered unusable by the monetary reform that took place at the turn of the millennium, after which the correct denomination was KZ 3.50. And the postal administration did not even bother to overprint them with the new value and circulate them, so they do not appear in my catalog. Just like in research, if it's unpublished, it doesn't count, as far as I'm concerned. The rest of the packet was your standard colonial period fare, in which I only found one stamp I was missing! (OK, and one other was a better copy than the one I already had).
So my question is, should I feel bad I wasted money on a useless pack or should I feel good that my Angolan collection is complete enough that standard packets don't bring anything new?
Of course, look out for the "real" Angolan stamps to appear in my next give-away, whenever it happens! It's not a question of if...
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blaamand
Member
Currently creating custom pages until 1940.
Posts: 1,459
What I collect: Worldwide - Stamps and Postmarks - not enough time...
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Post by blaamand on Nov 18, 2021 8:29:59 GMT
I am just like you REL1948. I am crazy about postmarks in general and hate it when the postmarks were not placed for postal purposes. Part of the problem for low-population areas like this is that even if a stamp has no gum and has sign of having been on paper, it would still most likely be from a philatelic cover/creation. A cover that had way too many stamps and was purely cancelled in favour, and wasn't even necessarily mailed. Such stamps are not 'postally used' either in my opinion, but will appear so. This is making it difficult! So for such areas I generally look for stamps that don't have the perfect well-centred postmarks, but rather the opposite - messy postmarks applied in a 'indifferent' fashion. If not I would rather have the stamps mint (than with a likely non-postal postmark).
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,390
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Nov 18, 2021 12:14:48 GMT
Nothing. But I need to finish my Machin pages. I got stalled when I was deciding how many varieties I wanted to include. I was trying to think of a clever way add later without having to redo. My goal has been to put them in chronological order but at some varieties trickle years later in it becomes complicated. I have been adding issue or first use dates to my database.
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djcmh
Member
Posts: 777
What I collect: Worldwide
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Post by djcmh on Nov 18, 2021 15:10:27 GMT
Colnect is a pretty good source for stamp sizes, although their sorting leaves me wondering what's up with that! I had been logging in, but gave up & just use it as a guest. No issues so far doing that.
What problems specifically are you having in terms of sorting items, Peter? Sorts are set by use of a drop-down menu at the top of the page, so for example if you want to sort a group of stamps by Michel code, set the drop-down menu to Sort by "Mi Code". You can also sort by things such as face value, issue date (the one I usually use the most) or any of the Big 4 catalogues (Michel, Gibbons, Scott and Yvert).
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brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Nov 18, 2021 17:00:04 GMT
Ah, I never noticed the sort drop down menu. I am just using the default settings. The single stamps of OK, But then pair, strips, souvenir sheets etc are at the end of the year. So I am going back & forth.
I just selected "issued on" and that's much better.
Thanks djcmh!
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,390
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Nov 19, 2021 11:49:42 GMT
It would be nice if there was a good tutorial video on how to get the most out of colbect.
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,295
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
Member is Online
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 19, 2021 13:11:05 GMT
It would be nice if there was a good tutorial video on how to get the most out of colbect. I’ve looked at Colnect, I started to try to add, but as a postal historian and specialist collector not involved world wide, I failed to see the point of it all so I walked away. just not for me .
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renden
Member
Posts: 8,737
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Nov 19, 2021 13:28:56 GMT
Today, going back to the Belgique classics as I received some nice space fillers from a California friend. Hope to have time tocheck the Indo-Chine stamps received from another friend.....n Norway - Busy day !
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djcmh
Member
Posts: 777
What I collect: Worldwide
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Post by djcmh on Nov 19, 2021 13:35:09 GMT
It would be nice if there was a good tutorial video on how to get the most out of colbect. I guess the questioning would ask is what are you looking to use Colnect for, since it has several uses : As a reference catalogue to identify items without lugging out the hardcopy catalogues As a reference catalogue that lists items not in the hardcopy catalogues you have As an inventory program to note what you have or what you need As a site to find others with whom to trade stamp with As for making videos there are a couple introductory videos on the Colnect website if I remember, and Tobben made a video that is linked in the Colnect thread here in TheStampForum. Probably best to take this discussion to the Colnect thread to continue, but as always post questions in that thread, or ideas on how to further improve the user experience.
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djcmh
Member
Posts: 777
What I collect: Worldwide
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Post by djcmh on Nov 19, 2021 13:41:14 GMT
It would be nice if there was a good tutorial video on how to get the most out of colbect. I’ve looked at Colnect, I started to try to add, but as a postal historian and specialist collector not involved world wide, I failed to see the point of it all so I walked away. just not for me . Advanced collectors likely will find less use for Colnect except maybe as an inventory source, but for very specialized elements would probably require adding additional listings, and in general Colnect limits itself to only listing catalogued varieties, so very specialized information found in monographs only is, at present, not really a focus. Though in future I would like to see Colnect become a source of information for variants ionly mentioned in monograps, at present the focus needs to remain on getting data from the main published catalogues included so that the base of the catalogue is solid, and there is still quite a ways to go to achieve that level.
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norsten
Member
Posts: 177
What I collect: Definitives from Western Europe, Swedish postmarks
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Post by norsten on Nov 19, 2021 14:17:46 GMT
I’ve looked at Colnect, I started to try to add, but as a postal historian and specialist collector not involved world wide, I failed to see the point of it all so I walked away. just not for me . Advanced collectors likely will find less use for Colnect except maybe as an inventory source, but for very specialized elements would probably require adding additional listings, and in general Colnect limits itself to only listing catalogued varieties, so very specialized information found in monographs only is, at present, not really a focus. Though in future I would like to see Colnect become a source of information for variants ionly mentioned in monograps, at present the focus needs to remain on getting data from the main published catalogues included so that the base of the catalogue is solid, and there is still quite a ways to go to achieve that level. One thing that I really think could add value to Colnect is to include information about soakability for the modern self-adhesive issues. For many countries I struggle to find comprehensive and reliable information.
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,295
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
Member is Online
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 19, 2021 14:19:59 GMT
Two advanced Dealers have been making a road trip round Scotland to fill a gap in collector opportunities to acquire decent items caused by the absence of fairs and big shows for 2 years due to Covid.
I went to their minishow , managed two sell two expensive items at a fair, but not overly generous price , but ended up buying 5 even more expensive covers ,more suited to my collections.
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Post by biglavalamp on Nov 19, 2021 19:45:59 GMT
It would be nice if there was a good tutorial video on how to get the most out of colbect. I came across this video on YouTube and it led me to for the first time have a almost complete inventory of my stamps online and the stamps I wish to collect and swap I have since swapped stamps with several people successfully from Australia ,Slovenia ,Ukraine,Spain and Portugal. Its not a in depth video of Colnect but more of how Colnect suits this individuals needs.
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tobben63
Member
Stamp eat sleep repeat
Posts: 1,866
What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Nov 20, 2021 12:41:56 GMT
It would be nice if there was a good tutorial video on how to get the most out of colbect. I came across this video on YouTube and it led me to for the first time have a almost complete inventory of my stamps online and the stamps I wish to collect and swap I have since swapped stamps with several people successfully from Australia ,Slovenia ,Ukraine,Spain and Portugal. Its not a in depth video of Colnect but more of how Colnect suits this individuals needs. Thanks for linking my youtube Colnect ideo. It was made fast and easy. I plan to make shorter videos showing 'how to' on different things on Colnect, = how I do it.
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tobben63
Member
Stamp eat sleep repeat
Posts: 1,866
What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Nov 20, 2021 12:44:57 GMT
I have decided that I don't want to collect Faeroe and Greenland. Listed all my stamps from Faeroe on Colnect, 612 items. Have a look at my Colnect shop, over 10000 stamps for sale!
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Post by jimwentzell on Nov 21, 2021 2:16:13 GMT
Oh where does the time go? A couple of weeks since my last post (US Civil War covers) and I barely find time to check in here, I'm sure I'm missing some great posts and hopefully will catch up soon. Meantime just a quick note on attending a stamp show (Stamp Dealers' Association of Georgia) where it was nice today to see some old friends/dealers Roy, Jared, Bill, and some new faces too. Seems the pandemic has made hermits of us all, but still a decent turnout. I spent a very small amount today (offsetting some British Commonwealth purchases--mainly Australia KGV's and a Great Britain Wing Margin stamp or two--by selling some older Canadian postal history to my friend Jared from Alabama. He in turn keeps an eye out for those unusual older covers that strike my fancy. From Roy (most folks around here know Mr. Delafosse) I always get a story with my stamps--in this case a few early Ryukyu Island stamps. Roy should really write a book, it seems the old (mostly true, I think!) philatelic fables from yore will be lost forever unless someone puts pen to paper to chronicle the interesting stamp stories.
I'm always hesitant to repeat too many details of most of the stories I hear, as the persons involved are often still alive and kicking, and, if true, the lessons learned by all would likely embarrass some collectors/dealers/family members.
It's especially rewarding hearing "mentoring" type stories, usually of budding young dealers learning "the ropes" from more established (ie older, and usually wiser) seasoned dealers/collectors. Maybe that's a topic for another thread; I've had two stamp mentors I really grew close to, and learned a lot from. Unfortunately, both passed away some time ago.
It's funny though, one person's mentor might be another person's nemesis. I learned that years ago when I casually mentioned I looked up to (and helped with show setups, etc.) a local Atlanta dealer who passed away many years ago. Just a few years ago I mentioned I knew "Stan" (not his real name) well to a well-known dealer in a certain foreign popular asian collecting area. You'd think I was colluding with the devil himself! I never knew there was such vitriol (and more than likely, a bit of competitiveness and envy) between "Stan" and the Asian dealer.....it seems it happens all too often as well among, other dealers. It was difficult to reconcile my fond memories with some of the allegations.
Don't people realize it's sometimes better to not say anything at all about someone, if they can't say something nice?!?!?
Oh my, time for bed but I will post some more scans soon, just wanted to clear my head (and maybe mess up some of yours?!?!?)
--Jim
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Post by jimwentzell on Nov 21, 2021 2:34:29 GMT
Oh yeah, I was shown a fantastic (expensive) early Canada collection....replete with all the Queen Victoria Jubilees (well-centered and nice cancels!) but what really caught my untrained eye were a couple of WWI era "War Tax" stamps overprinted diagonally, which I'd never seen before. They're not Scott-listed, but I did spot these similar stamps on Colnet. Wondered if a Canada collector could enlighten me and maybe others as to their provenance (Are they provisionals? Relative scarcity or value?):
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REL1948
Member
Posts: 584
What I collect: 1840-Pre-Decimal, GB and Colonies, 1840 1 penny reds, Postal Histories
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Post by REL1948 on Nov 21, 2021 9:19:14 GMT
Hello jimwentzell, MR2B and MR2Bi* (as listed in the Unitrade Catalogue) were issued on April 15th, 1915 in the War Tax series.
The 5¢ to 50¢ values were overprinted "WAR/ TAX in two lines and released on February 12, 1915. These were intended for fiscal use, the tax on postal matter being only 1 ¢. A few were postally used. MR2B is Relatively scarce, depending on condition, MNH, centering, etc. Range is $150-400 (Canadian).
MR2Bi* Overprinted "INLAND/ REVENUE/ WAR/ TAX" in 4 diagonal lines. Relatively scarce, depending on condition, MNH, centering, etc. Range is $100-300 (Canadian).
Rob
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stanley64
Member
Posts: 1,838
What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Nov 21, 2021 9:21:26 GMT
A work in progress...
Plate 2, with its deep blue-green ocean shade, is currently known to have an issue release date of 01 january 1899 and is rather striking stamp even 125+ years later, Plate Position 2A3 - 1898 Canadian 2¢ Imperial Penny Postage Issue
Happy collecting!
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,295
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 21, 2021 9:59:58 GMT
Hi Vince stanley64 , best wishes with your plating exercise . You are making progress ,but , with 100 cliches to find , I don’t envy your task . My plating exercise for SAMOA Express is hard enough and they were only printed in tiny sheets of 10! I have a friend who studied the early 3 ore Orange posthorn of Norway . He said as he progressed through thousands of examples to find new positions , the first Fifty were easy , but then it got harder ,until finally it took 5 years to get from 99 to 100, the missing piece of the jigsaw. “May you live long and prosper!”🖖
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,390
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Nov 21, 2021 12:12:09 GMT
I had seen tobben63's nice video. I will post some observations in the Colnect thread. Part of it is trying to drill down to what you want to see quickly.
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,295
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
Member is Online
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 21, 2021 13:55:49 GMT
Having just acquired a 1855 Crimea War Cover, I have spent a couple of hours rewriting one page of postal history into two completely new pages to accommodate it in my collection. It means scanning , checking the layout on A4 copy paper , adjusting the layout then when satisfied Printing the finished page and mounting four related covers into the pages. I am exhausted !
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