the world’s best philatelic magazine january 2018

TM
MAGAZINE

Rhodesia’s Celebrating the

iconic view of royal wedding
Victoria Falls anniversary

Royal Mail ships

Tales of
triumph
and tragedy
on the high
seas, from
the exclusive
RMS club
www.stampmagazine.co.uk £4.50
ColleCting gRoup

George V postal history French

Collecting polish
covers from The finest
the 1912-34 engravings
definitive of Pierre
series Béquet
 Faroe Islands Stamps
Special issue engraved by Martin Mörck

Seabird Fowling in the Faroe Islands

Available as of 26th February 2018, this stamp
issue illustrating seabird fowling in the Faroe
Islands is designed and engraved by Norwegian
master engraver Martin Mörck.

The waters around the Faroe islands are rich in

fish, whale and seal. Bird cliffs, promontories,
islets and precipices are nesting places for many
species of seabirds. It is therefore not surprising
that coastal fishing and fowling were a significant Issue date: 26.02.2018
part of traditional Faroese working life. Value: DKK 54,00 ~ EUR 7.26

Buy these stamps at www.stamps.fo

Masterpieces from the

remote Islands in the North

Visit our multilingual webshop: www.stamps.fo

Posta Stamps, Óðinshædd 2 Tel. +298 346200

FO-100 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands stamps@posta.fo
Selling your stamp collection?
Warwick and Warwick have an expanding requirement for world collections, single country collections, single items, covers,
proof material and specialised collections. Our customer base is increasing dramatically and we need an ever-larger supply
of quality material to keep pace with demand. The market is currently very strong for G.B. and British Commonwealth and
the Far East. If you are considering the sale of your collection, now is the time to act.

FREE VALUATIONS
We will provide a free, professional valuation of your collection,
without obligation on your part to proceed. Either we will make
you a fair, binding private treaty offer, or we will recommend
inclusion of your property in our next public auction.

FREE TRANSPORTATION
We can arrange insured transportation of your collection to our
Warwick offices completely free of charge. If you decline our
offer, we ask you to cover the return carriage costs only.

FREE VISITS
Visits by our valuers are possible anywhere in the country or
abroad, usually within 48 hours, in order to value larger and
valuable collections. Please phone for details.

ADVISORY DAYS
We have an ongoing programme of advisory days, in all regions
of the United Kingdom, where you can meet us and discuss the
sale of your collection. Visit our website for further details.

We will be visiting the following towns within the next few weeks:

Cannock, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Darlington,

Harrogate, Evesham, Plymouth, Exmouth, Rayleigh,
Colchester, Derby, Trowbridge, Swindon, Shrewsbury,
Leicester, Northampton, Taunton, Weston-Super-Mare.
EXCELLENT PRICES
Because of the strength of our customer base we are in a
position to offer prices that we feel sure will exceed your
expectations.

ACT NOW
Telephone or email Ian Hunter today with details of your
property.

Warwick & Warwick Ltd., Chalon House, Scar Bank,

Millers Road, Warwick CV34 5DB England
Auctioneers and Valuers Tel: (01926) 499031 • Fax: (01926) 491906
www.warwickandwarwick.com Email: ian.hunter@warwickandwarwick.com

Get the experts on your side! /warwickauctions @warwickauctions

 TM
MAGAZINE

WeLCOMe
in this issue
On hearing the news that stanley
Gibbons’ much-trumpeted investment
division has gone into administration
(see page 8), many wise old philatelists
will have whispered ‘i told you so’.
Old-school collectors instinctively distrust the
promotion of stamps and postal history to the
wealthy as investments, and there are several very
good reasons for this.
it might bring new people into the hobby, but they
are not here for the love of it, merely to make more
money. it might boost the theoretical value of our
own collections, but that can be an illusory effect, to
be reversed as soon as portfolio managers see
better prospects in art, property, gold or antiques.
in short, an influx of investors is more likely to
prompt a boom, but also more likely to end in a bust.
Philatelic bubbles have burst before, as many can
remember only too clearly.
so if Gibbons’ investment schemes are consigned
to history, as currently appears likely, not too many
tears will be shed at stamp club meetings up and
down the land, but there will be concern about what
it all means for the future of the market, and
therefore the future of the hobby.
Fortunately this is the failure of one investment
arm of one stamp dealer, albeit the most famous
one. stanley Gibbons itself is trading normally, and
there should be no contagion.
Of course, the parent company has not been 52 How a simple certificate from an expert committee can really make your day
making money in recent years. But then, as the old
saying goes, the best way to end up with a small
fortune is to start gambling with a large one.

Guy thOMas, editor 8 WORLD NeWs

guy.thomas@mytimemedia.com Stanley Gibbons’ investment
division in crisis, and our pick of
the new issues worldwide
stamp Magazine, My time Media Ltd, suite 25, eden
House, enterprise Way, edenbridge, kent tN8 6HF
(please mark correspondence either ‘editorial’ or ‘advertising’)
14 AuctiON HigHLigHts
Stunning lots from Great Britain
to New Zealand and from Finland
Art Editor Publishers to the Ryukyu Islands
Alexandra Bourdelon My Time Media Ltd
Tel: 01689 869840 (UK)
14 Hot property in the auction rooms
Advertisement Sales Consultant
Jay Jones Tel: +44 1689 869840 (rest of the world) 20 gB NeW issue
jay.jones@mytimemedia.com Printers Full details of the miniature sheet
Overseas Advertisement Sales William Gibbons & Sons Ltd
Uty Rohrs marking the Queen and Prince
Tel: 020 7834 0085 Subscriptions Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary
My Time Media Ltd, 3 Queensbridge,
Commercial Sales Manager
The Lakes, Northampton NN4 7BF, UK
Rhona Bolger
rhona.bolger@mytimemedia.com
Tel: 0844 243 9023 (UK)
Tel: +1 866 647 9191 (USA & Canada)
22 gB cOLLectOR
Subscriptions Manager Tel: +44 1604 828748 (rest of the world) The last collectables of 2017 and
Kate Hall help@stamp.secureorder.co.uk a first look at the special stamp
Chief Executive
Owen Davies
Current & Back Issues programme for 2018
Tel: 01733 688964
ISSN 0307-6679 www.mags-uk.com
28 LetteRs
USA Stamp Magazine, ISSN 0307-6679, is published monthly by MyTimeMedia Ltd, Suite 25 Eden
House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF, UK. The US annual subscription price is 65GBP How pen cancellations can be
(equivalent to approximately 108USD). Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air
Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. desirable and how philately can
Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: send address changes to Stamp make you inebriated
Magazine, Worldnet Shipping Inc, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA.
Subscription records are maintained at CDS Global Ltd, Tower House, Sovereign Park, Market
Harborough, Leicester, LE16 9EF, UK. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.
35 tALkiNg pOiNt
The success of The Postal
Museum depends on more than
just fun rides on Mail Rail 20 Royal Wedding nostalgia

4 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 COntents
jANuARy 2018 | Volume 84, number 1 | www.stampmagazine.co.uk

40 Myriad postal usages of the King George V 1912 definitive series 129 Cast adrift by mutineers, rescued by a postage stamp

94 Why Royal Mail ships stand tall in maritime history 90 Best of Béquet 49 Rhodesia’s classic Victoria Falls design 102 A towering theme

FeatuRes 49 cOMMONWeALtH COMPetitiOns

cLAssics
The Imperial dream which inspired
40 king george V Rhodesia’s 1905 issue depicting Win a Christmas
postal history Victoria Falls presentation pack!
The definitive series in use from Or a copy of our
1912-34 saw war and peace, the 90 gReAt eNgRAveRs GB price guide!
rise of airmail and many changes How Pierre Béquet progressed
see page 37
in postage rates. So there is no from designing French colonial
shortage of interesting postal stamps to a classic Marianne
history to collect
102 gB tHeMes ‘Stamp-on-stamp-on-stamp issues
52 pros & cons of Castles were one of Britain’s
expertising earliest stamp themes, and sound quite impractical, but it’s
When should you submit a stamp palaces were not far behind
for expertisation? Who should you my mission to hunt them down’
send it to? What kind of scrutiny 112 WHAt’s ON
will it receive? And what kind of Exhibition, auction, fair and society
see page 29
outcome should you hope for? dates for your diary
suBsCRiBe
94 life & times of 129 stRANge But tRue
royal mail ships Captain Bligh had a traumatic life
Since the first transatlantic mail and afterlife, until a postage stamp
take advantage of our
contract was awarded in 1840, came to his rescue special subscription offer
the RMS tag has bestowed extra and have Stamp Magazine
kudos on any vessel. But for delivered to your door.
every legend of derring-do there NeW issue guiDe see page 108
is a tale of disaster We are unable to bring you New Issue
Guide this month due to illness

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 5

 CORINPHILA – YOUR CONS
WILL BE IN THE BEST COMPA
O U T S TA N D I N G R E S U LT S ! T H E C O R I N P H I L A N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7
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* incl. buyer‘s premium, currency exchange rates correct in November 2017

CORINPHILA AUCTIONS – A TRADITION OF SUCCESS

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and an international customer base with strong purchasing power
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 IGNMENT
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 WORLD NEWS

Stanley Gibbons’
investment arm goes
into administration
The division of the Stanley Gibbons Group which markets Prior to going into administration, SG
investment products was placed into administration in November. (Guernsey) was offering a choice of three
Stanley Gibbons (Guernsey) is reported to have £12.6m-worth of investment options: the Premium Portfolio
stamp stock but liabilities of up to £65m, largely due to its Builder (minimum £10,000), the Fixed Term
‘buy-back’ scheme which guaranteed investors at least 75% of the Collectibles Plan (minimum £15,000) and
catalogue value of their stamps at the end of a fixed period. the Flexible Trading Portfolio (minimum
Although these guarantees have not been offered to new £25,000). Bespoke schemes were available
customers since mid-2016, pre-existing guarantees remain valid, for those with more than £1m to invest.
and are a huge liability preventing the division from making a profit.
The role of the administrators is to sell off the division’s assets
and pay its creditors, so this particular avenue of activity appears to
be over for the 161-year old stamp dealer.
The Stanley Gibbons Group stressed that other parts of its
business are ‘ring-fenced’ from the investment division, and are
trading normally. However, the company, which is in the midst of a
restructuring exercise, revealed last month that it was in default on
its banking facilities.
Gibbons remains one of the world’s most respected stamp
dealers, but its investment division has long been controversial in
the philatelic world, criticised for appearing to offer risk-free
schemes to people with little understanding of the market. ABOVE: Stanley Gibbons Investment sponsored powerboat racing in Guernsey

Vatican issue depicts leaders Charles and

of the Protestant reformation Camilla visit
Vatican City’s stamp commemorated
commemorating the 500th
anniversary of the Protestant by Malaysia
Reformation, issued on
November 23, risks offending Malaysia issued a pair of 1rm stamps
some Roman Catholics by portraying Prince Charles and the Duchess
depicting Martin Luther, the of Cornwall to commemorate their visit to
man who prompted the the country in November.
fragmentation of Christianity. There was also a miniature sheet with a
The €1 design shows Luther single 6rm stamp depicting the royal
and his fellow theologian Philipp couple together, and the issue was available
Melanchthon kneeling at the in a special folder noting the 60th
foot of the cross as Jesus is anniversary of bilateral relations between
crucified, with the German city Malaysia and Britain.
of Wittenberg in the background.
Luther is holding the Bible, the basis of his faith, which he controversially translated into
German for the first time, while Melanchthon holds The Augsburg Confession, his written
presentation of the principles of protestantism.
The Reformation is considered to have started on October 31, 1517, when Luther nailed his
95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, criticising the mercenary practices
of the Papacy and challenging its doctrinal supremacy.
Wars between Catholic and Protestant countries, and religious persecution within
countries, cost countless lives during the 16th and 17th centuries. However, Pope Francis
has supported joint Catholic-Lutheran commemorations of the Reformation.

8 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 world News AUCTIONS | GB COlleCTOr | leTTerS | COMMeNT | COMPeTITIONS | feATUreS | Q&A | eVeNTS | NeW ISSUeS | STrANGe BUT TrUe
Guernsey’s Christmas news in brief

set evokes nostalgia > The digital

archive of the late
Ted Proud has been
donated by his
Guernsey’s 2017 Christmas family to the Royal
issue has echoes of Great Philatelic Society
Britain’s popular 1973 set, London. It includes
electronic editions
illustrating the traditional of his 68 books on
carol Good King Wenceslas. the postal history of
It tells the story of the the British colonies
legendary Bohemian and unpublished
data from colonial
monarch who braves the
postal authorities,
harsh winter weather to which will be made
give alms to a poor peasant accessible online.

Canada stamp on St Stephen’s Day,

December 26. > Stanley Gibbons
has published a new
recalls Halifax Many of the seven
images are directly
Finland & Sweden
catalogue (also

explosion comparable to the six of

1973 (which were never on
including Aland), at
£27.95, and a 6th
edition of its St
sale in Guernsey), for
Helena, Ascension
Canada has issued a stamp marking the example showing the King & Tristan da Cunha
100th anniversary of the Halifax explosion, looking out of his window catalogue, at £17.95.
thought to be the biggest man-made and consulting his page
explosion in history prior to the detonation boy, the pair leaving the > Mayfair Philatelic
Auctions, the new
of the first atomic bomb. castle with alms and venture launched by
The design illustrates the collision struggling through the Tim Francis and
between the French munitions ship snow and wind, and the Rick Warren after
SS Mont Blanc and the Norwegian-flagged King instructing the page Apex Philatelics
was acquired by
relief ship SS Imo in Halifax harbour, Nova to follow his footprints.
Stanley Gibbons,
Scotia, on December 6, 1917, and a However, the designs will hold the first of
contemporary newspaper cutting with the have a vertical rather than its regular public
headline ‘Halifax wrecked’. horizontal format and they auctions at Lingfield
Igniting high explosives caused a blast additionally quote verses Park Racecourse in
Surrey on March 4.
which devastated the city. Some 2,000 from the carol. E-mail: info@
people were killed by debris, fires and The equivalent set for mpastamps.com
collapsing buildings, 10,000 injured and Alderney illustrates The
25,000 left homeless. Holly & The Ivy. > RMS St Helena,
the ship which
supplies the remote
Atlantic island of
Hollywood glamour St Helena, is now
expected to be
retired in February,
in the Antarctic having been briefly
pressed back into
service due to
A stamp issue from the British Antarctic Territory offers problems getting
portraits of famous female film stars, but this is not your the island’s new
airport operating.
average money-spinning thematic set.
Painted Ladies features murals of Diana Dors, Jane Russell, > A new book,
Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren which were painted on the Bahamas Stamps &
walls of the bunkroom at Bransfield House on Base A in Port Postal Stationery to
Lockroy, the first permanent military and scientific base to be 1970, edited by Peter
Fernbank, has been
established on the Antarctic Peninsula. published by the
Created by a diesel mechanic, Evan Watson, in around 1960, Royal Philatelic
two years before the base was closed, they were painted over Society London,
in the 1980s but rediscovered during a restoration project priced £40.
initiated in the 1990s.
> Mail between
The stamps reproduce the murals in their partially restored Taiwan and China
state, colourful but imperfect. was displayed at an
Paintings also exist of other actresses including Ava exhibition in Taipei
Gardner, Doris Day, Elizabeth Taylor and (on the back wall of to mark the 30th
anniversary of the
the generator shed) Marilyn Monroe. resumption of
The site is now a museum managed by the UK Antarctic cross-strait
Heritage Trust, and has its own post office. exchanges in 1987.

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 9

 COMMEMORATIVE GUERNSEY & ALDERNEY STAMPS
2017 Yearbook Year of the Dog 2018
Set of six stamps: £4.06
A beautiful hardback book
NEW ISSUE: Issue date: 1 February 2018
containing all stamps, souvenir
and miniature sheets of 2017 for
both Guernsey and Alderney. PRE -OR
DER
FROM T
HE
The price of the Yearbook is 18th Jan
2018
£76.87 - which is the face value
of the stamps included. You
don’t pay any extra for the book.

Limited Edition Uncut Press Sheet: £26.00

Also available:
Souvenir Sheet: £4.06
First Day Cover: £5.26
FDC Souvenir Sheet: £5.26
Presentation Pack: £4.96
Sheets of 10: £40.60
Limited Edition Gold Foil
Souvenir Sheet: £95.00

ORDER AT WWW.GUERNSEYSTAMPS.COM

Order Guernsey & Alderney stamps online at www.guernseystamps.com

or by telephone on +44 (0) 1481 716486 Facebook/guernsey.philatelic

52

4
 Contact us to Request a Free Auction Catalogue

1904 £5 Orange with CDS St. Helena 15/- Mint 1d Black

Hong Kong $10

Premiere Auction to be held at

Lingfield Park Racecourse, March 2018

Gibraltar, 1922 KUT £50 Rhodesia, rare 4d Plate 17, Abnormal.

1925 £5 Specimen £1 error of Colour One of only 28 known

+44 (0)20 3019 3630

www.mpastamps.com
32 Saint George Street, London, W1S 2EA

Tim Francis Rick Warren Josh Barber

tim@mpastamps.com rick@mpastamps.com josh@mpastamps.com

Scholium
GROUP
 Buying & selling stamps,
covers, & postal history
Philatex stand 50
YORK RHH,
STAMP & COIN
London SW1 FAIR
York
5 - 7Racecourse,
November
York, YO23 1EX
19-20 January

Stephen T. Taylor
5 Glenbuck Road
Surbiton Surrey KT6 6BS
Phone: 020 8390 9357

info@stephentaylor.co.uk
www.stephentaylor.co.uk
Your American dealer in Britain PO Box 626
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 USA
Tel: 001-201-848-8883
willard.s.allman@gmail.com

The History & Local Post of 1d RED PLATES

RATTLESNAKE ISLAND, LAKE Plate m/m Used Plate m/m Used Plate m/m Used Plate m/m Used

ERIE
71 £25.00 £0.60 116 £30.00 £1.80 161 £18.75 £1.40 204 £15.00 £0.50
72 £27.50 £0.80 117 £18.00 £0.50 162 £18.75 £1.40 205 £15.00 £0.60
73 £27.50 £0.60 118 £20.00 £0.50 163 £18.75 £0.60 206 £15.00 £1.80

Revised and Updated - 2009 74

76
£27.50
£27.50
£0.50
£0.50
119
120
£18.00
£11.50
£0.50
£0.50
164
165
£17.50
£18.75
£0.60
£0.50
207
208
£15.00
£15.00
£1.80
£3.20
78 £27.50 £0.50 121 £16.00 £1.90 166 £11.50 £1.20 209 £15.00 £1.80
79 £18.75 £0.50 122 £11.50 £0.50 167 £11.50 £0.50 210 £19.50 £2.40
80 £18.00 £0.50 123 £16.00 £0.50 168 £12.50 £1.40 211 £23.00 £5.75

This modern edition contains 81

82
£20.00
£85.00
£0.55
£0.80
124
125
£11.50
£16.00
£0.50
£0.50
169
170
£15.00
£11.50
£1.40
£0.50
212
213
£19.50
£19.50
£2.25
£2.25
83 £95.00 £1.50 127 £22.00 £0.55 171 £11.50 £0.50 214 £19.50 £3.60
More Local History 84
85
£27.50
£16.00
£0.55
£0.55
129
130
£16.00
£22.00
£1.60
£0.55
172
173
£11.50
£17.50
£0.50
£1.80
215
216
£19.50
£19.50
£3.60
£3.60

Additional Detail of the Ford Tri-Motor 86

87
£20.00
£13.75
£0.80
£0.50
131
132
£26.00
£95.00
£3.20
£10.00
174
175
£11.50
£15.00
£0.50
£0.70
217
218
£19.50
£19.50
£1.50
£1.75
88 £130.00 £2.00 133 £60.00 £3.00 176 £17.50 £0.55 219 £38.50 £25.00
All Stamps including 2009 issue 89
90
£16.00
£16.00
£0.50
£0.50
134
135
£11.50
£38.00
£0.50
£5.25
177
178
£15.00
£19.50
£0.50
£0.70
220
221
£12.50
£17.50
£1.50
£4.00

Over 200 Illustrations 91

92
£22.00
£16.50
£1.20
£0.50
136
137
£36.00
£11.00
£4.00
£0.55
179
180
£15.00
£20.00
£0.55
£1.00
222
223
£23.00 £14.00
£37.50 £25.00
93 £20.00 £0.50 138 £11.50 £0.50 181 £11.50 £0.50 224 £40.00 £25.00
94 £18.00 £1.00 139 £24.00 £3.50 182 £32.50 £1.00 225 £950.00 £280.00
95 £16.00 £0.50 140 £11.50 £0.50 183 £19.50 £0.60

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY 96

97
£18.00
£16.00
£0.50
£0.70
141
142
£44.00
£28.00
£1.80
£4.80
184
185
£11.50
£19.50
£0.50
£0.60
SG48/9
1
½d Plates
£50.00 £13.75
98 £20.00 £1.20 143 £18.75 £3.00 186 £15.00 £0.55 3 £35.00 £3.00
Send to: 99
100
£22.00
£24.00
£1.00
£0.75
144
145
£39.50
£12.00
£4.00
£0.55
187
188
£15.00
£19.50
£0.50
£2.00
4
5
£30.00
£20.00
£2.25
£1.75
101 £24.00 £1.80 146 £16.00 £1.20 189 £19.50 £1.40 6 £20.00 £1.75
102 £16.00 £0.50 147 £20.00 £0.60 190 £15.00 £1.20 8 £50.00 £11.50
103 £20.00 £0.70 148 £16.00 £0.60 191 £11.50 £1.40 9 £1200.00 £150.00
John Wells, P.O. Box 222 104
105
£32.50
£37.50
£1.00
£1.50
149
150
£16.00
£11.50
£1.20
£0.50
192
193
£15.00
£12.50
£0.50
£0.50
10
11
£20.00
£20.00
£1.75
£1.75

Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, EN8 8GS, 106

107
£22.00
£24.00
£0.50
£1.50
151
152
£20.00
£15.00
£1.80
£1.10
194
195
£15.00
£15.00
£2.00
£2.00
12
13
£20.00
£20.00
£1.75
£1.75
108 £36.00 £0.55 153 £45.00 £2.00 196 £15.00 £1.00 14 £20.00 £1.75
England 109
110
£35.00
£24.00
£0.70
£1.80
154
155
£15.00
£15.00
£0.50
£0.55
197
198
£20.00
£11.50
£1.80
£1.20
15
19
£20.00
£40.00
£2.75
£6.00
111 £29.00 £0.55 156 £15.00 £0.50 199 £17.50 £1.20 20 £47.50 £9.50
112 £28.00 £0.55 157 £15.00 £0.50 200 £15.00 £0.50
113 £20.00 £2.50 158 £15.00 £0.50 201 £11.50 £1.00 SG51/2 1½d Plates
Price including postage & packing only 114 £115.00
115 £36.00
£2.50
£0.55
159
160
£15.00
£17.50
£0.50
£0.50
202
203
£15.00
£11.50
£1.60
£3.20
1
3
£100.00
£85.00
£10.00
£10.00

£14.50 All the above are offered on 7 days approval against cash with order subject only to remaining unsold, and
are all sound good used (Mint are mounted with gum). REFUND is guaranteed provided stamps are

US $29.50 returned within 7 days (21 days for overseas clients). To all orders under £50 please add 90p to help with
post and packing. (Overseas customers please add £2.50 to all orders regardless of value.)

Reconstructors Wants Lists Welcomed!

Payment accepted by cheque or money order GRAHAME W. MANN

Dept. SM01, P.O. Box 116, LUDLOW, Shropshire, SY8 3WQ
Sorry credit card facililties not available Tel: 01584 891303 Mon.-Sat. (9.00am to 5.00pm)
E mail: stampmann@btinternet.com

Grahame Mann_AUG15.indd 1 25/06/2015 11:03

 ALL the Fun of the Stamp Shop in Your Own Home £
COLLECTORS–
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F
ORTUNATELY, IT’S STILL A FRESH MEMORY... 47 Years ago I can still remember my 1st approvals selection
of stamps arriving from Omniphil. In those days, aged 15 I received a number of circuit boxes which I carefully
worked through, borrowing money from my brothers for stamps that I could not really afford. I was hooked…
… and you know what – now aged 62, what’s So why should you try my approvals? We’re one there’s the added benefit that you simply select the
changed? As you may know I no longer collect of, if not the largest longest established dedicated best stamps you need and return the rest. The cost
stamps – I gave up collecting when I became a rath- Approvals Company in the UK with full-time staff of return postage can be expensive – select just £9+
er wet and spotty office junior, landing my 1st full- sending focussed selections of mint and/or used and deduct the cost, and in order to encourage you
time ‘stamp’ job at the age of 18 with the grandiose stamps to collectors like you on approval. The - spend £16+ to receive 25% discount.
title of Assistant Office Manager (I was the only assis- fundamental reason to try a selection of stamps So all you need to do to test-drive my approvals
tant)… but, stamps still thrill me today even though sent to you on 14 days’ approval – is that you have system is to complete the coupon NOW. It’s lo-
I may not own them, and in all those years I’ve now the “pleasure of leisure” so that you see before cated beside the index in this magazine OR apply
handled stamps that have sold for £500,000 for a you buy individually identified and unit priced on-line via our website below. If you’re a stamp
single item. Incredible but true… stamps – so you have all the fun of the stamp shop collector aged 18+ NEW to my approvals you’ll have
Do you remember Victor Kiam of ‘Remington’ you may fondly remember in your own home… £30 total credit (if you’re quick) to spend in your 1st
fame, “I was so impressed I bought the company”, Naturally stamps supplied in such a service may cost two selections of stamps sent on approval. Just give
14 years later, aged 32 I bought Omniphil, and like a little more – but in addition to your ‘home viewing’ us your address and contact details and tell Pat and
‘Electricity and Water Works’ in Monopoly I added Martin what you collect… Please do it NOW whilst
Avon Approvals creating synergies of scale. Both you’re thinking about it… Thank You

A
‘Stamps on Approval’ businesses were established
KS
’ BOO IN OU
in 1958 and now 58 years later, month in, month out
we’re still sending unit priced stamps or individually
identified and priced stamps on approval to more RO Andrew McGavin, Philatelic Expert & Author, Managing Director,
than 1,000 different collectors mainly in the UK but U P A, Omniphil & Avon Approvals, eBay: universalphilatelic
RL
7000 ‘APP

also worldwide. In the internet world we all inhab- Terms: Start/Stop service anytime. Serious UK col-
IBRARY

it – I find it amazing that traditional ‘stamps on ap- lectors NEW to my company are pre-qualified. Over-
proval’ trading continues – fortunately this is what seas clients may be required to provide a deposit. A
our clients like about us. With your help long may few Countries cannot be serviced, please enquire.
it continue. One offer per philatelic household.
The very best of success to you.
ICE

Your service is excellent

SI M

– BJ Somerset
LY
HO

M A S SIVE C
P

See stamps like

these in your
Complete 1st £25 FREE Approvals Coupon beside Index at the back of
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SM 01/18
01/18 13
 AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS Edited by Adrian Keppel. Prices quoted exclude buyer’s premiums
FInLanD 1856
Early cover at rare rate FO
LD
SO 4 ,2
Postiljonen’s autumn auction included an extremely £7
rare example of a cover franked with both values
from Finland’s first stamp issue in 1856.
Oval-shaped but cut square, the 5-kopek blue and 10-kopek red
were affixed in opposite top corners of a cover sent from Ekenäs to
nearby Koskis Bruk on July 21, 1856, four months after they were
introduced.
The two stamps prepaid the correct third-weight rate for
short-distance letters, a usage so uncommon that this is regarded
as one of the major rarities in Finnish philately.
SOLD BY POSTILJONEN £74,276
nEW ZEaLanD 1906
Christchurch Exhibition 1d
One of the most desirable items in New Zealand philately appeared
at the latest Mowbray auction, in the shape of a cover bearing three
examples of the 1906 Christchurch Exhibition 1d claret.
Only 12 of the stamps printed in claret are recorded used, and
none of them had appeared on the market since 1998.
With exhibition cancellations dated April 20, 1907, the cover is
rather showing its age, and the centre stamp is damaged in several
places. Nevertheless, this is a famous rarity.
The claret printing was the original printing of the 1d, which was
one of a pictorial set of four, but the colour was considered
unsatisfactory so the shade was changed to vermilion.
SOLD BY MOWBRAY £37,135
14 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018
FranCE 1870
R
Ballon monté cover to China
76
Heinrich Köhler’s sale of the Erivan collection of ballon monté
covers, flown out of the beseiged city of Paris by manned balloon
during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, saw very competitive
bidding, not just in the sale room but also via the internet.
The highlight was an 1870 journal-letter, issue 15 of the Gazette
des Absents, sent to Fouchow (Fuzhou) in China, the only known
ballon monté cover to this destination.
It was franked with two 20c Ceres stamps (from the provisional
issue released during the siege) and a single 40c Napoleon III
stamp, all postmarked with the cancellation of the foreign bureau, a
blue star of dots.
The records show that this cover was sent on the balloon Ville de
Paris on October 15, 1870.
SOLD BY HEINRICH KÖHLER £32,049
ryuKyu ISLanDS 1959
Unique omitted surcharge
The Stanley Cutler collection of the Ryukyu Islands, sold by
Kelleher, included many uncatalogued rarities and therefore served
as a price-setting exercise. Some realisations were exceptional.
A case in point was this block of four of the 1959 9c on 15c airmail
issue, with the surcharge omitted from the top left stamp.
Whilst the inverted surcharge is a well-known catalogued variety,
this is the only recorded example of a missing surcharge, which of
course is collectable only in a multiple.
SOLD BY KELLEHER £17,281
 world News AUCTIONS GB collector | letters | coMMeNt | coMPetItIoNs | features | Q&a | eVeNts | New Issues | straNGe But true
auSTraLIa 1956 GB 1964
Unissued Olympic Games booklet pane Botanical
Mossgreen’s latest auction witnessed intense bidding for a great Australian rarity, an
Congress error
unissued booklet pane from 1956.
Production of 3s 6d booklets comprising panes of six of the Melbourne Olympics 3½d Pre-decimal Queen Elizabeth II missing
stamp had just started when a postage rate rise made the value redundant. The destruction colour errors of Great Britain were among
of all stocks was ordered, but a few copies were retained by the postal authority. The the most wanted lots in Grosvenor’s sale,
auctioning of its archival material in the 1980s eventually released these booklets onto the and top of the bill was this rarity from 1964.
philatelic market. It’s the 9d value from the International
Some 40 of the stamps survive, including just four complete panes of six. This particular Botanical Congress set with green omitted,
example was sold with the front and back covers of the unissued booklet. resulting in the leaves of the honeysuckle
appearing autumnal yellow.
SOLD BY MOSSGREEN £12,827 It is thought that only six examples
survive, and this is a marginal one, from the
right of the sheet.

SOLD BY GROSVENOR £8,500

BErMuDa 1875
Rare usage of provisional
The latest sale in Spink’s disposal of the David Pitts collection
focused on the postal history of Bermuda from 1617-1877, in
particular military mail.
One of many eye-catching lots was an 1875 cover to London,
franked with the 1875 1d on 3d yellow-buff, the only recorded
use of this provisional stamp for the soldiers’ letter rate.
Sent by Sergeant Henry Pidder on May 31, and countersigned
in the lower left corner by his commanding officer, it was
transported by the Cunard ship Alpha to Halifax, Nova Scotia,
and then by the Allan Line ship Nestorian from there to
Queenstown, Ireland.
The routing of military mail was ad hoc, but the rate for
soldiers and sailors was consistent at 1d from 1795 onwards. SOLD BY SPINK £8,500

GrEaT BrITaIn 1840

Penny Black second day cover
Warwick & Warwick’s sale offered a delightful cover posted on May 7, 1840, the
second day of official usage of the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the
Penny Black.
The entire was sent from Bristol to Salisbury, franked with a stamp from
plate 1a, in the grey-black shade, with corner letters KK and a red-brown
Maltese cross cancellation.
An appealing element of this correspondence is evidence that the
introduction of postage stamps was considered a big thing even at that time,
with the recipient having added the annotation ‘This is the first post office
stamp, which I received May 8th, 1840.’

SOLD BY WARWICK & WARWICK £2,800

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 15

 STANLEY GIBBONS
LONDON 1856

We are now looking for

consignments for 2018 Auctions
If you are looking to sell your collection then come to
Stanley Gibbons Auctions where:
Outstanding realisations and percentage of lots sold
Mailing list and client list second to none
Stanley Gibbons Auctions is perfect for sellers and buyers alike.

We promise a service second to none.

Please contact Ryan Epps on 020 7836 8444 (press option 4)

or email: repps@stanleygibbons.com

399 Strand, WC2R 0LX, London

www.stanleygibbons.com/auctions
 ANDREW PROMOTING PHILATELY ON
THE ALAN TITCHMARSH SHOW ITV

Dear Colleague,
For the first time, in this open letter, I’m going to give you the
thinking, the ‘mindset’ if you will, of how and why my stamp
auction thrives where others do not...
As many of you will attest. At certain ‘peak’ times in our auction ‘cycle,’ I personally
answer the telephone to callers. It’s a wonderfully enjoyable and rewarding thing for me to
do, because, you kindly inform me of your likes and dislikes, about us, and other auctions
that you may have dealt with before discovering Universal Philatelic Auctions … (UPA).
One of the most common ‘threads’ that I have learnt from You, and from other
Dealers and Auctioneers, is simply ‘how does U P A do it?’ How is it that we have
become the largest Stamp Auction in the UK and almost the largest globally?
How can we afford to expend more upon advertising worldwide than most
dealers sell in a year? Simply put: How can we afford to offer more and
charge less – indeed – how can we afford to offer more and charge you no
extra w-h-a-t-s-o-e-v-e-r ??
The fundamental reason why is because, unlike others, everything we
do is Driven by You.. Over the course of the past 17 years I have discovered
that combining this ‘bottom-up’ thinking with offering simply MASSIVE Philatelic
Choice – permits us to offer you a Unique Collector-Driven Stamp Auction
Experience. Think about it: whilst the rest of our philatelic industry works ‘top-
down’ – issuing diktats, regulation, charges and fees, and few guarantees – ever
increasingly we throw these off encouraged by more and more collectors joining us, who
crucially continue to participate in auction after auction... rewarding us by their loyalty,
enriching their collections... enabling us, in turn, to reward them.
...So that, when you inform us that You don’t like ‘X’ (extra shipping and insurance
charges), and You dislike ‘Y’ (paying credit card charges) and you positively abhor paying
‘Z’ – up to 25% buyer’s premiums... (particularly when you may realise that you are possibly
or probably paying a buyer’s premium upon that dealer’s own stamps that they are selling
to You)... we take that valuable knowledge you’ve imparted and ‘dial’ it back into our auction
system, not purely for your benefit BUT for our mutual benefit because over the 17 years
that U P A has been auctioning I have discovered that if we have enough participating
bidders in our auctions we can offer you a radically superior service and a radically different
deal than others...
Discover the Difference

Philately Understood
1868
 To me it is logical that when you configure your auction to really give
collectors what they seek, mixing in a unique reducing-estimate-auction system,
blended with hundreds and thousands of simply massive philatelic choice –
these are the reasons why more Collectors bid in my U P A auctions than any
other auction in the UK and almost all others globally. Consider that each U P A
auction adds up to 242 different new bidders when most stamp auctions only
have a few hundred bidders TOTAL – the SCALE of Your SUPPORT permits
allows us to ‘square’ the circle so that, hopefully, we can offer offer
collectors like you True Philatelic VAL-YOU for Money...
How can you help? Simply by participating regularly in our
auctions permits us to give back, producing the most expensive and the
best post-free auction catalogues you may ever receive whilst staying in business.
Your continued support is powering our new Loyalty Post-Free System. So, all that I
would respectfully ask and encourage you to do – is join the 2,264 different Collectors To Collect
and Dealers from 51 different countries worldwide, who participated in my last auction Your NEXT
U P A #67, creating new philatelic world records of participation and in some cases of £20
realisations – whilst an astonishing 90% of bidders were successful... and those lots that 20,387 lot
remained unsold carried forward at ever decreasing estimate and reserve thereby creating
the nucleus of this auction with a ‘sprinkling’ of more than 8,000 new lots of absolutely Auction
extraordinary NEW material... whereby, ultimately collectors like You determine values, Catalogue
not catalogues…
My wife and I, and members of our super Team, wish you Happy Hunting and Request
great Philatelic Fun. With thanks for Your continued support. Please do tell your Yours
Philatelic Friends. They’ll receive the best Philatelic Thank You for joining us and you’ll

A
be rewarded too!

Andrew McGavin, Managing Director

Universal Philatelic Auctions UPA,

Simply – telephone one of my Team on 01451 861111 to request Your

NEXT FREE 9th January 2018 U P A Catalogue NOW… OR turn to one
of my 1st £55 Auction Winnings FREE coupon pages in this magazine,
visit www.upastampauctions.co.uk to view/bid on-line OR request
your 336 page, 1 kg catalogue on-line, mailed quickly so you can test
my auction without spending a penny, … Join 2,264 bidders, 90%
successful, in my last auction. Start Bidding and winning now…
REQUE
ST MY
OF THE ‘TIPS
T
UNIVERSAL PHILATELIC AUCTIONS (SM 01/18) FREE B RADE’
OOKLE
4 The Old Coalyard, West End Northleach, Glos. GL54 3HE UK T
Tel: 01451 861111 • Fax: 01451 861297
6919
 GB COLLECTOR
NEW ISSUE

Monochrome memories
for a platinum wedding

T
he 70th anniversary of the marriage of
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
on November 20 was marked by the
issue of a miniature sheet entitled Royal
Wedding: Platinum Anniversary.
Its six stamps are based on black-and-
white photographs of the couple taken
during 1947: two on the day of their
engagement, two on their wedding day and
two while on honeymoon.
These are presented in se-tenant pairs of
different values, while the sheet border
features a detail of the wedding gown
designed by Norman Hartnell.
At the time of their wedding, Princess
Elizabeth was the 21-year-old heiress
presumptive to the British throne, as the
elder daughter of King George VI, and
Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was a
26-year-old officer in the Royal Navy, who
had been born into the Greek and Danish
royal families. titles and become a naturalised British of the wedding he was made Duke of
Ahead of their engagement, he had subject, taking the surname Mountbatten Edinburgh by the King.
renounced his Greek citizenship and royal after his maternal grandparents. On the day Elizabeth would become Queen in 1952,

20 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018


and Philip would once again be given the
title Prince in 1957.
Designed by Mytton Williams, the issue
was printed in litho by International
Security Printers.
1st ENGAGEMENT
Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip
Mountbatten walking arm-in-arm outside
Buckingham Palace on their first public
appearance together on July 10, 1947,
following the announcement of their
engagement in the Court Circular the
previous day.
£1.57 ENGAGEMENT
Informal posed photograph of the couple
inside the Palace on July 10, Princess
Elizabeth seated and Philip perched on the
edge of the chair.
1st WEDDING
court photographer Sterling Henry Nahum,
professionally known as Baron.
1st HONEYMOON
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of
Edinburgh looking at photographs of
their wedding on a bench during the first
part of their honeymoon at Broadlands,
near Romsey in Hampshire, on
November 23, 1947.
£1.57 HONEYMOON
The couple photographed arm-in-arm on
November 23 in the grounds of Broadlands,
a country estate landscaped by Capability
Brown, which was the home of Philip’s
uncle, Earl Mountbatten.
OTHER PRODUCTS
The presentation pack was written by the
journalist Robert Hardman, well known as a
world News | AUCTIoNs GB collector leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs | feATUres | Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
royal correspondent, and features a full
description of the wedding accompanied by
a wealth of archival images.
Besides the usual first day cover and
stamp cards, a press sheet of 14 uncut
miniature sheets is available, in a
numbered limited edition of 500.
There is also a souvenir pack comprising
three insert cards carrying the stamps with
a silver-foil cachet, and a full-colour poster
depicting the royal couple on their wedding
day, all housed in a specially designed
folder. This is available in a numbered
limited edition of 5,000.
VERDICT
COMMEMORATIVE WORTH
Royal occasions and anniversaries are a
staple of the Royal Mail stamp
programme

PRICES
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of
Edinburgh in procession along the aisle QUALITY OF DESIGN
inside Westminster Abbey following their The chosen photographs are appealing,
wedding service on November 20, 1947. Miniature sheet £6.66 and more time-specific than previous
More than 2,000 guests attended, and Presentation pack £7.20 anniversary issues
200 million people listened to the BBC Stamp cards £3.15
radio broadcast. WOW FACTOR
Press sheet £102.56
Those with long enough memories will
£1.57 WEDDING First day cover £8.41 feel nostalgic, others little more than
The official wedding photograph of the Souvenir pack £14.99 curious
couple on November 20 was taken by the

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 21

 GB COLLECTOR

news in brief

> Post & Go

Stamps to celebrate
the RAF, the Old
pictorial stamp
issues in 2018 will
start with an
unannounced theme
on January 23,
presumably linked

Vic and Dad’s Army

to the special stamp
issue on the same
day. The Royal Mail
Heritage series will
then continue with a
Mail By Sea set on
February 14 and a
Mail By Bike set on
September 12.
Royal Mail has issued a provisional list of special stamp issues for
2018, albeit with no detailed information about them.
2018 STAMP
> A commemorative
A total of 14 are scheduled, of which titles have been announced
for only 12; the other two, including January’s, are currently being
PROGRAMME
sheet is expected to
be issued in January kept under wraps. More than half the issues coincide with an Jan 23 (to be announced)
marking the 150th obvious anniversary.
anniversary of the Feb 15 Votes For Women
Votes For Women in February will mark the 100th anniversary of
Trades Union the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which enfranchised Mar 20 Royal Air Force
Congress.
women (at least those over the age of 30) for the first time. Apr 17 Reintroduced Species
> The Advertising The Royal Air Force set in March will also celebrate the centenary
May 11 The Old Vic
Standards Agency of the service, which was created in 1918 by merging the Royal
banned a video Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Jun 5 Royal Academy of Arts
advert made by May’s issue will note the bicentenary of one of London’s most Jun 26 Dad’s Army
Royal Mail to
highlight the famous theatres, The Old Vic, which was established in 1818 as Jul 31 Hampton Court Palace
dangers of identity the Royal Coburg Theatre.
Aug 16 Captain Cook
theft, featuring a Other anniversary sets will feature the Royal Academy of Arts,
gang of thieves founded in 1768, the BBC television comedy Dad’s Army, first Aug 30 Owls
wearing balaclavas,
broadcast in 1968, and James Cook’s first voyage of discovery to the Sep 13 First World War: 1918
after viewers
complained it was Pacific, which departed from Plymouth in 1768. Oct 16 (to be announced)
distressing. The fifth and final instalment in the annual series looking back at
Nov 1 Christmas
World War I will appear in September, and an issue in November
> Bristol Postal will celebrate the 70th birthday of the Prince of Wales. Nov 14 Prince of Wales’ 70th
History Group has
Stamps will also be released on the themes of reintroduced Birthday
published a very
thorough Postal species, owls and Hampton Court Palace.
History of Bristol, in
four ring-bound
volumes. Priced £88
inc p&p in the UK, it
is available from Competition
Roger Martin at
1 Church Road,
Easton-in-Gordano,
winners treated
like royalty
Bristol BS20 0PQ.

> Residents of four

remote homes in
the Highlands of The winners of the children’s competition to
Scotland are to
design 2017’s Christmas stamps were
appeal against the
suspension of invited to Clarence House in London to meet
postal deliveries to the Prince of Wales, who chose their
their doors. Royal artwork from the shortlisted regional
Mail said the finalists, and to be presented with framed
location was too
dangerous for copies of their stamps.
postal workers to Arwen Wilson, aged 9, from Dudley in the
get to. West Midlands, and Ted Lewis-Clark, aged
10, from Frome in Somerset, designed the
> Post Box Road in 2nd class and 1st class stamps
Birkhill, near
Dundee, no longer respectively, emerging victorious from
has the thing it was more than 200,000 entries.
named after. Its Their names also appeared in slogan
wall-mounted postmarks used nationwide from November
postbox was
dislodged by a 7-14 November, local postboxes were
traffic accident in repainted in their honour, and they won
October £1,000 for their respective schools.

22 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018


Two versions of Star
Wars prestige book
The Star Wars prestige stamp book to be issued on December 14, to
coincide with the British premiere of the new film The Last Jedi,
comes in two versions.
The standard 26-page booklet, which contains all eight stamps
from October’s special issue, four from the 2015 issue and a pane of
Machin definitives, is priced £15.99.
A limited-edition version with silver-foil in the cover design, and
packaged in an embossed metal case, is priced £75. Only 1,977
copies of this will be available (1977 being the year on which the
original Star Wars film was released),
The definitives pane comprises four 1st class, two 2nd class and
two £1.40 Machins, all with the year code ‘M17L’ and source code
‘MPIL’, in a se-tenant block with a central stamp-sized label.
In advance of the issue date, significant shade differences have
been reported between these definitives and the equivalent stamps
from counter sheets.
Smilers sheet hails
the Year of the Dog
The seventh in the annual Lunar New Year series of Smilers generic
sheets marks the Year of the Dog.
Issued on November 16, in good time for the start of the Chinese
new year on February 16, it follows the design concept of prevous
sheets, with 20 1st class Firework stamps accompanied by labels
illustrating aspects of Chinese festivities in Britain and dogs
representing the five elements of water, wood, fire earth and metal.  replaced by more recent printings with ‘14’ and ‘15’
world News | AUCTIoNs GB collector leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs | feATUres | Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Don Staddon has the inside line on British
stamp printings, post office supplies and
developments in postal mechanisation
Christmas printings
The self-adhesive counter sheets of Christmas stamps
(December issue, page 20) were printed by De La Rue
from cylinder numbers D1 x 4, phosphor D1.
All the stamps have ‘2017’ reversed out of the phosphor
bands in microprint near the bottom, and come on
backing paper with a security underlay.
The 1st class, 1st Large, 2nd class and 2nd Large
values are unusual in that they were printed in mixed
sheets of 50, comprising the Madonna & Child designs in
the upper half and the children’s competition designs in
the lower half.
Interestingly, these are not divided into separate panes
by a horizontal gutter, as you might expect, so ‘gutter
pairs’ comprise two different designs but no gutter!
The sheet number and date of printing are found in the
upper part of each sheet, and the traffic lights and
cylinder numbers in the lower part. Therefore, no date
blocks exist for the competition stamps and no cylinder
blocks for the Madonna & Child stamps.
booklet printings
The booklets of 12 x 1st class and 12 x 2nd class
Christmas stamps were printed by ISP, from cylinder
numbers W1 x 4, phosphor W1.
post & go reprints
New printings of the Post & Go Winter Greenery stamps,
first issued in 2014, were available from November 13,
from post office NCR machines and others including
delivery offices and The Postal Museum.
Their security underlays show the year code as
‘R17YAL’ on 1st class designs and ‘CL17S’ on 2nd class
designs (the latter now having a ‘2nd class’ wavy-line text
instead of the ‘Royal Mail’ of the earlier printing).
post & go at party ConferenCes
At the Labour Party Conference in Brighton from
September 24-27, the Post & Go kiosk initially vended
1st class values with the ‘13’ year code and 2nd class
values with the ‘12’ year code, before these were
codes respectively.
These stocks lasted through the Conservative Party
Conference in Manchester from October 1-4 and the
Scottish Nationalist Party Conference in Glasgow from
October 8-10.
january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 23

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50% OFF
ASK FOR YOUR COPY TODAY
ROWLAND HILL STAMPS
www.rowlandhillstamps.co.uk
A FAMILY RUN BUSINESS EST. OVER 40 YEARS
 
GREAT BRITAIN - 1882 £5 orange Queen Victoria POSTAGE, large anchor
watermark, blued paper, overprinted SPECIMEN (type 9), unused – no gum, 
no thins, tears or bends. SG Cat. # 133s (Specialised = J128s) – AUS$1695 

 GREAT BRITAIN - 1849 10d brown Embossed QV (die W.W. I)

horizontal strip of 3 plus two horizontal pairs of imperf. 2d blues.
 Used on a large piece with ‘107’ numeral cancel, from Bradford,
Yorkshire 1 MR 1849 to Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

SG Cat. # 14 + 57 [Specialised Cat # ES11 + H2(1)] – AUS$2995

GREAT BRITAIN - 1840 1d black Queen Victoria (penny black), plate 4, check
 IF, used on a large piece. Has a Newtownards 23 JU 1840 back cancel
letters
(Northern
 Ireland). There is a ‘2’ hand-stamp on the front, indicating that the
item was overweight and underpaid by 1d, therefore the recipient had to pay

2d, double the deficiency. A rare piece of Irish postal history.

SG Cat. # 2 (Specialised Cat # AS23)– AUS$995

 ADEN - 1937 ½a to 10R Dhows set of 12, mint hinged –

 no thins, tears or bends. SG Cat. # 1-12 – AUS$760

 HONG KONG - 1926 $3 green/dull purple KGV definitive,

multi script crown CA watermark, mint hinged – no thins,

tears or bends. SG Cat. # 131 – AUS$160

GREAT BRITAIN / NAURU - 1916 10/- deep bright blue
 Seahorses (De La Rue printing), overprinted NAURU in
 red, mint hinged – no thins, tears or bends. Has a
Holcombe photo-certificate. SG Cat. # 23d – AUS$395

AUSTRALIA / N.S.W. - 1860 2d Prussian blue Queen Victoria Diadem, perf. 12:12 with
a '2' watermark, with the variety 'major retouch around the neck', used – has a '57'
cancel (= Raymond Terrace), no thins, tears or bends. SG Cat. # 136b. – AUS$350

AUSTRALIA - 1929 10/- grey/pink Kangaroo, small multiple

watermark, overprinted SPECIMEN (type C), mint hinged – no thins,
This canceltears
has a rarity
or bends. BW(ACSC) of R
ratingCat. in SG
# 49x; theCat.
publication The
# 112s – AUS$240

Numeral Cancellations of10R

INDIA - 1948 1½a to New South
Mahatma Wales
Gandhi by Freeman
– 1st Anniversary of &
White. Independence set of 4, mint never hinged – no thins, tears or bends.
A very clean and fresh set, one of the key 20th Century Indian issues.
SG Cat. # 305-308 – AUS$395
SG Cat. # 136b
GERMANY / BADEN - 1862 18Kr green Coat of Arms, white
background, perf. 10, used – no thins, tears or bends. Has been
expertised by Seeger BPP. Michel Cat. # 21a – AUS$225

A small selection of stock from www.scottstarling.com.au

Dr. Scott Starling, PO Box 625, Epping, NSW, 1710. Australia.
e-mail: admin@scottstarling.com.au
Approximate Exchange Rate – AUS$100 = £60 or €67 or US$80.


 YOUR VIEWS
get in touch
these pages are devoted to giving
you the opportunity to have your say.
Whether you want to praise or
complain, suggest or advise, add
information or correct it, or just get
something off your chest, we’d love
to hear from you.
Send your letters to:
Stamp Magazine, MytimeMedia Ltd,
Suite 25, eden house, enterprise
Way, edenbridge, Kent tn8 6hF
or send an e-mail to:
guy.thomas@mytimemedia.com
the editor reads all letters, but is
unable to answer them all personally.
We reserve the right to edit letters
for publication.
are there only 15
philatelic counters left?
In response to R Cormack’s letter
bemoaning the fact that philatelic counters
have almost disappeared in recent years
(November issue, page 28), I was interested
to see that a list of the remaining counters
was published in a recent issue of Royal
Mail’s Philatelic Bulletin.
It comprised just 15 post offices, located
in Bristol, Cambridge, Colchester, Croydon,
Exeter, Grimsby, Harrogate, London
(Trafalgar Square, House of Commons and
Eastcheap), Portsmouth, Southampton,
Stroud, Trowbridge and York.
It wasn’t made clear whether this list was
comprehensive, although I suspect it isn’t
because it does not include any in Scotland,
Wales or Northern Ireland.
Fernando Costa, Slough
Don’t give royal Mail a new excuse to issue too many stamps
In response to John Howe’s suggestion that Royal Mail should issue
a set of stamps at the international postcard rate, intended for use
by those involved in Postcrossing (November issue, page 28), my
reaction is a very firm no!
It sounds like a good idea in theory, but it would run the risk of
28 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Pen cancellations can be deplorable.
Then again, they can be desirable!
Your December issue provided some contrasting views on the use of pen cancellations.
On page 26 two correspondents bemoaned modern day pen cancellations, describing
these as ‘vandalism’ and ‘rendering the stamps useless for collecting’.
On page 14 one of the auction highlights described the sale of a Trinidad 1847 Lady
McLeod cover for £22,000, suggesting that the price was partly attributable to the fact
that ‘a pen cancellation is more desirable’ than the alternatives.
Philately truly is a funny old hobby.
Michael Cope, Dorking
Famine relief
issues reflect
the horrors of
Bolshevism
Thank you for the very interesting
feature on the stamps of the
Russian Revolution (November
issue, page 38).
In particular, the information about
the Volga Famine Relief stamps
brought to life some of the horror
and despair of this brave new world,
and reinforced the story behind the
1921 set on the first page of my
album of charity stamps.
It has strengthened my resolve to
find out more about this period, and
seek out more of the stamps.
John Foulger, Norwich
being hijacked. Royal Mail would soon be issuing a block of four or
more every six months, with a first day cover, presentation pack,
bookets, Smilers sheets and so on, making it another expensive
outlay for collectors.
Cliff Jermyn-Francis, York
 world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor letters CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs | feATUres | Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
Soapbox
We’ve all seen stamp-on-stamp designs, but how many stamp-on-stamp-on-stamp
designs have you spotted? Sebastian george is a man on a mission...

ABOVE: Cook Islands 2015 50 Years of Self-Government miniature sheet, with its eight stamp-on-stamp designs and two stamp-on-stamp-on-stamp designs

among the most popular approaches to

thematic collecting is to concentrate on
stamp-on-stamp issues, where a stamp
design incorporates an illustration of an
earlier stamp design.
Some might call this a case of philately
navel-gazing, commemorating itself
rather than commemorating something
more important.
others, like me, think it’s rather fun,
especially where it marks the major
anniversary of a landmark stamp issue,
as great britain did with the 175th
anniversary of the penny black and
twopenny blue in 2015, for example. ABOVE: These classic issues of the Cook Islands, the 1892 1d black and the 1898 2d brown, share an unusual
in that same year, what went unnoticed distinction. They have both been depicted on stamps which have in turn been depicted on stamps
by many was that the cook islands took
the concept a step further. stamp-on-stamp-on-stamp designs. landing strip on Rarotonga, this depicted
one (the third design in the upper row) the 2d Wrybill design of 1898.
ExTREME NavEL-gaziNg reproduced the 1967 1c stamp from a set
as part of its celebrations of 50 years of marking the 75th anniversary of cook NEw CHaLLENgE
self-government (as part of a ‘free islands stamps. along with a village i doubt many stamp-on-stamp-on-
association’ with new Zealand), the scene and a portrait of Queen Victoria, stamp designs have ever been issued,
islands issued two sheetlets of 15 this depicted the 1d ‘cook islands not least because it’s quite impractical
stamps and two miniature sheets of 10. Federation’ stamp from the inaugural to reproduce a miniature work of art
both miniature sheets were full of issue of 1892. within a miniature work of art. these are
stamp-on-stamp designs. but most the other (the fifth design in the lower the only examples i have seen.
interesting to me was the miniature row) reproduced the 1974 25c stamp in the best traditions of philately,
sheet comprising 10c values, because from a set marking the centenary of the however, it’s now become my mission to
when i looked a little closer i realised universal postal union. along with a seek out any more that exist!
that two of them were actually Douglas Dc-3 aircraft flying over the old Sebastian george

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 29

 YOUR VIEWS

Desecration of stamps Hail to the mail ale!

dishonours designers Many Stamp Magazine readers will be aware
and confounds that there used to be a porter-style beer
called Penny Black, which was brewed by
collectors... the Hampshire brewery in the south of
England, although I don’t believe it was
I agree with Malcolm Givans (November widely distributed around the country.
issue, page 26) about the alarming Now I hear there’s a new beer of the same
increase in the disgraceful desecration of name, and of the same type, this time
unfranked stamps by post office workers. brewed by Stamps Brewery in Liverpool. A
In the past few weeks alone I have chance for northerners to get in on the act?
received many examples of this, where Mark woodfield, Daventry
the artistic efforts of postage stamp
designers have been ruined by
cancellations scribbled in ballpoint or
felt-tip pen.
My collection of British stamps, which I
have built up since the 1940s, includes
mint and used examples of most issues.
There were some I would have liked to
keep from these covers, and I am
disappointed to find that I cannot do so.
In the past I have run philately clubs in
two different schools, encouraging the
pupils to collect British stamps from
letters received at their homes. What
hope is there for young philatelists
when these are fit only for the waste
paper basket?
Peter Hall, Royston

...but could postal workers’ dandy doodles

eventually become collectable cancels?
My pleasure on picking up an envelope from
the mat which actually had some real
stamps on it — the first for what seemed
months — rapidly turned to irritation when I
saw they had been cancelled by biro.
Looking more closely a little later,
however, my irritation turned to delight,
when I realised that the scrawl was in fact a
creditable doodle of a cat.
This rare example of a postie being
creative with his biro might not be to
everyone’s taste, admittedly, but then I’m a
cat lover as well as a stamp collector.
If more postal staff can be persuaded to
follow this example, it could even open up a
whole new area for the collector: unofficial
but artistic cancellations!
Richard gray, Steyning

hot topicS
You can debate the philatelic
issues of the day, and exchange
opinions and information with
other collectors, in the Forums
section on our website. Visit
www.stampmagazine.co.uk

30 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 on sale now!

your
best-value
staMP PrICe
guIde
Order your copy at www.mags-uk.com
Or telephone 01733 688964
only
› Fully updated to mid-2017 £12.99
› Handy, pocket-size format
 Great Britain illustrated
Price List 1840 – 2015
Phone or write for your free copy of our latest 56 page list or visit our website

www.britishstamps.com
Swan Stamps
PO Box 501 Torquay, Devon TQ1 9FE
Phone: 01803 323430 email: steve@britishstamps.com
swan stamps horiz.indd 1 26/09/2014 12:44
ask to speak to Tony
 The Grandstand YORK Racecourse
The Racecourse - YORK - YO23 1EX
95+ Stamp Dealers and 60+ Coin, banknote and medal Dealers

19th - 20th January 2018

Friday (11am to 6pm) - Saturday (10am to 4pm)

List of dealers attending YORK

STAMP DEALERS Empire Collectables Richardson & Copp COIN DEALERS Lloyd Bennett
Eric Hinchliffe Robert Uden Lockdale Coins
AfricaStamps Eric Wilding Robstine Stamps A.H. Baldwin Ltd London Coins
ALLWORLDPH.COM GB and Royal Naval Roger Jackson AMR Coins M. Veissid & Co
Andrew G Lajer Ltd Covers Sobotka & Breebaart Anthony Halse Mark Rasmussen
Andrew Vaughan Philatelics Hendon Stamp Co Southport Stamp Auctions B. Frank & Son Michael Beaumont
Anthony Baker Howard Hatton Stanley Gibbons Ltd Beauchamp Coins Michael McAndrew
Argyll Etkin Ltd Ian Perry Stephen Holder Bedrock Collectables Ltd Mike Stark
Arun Stamps Jerwood Philatelics (Barndance) Bill Seese Mike Vosper
Avery Stamps John Auld Stephen Sayer Bonhams Moore Antiquities
BB Stamps John Curtin Ltd Stephen T. Taylor British Banking History Nigel Mills
BBFILA.com Liz Ashfield & Stewart Harris Society Pam West
Bill Barrell Ltd Andy Faulkner Thames Themes Bucks Coins Paul Davis Ltd
Bob Lee LoveAuctions Tom Hamilton Chris Dixon Paul Revell
Buckingham Covers The Magpie Trevor Chinery Colin Cooke Peter Morris
Candlish McCleery Mark Bloxham Tristan Brittain Colin Rumney Richard Gladdle
Chaomo Wang Martin Townsend Vincennes Philatelie DRG Coins & Antiquities Rick Coleman
Charlie Rudge Mint GB Stamps Westgate Supplies David Craddock Rob Davies
Chris Rainey Mulready Philatelics Windsor Philatelics David Turner Roger Outing
Christoph Gärtner Murray Payne Ltd Yorkshire Coast Stamps Den of Antiquity Saltford Coins
Corbitt Stamps Ltd Nigel Steen Yorkshire Philatelic Dix Noonam Webb Scot Mint
Cotswold & Stuart Covers Northern Stamps Association Ernie Brooks Silbury Coins
Cover Collecting - North Staffs Stamps GM Coins Simon Monks
Richard Park PZH 1840 George Rankin Coin Co Sovereign Rarieties
DG Stamps P. Harris (Stamps) Ian Gradon Studio Coins
Dave Foster Paper Heritage Jan Ruijs Tim Millett
David Feldman SA Paul Jones John Cummings Token Publications Ltd
David Morrison Paul Kirkwood John Newman Tony Spink
David Mouser Peter Mollett K & M Coins Victory Coins
David Shaw Philangles KB Coins Weighton Coins
Derek Fulluck QV Pennies (A.G.Chappell) Knightsbridge Coins Wessex Coins
Embassy Philatelists Ramsdens Lindum Colonia Yorkshire Numismatic
Ray Watts Society

UNDERGROUND, OVERGROUND
The promotability of Mail Rail might be crucial to the success of The Postal Museum, but the
above-ground exhibition space must also develop ways to maximise its appeal to the general public
V
arious locations were
considered for The
Postal Museum,
including Woolwich in south-
east London and Swindon in
Wiltshire. Eventually a solution
was offered by Royal Mail in the
shape of Calthorpe House, a
building it owned just a short
walk from the home of the
Post Office archives
in Phoenix Place,
London.
It was soon realised
that the big advantage
of Calthorpe House
over other locations
was that it was just
across the road from
the entrance to the
Engineering Depot of
the former Post Office
Underground Railway,
also known as Mail
Rail, which had been
disused since 2003.
Here was a unique
opportunity to enable
visitors to see part of
the railway, and even
enjoy a ride through
its tunnels, as part of
the experience of ABOVE: Mail Rail has been well promoted, but The Postal Museum’s main exhibition space also has to pull in the punters
visiting the museum.
The museum duly
opened to the public ‘The Postal Museum is a unique resource, which goes
at the end of July, and
Mail Rail at the start
deeper than its headline-grabbing main attraction’
of September. So far,
the exhibition area (which also
has a shop and café) has been
busy throughout each day, and
Mail Rail has proved extremely
popular, welcoming many coach
parties and school visits.
Those involved with promoting
The Postal Museum have done
an excellent job in ensuring
publicity about Mail Rail has
been spread far and wide. As a
result, many people who had no
previous interest in postal
services or transport have been
keen to take the ride.
Let’s hope the novelty factor
will not wear off over the years,
because the future of both the
museum and the archives (now
housed on the first floor of
Calthorpe House, above the
exhibition space) depends on it.
Had any other site been chosen,
without the bonus of Mail Rail
drawing in the crowds, the
likelihood is that the museum
would not have attracted
sufficient visitors to be viable.
The museum itself also has to
appeal to a wide audience, and
that is what it has set out to do.
It is a far cry from the former
National Postal Museum, which
closed in 1998, and indeed from
many other postal museums
around the world.
Do not expect to find frame
upon frame of stamps mounted
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
How do you rate The Postal Museum’s appeal to philatelists?
And what do you think of it as a general tourist attraction?
E-mail your comments to guy.thomas@mytimemedia.com
TALKING POINT
world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers COMMENT CoMPeTITIoNs | feATUres | Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
on album pages. Those days are THE AUTHOR
Richard West is
gone. Instead, the exhibits tell a Stamp Magazine’s
much wider story, of the history Editor at Large
of postal services and the and a Past
President of the
people who worked in them. National Philatelic
Should there be more that Society
would promote the hobby of
philately more specifically? Depot in Acton, which was not
Can the wider public be presented as a visitor attraction.
enthused by the more esoteric Interestingly, however, when
the depot holds
open weekends
twice a year — one
aimed at
enthusiasts, the
other at families
— it attracts large
crowds.
Perhaps the next
stage in the
development of
The Postal
Museum should be
more adventurous.
Delving into its
collections, it
could put on
special displays of
items not seen
before, possibly
within the ‘Learn/
Discover’ area on
the first floor at
Calthorpe House.
It could also hold
open weekends at
its Museum Store
in Debden, possibly
with themes to
aspects of postal history? entice a wider range of people.
When the London Transport While these events might be
Museum in Covent Garden was aimed primarily at the philatelic
redesigned a few years ago, audience, they could prove just
there was an outcry from as appealing to non-collectors.
dedicated enthusiasts that it Some curious visitors might
was aimed at a mass audience, come to realise there is more to
and in particular a young our hobby than they thought;
audience. Aficionados found far others might discover that
more of interest at its Museum there is much more to the
museum and archives, offering
wonderful opportunities for
research and study.
We must never lose sight of
the fact that The Postal Museum
is a unique resource, which
goes much deeper than the
headline-grabbing Mail Rail. ■
january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 35
 COMPETITIONS

world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers | CoMMeNT COMPETITIONS feATUres | Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
competition competition
Spot The Stamp Royal Mail prizes

WIN
a copy of British Stamp
WIN
a christmas
market Values 2018 presentation pack
We have a copy of British Stamp Market
Values 2018, the authoritative annual
price guide from the publishers of
Stamp Magazine, to give away to one
eagle-eyed reader.
For your chance to win, simply take a
close look at the enlarged detail of a GB
stamp shown below, and see whether you
can identify it. All you have to do is tell us
the stamp’s face value, the name of the
set it is from and the year of issue.
Send your answer on a postcard (or
sealed envelope), with your name and address, to Spot The Stamp
(Jan), Stamp Magazine, My Time Media Ltd, Suite 25, Eden House, We have a presentation pack of the Christmas stamp issue to give
Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF. away to each of 12 lucky winners, courtesy of Royal Mail.
The closing date is January 11, 2018, and the first correct answer The set includes eight stamps based on Madonna & Child paintings,
drawn from our postbag will win the book. Good luck! and four based on children’s designs (December issue, page 20).
To enter, simply visit www.stampmagazine.co.uk/competitions,
Terms & Conditions: Entry is open to UK answer the question below and fill in your contact details. Terms and
residents with a permanent UK address, except
employees (and their families) of MyTimeMedia,
conditions apply.
its printers and agents, and any other companies The closing date is January 11, 2018, and the winners will be drawn
associated with the competition. Winners must
be aged 18 or over. Only one entry per household at random after that date.
is permissible. No responsibility can be accepted
for entries lost, damaged or delayed in the post.
Winners will be notified by post. Prizes are not
transferable to another individual and no cash or
other alternatives will be offered. The promoters
QUESTION
reserve the right to amend or alter the terms of
competitions. The winner will be chosen from Who selected the two winners of 2017’s children’s
all correct entries received by the closing date
stated. The decision of the judges is final, and no design competition for the Christmas stamps?
correspondence will be entered into.

COMPETITION WINNERS

Classic Toys presentation pack

The answer to our competition question in the October issue
was 1989, and the 12 lucky winners whose correct answers
were drawn at random were Julian Pyatt from Ashford,
Michael Peppercorne from Maidstone, Patrick Heaton from
Swansea, Craig Guthrie from Glasgow, Kath Robinson from
Leeds, Barry Page from Horsham, Mark Matthews from
Bristol, Ray Becker from Croydon, Mark Finch from Bisley,
Joshua Godfrey from York, Stephen Woodbridge from
Brighton, and Allan Smith from Whitehaven.

Spot The Stamp

The Spot The Stamp winner from the October issue is David
Morris from Lytchett Matravers, who correctly identified the
mystery stamp (right) as the 22p value from the 1985
Famous Trains set, illustrating Golden Arrow.

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 37

 Do you collect
Court Philatelics Christmas Sale: Please deduct 10% from all offers below!!
Other discounts also apply - offer ends 02/01/18
We sell many one off items not usually listed on ebay under  rudd3325 - check them out!
We are also interested in buying any of your surplus stamps on or off paper for payment or

British Stamps?
exchange. Price list free on request. Guaranteed full refund if not satisfied. Postage: UK custom-
ers pay no postage. Overseas, please add £4.00 / 1/4 lb, £5.00 / 1/2 lb, £7.00 / 1 lb and £2.50 for all
collections ordered. We will use latest Commems including very rare high values! There are no
credit card charges and no VAT payable. (½ lb = 225g, 1 lb = 450g)
GREAT BRITAIN ON PAPER MIXTURES
GB COMMEMS NO XMAS. Wide ranging on paper mix includes h.v’s & modern to 2017
issues. ½ lb £16.00, 1 lb £30.00.
GB HIGH VALUE DEFINS. On paper, many from registered & recorded mail so good
cancellations, a clean mix. Includes modern security issues which will become very rare with all
the gold labels used on mail. ½ lb £18.00, 1 lb £35.00.
GB MULTIPLES ISSUES. Try to keep up with the recent multiple issues. Increasing
variety, right up to the latest 2017 Songbirds, 2016 Mr Men, Shakespeare Quotes, Star Wars,
Comedy Greats, Bridges, 2014 Sustainable Fish, Buckingham Palace, Remarkable Lives, Chil-
dren’s T.V, 2013 Dinosaurs, Butterflies, Famous Britons, Football Heroes, Dr Who etc. Try and
complete those difficult sets. ¼ lb £24.00, ½ lb £45.00.
GB MODERN COMMEMS NO XMAS ONLY.
While Stocks Last! This sells for a small fortune on auction sites as they are so hard to find these
days, we can supply very small amounts. Mostly 2012/2017 issues only with the odd high value
and multiple issues. Limited range as so modern but very sought after. 2 oz £13.00.
GB SPECIAL CHARITY MIX. A well balanced on paper Charity mix covering Defins,
Commems, H.Value Commems, H.Value Defins, Pre-decimal, Wildings & Pre QEII. Covers all
periods. 1 lb £12.00, 2 lbs £22.00.
FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH ON PAPER MIXTURES.
SPECIAL OFFER NO.1: Buy 1 lb Aus, Canada, N.Z & U.S.A for the discounted price
of £62.00. List Price £74.00.
AUSTRALIA. On paper charity mix, includes modern with dream variety, many Commems
and high values, collected from a school-teacher in the Outback. Approx. 2500 stamps / 1 lb. 1 lb
£18.00, 2 lbs £34.00.
CANADA. Sold out before, we have been fortunate to get fresh stocks from the increasingly
difficult country. A colourful on paper charity mixture from the Canadian Save the Children
Fund of Commems, Defins, Large Pictorials and high values. 1 lb £20.00, 2 lbs. £39.00.
NEW ZEALAND. On Paper charity mixture with Commems and higher values includes dif-
ficult to find modern. Supplied to us exclusively by a N.Z Charity. Approx. 2500 stamps / 1lb. ½
lb £11.00, 1 lb £20.00.
U.S.A. An on paper charity mixture with stupendous variety. There can’t be many mixtures so at-
tractive and with such good count. Approx count 3500 to 4000 stamps. Per 1lb £16.00, 2lbs £30.00.  
IRELAND CHARITY. On paper. This emanates from convents throughout the Republic, is
mostly modern  with a wealth of Commems. Price £16.50 / lb. 

Visit our
EUREKA! We’ve found it. This has to be our best world mixture yet. At least 85% commems
with a staggering variety with around 100 countries/states (yes we have found stamps from that
many). Much modern and many high values included. Our SUPER WORLD 100. ½ lb £28.00, 1
lb £55.00, 2 lbs £105.00.
OVERSEAS FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH CHARITY MIXTURE.With

website
over 120 Charity sources in this country it is not surprising that this is the ultimate mixture of
Foreign & Commonwealth stamps essentially on paper. Enormous variety and mostly modern
as it is collected from offices on a day to day basis. Many h. values as many are Air mail values
and a lot will never be seen in approval books! 1 lb £30.00, 2 lbs £55.00, 5 lbs £125.00. 
EUROPEAN COMMEMORATIVES. New in the spring again it has been remarkably
successful. Mostly  Commemoratives from all corners of Europe (No GB). Great variety with
high values and semi-postals. Includes very interesting stamps from the new Russian States,
Iceland, Faroes, Greenland, Vatican, Monaco, San Marino, United Nations and Liechtenstein.
A must for all collectors of Europe. ½ lb £28.00, 1 lb £55.00.
CHANNEL ISLES & ISLE OF MAN. An On Paper mixture of Jersey, Guernsey,
www.greatbritainstamps.net Alderney and I.O.M containing a wealth of variety, strong in Commems, Booklets, Greetings &
h.values. ½ lb £18.00, 1lb £35.00. 
COMMEMORATIVES & LARGE ONLY ON PAPER MIXTURES. Special
offer. Buy 2 different lots of the Commems & Large mixtures below deduct 50% from the price,
4 items deduct 10%, 8 items deduct 20%! ALDERNEY 2oz £25, ¼ lb £48.00.  AUSTRA-
LIA ½ lb £19, 1 lb £35.00.    AUSTRIA ¼ lb £35, ½ lb £68.00. BELGIUM. ¼ lb £23, ½ lb
£45.00.   BHUTAN ¼ lb £35, ½ lb £68.00.  BOTSWANA ¼ lb £18, ½ lb £35.00. CANADA
¼ lb £40, ½ lb £70.00. CYPRUS ¼ lb £30, ½ lb £58.00. DENMARK ¼ lb £18, ½ lb £35.00.
ETHIOPIA ¼ lb £26, ½ lb £50.00. FALKLANDS 2 oz £25, ¼ lb £48.00  FINLAND ¼ lb
£20, ½ lb £39.00. FRANCE ¼ lb £23.00, ½ lb £42.00. FRENCH AFRICA ¼ lb £47, ½ lb
£90.00. GERMANY ½ lb £16, 1 lb £30.00. GERMANY H.V COMMEMS ¼ lb £22, ½ lb £40.
GIBRALTAR ¼ lb £30, ½ lb £58. GREECE ¼ lb £31, ½ lb £60. GUERNSEY ¼ lb £33, ½ lb
£65.00. HOLLAND ¼ lb £18, ½ lb £35.00.   IRAN ¼ lb £30.00, ½ lb £58.00.IRELAND ¼ lb
£21, ½ lb £40.00. ISLE OF MAN ½ lb £33, 1 lb £59.00.  ITALY ¼ lb £32, ½ lb £60.00. JAPAN
¼ lb £22, ½ lb £40.00.  MALAWI ¼ lb £20, ½ lb £38.00.  MALTA ½ lb £16, 1 lb £30.00. NEW
ZEALAND ¼ lb £23, ½ lb £44.00. NORWAY ¼ lb £23, ½ lb £45.00.   SPAIN ¼ lb £23.00, ½ lb
£44.00. SWEDEN ¼ lb £23, ½ lb £45.00. SWISS ¼ lb £23, ½ lb £45.00.  THAILAND ¼ lb £23,
½ lb £45.00 U.S.A ½ lb £25, 1 lb £48.00.
OFF PAPER MIXTURES
FRANCE. An amazing collection of over 500 different Commemoratives only from 2011 to
2016 all in complete sets!! List price £65, sale price £55.00. 
SPECIAL OFFER NO. 7: Buy 1 lb World, 1 lb British Commonwealth and 1 lb W.
Europe Scoop for the discounted price of £130. List price £150.00.
WORLD SCOOP. An Off paper mix scooped from our oddments tub. Emanating from
Charities, Auctions, personal collections etc. You will find high Cat (please tell us when you do

or contact us for a free catalogue ) & many additions for your collection. Each 1 lb lot is over 7000 stamps, costing around ½ p
each. ½ lb £18.00, 1 lb £35.00, 5 lbs £155.00. Sale price ½ lb £16.00, 1 lb £31.00, 5 lbs £139.00.
BRITISH COMMONWEALTH SCOOP. Sold out over the last 8 months, we can now

Swan Stamps
supply more of our popular Off paper mixture covering old Empire & modern Commonwealth. Sev-
eral clients found stamps cataloguing £10 to £50 each. No promises but with at least 7,000 stamps/1lb
you’ll have great fun sorting. ½ lb £31.00, 1 lb £60.00. Sale price ½ lb £27.90, 1 lb £54.00.

PO Box 501 Torquay

WEST EUROPE SCOOP. An Off paper mixture of small and large stamps with much
earlier material. Many better and unusual values. In great demand as our interests in the EEC
grow. Approx. 10,000 stamps to 1 lb costing around ½ p each. ½ lb £28.00, 1 lb £55.00. Sale
Devon TQ1 9FE price ½ lb £25.00, 1 lb £49.00.

Phone: 01803 323430 COURT PHILATELICS

Dept SM, P.O Box 6198, Leighton Buzzard, Beds LU7 9XT.
email: sue@greatbritainstamps.net TEL: 01296 662420 • E-mail: courtphilatelics@aol.com
Payment: We accept cheque, postal orders or all major credit & debit cards. Paypal pay-
ments can be made to courtphilatelics@aol.com or you can pay direct into our bank: RBS,
A/C no. 10088313, sort code 16-1620. NO MINIMUM ORDER.

swan stamps vert.indd 1 29/09/2014 16:46

The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2019.
For this occasion an international exhibition will be held in Stockholm.
H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden has graciously agreed to be the Patron.

The exhibition will comprise philatelic dealers and auction houses from all over the world.
The exhibition will have an extensive philatelic and social program.
Only Fellows and Members of the RPSL will be allowed to exhibit.
The competitive classes will be judged by an international jury appointed by the Council of The RPSL.

STOCKHOLMIA 2019
will be organised at
“Waterfront Congress Centre”,
Nils Ericsons Plan 4.
It is Sweden’s newest and most
versatile venue for large-scale
meetings and events.

For more information: visit the website stockholmia2019.se or contact Jonas Hällström : jonas@stockholmia2019.se
gb king george V 1912-34 definitiVes

Prolific profile
The Mackennal-head series of King George V, launched in 1912, was one of Britain’s
longest-running definitive issues, and makes for a diverse postal history collection
■ Report by Alastair Gunn

T
he first definitives of
King George V were the
three-quarter-face ‘Downey
head’ series introduced in 1911, but
these were so difficult to print well,
and consequently so unpopular,
that only two values were ever
released.
It was therefore the subsequent
side-face ‘Mackennal head’ series,
introduced in 1912, which became
the first full set of the reign, and a
much more popular collectable.
A total of 14 values were issued,
and they remained in daily use for
more than 20 years, during which
time World War I was fought and
domestic and international airmail
services were introduced.
There are many varieties to
watch for, and changes in postage
rates gave each of the stamps
various uses.

Design and printing

What is not always appreciated is
that the series actually used three
different profile portraits of the
King. Bertram Mackennal’s
‘coinage’ effigy was used as the
basis of the ½d, 1½d, 2d, 3d and 4d
values, and the larger ‘medal’ head
for the 1d and 2½d values, with an
intermediate version for the
values above 5d.
These three heads appeared in
five different frames, three
designed by Mackennal for the ½d
to 4d denominations and two by
George Eve for the 5d to 1s
denominations.
Printed in typography by
Harrison & Sons and Somerset
House, with a Simple Royal Cypher
watermark, the stamps were issued
in stages over the course of a year,
starting with the 2d orange-yellow
on August 20, 1912.
The ½d and 1d values also exist,
from coils, with a Multiple Royal
Cypher watermark.
The colour of the 9d was changed
in 1922, and from 1924 a Multiple
ABOVE: Control block Crowns watermark was used as
of the King George V Waterlow & Sons took over as the
1912-24 2d orange, primary printer.
the first value issued
in the Mackennal- Longevity and collectability
head definitive series The stamps were in use for several
decades, and in some cases longer.
The majority were replaced from
August 1934 by equivalents printed
in photogravure (easily
distinguishable from the way the
background to the portrait became
a solid colour), but this later series
never included 6d, 7d and 8d
values, so the original designs for
these remained in use until as
late as 1939.
The longevity of the 1912 series,
and the involvement of three
different printers, ensures that a
huge variety of shades are
catalogued, along with different
dies, plate markings and flaws.
Mint stamps are often collected
in ‘control’ blocks, with the
printers’ control letters and
numbers in the bottom margins.
Covers can be collected
illustrating many different usages
and postage rates.
Initial postage rates
Stamps are generally produced for
a purpose, and solo usages on
cover are the cornerstone of any
postal history collection, so it is
important to understand the most
common usages for any given
value when it was issued.
When this series first appeared,
the ½d paid the internal postcard
rate and lowest-weight printed
paper rate, the 1d paid the basic
domestic and British Empire letter
rate, the 1½d paid the second-
weight internal letter rate (most
often used by businesses), the 2d
paid the internal registration fee
for a letter with the minimum level
of compensation, the 2½d paid the

40 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018


basic foreign letter rate, the 3d paid
the inland or foreign express rate,
the 4d paid for a second-weight
foreign letter, and the 5d paid for a
registered first-weight foreign
letter with advice of delivery.
Fine examples of these usages
can be tricky to find, but it is the
less common usages which provide
the real challenge.
The higher value stamps, of 6d
and above, had no common usages
initially, but helped to pay some of
the higher rates, such as heavier or
valuable registered letters and
parcels, especially to overseas
destinations. They became
increasingly useful with the
development of airmail.
Changing rates
One must remember, however, that
postage rates tend to be changed
over time, and this factor hugely
affected the usage of King
George V definitives.
During the lifetime of these
stamps, postal rate changes
happened in November 1915, June
1918, June 1920, May 1922 and May
1923. As a result, many of the
values in the series ended up
having multiple uses.
For example, the 1d stamp might
have been issued in October 1912 to
pay the internal letter rate up to
4oz, but from November 1915 it
paid for a letter up to 1oz, from
June 1918 it paid for an internal
postcard, and from June 1921 it
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ABOVE: The other paper rate. After May 1922, the
four designs in the postcard rate dropped back down
14-value series, to 1d, and this remained the
represented by the primary use of the stamp until it
1½d red-brown, 2½d was superseded in September 1934.
blue, 6d purple and This adds up to four different
1s bistre common usages of this one value
during its period of availability,
and that’s before you begin to
consider its potential usefulness as
a make-up value.
Collecting options
You can collect this definitive series
as a whole, and find much to enjoy
over many years.
Alternatively, just concentrating
on the postal history of one stamp
could provide a fascinating study
and lead to an impressively

Issue Dates paid the lowest-weight printed detailed exhibit.

■ August 20, 1912

2d orange
Basic letter rate 1916
■ October 8, 1912 The starting point for any postal history exhibit might be a cover posted at the basic
1d red domestic letter rate, which was 1d until 1918. In this case, however, the most common
letter rate is made uncommon by its usage in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
■ October 9, 1912
This letter was sent on July 1, 1916 (which, coincidentally, was the first day of the Battle
3d violet
of the Somme), from Creagorry on the isle of Benbecula to the Procurator Fiscal’s office in
■ October 15, 1912 Lochmaddy on the neighnouring isle of North Uist.
1½d red-brown

■ October 18, 1912

2½d blue

■ January 15, 1913

4d grey-green

■ January 16, 1913

½d green

■ June 30, 1913

5d brown
9d agate (green from 1922)

■ August 1, 1913
6d purple
7d olive
8d black on yellow
10d turquoise-blue
1s bistre

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 41

gb king george V 1912-34 definitiVes

Wartime censored
cover, 1915
One of the strengths of the way postage rates
were organised in this period was the ease with
which lower-value stamps combined readily to
pay higher rates.
This overseas cover of July 19, 1915, addressed
from Galashiels in Scotland to Copenhagen in
Denmark, was paid for using the 1d and 1½d
stamps, which usually met the two lowest
internal British letter rates.
It was examined by a censor and resealed
before being sent on to Denmark, which was a
neutral country during World War I.
Wartime field post office
cover, 1916
This registered letter was sent from a Field Post Office in France to a
sports magazine in Switzerland on December 3, 1916, about halfway
through World War I.
It was franked with one ½d, two 1d and one 2d stamps, making a
total of 4½d, which left it underpaid.
The correct foreign letter rate was 2½d, and foreign registration also
2½d, but the FPO was perhaps confused by the fact that inland
registration cost 2d. How many FPOs would know or care about the
registration fee for other than UK mail?
Interestingly the resealed cover has two oval field censor
handstamps, numbered 2964 and 3492.

uprated postal
stationery, 1919
Uprated postal stationery is awkward to find, but makes a nice
addition to any collection. This example has an imprinted 1d
envelope with a ½d adhesive added, both tied by a machine
cancellation of Buxton on May 1, 1919.
It was sent to a well-known stamp dealer, Oswald Marsh in
London, by his wife who was on holiday in the popular spa
town near the Peak District.

Overpaid postcard
rate, 1921
This picture postcard addressed from Swanage
in Dorset to Finistère in north-west France,
datestamped August 3, 1921, was sent using a
2d stamp.
That means it was overpaid by ½d, which is
often a result of the sender not being familiar
with the postage rates or simply not having the
correct postage to hand.
The card was apparently sent from one British
traveller or holidaymaker to another, so either
explanation is plausible

42 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018


underpaid foreign rate, 1925
Covers with postage due stamps or markings are always hard
to come by, and especially on mail which has gone overseas.
This cover, posted from London to France on November 30,
1925, bears one ½d and two 1½d stamps, which would have
been sufficient to pay the lowest-weight rate. The pencil mark
Revenue usage,
1927
These stamps could be used either for postage or
revenue purposes, and revenue uses can form an
interesting part of a competitive exhibit.
The fee for this birth extract, part of an official
copy of a birth certificate produced by the
Registry of Births, Marriages & Deaths, was paid
using a 1d stamp in December 1927.
DID yOu knOW?
Comprehensive tables of historic British postage
rates can be found on the Great Britain Philatelic
society website. Visit www.gbps.org.uk
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in the top left corner indicates that it weighed over 1oz, so a
pair of 20c French postage due stamps were applied.
The letter was intended to catch up with British passengers
on board the British India Steam Navigation Co’s SS Modasa,
before she departed Marseille for India or East Africa.
‘The 1912 series was the first full
definitive set of the reign, and remained
in everyday use for several decades’
Registered commercial
cover, 1928
It is not always apparent precisely which postage rates and fees
applied, as in the case of this large registered cover sent from
Truro to Bath on May 31, 1928, franked with six 1½d stamps to a
total value of 9d.
A variety of interpretations are possible but, given that the
recipients were lawyers and the contents might have been
important legal documents, the likelihood is that 5d was paid for a
letter weighing between 14oz and 1lb and 4d for registration with
the second level of compensation.
january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 43
gb king george V 1912-34 definitiVes

Registered OHMs cover, 1934

This registered cover of September 29, 1934, addressed from affixed, despite its On His Majesty’s Service status.
the Inspector of Taxes in Loughborough to a firm of solicitors Official covers were entitled to free postage, but extra
in Leicester, is correctly paid with 3d worth of stamps services such as registration required payment.

‘Postage rates change over time,

and this hugely affected the usage
of King George V definitives’

Paquebot cover,
1930
Paquebot mail still had a role to play in the early
1930s, before international airmail services were
well established, and makes an interesting
element of any postal history collection.
This cover, addressed to London, was franked
on board ship with a British 1½d stamp but
entered into the postal system in the French port Internal airmail cover, 1928
of Toulon in the Mediterranean on June 27, 1930.
Internal airmail flights were patchy and intermittent in the 1920s, but
a flying boat service operated between Belfast and Liverpool from
September 24 to October 6, 1928.
This cover from Liverpool to Lisburn, dated October 5, 1928, has a
2½d stamp because, unusually, airmail fees of 1d per 2oz of weight
were applied in addition to standard postage rates.

DID yOu knOW?

the first scheduled airmail service from Britain to France was
established in november 1919, the first from Britain to India in March
1929 and the first from Britain to australia in December 1934.

44 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018


airmail to australia, 1934
An airmail rate to Australia, of 1s 5d for a letter weighing between
½oz and 1oz, was set in June 1932, although Imperial Airways did
not commence a regular airmail service until 1934.
This cover of June 12, 1934, was sent on Imperial Chemical
Industries (ICI) stationery from an office in Birmingham to one in
Melbourne, and was correctly franked with one 1s and two 2½d
stamps, all with perforated initials.
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experimental
rocket post, 1934
The German rocket engineer Gerhard Zucker
experimented with using rockets to transport
mail between Scottish islands in 1934, trying in
vain to interest Post Office officials in the
viability of the concept.
This cover, addressed to Germany and bearing
a ½d stamp paying the foreign surface rate for
unsealed printed papers, was carried on a trial
firing from the tiny Isle of Scarp to the Isle of
Harris on July 28, and received a Harris
cancellation on August 1.
It also features an example of Zucker’s Western
Isles Rocket Post pictorial carriage label, which
was sold at 2s 6d.

‘Concentrating on the postal history of just

one stamp could be a fascinating study’

two-series combination
cover, 1934
When the 1912 definitive range began to be replaced in 1934,
by designs which were almost identical but printed in
photogravure and featuring dark shading behind the royal
portrait, some philatelic covers were created combining
stamps from both sets.
This airmail cover from West Hartlepool to Egypt on
December 4, 1934, correctly paid at 6d, used the only three
stamps of the second set which had been issued at the time,
the ½d, 1d and 1½d, juxtaposed with their predecessors.

Late usage, 1936

Late usages of stamps in the series can be found
after their replacement in 1934-36, as individuals
and companies continued to use up existing stocks.
This letter from London to India, postmarked on
January 17, 1936, correctly paying the 1s 6d airmail
rate for a letter weighing up to 1½oz, used two
examples of the old 9d stamp which had been
superseded by the new design more than six weeks
earlier, on December 2, 1935.
Just three days after this letter was posted,
King George V died.

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 45

 THIS IS JUST A SMALL PART AJH STAMPS LTD Registered Business No:
OF OUR 2018 CATALOGUE THE LAURELS 24407076
MANCHESTER ROAD, ACCRINGTON LTD. Co No. 4110518
email: sales@ajhstamps.co.uk
LANCS, BB5 2PF Est: 1970
Web Page: www. ajhstamps.co.uk
TEL: (01254) 393740 FAX: (01254) 382274
REF T500 REF T501 REF T502 REF T503
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A SUPERB MIX INC 500 DIFF OFF PAPER, COMMONWEALTH BOX FILE
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BUY REF T500 & T503 AND RECEIVE BOTH CRAMMED WITH ON AND OFF PAPER FOREIGN SHOE BOX SHOE BOX 1841 IMPERF 1d RED & 2d BLUE
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WITH 1,000 DIFFERENT TO MAKE THIS PAIR PAGES, LOOSE STAMPS AUCTION LEFT OVERS MODERN, LOOSE AND ON LEAVES, ALBUM PAGES FDCs ETC, ALSO SOME FROM 1d REDS TO MODERN INC STAMPS
OF BOX FILES A SUPERB SORT & VALUE CONTAINING STAMPS CAT £5+ THIS IS A VERY A GOOD MAINLY MODERN MIX, SETS & SINGLES, MINT & USED, A GOOD ON & OFF PAPER, INC SOME EARLY, IDEAL
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WORLD (NO GB) 12KG BOX THE FAMOUS ALL WORLD
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AND SINGLE COUNTRY COLLECTIONS THE FAMOUS
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 world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs features Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
COMMONWEALTH CLASSICS

Colossus of Rhodes
rhodesia’s 1905 set depicting the mighty Victoria Falls was intrinsically linked
to the imperial dream of a railway line stretching from the Cape to Cairo
■ Report by John Winchester

T
oday the name of Cecil
Rhodes is tainted by its
association with exploitative
imperialism. At the end of the 19th
century, however, he was
considered a visionary, not least for
his dream of a ‘red line’ of British
possessions spanning Africa from
the Cape in the south to Cairo in
the north, linked by a continuous
railway line.
The railway was never
completed, but Rhodes made his
contribution by confronting one of
the biggest barriers to such a
scheme. As managing director of
the British South Africa Company,
he instructed engineers to build a
bridge across the gorge of the
Zambezi River, just downstream
from the mighty Victoria Falls,
‘where the trains might catch the
spray as they pass’.
Construction of the 650ft (200m)
single-arch span began shortly
after his death in 1902, and was ABOVE: 1905 Visit of
completed in 1905. The opening British Association & ‘This was the last issue of British
ceremony would be attended by a
delegation from the British
Opening of Victoria
Falls Bridge 5s violet,
South Africa Company stamps not
Association for the Advancement the top value in a to carry the name Rhodesia’
of Science, and commemorated by set of six
a set of stamps. denominations. The master die was composite miniature sheets of nine
used to make subsidiary dies for (two each of the lowest values and
Waterlow & Sons had been the six values, and the stamps were one each of the highest values)
producing stamps for the British printed on unwatermarked paper were produced as a printer’s
South Africa Company since 1897, in sheets of 25, with perforation sample, in a single colour and with
but this would be its first pictorial varying between 14 and 15. a diagonal ‘Waterlow & Sons Ltd.
design. Six values were specified, The issue was placed on sale on Specimen’ overprint.
of 1d, 2½d, 5d, 1s, 2s 6d and 5s, July 13, two months before the
each to be recess-printed in a opening ceremony on September This was the last issue of British
single colour. 12, and it is thought that 20,000 sets South Africa Company stamps not
A photograph of the Victoria were sold, with public enthusiasm to carry the name ‘Rhodesia’, which
Falls was engraved as a vignette fanned by Waterlow’s splendid first appeared as an overprint in
and enclosed within an elaborate publicity poster depicting all six 1909 and was incorporated into the
frame, with vacant tablets in the stamps. design of subsequent definitives.
bottom corners for the Collectable varieties include the The image of Victoria Falls
‘bird in tree’ flaw found on the 5d endured, however, well beyond the
MARKET vAluEs claret, and imperforate pairs of the division of the territory into two
1s blue-green. Look out, too, for separate colonies in 1923. Southern
special ‘British Association’ Rhodesia used it on definitive
Catalogue prices for this set, mint or fine used, postmarks which can be found for issues of 1931 and 1932, and later
range from about £10 for the lowest value to several dates in September. created similar motifs for its
about £150 for the highest values. Besides the usual ‘Specimen’ 1935 Silver Jubilee and 1937
overprints of individual stamps, Coronation sets. ■

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 49

 Warwick & Warwick
PHILATELIC AUCTIONEERS & VALUERS
www.warwickandwarwick.com
We are pleased to announce a valuable
auction of general world philatelic
properties, featuring Great Britain
specialised 1934-36 issues, to be held in Warwick.
Wednesday 7th February at 12 noon.

Great Britain, 1934-36 1 1/2d

Harrison Trial from Lafayette portrait UM

Great Britain, 1934-36 1 1/2d

imperf pair, FU on piece

CANDLISHMcCLEERYLTD Great Britain Stamps 1840–1970

PO BOX 2 TEL: 01684 311771
HANLEY CASTLE FAX: 01684 311778
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Falkland Islands 1928
2 1/2d on 2d, FU
Visit our website to view catalogue.
Printed copies available on request.
Future Auctions:
March 7th, April 4th
Final Reminder January 10th
LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED COLLECTIONS, COVERS AND
Warwick & Warwick Ltd.
www.warwickandwarwick.com
Chalon House, Scar Bank, Millers Rd, Warwick CV34 5DB
Tel: 01926 499031 Fax: 01926 491906
Email: ian.hunter@warwickandwarwick.com
www.candlishmccleery.com
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EMAILED DAILY OFFERINGS
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WE HAVE BEEN FULL PTS MEMBERS SINCE 1985
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The Larches, 6a High Street,

Pirton, Herts, SG5 3PS
TEL: 01462 712170; FAX: 01462 711018
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www.niblettstamps.co.uk

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expert certificates

The real thing?

The more valuable a stamp might be, the more you should consider getting it
expertised. But who are these self-proclaimed experts, and what are the pros and
cons of paying them for one of those simple-looking certificates they issue?
■ Report by Martin Boyd

A
round 15 years ago, I found
myself standing by chance
outside John Smith’s stamp
shop at the top of The Shambles,
York’s most historic shopping
street, and it spurred me to get
back into philately. 
I hadn’t collected stamps actively
since I was at school, though I still
had my old collection in the
attic. Now I was an adult with
spare money in my bank account,
and I realised that I could afford
expensive items which my pocket
money would never stretch to.
As I began to assemble the
makings of a good collection, my
improved circumstances soon
brought me into contact with a
staple of the philatelic world which
I had never had to think about
before: expert certificates.

Peace of mind
Certificates exist to proclaim to the
world that the stamps they
accompany are considered
authentic by philatelic experts.
In practical terms, certification is
for stamps with a relatively high
market value, for two very good
reasons: firstly because you have to
pay for the service, and secondly
because these are the stamps which
are most likely to be forged.
Forgeries are a common problem ABOVE: Is your latest difficult to fake. the Royal Philatelic Society London
with many classic stamps, purchase a bona fide It is when you find yourself able (RPSL) and the British Philatelic
especially those which survive in rarity? For peace of to buy expensive stamps that you Association (BPA), both of which
relatively small numbers, and even mind, you might need begin to appreciate the value of are long established and have
more so where overprints were to get it expertised certification. It’s an investment. reputations for reliability.
issued in limited quantities. If you buy a stamp with a Their expert committees have not
It is important to remember that certificate, it may cost more but you only a wealth of experience to call
overprints, often hastily typeset are reassured that you are getting on, in terms of permanent
and applied by makeshift printers, what you are paying for. When you members and a network of
are much easier to forge than the sell a stamp with a certificate, it specialist consultants, but also a
stamps themselves, especially will give buyers more confidence back catalogue of past referrals
those engraved and produced by and should therefore realise the against which they can compare
high-quality security printers. price it deserves. new ‘patients’.
The same goes for postmarks. They may also have a reference
Evidence of postal usage can add to Technical expertise collection of forgeries from the
the value of certain stamps, and The two leading bodies in the UK most notorious forgers of the past,
some handstamps are not too which offer expert certification are such as Jean de Sperati and

52 www.stampmagazine.co.uk January 2018


ABOVE: The Expert Committee of the Royal Philatelic Society London has a huge reference library
and uses a spectral comparator to analyse ink and check for chemical tampering
François Fournier, against which
they can check any stamp that
comes before them.
Furthermore, they have access to
high-powered magnification
facilities, enabling them to see
things which are invisible to the
average collector armed with a
humble magnifying glass.  American Philatelic Society (APS),
The RPSL has a very high-tech
piece of kit called a spectral
comparator, which can digitally
analyse ink samples to check
whether they match, can use
infra-red and ultra-violet light to
detect whether stamps have been
chemically treated or cleaned, and
offers 160x magnification to
identify any tears and repairs.
Not surprisingly, an RPSL
certificate which says a stamp is
genuine has considerable clout.
Although it is always careful to
point out that what it is giving is an
‘opinion’, rather than a statement of
fact, it would be hard for anyone to
contradict its verdict.
Experts everywhere
Other individuals and dealers can
set up as ‘experts’ to provide a
similar service, and the value of
their certificates essentially
depends on their reputation in
their particular field.
Some, such as the alliterative
Sergio Sismondo of Syracuse in the
USA, produce very attractive
certificates which can read very
pleasantly and make you feel your
money has been well spent,
although of course he is less well
known than the RPSL or BPA.
When submitting a stamp for
expertisation, give some thought to
the level of expertise offered by
different organisations, and to
world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs features Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
geographical factors. Up to a point,
it may well be that ‘local is best’.
In the case of Commonwealth
stamps, for example, there is huge
knowledge among the experts at
the RPSL or BPA, whereas for a
United States stamp you might
consider approaching the
the Philatelic Foundation (PF) or
Professional Stamp Experts (PSE).
A leading dealer told me that a
‘difficult’ stamp, such as one which
is known to have been extensively
forged, is best expertised by a
specialist in the field. But then the
most respected expert committees
will usually consult such a
specialist as a matter of course
before coming to their verdict.
Key verdict
A dealer who I know well, David
Druett of Pennymead Stamps, once
told me that the best kind of
certificate is one which describes
your stamp and then says simply
‘...is genuine’.
It means that a body of philatelic
experts, after the benefit of a ABOVE: Canada 1852-57 6d greenish-grey, on hand-made wove
thorough examination, are paper, and its slightly disappointing RPSL certificate
convinced that the item in question
is what it appears to be.
On a different level, however, if issues a pink certificate when the
there is something dubious or stamp is authentic, but there is
imperfect about your stamp, something amiss with it. In this
expertisation will almost certainly case, it was ‘genuine, but has been
reveal this, and the certificate will repaired at upper right.’
elaborate on it. Naturally I try to buy stamps
When I bought a Mauritius with white certificates, but that is
1854-57 (intermediate impression) not always possible. The key words
2d light blue, which was advertised are ‘is genuine’.
as coming with a BPA certificate, I
was initially surprised to see that Test case one
the certificate was printed on pink About 10 years ago I saw a used
paper, rather than white. Canada 1852-57 6d greenish-grey
It turns out that the organisation (on hand-made wove paper)
January 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 53
 expert certificates

‘Expert committees have not

only a wealth of experience to
call on, but a reference collection
of forgeries and high-tech
analytical equipment’
pictured in an auction catalogue,
put in a healthy bid for it, and won
it. It looked a fine example, but it
didn’t come with a certificate, so, to
gild the lily, I decided to send it off
to the RPSL get one.
When it arrived back, the verdict
was quite a let-down: the stamp
had been tampered with, ‘cleaned
of m/s “3” and other markings’.
I had not carefully read the
auctioneer’s terms of business
small print, which said that if you
wanted to make your bid
conditional on certification you
needed to notify him of this at the
time, so this was a loss I had to
shoulder, which taught me an
important lesson.

Test case two

In contrast, one of the highlights in
my collecting career was the
purchase of a stamp from
Griqualand West, which was a
crown colony from 1873-80 before
being absorbed into the Cape
Colony, and which used a series of
Cape of Good Hope stamps
overprinted with ‘G’.
I had been lent some albums by a
senior figure in one of the study
circles I was a member of, and told
I could extract any stamps I needed
from these, at reasonable prices.
When I found a used example of
the 1877-78 5s yellow-orange which
had an upside-down watermark
but was not identified as such, my
fellow-collector kindly said I could
buy it for the price of a standard
stamp, as it was me who had
noticed the variety.
It was not listed in the Stanley
Gibbons catalogue, so I sent it off to
the BPA for a certificate. To my
delight, it came back with the
crucial endorsement ‘is genuine’,
and the ‘small internal split’ did
not dampen my excitement!
I proudly sent a copy of the
certificate to the Stanley Gibbons
catalogue editor, Hugh Jefferies.
The following year, when an
updated catalogue was published, ABOVE: Griqualand West 1877-78 5s yellow-orange with inverted watermark, and its
there was my stamp, listed as pleasing BPA certificate stating that the expert committee believe it to be genuine
Griqualand West SG10fw! ■

54 www.stampmagazine.co.uk January 2018

 I TA I N
T B R
R E A
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EXC nrivalled reat Britain
an u p you build tahme sG ALITY
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AND
1E L ENGL
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ns.com
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PO BO
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 The Collectors’ Secret Weapon?

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Returning UPA client? Not purchased for 12 months: £26 deducted if you
spend more than £52, mention offer when requesting catalogue 59
REGULAR COLLECTORS SAVE £250+ A YEAR BIDDING/WINNING STAMPS LIKE THESE WITH UPA – START SAVING – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE NOW Plate 4
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NO BUYER’S PREMIUMS, NO POSTAGE, NO CREDIT CARD CHARGES – SAVES YOU UP TO 27% +

UPA 10th January Plates 3-18 v2.indd 4

Massive Philatelic Choice – 20,387 lots 11/22/2017 4:59:36 PM

60 ...in a Unique Reducing Estimate System
 Plate 13
Plate 7

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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NEW? ACTIVATE YOUR LOYALTY BONUS STATUS OF POST-FREE DELIVERY – BID IN THIS AUCTION
TO MAINTAIN YOUR LOYALTY BONUS STATUS OF POST-FREE DELIVERY BID IN THIS AUCTION

...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 11 July Plates 3-18 v3.indd 13
UPA 10th January Plates 3-18 v2.indd 7
5/24/2017 10:57:52 AM
11/22/2017 5:00:36 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 61

 Plate 16
REGULAR COLLECTORS SAVE £250+ A YEAR BIDDING/WINNING STAMPS LIKE THESE WITH UPA – START SAVING – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE NOW Plate 9
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UPA 11 July Plates 3-18 v3.indd 16

UPA 10th January Plates 3-18 v2.indd 9
Massive Philatelic Choice – 20,387 lots 5/24/2017 10:59:00 AM
11/22/2017 5:01:17 PM

62 ...in a Unique Reducing Estimate System
 Plate 10

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 3-18 v2.indd 10 11/22/2017 5:01:36 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 63

REGULAR COLLECTORS SAVE £250+ A YEAR BIDDING/WINNING STAMPS LIKE THESE WITH UPA – START SAVING – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE NOW Plate 12
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UPA 10th January Plates 3-18 v2.indd 12

Massive Philatelic Choice – 20,387 lots 11/22/2017 5:02:11 PM

64 ...in a Unique Reducing Estimate System
 Plate 13

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 3-18 v2.indd 13 11/22/2017 5:02:29 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 65

65
REGULAR COLLECTORS SAVE £250+ A YEAR BIDDING/WINNING STAMPS LIKE THESE WITH UPA – START SAVING – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE NOW Plate 15
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UPA UNIQUE REDUCING ESTIMATE SYSTEM – ALL LOTS GUARANTEED

UPA 10th January Plates 3-18 v2.indd 15

Massive Philatelic Choice – 20,387 lots 11/22/2017 5:03:09 PM

66 ...in a Unique Reducing Estimate System
 Plate 17

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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NEW? ACTIVATE YOUR LOYALTY BONUS STATUS OF POST-FREE DELIVERY – BID IN THIS AUCTION

...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 3-18 v2.indd 17 11/22/2017 5:03:47 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 67

 ANDREW PROMOTING PHILATELY ON
THE ALAN TITCHMARSH SHOW ITV

Dear Colleague,
For the first time, in this open letter, I’m going to give you the
thinking, the ‘mindset’ if you will, of how and why my stamp
auction thrives where others do not...
As many of you will attest. At certain ‘peak’ times in our auction ‘cycle,’ I personally
answer the telephone to callers. It’s a wonderfully enjoyable and rewarding thing for me to
do, because, you kindly inform me of your likes and dislikes, about us, and other auctions
that you may have dealt with before discovering Universal Philatelic Auctions … (UPA).
One of the most common ‘threads’ that I have learnt from You, and from other
Dealers and Auctioneers, is simply ‘how does U P A do it?’ How is it that we have
become the largest Stamp Auction in the UK and almost the largest globally?
How can we afford to expend more upon advertising worldwide than most
dealers sell in a year? Simply put: How can we afford to offer more and
charge less – indeed – how can we afford to offer more and charge you no
extra w-h-a-t-s-o-e-v-e-r ??
The fundamental reason why is because, unlike others, everything we
do is Driven by You.. Over the course of the past 17 years I have discovered
that combining this ‘bottom-up’ thinking with offering simply MASSIVE Philatelic
Choice – permits us to offer you a Unique Collector-Driven Stamp Auction
Experience. Think about it: whilst the rest of our philatelic industry works ‘top-
down’ – issuing diktats, regulation, charges and fees, and few guarantees – ever
increasingly we throw these off encouraged by more and more collectors joining us, who
crucially continue to participate in auction after auction... rewarding us by their loyalty,
enriching their collections... enabling us, in turn, to reward them.
...So that, when you inform us that You don’t like ‘X’ (extra shipping and insurance
charges), and You dislike ‘Y’ (paying credit card charges) and you positively abhor paying
‘Z’ – up to 25% buyer’s premiums... (particularly when you may realise that you are possibly
or probably paying a buyer’s premium upon that dealer’s own stamps that they are selling
to You)... we take that valuable knowledge you’ve imparted and ‘dial’ it back into our auction
system, not purely for your benefit BUT for our mutual benefit because over the 17 years
that U P A has been auctioning I have discovered that if we have enough participating
bidders in our auctions we can offer you a radically superior service and a radically different
deal than others...
Discover the Difference

Philately Understood
68
 To me it is logical that when you configure your auction to really give
collectors what they seek, mixing in a unique reducing-estimate-auction system,
blended with hundreds and thousands of simply massive philatelic choice –
these are the reasons why more Collectors bid in my U P A auctions than any
other auction in the UK and almost all others globally. Consider that each U P A
auction adds up to 242 different new bidders when most stamp auctions only
have a few hundred bidders TOTAL – the SCALE of Your SUPPORT permits
allows us to ‘square’ the circle so that, hopefully, we can offer offer
collectors like you True Philatelic VAL-YOU for Money...
How can you help? Simply by participating regularly in our
auctions permits us to give back, producing the most expensive and the
best post-free auction catalogues you may ever receive whilst staying in business.
Your continued support is powering our new Loyalty Post-Free System. So, all that I
would respectfully ask and encourage you to do – is join the 2,264 different Collectors To Collect
and Dealers from 51 different countries worldwide, who participated in my last auction Your NEXT
U P A #67, creating new philatelic world records of participation and in some cases of £20
realisations – whilst an astonishing 90% of bidders were successful... and those lots that 20,387 lot
remained unsold carried forward at ever decreasing estimate and reserve thereby creating
the nucleus of this auction with a ‘sprinkling’ of more than 8,000 new lots of absolutely Auction
extraordinary NEW material... whereby, ultimately collectors like You determine values, Catalogue
not catalogues…
My wife and I, and members of our super Team, wish you Happy Hunting and Request
great Philatelic Fun. With thanks for Your continued support. Please do tell your Yours
Philatelic Friends. They’ll receive the best Philatelic Thank You for joining us and you’ll

A
be rewarded too!

Andrew McGavin, Managing Director

Universal Philatelic Auctions UPA,

Simply – telephone one of my Team on 01451 861111 to request Your

NEXT FREE 9th January 2018 U P A Catalogue NOW… OR turn to one
of my 1st £55 Auction Winnings FREE coupon pages in this magazine,
visit www.upastampauctions.co.uk to view/bid on-line OR request
your 336 page, 1 kg catalogue on-line, mailed quickly so you can test
my auction without spending a penny, … Join 2,264 bidders, 90%
successful, in my last auction. Start Bidding and winning now…
REQUE
ST MY
OF THE ‘TIPS
T
UNIVERSAL PHILATELIC AUCTIONS (SM 01/18) FREE B RADE’
OOKLE
4 The Old Coalyard, West End Northleach, Glos. GL54 3HE UK T
Tel: 01451 861111 • Fax: 01451 861297
69
 UPA – The Collectors’ Secret Weapon
Unsolicited Testimonials:
1 This is a miraculous service … super prompt and perfect solutions … I will be bidding in (U P A #)60 if
there are items I need (RF USA)

2 Not satisfied, You’re Joking, a very thorough bidding process, great follow up and fast delivery.
I am more than happy with my last bidding transaction. Well done, could not be more pleased
(PF Malta)

3 NO buyer’s premium makes it so much easier for bidders especially when you have good material (BK
Glos)

4 It is great that while running a successful auction you find time to send nice emails and act to
the best interests of the hobby. Thanks, it is very refreshing (DW USA)

5 Thank you for the superb catalogue – here are my bids (TF Norway)

6 Absolutely loved the catalogue, great reading on cool fall days here in Northern BC.
Thank-you (JC Canada)

7 Congratulations on another brilliant 999 gram catalogue! (BM Australia)

8 Long may the unique U P A flourish as a blessing to collectors (HP USA)

9 I have enjoyed browsing your beautifully-produced catalogue and made several successful bids (MS
Cheltenham)

10 I am a collector of long-standing, Andrew, and I still find your stamp tips most helpful and in-
formative. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge (AB B. Hill UK)

11 Thank you – very honest of you – but I’ve come to expect that from U P A! (KB Sheffield)

12 May I say, as a new customer, the catalogue is magnificent and the pleasure it gave me in
scouring through it will only be matched by my delight at receiving the stamps at such a good
price – and of course the expectation of receiving the next catalogue in due course
(KS Spalding)

13 I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the pleasure I have enjoyed from U P A and
the hard work you all do to produce such a work of art (AE Wirral)

14 I was very pleased with the results of my bids at the last two auctions. Have been tempted to
come up with a much increased number of bids this time. Very impressed with the catalogue
(DM Norfolk)

15 I received my parcel with my winning bid of wildings. I was over the moon as it was my first time at
doing an Auction like this. I was quite surprised I actually won anything. I will be so looking forward
to the next auction (GS Northants)

16 I love your catalogues, but since I only collect xxxx viewing it on-line works great for me. I wish
you continued success. I love your business model (AC USA)

17 Once again, your catalog is superb. I particularly appreciate your precise descriptions (CJ California)

UNIVERSAL
UNIVERSALPHILATELIC
PHILATELICAUCTIONS
AUCTIONS(SM
(SM
01/18)
01/18)
4 The
4 The
Old
Old
Coalyard,
Coalyard,
West
West
End
End
Northleach,
Northleach,Glos.
Glos.
GL54
GL54
3HE
3HE
UKUK
Tel:
Tel:
01451
01451
861111
861111
• Fax:
• Fax:
01451
01451
861297
861297
70 www.upastampauctions.co.uk
www.upastampauctions.co.uk Email:
Email:info@upastampauctions.co.uk
info@upastampauctions.co.uk
 Plate 18

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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KEEP YOUR POST-FREE LOYALTY BONUS STATUS? PLEASE BID IN 5 OUT OF 6 UPA AUCTIONS

...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 3-18 v2.indd 18 11/22/2017 5:04:02 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 71

 Delivering Your Dream Collection…
…can cost less than you think
M
Y favourite stamp is probably the same as my wife’s – the GB PUC £1.
Just take a look at the design / engraving – and in single
monochrome – utterly magnificent. Strictly speaking I should say
the 1d black – it’s iconic and an amazing work of design/art in the first place
as this stamp represents in communication terms the ‘Apple i-phone’ of its
time – also barring damage to the actual paper – the 1d black is virtually
indestructible … the colour is so ‘fast’ that you can soak a 1d black in a
1/10 part solution of ‘milton/water’ (nappy bleach) … the paper will turn
white but the black will remain unaffected. This is the reason why you
sometimes see a magnificent used 1d black but the paper is too white –
simply it has been left too long in bleach … over-white paper will actually Put Your 1st £55 FREE to
wards a high
lower value … as with most things it is a question of degree … value?

Reader: That’s all very interesting Andrew, but where is this going ..?
When I was, theoretically, growing up (in my teens)
you could ask me the retail price of virtually any
British commemorative set (think ‘special issue’ for the
indoctrinated) and I would know it as black is to white.
But nowadays, in value terms, what is black and what
is white? – courtesy perhaps more than anything of the
internet … so much is ‘grey’ and blurred around the edges
… that ‘retail’ price depends more than ever upon the
quality of what is being retailed and no longer does one
price fit all … Just search on-line for an ‘Agatha Christie’
booklet – don’t look at what sellers wish for – look at
reality – click ‘completed’ – far fewer do … actual ‘sold’
prices can be 50% of each other
… now look at fixed retail prices, consider the postally
valid ‘face value’ and finally the ‘catalogue’ value … you
could be forgiven for throwing your arms up in the air. The
point is making sense of it all … not just for ‘bog standard’
commodity price items but for stamps with character –
generally pre-QEII and pre 1950 / 1940 classic stamps of
which they’re not making any more (excepting on-line
auction offers of modern fakes/reproductions) … so it
follows that if you can be confident of just four things:
1. the supplier is real and reputable (and internet ratings
only tell part of the story), 2. the quality is as described,
3. the price is realistic against comparison, 4. You have a
reliable guarantee … then that’s the way for you to go …

But to realise your dream maybe there’s another way for you to
go so that … turning philatelic dreams into reality may cost
you less than you think
I don’t believe in ‘one price fits all different qualities’
or grades. Life doesn’t work that way, otherwise we’ll be
upgrading ‘in between’ stamps to higher grades – which is
an accusation often levelled at retailers. Even with up to 20,387
different lots each stamp/cover/collection in our auction is
individually described and valued.
NO, the solution is in accepting that if something
does not sell it is not worth the price that is being asked
… so the answer for you is to utilise my unique
‘U P A Reducing Estimate System’. I can’t take any
plaudits for coming up with this system – it took me 20+
years in our philatelic industry to realise that unless one
was unscrupulous most dealers profit lies in the stock
presented in front of you – and if it is not selling then they
will have no money to buy new stock to show you … so I
decided I didn’t want to spend my life looking at stamps
not selling … it did take a little ‘grit’ to see if my ideas
would work … but

… Now 67 quarterly auctions and 18 years later this is the reason why realising
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UNIVERSAL
UNIVERSALPHILATELIC
PHILATELICAUCTIONS
AUCTIONS(SM
(SM
01/18)
01/18) REQUEST
4 The
4 The
Old
Old
Coalyard,
Coalyard, West
West
End
End
Northleach,
Northleach,Glos.
Glos.
GL54
GL54
3HE
3HE
UKUK YOUR FREE
CATALOGUE
Tel:Tel:
01451
01451
861111
861111
• Fax:
• Fax:
01451
01451
861297
861297
72 www.upastampauctions.co.uk
www.upastampauctions.co.uk Email: Email:info@upastampauctions.co.uk
info@upastampauctions.co.uk
 Plate 19

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 19-34 v2.indd 19 11/22/2017 5:12:26 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 73

REGULAR COLLECTORS SAVE £250+ A YEAR BIDDING/WINNING STAMPS LIKE THESE WITH UPA – START SAVING – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE NOW Plate 21
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UPA UNIQUE REDUCING ESTIMATE SYSTEM – ALL LOTS GUARANTEED

UPA 10th January Plates 19-34 v2.indd 21

Massive Philatelic Choice – 20,387 lots 11/22/2017 5:13:03 PM

74 ...in a Unique Reducing Estimate System
 Plate 25

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 19-34 v2.indd 25 11/22/2017 5:14:16 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 75

REGULAR COLLECTORS SAVE £250+ A YEAR BIDDING/WINNING STAMPS LIKE THESE WITH UPA – START SAVING – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE NOW Plate 26
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I BELIEVE COLLECTORS WANT STAMPS NOT CHARGES so there’s NO EXTRAS TO PAY AT UPA

UPA 10th January Plates 19-34 v2.indd 26

Massive Philatelic Choice – 20,387 lots 11/22/2017 5:14:35 PM

76 ...in a Unique Reducing Estimate System
 Plate 27

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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TO MAINTAIN YOUR LOYALTY BONUS STATUS OF POST-FREE DELIVERY BID IN THIS AUCTION

...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 19-34 v2.indd 27 11/22/2017 5:14:53 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 77

 UPA – The Collectors’ Secret Weapon
Unsolicited Testimonials:
18 You were kind enough to send me a copy of “TIPS OF THE TRADE“. I have enjoyed reading this, and I
have learned more about philately than I ever knew previously (RW Cheshire)

19 event
I received your 58th catalogue. Congratulations with such an amazing catalogue! It is a happy
to leaf through that document (PL Netherlands)

20 You have provided an excellent service, and the catalogue has always been a joy to savour (HP Wales)
21 Your enthusiasm for our hobby does you great credit (GN Worcs)

22 immediate
Following your immediate refund for my returned lot, I write to say a big Thank You not only for the
‘no quibble’ refund but for the beautiful condition of my successful lot and the general
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23 You are a first rate operation, I hope to do business with you in the future (JD USA)

24 It was, as they say, a pleasure doing business with you! (RG Surrey)

25 you.
I was very impressed with the very good service and also the first time buyer discount – thank
Hope to do business with you again (BN B Stortford)

26 fantastic.
May I say I am delighted with the stamps and the service I have received so far. Your catalogue is
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27 recommend
I would like to thank you for your exemplary service. Be assured that I have and will in future
you as a supplier (AI Glos)

28 professionally
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handled (SU Lowestoft)

29 …MayyourI saycatalogue
how much I admire your way of doing business, especially the auction catalogue
is a winner! I particularly like your reducing estimates feature as I am sure
everybody else does (PH Kent)

30 cornucopia
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Thank you for the payment, I did not expect it so quickly, I just wish everyone was as easy to
as you have been!! (RC UK)

32 Meant to write this earlier but have not had time. Your stamp tips are terrific (MS US)

33 I look forward to doing more business with you in the future ... (MD Chester)

...and We Do With You, Take My 1st £55 FREE Auction Winnings Offer – Request Catalogue NOW

UNIVERSAL
UNIVERSAL PHILATELIC
PHILATELIC AUCTIONS
AUCTIONS (SM (SM 01/18)
01/18)
4 The4 Old
The Coalyard,
Old Coalyard,
WestWest
EndEnd Northleach,
Northleach, Glos.
Glos. GL54
GL54 3HE3HE
UK UK
Tel: 01451
Tel: 01451 861111
861111 • Fax:
• Fax: 01451
01451 861297
861297
78 www.upastampauctions.co.uk
www.upastampauctions.co.uk Email:
Email: info@upastampauctions.co.uk
info@upastampauctions.co.uk 78 78
 Plate 28

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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OU
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8681 8710 8705 8713 8770 8752

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9948 8764 8650 8707 8773 8732

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8715 8719 8775 8735 8760 8748

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8444 8397 8439

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8416 8399 8411

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8455 8753 8425

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8746 8667 8734 8728 ——— 8683 ———

NO BUYER’S PREMIUMS, NO POSTAGE, NO CREDIT CARD CHARGES – SAVES YOU UP TO 27% +

...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 19-34 v2.indd 28 11/22/2017 5:15:12 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 79

REGULAR COLLECTORS SAVE £250+ A YEAR BIDDING/WINNING STAMPS LIKE THESE WITH UPA – START SAVING – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE NOW Plate 31

wit
hA
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TO MAINTAIN YOUR LOYALTY BONUS STATUS OF POST-FREE DELIVERY BID IN THIS AUCTION

Massive Philatelic Choice – 20,387 lots

UPA 10th January Plates 19-34 v2.indd 31 11/22/2017 5:16:08 PM

80 ...in a Unique Reducing Estimate System
 Plate 39

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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UPA UNIQUE REDUCING ESTIMATE SYSTEM – ALL LOTS GUARANTEED

...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 35-50 v3.indd 39 11/22/2017 5:21:19 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 81

81
 How to Choose an Auction?
When I was in my teens I attended my
1st auction which, frankly, I found intimidating –
now, a few years (!) further on, with so few stamp
shops, buying stamps at auction has become an
essential tool of the collector’s armoury … so
here are a few tips of what to look for …
and here’s the reason why to do it now:
Collectors buy stamps from dealers
ANDREW PROMOTING PHILATELY ON
THE ALAN TITCHMARSH SHOW ITV

Dealers buy stamps from auctions

Therefore Collectors benefit buying from auction too …
So How to Choose an Auction ?
Check/Keep these Key Questions to ask: Features to Look for…
Name of Auction: Name of Auction: (Insert Here)

Universal Philatelic Auctions ? SPACE FOR NOTES:

IMPORTANT BIDDER CHECKLIST COMPARISON
U P A 1st £55 WINNINGS FREE Introductory Offer …. ?
1
2
NO Buyer’s Premium ?
NO Risk ?
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ALL Lots Guaranteed ?
No buyer’s premium ?
All lots guaranteed ?
Reducing Estimate System ?
5 Lots £10 to £100,000 ?
6 Describers: 295 years Total Experience?
7
Massive Philatelic Choice ? (20,000+/- lot Unique reducing
Estimate system ?
auctions)
8 £1.5 to £2 Million Auctions ?
9 Prices Realised (transparency) ?
FREE highest quality catalogues ?
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(to New Clients & Regular Clients)
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12 FREE On-line Catalogue ?
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17 90%+/- Bidders Successful ?
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21 ‘Live’ bidding NO charge ?
22 Limit Bidders accepted NO charge ?
23 Payment Instalments NO charge ?
24 NO Credit Card Charges ?
25 NO Paypal Charges ?
NO on-line bidding charges ?
26
(Eg. TheSaleRoom.com)
No charge for scans ?
27
(Reasonable requests)
y
28
NO charge photocopies ? Loyalts
(Reasonable requests) Bonu
29 FREE Expert Condition Reports ?
30 Low Delivery Charges ?
31 Free Delivery Insurance ?
32 Generous NO Quibble Refund Policy ?.
33 Reduced UNSOLD LOTS SERVICE ?
34 Expert, Welcoming Friendly Service ?
35 Andrew’s FREE ‘TIPS OF THE TRADE’

Request UPA Catalogue? Request Catalogue?

Thank you, You’re literally requesting The Collectors’ Secret Weapon so
82
 This is My Promise
to YOU

– send the coupon / simply request

your next FREE catalogue in any way today!
REQUEST
YOUR FREE
CATALOGUE

info@upastampauctions.co.uk • www.upastampauctions.co.uk
OR VIEW / BID ON-LINE NOW – we’ll take your £55 off
ONE OFFER PER COLLECTOR’S HOUSEHOLD

Do it today NEW CLIENTS

Name ..................................................
Address ................................................................
.............................................................................
.............................................................................
Postcode ................... Tel .....................................
Country ................................................................
REQUEST FREE  email ..................................................................
CATALOGUE TODAY SM 01/18

REQUEST
YOUR FREE
Returning UPA client? Not purchased for 12 months: £26 deducted
CATALOGUE if you spend more than £52, mention offer when requesting catalogue

UNIVERSAL PHILATELIC AUCTIONS SM 01/18

REQUEST MY ‘TIPS
4 The Old Coalyard, West End Northleach, Glos. GL54 3HE UK
OF THE TRADE’
FREE BOOKLET Tel: 01451 861111 • Fax: 01451 861297 83
REGULAR COLLECTORS SAVE £250+ A YEAR BIDDING/WINNING STAMPS LIKE THESE WITH UPA – START SAVING – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE NOW Plate 42
Pr
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11352 11346 11360 11367 11366 11364 11392
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11713 11714 11730 11806 11778 11786

,

11741 11747 11748 11750 11751

KEEP YOUR POST-FREE LOYALTY BONUS STATUS? PLEASE BID IN 5 OUT OF 6 UPA AUCTIONS

UPA 10th January Plates 35-50 v3.indd 42

Massive Philatelic Choice – 20,387 lots 11/22/2017 5:22:13 PM

84 ...in a Unique Reducing Estimate System
 Plate 46

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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13279 13238 13127 13284 — 13394 —

NO BUYER’S PREMIUMS, NO POSTAGE, NO CREDIT CARD CHARGES – SAVES YOU UP TO 27% +

...delivering Val-you with NO Buyer’s Premium

UPA 10th January Plates 35-50 v3.indd 46 11/22/2017 5:23:32 PM

...and absolutely ALL 20,387 lots Guaranteed 85

REGULAR COLLECTORS SAVE £250+ A YEAR BIDDING/WINNING STAMPS LIKE THESE WITH UPA – START SAVING – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE NOW Plate 51

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15267 15196 15198 15197 15327

UPA UNIQUE REDUCING ESTIMATE SYSTEM – ALL LOTS GUARANTEED

Massive Philatelic Choice – 20,387 lots

UPA 10th January Plates 51-66 v3.indd 51 11/22/2017 4:42:26 PM

86 ...in a Unique Reducing Estimate System
 Plate 75
xx

TEST UPA £55 OFFER – NEW TO UPA? UK COLLECTOR AGED 18+ - YOU QUALIFY – DEPLOY YOUR £55 OFF COUPON – REQUEST FREE CATALOGUE AT COUPON PAGE NOW
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 great engravers

Penguins and heroines

Pierre Béquet progressed from engraving stamps for French colonies to creating
beautiful designs for France itself, including a famous portrayal of Marianne
■ Report by Adrian Keppel

B
orn in Versailles, just RIGHT: France 1972
outside Paris, Pierre Béquet 90c marking the
grew up close to the Bicentenary of the
sumptuous palace of King Louis Discovery of the
XIV of France. Like all the local Crozet Islands &
children, he used to play in the Kerguelen, which
landscaped gardens, among the was Pierre Béquet’s
grand old buildings and favourite engraving
ornamental fountains.
These beautiful relics from the
past made a big impression on the
young boy. Trying to capture them
on paper developed his love of art,
and set him on the road towards a
career in design, and ultimately
stamp engraving.

While he was only 12 years old,

Béquet (1932-2012) began to hone
his abilities at the art studio of
Paul-Pierre Lemagny. Lemagny
taught him how to evolve his
drawing skills towards the art of
engraving, and Béquet found he
enjoyed the rigour of the discipline.
From 1948 he attended the École
Estienne, where he studied
engraving under René Cottet, and
in 1953 he entered the prestigious
École des Beaux-Arts in Paris,
joining the studio of Robert Cami.
Winning the coveted Prix de
Rome in 1960 opened the door to a
philatelic career, and his teachers
were able to introduce him to the
artistic directors of the French
postal authority. As was usual in

‘Béquet was awarded the Grand

Prix de l’Art Philatélique in
1965, 1972, 1976 and 1982’
those days, he started by working Southern & Antarctic Territories, that he was awarded the Grand
on stamps for the French where his image of fighting Prix de l’Art Philatélique three
overseas territories. elephant seals on an 8f definitive times in the next 12 years, for his
issued in 1963 was the start of a engravings for the 1965 Discovery
Béquet engraved his first stamps long and fruitful relationship. of Adélie Land, 1972 Bicentenary of
in 1961, for an attractive triangular He was given complete artistic the Discovery of the Crozet Islands
postage due issue of the Republic freedom, which he greatly enjoyed, & Kerguelen and 1976 Cook’s
of Congo (Brazzaville). and would go to produce more Passage to Kerguelen issues.
Soon afterwards, he became the than 100 stamps for the colony. He would also create stamps for
principal engraver for the French So highly regarded was his work other colonies, from Cambodia to

90 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018


ABOVE: As the principal engraver for the French Southern & Antarctic Territories, Béquet created this exquisitely detailed
1976 stamp commemorating the Bicentenary of Captain Cook’s Passage to Kerguelen
Senegal, as well as for European
countries such as Andorra,
Luxembourg and Monaco.
Béquet’s first stamp for France
was a 25c design celebrating the
25th anniversary of Youth Clubs in
1965, and he would go on to
engrave around 100 more.
The mother country’s guidelines
for designers were much stricter
than those imposed by the
colonies, and any corrections
demanded by the authorities had to
be implemented if they wanted to
keep a commission. It was a regime
which Béquet appears to have
found stifling.
Asked what was his favourite
French stamp, he named the 1972
issue to mark the bicentenary of the
discovery of the Crozet Islands and
Kerguelen, for which he produced
a design illustrating ships, a map
and a penguin, intended to be
printed in three colours.
When his essay was accepted,
and he was asked how he would
like to proceed, Béquet answered
‘by having my artwork accepted
without any changes to the design
or colours’. His request was
granted, and the stamp was issued
exactly how he had envisaged it.
Béquet contributed to several
long-running series such as French
Art and Tourist Publicity, and in
the latter case he got the chance to
model a number of stamps in a
distinctive way, creating what
could be considered a mini-series
in his own style.
He depicted the Cathedral of
St Jean in Lyon and the Church of
Nôtre Dame in Louviers in 1981,
and Ripaille Castle in 1982, in
exactly the way one would see
world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs features Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
them when standing in front of
them, with a real sense of
perspective, but against a white
background to show off the quality
of the engraving.
For the Ripaille Castle stamp,
Béquet received a fourth Grand
Prix de l’Art Philatélique award.
For all the hundreds of stamps
Béquet designed and engraved, his
name will forever remain
synonymous with his 1971
portrayal of Marianne, the
embodiment of the French republic
and the traditional motif for its
modern definitive stamps.
His iconic profile, which was
based on his wife, Gisèle,
suggested Marianne as a woman
sharing the whole nation’s pain
and pleasure, and would remain in
use until 1977.
In fact Béquet created more than
one Marianne. In 1974, he
submitted a new design, this time
facing the viewer, which was more
subtle and stylistic — ‘rigid in
shadow, yet subtle in light,’ as he
himself described it.
Having made it all the way to
proofing stage, it was ultimately
not adopted as a definitive design.
But it was resurrected, as a subtle
background to the Cross of
BELOW: The Marianne Lorraine motif, on the 1990 stamp
de Béquet was the marking the 50th anniversary of
design for French Charles De Gaulle’s call for
definitive stamps resistance to German occupation
from 1971-77 in World War II. ■
ABOVE: France’s 1990 issue celebrating the
50th anniversary of Charles De Gaulle’s call for
Resistance against German occupation recycled
Béquet’s unadopted Marianne design of 1974 as a
subtle background motif
janiuary 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 91
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Philatelist
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royal mail ships

Full steam ahead

Introduced in the same year as postage stamps, royal Mail ships immediately
forged a reputation for speed and reliability, and later for luxury and versatility. But
the twin perils of wild oceans and world wars ensured it wasn’t all plain sailing
■ Report by John Wright

A
total of 186 vessels have
officially been designated
as Royal Mail ships, a
prestigious title designating that
they carried letters and parcels
under contract to Britain’s
worldwide postal service.
Of these, 100 were in service for
30 years or more, keeping all
corners of the British Empire and
Commonwealth in contact with
each other.
But others endured a briefer,
bleaker life. Some 63 were sunk,
38 of them by enemy action in two
world wars, 11 by rocks or icebergs,
several by collisions with other
ABOVE: The very ships, and several more by storms.
first Royal Mail ship, A further 16 had short lifespans
the wooden before being retired and scrapped.
paddlesteamer RMS The ultimate fate of seven remains
Britannia, which was unknown.
contracted to carry Although they all had one thing
mail from Britain to in common, Royal Mail ships came
Canada and the USA in many shapes and sizes and had
in 1840, as depicted many different stories to tell.
in Great Britain’s 2013
Merchant Navy set First contract
The concept of the Royal Mail
ship was launched in 1840,
coincidentally just two months
after the Penny Black was issued.
Samuel Cunard, an
enterpreneurial steamship operator
from Nova Scotia in Canada, had
signed a contract with the
Admiralty on May 4, 1839, which
provided for ‘a sufficient number,
not less than three, of good
substantial and efficient steam
vessels of not less than 300
horsepower each’ to carry the
mails twice a month across the
Atlantic Ocean.
He duly established the British &
North American Royal Mail Steam
Packet Company (which would
later become known as the
Cunard Line), and on July 4, 1840,
the service was inaugurated when
the wooden-hulled paddlesteamer

94 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs features Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
LEFT: One of the frozen in to the harbour, they hired
earliest covers ice ploughs at their own expense to
transported on a cut a channel to the open sea. As
Royal Mail ship, on she left port, the ship was reported
third transatlantic to have been accompanied joyfully
voyage of RMS by ‘half the population of Boston
Britannia in 1840. skating by her side’.
Pre-paid in Liverpool Although Cunard’s famous liners
at the 1s packet would be luxurious in a later era,
letter rate, and passengers could endure a rough
postmarked on time on the early ships. When the
October 20, it arrived author Charles Dickens travelled to
in Boston, USA, on America on Britannia, he was
November 3 seasick most of the way. Of his
bunk bed, he wrote ‘Nothing
smaller for sleeping in was ever
made except a coffin.’
Even so, in these pioneering days
the Cunard Line established a
reputation which it would keep.
‘Samuel Cunard was not the first
man whose steamships crossed the
Atlantic,’ wrote Terry Coleman in
© COURTESY OF SEPPO TALVIO

his book The Liners, ‘but his were

the most regular; they got the first
large mail contract and they did
not sink.’
Furthermore, ‘In peacetime,
Cunard never lost a passenger by
shipwreck, though one woman is
said to have died of seasickness
and terror on the RMS Queen Mary
‘The earliest Royal Mail ships proved in a storm.’
popular with passengers because the strict Mixed fortunes
timetables imposed by their mail-carrying BELOW: The White Royal Mail ships have been
Star Line’s RMS operated by many other shipping
duties ensured they ran on schedule’ Tayleur, an iron- companies, including well known
hulled clipper which names such as the White Star
RMS Britannia sailed from That prestige was conferred was intended to carry Line, the Union-Castle line,
Liverpool in England to Boston equally on their ports of call. the mail to Australia Canadian Pacific and P&O. Over
in the United States, via Halifax Boston’s city fathers were so keen but was shipwrecked the years, they have experienced
in Canada. not to lose the trade to New York on her maiden mixed fortunes.
With a top speed of 9 knots that in 1844, when Britannia was voyage in 1854 RMS Tayleur, chartered by the
(about 10mph), she soon proved
that she could complete a
westbound crossing in 12 days and
an eastbound crossing (with its
more favourable winds) in 10 days,
which was a transatlantic record
at the time.

Cunard Line
Britannia was joined by her sister
ships Acadia in August 1840,
Caledonia in October 1840 and
Columbia in January 1841, each
capable of carrying 225 tons of
cargo in addition to 115 passengers.
All proudly carried the prefix
‘RMS’, giving them extra prestige.
They quickly proved popular with
passengers because the strict
timetables imposed by their
mail-carrying responsibilities
ensured that they ran on schedule.

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 95

royal mail ships
ABOVE: The ill-fated RMS Titanic, sunk by an iceberg in 1912, depicted on a stamp from
Ireland on the 100th anniversary of the disaster in 2012
ABOVE: One of the few surviving letters
posted aboard the Titanic, written on White
Star Line stationery and entered into the
postal system in Queenstown, Ireland, the
ship’s final port of call
‘Amongst the 1,500 who died when the
RMS Titanic sank were five postal workers,
who manned the ship’s mail room with
extraordinary dedication’
White Star Line to ply the mail
route to Australia, looked
magnificent with her full rig of
sails and was technically advanced
with her iron hull. Unfortunately, it
took six months to build her and
two days to wreck her.
After leaving Liverpool on her
maiden voyage to Melbourne in
1854, she headed into fog and a
storm with an undersized rudder,
faulty rigging and badly adjusted
compasses, crashed into Lambey
96 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018
ABOVE: Two stamps from Ireland in 2015 marked the 100th
anniversary of the attack on RMS Lusitania by a German U-boat,
one showing the vessel sinking after being torpedoed
© COURTESY OF GUSTAMPS
ABOVE: Eva Hart, who survived the Titanic
disaster as a child. She was rescued by
another Royal Mail ship, RMS Carpathia ,
being hauled aboard in one of its mailbags
because she was too small to climb up
ABOVE: Throughout the remainder of World War I, several series of
anti-German propaganda labels reminded the British and American
public of the fate of Lusitania and the civilians travelling on board
propeller failure, only for another
fire to kill five people and injure
15 more while she was being
scrapped in India.
Island off the coast of Ireland and Carinthia’s other claim to fame
sank, with more half the 650 people was provoking ‘skiffle strike’
on board losing their lives. which tied up liners in Liverpool
In contrast, the second RMS docks for several weeks in 1960.
Carinthia, launched by Cunard in The strike was called after the
1956, had greater longevity than ship’s deck hands were fined a
any other ship of her ilk, remaining day’s pay because some passengers
in operation for an impressive 50 complained about them playing
years (well beyond her time as a skiffle music on deck.
transatlantic mail-carrying ship)
with six different operators and six Titanic disaster
name changes. She did so despite a The most famous Royal Mail ship
cabin fire, a collision and a of all was the White Star liner
 world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs features Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
There was outrage in Britain and
America over the targeting of a
civilian ship, and it was one of
several incidents which helped to
drag the United States into World
War I. The lost vessel was depicted
on a series of cinderellas which had
no postal validity but carried a
powerful propaganda message.
Germany’s justification for the
attack was that Lusitania was
carrying not only passengers and
mail, but also ammunition to boost
Britain’s war effort. This was given
short shrift at the time, and denied
by the British government, but is
now widely thought to be true.

War and peace

Both World Wars saw Royal Mail
ships formally requisitioned and
adapted for war use. Luxury
RMS Titanic, another which failed Ironically, when RMS Carpathia ABOVE: Picture fittings were stripped out of their
to complete her maiden voyage. arrived at the scene in response to postcard promoting interiors, and in some cases guns
One surviving piece of Titanic- distress calls, and began rescuing Cunard’s flagship were fitted on their decks and their
related postal history is a letter people from lifeboats and from the ocean liners of the hulls were repainted in battleship
from Cunard to the Reverend water, it used mailbags to haul inter-war years, RMS grey or ‘dazzle’ camouflage.
Francis Browne, dated April 3, 1912, aboard children who were too Mauretania (1906-34), Probably the most versatile of all
enclosing a first-class ticket for her small to climb a rope ladder. RMS Berengaria was Lusitania’s sister ship, RMS
first sailing from Southampton (1920-38) and RMS Aquitania. In 1914-18 she served first
with the message ‘We trust you Lusitania disaster Aquitania (1914-50) as an auxiliary naval cruiser, then
will have an enjoyable trip.’ He did, Just over three years later, on May as a troopship, then as a hospital
but only because he disembarked 7, 1915, a comparable loss of life ship (taking part in the ill-fated
at Queenstown in Ireland, the last resulted when the Cunard ocean Dardanelles campaign) and finally
of several stops before the liner RMS Lusitania, on route from as a troopship again. In 1939-45 she
transatlantic crossing. New York to Liverpool, was was requisitioned once again,
While steaming towards New torpedoed by a German U-boat chiefly for carrying large numbers
York at 11.40pm on April 14, the and sank 11 miles off the south of troops to Europe from Canada,
mighty ship collided with an coast of Ireland. Australia and the USA.
iceberg. Almost three hours later
she sank, an insufficient number of
lifeboats and poor emergency
procedures allowing only around
700 passengers to survive, while
1,500 lost their lives.
Amongst the dead were five
postal workers, two British and
three American, who manned the
ship’s post office and mail room on
decks F and G with extraordinary
zeal and dedication.
Their job was to sort the 3,364
mailbags carried on board, and
handle any letters written by
passengers and crew in transit. On
realising the lower decks were
flooding, their first reaction was
not to abandon ship but to try to
move 200 sacks of registered mail
to the upper decks in the hope of
saving them.
One steward who survived the
tragedy later recalled: ‘I urged
them to leave their work. They ABOVE: RMS Alcantara, operated by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company and later Royal Mail Lines from 1926-58 and illustrated
shook their heads and continued... off Rio de Janeiro on this promotional poster of 1930, was one of the ships which interrupted their careers as cruise liners to serve
I saw them no more.’ as armed merchant ships and troopships during World War II

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 97

royal mail ships

1864. For many years it was very

successful, taking over the Pacific
Steam Navigation Company in 1910
and the White Star Line in 1927.
But its managing director Owen
Philipps, Lord Kylsant, appeared to

© COURTESY OF CUNARD LINE

be more interested in making a
packet than carrying a packet, and
in a celebrated court case in 1930
(rather misleading dubbed the
‘Royal Mail case’) he was found
guilty of falsifying a shareholders’
prospectus and sent to prison for
12 months.
ABOVE: Perhaps the most famous of all Royal Mail ships was Cunard’s ABOVE: The Cunard Line’s archive includes The company was liquidated and
RMS Queen Mary, which plied the transatlantic route between this delightful photograph of one of the its ships and other assets taken
Southampton and New York between 1936 and 1967, and was beautifully young passengers aboard Queen Mary taking over by the newly formed Royal
illustrated on the 42p stamp in Britain’s 2004 Ocean Liners set advantage of its postal service Mail Lines in 1932.

Last of the breed

The importance of transporting
mail by ship began to diminish as
soon as regular long-distance air
routes began to be established in
the 1930s. Most of the vessels
designated as Royal Mail ships
since the 1960s have been those
conveying the post between the
British mainland and offshore
© COURTESY OF GUSTAMPS islands such as the Isle of Man, the
Isles of Scilly and the Hebrides.
Today only four remain
operative, and only one of them is
actively involved in carrying mail.
The latest and perhaps the last of
the transatlantic liners to carry the
title is Cunard’s RMS Queen Mary 2,
launched in 2003. Hers is
ABOVE: Cunard souvenir cover marking RMS Queen Mary’s final arrival in Southampton in 1967 before her retirement, to
essentially an honorary title,
become a floating tourist attraction in Long Beach, California
conferred by Royal Mail as a
gesture to Cunard’s heritage.
Between the wars, it was a very Financial scandal ‘She occasionally carries a bag of
different story, as Aquitania was The reputation of Royal Mail ships mail, and still flies her RMS
one of the most successful was not always upheld by other pennant,’ according to company
transatlantic cruise liners, with a shipping companies as well as it historian Michael Gallagher.
somewhat hedonistic reputation. was by Cunard, and one fell into Passengers can also have their
Renowned for her beautiful fit-out, disrepute after a financial scandal. letters and postcards handstamped
she was popular with royalty and The Royal Mail Steam Packet ‘Posted on Queen Mary 2’ and
celebrities, and Cunard advertised Company had won its contract posted in an original 1930s
her as the ‘ladies ship’ to attract shortly after Cunard, operating a postbox on board.
the growing number of ‘bachelor twice-monthly service between Two other ships which are still
girls’ seeking adventure on the Britain and Barbados from 1841, permitted to carry the RMS
high seas. extended to British Honduras from designation are RMV Scillonian III,

ABOVE: Illustrated in the British Ships stamp issue of 1969 were RMS Mauretania, in service from 1906-34, and RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, in service from 1969-2008

98 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs features Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
‘Both World Wars
saw Royal Mail
ships requisitioned
and adapted for use
as naval cruisers,
troopships and
hospital ships’
built in 1977, which provides the
main ferry service from Penzance
in Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly,

© COURTESY OF CREATURESTREAM
and RMS Segwun, built in 1887, the
oldest working steam-driven vessel
in North America, which is a
tourist attraction on the Muskoka
Lakes in Ontario, Canada.
The last working Royal Mail ship,
RMS St Helena, has been the sole
supply ship for the remote island of
St Helena in the south Atlantic
since 1990, but her time will soon
ABOVE: Three vessels which are still officially designated Royal Mail ships although they no longer carry mail are RMS be up. An airport has recently been
Queen Mary 2, depicted on a British stamp in 2004, RMS Segwun, honoured with a commemorative stamp by Canada in built on the island, and she is
1987, and RMV Scillonian III, photographed leaving Penzance for the Isles of Scilly expected to be retired in February,
as soon as the new facility is ready
to accept scheduled air services.

Old-world charm
Big or small, Royal Mail ships have
always stood tall in the public’s
estimation, and there are myriad
anecdotes about the remaining few.
One story about Scillonian III
which was heavily reported in the
local press was that a Scilly shrew
(a tiny species unknown on the
mainland) was found stowing
away in 2010, and a wildlife guide
on board had it flown back to its
natural habitat the next day.
Rose Vincent, the daughter of
Segwun’s former co-owner Jack
Vincent, told a local enthusiast’s
website that ‘My brother and I used
to come home covered in coal dust
from playing hide and seek on
board’, and that ‘Just before my
father passed away they took (the
newly restored) Segwun out for a
test spin, and when he heard the
whistle blow he was so excited.’
And it is fitting that St Helena
will bring the 177-year era of the
mail ships to a close, as her
relatively small complement of
passengers attest to her old-world
charm. According to Manuela
Patterson, a tourist from South
Africa, ‘What is amazing is that
ABOVE: The last remaining working Royal Mail ship is RMS St Helena, whose job of supplying remote British islands in the you meet people onboard and they
southern Atlantic was illustrated on a miniature sheet issued by St Helena when she went into service in 1990 become almost like family.’ ■

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 99

 ATTENTION OWNERS OF LARGE/ VALUABLE COLLECTIONS –
Are You THINKING of SELLING?
This is
HOW THE STAMP TRADE WORKS
Philatelic Expert Lets You into his Selling Secrets so you can benefit from
a totally different (and New) Selling Experience
1 If You want to learn how the stamp
trade works, please read on… When I
was 15, I did. I wondered if there was some se-
cret source of supply? So, I bought my 1st stamp
mixture, (wholesale I thought), broke it into 50
smaller units, advertised it in Stamp Magazine
‘Classifieds’, and waited for the orders to roll in…
I’m still waiting, 48 years later !...
Wrong Offer 7  Wrong Price 7  Wrong Place 7
(naïve seller4 = H me but I was only 15 at
the time!)
2 Three years later,  attending
first public stamp auctions I wondered
how some bidders seemed to buy everything,
my
paying the highest price? It didn’t occur to
me that they were probably Auction Bidding
Agents, paid by absent (dealer) bidders to rep-
resent them. I wondered why two collectors sit-
ting side by side muttered to each other “he’s a
dealer” as if that justified him paying the high-
est price…
About The Author � Andrew found his
Father’s stamps at the age of 10. A year later at
Senior School he immediately joined the School
Stamp Club. He ‘specialised’(!) in British, but
soon was interested in Queen Victoria which he
could not afford. The 2nd to last boy wearing
short trousers in his school year, he religiously
bought Post Office New Issues on Tuesdays
with his pocket money. He soon found that he
enjoyed swapping / trading stamps as much as
collecting them. Aged 19, eschewing University
he quickly found a philatelic career in London,
leading to creating his own companies in
stamps. Andrew has authored many interna-
tionally published Stamp ‘Tips’ articles, appear-
ing on Local Radio and National TV promoting
Philately with Alan Titchmarsh. Andrew’s area of
expertise is unusual – in so far as his grounding
in collecting and wide philatelic knowledge has
given him a deep understanding of Philately.
He has studied Philately for the past 45 years,
in combination with Commerce and Marketing
Expertise, enabling him to create synergies in
‘lifetime’ interlinked Stamp Selling Systems, sell-
ing unit-priced stamps through to handling col-
lections & Rarities up to £700,000 each. Today
Andrew is fortunate to be co-owner with his
Wife, of Universal Philatelic Auctions (aka UPA)
– the Largest No Buyer’s Premium Reducing-Es-
timate System Stamp Auction in the World, cre-
ating records selling stamps to 2,261 different
bidders from 54 different countries in his latest
auction. Andrew stopped collecting
stamps aged 18 reasoning that his
enjoyment of stamps would be in
handling them and selling them…
REQUE
ST MY
THE TR
A
FREE B
ANDREW PROMOTING PHILATELY ON OOKLE
THE ALAN TITCHMARSH SHOW ITV
100
by Andrew McGavin
…but did it really? What was the real reason?
How could a Dealer pay a higher price than a
Collector? It doesn’t make sense, does it? Col-
lectors are customers. Customers usually pay
the highest price, unless… for a Collector, this
was…
7
Wrong Presentation   Wrong Place 7 Sellers of Stamps today is no longer absent
therefore Wrong Price7
3 Fast-forward 48 years later 
to a British Empire collection, lot #1 in
an International Stamp Auction – Estimated
at £3,000, but we were the highest bidder at
£21,000 – YES – some 7×higher. Including Buy-
er’s Premium in the extraordinary sum of £4,788
we actually paid GBP£25,788= upon a £3,000 es-
timate… however, we broke it down into sets,
singles, mini-collections etc. We made a profit.
Some might say it found its price. Others may
say:
7
Wrong Estimate Wrong Presentation 7 auctions) – so that when you sell through them
7
Wrong Structure Wrong Protection of Price 7 – you’re paying up to 18% (including VAT) sell-
– Lucky for the seller that 2 well-healed
bidders saw the potential value that day
or it could have been given away… the seller
could easily have lost out couldn’t he? or she?
So, by un-peeling the layers of obfusca-
tion, hopefully we can all agree:
The Secret is Simple –
it’s ALL About: TIMING,
Plus the 3 Philatelic ‘P’s –
Presentation 4Place 4and Price 4
4
Understanding the problem…  you a seller’s commission of up to 18% (VAT
I always remember the car trade had
their own little ‘bible’ – Glass’s Guide. I’ve no
idea, I’ve not even looked - in this internet-dom-
inated world, it may even have disappeared.
Well, there’s an insider Stamp Trade publica-
tion for Stamp Dealers called “The Philatelic
Exporter”. There’s nothing that special about
it – and you won’t learn much or find massive-
ly reduced prices by subscribing – BUT – it is
a forum, a paper focal point, a last ‘bastion’ in
this on-line transparent world that we inhabit…
whereby dealers (and auctioneers) can try and
communicate with each other. I publish my own
articles there…
Recently I discussed the outcome of my 10
years’ simple research, asking dealers and auc-
tioneers ‘what is your biggest problem?’
To a man, (why are we almost all men), they
replied – “my biggest problem is
stock, if I can get more of the right
stock I can sell it easily”
Strange that, nobody ever asked
me the same question back – be-
cause my answer would have been
entirely different (and I don’t treat
it as a problem) – I seek to satisfy
collectors
This is the reason why my compa-
ny has such massive advertising. This
is the reason why we spend up to 8%
of turnover – up to £200,000 per annum
in marketing costs. (Most dealers don’t
‘TIPS O
F even sell £200K per annum).
DE’
T
5 Why is that? Because, as the world
revolved the Stamp Market, imper-
ceptibly Changed, and incrementally –
Massively
So, although few will tell you this, it’s
clearly evident that the problem for most
stock – but absent collectors in the place
they choose to sell their stamps in. Simply
put, other Dealers, Auctions, Stamp Fairs have
not invested in marketing to have a strong Cus-
tomer-core. To be fair, this is not true of all – but
it is true of most – so that our nearest compet-
itor ‘Apex’ had 800 bidders in a recent auction.
In my most recent 20,000+ lot UPA 65th Auction
we had 2,261 different bidders from 54 different
countries, 95% of whom were Collectors. Some
other well-advertised auctions only have 200
bidders (a high percentage of whom are dealers
– so that, essentially they are Dealer-dominated
er’s commission and the buyer is paying up to
25% and more in Buyer’s Premium, credit card
fees, on-line bidding fee, delivery and insurance
etc… AND all of that so that your stamps
may be sold, wait for it – TO DEALERS
(and some collectors), but Dealers, that nat-
urally must make a profit to survive…
6 Now, let’s examine the cost
implications – Example:  Your
stamp collection sells in public auction for
£800. Upon a 25% buyer’s premium, the dealer
pays £1,000 and it could be more. He breaks
it into £2,000+ selling price (much lower and
he’ll go out of business). The auction charges
included) upon the £800 sale price. This is
GBP£144. Therefore you receive approaching
£656 – which is approximately 33% of the deal-
er’s £2,000+/- retail selling price - BUT… now
that we have identified the problem…
Isn’t the Solution Staring us
Right in The Face ?
7
Why Pay an Auction to Sell
to Dealers: Sell to Collectors in-
stead ?In our example with buyer’s premium,
sellers commission, lotting fees, extra credit
card charges, VAT and even insurance - you’re
already being charged in different ways up to
40% of the selling price to sell, possibly or prob-
ably, to the wrong person.
Why not direct that 40% cost you’re pay-
ing to sell to Collectors instead? Sounds
good, so why hasn’t this been done before ?
8 Truth is,  it Has been done be-
fore…Sometimes the ‘old’ ways are the
best ways aren’t they? But in today’s enthusiasm
to obscure the obvious so that money may be
taken, almost surreptitiously, in numerous dif-
ferent ways, (without us apparently noticing
until we see the cheque in our pocket) – the
transparent ‘seller pays’ has been deliberately
‘obscured’ – so much so that, amazingly, the
latest 2017 European Auction Selling Legisla-
tion just introduced – now requires auctions
that charge ‘buyer’s premiums’ to warn the
buyer in advance. Just imagine going into the
petrol station, and being warned that the price
you’re paying to put fuel in you tank is not the
real price, you have to pay a premium! Obvious-
ly, there would be an uproar…
9
How can you cut out the
middleman and sell to Col-
lectors instead?  Well, I can think of two
ways. 1). DIY - Do It Yourself selling on eBay.
That may be fine for lower grade material – but,
would you risk auctioning relatively unprotect-
ed rare material on eBay ? We don’t and we’re
professionals, so we should know what we’re
doing. Or 2). Cut out the extra middle-man. Use
my company UPA, which reaches collectors
instead. Here’s how it works: Continuing from
our previous Example:
The auction sold your stamps to a dealer for
£1,000 – but You received circa £656
UPA sells them to collectors for you for up to
£2,000 – even after 40% commission you receive
up to £1,200. Up to £544 more. Now that’s amaz-
ing, isn’t it? G
10 Sounds Good Andrew, but
Can You ‘Deliver’?  Obviously,
nothing is as simple as that, and as we auction
stamps to collectors some collections may
‘break’ to the example £2,000+/- but the stamps
may be sold for more or less – especially as we
reserve all lots at 20% below, (Estimate £2,000
= £1,600 reserve) and not everything sells first
or even 2nd time so prices may come down…
Naturally, it’s not that straightforward for a deal-
er either – he may sell at a discount to ‘move’
stock OR, like many dealers he may be sitting
on the same unsold stamps, that you see time
and time again, in dealer’s stocks years later
and still at the same unattractive prices… So,
I think it is more reasonable for you to expect
up to 36% to 50% more, indirectly or directly via
my Collector’s Secret Weapon: Universal
Philatelic Auctions, which moves material more
quickly, by incrementally reducing estimate (and
reserve) price in a structured selling system…
11
Q.❱ What is the Collector’s
‘Secret Weapon’?
A.❱ It’s called the
Unique UPA Reducing
Estimate System... L
This is a rather long explanation, I don’t want
to bore you, but 17 years ago, when my wife and
I set up Universal Philatelic Auctions I detected
that the stamp trade’s biggest problem then was
not what sold – but what didn’t sell… So,
because I didn’t want to try to keep on offering
the same either unsaleable or overpriced stock
I created the unique UPA Reducing Estimate
(and reserve) Selling System. Simply put, if a
lot doesn’t sell in the 1st auction we reduce the
estimate (and reserve) by 11% and unlike other
dealers and auctions WE TELL YOU – ‘US’
= once unsold. If unsold after the following
auction we reduce by a further 12% and WE
TELL YOU ‘US2’, if unsold after a 3rd UPA
auction we reduce by a further 13% and WE
TELL YOU ‘US3’ and so on till the lot finds its
price, is sold or virtually given away...4
12 Any Scientist will tell you  lives, and for most dealers not being able to
that combinations of ingredients can
produce powerful results. So we created the
unique combination of my UPA Reducing Es-
timate System, married (in stone), with UPA’s
fair ‘NO BUYER’S Premium’ policy, PLUS each
lot carries my total ‘no quibble’ guarantee –
this formula is the reason why within the span
of 4 auctions (one year)… 90%-95% of lots bro-
ken from a collection have sold. This Unique
Philatelic Selling System Formula is the rea-
son why we are the largest stamp auction in
the UK today with 2,261 different bidders in
my recent auction.E
UNIVERSAL PHILATELIC AUCTIONS SM 01/18
4 The Old Coalyard, West End, Northleach, Glos. GL54 3HE UK
Tel: 01451 861111 • Fax: 01451 861297
www.upastampauctions.co.uk • info@upastampauctions.co.uk
Contact UPA: 01451 861 111
UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL:
Dear Folk at UPA,
I’ve dealt with the public for 37 + years, and as
both a consumer, and a businessman, I have
created huge numbers of orders from all over
the world from a complete range of suppliers
from all aspects of our daily lives.
But I don’t believe I have ever encountered
such sensitivity, such kind thought, such
understanding as I have with you in our
initial meeting, our subsequent successful
transaction, and now this.
I recall well the item you highlight, and
realise that this one item has such colossal
personal value, I could never part with it.
It has been an absolute pleasure dealing
with yourself, and I am more than willing for
you to use this e-mail as commendation to
others who may be thinking of disposing of
their collection.
Many, many thanks for a memorable
experience, and I will try to emulate your
thought and care in my own business sphere.
Yours sincerely
D. E. B. Bath, UK
In Hindsight Dealers warned me 17 years
ago that my idea wouldn’t work. 17 years later
I think I’ve proven that it does. (Reader: Please
Request a complimentary UPA catalogue – us-
ing the contact details further below)
13
OK, Cut to the Chase
Andrew, what’s the offer? All
of my Selling Systems are based upon
selling to Collectors Globally, so that
95% of stamps sold by UPA are sold directly
to Collectors. If you wish to benefit by
up to 50% or more, depending upon your
circumstance and type of material, by cutting
out the middleman – then this offer may be
for you. Generally ‘time’ is the enemy in our
sell stock. Now is the time to let ‘time’ do
the ‘heavy-lifting’ and consider making ‘time’
work for you, so that at UPA you can make
time your friend. I fax, telephone or by mail. We’ll work harder for
14 AND the SMALL PRINT? Some
lots are too small in value for us to offer
this system. Other lots may not be suited to selling
in this manner (e.g. surplus mint British decimal
stamps best used for postage) – especially if the
market is heavily compromised by stock overhang
in specific areas. Some Collectors will not wish to
use time and systems to leverage price, others will
want to agree a specific price and know that they
are paid precisely this amount. No client is treated
like a number and no client is forced like a square
peg into a round hole. M
15
OK, What Do I Do Next?
a). You contact UPA to discuss with
Andrew or a highly-qualified Auction Valuer/
Describer what you have to dispose of and your
options bearing in mind your specific interests
/ requirements
b). If you wish, get a 2nd opinion, but
investigate what type of auction / dealer you
are dealing with. Is it a Dealer’s auction with
relatively few collectors? Can you see where
/ how the Dealer sells? If you can’t easily see
any pricelists or high quality selling catalogues
– that Dealer may sell your stamps to other
dealers…
c). Finally you ask U P A to collect your
stamps, insure in transit for an estimated re-
placement retail value…C B S
16 What Happens then?  A mem-
ber of my Team telephones/e-mails
you to confirm safe receipt. ‘Overnight’ valu-
ations, unless simple, are rare. Valuing stamp
collections that have taken tens of years to
create takes time. Depending upon your priori-
ties / timescale I, or an experienced member of
my Team will contact you to discuss your re-
quirements and the options available to you for
the sale of your collection. Provided only that
you feel well-informed and comfortable do we
agree strategy T D
17
How Strong is the Stamp
and Cover Market?  Everybody
knows that the strongest areas are GB and Brit-
ish Empire. Post-Independence / QEII material
sells but if hinged at considerable discount.
Mint hinged material pre 1952 is regarded as the
industry ‘norm’ and therefore desirable – but
genuine never-hinged commands a premium.
Europe sells but at reduced levels, Americas
is good, as generally is Asia but the ‘heat’ has
come off China which is still good – and Russia
which can still be good. East Europe is weak-
er. Overall, Rarities throughout
can command their own price
levels and real Postal History
has good demand.
18 What Should I Do Next?   Dis-
cuss your collection with U P A. Con-
tact Andrew or an experienced member of his
Team now… B C
19
Guarantee: I want You to be
absolutely Sure So If You’re not
sure we’ll transport and return your stamps for
FREE up to £200 in actual shipping cost at our
expense. It sounds generous (and it is), but it’s
far less than the cost of driving 100+ miles each
way and 3 to 6 hours in your home valuing your
stamps U
20 My
Double Cast Iron Guaran-
tee:  We can do a better job valuing your
stamps in our office than in your home. If you
don’t agree I’ll pay you an extra £50 for you to pay
somebody trusted to open the boxes and put your
albums back, in the same place, on the shelf they
came from. U U
21
Act NOW: Contact Andrew or
an experienced member of his Team
using the on-line selling form at our website, by
you not to regret the decision to sell all or part
of your collection…C B
A
Andrew McGavin, Philatelic Expert,
Author, Managing Director
Universal Philatelic Auctions UPA
101
 GB THEMES

Royal and ancient

The British landscape is dotted with imposing castles and sprinkled with royal palaces,
so it’s no surprise to find these historic refuges celebrated frequently on stamps
■ Report by Jeff Dugdale

S
ince the saying goes that ‘an
Englishman’s home is his
castle’ and since a monarchy
naturally requires palaces, you
would expect these grand
buildings to feature prominently
on British stamps.
Sure enough, they do, but with
the unusual twist that this
theme was kickstarted not by
commemoratives but by definitives.

The decision to take a pictorial

approach to the first Queen
Elizabeth II high values, issued in
1955, led to the popular Castles
series, which illustrated a historic
fortification from each of the four
nations of the United Kingdom,
recess-printed from fine
engravings.
The 2s 6d duly showed the
12th-century Carrickfergus Castle
in Co Antrim, the 5s showed
Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd,
built by King Edward I in the 13th
century, the 10s showed Edinburgh
Castle, a royal residence since the
12th century, and the £1 showed
Windsor Castle, construction of
which began in the 13th century.
Although the series was
discontinued on decimalisation, it
was reimagined in 1988, still
recess-printed and featuring the
same castles, but this time based on
ABOVE: 1955 10s photographs taken by Prince
high-value definitive, Andrew, and with values of £1,
illustrating Edinburgh £1.50, £2 and £5.
Castle There were further tweaks to the
designs and values in 1992, 1995
and 1997, and a 50th anniversary
miniature sheet issued in 2005
completed the collectable varieties.
Three of these four castles have
adorned other stamps besides the
high values.
Edinburgh featured prominently
in the 2006 Celebrating Scotland
miniature sheet and the 2011 UK
A-Z set, with contrasting floodlit
and sunlit views.
Caernarfon was illustrated on
three 5d designs in the 1969 set
marking the Investiture of the
Prince of Wales, with its King’s
Gate, Eagle Tower and Queen
Eleanor’s Gate memorably depicted
in silver.
Most recently, a 2017 set of six
showed exterior and interior views
of Windsor Castle, including its
famous Round Tower, while a
LEFT: 1969 Investiture miniature sheet added four details
of the Prince of from inside the castle’s place of
Wales 5d, showing worship, the 14th-century St
the Eagle Tower at George’s Chapel, with its
Caernarfon Castle spectacular fan-vaulted roof.
The other castle which has made
multiple appearances on stamps is
the Tower of London, built by
William the Conqueror after the
Norman conquest of England in
the 11th century.
At the time it imposed the
military authority of a new regime;
later it became a royal residence, a
prison for traitors and the home of
the Crown Jewels (themselves
featured on eight stamps in 2011);
today it is a tourist attraction.
It was first depicted in the 1978
Historic Buildings set, made cameo
appearances in 1980 and 1992, and
once again had a stamp to itself in
2008. In every case it is the central
White Tower which dominates
the image.
Amongst Britain’s other great
fortified buildings to have been
celebrated on stamps are Harlech
Castle in 1966 and 2011, and
Narrow Water Castle, Stirling
Castle and Urquhart Castle in 2012.
And the ruins of Robert the
Bruce’s castle (now dominated by a
lighthouse) can just be made out in
the background of the 1994 Scottish
Golf Courses design illustrating
Turnberry, a course now owned by
US President Donald Trump.

102 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs features Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes | sTrANGe BUT TrUe
checklist
Date Issue stamps
1955 high-value definitives 4
1961 Parliamentary conference 1
1966 landscapes 1
1969 investiture of the Prince of Wales 3

ABOVE: 1978 Historic Buildings 9p, featuring the ABOVE: 1973 Commonwealth Parliamentary 1973 inigo Jones 1
White Tower, the Norman central keep of the Conference 10p, one of many stamps illustrating 1973 Parliamentary conference 2
Tower of London the Palace of Westminster 1975 european Architectural heritage Year 1
1975 inter-Parliamentary Union conference 1
1978 historic Buildings 4
1980 london 1980 international exhibition 1
1980 london landmarks 3
1983 British Gardens 1
1986 Domesday Book 4
1987 Queen Victoria 1
1988 Bicentenary of Australian settlement 1
1988 high-value definitives 4
1990 london 1990 stamp World exhibition 1
1992 Gilbert & sullivan 2
ABOVE: 2014 Buckingham Palace 1st class, with a view of the building as it looked in 1846 1992 high-value definitives 4
1994 scottish Golf courses 1
Unsurprisingly, the royal
residence which has received most
‘In an unusual 1997 high-value definitives 4
exposure on Britain’s stamps is twist, this theme 2002 Bridges of london 1
Buckingham Palace, the 2005 50th anniversary of castles Definitives 4
magnificent London residence of was kickstarted not 2005 World heritage sites 1
the monarch for almost two
centuries.
by commemoratives 2006 celebrating scotland 1
It appeared on single stamps in but by definitives’ 2007 celebrating england 1
1980 and 2007, and then in all its 2007 Royal Diamond Wedding Anniversary 4
glory in 10 stamps in 2014: six
2008 celebrating Northern ireland 1
exterior views illustrating its shown in the 1978 Historic
gradual aggrandisement since the Buildings set along with the Palace 2008 handover of Olympic Flag 1
early 18th century, and a miniature of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, 2011 Uk A-Z 2
sheet of four showing its luxurious which was established as the 2012 Britons of Distinction 1
interior, including as the Grand principal residence of the monarch
2012 Uk A-Z 3
Staircase designed by John Nash. in Scotland in the 16th century.
A London building which has Hampton Court also appeared 2012 Welcome to Paralympic Games 1
featured even more regularly, (along with Buckingham Palace) in 2013 Great Britons 1
however, is the Palace of the 1980 London Landmarks issue,
2014 Buckingham Palace 10
Westminster, which is best known as did Kensington Palace, which
as the location of the Houses of is still the official London home of 2016 landscape Gardens 3
Parliament but belongs to the many members of the royal family. 2017 Ancient Britain 1
Crown and is officially deemed a Furthermore, the Royal Diamond 2017 Windsor castle 10
royal residence for ceremonial Wedding Anniversary miniature
purposes. sheet of 2007 featured family
Its riverside exterior and famous photographs taken at four different
clocktower have been depicted in royal residences: Buckingham an entertainment venue, in 1990,
1973, 1975, 1980, 1988, 1992, 2002, Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral in and Blenheim Palace, the seat of
2007, 2012 and 2013, often as a Aberdeenshire and Clarence House the Duke of Marlborough, in 1983,
background device. An interior in London. 2005 and 2016.
view (of the House of Lords) was Long gone and almost forgotten
shown in 2012 as a tribute to its On other stamps, look out for three is one more building which was a
architect, Augustus Pugin. palaces which have never been genuine royal retreat: the Princes’
royal homes. The Crystal Palace, Lodgings at Newmarket, part of a
Hampton Court Palace, once a built to house the Great Exhibition royal palace designed in the 1620s
residence of King Henry VIII but in 1851, appeared in 1987, by Inigo Jones, and illustrated on
no longer a royal retreat, was Alexandra Palace, best known as stamp in 1973. ■

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 103

 on sale now!

your
best-value
staMP PrICe
guIde
Order your copy at www.mags-uk.com
Or telephone 01733 688964
only
› Fully updated to mid-2017 £12.99
› Handy, pocket-size format
 MILLSTAMPS

See samples above of what we send out with many more available.
TO RECEIVE YOUR SELECTION CONTACT US BY POST, PHONE OR EMAIL.

Send to: Millstamps 14 Spinney Ivybridge Devon PL21 9TU. 07972 846242 millstamps@hotmail.com
RS470 Racquet Sports. A specialised collection of
blocks and singles includes tennis, badminton and
table tennis. Stamps depicting famous tennis stars;
Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, John McEnroe, Martina
Navratilova, Boris Becker, Billie Jean-King, Bjorn Borg,
Virginia Wade plus many others. Includes, several
British colonial stamps in mint blocks. 100+ world
stamps mint & used................................... Price £14.00
CD389 Cats & Dogs. A fantastic collection of cats &
dogs on stamps. A vast variety of different breeds of
these popular pets. Hundreds of different cats & dogs
stamps ........................................................ Price £16.50
NK39 North Korea. An unusual collection of D.P.R.
(North) Korean stamps including controversial and
highly political propaganda communist stamps
depicting Kim-Jong-II, father of the current leader
Kim-Jong-un. Includes scarcer blocks, se-tenant and
single stamps. Over 100 stamps.............. Price £10.75
USA5 Donald Trump. A political cover commemorat-
ing British Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit to Don-
ald Trump in the U.S.A. The cover is one of a severely
limited issue of only 50 covers. Depicting Donald
Trump & Theresa May. The cover bears a British Un-
ion Jack flag stamp with special Royal Mail illustrated
Drayton postmark dated 27.1.17 and bears the special
paper cachet showing Theresa May laying a wreath
at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington,
U.S.A........................................................... Price £13.00
CM134 British Commonwealth. A superb
collection of British colonial and commonwealth
stamps, includes mint & used definitives &
commemoratives. Containing over 500 different
stamps plus miniature sheets and first day covers.
The entire collection. ......................... Price £19.80
SA12 South Rhodesia A scarce Royal postal history
cover bearing the complete 1947 set depicting
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Queen
Mother) as well as the two Princesses Margaret
& Elizabeth. The stamps have a special ‘ROYAL
TOUR’ Southern Rhodesia PMK in addition to a
red squared cachet with Royal Crown and the
King’s own G.R. insignia. A highly collectable
cover rarely available for sale. ........... Price £23.00
FC113 French Colonials. A superb collection of
unmounted mint stamps in blocks multiples & singles.
Countries noted include St. Pierre & Miquelon, Togo,
Cameroon, Guadeloupe, Cote d’Ivoire, Oceanic
Settlements, Dahomey, Fr. Somali Coast, Senegal
plus others. Mostly older superb engraved stamps.
Approx. 150 unmounted mint stamps ..... Price £14.50
COR12 Jeremy Corbyn & Theresa May. A scarce
political cover for the 2017 U.K. General Election.
The cover bears the Royal Mail parliamentary
commemorative stamp with illustrated ‘BIG BEN’
PMK dated 8 June 2017. The cover also bears a
yellow paper cachet inscribed “A shock result U.K.
election returns — Hung Parliament”. Only 50 of this
valuable cover were ever issued .............. Price £23.00
HUTT4 Hutt River Province. A lovely collection of
unmounted mint stamps from the Hutt River Province.
This collection includes complete mint sets including
se-tenant pairs. Local issues from this Western
Australian territory which claims to be an independent
sovereign state, are rarely offered for sale Price £16.00
BP8 Peter Rabbit. Probably the scarcest of all
Beatrix Potter covers, due to the severely limited
& restricted issue of 80 worldwide. Issued to
commemorate the 150th anniv. of Beatrix Potter
depicts Peter Rabbit and bears the scarce Royal
Mail Peter Rabbit traffic light gutter pair stamps
and official Royal Mail Peter Rabbit illustrated
postmark .................................................... Price £19.50
M37 Monkeys. A specialised colourful collection of
monkeys on stamps. Blocks and singles including
mint & used stamps. A multitude of monkey and ape
stamps worldwide ....................................... Price £7.50
GB482 GREAT BRITAIN. Impressive collection of over
500 British stamps dating back to K.G.V. including
Wildings, Machins and commemoratives. Includes
mint but mainly used stamps also contains miniature
sheets & F.D.C’s. With decimal & pre-decimal G.P.O. &
Royal Mail issues ....................................... Price £23.00
JA13 Jane Austen. The highly collectable
commemorative cover for the 200th anniv. of Jane
Austen. (A restrictive issue of only 60 covers. Bearing
Royal Mail Jane Austen stamps with official Jane
Austen illustrated anniversary PMK. ......... Price £8.60
M332 Morocco. An interesting & unusual group
of Morocco stamps, includes French Morocco,
Spanish Morocco, British P.O.S in Morocco.
Dating back to circa. 1940’s including overprinted
stamps ....................................................... Price £9.90
HU28 lraq War. A scarce cover for the invasion of Iraq,
depicting a defiant Saddam Hussein in face of the
United States & coalition invasion of Iraq in 2003. The
cover also has British postal history interest bearing a
British lions stamp with Royal Mail ‘BTN. ENQ. Office’
official postmark dated 20 March 2003. Only a few of
these covers are known to exist (mostly in collector’s
hands). ........................................................ Price £24.00
CF12 Star Wars. Rare Star Wars commem. cover in
memoriam of Carrie Fisher, lovingly remembered for
her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars. The cover bears
a special Carrie Fisher Royal Mail commemorative
stamp with illustrated Royal Mail PMK dated 27.12.16.
Only 50 of this rare cover exist ................. Price £15.00
VL15 Vera Lynn. GB limited edition of only 50 covers
celebrating the 100th Birthday of Vera Lynn known as
the ‘Forces Sweetheart’ during WWII. The cover bears
the Royal Mail Spitfire WWII commemorative with
official Royal Mail Vera Lynn postmark ...... Price £9.25
BR.COL.388 King George VI. British & Colonial
collection mainly King George VI but includes earlier
K.G.V stamps mostly used but mint noted. Good
range of countries ...................................... Price £13.75
SYR10 Syrian War. A scarce cover for the Syrian
ceasefire of 2016. The illustrated cover depicts
Putin and Erdogan, Presidents of Russia and Turkey
respectively who backed the Syrian ceasefire. The
cover is official postmarked with a circular Royal Mail
Heathrow Airport PMK, dated the day of the ceasefire,
30.12.16. Less than 50 of this historic war cover are
known to have exist worldwide. ............... Price £24.00
DT17 Donald Trump Presidential Cover. The special
cover commemorates Trump as 45th President of
the U.S.A. bearing foreign Trump stamps with purple
‘U.S.A. PRESIDENTIAL VICTORY’ cachet dated
08.11.16 in combination with British Royal Mail official
commemorative stamp with Royal Mail Illustrated
First Day Postmark at Tenby, Wales on election date
08.11.16. The cover is sought after as only 75 covers
were ever issued. ....................................... Price £18.00
5C484 Scandinavia. A fine collection of Scandinavian
stamps including Denmark, Norway & Sweden, and
fewer Iceland & Finland stamps. A nice ‘starter lot’ to
build on. ........................................................ Price £9.75
P14 Passchendaele. Historic World War One
commemorative cover for the 100th Anniv. of the
Battle of Passchendaele. Limited issue of only
60 covers. Bears Royal Mail WWI commem. with
Illustrated Passchendaele postmark.......... Price £9.25
KE8 King Edward VIII scarce abdication cover. This
valuable cover commemorates the abdication of
K.E.VIII Illustrated with an iconic portrait of the King,
the cover bears the complete British issue of the
original K.E.VIII stamps tied to the cover with purple
cachet inscribed “King Edward VIII G.P.O. Postage
Stamp issue September 1936” in combination with
Royal Mail House of Windsor Royal badge stamps
postmarked with official Windsor Castle abdication
postmark. Only 80 of this scarce cover are known to
exist............................................................. Price £26.00
12 Prince Albert Street, Brighton, Sussex, BN1 1HE
Tel: 01273 326994
Telephone orders accepted.
Payment by Mastercard or Visa credit cards
We have no e-mail address, please contact us by telephone
Dealing in stamps for over 40 years
5R411 Snakes & Reptiles. A strange collection
specialising in Snakes & Reptiles stamps (Worldwide).
Mostly used but includes mint stamps. ... Price £14.75
5C455 Scouting. A specialised collection of Scouts &
Guide stamps from various countries over 80 mint &
used scouting stamps and mini. sheets .... Price £7.00
P0523 1971 Postal Strike cover. A historic example of
British Postal history. A cover used during the British
Postal strike in 1971 bearing the Exeter Emergency
Post 2/- postage stamp tied to the cover with the
circular Post Strike PMK. Incorporated is a French
postage stamp officially postmarked by the French
post office on receipt at Le Touquet, France. G.B.
Strike covers used internationally are extremely illusive
and sought after. .......................................... Price £5.00
MA15 Masonic cover. Great Britain esoteric cover
commemorating the Tercentenary of the Grand Lodge
of England, celebrating 300 years of Freemasonry.
Depicting iconic symbols of Freemasonry only 50
covers were ever produced, bearing the Royal Mail St.
George’s Commemorative stamp with official Royal
Mail Masonic postmark. ............................. Price £8.50
RLY321 Thomas the Tank Engine cover. Brand new,
in superb condition from 2017 bearing the Thomas
the Tank Engine illustration. The cover is of limited
edition including a special ‘ “Goodbye Bertie called”
Thomas’ 1st class stamp with the official Mail by Rail
PMK from February 2017, sought after by Thomas the
Tank Engine fans young and old. ............... Price £4.50
C5473 Ceylon. A fabulous collection of hundreds of
different Ceylon and Sri Lanka stamps. Definitive and
commemorative stamps dating back to Queen Vic-
toria with King Edward VII, King George V a superb
group of King George VI engraved stamps, following
through to Queen Elizabeth II and later independ-
ent Sri Lankan stamps. A perfect collection to build
upon............................................................ Price £18.50
CBW12 950th Anniversary of the Battle of Hastings
cover. Wonderfully illustrative cover featuring an image
of the Bayeux tapestry scene, alongside the quote
from William the Conqueror “Life yields only to be
conqueror.” Cover bears Royal Mail 1st class stamp
tied to the cover with official King Harold Battle of
Hastings, Battle PMK from October 2016. Less than
100 covers are understood to exist............ Price £7.00
SY097 Syria. A lovely collection of unmounted
mint Syrian stamps in blocks and multiples. The
collection also includes a rare Syrian war cover for
the Syrian cease fire of 27/2/16 depicting Sergei
Lavrov and John Kerry representing Russia and the
USA respectively. A fragile ceasefire of hostilities
came into force in Syria. 97 fighting groups as well
as the Syrian govt. and Russian air force signed the
ceasefire. The cover bears a Royal Mail postage
stamp cancelled with illustrated Royal Mail PMK
dated 27 Feb 2016 in combination with Syrian and UN
stamps tied to the cover with red cachet quoting UN
security council resolution no.2254. This rare cover
forms part of the Syrian stamp collection Price £29.00
DON301 Donald Trump Inauguration cover.
Commemorating the election victory and
inauguration of President Donald Trump, the
45th President of the U.S.A. from January 2017
featuring official photo of the President. The cover
bears a Royal Mail postage stamp cancelled with
official Royal Mail CDS on the inaugural date, in
combination with an official United States postal
stamp. Extremely limited and restricted edition of
only 60 covers were ever produced. . Price £11.25
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LATIN AMERICAN PHILATELICS
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D/>͗ůĂƚĂŵƉŚŝůΛďƚŝŶƚĞƌŶĞƚ͘ĐŽŵ
North Staffs Stamps - JULY 1/4.indd 1
Fine
British
Commonwealth
1840 - present
COME AND SEE US AT YORK STAMP SHOW JAN 19-20th
Website: http://www.nstaffsstamps.com
North Staffs Stamps
PO BOX 2701 Email: nstaffsstamps@yahoo.co.uk
Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 9AL Ebay: www.stores.ebay.co.uk/whitepeakplodder
Tel: 01782 818560 www.stores.ebay.co.uk/North-Staffs-Stamps
British Commonwealth 1840 - 1970
mainly priced from £10-£1,000.
New Zealand’s
19/05/2017 10:03
leading auction house
1. Your money goes further because of New Zealand’s
favourable exchange rate.
2. Catalogues are online, and mailed to you each month free!
3. Each catalogue contains stamps from all around the world.
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realised are sent to all bidders after each sale.
6. Each lot is unconditionally guaranteed by New Zealand’s
leading auction house.
Join our mailing list!
J R Mowbr ay Philatelist
Private Bag 63000, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Ph +64 6 364 8270, Fax, +64 6 364 8252
Email mowbray.stamps@xtra.co.nz
www.mowbrays.co.nz
 35 years of experience, valuing stamps every day, will ensure you have made the right move.
HOW TO GET TO THE SHOP
Enfield Stamp Centre is located in Lancaster Road, three doors down from the
Holly Bush pub. Two buses pass our door from the town - 191 & W8
NEAREST TUBE
Oakwood. Then take a cab (15 minutes)
NEAREST TRAIN STATION
Gordon Hill (Hertford Line from Finsbury Park)
BY CAR
Turn off the M25 at junction 24 then take the A1005 signposted Enfield and follow
for three miles. At mini roundabout (just past Chase Farm Hospital) turn left. At
the next mini roundabout bear left and follow this road past Gordon Hill Station.
This will lead you to another mini roundabout. Cross this and our shop is thirty
yards along the right. We can also be found if you take junction 25, down the A10
and turn right at the traffic lights for Carterhatch Lane.
Enfield Stamp Centre, 192-194 Lancaster Road, Enfield, Middx. EN2 0JH

Enfield  Stamp  Centre  

192-­‐194  Lancaster  Rd  

Enfield,  Middlesex,  EN2  0JH  
,   ,  
Tel:  020  8367  2653    
email:  enquiries@enfieldstampcentre.com  

 
 WHAT’s on: EXHIBITIons To include an event in this listing, we need at least two months’ notice.
Send details to What’s On, Stamp Magazine, MyTimeMedia Ltd,

UK & WORLDWIDE EXHIBITION

Suite 25, Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF.
E-mail: guy.thomas@mytimemedia.com

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

February 14-17 May 27-31 JuLy 13-15 Autumn Stampex OCTOber 5-7
uK ISraeL eSTOnIa Venue: Business Design Centre, IreLanD
Spring Stampex Israel 2018 World Stamp EstEx 18 52 Upper Street, Islington, Stampa 2018 Irish National
Venue: Business Design Centre, Championship Venue: Estonian Fair Centre, London N1 0QH. Stamp Exhibition
52 Upper Street, Islington, Venue: International Convention Pirita Tee 28, 10127 Tallinn, Contact: Philatelic Traders Society, Venue: Griffith College Conference
London N1 0QH. Center, 1 Shazar Boulevard, Estonia. PO Box 290, Lingfield, Surrey Centre, South Circular Road,
Contact: Philatelic Traders Society, Jerusalem. Contact: estex2018@refs.ee RH7 9AX Dublin 8.
PO Box 290, Lingfield, Surrey Contact: Israel Philatelic Federation, www.estex2018.eu Tel: 01342 830225 Contact: Stampa, PO Box 12624,
RH7 9AX PO Box 3301 Tel Aviv 6103201, Israel Fax: 01342 837888 Rathfarnham, Dublin 16,
Tel: 01342 830225 Tel: +972 3 6295547 auguST 15-18 info@thepts.net Republic of Ireland
Fax: 01342 837888 Fax: +972 3 5259706 CZeCH rePubLIC www.thephilatelictraders info@stampa.ie
info@thepts.net ipf@netvision.net.il Praga 2018 World Stamp Exhibition society.co.uk www.stampa.ie
www.thephilatelictraders info@israelphilately.org.il Venue: Clarion Congress Hotel
society.co.uk www.israelphilately.org.il Prague, Freyova 33, Vysocany, SePTeMber 21-24 nOveMber 9-11
Prague, 190 00. MaCaO neW ZeaLanD
May 25-27 June 8-10 Contact: Organizing Committee, Macao 2018 International Armistice Stamp Show
ITaLy ICeLanD Praga 2018 World Stamp Exhibition Stamp Exhibition 2018
Veronafil Nordia 2018 Association, Opletalova 1337/29, Venue: Venetian Macao Convention & Venue: More FM Arena, Edgar
Venue: E A Fiere di Verona, Venue: Sports Centre, Gardabaer, 11000 Praha 1, Czech Republic Exhibition Centre, Estrada da Baía de Centre, Portsmouth Drive,
Viale del Lavoro 8, 37135 Verona. Iceland. Tel: +420 222 541 395 Nossa Senhora da Esperança, Taipa, Dunedin.
Contact: Associazione Filatelica Contact: UK Commissioner, info@praga2018.cz Macao. Contact: Secretary, Armistice
Numismatica Scaligera, Corso Michael Smith www.praga2018.cz Contact: Tel: +853 2871 8063 Stamp Show 2018, PO Box 753,
Cavour 2, 37121 Verona, Italy Tel: 01256 364231 Fax: +853 2871 8018 Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
Tel: +39 045 591086 mikesmith.fhilatelist@gmail.com SePTeMber 12-15 secretary_2@macao2018.org.mo armisticestampshow@outlook.co.nz
Fax: +39 045 591086 www.nordia2018.is uK www.macao2018.org.mo www.armisticestampshow.com

© PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW SHIVA

ABOVE: The World Stamp Championship in Israel in May is a good excuse to visit Jerusalem, one of the world’s most famous and historic cities

Every care is taken to ensure the details published are accurate, but we cannot be responsible for any errors or cancellations. You are advised to check with the event organisers before setting out.

112 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 WHAT’s on: AUCTIONS

world News | AUCTIONS | GB collector | letters | COMMENT | COMPETITIONS | features | Q&A EVENTS NEW ISSUES | STRANGE BUT TRUE
To include an event in this listing, we need at least two months’ notice.
Send details to What’s On, Stamp Magazine, MyTimeMedia Ltd,

UK & WORLDWIDE AUCTION Suite 25, Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF.
E-mail: guy.thomas@mytimemedia.com

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

December 13 James & Sons Tel: +30 210 325 0173 Fax: 01926 491906
english-language
AJH Stamps Venue: 5 Norwich Street, Fax: +30 210 325 0176 info@warwickandwarwick.com POSTAL SALES
Venue: The Dunkenhalgh Hotel & Spa, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 9AF. athensauctions@athensauctions.gr www.warwickandwarwick.com
Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire BB5 5JP. Contact: James & Sons Auctioneers www.athensauctions.gr Apex
Contact: The Laurels, Tel: 01328 855003 January 13 info@apexstamps.com
Manchester Road, admin@jamesandsonsnorfolk.com January 10 Somerset www.apexstamp.com
Accrington, Lancashire BB5 2PF www.jamesandsonsauctioneers.com Warwick & Warwick Venue: Hill Farm, Hemyock,
county
Tel: 01254 393740 Venue: The Court House, Cullompton, Devon EX15 3UZ.
county@stampauctions.co.uk
Fax: 01254 382274 December 20 Jury Street, Warwick, CV34 4EEW. Contact: Somerset Stamp Auctions
www.stampauctions.co.uk
sales@ajhstamps.co.uk Athens Contact: Warwick & Warwick, Tel: 01823 681358
www.ajhstamps.co.uk Venue: Pindarou 7 & Alexandrou Chalon House, Scar Bank, Fax: 01823 681375 Mowbray
Soutsou, 10671 Athens, Greece. Millers Road, Warwick, CV34 5DB shirley@somersetstampauctions.com mowbray.stamps@xtra.co.nz
December 13 Contact: Athens Auctions Tel: 01926 499031 www.somersetstampauctions.com www.mowbrays.co.nz
Sajal philatelics
brian@brian-reeve.com
lot to be desired www.brian-reeve.com
Sandafayre
stamp@sandafayre.com
One of many attractive items of postal history up With a starting price of only €18 (about £15), www.sandafayre.com
for sale in the Athens auction of December 20 is this cover could be an affordable introduction to
Universal
a cover from the famous tin can mail of a long journey of discovery! info@upastampauctions.co.uk
Niuafo’ou. www.upastampauctions.co.uk
Franked with a 2½d definitive of Tonga and
VANCE
addressed to New Zealand, it has several mail@vanceauctions.com
characteristic cachets of this unusual philatelic www.vanceauctions.com
service, and a handstamped endorsement
confirming that it was ‘put into the sea from the
cruise steamer Monowai off Niuafo’ou or Tin-Can english-language
ONLINE SALES
Island in the Tongan Group’ on July 15, 1936.
The tiny volcanic island was almost Dalkeith
inaccessible, so passing ships were asked to www.dalkeith-auctions.co.uk
throw incoming mail into the sea in watertight Delcampe
cans, which would then be picked up by local www.delcampe.net
fishermen or intrepid swimmers. McCusker
This quaint practice became a tourist www.jamesmccusker.com
attraction and was turned into a philatelic
Mowbray
money-spinner, with visiting ships and the local www.mowbrays.co.nz
postmaster applying collectable handstamps ABOVE: The steamship Monowai was illustrated on 6d stamps
Philatino
which are now a study in themselves. from the Cook Islands and Niue in 1932
www.philatino.com
RASMUSSEN
www.bruun-rasmussen.dk
Regency
www.regencystamps.com
Rogers
www.michaelrogersinc.com
Sammarinese
www.filsam.com
Sandafayre
www.sandafayre.com
Skanfil
www.skanfil.no
Stamp Center
www.thestampcenter.com
StampFair
www.stampfair.com
Stanley Gibbons
www.stanleygibbons.com
Torres
www.antoniotorres.com
ABOVE: Tonga 1936 cover to New Zealand, delivered via the tin can mail service of Niuafo’ou TRAFFORD BOOKS
www.traffordbooks.co.uk

Every care is taken to ensure the details published are accurate, but we cannot be responsible for any errors or cancellations. You are advised to check with the event organisers before setting out.
january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 113
 WHAT’s on: FAIRS To include an event in this listing, we need at least two months’ notice.
Send details to What’s On, Stamp Magazine, MyTimeMedia Ltd,
Suite 25, Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF.
UK stamp FAIR E-mail: guy.thomas@mytimemedia.com

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

December 16 (stamps, postal history,
Hull postcards)
(stamps, postal history) Venue: Jubilee Scout Hall,
Venue: St James Centre, Rectory Hill, HP7 0BT.
169 First Lane, Time: 10am-4.30pm
Hessle, HU13 9EY. Contact: David Milton
Time: 9.30am-4pm Tel: 01895 637283
Contact: H V Johnson & Co
Tel: 01909 563394 Bowdon
(stamps, postal history,
Keynsham postcards)
(stamps, postal history) Venue: Mercure Hotel,
Venue: The Fear Institute, Langham Road, WA14 2HT.
Keynsham High Street, Time: 10am-4pm
BS31 1DG. Contact: Howard Hatton
Time: 9.30am-4pm Tel: 0161 766 9031
Contact: Kevin Noble Fairs
Tel: 07599 001101 Dronfield
(stamps, postal history)
Sittingbourne Venue: Coal Aston Village
(stamps, postal history, Hall, Coal Aston, S18 3AY.
postcards) Time: 9.30am-4pm
Venue: Carmel Hall, Contact: H V Johnson & Co
Ufton Lane, off West Street, Tel: 01909 563394
ME10 1JB.
Time: 10am-3.30pm December 23
Contact: Chris Rapley Addlestone
Tel: 07711 677760 (stamps, postal history, Time: 10am-4pm January 1 postcards) Venue: Shirehampton Public
postcards) Contact: Solent Stamps Felbridge Venue: Azelia Halls, Hall, Station Road,
Thatcham Venue: Community Centre, Tel: 01489 582673 (stamps, postal history, Croydon Road, BR3 4DA. Shirehampton, BS11 9TX.
(stamps, postal history) Garfield Road, KT15 2NJ. postcards) Time: 9am-3pm Time: 9.30am-4pm
Venue: Thatcham Memorial Time: 10am-4.30pm December 30 Venue: Felbridge Village Hall, Contact: Ray McQuade Contact: Kevin Noble Fairs
Hall, Bath Road (A4), Contact: David Milton Morley Crawley Down Road, RH19 2NT. Tel: 020 8395 9285 Tel: 07599 001101
RG18 3AG. Tel: 01895 637283 (stamps, postal history) Time: 10am-3.30pm
Time: 9.30am-2.30pm Venue: St Mary’s Church Hall, Contact: Chris Rapley Hastings Derby
Contact: Paula Cant December 29 Commercial Street, Tel: 07711 677760 (stamps, postal history, (stamps, postal history,
Tel: 01256 415699 Upper Hale LS27 8HZ. postcards) postcards)
(stamps, postal history) Time: 9.30am-4pm January 6 Venue: Christ Church, Venue: Nunsfield House
December 17 Venue: Farnham Village Hall, Contact: H V Johnson & Co Beckenham London Road, Community Hall,
Amersham Wings Road, GU9 0HN. Tel: 01909 563394 (stamps, postal history, St Leonard’s-on-Sea, 33 Boulton Road,
TN37 6GL. Alvaston, DE24 0FD.
Time: 10am-3.30pm Time: 9.30am-4pm
Contact: Chris Rapley Contact: H V Johnson & Co
Tel: 07711 677760 Tel: 01909 563394

Leicester Eastbourne
(stamps, postal history) (stamps, postal history,
Venue: Derby Room, The postcards)
Holiday Inn, St Nicholas Venue: St Mary’s Church Hall,
Circle, LE1 5LX. Decoy Drive, Hampden Park,
Time: 9.30am-3.30pm BN22 9PP.
Contact: John Suschitzky Time: 10am-3.30pm
Tel: 0116 235 0441 Contact: Chris Rapley
Tel: 07711 677760
Stourbridge
(stamps, postal history) Telford
Venue: Methodist Church (stamps, postal history,
Centre, New Road, DY8 1PA. postcards)
Time: 9.30am-1.30pm Venue: Belmont Community
Contact: Chris Proctor Hall, off Tan Bank car park,
Tel: 07813260752 Wellington, TF1 1LU.
Time: 10am-3pm
Sutton Coldfield Contact: Richard Camp
(stamps, postal history) Tel: 01952 405458
Venue: The Trinity Centre,
Church Hill, Mill Street, January 14
B72 1TF. Worthing
Time: 10am-3.30pm (stamps, postal history,
Contact: JRS Fairs postcards)
Tel: 01785 259350 Venue: Heene Community
Centre, 122 Heene Road,
January 13 BN11 4PL.
Bristol Time: 10am-3.30pm
(stamps, postal history, Contact: Chris Rapley
postcards) Tel: 07711 677760

Every care is taken to ensure the details published are accurate, but we cannot be responsible for any errors or cancellations. You are advised to check with the event organisers before setting out.

114 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

Enjoy this Off-Paper World Mixture Offer for REAL Collectors, NOT Investors
FREE OFFER SO YOU CAN TEST AVON WORLD MIXTURES
Regardless of Catalogue Value!
Your 1st Trial World MixBag
is supplied FREE, simply Select the Best
– up to 500 stamps FREE, – Return the Rest
Contrary to what you might think, or have been
told... You really don’t have to spend a fortune to
enjoy collecting stamps; read on to discover the
reasons why...
You go to a stamp fair. You order on line. You bid in
an auction – almost always, if you’re buying ‘identi-
fied’ stamps, even cheap stamps, they’re priced
against catalogue value aren’t they? Why do
‘ stampy’ things have to be done this way?
One of the biggest problems when I collected
stamps all those 47 years ago, (before girls came
along), was that the stamps I wanted always seemed
to cost more than I could afford! So… just what is
it that made me collect stamps this way ?
Q: What made me collect stamps this
way? – A: Catalogue Values !
Yes, catalogue values… That’s not to say
that there’s anything wrong with catalogue
values per se. But, there’s a simple answer, true even
decades later, and even today. It was/is the philatelic
industry norm. This is how ‘philatelic’ things are
done
BUT, I set out to break industry norms, creating my
enormously popular off-paper world mixtures club
more than 30 years ago. Some who were collectors
then, have returned and are still ‘Avon/Omniphil’
Collectors today. Some of those collectors have ‘pro-
gressed’ their collections, so that they now bid in my
‘No Hidden Extras’ Universal Philatelic Auctions – also
known as ‘The Collector’s Secret Weapon’
Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it ?, but…
With the benefit of hindsight I suppose the prob-
lem was that I hadn’t set my collecting boundaries to
my budget, but it’s so easy to say that now. But why
does everything you collect have to be related to
catalogue value ?
The simple answer is… it Doesn’t !
Wouldn’t You enjoy picking stamps at low unit
prices regardless of catalogue value? Wouldn’t You
enjoy forgetting the prices? Wouldn’t You enjoy the
thrill of making a ‘find’ and paying pence to do so…?
Well, Now You Can. If you’re a real collector, not an
investor, I’m putting the fun back into philately so
www.upastampauctions.co.uk Go to Mixtures
AvonMixtures
SEE COUPON BESIDE INDEX
P.O. Box 10, Tewkesbury, Glos, GL20 8YX Tel/Fax: 01684 299278
MIXTURES ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR VERY ADVANCED COLLECTORS – TAKE MY UPA £55 AUCTION OFFER 115
you can enjoy collecting how it used to be…
It’s NOT a club, but it feeels like one…
It’s NOT a club where you, like me, may remember
‘swapping stamps’ but it feeels like one, and in order
for You to Test my Avon World/Country Mixtures I’m
offering you the opportunity to select up to your
1st 500 stamps free, so You can see for Yourself how
much fun there is to be had from the trial mixture
bag we’ll send you…
Send NO money Now: So where’s the catch ?
Simply, If You don’t like the idea of picking up to
your 1st 500 stamps FREE and returning the rest,
then that’s the catch. If You don’t like the idea of
forgetting catalogue prices and paying ‘pence’ each
per stamp you select – then this offer is not for you.
If You collect ‘high-end’ stamps costing £100’s each
then probably this is not for you too…
…BUT, If you, like I used to, enjoy sorting through
stamps, seeing what you may find, enjoying the
simple pleasure of adding inexpensive stamps to
your collection, regardless of catalogue value – then
this is for You... and I’m making it easy to get
you started… All you need to do is complete the
coupon NOW, it’s located beside the index in this
magazine OR just telephone or apply on-line via
our website below. If you’re a stamp collector aged
18+ NEW to my Avon World Mixtures, you’ll pick up
to the 1st 500 stamps FREE from my off-paper world
mixtures plus the chance to select other country
stamps at low unit prices regardless of catalogue
value. Just give us your address and contact details
and let Pat and Martin do the rest… so you can pick
the best – Please do it NOW whilst you’re thinking
about it… Thank You
A
Andrew McGavin, Philatelic Expert & Author, Managing
Director, UPA, Omniphil & Avon Approvals,
Avon Mixtures, eBay: universalphilatelic
Terms: Start/Stop service anytime. UK collectors, aged 18+
wanting to put the fun back into collecting are pre-qualified,
send NO money Now. Overseas clients may be required to
provide a deposit. Collectors in a few Countries cannot be
serviced, please enquire. One offer per philatelic household.
SM 01/18
 WHAT’s on: soCIETIEs To include an event in this listing, we need at least two months’ notice.
Send details to What’s On, Stamp Magazine, MyTimeMedia Ltd,

selected UK philatelic sOcietY

Suite 25, Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF.
E-mail: guy.thomas@mytimemedia.com

dates FOR YOUR diaRY

December 14 south miDlanDs leamington & Time: 7.30pm Venue: Central Methodist bromley &
maiDstone & sc WarWicK Ps Contact: Laurence Gardiner Church, Hargreaves Street, becKenham Ps
miD-Kent Ps Winter Auction, Christmas Buffet laurencewgardiner1@ Burnley BB11 1DU. More from the Chris Sands
President’s Evening Venue: Barford Memorial & Raffle hotmail.com Time: 7.30pm Collection
Venue: St Paul’s Church Hall, Hall, Church Street, Venue: Oddfellows Hall, Contact: Dr Barry Evans Venue: Public Hall, Bromley
Boxley Road, Maidstone, Barford, CV35 8EN. Clarence Terrace, Warwick West lonDon Ps Tel: 01282 616156 Road, Beckenham BR3 5JE.
ME14 2AH. Time: 1.30pm Road, Leamington Spa, President’s Evening Time: 7.30pm
Time: 7.30pm Contact: John Gledhill CV32 5LD. Venue: The Church Hall, Kingston & Contact: David Rennie
Contact: Brian Stonestreet Tel: 01789 842112 Time: 7pm Woodlands Avenue, District Ps Tel: 020 8778 7001
Tel: 01622 675784 Contact: Nick Bridgwater Acton, W3 9BU. Art on Stamps
December 19 Tel: 01926 423685 Time: 8pm Venue: Surbiton Library carmarthen &
solihull Ps coventry s&Ps Contact: Christopher E Oliver New Hall, Ewell Road, District s&Pc
Up to 16 Sheets: The 1960s Christmas at the Varsity December 21 Tel: 020 8940 9833 Surbiton, KT6 6AG. Members’ Displays: Letter L
Venue: Solihull Cricket & Venue: Hearsall Baptist taW & torriDge sc Time: 8pm Venue: 132b Priory Street,
Tennis Club, Marsh Lane, Church Hall, Queensland The Committee Entertains January 3 Contact: Christopher E Oliver SA31 1LR.
Solihull, B91 2PF. Avenue, Chapelfields, & Mini-Auction stratforD-uPon- Tel: 020 8940 9833 Time: 7pm
Time: 10.30am CV5 8FE. Venue: Castle Hall, Castle avon Ps Contact: C Williams
Contact: Paul Woodness Time: 7.30pm Street, Barnstaple, EX31 1ET. One-Frame Displays: Peterborough & Tel: 01267 236680
Tel: 01564 776879 Contact: John Thompson Time: 7.30pm Letter O or Zero District Ps
Tel: 02476 413477 Contact: Andrew Austen Venue: Tiddington Community President’s Choice leamington &
December 18 Tel: 01271 329762 Centre, Main Street, Venue: All Saints Church Hall, WarWicK Ps
rugby & District December 20 Tiddington, CV37 7AN. Park Road, PE1 2UJ. Something From Somerset
Ps grimsby & January 2 Time: 2pm Time: 1.45pm by Nick Bridgwater
Christmas Social & Quiz District Ps benfleet & Contact: Colin Fountain Contact: Colin Hepper Venue: Oddfellows Hall,
Venue: Overslade Community Ships by Chris Carter District Ps Tel: 01789 841606 Tel: 01733 349403 Clarence Terrace, Warwick
Centre, Buchanan Road, Venue: Grimsby Central Hall, Members’ Competition & Road, Leamington Spa,
Rugby, CV22 6AZ. Duncombe Street, DN32 7EG. Mini-Auction January 4 January 8 CV32 5LD.
Time: 7.15pm Time: 7pm Venue: The Small Hall, burnley & PetersfielD & Time: 7pm
Contact: Theo Schilderman Contact: Trevor Smith rear of Runnymede Hall, District Ps District Ps Contact: Nick Bridgwater
Tel: 01788 542358 Tel: 01469 572354 Kiln Road, Thundersley SS7 1TF. President’s Night Members’ Displays Tel: 01926 423685
Venue: Petersfield Community
Centre, Love Lane, GU31 4BW. neWPort &

TELFOrd STaMp & card cLub

Time: 10am gWent Ps
Contact: David Allen Members’ Displays:
Tel: 01730 261244 Letter G
Venue: Civic Centre, Godfrey
The Telford Stamp & card club was treated to a splendid display on the postal telforD s&cc Road, Newport, NP20 4UR.
history of danzig (Gdansk) by Giles du boulay, who is chairman of the Germany & Display & Quiz Time: 7pm
Venue: Ketley Community Contact: Roy Bentley
colonies philatelic Society and the founder of the danzig Study Group.
Centre (the Old School), Tel: 01633 892410
He explained the political history of the important baltic port, which was Holyhead Road,
previously in German hands, was briefly independent as a free city, is now part of Telford TF1 5AN. January 11
poland and became famous as the home of Lech Walesa and the Solidarity Time: 7.30pm bristol Ps
Movement which brought an end to communist government. Contact: Richard Camp One-Sheet Competition
Tel: 01952 247783 Venue: Redland Park United
His impressive display included material dating back as far as the 16th century,
Reformed Church, Whiteladies
incuding many items which are believed to be unique. January 9 Road, BS6 6SA.
The club meets on the second Monday of every monthly at 7.30pm, at Ketley blacKPool & Time: 7.30pm
community centre. It also organsies stamp, card and coin fairs four times a year. fylDe Ps Contact: Mike Breward
The Secretary Entertains Tel: 01179 567853
For details contact richard camp. Tel: 01952 247783.
Venue: Bostonway Community
Centre, FY4 4YB. maiDstone &
Time: 7.30pm miD-Kent Ps
Contact: David Bond The Royal British Legion
Tel: 01253 767763 by Godfrey Prior
Venue: St Paul’s Church Hall,
coventry s&Ps Boxley Road, Maidstone
First Day & Other Covers ME14 2AH.
Venue: Hearsall Baptist Time: 7.30pm
Church Hall, Queensland Contact: Brian Stonestreet
Avenue, Chapelfields, Tel: 01622 675784
CV5 8FE.
Time: 7.30pm January 13
Contact: John Thompson great britain Ps
Tel: 02476 413477 British Propaganda
Envelopes of the 19th
January 10 Century by Richard Hobbs
beDforD Ps Time: 11am
Members’ Evening Society Competitions
Venue: The Bunyan Meeting Time: 2.15pm
Free Church, Mill Street, Venue: Royal Philatelic
Bedford MK40 3EU. Society London, 41 Devonshire
ABOVE: Giles du Boulay displays his collection of Danzig postal history to members of the Telford S&CC. Time: 7pm Place, London W1G 6JY.
Contact: Julie Barnard Contact: Phil Waud
Tel: 01234 765092 Tel: 07484 629171

Every care is taken to ensure the details published are accurate, but we cannot be responsible for any errors or cancellations. You are advised to check with the event organisers before setting out.

116 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 Buying
British Stamps • GREAT BRITAIN PRIVATE TREATY LIST
Current Market Values
ISSUED TWICE MONTHLY UP TO
£1MILLION OFFERED EACH MONTH

BUYING GB DECIMAL MINT STAMPS 1971 to 2017

(We always require GB postage but some values are more popular than others so please contact us by email or telephone
where the sale value is £1000 or over).
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Buy %
FACE VALUE (FV) of FV Criteria
Stamps 1p, 2p, 4p, 5p, 6p, 10p, 11p then 20p to 36p 49% Sorted by value
3p, 7p, 8p, 9p, 12p, 13p, 14p, 15p, 16p, 17p, 18p & 19p 47% Sorted by value
Stamps 37p to 65p 55% Sorted by value
Stamps 66p to 99p 60% Sorted by value
Stamps £1.00 to £1.99
Stamps £2.00 to £10
68%
80%
Sorted by value
Required Urgently
if your order
CHRISTMAS 2nd CLASS STAMPS ALL TYPES
First (1st) Class NVI Stamps (lick and stick)
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Commemorative and Christmas
totals £31+
First (1st) Class NVI Stamps (self-adhesive) 60% Commemorative and Christmas
First (1st) Class NVI Stamps (lick and stick) 60% Definitive Queen’s Head
First (1st) Class NVI Stamps (self-adhesive) 62% Definitive Queen’s Head
Second (2nd) Class NVI Stamps 65% Commemorative and Christmas
Second (2nd) Class NVI Stamps (lick and stick) 65% Definitive Queen’s Head • GREAT BRITAIN PRICE LIST 1840 TO
Second (2nd) Class NVI Stamps (self-adhesive) 68% Definitive Queen’s Head DATE. COPY ON REQUEST
First Class LARGE NVI (self-adhesive) 68% all types (98p)
First Class LARGE NVI (lick and stick) 66% all types (98p)
Second Class LARGE NVI (self-adhesive)
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A must for all GB Collectors
Second Class LARGE NVI (lick and stick) 66% all types (76p)
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Special Delivery Stamps 65% (£6.45 >100g and £7.25 >500g) • BARGAIN BASEMENT BIG DISCOUNTS
Europe & Worldwide NVI Stamps 50% Up to 40 grams
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Presentation Packs & Year Books 50% from 1971 to 2000
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Address ................................................................
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High Prices Realised! email .....................................................................
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PO BOX 920,
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www.philatelink.co.uk TELEPHONE:- 020 8940 7777
Email: philatelink@btinternet.com FAX:- 020 8940 7755
 LANDLINE: 01896 759703 MOBILE 07510 312271
DAVID WALDIE (PHILATELINK), 13 REDPATH CRESCENT,
GALASHIELS, BORDERS, TD1 2QG, UK.
 www.gbstamps.co.uk
21November2017
 ON SALE SOON!

YOUR
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Order your copy at www.mags-uk.com
Or telephone 01733 688964
ONLY
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 RS387 RUSSIAN STATES After the collapse of the
Soviet Union in 1991, several Russian states issued
stamps independently. Many issues were provisional and
for local use only , some issues were not recognised
by the U.P.U and were outside the scope of the Stanley
Gibbons catalogue . We offer an unusual collection
of these elusive Russian states including: Tartarstan,
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RU46.RUSSIA A superior collection of the stamps
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stamps (min. sheets noted)- Price .......................£15

ST201707_p118.indd 1 24/05/2017 15:40

TO ADVERTISE HERE CALL TEL: 01689 869 852 FAX: 01689 869 874
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shop! Wide range of philatelic www.phill-lately-stamps.co.uk Open: Thursdays -
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I hold over 1 million stamps of GB, Commonwealth
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Alternatively for collectors who cannot
THE STAMP PAD
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journey to our office you might like to trial Poachers Retreat, Common Lane,
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Tel: 01923 269775 JAy JONES
mg.read@btinternet.com
countries; your period and mint or used jay.jones@mytimemedia.com
preference. www.michaelgread.co.uk

120 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 WEB DIRECTORY
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6152

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk

b&s.indd 1
121
22/11/2013 16:05
TO ADVERTISE HERE CALL TEL: 01689 869 852 FAX: 01689 869 874
CLASSIFIED GUIDE TO THE SPECIALISTS

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jay.jones@mytimemedia.com

COLLECTIONS
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Tel 01904 426879
email JBarefootL@AOL.com. website JBarefoot.co.uk

BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

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approvals
GvI to 2016 fIne used stamps
at 75% or more
CHECK OUT dIsCount on sG CataloGue
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TO AdVERTISE HERE • News of all the latest

Gb stamp issues
e pICkup,

PLEASE CONTACT • Features on british,

Commonwealth and
8 faIrdown ave,
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JAy JONES world philately

• Subscribe to printed or
digital versions of the magazine
Ba13 3hs
tel: 01373 865474,
eandvpICkup@hotmaIl.Com
jay.jones@mytimemedia.com

122 www.stampmagazine.co.uk january 2018

 TO ADVERTISE HERE CALL TEL: 01689 869 852 FAX: 01689 869 874
BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

Commonwealth
BASIC MINT AND USED AT A MAXIMUM OF HALF SG CATALOGUE TO AdVERTISE HERE
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REGULAR LISTS
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jay.jones@mytimemedia.com
B & S STAMPS
RUSHCLIFFE HOUSE, 17-19 RECTORY ROAD WEST BRIDGFORD, NOTTINGHAM. NG2 6BE
Tel: 0115 9826152 alan@robinhood-stamp.co.uk

Martin Appleton
“ NEW ZEALAND” 60 Warwick Road
Basingstoke RG23 8DZ
KG VI Collectors List 1 Indian States Feudatory
List 2 Convention for BOTH Crown and New Age
Albums List 3 earlier of other issues of Indian
Telephone: 07787157239 States would help “Imperial Collectors”
E-mail: martin.appleton@hotmail.co.uk List 4 Court Fees, Revenues, Postal History
NZ $225 (inc. p & p) I buy and sell foreign and commonwealth List 5 KG VI sets and singles A-Z Commonwealth
or you may send a wants list for a firm quote
stamps both new and fine used. My stock also ! ALWAYS BUYING Indian States
PO Box 99988 , Newmarket , Auckland 1149 , NZ includes a wide range of thematic material. PO Box 1096. Sunderland. SR3 1WZ
www.campbellpaterson.co.nz Email: service@campbellpaterson.co.nz Tel: 01915 235 811 Mob: 07764 830 136
CHECK OUT OUR WEbSITE Email: bill@sunstamps.co.uk
www.stampmagazine.co.uk
m appleton.indd 1 25/3/13 12:17:28

g.fisher243@btinternet.com

FIRST DAY COVERS

FIRST DAY COVERS POSTAL AUCTION
Specialist in Great Britain
First Day Covers POSTAL AUCTIONS
Free illustrated Price List with over 100 Wide variety of Commonwealth and Foreign
pages of First Day Covers and No buyer’s premium
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Contact us for free catalogue or
STEVEN RILEY visit our website to view and bid online
37 BADGER GATE, THRESHFIELD,
SKIPTON BD23 5EN
L & R Stamps (ADPS)
12 Townsend Close,
Wyton, Huntingdon, PE28 2AR, UK
Steven Riley_NOV12.indd 1 24/09/2012 09:58
Tel: 01480 464552 email: info@lrstamps.co.uk
website: www.lrstamps.co.uk

CHECK OUT
OUR WEbSITE
FOREIGN www.stampmagazine.co.uk
Federal USA State • News of all the latest
DUCK HUNTING STAMPS Gb stamp issues
for details and price list, contact • Features on british,
John Wells Commonwealth and
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FOREIGN

LATIN AMERICA
Our approval selections cover all the countries
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Please write, email or phone for a free trial mailing.
MICHAEL G READ
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EUROPE NEW collections.sets and single
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Tel: 01484 318987 or YUGOSLAV STATES 1991-2006
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Lists also available on website: BALTIC STATES 1991-2006
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(Pre-Independence)
Send today for our
GREAT BRITAIN
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CHANNEL ISLANDS POSTAL AUCTIONS
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Comprehensive list covering all modern
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THE GREAT BRITAIN

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 FINE BRITISH ADHESIVES

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 STRANGE BUT TRUE

world News | AUCTIoNs | GB ColleCTor | leTTers | CoMMeNT | CoMPeTITIoNs | feATUres | Q&A | eVeNTs | New IssUes STRANGE BUT TRUE
Grave concerns
Having been cast adrift by mutineers, denigrated by Hollywood and battered by
the Blitz, William Bligh was rescued from his misery by a postage stamp
■ report by john Winchester

Y
ou have to feel sympathy for William Bligh, the Royal
Navy officer who was deposed in the infamous mutiny on
HMS Bounty in 1789.
He rose from humble ship’s boy to Vice-Admiral in the Royal
Navy, singled out along the way by Captain James Cook to serve
on his third voyage to the Pacific. Yet in Hollywood films in 1935
and 1962 (where he was played by Charles Laughton and Trevor
Howard respectively) he was portrayed as a brutal tyrant, which
made for a ripping yarn but was less than accurate.
Following the mutiny in 1789, Bligh and the crewmen who
remained loyal to him were cast adrift in a small launch, and he
had to lead them to safety across 4,000 miles of the Pacific Ocean.
Yet when he got home he was subjected to a court-martial for
losing his ship.
When he died in 1817 he was buried in the church of St Mary-
at-Lambeth in London, in an imposing sarcophagus, only for the ABOVE: Fiji 1967 2s 6d marking the 150th Anniversary of the Death of Admiral Bligh
church and graveyard to be extensively bombed during World
War II and fall into a state of dilapidation. surrounding the anniversary and the stamp design set in motion
Happily, it was a stamp issue that began to reverse Bligh’s a campaign to restore the site.
ill-fortune. When Fiji decided to mark the 150th anniversary of Eventually it would became the setting for the world’s first
his death with a commemorative set in 1967, stamp designer Museum of Garden History, now known as the Garden Museum
Victor Whiteley visited his tomb to make sketches for the 2s 6d and newly reopened after a redevelopment project. Here, surely,
value and was shocked by its poor condition. Publicity the poor man can rest in peace at last. ■

NEXT MONTH
PLUS
■ Andrew Davidson’s
huge impact on modern
Art British stamp design

attack ■ Gibraltar 1931 series

■ Early New Zealand
Stamps which first day covers
demonstrate
how Gustav ■ Superb engravings by
Klimt took the Lydia Mayorova
art world by
storm with his fEBrUAry ISSUE
controversial IN ShoPS froM
eroticism ThUrSDAy jANUAry 11

january 2018 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 129

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Fax: 01451 861297| E-mail: andrew@upastampauctions.co.uk JOHN LAMONBY ............................127 .......................................100-101, 115
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