I was reminded yesterday that I really must not type so fast, or if I do, then I must proof read what I type. I am usually short for time when I write, thus the occasional typo..  my apology to all..  but someone once told me that  people don't always see the typos because they read what they know is being written.      But since collectors are looking for the flaw in the stamps you study, then why would your trained eye not see my typos.  Oh well.. here I am typing so slowly.................. and still I make misteaks      ha ha ha ha ha   ( deliberate spelling joke error ok!!!!!!!!

As for stamps.. I received these on a letter the other day. The Portugal cork stamp and a couple of the bird definitives. I thought they were nice and that it was nice to get a  real postally used copy of the cork stamp.  Thanks.. I am looking at what to send as a way of thanks.

Enjoy your stamps.. Best wishes... Michael

Hello, as you know, I think stamp collecting should be enjoyable, and educational.  I find it so. And writing this blog gives me plenty of opportunity to learn.  Occassionally I get sent stamps and the following is a miniature sheet I received some months ago. 

  Ok, so the question is easy when you study the sheet, but did you know what a hippodamia convergens was...    by another name I am sure you did.   Certainly not what one might imagine... and certainly not what I imagine as the Tyranosaurus Rex of the insect kingdom.   If you are a gardener,  have a browse at http://www.biconet.com/biocontrol/ladybug.html       Best wishes...   Michael

Hello everyone.    I finally made it to my PO Box yesterday, oh dear.. all those stamps I had neglected to pick up sooner. I got the GB James Bond issue - I am not all that impressed with the stamps to be honest. The publicity material does not reflect the fact they are actually small,  long strips, so I am not showing them. I also got a set of last years GB Birds issue. Not too bad but they don't show as well as the publicity material, in my view.

This was one of the covers I received from a collector in the US.  Lovely, and interetesting if you have an interest in flight covers and aviation. Well I'll tell you anyway!!!  Northwest really did do some pioneering work to build the US Japan and Orient routes, they were a big contributor to helping Japan Airlines get established, and along with Pan Am  (remember them)  they were granted what are called 5th Freedom Traffic rights, that is, the rights to pickup and fly passengers  from Japan and beyond.  There is one other reason why I think this cover  is special, and that is because it was for a route opened up with the Boeing 377 StratoCruiser. Something  special about that aircraft that we tend to have forgotten, and that is, it was a double decker aircraft. Not in the way we see the A380 but it did have two decks, which back in the late 1940's was pretty impressive I think.

I'll be sorting some stamps today. Will see what surprises I can find for tomorrow.  Best wishes.... Enjoy your stanmps ... Michael

Hello,,   did you miss me ..  correct answer is Yes.

My motherboard died on my computer.. just got the machine back tonight.. after a search for,  and then plugging in of, all the cables.. here I am.  and of course also, I have not been home until late these past nights so couldn't even write using the laptop.   but less of the corroborative detail to give artistic verisimilitude to a bald and an otherwise unconvincing narrative .. someone famous said that I seem to recall... or something like it  ...  first free cover to whoever knows...  email me at cddstamps@gmail.com

another prize...  we all really enjoy our stamp collecting, our philately... but do we know what Philately means and the derivation of the word.....     best answer in my judgement wins a free GB cover

finally..  and my favourite.. what is an odontometer... ???  how easy, but before you look it up..admit that at first you did not know   

will be back with some stamps by Monday.. we have a long weekend here.. it is Australia day I am told   so I will likely be without stamps for the next 3 days...  

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

Hi.. got sent a scan of this cover.. nice don't you think.....  not much more I can say tonight....  although.......   anyone got a spare they want to send me     ...................  must get some sleep... enjoy your stamps..    Best wishes.. Michael

Hello, well my flight cover last night attracted some attention so here is another..     Hope you like it.. I see a copy of this offered for sale for US $11 on one web site.   Interesting in many ways...  the aircraft that flew this was also a Lockheed Constallation, as was the aircraft that flew last nights cover  ............. the registration of the aircraft that flew the Sydney - Jo'burg flight was VH EAD.   The registration of the aircraft that flew this cover from Christchurch to Sydney was VH-EAC  ..................Sister aircraft.   The winner of last nights competition was Mark from the US. Well done Mark.

So what about this cover.

It is the return flight from Christchurch, there being no cover I am aware of for the flight from Sydney to Christchurch.  But what does TEAL mean..??    Too easy..     Enjoy your stamps... and covers....anyone got an interesting flight cover to send me a scan of..     please do, at ....... cddstamps@gmail.com   I look forward to hearing from you.   Best wishes..  Michael

Hello everyone,   Yes flying is the theme. After being on a 10 and a half hours flight last night it is all my less than creative mind can think of.  First though, where did I go.  I was in Seoul, Korea.  (No winner I might add) ...  What was it like.  Well I don't really know to be honest. Dark when I arrived, a 90 minute drive from airport to hotel   fast and wide roads, although amazing traffic ( no complaints about Sydney traffic ever again)   dinner, up in the dark in the morning, car to office, lunch did include a short walk to a restaurant - very nice - back to work, finish at 6, business dinner, back to hotel. crash out zzzzzzzzzzzzz,  same the next day except fell asleep on the flight in the evening back to Sydney. Cold there ??   minus 10, Yes that was cold and everyone was so pleased to be telling me the coldest two days they have had this winter      

But to stamps.

This cover is of a long flight, and back in 1952 it would not have been on the jets we have today.  To win this cover  first email..... to make it easy that someone wins  .....Anyone know what aircraft type flew the first Qantas commercial flight in 1952 from Sydney to Johannesburg?    For a bonus cover what was the registration of the aircraft?       Did you know the journey took three days?   the routing was Sydney - Perth - Cocos Islands - Mauritius - Johannesburg.  Quite an adventure really.  Oh,  and for your interest,  there is one of these covers for sale on eBay ( in slightly better condition I have to say) for USD $10.

Enjoy your stamps..  best wishes.. Michael

Hello everyone..     I fly out in  12 hours..  so have time to write once more.  Some clever people out there reading my blog   ...  everyone had the right region as to where I am going..no one got it right on first guess.. a few with with two guess and one right but they selected the wrong city.. easily done as where I am going is probably not the most obvious of place to go to.....maybe had it been an olympic year some years back...   too easy a clue eh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but to stamps..

I often talk about quality..  here is a lovely block..     high cat I believe for this in MUH condition......which the block is...     nice...  and with selvedge...   but the problem can start to be seen from the front view... see the browning stain on the selvedge....   look at the reverse..    pity really..all that rust toning.. I could have sold this for a few bob were it not for the toning. 

Message....... if in doubt from a description always ask to see a scan of the back of the stamp.

more from wherever if I get a chance...  Enjoy your stamps.. Michael

Hello,   not a horse stamp   I could not find the one I wanted to show you... but I found this......   issued in 1960......   SG 798..   what a magnificent place it must be.

have a look at http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/PlaceProfile.aspx?id=38487

Enjoy your stamps, without them we would not have me telling you this I think.

FYI.  I may not write for a week..I'll try, but might not have time or access.  I fly out of Sydney on Wednesday morning, return Saturday, so not too far...maybe   .   Where I am going the temperature is minus 5...frantically searching for a coat.... I hope to buy some stamps / covers while I am there... if I succeed you could get one from me  ............   where am I going..  ..."most of its cityscape is modern. Overshadowed by high-rises and 12-lane freeways, it yet retains a hidden history of centuries-old temples, palaces, pagodas and pleasure gardens"......     go on,  have a guess 

best wishes....Michael

a new member of the family..  so no time for stamps this weekend..   we had a filly .. here she is (with her mother) at 24 hours young.........    beautiful ...     back to stamps tomorrow...     maybe something to do with horses even..

Hello.  another week over.     Friday night.  Home alone for a change 

Stamp time. Had dinner with some good friends last night and was given a bag full of stamps.  Good world assortment which I will surely enjoy going through. When? I don't know. But I did find these.  I do like the quality of the design.  Maybe I am old and boring but to me that are generally much more interesting than most of the modern material.

In particular I like the 2/- stamp. Issued in 1955. So getting on in years but it is superb. Well that is in my view. You may disagree. If you do you wont want it will you

Thought I'd offer it as a prize. Question: The stamp is based on an etching by a rather famous artist. An artist from a rather famous artistic family as it happens. The artist was in fact knighted for his services to Australian art in 1941.  Who was he?  11th correct answer will win this. ( today is 11th here so seemed a good number)  Please don't forget to include your mailing address with your entry to cddstamps@gmail.com

Have a great weekend.  Enjoy your stamps...............  Michael

Hello..   thought you might like to see this lovely cover.. many thanks to Myron   

ps.. jsut for the record, my PO box is 3482.....

wish I had more time.. enjoy your stamps..  best wishes   ...........Michael

Hello everyone.   apology for not writing for a few days...    been rather busy.

Received this in the mail today.. a lovely envelope I guess...   we knew this issue was coming.. and here it is..  should I open this and deface the envelope??? .. I think not..

Also, I might feint at the prices I would have to pay for all the upcoming new issues............  

I show it because I thought you might like to see it...if you do not subscribe to Royal Mail new issues that is and therefore their proliferate mailings.  I seem to get everything they issue even though I stopped buying anything but new Machins some years ago.  Well these envelopes are collectables in their own right,  all the same, I think.

For details about the issue  read Ian's site at http://www.norphil.co.uk/2008/01a_james_bond_stamps.htm

Maybe lots more news in the coming days / week.. which could add an interesting dimension to my stamp collecting activities and interests.    Keep in touch  

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

Ok I should be concentrating on stamps.... I know... and I should be supporting England... I know... but I do live in Australia,,,   so unless it is England  v Australia I suppose I have to have some affinity with Australia,.......   and how can you not when they have just won...     awesome eh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not with me..  ok  I will be back to stamps tomorrow....      am watching something on eBay..    have to dash..     Best wishes.. Michael

As you know from my last posting I have started listing again at Stampoffers..  ..   looks good  and easy to use.. well done James... but it occurred to me after listing that I had forgotten to put I was an IPDA member...   and then I thought about the rubbish we have been seeing exposed on some of the threads here..  hopefully you will have seen them and laughed along with many of us,    but as I said on one thread........ sad but true. And yes I know we all say Buyer beware, and Buyer be aware, but there is more to it than that....... there is honest and credibility and pride isn't there? 

So, I thought, for those of you who buy - do you look to see if the seller is an IPDA member  ...... a member of the Internet Philatelic Dealers Association ??  :?: 

and if you are a seller do you promote that you are an IPDA member??  :?:

arrggghhh...   :shock:   because you are not a member of the IPDA ...  yet.....    well please  have a look at http://www.ipdaonline.org    find out about us.......  we are a small group I will admit but we want to grow and promote good values, ethical as well as stamp values, when selling on the internet.

Yes, we are an Association for sellers on the internet...... so that buyers can be confident when buying from one of us. 

email me at michaelatipda@gmail.com and I will send you a free copy of the last two IPDA Newsletters...     email me if you are a buyer or a seller..... I don't mind...... you will get the free copies sent to you by reply.

I have seen some pretty bad items for sale over the past years - you may have read my rantings on these      :)  actually can be fun I guess........ But I and all the other really genuine sellers don't want buyers to get ripped off.    

So like I said,

sellers.....  join and promote the IPDA and everything we stand for and want to promote,

and buyers......  ask if the seller is a member of the IPDA    :)  

Look, the cost to become a member is really only a nominal fee, US $20 a year for  a one year membership..     that is all, no one off joining cost,  and you get 10 to 12 copies of my brilliant newsletter  :)  :)    and free ads on the IPDA website and probably more  :D    

Best wishes..     Michael

online application form available at http://www.ipdaonline.org

Hello.. well I finally did it.. I listed some used envelopes on Stampoffers.com  .......  been so busy but with the Christmas  / New Year break and some time to sort stamps I finally did the scanning and made the listings.    I have no idea if these are ready for the bin or worth something to someone who has an interest in Egypt postal materials.  hey why not try.. I thought,   so if you are interested.. have a look at http://www.stampoffers.com/detail.asp?id=1106944   and there are 4 others listed  under me     cddstamps

might be interesting for you to see the sort of things I find when cleaning up my study.  and if they don't sell..   maybe a prize.. but don't let that stop you bidding 

Enjoy your stamps..    Michael

Hello everyone. I was referred to this website..    sound like an interesting group     http://www.polarphilatelists.org/     This from a colleague who read about my Antarctic flight covers. 

I hope you have a few minutes to look at http://www.cddstamps.com/antarctic.htm    especially if you collect Penguins on stamps.. or aircraft on stamps..  or flight covers, or just Polar related flight covers, or   wait for it.. cddstamps produced flight covers.. a new collecting theme    well why not..      well it won't cost you too much as I only expect to produce two or three a year    the next big ones being Singapore London on the A380.. and  / or the Qantas A380.    Not sure how I am going to do either but I'll be trying.

And if you don't collect any of the above please tell your friends.

Well done to Jose from Portugal and Mark from the USA for sending the first emails telling me about yesterdays picture. Yes it was of course on the flight deck of the 747 going down to Antarctica. Sorry to others who sent in entries I cannot have everyone a winner, I'd go broke  but hey, treat yourselves  

 Enjoy your stamps.. Best wishes.. Michael

Happy New Year everyone...  as you may know, if you have been reading the blog, I had some covers flown to the Antarctic and signed by the pilots and some signed by the cabin crew.

Read the posts from a few days ago for details.  This was the only Qantas flight last year (2007) I might add..  so it is pretty special.

I will give two covers as a prizes to the first two to email me at cddstamps@gmail.com with the answer.. to, "where was the picture taken.."?     now, am I making it easy or what..   and .. if this doesn't thrill you.. the back of the cover is signed by one of the Captains on the flight.

And if you miss out on the prize.. I am selling these for only USD $7.50.. postage and packing etc included  and I have a few left.  see my web site http://www.cddstamps.com and read the link to Antarctic Covers for more details... 

Lets have a wondeful 2008 with out stamps...  Best wishes... Michael