Hello and Happy New Year 2006 to everyone. I hope you saw the New Year in, in the way you most enjoyed. I was one of – as the newspapers here said – the one million people downtown Sydney at the foreshore… It was rather busy but I was fortunate enough to be in a rather nice restaurant.

I did manage to take some pictures and while my night photography is not that brilliant I thought you might like to see a couple of them – in case you have not seen any news footage on the TV of our spectacular fireworks display.

Now to stamps for 2006. I thought I’d give away a copy of the 2005 Year of the Rooster mini sheet tonight as I found a spare copy. I will be getting some of the 2006 Year of the Dog stamps when they are issued so watch out for giveaways in the next week or two.

How do you win this I hear you ask..  6^th email ok,.. for 6^th year of the millennium. To me at cddstamps@gmail.com    And talking about the millennium I noticed while cataloguing some stamps today that I still have some gaps….. especially in my fine used Millennium issues from Great Britain. So I thought lets try another idea.

I call this my PhilagapMail section.       Ok, ok,, cringe      so that is the best I can do in this heat…..  all better ideas welcome and if I chose one as permanent you will be the first to receive the Year of the Dog stamps from Australia. 

You have gaps in your collection no doubt;  I have gaps in mine. You have spares in your collection no doubt, and I have spares in mine.  How about we swap    Nothing stupidly expensive but what we each think is fair. I’ll start:

I am looking for the following three GB stamps;

1)      SG 2150, the 45p value from the 6^th Millennium series

2)      SG 2158, the 45p value from the 8^th Millennium series

3)      SG 2160, the 27p  Stamps issued to commemorate Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s 100^th birthday

I am only looking for fine used copies please.  Do you have a Wants list of GB stamps   If you can send me these three stamps or even one of them, just email me with a selection of a few you would want in exchange.  If this works for you, (and I get some useful replies and feedback about this idea)  then each week I will put up a few more stamps I need and you can see if you can help me and I can help you.

By all means send me an email with a Wants list (used only) of no more than 5 Great Britain stamps and please send them with SG cat numbers. One chap once sent me a list of his wants list.. some 400 GB stamps plus and I spent hours going through album after album finding them for him. He sent them back to me telling me the numbers he sent were Scott numbers…  not SG numbers….     I still have the list but not the time (I am sorry to say) to do the conversion of so many hundred stamps. Anyway.. lets start small – and if that person is reading I am sorry I have never managed to look for all those stamps for you.

I look forward to hearing from you in 2006; have a safe holiday weekend wherever you are.   Best wishes, enjoy your stamp……………. Michael

Hello, nothing to link these topics..  am feeling short of ideas for subject... well have soaking up the sun on a lovely beach this afternoon..     weather is fantastic  ...   

Some days / weeks ago I think I wrote about my favourite stamp. I am showing tomight two that readers sent to me as some of their favourites... very different to mine and for such different reason...   one because it was a special item in a collection that was not a US based collection, and the other because it was a patriotic view in the persons view. It always amazes me how we all see something so different..  and that is what makes this hobby so interesting all the time I think.

Well if you have a favourite I'd love to see it and with your permission show it to others.

BBQ calling.. so better go for today...  If I dont write again before the new year I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable New Year  evening, party or whatever you are doing: I'll be down at teh Sydney Opera House and wityh luck may get a few photos of our fireworks that muight be worth sharing..

Best wishes.. Michael

Hello,  well back to stamps with a vengence. Have sorted a few hundred GB Wildings I picked up at an auction recently. And found some excellent surprises. Will be honest and say I am going to on sell a few on eBay in the near future; when I get time to list them. But I have a few to spare as giveaways. I am sorting them into sets and hopefully over the next few days I should be able to let you know what I have available.  Anythings with reasonable catalogue value I will list on my web site as specials and I will be including a set of each the 1952-1954 Tudor Crown Issue, the 1955 - 1958 St EDwards Crown issue and the 1958 - 1958- 1965 Multiple Crown issue in my GB special as list on my web site. Look at this special.. Lot 2 . http://www.cddstamps.com . these three sets alone would be a good find for the Lot price.  Will only have a few lots at this price so be quick.  Yes shamedly advertising but some cash would be useful especially after getting that Christmas present to myself    and it all helps towards my postage costs.

Anyway, also if you have any gaps in these three sets by all means drop me a line and I'll see what I can do to help you. 

Back to my cataloguing..     best wishes and Happy New Year to everyone.......  Michael

Hello, How is everyone after Christmas    Well I hope. Didn’t eat too much

So back to stamps and none of this idle chat from me about non stamp topics.

Tonight I thought I’d show some stamps you maybe have not seen before, and maybe you don’t have in your collection.  These are not that difficult to find but often are overlooked in my view. The catalogue prices are generally quite low even though they were issued in relatively small numbers and in a relatively small geographic area of the UK, as far as I am aware. There are a few exceptions. GB SG 568 a  1 1/2d stamp with watermark Multiple Crown has a Stanley Gibbons catalogue price of £80 for a used copy, and SG 605a  ( which is a 2d light brown stamp with 1 phosphor band and watermark St Edwards Crown)  has a SG cat of £150.  Neither are in the scan below, not that you could tell from the scan.

These four are from the first issue in 1957 with the St Edward Crown watermark and are SG 561, 562, 563 and 566. I don’t have many spares of the other two in this issue.

These stamps were issued in connection with the introduction of experimental sorting machinery in Southampton, in the UK. A comment here – if you are ever looking through old envelopes with GB Wilding heads on always look at the postmark and date and if around this time 1957 – 58 have a close look as you might have a graphite issue.

Anyway, on this issue, two graphite lines were printed  beneath the gum except on the 2d which has one graphite line. One of the things I always check for with these stamps is do they have phosphor (lines) on the front/ face of the stamps as well. If you do see the phosphor line then the stamp was from a 1959 issue.

To confuse you a little bit more, also look closely at the watermark because from 1958 the stamps were issued with a Multiple Crown watermark ( with an exception on 1959 but I wont go into that issue here) . There are also varities, and a copy of the SG Concise catalogue is a good guide to help you distinguish between the stamps.

One final tip, always check the 1 1/2d green and 2d light brown stamps carefully as they have the high catalogue values in their varieties.

So you want to add these to your collection    ( I wont send the creased copy you see in the scan by the way).   Ok  send me an email to cddstamps@gmail.com , include your mailing address please – I may have your address but it makes my life so much easier if you add your address given all the emails and records of addresses I have  thank you J - and tell me the name of the city where these experimental graphite stamps were first issued.

I am going back to sorting a few before dinner. How pleasant an evening is that

Oh, one final thing I wanted to mention. I have added a new link on my favourites; see Suzi's Stamps. I recommend a read when you get the time.

Enjoy your stamps………….. Best wishes…..Michael.

Hello, so have you been having a lovely Christmas. I hope so. I see quite a lot of page views yesterday so thought I'd write a few words tonight. If you and your friends keep reading over the next few days I may get through the 10,000 page views barrier this month.  Someobody must be enjoying reading this .

I managed to pack up some stamps for mailing today so if you are waiting on some then I expect they will be with you shortly.

I have found some old mail...oops got lost under a pile of papers..  if you have been waiting a few months.. do not despair.. you may get a surprise in the new year.

I also found a few stamps I have previously offered as prizes; which were not won..   a GB FDC - Sailing ( Yatchs) and a Guernsey FDC Mail Boats.... maybe no one wanted ship themes. Nice stamps and the covers are clean. Here is the Guernsey cover.

Will send them to the 12th email to cddstamps@gmail.com  

I have had a few scan of your favourite stamps..  will sort them and show soon. Anymore   I look forward to hearing from you.

Enjoy your stamps, oh and I updated the home page on the web site.. http://www.cddstamps.com  - hope you have time to have a read

Best wishes...Michael 

Hello, well I am about to get some sleep. Been a lovely day here, hot ( from the sun not the food and booze) , Lots of presents. Hope you had lots as well.

Been hot here and in typical Sydney style had bbq foods, lots of prawns, lobster, crab, octopus, calamari, and ( not my favourite) oysters.  Maybe some wine as well   .............

As for stamps I have not had time to look at any today.. is that a surprise    but I did get one present that pleased me .. a weighing scale..  very digital and to the gram...   so I can weigh my mail (for correct postage) and stamp packets that I assemble.  After all it is too much some time to count them out.   Now I say all this tongue in cheek and to give you a smile..  how boring am I that such a gift would please me..   There is so much more to collecting stamps especially when you are sending packets all over the world and occassionally selling a few. 

Thinking of you.. you know who..  as I know you read this..    and K as well.......Merry Christmas...    Michael

Hello, and Merry Christmas to everyone, everywhere.

just a short note to say I hope you all have a wonderful time over the next few days or however long you you have for a Christmas holiday. Many of you may not be celebrating the Christmas season as I do but all the same I wish you health and happiness.

Here is my Christmas present to myself. Hope you enjoy looking at this stamp. It is in my humble opinion a truley beautiful stamp. A classic.

What is the favourite stamp in your collection I wonder. Please send me a scan to cddstamps@gmail.com and I'll share it with others with your permisssion.

Might even send a FDC to you if I choose your stamp to show.

Not offering this one for any competition prize  

Merry Christmas... enjoy your stamps..  Michael

Hello, I managed to get to the PO BOX today…    big thank you to everyone who sent me Christmas cards and stamps..    thank you so very much. I got some brilliant A380 stamps and covers ..  am I lucky or what

Last day at work for two weeks.   So again was hectic getting everything finished, I guess its the same for everyone so that is not really news is it

As for stamps…...  I said I would talk and show just Christmas stamps this month so tonight I have the GB 1984 stamps on a cover. I do like these stamps, as they are said to show the costume and colour of the period.

I wrote last night about 1907 and had some excellent events from people; including

• The Concorde made its 1st supersonic flight (700 mph /1,127 km/h) in March
• Brazil defeated Italy 4-1 to win the Football World Cup
• The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 took place on East Afton Farm off the coast
  of England. 600,000 people attended the largest rock festival of all time.
• Jimi Hendrix (who featured at the Isle of Wight festival three week
  earlier) died of  a barbiturate overdose in London
• Janis Joplin died of a heroin overdose inside her hotel room in Los Angeles
• The Beatles disbanded
• Biafra surrenders after 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria
• Rhodesia severs last tie with British crown and declares itself a racially segregated republic
• U.S. troops invade Cambodia
• Four students at Kent State University in Ohio slain by National Guardsmen at demonstration protesting incursion into Cambodia

  I was surprised to read these myself and remember them all…  I even saw Jimi Hendrix that year.. well I think it was that year; don’t they say if you can remember it you weren’t there    

   

  What about 1984 though. I remember reading the book many years before 1984 and it seem so unreal at the time and anyway 1984 was years away then. Now we have cameras everywhere and so many of the themes in the book are just everyday life. So who wrote the book..  easy one this    First email with authors name wins the cover..  please include you mailing address with the email to cddstamps@gmail.com

   

  Have a wonderful Christmas, I hope the weather is acceptable wherever you are in the world…   I have to be honest and say it is a little to hot hear at the moment.. but I will cope, maybe another cold drink will help, more bolly I think, well it is Christmas afterall

   

  Best wishes.. Michael    

Hello, I just logged in and am really upset as I have posted - well I thought I did - the other day but the text is not there. Pity as I had a lovely set of Christmas stamps.

Today I found time to pick up one of the lots I got at auction last week. In it was this presentation pack. I hope you like it.

It is my Christmas present to someone out there.  To win it tell me something significant that happened in 1970. I will chose the winner ok. email me at cddstamps@gmail.com with your mailing address please

Been a busy week and I even managed to get out at lunch time to buy a few Christmas presents...   shops so busy and line ups to pay so long.. errgghh..   and that was in philatelic shops.. LOL....

One more day at work for me. Maybe two for you..  advantage of living in Australia I guess.. good weather at Christmas and holiday comes sooner

May not write much over the next few days; as you might guess I will either be sleeping, drinking, eating, stamping  or drinking  ... in that order..  Have a wonderful holiday season wherever you are.. and I hope you get some great stamps or stamp related pressies  for Christmas. Enjoy your stamps........... Best Wishes    Michael

Hello, well all my stamps  - boxes and lose stamps are packed away. The dinning room table is clear.. the bar top is clear - my favourite place to sort my stamps- the grass is cut the house is clean ( miracle of miracles) and my wifes' sister and family arrive in less than 12 hours. You may not hear too much from me for a few weeks..  I will try to log on whenever I get a chance.

My best wishes to everyone, whether you celebrate Christmas or not. If you do have a wonderful festive season.. snow or sunshine.. if you dont celebrate Christmas I hope you have a wonderful week anyway.. and everyone enjoys their stamps.

I have sorted some 30 GB Christmas stamps .. rather quickly and all used..    my Christmas present to the 25th email to me at cddstamps@gmail.com

Hope everyone is well... keep checking the blog.. I may sneak a  piece in here and there and have some lovely giveaways.. you just never know..

Best wishes.. Michael

Hello, well first a big thank you for the Christmas cards people have sent me..   Very nice surprise and especially the stamps included for my childrens corner.. I have a few outstanding packets to send to children around the world and I am now well stocked. So thabnk you to you all. And as I may have told you I have a stamp friend in Noel who is also sending stamps to children with me.. When one reads of the difficult and sad events happening in the world and even here in Sydney at the moment it is always a good reminder that there really are many many really good people out there.

Not to get deep and meaning full, so back to stamps..  I had some good responses to the PNG Christmas stamps question I posted and Helen from Australia sent me this 

"the PNG Christmas stamps I think are especially nice as not only do they show the Christian symbols of Christmas but they also show  traditional carvings, can only assume to mean the same as the Christmas symbols. Then to top it all off, the beautiful flowers seem so full of life and jump out at you from the paper, beautifully drawn indeed.

So timely that we can see the thinking of one group joined with another, in harmony.   Ok too deep and meaningful, but why not, as I say, lets just enjoy enjoy our stamps.    and live and work together in harmony.

Ok some more Christmas stamps.

Hope you like these. I do.  From Great Britain in 1972..     33 years ago..  symbolic number eh!!  but no question around that ..  that is too easy.. My question to win this Mint unhinged set is tell me the names of the three instruments that the angels are holding.

When I ask these questions I wonder how difficult it will be for you. I try to make the questions researchable and interesting.

I say that because I had such a poor response to my cddstamps.com Christmas competion and I am now wondering if I made the questions too hard.. even with clues....  but then again there rae those who got the answers correct...Will sort and I hope I can send you your first choice prize.

Anyway, all who entered will win a prize - so I am pleased about that.

And surprisingly to me  I still have two of my Christmas specials left...    see my home page at http://www.cddstamps.com

for details. Obviously I cannot get them delivered before Christmas now but I will mail the stamps immediately I receive your order... .

Ok, so GB Christmas stamps, PNG stamps and Christmas cards all covered. Hope you enjoy reading my blog. I do enjoy hearing from you and even with a lot of email I try to reply promptly. This week has been bad because - as I said in a previous writing - my internet went down and I have been on the corporate Christmas party scene. Next week I hope to start slowing down for Christmas, and of course doing my Christmas shopping  

Best wishes, enjoy your stamps..  Michael

Hello, just a quick hello tonight.  First reason why I have not been logged in much is my internet connection has been up and down like a yoyo these past few days... dont know why and neither do the telephone company. Only difference between the two of us is I care.. they dont. 

Next excuse is too many Christmas parties..  been to some good ones I must admit. But nearly over that . Will catch up on some sleep this weekend and maybe look at some stamps. I have a few to look at because I managed to pick up some lots at the auction yesterday. I have some already at home so will look something out to show you.  I have two large boxes to collect next week.. and some I think I will be able to use as giveaways next year.

Maybe one surprise to show you.. my Christmas present to myself   

Not the time of year to be doing much with ones stamps is it. So much going on. I did see the new issue list for Australia the other day and there look some real nice stamps coming out in the new year. More later and I hope you keep checking in for news and stamps.

Best wishes.. enjoy your stamps..  and Merry Christmas to every one.. have a safe and happy holiday season.... Michael

Hello, well there are 11 days until Christmas and apart from two very easy presents (a digital camera for each of my daughters) I have not not bought presents for my family.. or for me come to think of it. I may well buy my present to myself at the stamp auction tomorrow. There is a copy of GB SG 438 in unmounted mint condition with margin at the auction. Nice copy. I went to view yesterday and think it worth a bid at the starting price. It all just depends on who else is bidding I guess. You will just have to wait as well    

I would have written about this and more last night but my internet connection was down. Was I a very unhappy camper ...  but did the telephone company care.. I dont think so...  what happens to you,, do you get.. "sorry sir we cannot solve the problem or tell you what is wrong but will escalate and you will get a call within 48 hours"..  like is that customer service... I'll try telling that to my customers next time a server (computer) goes down... I'll get fired I expect...

Back to stamps. .      I found these Christmas stamps. 

PNG 1989 issue. Thet are mint unhinged so useful cat value. I think they are rather attractive. What do you think    send your thoughts to me at cddstamps@gmail.com and the email I like the best will be published and will get these stamps.   dont be shy

Must  try and read the rest of my emails ...  best wishes.. enjoy your stamps .. Michael

Hello,  thanks. for your emails to last nights question about the FDC...   sadly    I have not had 28 emails.. are you all at Christmas parties   although everyone so far has the right anmswer,.. I will wait for the 28th entry.... and if I dont get 28 then will give the cover to the closest..

Tonight I found this Christmas Island set of Christmas stamps. quite nice I think.

I have been thinking about a quiz type question to ask you.. so someone can win this....  I have the answer but not the question this time..  the answer is the Christmas bush... what is the question.....  well it is up to me to accept who gets the best question  .. clue.. think about the fact I am in Australia and you might need some gardening knowledge with this one

So I have only two of my Christmas special lots left.. which if you get in quick I can mail in time for you to receive for Christmas.  The postage is close to half what you pay and so you get some great stamps nicely franked...   what a deal.. see my offer at http://www.cddstamps.com   (Lot 3) seriously good deal I think..  and if you mention this blog you get 5 extra FDCs.. free..  I really have only a few days to raise a few more dollars for the stamp auction this coming Thursday.. and if you have been reading you will know there is a copy of GB SG 438 up for auction.  Also some good GB FDC.. which if I get....... will also be used as giveaways next year.

Hope you are enjoying the lead up to Christmas shopping????.... .. will do that in a few weeks right..     enjoy your stamps.. best wishes....Michael

Hello, Looking through my covers today to find a set of Christmas stanmps I came across these.

I thought I had shown them a few days ago...   I looked and sure enought I had but this cover is different, Pretty obvious  really but maybe more collectable than the last one..   which I mailed but I forget to who.. sorry...  can you see the difference to the copy of this cover that I showed a few days ago.???

email me at cddstamps@gmail .com with the answer... 28th answer wins the cover...   ..  so dont hold back sending.. the other day someone replied within 15 minutes of me posting my artcile.. wow..    everyone has a chance..ok

about all my mail.........I had some mail returned to me.. I must have read the mailing address wrong.  please, if you write to me, please write your address clearly..  and if you think I haven't replied then maybe that is why.   Also.. I found some emails I printed off, under a rather large stack of  stamps today.. oops I have not replied to some people who asked for free stamps. will do soon..  and finally I really have a lot of mail in the postbox tonight.. finally caught up with mailings... I think.. 

 You should all get your stamps before Christmas..   and talking about Christmas I have to let you know there are only 2 left of my special special packs of 1000 plus stamps,  plus 5 free good quality GB FDC (cat value just about justifies the 1000 stamps me thinks) . look at http://www.cddstamps.com   Lot 3... go on treat yourself..  I guarentee all monies received will  go towards my Christmas present to myself...    a copy of SG 438 which is up for auction here in Sydney this coming Thursday...  if I dont get outbid that is...  

well that is my news...  wont bore you with how good the weather is here.. how great my tan is,  or how good the food tastes from my new bbq   

 Enjoy your stamps... best wishes... Michael

Hello, well I have done some catching up with emails and stamps today.. so before Christmas - if I owe you something - you will receive it. Apologies for slow sending to many of you - yeah ok I am out partying instead of doing my stamp mail and stamp packing...  I even looked at eBay for the first time in weeks today.   I seem to have got a life    

And this week there is a good auction in Sydney at Status International .. some useful lots and guess what - for those of you that have been following my chat over the past few weeks / months there is copy of SG 438 mint unhinged .. I just have to go see what it sells for.. and may .. just maybe I could get it..  although I have not sold enough to  be able to afford it.. but then it is Christmas and maybe I should treat myself..  lets see what happens...

been a busy day.. done nothing with stamps..  so you are not interested  .. I understand.     I did get to my mail box and thank you to all who sent me stamps and Christmas cards.

Final thought.. I have three packets of 1000 plus stamps left from my Christmas special offer. I can mail so it gets to you before Christmas..  see my web site for details http://www.cddstamps.com and if you do order because you have read about the offer from this blog, then just say so in your payment and I will include 5 GB FDC for free. I want to get that GB SG 438..  help me ..   ok....     

Best wishes.... enjoy your stamps... Michael

Hello, another week just shot past. What with four corporate Christmas parties, many hours of work, and a few rather hot days it has been a good week. Highlight being I managed to catch a train with working air con most days

Ok, to stamps. First I have not checked my email for a few days.  Sorry just no time. I hope to do that later tonight or tomorrow for sure. And as for sending the mail I owe a few people… ok I will try to catch up this weekend. So sorry for getting behind on email and sendings but this time of year is turning out to be busier than I thought.  I get round to everything in the end.. so thanks for being patient.

Tonights stamps are the US Christmas issue. Earlier this week I got an email about them from one of my readers and a set from another collector in the US. So here they are. 

I am keeping these for my collection as they were sent to me. But I will give away a Christmas issue of my choosing to whoever can answer the following:

Who was the Director of Operations at the CONAD Continental Air Defence Command in 1955?    Have fun reading this site  http://www.northpole.com/NoradSanta.asp

Emails as usual to cddstamps@gmail.com   enjoy your stamps.. best wishes…Michael

Hello, just a quick hello..  have you heard about the temperature here in Sydney today. I took a taxi to a meeting.. the driver told me it was 41 degrees..  C...   I thought it was hot

not like Christmas at all...   .. well not as I grew up knowing Christmas.  I saw a news report on the internet;  that snow fell in Washington ( USA) and thought to myself how nice that would be.

My air con is working over time and still it is hot.

So no stamp pictures.. just dont feel like touching them, especially any mint stamps.   

So now news on stamps either.. how boring am I

Oh well two more parties tomorrow night..   yes two..  how decadent is that..  and one is at the Sydney Opera House. ....well someone has to go you know

back to stamps at the weekend I am sure...  and if you have what you think are some nice Christmas stamps, please send me a scan of them and if I choose your selection I will send you a free FDC...  my choice.. a surprise you will surely enjoy...     and dont forget to include your postal  mailing address. cddstamps@gmail.com

enjoy your stamps and I hope it is not too cold where you are

Best wishes...Michael

Hello, well back to Christmas stamps tonight, well one is a Christmas stamp. First though, a link if you are interested in reading a bit more about the Christmas Carol, Good King Wenceslas that I wrote about the other night then look at

http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/st_simons/digest74.htm

Tonights stamps are from Fiji – I was going to write about the current GB issue but the article I put up this morning is enough, and anyway I think I wrote about them some weeks back anyway.

Hope you like these Fiji Stamps. They were issued in 1975.     30 years ago. How time passes by…..   

I wondered if they were worth anything and then thought maybe I should be auctioning these…  But this one sheet is for free..  if you can answer my very difficult questions… LOL     The Christmas tree was hung upside down when it was first considered as a Christmas tree… True of False    … Ok so that is too easy… how about this.. and remember everything has a stamp link.. however obtuse..   which English monarch was responsible for making the Christmas tree an fashionable thing to have  well this monarch laso had the first Stamp so there is a link ..  

Hope you enjoy the research.

I went to my mail box today.. finally  made the time to do so. Thanks to all who have sent me cards.. I will try to write to you all soon,. I am embarrassed to say I am behind on my emails and some requests for stamps.. please bare with me.  And just a plug.. I have three of my Christmas specials left.. 1000 mixed world packets.. see my website http://www.cddstamps.com

Hope you had a great weekend.. been really hot here and rather than buy some stamps – which would have been difficult - I bought a new BBQ.. well we have family arriving from the US in a few weeks time and we have told them about our BBQs so I better live up to expectations

Best wishes…Michael     

Hello,  just a quick piece to tell you about a stamp I have read about from a colleague at the Internet Philatelic Dealers Association  http://ipdaonline.org  - I am reprinting their information and picture of this stamp.

“ There seem to be several people trying to make a quick profit with misleading information on eBay.

Highlighted are sensitive issues regarding the current 68p Christmas stamp. This stamp is still widely available at Post Office Counters.

Currently there are 2000 copies in my local Post Office. This stamp has not been withdrawn as many sellers are saying. Post Offices have been asked to sell only to those specifically requesting it. There are many thousands of this stamp in circulation.

Further distribution to Post Offices has been stopped (but all had already had their Christmas allocation any way). It is also still available from Philatelic Bureau and online from Royal Mail.”

So that was the IPDA comment. 

I had a look at some of the listings on eBay. From a quick search I noted quite a few references to this being a “rare” stamp, I don’t think rare is the correct way to describe this or to predict it to become rare. Afterall, you can still buy online from the Royal Mail.  Or you can email me and I’ll get my Mother or a friend to buy me some copies,  LOL…

I also noted what I think are the same person selling under different selling names..  I think this because the text about the stamp was identical..  does that inspire confidence.. I don’t think,  so but that is just my view.  Anyway if you want more here are two newspaper articles.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4420896.stm

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_051110stamps.shtml

And yes I do like the reference to tolerance…      Enjoy your stamps…   Michael

Hello, tonight I am showing a British Christmas cover from 1973. A rather attractive set of Christmas stamps I think.

Issued some years ago now and maybe that says something for the way stamp design has changed over the years. Sadly the top right hand corner of the cover is creased..    anyway it is still worth collecting I think,  and it will go to the first person who answers the two questions below and sends me their mailing address to cddstamps@gmail.com.

The theme as you can see is Good King Wenceslas. But how many really know about the king or the Christmas Carol.

The research might be interesting if you don’t know the answers straight away.  There are two questions I have tonight .. in the text below…………

1)      Who wrote the words to the carol "Good King Wenceslas"

They were published in 1853.  The music originated in Finland 300 years earlier. This Christmas carol is unusual as there is no reference in the lyrics to the nativity.

2)      Good King Wenceslas was around in the 10^th century, so we are told;  but where was he King of  ??

Good King Wenceslas was a Catholic and was martyred following his assassination by his brother Boleslaw and his supporters, his Saint's Day is September 28th, and he is the Patron Saint of the Czech Republic. St. Stephen's feast day was celebrated on 26th December which is why this song is sung as a Christmascarol.

No doubt some of you can shed more light on this interesting legend.

Hope you all had, or are having, a wonderful weekend and have had a good time Christmas shopping if that is something you did this weekend..  .  Best wishes…Michael

Hello, December is here and Christmas is a few weeks away. I thought I would keep to a Christmas theme for the next few weeks. (Couldn't find any new legend type stamps or covers like the Jersey one the other day but will keep trying)

So I show these two stamps. I thought these two would make a nice start.

I thought I'd ask a question about how Christmas cards came to be. There is a postal link afterall.

Does anyone know?. Well if you dont I am sure you can easily find out. But who was it that created the first card  and in what year? 

I will tell you that the first card, a hand-colored card was lithographed on stiff, dark cardboard and featured adults and children raising wine glasses in a toast. The first Christmas card also had various religious symbols. Sprigs of holly symbolized chastity, while ivy symbolized places God had walked. Feeding and clothing the poor were also encouraged on the card's cover. Under the picture was written "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you."

Printed in an edition of 1,000, this card was sold in London stores. Only one of those cards exists today.

Two reasons for the initial popularity of Christmas cards are given. The custom may have caught on because greetings could be mailed for a penny each in 1843, London. The other reason is attributed to a scandal with the design. A family, surrounded with religious symbols, holding glasses of wine, offended some. The controversy is thought to have helped promote the idea.

Sometime I think things may have not changed much today, after all you may know the Great Britain 68p stamp was ( I think) withdrawn because of certain groups objections. Only 160 plus years on and we still have issues. 

Lets just enjoy the stamps and be friends whoever and wherever we are, and not get too hung up about life..  Best wishes..Michael

oh.. yes first correct answer with email address sent to me at cddstamps@gmail.com will get these two stamps.  

Hello, well last nights cover certainly interested many of you and thank you to all who told me about the legend. I wish I had more copies to send but Carol from the US got in first..   Helen from Australia wrote to me with the following - an excellent summary of the legend which I will share with you, as I hope you find it interesting.

The Seigneur de Hambye in Normandy came to St.Lawrence to fight a dragon. Not much is known about the battle, except that
the knight attacked and killed the dragon single-handedly, and cut off its head. Exhausted and wounded, he lay down to rest, whilst his squire guarded him. But his squire was disloyal, and wanted the glory for himself. He killed his master and buried the body, before returning to Hambye. Once there, he told his master's wife that the dragon had killed the Seigneur, but that he, the squire, had avenged his death and killed the dragon. As well as this, he added that the Seigneur's dying wish was that the squire
should marry his wife. But one night, while they lay in bed, the squire cried out in his sleep, and admitted to killing his master. The lady immediately had him brought to trial, the squire confessed, and he was sentenced to death. The lady then travelled to Jersey, and in St. Saviour a mound was raised in
memory of the Seigneur - La Hougue de Hambye (Hougue Bie).

Hows that for a story!!  And some people tell you stamp collectors are boring well if you know the stories behind the stamps I think you will agree stamp collecting can be fun and very interesting.

More covers tomorrow night...  What can I surprise you with I wonder 

Best wishes... Michael