When the Isle of Man (IOM) was granted postal authority in 1973, they celebrated by issuing a classic set of Definitive Stamps depicting local landmarks. Prior to this, the closest they had come to having their own stamps was the regional definitives issued between 1958 and 1971. These were in the traditional GB Wilding and…
If you are looking for an iconic stamp set from the late nineteenth century then the 1897 Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Set is one to consider. They are pricy (especially mint or VFU) but their design is timeless. The stamps were printed by the America Bank Note Company and the set was issued on 19th…
Despite Great Britain moving to decimal currency on the 15th February 1971, pre-decimal stamps (from George V Onwards) remained postally valid. This validity ended on the 29th of February 1972 and in the interim caused no end of confusion. This resulted in a plethora of underpaid mail and is an interesting and currently inexpensive collecting…
King George VI 1950 Colour Change Definitive Stamp Combinations In this article, we are looking at one of the potential spin-off niches that you can collect from this set. This idea came about for us after picking up a small lot of stamps still on paper (kiloware) from the era. In the past, they would…
Covers from the Jordanian civil war period of 1967-71 are popular with postal history collectors and they don’t come much more unusual than the one we are about to discuss! Cover Details This 3d postal reply card was used as both a First Day Cover for the 1970 GB Christmas set and inside…
King George VI Definitive Set of 15 Stamps The low-value George VI definitive issue may not have a great deal of thematic appeal, however, its classic design makes it a worthy addition to a general collection. The initial issue was only three stamps, however, the set would eventually span 15 issues and it took over…
The cover we are about to discuss is unusual for a number of reasons and harks back to the days before mass air travel became common. Right up until the end of the 1950s a trip from the UK to Australia for most entailed a long cruise. Thus keeping in touch was done by sending…
GB Seahorse Stamps are one of the most iconic of the widely collected GB stamps. They make a great specialist area for the advanced collector, with an abundance of shares and printing types. However, they are equally accessible for those on a more limited budget given millions were printed and being high values parcel used…
Craig Taylor