Hello everyone, I went siteseeing today   .. and wandering along a local shopping area in downtown Seoul I came across a little stall selling coins and banknotes and yes stamps.  

 What a surprise.   and here is one miniature sheet I bought..    it is CDO and from North Korea, April 2002 issue.   thought you might like to see it.  

I have one more I'll show tomorrow and which I will offer as a prize..     Enjoy your stamps..  Michael 

Hello everyone, yes finally I can show you some stamps from Korea..  I really like these.. I hope you do as well.

They are issued to commemorate the 24th Asian International Stamp Exhibition,   noted as Philakorea 2009  unless I misunderstand.. seems a bit early to issue to me..   but what do I know..  Issued April 10th 2008. I have the full sheet and only show the gutter pair.  rather nice don't you think. Will no doubt be using the stamps on the mail I send..  so write me 

Best wishes...  Michael

Hi everyone,  quick piece. Thanks for answers to Penny Black question. Here is an answer I received... Hope you enjoyed the piece I wrote...

Rowland Hill did the Rainbow and Obliterating trials to remedy some defects in the penny black.
Black ink on a black stamp doesn't show up so they needed a better colour for both the stamp and the cancel. There were people who were cleaning the stamps and reusing them. The trials tested different inks and colours to find the best combination of stamp colour and cancel. Hill's test found that a black cancel on a red stamp worked best. Introduced the Penny Red in Feb. 1841. Also the Penny Blue.

Keep reading if you haven't already read recent pieces..      

Enjoy your stamps..   Best wishes...Michael

Happy Birthday to the Penny Black.    This is the official day for the official first use of the stamp, I have read it was issued on 1^st May and some post offices in the UK offered the stamp unofficially on 2^nd May 1840.

Nothing is simple is it J  Anyway today (6^th May where I am)  is the official birthday.

The Penny Black was of course the world’s first adhesive postage stamp and has been a collectable item every since it was issued.

There has been so much written on this stamp and so much history is behind the issue that I could not do it justice in a few words or paragraphs. If you are interested in learning more do have a look  at http://postalheritage.org.uk/learning/teachers/freeresources/pennyblack/history/  

Ok, just one interesting fact……….. I think you will agree……... By the middle of May 1840  some 600,000 stamps were being printed a day. These stamps were distributed to Post Offices throughout the UK in sheets of 240 and had to be cut by hand, with scissors. Anyone know the significance of the  240?   J  

So much interesting history.  A question for you.  I’ll find something for a prize for the third correct entry; What where the Rainbow Trials and what was the outcome of whatever they were J

As usual, Email me at cddstamps@gmail.com with your mailing address please

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

A week or so ago I wrote about the first stamp catalogue… I had some replies from you and some good information. So better late than never, here is some more that you might enjoy reading.

"The first (stamp catalog ) is said to have been published in France by Alfred Potiquet in 1861. In ten pages it claimed to list all the stamps of the world at that time, but it contained no illustrations.

.

The year 1862 seems to have been a banner one for stamp catalogs. J. B. Moens of Belgium published one, while in the US A.C. Kline of Philadelphia produced the first catalog in the Western Hemisphere.

.

Writing in the Philatelic Magazine of January 1981, British Philatelic editor and writer Kenneth F. Chapman records that, in April 1862, in England, a publication entitled Aids to Stamp Collectors: Being a List of British and Foreign Postage Stamps in Circulation since 1840 by 'A Stamp Collector' appeared.

.

It was published by H & C Treacher of Brighton Sussex and the author's name was Fredrick Booty.

.

In June of the same year, a Dr. John Edward Gray of the British Museum is reported by Chapman to have begun a series of articles entitled 'The Postage Stamps of the World' in the monthly Young England. This was later published in book form as The Illustrated Catalog of Postage Stamps.

.

Another 1862 British catalog was one by Mount Brown that listed some 1,200 stamps.

.

The famous catalog of Stanley Gibbons first appeared in 1865 and J. W. Scott published a single page catalog in 1867."

.

"This Is Philately", by Ken Wood Vol I "A-F"

Enjoy your stamps…..  Best wishes… Michael

Hello, just a short piece tonight... I've written a lot these past few days so will give you time to read it all

I found this in the kiloware I was sorting ...  nice piece eh!!!!!!!!!! Don't you just love the local postman. Pity as that  ₤1 would have been a collectable piece.

I'm getting about 5% wastage..  that is damaged stamps...  no big deal I have lots..   plenty of world mix for my Childrens Corner now and a good addition from Carol, thanks Carol, I can now start sending again.

Anyone want GB mix..  commemoratives from 80's or there abouts..  unsorted by me except to clean off paper?  Send me an email.. I would appreciate a donation towards my postage costs..   put USD 3.00 into my paypal account cddstamps@gmail.com  and I'll send you 200 GB mix, it will include some Machins not too many and all different ......earlier issues including pre decimal as well as decimal.  might include GV and GVI as there is much of that in what I am sorting.

If you would like a GB QEII mix.. all early definitive issues and with vaiety of watermarks, put $5.00 in my Paypal account and 100 GB QEII will be on the way to you. I have found some I checked with cat of  ₤10 or more..   good chance you will get something as I am not checking everything.... too much to study anyway. 

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

Hello everyone,  So much to write about. I had a day off today. Saturday.  Did some shopping. Soaked lots of stamps – if anyone wants GB Christmas issues let me know.. free selection.. I have a few..    from a commemorative kiloware lot I bought..  at least I think it was from that purchase – more Machin 1^st and  2^nd than most people will see in a lifetime, and few commemoratives and then only Christmas. Feel ripped off to be honest, oh well such is life.

I wrote some days, maybe weeks, ago about the first stamp catalogue. Been so busy I forgot to tell you all the answer. Had a few very good entries with lots of details. This from a reader in Germany. Thanks.. am going to mail you whatever I said was a prize when I get some Korean postage stamps J 

“ The first stamp catalogue was said to be compiled by Alfred Potiquet in 1861and printed in Paris under the title, "Catalogue des timbres-poste crées dans les divers états du globe". It contained 1080 postage stamps and 132 postal stationeries.  BUT,  Alfred Potiquet developed his catalogue on the basis of the postage stamp and postal stationery register of the Strasbourg bookseller, Oscar Berger-Levrault. In fact, that register is referred to as the world's first stamp catalogue, but it had no illustrations of stamps at all and was not intended for the public. Alfred Potiquet did not just provide images for that register, he also added a lot of stamp issues which had been overlooked by Oscar Berger-Levrault and corrected his errors.”

So now you know.

And to last nights little teaser!!!   Here is a scan of the reverse of the stamps.

Now you can see the difference. Well one of the obvious differences.  One has a sideways watermark and one has an inverted watermark. You have to trust me that one is inverted. It is, honest. J   However. Why am I telling you this. Well there is another difference on the front of the stamps, that is quite obvious. That is the deepness of the colour around the kings  head in what I shall describe as the oval in which the kings head is centered. Have a look carefully and you will see it. My scan is actually pretty accurate.   As soon as I saw that I thought there was something different about the stamps. Yes there can be shading differences but often there is something else. And in these two stamps there is; ie  the watermarks.  Sadly I do not have my GV specialized catalogue with me so cannot provide anymore information from memory, as in the fact there are different format sizes for these stamps. However, if you do see such colour differences start to check carefully as it is often a hint to further varieties, even if it as simple a check as the watermark. And these two stamps are in my view a good example. I started to look further and there are various differences, let say varieties.   I show below another scan of the lower part of the scan. Look carefully again and you will see one has what are dots ( well in my original scan they were)  while another has more joined together line.  

There are other differences as well if you study the actual stamps carefully,  minor framebreaks or thins as I think of them, as I believe were quite common on this issue.     Wish I had my Specialised catalogue with me.  Will collect it when next in Sydney. 

Better let you get back to whatever you were doing. Enjoy your stamps.  Tomorrow, something I found in my kiloware purchase. It will make you cry and laugh at the same time J

Michael

Hello everyone.    Hope all well..  It is with me.. it is Friday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  some time for stamps tomorrow maybe.

I soaked a few this week.. my evening relaxation... wonderful way to relax..   and found these...    they are off paper now,    what do you see as the difference.....     and it is not the smudge under the first e on the left hand stamp. I need to check that carefully now I see the scan...  cannot see with naked eye.. probably damage.... 

nothing really..  even same "format" size...  I wrote about this a year or so ago... so what is the difference...   read tomorrow and I will show you...or if you send me a correct answer I'll send you a few GB stamps from all that I have recently soaked.  Ok, my email again.. cddstamps@gmail.com  and please include your mailing address as it take me forever to go though old emails - if you have written before - to find your address.... thanks..

enjoy your stamaps.. Michael

Hello everyone...   just a few thoughts tonight. 

1) thanks for reading the blog...  you had just over 29,000 page views in April. I think we would have made 30,000 had it not been for me uploading, inadvertently, a large file which broke my upload bandwith limit and stopped many of you accessing the site yesterday.  Sorry.

2) the month of May will be another busy month for me, family, work and travel, including the first A380 from Singapore to Tokyo Narita. On the A380 topic I was told by a dear friend that my prices for the Sinagpore London first flight covers were too high. So taking that feedback into account I have decided to offer them at 50% of the price quoted on the web site. Basically, Yes, I have to get  some cash to pay off the Singapore London flights... and the Singapore Tokyo flights or should I say Soeul - Singapore - Narita - Soeul. You know what I mean.

So have a look at http://www.cddstamps.com/new_page_21.htm  An unsigned FFC is now USD $19 inclusive of postage and packing.    pretty good eh!!!!!! You could probably sell it for more on eBay.  First in first served and I will leave this for my blog readers for a week before I announce this elsewhere.

I mentioned eBay...  Ok,. what a lead in.  You may have heard of the new eBay payment policy for Australia... 

On 10 April 2008, ebay announced that:

• as of 21 May 2008, all items listed for sale on ebay.com.au must offer PayPal as one of the payment methods; and
• as of 17 June 2008, all items listed for sale must only offer payment via PayPal (or credit card transactions processed by PayPal) or cash on delivery.

On 11 April 2008, ebay International AG lodged an exclusive dealing notification with the ACCC in relation to the above conduct, which provides ebay with immunity under the TPA from this date.

The ACCC has commenced a consultation process in relation to the notification. People who wish to raise concerns about the notified conduct should lodge a public submission via adjudication@accc.gov.au by 2 May 2008.

You can see lots of comments about this on the Stampboard.com forum at: http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?p=256196#256196
 
and http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=5495    you should be aware of this..  it may affect you sooner than you think

3) finally I have been soaking some GB recently..  yes I know I need to get a life in between work and flying and sleep and stamps..      but I now have more than I need. I have taken out most of what I saw as defects and thought I'd offer 100+ GB Definitives to blog readers only for USD $3.   that is to cover postage and packing, and I will try my hardest to make sure no duplicates..  stamps from GV to early QE II   I expect ..pre 1960.. but who knows what could creep in as I have so much all mixed up... including really modern.  payment by Paypal to cddstamps., or three US 1 dollar bills. ( or one 5 pound note  ha ha ha ha )  or one Aussie $5 note..  you chose. I take Singapore $, Hong Kong $, Korean Won  .. I am being sort of funny yet serious.......My address is in previous writings)

ok.. enough of my ramblings.. I must go to sleep..  

Best wishes.. Hope to hear from you.. Enjoy your stamps..Michael.