Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 19, 2024 21:56:16 GMT
"Danzigging" in HawaiiGreetings, stampers everywhere! I hope this post finds you all as well as you can be. As I write this, I am sitting in Honolulu Airport waiting for our flight back to California. It has been an easy-paced, relaxing vacation these past 10 days, and it even included a bit of stamping! My wife and I typically take two types of trips: the ones where the idea is to play the tourist and see as many sights as we reasonably can and the ones where we just want to get away from work and the routine of our daily lives and relax and take it easy. This trip was the latter type, so of course, I brought a small stamp project with me, just in case I had some time on my hands and a suitable place to do some stamping. Photo taken yesterday of my Danzig sorting project. I brought a small stock book in which to organize the stamps, and most of those shown above in various envelopes and cards are now in the book, pretty much in Scott Catalogue order. I still have a couple more cards of stamps to complete, but hopefully, I will be able to get those done this week back home. This project has been "in progress" for a long time. I am using quotation marks there because there has essentially been no progress since we left the UK back in Nov-2022 to move back to California. It has been more of an exercise in procrastination than anything else. As I was trying to decide which little project to bring with me on the trip, I considered a few possibilities, but in the end, I settled on this long-languishing case in the hope that I could get it out of its extended state of stagnation! I think that the sorting is about 60-70% done based on this latest effort, but I still need to do some watermarking to have it done properly. The light in the hotel room wasn't very good for watermark ID work, so I sorted as best I could without attempting that aspect. I will also need to do some soaking, as many of the stamps have hinge remnants, which will make watermark ID difficult. I would like to take this moment to thank Terri ( philatelia), who sold me her Danzig accumulation 2-3 years ago, and that is where much of what you see above came from. I also received gifts of Danzig stamps from Stan ( stainlessb) and Rene ( renden) over the past couple of years, and their contributions are also in there somewhere. Thanks to all who have helped me with these, as I do like the issues quite well. Now I just need to decide on the cut-off date and put the collection together. For the moment, our flight home awaits. Stay stampy, all!
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 18, 2024 22:17:04 GMT
I am thinking about entering an exhibit based on my reprints. Never done this before, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your post, Mark. Have you read the last issue of the TSF Newsletter (v8.3) by any chance? If not, you may want to, because we had an excellent article from a first-time exhibitor in there, which was John ( greaden). I feel sure that he could comment on this. The Newsletter v8.3 issue is located here for download: thestampforum.boards.net/thread/11599/current-issue-volume-apr-2024In addition, I know for sure that Alex ( vikingeck) and Jeff ( JeffS) both have experience in exhibiting, and in Jeff's case, judging exhibits, too. They may also be able to comment in response to your post. As for me, I have marked the dates for this show in my calendar, and I will keep them in mind, just in case I can manage a trip to NZ! Boy, I would love to come to visit the country and attend a stamp show, too!
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 18, 2024 21:49:01 GMT
TSF Newsletter, v8.4 Still Looking for SubmissionsGreetings, everyone: This post is just a gentle reminder that the official deadline for the TSF Newsletter, V8.4 is approaching, just a couple of weeks from now (Monday, 3rd June). I have a couple of articles in hand, but still looking for others. If you are planning to submit an article, please either make a post in this thread, or contact me by PM to discuss. Since I have some articles already well in advance of the requested date, that gives me good flexibility with the deadline. So, if 3rd June is a bit too soon for you, please let me know, and let's work out another date later in the month. The idea is to have the issue finalized by the end of June, so there is still plenty of time to work with. If this would help you to make a submission, please let me know. Stay Newsletter stampy, all!
Edit: I also forgot to mention that I am still looking for one more Assistant Editor. This is not an onerous job; it only takes 2-3 hours once every three months to review the Newsletter in draft form and point out typos or mistakes or suggest any changes before finalizing for publication. Anyone interested?
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 18, 2024 21:31:15 GMT
Thanks for your post, Alejandro ( confiligrana ) It looks like a very nice stamp, so assuming it is genuine, congratulations on that! As for the markings on the back, I pretty much agree with Rod ( rod222 ). I think that the -J- TIMBRE POSTE is a dealer's mark, and I think that the initials in the corner look like an owner's mark more than an expertizer's. Just my opinion. There is a thread for worldwide stamps with markings on the backs here: thestampforum.boards.net/thread/2347/markings-on-backs-stampsShown there is a fairly comprehensive bunch of all sorts of markings on the backs, everything from dealer and expertizer marks to other impressions that may have been on the paper even before the stamps were printed (maps, currency, etc.). Personally, I think your stamp is much more interesting on the front, as this may even be the first post of an image of a stamp issued by Buenos Aires on the Forum. Bravo! I don't think these markings on the back are of importance in this case. Again, just my opinion and others are welcome!
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 15, 2024 0:57:03 GMT
Nice one, rod222, pointing out the difference between these two very similar stamps. I have yet to sort and organize my holdings of Chile, but when I do, I will be sure to look for the arabesques on these. Quite interesting! Thanks again for your informative post.
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 14, 2024 18:22:44 GMT
Thanks for your post, Alex ( vikingeck). Since I made the previous post, I have had another message from the eBay seller, and he told me that the shipment was fully insured, so he will indeed be compensated for his loss. I am at least glad to know that. Interestingly, he has taken the step of contacting the APS and sending them high-resolution images of the two stamps in case they are sent in for expertizing or listed for sale somewhere. He thinks that in case it would turn out to be an incident of theft within the USPS, the stamps may show up again somewhere in the US. Personally, I am not investing too much emotion in it, but I am hoping that the envelope simply fell under a table or a bin or something, and that one day it will be found and sent along to me. I realize that is likely to be a low-probability outcome at this stage of the game, but who knows? Maybe, I'll get lucky! As far as the theft aspect goes, I will revert to my old favorite version of Occam's Razor: So, I tell myself it is more likely mislaid or dropped somewhere than stolen. We shall see....
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 14, 2024 17:48:21 GMT
contact the post office, with the tracking info and that it has been in LA for 4 weeks- I had something similar and voila, it showed up a week later. though I have noticed mail has gotten (again) slower.... Just wanted to post a follow-up on these two seemingly lost eBay items. One item surfaced after about a month of no updates, and I have received it. The other item, most unfortunately, has had an official enquiry through Royal Mail to the USPS, and it seems to have disappeared. USPS says that they cannot find it at the LA International Sorting Center, where its tracking shows that it arrived back on 1st April. No trace of it has been found since. When I tried calling the USPS Customer Service line myself, they told me that the only recourse was through Royal Mail. The eBay seller has been excellent throughout all of this, and I really feel bad for him. He has now given me a full refund, and he is out the stamps to boot. This is the first time that this has ever happened to me on a tracked shipment. What a bummer.... the packet contained two beautiful Cape Triangles, and I am very disappointed. Who knows? Maybe one day they will just appear in my mailbox, and I will happily, nay joyously, pay the seller again. But for now, that's the story. Stay stampy, all!
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 14, 2024 0:24:09 GMT
Thanks for all the replies. I will hang on to it. Found other triangles too, but they're reprints, have South Africa written on them. Good for you! I think that's an excellent choice. Monetary value is not the be all and end all for items like these. Especially since you have inherited them from your wife's grandfather, that certainly adds an element of connection that will matter more to you and your family than anyone else. Anyway, glad to hear that you will keep these. Just for fun, I took your original image, and I used it to perform a "digital repair" of the torn-off corner. This is not a seamless repair, but at least it gives you a general idea of what the original may have looked like. By the way, the triangles of this same design inscribed South Africa rather than Cape of Good Hope are genuine postal issues from South Africa, not merely reprints of their COGH predecessors. If you are organizing by country, they should be part of the Union of South Africa, which started in 1910.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 13, 2024 20:29:10 GMT
Thanks for your post, gmstamps I hope you don't mind, but I have moved your post and the responses from the SA thread to this one, which is dedicated to Cape Triangles. When I see an item like yours, it makes me feel regret that something that was once clearly very nice is no longer so. Shame on whomever did that dastardly thing! I tend to keep all Cape Triangles that come into my possession, even the damaged ones, as they may still serve some useful purpose, but I don't usually display those as part of my collection. So, in this case, I would tend to agree with Alex ( vikingeck ) that this rather heavily damaged pair would have low monetary value. I think that when it was intact, it was a full-margin, postally used pair of COGH SG19a 4-pence blues, with a fairly woolly print clarity, a nice example of a De La Rue printing of these stamps. It would have been worth a few hundred dollars in today's market, particularly because of the full margins. These days, I do see on eBay that even damaged Cape Triangles are still generally worth something, so I would not throw these in the bin. If you wanted to sell them, I think the most you could expect would be a few dollars (or equivalent) due to the obvious damage. Just my opinion. I have used damaged stamps like these for soaking studies, and they could also be used for other research purposes, such as color shade comparison and quantification. Thanks again for posting!
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 4, 2024 22:33:26 GMT
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 27, 2024 15:11:24 GMT
Back Home After a Week Away Maybe a Little Stamping Today....Greetings, stampers far and wide! I hope this post finds you all happy and doing as well as you can be. I have been in Tennessee on business travel from Sunday through Thursday, and I am still a bit in recovery mode after all that. The good news: before leaving on the trip, I was able to clear my desk, which included a fair amount of stamps that I had pulled out. Thanks to an unexpected and amazing gift from my dear friend René ( renden), I was inspired to get my classic Canada collection organized. I have some nice early Canada, but I just never took the time to organize and display them properly. That is now underway, and I should be able to post some images soon. I also received a nice eBay purchase of some official stamps from Hawaii, which has completed my set. The less-than-good news: I made two other eBay purchases from sellers in Europe back in mid-March, and those have still not arrived. One from the UK had international tracking on it, and it was received in Los Angeles on 1st April, but no movement since then. The seller told me that he thinks it's being held by U.S. Customs for further inspection. Hmmmm....... Ah well, not much I can do about those items that haven't arrived. I just hope they will get here in the not-too-distant future. Still trying to decide if I will have any time for stamps today, as this weekend is an alumni open house at a nearby college where my wife went to school, and she really wants us to attend some events over there. I could opt out, but as I have been gone all week, I should probably agree to go. Stay stampy, all!
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 19, 2024 17:23:38 GMT
Greetings, all: rod222, khj, and philatelianick2302 has now provided an image. These do not look like the SOAR types that have been described. Any comments to make about these?
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 15, 2024 15:31:07 GMT
nick2302Thanks for your post. As you have not uploaded an image of the stamps in question, we can only guess that when you state "fairly modern," you are most likely referring to self-adhesive stamps? If so, I was able to find this thread in another online stamp community, which does have some images of stamps of Ireland: stampbears.net/thread/5739/when-soak-stampsIt appears that at least some Ireland self-adhesives are not water soakable, similar to US self-adhesives. Our most knowledgeable member on Ireland on TSF is probably Terri ( philatelia), so I will tag her, but she is currently having health issues, so I don't know if she will be able to respond quickly. I will also tag khj, who is the leader of the other stamp community, in case he can offer further advice. Hope this helps a little.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 10, 2024 17:08:01 GMT
Out & About in San DiegoGreetings, all! This is just a short post to explain my low level of participation in the recent days. My wife and I are on a short trip to San Diego this week, returning home tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. This past weekend, I did a major clearing of my desk, which felt good to get done before our little trip. It was a combination of both philatelic and non-philatelic items that had piled up while I was preoccupied with other things. Before leaving I sent off a small package to Stan ( stainlessb ) for some upcoming color shade work. I am also working with Hugh ( hdm1950 ) on a little transaction that I should be able to finish up tomorrow when I get home. Sorry for the delay, Hugh! Ok, that’s it for now. Stay stampy, all!
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 8, 2024 15:21:34 GMT
Oleksandr-GermanyThanks for your post. I think that the overprint reads “5 Para 5”. That would mean it is from Great Britain Offices Abroad. Perhaps Offices in Turkey or Levant? I just quickly checked a catalogue, but the overprint doesn’t seem to match any in the listings. Hmmm…. Perhaps the red is not an overprint but rather an auxiliary marking that ended up on the stamp. vikingeck: can you comment?
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 4, 2024 5:03:52 GMT
Many thanks for your post, Xavier ( hrdoktorx). I gave it a "like" but that was to acknowledge its impact, not because I am happy about what you have had to report. It is a sad day, indeed, when another stamp shop has to close its doors. It sounds like you had a good run with this dealer in Germany, and I am glad for you and for him. I have had similar experiences, but of course, those are becoming less frequent with the passage of time. Brick-and-mortar shops are simply too costly to maintain when dealers can do almost everything online nowadays. I understand and accept the practicalities of that, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. I started this thread back when, because I knew then as I still know now, that the days of the traditional stamp shops are numbered. That's why I value each and every one of those places while they are still around, and I patronize them whenever I can. I want to contribute to their survival for as long as I can, even though they are, as the saying goes, "a dying breed." I am glad that you had a good 20+ years with your dealer!
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 2, 2024 2:42:35 GMT
Thanks for your post, Darrin ( darkormex) I don’t think that the writing is in French, despite the inclusion of the word “je.” Looking at the accent marks, I am guessing it is either written in Czech or Slovak. That would also make sense because what later became Czechoslovakia would have been part of Austria-Hungary at the time. I don’t know if we have any members who speak Czech or Slovak, but anglobob is knowledgeable about Austria-Hungary town names, so perhaps he can comment.
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 1, 2024 5:31:29 GMT
Just posting to give this thread a bump, as I found a pre-existing thread on the same subject, so I have merged them into one. Stay Napoleon III stampy, all!
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 31, 2024 16:50:15 GMT
Very nice stamp, Xavier ( hrdoktorx).... I congratulate you! The bluing looks great. It's a very sharp print, too, with unobtrusive cancel. It's nicer than the one in my collection!
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 27, 2024 17:03:05 GMT
Just giving this thread a bump, too, now that the latest issue of the Newsletter is available for your reading enjoyment. We have added a word puzzle for the first time (to my knowledge), and we have three first-time contributors in stamphinger, greaden, and daniel, as well as returning contributor cursus. Many thanks to all of you for these fine articles! It was a privilege to include them in the issue. Also, many thanks to REL1948 and tomiseksj for support with reviewing and editing the draft before final publication. In that regard, we still have a vacancy for another Assistant Editor, and I would love to have someone step up. The task only takes a few hours once a quarter, just reviewing the layout and articles before publication to suggest revisions. If anyone is interested, please PM me. Stay Newsletter stampy, all!
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 27, 2024 16:23:29 GMT
Just giving this thread a bump now that the latest issue of the TSF Newsletter is available.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 26, 2024 4:42:51 GMT
Just giving this thread a bump to show the post that ponso1 originally made in the DWI thread, but it seems a better fit here, and it revives an old thread that needed some attention! Edit: As an added thought, it seems to me quite unusual that U.S. Customs Inspected Baggage stamps would end up affixed to a cover. Does that seem unusual to anyone else, assuming that the primary purpose of these stamps (labels) would be to affix them to baggage?
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 25, 2024 5:44:41 GMT
Thanks for your post, Darrin ( darkormex ) I will try to work on this more tomorrow, but just a quick (and perhaps interesting) observation is that the card appears to have been addressed to someone in a beer hall (Bierhalle Knopf). I will tag a couple of members who may be able to respond more quickly than I can on the rest: salentin cara PostmasterGS scub
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 25, 2024 5:31:49 GMT
xacs: I checked the Scott Catalogue, and there is definitely an imperf Napoleon III issue like this, French Colonies, Sc7. As the CV is much less than that for one of the Rothschild Re-Issues, it is highly probable that you are right about this. Thanks again for reminding me about these French Colonies imperfs. John ( greaden): Can you tell from looking at the earlier post if the stamp in question has a French Colonies cancel on it? As I think more about this, I recall that the dealer in Aix used to tell me that it was often possible to tell a French Colonies from France issue by looking at the cancel. Looking forward to further comments. Thanks, all!
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 25, 2024 4:07:40 GMT
Thanks for your response, xacsI forgot about the French Colonies issues. That’s an excellent point. I will check the catalogue. Thanks again!
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 25, 2024 3:26:34 GMT
Napoleon III 1c EMPIRE FRANÇAIS Imperforate Issue ID Confirmed as French ColoniesBelow is the image of a stamp that I bought when I was living in France in 2018-2019. I don't recall much about the acquisition, except that I got it from the same dealer from whom I bought most of my stamps at the Saturday market in Aix-en-Provence. Imagine my surprise when I went to look this stamp up in the catalogue a year or so ago, and I noticed that this issue is normally supposed to be perforated. Edit: Thanks to xacs and hrdoktorx, this stamp is now confirmed as a French Colonies issue rather than France. French Colonies, Sc7 1c Olive Green Thanks again to those who responded quickly to help me with correct ID of this stamp as French Colonies instead of France.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 25, 2024 3:03:48 GMT
France, Napoleon III Issues, 1852-1870 Arranged on Hagner Stock SheetI realize that I have been remiss in not posting in these classic France threads for quite some time now, as I do have a few relevant examples. I have nowhere near the depth of material or expertise of other members, but here are my main Napoleon III issues. I am still missing a reasonable number of these, but I try to fill the gaps when I can find stamps at good prices. Row 1: France, Sc10-11, inscribed REPUB FRANC Row 2: France, Sc12-15, inscribed EMPIRE FRANC (color-shade variety IDs not attempted) Row 3: France, Sc18-19, inscribed EMPIRE FRANC Row 4: France, Sc22-23, 25-28, inscribed EMPIRE FRANC (perforated) Row 5: France, Sc30, 33-36, inscribed EMPIRE FRANÇAIS (perforated) Row 6: France, Sc37, "5F" filled with Light Blue
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 24, 2024 16:53:17 GMT
Please select your favorite article from this issue by checking the box to the left of its title in the poll above.
Please Note: You will not see the poll if viewing posts using the "Recent Posts" function—you must navigate to the poll's thread to make your selection.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 24, 2024 2:52:21 GMT
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,674
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 23, 2024 15:23:45 GMT
Stampy Saturday, HopefullyHello, everyone! I hope all are doing well (or at least as well as can be). I am finally catching my breath this morning after a busy week at work and with some stamp trading activities. I have managed to get a few things done recently: - TSF Newsletter, V8.3 is now fully laid out (!) and in final review/ editing.
- Finished going through an extensive early Angola trade lot (see photo of acquisitions below).
- Put away some 1940s-1950s China and Republic of China (Taiwan) trading stock after soaking.
- Went to the PO and sent off one batch of trade lots to my partner.
- Scanned more country headers from an old 1901-1910 era stamp album (I reprint these for my own use).
Today, I need to tidy up some odds and ends still hanging around the desk, and I will need to soak some of the Angola shown below. These all came out of an old, mounted collection, so lots of hinge remnants in the bunch. I should also mention that thanks to Vince ( stanley64) and his helpful posts about the Cape Verde Ceres forgery I traded him, I checked the Angola Ceres stamps shown below for forgeries. The 10E value looked good to me, so I took it in trade. I also examined the early Portuguese Crown issues, and those checked out, too! It was a happy day that I didn't find any obvious forgeries in there. Stay genuine stampy, all! Note: some stamps are upside down simply to differentiate them as ones I already had when accounting for which ones I took in the trade!
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