darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
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What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 15, 2020 1:18:54 GMT
I have been on a bit of a buying spree lately. I bought four Chile collection lots which I have been going through, cataloging and mounting when I find a stamp I don't have. And I also went a little wild (for me) and purchased an on-paper kiloware mix. I have not purchased one in quite a while but I thought it would be a lot of fun to paw through it and see what showed up. I thought we could do this together. My intention is not to critique the seller or the mix. I will be looking at Scott Catalogue values for what I received and will ultimately tally that at the end just to see what it looks like. I really don't care if there are too many definitives, or too many dupes, or too many ctos, or too many damaged stamps or if it is too this or that or not enough this or that. It is all good to me. I will however take a look at what I got overall and put my thoughts down here. Then I will break it down by country and look at what I received, what is interesting, look at the Scott value, and look at cancels and postal markings and just enjoy looking at what was in the envelope. I probably won't do any soaking at this point but might change my mind along the way. Let's start by giving you the details. The mix was purchased on eBay from Swan Philatelics and it was advertised as "WORLD STAMPS ON PAPER! 4-OUNCES! FREE SHIPPING". My total cost was $9.99 plus 6% Michigan state sales tax. After purchase on August 8, it was stated the lot would arrive sometime between August 31 and September 5. It actually arrived today, August 14 which gave me that twitch of excitement when I found it in our mailbox this afternoon when I came home from work. This also means that I have time to sort through it all weekend! Yes! Here is further, more detailed description from the eBay posting: YES! A real unsorted mix of WORLD stamps on paper ! This mix has old & new issues, large & small as gathered by European Missions! This is our WOR-3 mix. You probably will not find a better mix at this unbelievably LOW price!This 4-OUNCES NET Weight (we DO NOT include the packaging in the weight!) lot of on paper stamps (albout 350 stamps!) will have a HUGE catalogue value! (Probably over $125.00!!) Scarce stamps seen in every lot.
The scan is the of a handful out of a large box. What you will receive comes from this large box.
The scan is representative of what you will receive. As this is a kiloware mixture, there will be duplicates included. Approximately 100 stamps per ounce.The envelope that arrived in my mailbox today looked like this:
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 15, 2020 1:40:35 GMT
I have bought enough mixes like this to know what to expect when I initially pull the contents out of the envelope. Waiting a while between kiloware purchases has benefits however. If you are a definitive collector like me you find a lot of new-ish to newer definitives that may not be part of your collection. I noticed for instance, in this lot, the ubiquitous Machin definitives tended to be newer stamps that I may not necessarily have. It always seems that I find more obscure denominations from various definitive series. This is likely because much of this postage was used for international mailing and there would be greater use of high value stamps from definitive series of the various countries represented. I also noticed a lot of stamps from one of the newer France Marianne definitive series which are, again, under-represented in my collection and I immediately saw some spaces will be filled I truly believe this was an unpicked mix. For the most part the stamps are not close cut and there is a wide variety of countries represented. Some of the stamps in the mix are from countries that are not often seen in kiloware mixes.
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darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 15, 2020 1:55:44 GMT
The first thing I did tonight was a rough sort by country. Here is a breakdown, in no particular order, of the countries represented in this lot: United Kingdom United States Canada Australia France Germany East Germany Jersey Guernsey Ethiopia Malaysia Turkey Hungary Trinidad and Tobago Malta Cyprus Greece Switzerland Hong Kong Tanzania Italy Mexico Sri Lanka India Spain Rwanda Argentina New Zealand Zimbabwe Czech Republic Moldova Transnistria Poland South Africa Norway Denmark Sweden Singapore Republic of China (Taiwan) Romania Thailand Pakistan Belgium Austria Luxembourg Israel Gibraltar Isle of Man India Ireland Netherlands Philippines
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tobben63
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Stamp eat sleep repeat
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What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Aug 15, 2020 3:13:04 GMT
This will be interesting. I will follow.
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,653
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Aug 15, 2020 7:23:17 GMT
Very nice idea for a thread, Darrin ( darkormex).... thanks for starting it. I also like what you are doing here and will plan to follow your adventures through the mix. I really enjoy mixed lots myself, but as a classics collector, kiloware lots don't work very well for me, as there is generally very little pre-1940 material in there. So, I will see what one is like vicariously through your reports. One of my favorite book authors has written that: The act of creation lies not in making something from nothing, but in making order from chaos. This is not the actual quote, but my paraphrasing of it from memory. I think I have transcribed it correctly in essentials. So, to my author's way of thinking, sorting through mixed lots and sorting/organizing the contents and ultimately putting some of the stamps into a collection is an act of creativity, which is an idea that I really like. I never thought of myself as a particularly creative person, but perhaps my penchant for sorting through mixtures and organizing the stamps qualifies as a more creative act than I had ever imagined. So, bravo, Darrin! Your kiloware project can be viewed, at least by me, as an act of creativity, and for that, I applaud you. I will follow your posts with interest.
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angore
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What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Aug 15, 2020 10:58:24 GMT
This is a key aspect of the collecting gene. Some are good at thinking of new things but others are better at making them happen.
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Post by spain1850 on Aug 15, 2020 12:16:25 GMT
Great idea for a thread. Reminds me of the "Kichen Table Philately" feature I use to read in Linns.
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darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 15, 2020 13:57:15 GMT
spain1850, that was along the lines that I was thinking too but I wasn't into the idea of evaluating what the seller sent me in a critical way. I am more of a mind to just look at what is in the packet for the sake of the enjoyment of collecting. I have already given the seller positive feedback because I am happy with what I received as is.
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Post by spain1850 on Aug 15, 2020 14:37:11 GMT
spain1850 , that was along the lines that I was thinking too but I wasn't into the idea of evaluating what the seller sent me in a critical way. I am more of a mind to just look at what is in the packet for the sake of the enjoyment of collecting. I have already given the seller positive feedback because I am happy with what I received as is. I agree. I was never interested in what the values were, from the articles. It was more of a way to collect while looking through someone else's eyes, or peering over their should to see their methods. Of course, you had to use your imagination more while reading the articles. Here, it can be more visual, as you have shown, and more people can get a sense of your collection and collecting methods.
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darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 16, 2020 2:05:23 GMT
I am starting with the countries in the mix where there are just 1, 2 or only a few items. The US, UK and France represent the majority of the stamps in the mix and I will spend time on those much later. I chose these two stamps on-piece from Pakistan as the first two to take a look at. These are both from the series of definitives issued in 1963, Sc. no. 134a and Sc. no. 136a, which are re-drawn designs of the earlier 1961 issue. There was a correction to the Bengali inscription with the issuance of the 1963 set. The stamps depict the Shalimar Gardens, Lahore. The stamps also happened to be postmarked in the city of Lahore, province of Punjab. Unfortunately there is no legible date that I can see. I had a bit of a debate in my head as to whether it should be soaked off paper or left on piece and it will probably get soaked as the postmark is so incomplete. These stamps used to be very common in mixes. It is surprising to only find these two here. Nonetheless I have always liked these stamps and you can see below I have made an effort to complete both sets. .75 It is too bad that the 10 paisa, brown is from the later re-drawn issue because I would have like to fill the space on my Pakistan pages from the earlier issue. You can see those empty spaces below. I have the 1963 re-drawn set, used and complete. I am going to tally the total Scott Catalogue value of the stamps in this kiloware packet along the way because I can't help but be curious. That is the number you will see next to the scan of the stamps. The catalogue I am using is the 2016 set. And, yes, I realize that is not a realistic value or selling price, but I want to tally it nonetheless.
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darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 16, 2020 2:36:26 GMT
Have you completed your set of Philippines, Mt. Pinatubo Fund postal tax stamps (Sc. nos. RA1 - RA5) issued in 1992? Well, I haven't and when I saw this one come out of the pile I was hoping it would fill a space but, alas, I already have it (RA1) and there don't seem to be any perf, color or other varieties so it will get soaked and go into a stock book until I trade it or give it away. One thing that I thought was interesting is that this stamp seems to have been affixed to an envelope that had already been printed with a meter. Would it be the case that this postal tax would have been required even for meter postage? $1.00
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darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 16, 2020 22:53:29 GMT
Poland, despite being a prolific issuer of stamps during the cold war era, is a country for which I have mainly classics and some of the post WWII issues from the 40s and 50s and then a number of definitives from later decades. This is the only Polish stamp in this lot and it comes from an attractive set issued in 1964 which was issued to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Polish People's Republic and depicts commerce and industry of Poland at that time. The stamp below is Sc. no. 1255 and depicts a sulphur mine in Tarnobrzeg. The stamp is not on paper and still has almost full gum except for a spot on the back where a hinge used to be, so it is likely CTO. Only a small portion of the cancel is on the stamp so there is no additional information there. This stamp will go onto my stock pages with other Poland and await the day when I have, perhaps, the full set and can print a page and mount them. $1.25
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darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 16, 2020 23:23:56 GMT
I am a crazy worldwide collector and won't throw any stamp away but over the years I have focused more on some countries than others. Singapore is one that I actually had a fairly nice collection built but more than several years ago I traded it away for an China collection. I did, however, hang on to a partial set of definities I really liked depicting insects. I had given them to my son who started a stamp collection when he was young. Unfortunately he lost interest and never really got hooked on it. The only two stamps from Singapore are from this insect set and depict a damselfly. This is the 5c denomination from the large insect set issued in 1985. The cancel shows the country name and a possible date of August 5, 1990. It looks as if the full cancel strike is not there because additional text showing the specific post office location is cut-off and it is possible the date is the 15th or the 25th. The stamps seem to be in good condition and I will soak them off and add them to what is left of my accumulation of Singapore stamps on a stock page. These will be dupes for me but I will hang on to them for later trade or giveaways. $1.75 Again, a very attractive set of stamps. Here is what I have on my stock pages. I am missing the .50c and the $5 and $10.
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darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 16, 2020 23:58:41 GMT
I have a rather extensive collection of South African stamps. Modern stamps after 1980 or so are not on album pages and on stock pages. Since 2007, South Africa has been issuing strips of 5 stamps paying various International Letter rates and all depicting various types of South African birds, Owls, sea birds, etc...I love bird stamps and this is one of the more attractive worldwide issues. The stamp below adds to these various sets of stamps that I have been accumulating over the years and I am happy to have acquired it. No postmark with date and location only the wavy ink lines cancel the stamp. This stamp is from the strip of 5 issued in 2014 depicting Endangered Birds and is Sc. no. 1528a the Damara Tern. $4.35 Below are the stamps that I have from the various strips of 5 issued since 2007.
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 17, 2020 0:43:16 GMT
I was surprised to find a larger catalogue value on the below stamp than expected. This is Sri Lanka Sc. no. 698A and is the 60c overprint of the original 50c base stamp which is Sc. no. 611, depicting Parliament and the Wheel of Life. My Ceylon collection is quite extensive, however, after 1972 when the country changed it's name to Sri Lanka I do not have many stamps. This will be welcome, especially given the catalogue value of $4.00 used. The stamp seems to be in good shape despite being still on paper. The almost socked on the nose cancel looks like it was mailed from Colombo, the capital, on December 2, 1984. $8.35
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 17, 2020 1:54:58 GMT
Trinidad & Tobago is another country where I can count the number of stamps I have on my fingers and toes. This stamp, Sc. no. 266 is from the set of paintings by Trinidadian artists issued in 1976 and depicts Corbeaux Town by Cazabon. The stamp was postmarked on December 31, 1979 (there seems to be a smaller number 8 beside the 9 in 79 that I am unable to explain. Does anybody know what this additional number is?) in the town of Siparia on the south coast of the island of Trinidad. Is there a premium for stamps postmarked on the smaller island of Tobago I wonder? This stamp will be soaked and added to my meager collection from that country. $8.95
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darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 17, 2020 2:04:37 GMT
This will be the last stamp I post tonight and it is also from a stamp issuing entity of which I have very few stamps, Gibraltar. A series of flower stamps was issued in 2004, which strike me as being very attractive. It is worth going to the stampworld.com page for Gibraltar, 2004 to view them as the stamps are gorgeous wildflowers, apparently native to the country. Apparently additional values were also issued in 2006 which are also quite striking. I will keep my eyes out for these and hope to complete the set. The Sc. no. is 983. Again, to be soaked and put in stock. $9.20
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Beryllium Guy
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Aug 17, 2020 9:58:23 GMT
Trinidad & Tobago is another country where I can count the number of stamps I have on my fingers and toes. This stamp, Sc. no. 266 is from the set of paintings by Trinidadian artists issued in 1976 and depicts Corbeaux Town by Cazabon. The stamp was postmarked on December 31, 1979 ( there seems to be a smaller number 8 beside the 9 in 79 that I am unable to explain. Does anybody know what this additional number is?) An interesting find, Darrin. I think that the character after 79 is a "B" not an "8". Here is a close-up view: While I feel confident that it is a B in the CDS, I do not know what it means or why it is there. I did do a brief web search on Trinidad postmarks, but that didn't lead anywhere. Perhaps some other member might know? Hey, Ryan , you're a good mystery solver, what do you make of this? Any ideas?
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,335
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Aug 17, 2020 10:24:59 GMT
darkormexThis issue had two printings so two different varieties of each.
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Aug 17, 2020 10:40:54 GMT
darkormex, Beryllium Guy . It is the Letter "B" Used as an indicator of the desk/ duty clerk where the handstamp was used (in case there is an enquiry about loss damage or delay it would help Inspector identify the user) It is a kind of unusual position for the ID slug . i This is the more usual style for GB colonies and Commonwealth with the double ring handstamp , Sometimes a code letter A, B, C, or * (or a time slug) found above the date but it serves the same function
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darkormex
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Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 17, 2020 10:52:23 GMT
Beryllium Guy, yup, I see it. That is definitely a B. vikingeck, thanks for the additional information. That is a useful bit of knowledge. angore, what stamp are you referring to?
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,335
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Aug 17, 2020 11:01:06 GMT
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 21, 2020 2:23:49 GMT
So here is a puzzle. This looks a bit like a label or, perhaps, a first generation self-adhesive stamp issued by the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. It has a year date of 2000 on it with the name of the region and a letter designation for what looks like the denomination of the stamp. It features the Moldavian SSR flag rather than the Moldovan flag even though the country became independent of the Soviet Union in 1991. The cancel looks legitimate in the sense that it is not CTO but there perhaps is not enough of it to determine this for sure and there is no legible date or location. Of course, I looked in Scott and found nothing and also looked at the Russia catalogue on Stampworld.com and found nothing. I also have a 2003/04 copy of the Michel Osteuropa catalogue and found nothing in the Soviet Union or Russia pages. Is it a legitimate stamp or a cinderella? I am going to give it Scott minimum value of .25c until I know more. I would be interested in hearing more about this stamp. $9.45
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tobben63
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Stamp eat sleep repeat
Posts: 1,866
What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Aug 21, 2020 3:44:40 GMT
Can't find it on the Moldovia 2000 on Colnect.
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Post by daniel on Aug 21, 2020 4:20:10 GMT
So here is a puzzle. This looks a bit like a label or, perhaps, a first generation self-adhesive stamp issued by the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. It has a year date of 2000 on it with the name of the region and a letter designation for what looks like the denomination of the stamp. It features the Moldavian SSR flag rather than the Moldovan flag even though the country became independent of the Soviet Union in 1991. The cancel looks legitimate in the sense that it is not CTO but there perhaps is not enough of it to determine this for sure and there is no legible date or location. I would be interested in hearing more about this stamp. This is Transnistria or Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, ПМР). It is a breakaway state from Moldova. It has some autonomy but is not internationally recognised and therefore not part of the UPU. Its post is routed through Moldova.
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tobben63
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Stamp eat sleep repeat
Posts: 1,866
What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Aug 21, 2020 8:06:39 GMT
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 21, 2020 11:35:25 GMT
tobben63, and there it is! Thank you daniel and tobben63, for helping identify this. My gut says I should not attempt to soak this off paper and I will probably leave it as is.
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 22, 2020 13:16:58 GMT
Ethiopia is one of those African countries that nobody collects after 1940 it seems. Which is odd because they have a relatively conservative stamp issuance policy and the stamps issued are relevant to the country. Looking through the pages of the Scott Catalogue, I think there are some attractive stamps. To me, modern stamps of Ethiopia are an overlooked collectible area. That said there was only one stamp from Ethiopia in the lot I purchased. This is Scott no. 1738, the high value of a set of 4 stamps issued for the Eradication of Rinderpest in Ethiopia in 2009. In case you were unaware, Rinderpest is a viral disease of cattle that has been eliminated since 2001. There is more information here: Rinderpest. This stamp in particular commemorates Dr. Alemework Beyene, monument to Dr. Engueda Johannes, veterinarians. This stamp is, unfortunately, damaged and has a purple, illegible postmark but I will likely still soak it off and keep it to add to the few Ethiopian stamps I have with the idea that I will get one to replace it. Scott gives the set of 4 a value of 65c so I will convert that to a hypothetical value for this single stamp, were it whole and in good condition, of 16c. $9.61
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 22, 2020 18:02:53 GMT
Speaking of African countries with conservative stamp issuance policies...Botswana is a country that I actively collect and they have some beautiful stamps and sets. There is one stamp in the lot from Botswana and from a 6-stamp set issued in 1984 for the International Civil Aviation Organization 40th Anniversary, Scott nos. 349-354. It also happens to be a stamp I need for my collection. The stamp from this set is Sc. 350 depicting a Westland Wessex and with a denomination of 10 thebes. The postmark has the country name at the bottom of the circle and a date of November 20, 1984. The "84" is barely legible and blends in the design in the background. I have been unable to identify the town or city name except for a partial name of "tleng". Any help with this would be appreciated. I did a cursory glance over the Google map of Botswana and also looked at a list of city and town names on Wikipedia. $10.01 This stamp will be place midway down the page in the rectangle that says 10t!
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 23, 2020 2:25:43 GMT
Let's keep going on African countries with Zimbabwe. This one is from the first definitive series after the name change from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. Thematically the set includes minerals and gems, animals and the many waterfalls that dot the country. The stamps were issued in 1980 and Scott nos. are 414 to 428. This particular stamp is the 11c Lion, Sc. no. 420. Unfortunately the stamp is cancelled with wavy bars but no CDS appears on the stamp or remaining paper. $10.26 I only have one other stamp from this series, the 9c Black Rhinoceros.
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