Here are a couple of interesting variants on the more traditionally collected area of postage due mail. Return to sender for additional postage The two covers shown below, dating some 12 years apart stem from the options made available to the USPS staff regarding how they treat under franked mail. Normally when items are sent…
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…
Bahrain’s postal history is an interesting area to collect despite its normally high prices and they often offer some interesting research opportunities. The following cover is one such example which does not give us a whole lot of information at first glance. However, with a bit of research, it turns out to be quite special….
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…
One of the best parts about postal history collecting is that there are hidden gems out there in dealers’ bargain bins or chucked into job lots on Auction sites. The following turned out to be one when we did a little research. It’s from 1939 and as well as the rare and unusual franking had…
Now part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Umm al Qiwain was once an independent stamp issuing authority producing hundreds between 1964 & 1972. They were rarely used for postage and Stamp Collectors of a certain age will remember fondly the large colourful CTO stamps that adorned our junior collections. The UAE took responsibility for…
The Gambia 1978 Birds of Prey set is one of the early WWF forerunners, which today is a popular collecting subject. This was their second set highlighting the Abuko Nature Reserve, with the first being issued in 1976. Unusually for a World Wild Life Fund (WWF) set all the birds depicted are fairly common. Later…
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…
Craig Taylor