WikiStamps - New pages [en]

Latin Music Legends

James — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:03:04 GMT

Summary: New page: {{Template:Gallery04 | | image01 = [[Image:01 camrmir 744776.jpeg]] | image02 = [[Image:02 carlosGar 83434.jpeg]] | image03 = [[Image:03 celiacr 34238.jpeg]] | image04 = [[Image:04 tito p...

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| image01 = [[Image:01 camrmir 744776.jpeg]]
| image02 = [[Image:02 carlosGar 83434.jpeg]]
| image03 = [[Image:03 celiacr 34238.jpeg]]
| image04 = [[Image:04 tito puent.jpeg]]
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Legends of Hollywood Series

WikiSysop — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:25:30 GMT

Summary:

The '''Legends of Hollywood''' is a beautiful series of stamps issued by the United States Postal Service. A different stamp is released each year and each celebrates a person from the American film industry. These first class stamps are sold by the sheet (twenty stamps) for a limited time.
{{Template:Gallery03
|
| Stamp 01 = Marilyn Monroe
| Stamp01imagefront = [[Image:01 marilynMonroe.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp01Year = 1995
| Stamp 02 = James Dean
| Stamp02imagefront = [[Image:02 jamesDean.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp02Year = 1996
| Stamp 03 = Humphrey Bogart
| Stamp03imagefront = [[Image:03 humphreyBogart.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp03Year = 1997
| Stamp 04 = Alfred Hitchcock
| Stamp04imagefront = [[Image:04 alfredHitchcock 0.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp04Year = 1998
| Stamp 05 = James Cagney
| Stamp05imagefront = [[Image:05 jamesCagney 0.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp05Year = 1999
| Stamp 06 = Edward G. Robinson
| Stamp06imagefront = [[Image:06 edwardRobinson.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp06Year = 2000
| Stamp 07 = Lucille Ball
| Stamp07imagefront = [[Image:07 lucilleBall.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp07Year = 2001
| Stamp 08 = Cary Grant
| Stamp08imagefront = [[Image:08 caryGrant.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp08Year = 2002
| Stamp 09 = Audrey Hepburn
| Stamp09imagefront = [[Image:09 audreyHepburn.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp09Year = 2003
| Stamp 10 = John Wayne
| Stamp10imagefront = [[Image:10 johnWayne.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp10Year = 2004
| Stamp 11 = Henry Fonda
| Stamp11imagefront = [[Image:11 henryFonda 0.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp11Year = 2005
| Stamp 12 = Judy Garland
| Stamp12imagefront = [[Image:12 judyGarland.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp12Year = 2006
| Stamp 13 = James Stewart
| Stamp13imagefront = [[Image:13 jamesStewart 0.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp13Year = 2007
| Stamp 14 = Bette Davis
| Stamp14imagefront = [[Image:14 betteDavis 0.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp14Year = 2008
| Stamp 15 = Gary Cooper
| Stamp15imagefront = [[Image:15 garyCooper.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp15Year = 2009
| Stamp 16 = Katharine Hepburn
| Stamp16imagefront = [[Image:16 hepburn-legend.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp16Year = 2010
| Stamp 17 = Gregory Peck
| Stamp17imagefront = [[Image:17 gregoryPeck.jpg|150px]]
| Stamp17Year = 2011
| Stamp 18 = TBD
| Stamp18imagefront = TBD
| Stamp18Year = 2012
|}}
== Collecting ==
Standing in line at the United States Postal Service can be tedious. That is why upon a recent visit I was happy to discover the release of the USPS' latest stamp collector catalog, the USA Philatelic. Inside is a wonderful selection of new commemorative, special, and holiday issues. Among the group was a sharp commemorative featuring a black-and-white photograph of Gregory Peck from ''To Kill A Mockingbird''. On the opposite page, a black-and-white of Katharine Hepburn.

It turns out these two stamps are part of a series, called the Legends of Hollywood, that dates back to 1995 with the release of a Marilyn Monroe stamp. My original expectation was that each legend of Hollywood would be presented in the same stark black-and-white as the the Gregory Peck and Katherine Hepburn. But when I got home from the post office to do some research it turned out only the Alfred Hitchcock would be in black and white, in a homage to his directorial style. Each issue in the series is designed with a different approach.

==Series==
====Marilyn Monroe (1995) ====
You guessed it. Marilyn Monroe would be the first stamp in the series. The artist chosen to create this stamp, Michael J. Deas, drew inspiration for the stamp from a studio publicity photo of Marilyn taken in the 1950's.

====James Dean (1996) ====
The second release in the Legends of Hollywood series is James Dean. Stamp artist Michael Deas used a photograph taken of Dean by Roy Schatt in 1954 as the inspiration for this stamp. The original photograph showed Dean with a cigarette in his mouth, but it was eliminated because of the Postal Service's policy of not showing smoking.

==== Humphrey Bogart (1997) ====
Michael Deas painted a luminous portrait of Bogart for the third stamp in the series. The image of Bogart is as he would have appeared in his prime.

==== Alfred Hitchcock (1998) ====
The fourth stamp in the series is the only stamp to honor a director. Richard Sheaff, the art director for this stamp, used a black and white photo of Alfred Hitchcock in tribute to Hitchcock's movies and TV shows, most of which were done in black and white.

==== James Cagney (1999) ====
The fifth stamp in the series was art directed by Howard Paine, who used both painted and photographic artwork for this stamp.

==== Edward G. Robinson (2000) ====
Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo. Other memorable roles include Barton Keyes in the film noir Double Indemnity, and as Dathan in The Ten Commandments. Three artists worked on the Robinson stamp.

==== Lucille Ball (2001) ====
Lucille's family insisted that the stamp not depict the Lucy from the "I Love Lucy" show. Instead, stamp artist, Drew Struzan, created this beautiful stamp from a photograph supplied by Lucy's children. The selvage art is from a 1957 episode of "I Love Lucy".

==== Cary Grant (2002) ====
An early rendition of Michael Deas' portrait showed Grant in a suit, as he appeared in a source photograph, but CSAC requested the suit be changed to a tuxedo to reinforce Grant's suave image. Deas used a still from North by Northwest (1959) for the selvage, but modified it digitally to fit the format; changing the angle of the crop duster to add drama and extending the surrounding scene to the left to wrap around the stamps.

==== Audrey Hepburn (2003) ====
This beautiful silhouette of Audrey is a Michael Deas design. Audrey's son, Sean Ferrer, wanted the bump on Audrey's nose to be left on the portrait, because he described his mother as "a beautiful package of imperfections." The selvage art is a photo from one of Audrey's most famous roles, "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

==== John Wayne (2004) ====
Stamp artist Drew Struzan based his artwork on a photo of Wayne from the movie "the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". While the photo was in black and white, the Postal Service was allowed access to the clothes that Wayne wore in the film which gave artisit Struzan as reference to put in the correct colors. The selvage art is also a Drew Struzan creation and based on Wayne's character in the movie "The Searchers".

==== Henry Fonda (2005) ====
Artist Drew Struzan was chosen to design the Henry Fonda stamp. He chose as his inspiration a photo taken of Fonda in 1941 by photographer Frank Powolny.

The art around the border shows Fonda as Tom Joad, a character he played in the 1940 classic film, "The Grapes of Wrath". and the text there reads as follows: "Henry Fonda (1905-1982) was noted for his naturalness and sincerity in stage roles and on the screen. Effective in comedic or dramatic roles, he typically played thoughtful men of integrity. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, he won many honors, including a Tony Award in 1948 for his work in the Broadway production of Mister Roberts and the Academy Award for best actor in 1982 for On Golden Pond."

==== Judy Garland (2006) ====
This beautiful stamp is based on a photo from Judy's movie, "A Star is Born". The first idea for the stamp had art director Ethel Kessler and stamp artist Tim O'Brien designing a stamp that showed Judy as a young actress. Her family wished that the stamp would show her as a more mature woman and their wish was granted. The selvage art work of course, is of Judy in one of her most famous roles, "Dorothy" in "The Wizard of Oz".

==== James Stewart (2007) ====
For the thirteenth stamp in the series, artist Drew Struzan used, for inspiration, a photo of James taken during the filming of the movie "The Stratton Story". It was this photo that Stewart's family liked best when shown several different poses. The selvage art is from one of Stewart's most loved movies, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington".

==== Bette Davis (2008) ====
The fourteenth stamp in the series features a portrait of Davis by artist Michael J. Deas based on a photograph made during the filming of All About Eve (1950). The original photograph shows Davis wearing fur, but due to concerns about objections from animal-rights activists, the Postal Service asked Deas to modify the coat. The selvage photograph is a black-and-white still from Jezebel (1938), showing Davis in the role of Julie Marsden, for which she won an Academy Award.

==== Gary Cooper (2009) ====
The fifteenth stamp in the series is a colorized portrait of Gary Cooper taken from a photo by George Hurrell around 1940. The black and white version of the photo was the inspiration for art director, Phil Jordon, when coming up with an image for the stamp. The selvage art is based on the photo from Gary's Academy Award winning performance in High Noon.

==== Katharine Hepburn (2010) ====
The sixteenth issuance in the Legends of Hollywood series honors Katharine Hepburn, one of America’s most fascinating and enduring film stars. Over the course of her career, Hepburn made over 40 motion pictures, including the comedy classic Bringing up Baby (1938)—with Hepburn as a leopard-owning heiress and Cary Grant as a stuffy paleontologist—and The African Queen (1951), in which she played a prim missionary spinster to Humphrey Bogart’s scruffy riverboat captain.

The stamp portrait is a publicity still from the film Woman of the Year (MGM, 1942). The photographer was Clarence S. Bull. The selvage image shows Hepburn as she appeared in the play West Side Waltz.

==== Gregory Peck (2011) ====
The Gregory Peck, 17th in the Legends of Hollywood series, honors one of America's most respected actors. Gregory Peck (1916-2003) appeared in more than 60 films during a remarkable career that stretched from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the emergence of independent filmmaking. For the stamp portrait, art director Phil Jordan chose a still image from To Kill A Mockingbird (1962), with Peck in his Oscar-winning role as Atticus Finch. The selvage features a photograph of Peck holding his Academy Award.

Civil War-era Stamps

James — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 01:39:47 GMT

Summary:

{{Template:Stamp right col01
|
| image01=[[Image:Benjamin Frankl1.jpg|center|175px|thumb|Benjamin Franklin. Issue of 1861]]
| image02=[[Image:Stamp US 1863 2c.jpg|center|175px|thumb|The "Black Jack", 1863]]
| image03=[[Image:Thomas Jefferson 1861 Issue-5c.jpg|center|175px|thumb|Thomas Jefferson. Issue of 1861]]
|
|}}

The outbreak of the [[wikipedia: American Civil War| American Civil War]] threw the postal system into turmoil.

==Background==
On April 13, 1861, (the day after the firing on [[wikipedia: Fort Sumter| Fort Sumter]]) [[wikipedia: John H. Reagan| John H. Reagan]], postmaster-general of the [[wikipedia: Confederate States of America| Confederate States of America]], ordered local postmasters to return their US stamps to Washington DC (although it is unlikely that many did so), while in May the Union decided to withdraw and invalidate all existing US stamps, and to issue new stamps. Confederate post offices were left without legitimate stamps for several months, and while many reverted to the old system of cash payment at the post office, over 100 post offices across the South came up with their own provisional issues. Many of these are quite rare, with only single examples surviving of some types. Eventually the Confederate government issued its own stamps; see [[wikipedia: stamps and postal history of the Confederate States| stamps and postal history of the Confederate States]].

==1861 Issues==
The 1861 stamps had in common the letters "U S" in their design. To make them differentiable from the older stamps at a glance, all were required to have their values expressed in Arabic numerals (in the previous series, Arabic numerals had appeared only on the 30¢ stamp). The original issue included all the denominations offered in the previous series: 1¢, 3¢, 5¢, 10¢, 12¢, 24¢, 30¢ and 90¢ stamps. Numerals apart, several of these are superficially similar to their earlier counterparts—particularly because Franklin, Washington and Jefferson still appear on the same denominations as previously. Differences in the design of the frames are more readily apparent.

==Black Jack Stamp==
A 2¢ stamp in black featuring [[wikipedia: Andrew Jackson| Andrew Jackson]] was issued in 1863 and is now known to collectors as the "[[wikipedia: Black Jack (stamp)|Black Jack]]". A black 15¢ stamp depicting the recently-assassinated [[wikipedia: Abraham Lincoln| Abraham Lincoln]] was issued in 1866, and is generally considered part of the same series. Although it was not officially described as such, and the 15¢ value was chosen to cover newly-established fee for [[wikipedia: Registered mail|registered letter]]s, many philatelists consider this to be the first [[wikipedia: memorial stamp| memorial stamp]] ever issued.

The war greatly increased the amount of mail in the North; ultimately about 1,750,000,000 copies of the 3¢ stamp were printed, and a great many have survived to the present day, typically selling for 2-3 dollars apiece. Most are [[wikipedia: rose| rose]]-colored; [[wikipedia: pink| pink]] versions are much rarer and quite expensive, especially the "[[wikipedia: pigeon blood pink| pigeon blood pink]]", which goes for $3,000 and up.

The stamps of the 1861 series, unlike those of the two previous issues, remained valid for postage after they had been superseded—as has every subsequent United States stamp.

Chinese New Year Stamps

WikiSysop — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:40:05 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:YrofroosterCh01.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Year of the Rooster stamp]]
'''Chinese New Year Stamps''' are [[postage stamp]]s issued to mark the [[wikipedia:Chinese New Year| Chinese New Year]] (or [[wikipedia:Lunar New Year| Lunar New Year]]). Typically appearing in January and February, issuing countries have included [[wikipedia:China| China]], [[wikipedia:Taiwan| Taiwan]], [[wikipedia:Hong Kong| Hong Kong]], [[wikipedia:Singapore| Singapore]], [[wikipedia:United States| United States]], [[wikipedia:New Zealand| New Zealand]], [[wikipedia:Australia| Australia]], [[wikipedia:Canada| Canada]], and [[wikipedia:France| France]].

== Chinese New Year ==
Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the [[wikipedia:traditional Chinese holidays| traditional Chinese holidays]]. It is sometimes called the [[wikipedia:Lunar New Year| Lunar New Year]], especially by people outside China. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the [[wikipedia:Chinese calendar| Chinese calendar]] and ends on the 15th; this day is called [[wikipedia:Lantern Festival| Lantern Festival]]. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as ''Chúxī'' (除夕, abbr. for 年除夕 ''Niánchúxī'', ''Chúxì'' in Taiwan). It literally means "Year-pass Eve".

Celebrated in areas with large populations of [[wikipedia:List of ethnic groups in China|ethnic Chinese]], Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbours, as well as cultures with whom the Chinese have had extensive interaction.{{Fact|date=October 2008}} These include Aboriginal Taiwanese people, [[wikipedia:Koreans| Koreans]], [[wikipedia:Mongolians| Mongolians]], [[wikipedia:Nepal| Nepal]]ese, [[wikipedia:Bhutan| Bhutan]]ese, [[wikipedia:Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]], and formerly the [[wikipedia:Japanese people|Japanese]] before 1873. In [[wikipedia:Singapore| Singapore]], [[wikipedia:Indonesia| Indonesia]], [[wikipedia:Malaysia| Malaysia]], the [[wikipedia:Philippines| Philippines]], [[wikipedia:Thailand| Thailand]], and other countries with significant Chinese populations, Chinese New Year is also celebrated, largely by [[wikipedia:overseas Chinese| overseas Chinese]], and has, to varying degrees, become part of the traditional culture of these countries. In [[wikipedia:Canada| Canada]], although Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations and [[wikipedia:Canada Post| Canada Post]] issues New Year's themed stamps in domestic and international rates.

Although the Chinese calendar traditionally did not use continuously numbered years, its years are now often numbered from the reign of [[wikipedia:Huangdi| Huangdi]] outside China. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various writers, causing the year beginning in 2008 to be 4706, 4705, or 4645.<ref>See [[wikipedia:Chinese calendar| Chinese calendar]] for details and references.</ref>

== Stamps ==
The stamps usually depict the [[wikipedia:Chinese astrology|animal sign]] of that year, consisting of the sequence: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig.
The designs may be part of a set, or individually-designed; for instance, since 1992 the US has been issuing Chinese New Year stamps using a common design type based on colored paper cutouts of the animals. In succeeding years, the U.S. Postal Service issued additional stamps until all twelve animals associated with the [[wikipedia:Chinese lunar calendar| Chinese lunar calendar]] were represented. The calligraphic characters on these stamps may be translated into English as "Happy New Year".

[[wikipedia:Hong Kong| Hong Kong]] was one of the first countries to issue a [[commemorative stamp]] for the lunar new year since the [[wikipedia:1960| 1960]]s, but other countries have followed:

* [[wikipedia:Republic of China| Republic of China]] (Taiwan) - since [[wikipedia:1965| 1965]]
* [[wikipedia:People's Republic of China| People's Republic of China]] - since [[wikipedia:1980| 1980]]
* [[wikipedia:Singapore| Singapore]] - Zodiac series since [[wikipedia:1996| 1996]], Festival series on-off since [[wikipedia:1971| 1971]], biannually since [[wikipedia:2000| 2000]]
* [[wikipedia:United States| United States]] - since [[wikipedia:1992| 1992]]
* [[wikipedia:Australia| Australia]] - since [[wikipedia:1994| 1994]]
* [[wikipedia:Canada| Canada]] - since [[wikipedia:1997| 1997]]
* [[wikipedia:France| France]] - since [[wikipedia:2005| 2005]]
* [[wikipedia:Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] - since [[wikipedia:1994| 1994]]

== Collecting ==
Most of these stamps consist of [[first day cover]]s, commemorative sheets and multiple country brochures.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:The People's Republic of China]]

1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition Commemoratives

James — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:27:54 GMT

Summary:

{{Template:stamp type right column 02
|
| category=[[:category:Exposition Commemoratives |> All Articles <]]
| image01=[[Image:Stamp_US_1898_1c_Trans-Miss.jpg|center|250px]]
| title01=One Cent Marquette on the Mississippi
| image02=[[Image:US_stamp_1898_2c_Farming_in.jpg|center|250px]]
| title02=Two Cent Farming in the West
| image03=[[Image:Imageneeded02.gif|center|250px]]
| title03=Four Cent Indian Hunting Buffalo
| image04=[[Image:Stamp_US_1898_5c_Trans-Miss.jpg|center|250px]]
| title04=Five Cent Freemont on Rocky Mountains
| image05=[[Image:US stamp 1898 8c Troops Gua.jpg|center|250px]]
| title05=Eight Cent Troops Guarding Train
| image06=[[Image:US_stamp_1898_10c_Hardships.jpg|center|250px]]
| title06=Ten Cent Hardships of Emigration
| image07=[[Image:Imageneeded02.gif|center|250px]]
| title07=Fifty Cent Western Mining Prospector
| image08=[[Image:Stamp_US_1898_1dollar_Trans.jpg|center|250px]]
| title08=One Dollar Western Cattle in Storm
| image09=[[Image:Imageneeded02.gif|center|250px]]
| title09=Two Dollar Mississippi River Bridge
|
|}}
The '''1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition Commemoratives''' were issued to promote an exhibition, the "[[wikipedia:Trans-Mississippi Exposition|Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition]]" held in [[wikipedia:Omaha, Nebraska| Omaha, Nebraska]] from July through November 1898. To promote the exhibition, this set of stamps was issued a couple of weeks before the event began. Sometimes this issue is referred to as the "Omaha Issue" or simply the "Omahas".

== Background ==
The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a [[wikipedia:world's fair| world's fair]] held in [[wikipedia:Omaha, Nebraska| Omaha, Nebraska]] from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the [[wikipedia:Mississippi River| Mississippi River]] to the [[wikipedia:Pacific Coast| Pacific Coast]]. The [[wikipedia:Indian Congress| Indian Congress]] was held concurrently. Over 2.6 million people came to Omaha to view the 4,062 exhibits during the four months of the Exposition. President [[wikipedia:William McKinley| William McKinley]] and [[wikipedia:William Jennings Bryan| William Jennings Bryan]] were among the dignitaries who attended at the invitation of [[wikipedia:Gurdon Wattles| Gurdon Wattles]], the event's leader. 100,000 people assembled on the plaza to hear them speak. The Expo stretch over a 180 acre tract in [[wikipedia:North Omaha| North Omaha]] and featured a 2,000 foot long lagoon encircled by 21 classical buildings that featured fine and modern products from around the world.<ref>[http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/timeline/trans_miss_expo_parade.htm Trans-Mississippi Exposition Parade."] Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 2/6/08.</ref><ref>Larsen, L. and Cottrell, B. (1997) ''The Gate City: A History of Omaha.'' University of Nebraska Press. p. 43.</ref><ref> "[http://www2.ops.org/OOE/govern3.htm When the World Came to Omaha]."</ref>

== Exposition Timeline ==
The decision to hold Exposition was made in late 1897 by a small committee of Omaha businessmen determined to hold the Expo, led by banker [[wikipedia:Gurdon Wattles| Gurdon Wattles]].<ref>[http://www.civilwarmuseumnc.org/TMbuilding.html Trans-Miss Expo Construction Timeline]</ref> In making their decision, the committee excluded several sites, including an area near 16th Avenue and Pershing Drive in [[wikipedia:East Omaha| East Omaha]], near the now-dry Florence Lake. It was the preferred site for the Exposition early in 1897.<ref>(1989) [http://www.omaha.lib.ne.us/transmiss/secretary/locating.html ''Locating the Exposition''] Omaha Public Library.</ref> 400 acres surrounding the tract that became [[wikipedia:Miller Park (Omaha, Nebraska)|Miller Park]] was considered the strongest contender towards the middle of the year. However, both sites ended up losing out to a site in [[wikipedia:North Omaha| North Omaha]] later in the year when Omaha banker [[wikipedia:Herman Kountze| Herman Kountze]] donated land in his [[wikipedia:Kountze Place| Kountze Place]] development to the City of Omaha. After the Expo some of that land would become [[wikipedia:Kountze Park| Kountze Park]].

Many important developments happened throughout the city before the opening of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition. They included the opening of the [[wikipedia:Burlington Train Station| Burlington Train Station]] in downtown [[wikipedia:Omaha| Omaha]].<ref>Peterson, J. (1999) ''Omaha railroad Stations.''</ref> The construction of the hundreds of temporary buildings at the Expo was notable because of the almost exclusive usage of a new, cheap and pliable building material called [[wikipedia:Staff (building material)|staff]]. It allowed Expo designers to construct visual reproductions of Grecian and Roman temples, fine European buildings, and more.

During the Expo, on August 31, 1898, the committee declared "Cody Day" in honor of [[wikipedia:Buffalo Bill| Buffalo Bill]] Cody. Cody brought his "world-famous" [[wikipedia:Wild West Show| Wild West Show]] back to the [[wikipedia:Omaha Driving Park| Omaha Driving Park]] where it was formally founded several years earlier.<ref>''[http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/markers/texts/buffalo_bill.htm Buffalo Bill at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition and Indian Congress of 1898].'' Nebraska State Historical Society.</ref>

October 12 was "President's Day" at the Expo and featured a speech by President [[wikipedia:William McKinley| William McKinley]] focused on international affairs and the necessity of not being [[wikipedia:isolationism|isolationist]].<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9407E5D7143CE433A25750C1A9669D94699ED7CF Mr. McKinley on the war], ''The New York Times.'' October 13, 1898. Retrieved 4/21/08.</ref>

The following year after the Expo some members of its managing committee decided to host another Expo-type event, which became the Great American Exposition in summer 1899.<ref>(n.d.) [http://www.civilwarmuseumnc.org/GAEnotes.html Great American Exposition Notes]</ref>

==Series==
The [[wikipedia:Post Office Department| Post Office Department]] issued this series of nine [[postage stamp]]s to mark the Exposition, each depicting a Western scene. Now known as the "Trans-Mississippi Issue" and considered among the finest stamps produced by the US, they are highly prized by collectors; a complete unused set is worth about US$5,000.

====One Cent Marquette on the Mississippi====

====Two Cent Farming in the West====

====Four Cent Indian Hunting Buffalo====

====Five Cent Freemont on Rocky Mountains====

====Eight Cent Troops Guarding Train====

====Ten Cent Hardships of Emigration====

====Fifty Cent Western Mining Prospector====

====One Dollar Western Cattle in Storm====

====Two Dollar Mississippi River Bridge====

== See also ==
* [[wikipedia:Richard Bock| Richard Bock]] - World-famous sculptor who designed several buildings at the Expo.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.omahapubliclibrary.org/transmiss/ The Omaha Public Library's Page on the Exposition]
* [http://www.historicomaha.com/transmis.htm Trans-Mississippi Exposition Omaha, Nebraska, 1898]
* [http://www.omahaculturefest.org/Omaha/TDO/graphics/tmemap.gif Overhead Map of the Trans Mississippi Exposition Grounds (1898)]
* [http://www.omahaculturefest.org/Omaha/TDO/graphics/tmeaerial.gif Aerial pictorial of the TME grounds (1898)]
* [http://www2.ops.org/OOE/government.htm When the World Came to Omaha], on the Omaha Public Schools website.

[[Category: Exposition Commemoratives]]

1901 Pan-American Exposition Commemoratives

James — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:18:35 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:US_stamp_1901_Pan_Am_1c_Fast_Lake_Navigation.jpg|thumb|right|200px|1¢ Fast Lake Navigation]]
[[Image:US_stamp_1901_Pan_Am_2c_Fast_Express.jpg|thumb|right|200px|2¢ Fast Express]]
[[Image:US_stamp_1901_Pan_Am_4c_Automobile.jpg|thumb|right|200px|4¢ Automobile]]
[[Image:US_stamp_1901_Pan_Am_5c_Bridge_at_Niagara_Falls.jpg|thumb|right|200px|5¢ Bridge at Niagara Falls]]
[[Image:US_stamp_1901_Pan_Am_8c_Canal_Locks_at_Sault_de_St_Marie.jpg|thumb|right|200px|8¢ Canal Locks at Sault de Ste. Marie]]
[[Image:US_stamp_1901_Pan_Am_10c_Fast_Ocean_Navigation.jpg|thumb|right|200px|10¢ Fast Ocean Navigation]]
The '''1901 Pan-American Exposition Commemoratives''' were issued to promote the Pan-American Exposition [[wikipedia:World's Fair| World's Fair]] held in [[wikipedia:Buffalo, New York| Buffalo, New York]], [[wikipedia:United States| United States]], from May 1 through November 2, [[wikipedia:1901|1901]]. They are not "commemorative," in the way we use the term today. Most of these early stamps, like the [[Columbian Exposition stamps |Columbian]] and [[Trans-Mississippi Exposition |Trans-Mississippi Exposition stamps]], were used as promotional items. These stamps reinforce the Exposition and World's Fair's purpose ---to highlighted the technical achievements playing a role in America's new, twentieth century.

==History==
It was organized by the Pan-American Exposition Company, formed in 1897. [[wikipedia:Cayuga Island| Cayuga Island]] was initially chosen as the place to hold the Exposition because of the island's proximity to [[wikipedia:Niagara Falls| Niagara Falls]], which was a huge tourist attraction. But when the [[wikipedia:Spanish-American War| Spanish-American War]] broke out in 1898, plans were put on hold.

After the war, there was a heated competition between Buffalo and [[wikipedia:Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] over the location. Buffalo won for two main reasons. First, Buffalo had a much larger population — with roughly 350,000 people, it was the eighth-largest city in the United States. Second, Buffalo had better railroad connections — the city was within a day's journey by rail for over 40 million people. In July 1898, [[wikipedia:U.S. Congress|Congress]] pledged $500,000 for the Exposition to be held at Buffalo.

Another helpful factor was that [[wikipedia:Nikola Tesla| Nikola Tesla]] had recently invented a three-phase system of alternating current power transmission for distant transfer of electricity. This allowed designers to light the Exposition in Buffalo using power generated 25 miles (40 km) away at [[wikipedia:Niagara Falls| Niagara Falls]].

The exposition is most remembered because [[wikipedia:United States|U.S.]] [[wikipedia:President of the United States|President]] [[wikipedia:William McKinley| William McKinley]] was [[wikipedia:William_McKinley_assassination|assassinated]] by an [[wikipedia:anarchism|anarchist]], [[wikipedia:Leon Czolgosz| Leon Czolgosz]], at the [[wikipedia:Temple of Music| Temple of Music]] on September 6, [[wikipedia:1901| 1901]]. McKinley gave an address at the exposition the previous day; his speech included the following words:

<blockquote>''Expositions are the timekeepers of progress. They record the world's advancements. They stimulate the energy, enterprise, and intellect of the people, and quicken human genius. They go into the home. They broaden and brighten the daily life of the people. They open mighty storehouses of information to the student....''</blockquote>

The newly-developed [[wikipedia:X-ray machine| X-ray machine]] was displayed at the fair, but doctors were reluctant to use it on McKinley to search for the bullet because they did not know what side effects it may have had on him. Also, ironically, the operating room at the exposition's emergency hospital did not have any [[wikipedia:Incandescent light bulb|electric lighting]], even though the exteriors of many of the buildings were covered with thousands of light bulbs. Doctors used a pan to reflect sunlight onto the operating table as they treated McKinley's wounds.

When the fair ended, the buildings were demolished and the grounds were cleared and subdivided for residential streets. A boulder marking the site of McKinley's assassination was placed in a grassy median on Fordham Drive in Buffalo. The sole surviving structure, the New York State building, was designed to permanently outlast the Exposition and be used by the [[wikipedia:Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Building | Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society]] as a museum. Designated a [[wikipedia:National Historic Landmark| National Historic Landmark]] in 1987, it can be visited on Nottingham Court.

==The Series==
The Pan-American stamp designs are large in comparison to the size of the stamps themselves. When reviewing the quality of these stamps, pay special attention to the top and bottom edges which have a perforated edge. There were no straight-edges at left or right, but even then the stamp may have been reperforated to hide a flaw.

=== The 1¢ Fast Lake Navigation ===
The one cent stamp shows the "City of Alpena" which operated as a [[wikipedia:Great Lakes| Great Lakes]] steamship. The stamp was printed in two steps, first the illustration of the [[wikipedia:steamship| steamship]] (printed in black) and then the frame (in green). Since it was difficult for the printer to align the two in frame to be printed perfectly centered, misregistration was to be expected. this creates highly collectible items such as "fast", "slow" and "sinking" ship varieties. But the most collectible variety is the one in which the frame was actually printed upside down! These are known to collectors as "inverted centers" and are highly sought after.<ref>[http://www.1847usa.com/identify/YearSets/1901.htm 1847USA.com]</ref>

=== The 2¢ Fast Express ===
The two cent stamp portrays the "Empire State Express" out of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroads. The design honors a New York commercial venture. As with the one cent stamp, misregistration of the vignette was common, in fact more so on the two cent than on any others of the series. Shifts with the train well into the frame are known; "Fast" and "Slow" train varieties are popular among collectors. Inverts are known, but are not as common as the one cent inverts.

=== The 4¢ Automobile ===
The four cent stamp portrays an "Electric Vehicle Service," an illustration based on a turn of the century [[wikipedia:Baltimore and Ohio Railroad| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] flyer. There has been some debate as to whether this stamp was the first U.S. stamp to depict a living person{{Fact|date=January 2009}}. It is argued that the 2¢ Trans-Mississippi stamp holds that distinction and there is merit in Gary Griffith's argument that the two men depicted in the "front" seat are both chauffeurs and that the man in the passenger compartment is actually the "first living man" depicted on a U.S. stamp - Samuel P. Hege. We advise the reader to use the link to the Griffith article for more on this fascinating subject.

Misregistration of the vignette was not as widespread on this stamp as on the 1¢ and 2¢ stamps. Inverts are known, but are the result of deliberate manipulation, not the result of error as were the one cent and two cent inverts. Still, this has not diminished the desirability of the contrived four cent invert, it actually brings a higher premium than the one cent invert, a non-philatelic invert, and is nearly equal in stature to the non-philatelic two cent invert.

=== The 5¢ Bridge at Niagara Falls ===
The five cent stamp portrays what was then the largest single-span [[wikipedia:steel bridge| steel bridge]] in the world, crossing [[wikipedia:Niagara Falls| Niagara Falls]] and linking the U.S. and Canada. Niagara Falls played an integral part of the World's Fair in Buffalo, and the hydroelectric power that it delivered turned on the spectacular "City of Lights", the most breath-taking display of electric light to date, and one of the highlights of the Fair.

The foreign destination fee for first class mail was 5 cents. [[Covers]] with an Exposition cancellation bring substantial premiums.

=== The 8¢ Canal Locks at Sault de Ste. Marie ===
The eight cent stamp portrays the canal locks at [[wikipedia:Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario|Sault de Ste. Marie]]. As with the "Bridge at Niagara Falls" stamp, this stamp illustrates a spirit of international co-operation, with the sister cities [[wikipedia:Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan|Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan]] and Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario sharing the honors. The locks were a great engineering feat and provided navigational links between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, a busy commercial hub. This busy thoroughfare from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean highlighted the extraordinary engineering achievements for the turn of the century.

Eight cents paid the registered letter fee in 1901, and most [[covers]] bearing this stamp are joined by a 2¢ stamp, paying both the letter and registry fee.

=== The 10¢ Fast Ocean Navigation ===
The ten cent stamp portrays the American Liner steamship, St. Paul. The St. Paul was the first commercial ship to be commissioned as a warship during the Spanish-American War, still fresh in the minds of the designers of this series.

Ten cents paid the letter and registry fee in 1901, and solo usage is common for covers bearing this stamp, although the covers themselves are not at all common.

== 1901 Pan-American Exposition at Night Video ==
{{#ev:youtube|mZ4w-C753iY|500}}

==See also==
*[[wikipedia:Temple of Music| Temple of Music]]
*[[wikipedia:William McKinley assassination| William McKinley assassination]]
*[[wikipedia:List of world's fairs| List of world's fairs]]
*[[wikipedia:World's Columbian Exposition| World's Columbian Exposition]]
*[[wikipedia:Louisiana Purchase Exposition| Louisiana Purchase Exposition]]
*[[wikipedia:Raphael Beck| Raphael Beck]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://panam1901.bfn.org Doing the Pan]
* [http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/exhibits/panam/index.html Illuminations: Revisiting the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition of 1901]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/papr:@FILREQ(@field(TITLE+@od1(Panorama+of+esplanade+by+night++))+@FIELD(COLLID+workleis)) Movies of the Exposition] and [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/papr:@FILREQ(@field(TITLE+@od1(Pan-American+Exposition+by+night++))+@FIELD(COLLID+workleis)) more]
* [http://www.bechs.org/about_us/about_us.htm The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society]

[[Category:Commemorative Stamps]]

Postage stamps and postal history of the Confederate States

James — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:39:15 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Confederate 5cent stamp.jpg|thumb|right|350px|5¢ Jefferson Davis stamp]]
This is a survey of the '''[[postage stamp]]s and [[postal history]] of the [[wikipedia:Confederate States of America| Confederate States of America]]'''.

==Beginnings==

Initiated by [[wikipedia:South Carolina| South Carolina]]'s [[wikipedia:secession| secession]] from the [[wikipedia:United States| United States]] in December [[wikipedia:1860| 1860]], the [[wikipedia:Confederate States of America| Confederate States of America]] (CSA) came into existence on [[wikipedia:February 4| February 4]], [[wikipedia:1861| 1861]] when seven seceding states came together to form a central government (4 other states joined later in the year). Each seceded first, then joined the CSA, yielding a short period, sometimes only days, in which the state was technically independent of both USA and CSA.

[[wikipedia:President of the Confederate States of America|President]] [[wikipedia:Jefferson Davis| Jefferson Davis]] had appointed [[wikipedia:John Henninger Reagan| John Henninger Reagan]] on [[wikipedia:March 6| March 6]], [[wikipedia:1861| 1861]] to head the new [[wikipedia:Confederate States of America Post-office Department| Confederate States of America Post-office Department]]. However, the [[wikipedia:United States Post Office Department| United States Post Office Department]] continued to handle the mail of the seceded states as usual until [[wikipedia:June 1| June 1]], 1861, when the Confederate [[wikipedia:mail|postal service]] took over. Reagan was an able administrator, presiding over the only CSA cabinet department that functioned well during the war. It established new rates: 5¢ per half-ounce under 500 miles, 10¢ per half-ounce over 500 miles, 2¢ for drop letters and [[wikipedia:circular| circular]]s. Later the under-500-mile rate was raised to 10¢ also. There was a 50¢ rate for [[wikipedia:express mail| express mail]], and after 1863 a 40¢ rate for [[wikipedia:Trans-Mississippi| Trans-Mississippi]] mail to cover the costs of [[wikipedia:smuggling| smuggling]].

Although the Confederate government had contracted for the printing of its own stamps, they were not yet available on June 1, forcing [[wikipedia:postmaster| postmaster]]s all over the South to improvise. Most of the time they simply went back to the old practice of accepting payment in cash and applying a "PAID" handstamp to the envelope. However, a number of postmasters, particularly those in the larger cities, could not afford to be handling long lines of cash customers, and developed a variety of [[wikipedia:Postmaster's provisional| Postmaster's provisional]]s. These took a variety of forms, from envelopes prestamped with a postmark modified to say "paid" or an amount, to regular stamps produced by local printers. Some are today among the great rarities of philately.

==Stamps==

[[Image:A-Jackson-CSA-stamp.jpg|thumb|left|2c Andrew Jackson stamp]]
[[Image:Thomas-Jefferson-CSA-stamp.jpg|thumb|right|10c Thomas Jefferson stamp]]
[[Image:Jcctypo01.jpg|thumb|left|1¢ John C Calhoun stamp typograph]]
[[Image:DieA-A-D.jpg|thumb|right|10¢ Jefferson Davis stamp Die A]]
[[Image:Cs09-02.jpg|thumb|right|TEN CENTS Jefferson Davis engraved stamp copper plate]]
[[Image:George-washington-CSA-stamp.jpg|thumb|20c George Washington stamp]]

Regular Confederate stamps finally appeared on [[wikipedia:October 16| October 16]], [[wikipedia:1861| 1861]]. The first two stamps were a 5¢ green depicting [[wikipedia:Jefferson Davis| Jefferson Davis]], and a 10¢ blue with [[wikipedia:Thomas Jefferson| Thomas Jefferson]], both [[wikipedia:lithography|lithographed]] by [[wikipedia:Hoyer and Ludwig| Hoyer and Ludwig]] of [[wikipedia:Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], [[wikipedia:Virginia| Virginia]]. Like almost all Confederate issues, these stamps were [[wikipedia:imperforate| imperforate]].

In [[wikipedia:1862| 1862]], a 2¢ stamp of [[wikipedia:Andrew Jackson| Andrew Jackson]] appeared, in green, and in turn the 5¢ and 10¢ stamps were reprinted in blue and rose, respectively. A new 5¢ stamp of Davis was also issued in large quantities, with 12,000,000 produced by [[wikipedia:De La Rue| De La Rue]] in [[wikipedia:London| London]], and over 36,000,000 by [[wikipedia:Archer and Daly| Archer and Daly]] in Richmond. The Archer and Daly stamps were initially printed on paper supplied by De La Rue and later on Confederate paper. Later printings tend be quite coarse and individual examples may exhibit blank areas in the design from plate damage or filled in areas due to plate wear. (Today they can be had for US$10 or so.)

In [[wikipedia:1863| 1863]], a new design of the 2¢ Jackson appeared, engraved in steel and printed in pale red with the second printing being in brown red, along with 10¢ profile of Davis, engraved in either copper plates or steel plates. Many shades of blue exist for these stamps from light milky blue to cobalt blue as well as many shades that tend toward greenish blue and green. There are four similar designs of engraved ten cent stamps. The easiest to distinguish from the other three has the value expressed as "TEN".

The next easiest to distinguish is the one with the value expressed as "10" and has straight lines enclosing the design in a rectangle. This same design, without the rectangle enclosing it, is the third variety. The last variety also has the value expressed as "10". The corner ornaments are filled and it shows a faint line that follows the outside of the design and encloses it. All of these were printed by Archer and Daly of Richmond. The last two varieties were also printed, from late 1864 on, by Keatinge and Ball of [[wikipedia:Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]], [[wikipedia:South Carolina| South Carolina]]. A small number of the third and fourth varieties were perforated and released for use by the Confederate Post Office Department.

De La Rue also printed a 1¢ orange depicting [[wikipedia:John C. Calhoun| John C. Calhoun]], but they were never put into use. A 20¢ stamp with [[wikipedia:George Washington| George Washington]] also came out in 1863 and saw limited use, but genuinely used copies are today worth 10 times more than mint copies.

==Covers==

A considerable number of Confederate [[covers]] have been preserved. Special categories of interest include covers to and from soldiers, [[patriotic cover]]s, [[prisoner-of-war cover]]s, [[wikipedia:flag of truce| flag of truce]] and through-the-lines mail, mail carried by [[wikipedia:blockade runner| blockade runner]]s to and from Europe, and others. All of these specialties have been intensively studied, although contemporary official records are often fragmentary or missing, and many details remain unclear.
Much forging of material went on in the late 19th century, and authentication is a challenge for experts.

''Adversity covers'' are also widely collected. These include covers created from pieces of wallpaper or reused forms or other printed matter, as well as ''turned covers'', which are envelopes used once and then turned inside out for reuse, such as to reply to the sender.

== Sources ==

* [[wikipedia:Stanley Gibbons| Stanley Gibbons]] Ltd: various catalogues
* [http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/home.html Encyclopaedia of Postal History]
* Stuart Rossiter & John Flower: ''The Stamp Atlas''
* [[wikipedia:August Dietz| August Dietz]], ''Postal Service of the Confederate States of America'' (1929) - the standard work on Confederate philately
* ''Dietz Confederate States Catalog and Hand-Book'' (1931-1986)

==See also==
* [[wikipedia:Lawrence L. Shenfield| Lawrence L. Shenfield]], author of ''Confederate States of America: The Special Postal Routes'' (1961)

==External links==

* [http://www.csalliance.org/ Confederate Stamp Alliance homepage]
* [http://bellsouthpwp.net/p/a/parksvix/vixcwph.htm Postal History of Vicksburg]
[[Category:Postage stamps of the United States]]
[[Category:Confederate States of America]]
[[Category:Postal history by country|United States of America]]

Letter Sheet

WikiSysop — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:16:20 GMT

Summary: Copied from Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License

[[Image:WallensteinBriefSiegel.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Opened up 1628 lettersheet showing folds, address and seal, with letter being written on the obverse]]

In [[Philately|philatelic]] terminology a '''Letter sheet''', often written '''lettersheet,''' is nowadays an item of [[wikipedia:postal stationery| postal stationery]] issued by a postal authority. It is a sheet of paper that can be folded, usually sealed, most often with [[wikipedia:sealing wax| sealing wax]] in the 18th and 19th century, and mailed without the use of an [[envelope]]. Letter sheets derive from the form in which written correspondence was made up before the mid-1800s when letters were written on one, or more, sheets of paper that were folded and sealed in such a way that the address could be written on the outside. They were literally a ''letter'' on a ''sheet'' (of paper).

The term lettersheet has been used to describe the unstamped folded sheet letters used before envelopes became popular. Envelopes were not used much before the late 19th century, because most countries' postal rates calculated for the extra sheet of paper, that made up the envelope, thereby increasing the cost of mailing when an envelope was used; an extra postal charge was made for the extra sheet of paper.

Pre-paid lettersheets issued by [[wikipedia:Postal authority|postal authorities]] are postal stationery because they bear imprinted stamps, or [[wikipedia:indicia| indicia]], indicating pre-payment as opposed to adhesive stamps that are only printed by postal authorities. Lettersheets, that require stamps to be applied, have also been produced by private firms and usually have no authority for a pre-paid indicia, so postage must be paid by normal means at normal postage rates. Most country's postal authorities have issued true lettersheets at some stage, however, most have discontinued their use, except in the form of an [[wikipedia:aerogram| aerogram]] and due to the popularity of envelopes.

==History==
The first postal stationery item issued by a government is thought to be the [[wikipedia:coat of arms| coat of arms]] of [[wikipedia:Venice| Venice]] on a 1608 lettersheet. In 1790 [[wikipedia:Luxembourg| Luxembourg]] produced a 25-[[wikipedia:Luxembourgish franc|centime]] lettersheet. British newspaper publishers printed colourful stamps on paper supplied by the government between 1712–1870 and Australia produced lettersheets two years before the Mulready lettersheets were issued in 1840.<ref>[http://www.linns.com/reference/stationery/basic_stationery.asp?uID=] [[wikipedia:Linn's Stamp News| Linn's Stamp News]]: Postal stationery (retrieved 26 September 2006)</ref> During this period envelopes were rarely used. [[wikipedia:New South Wales| New South Wales]] issued prepaid lettersheets in 1838 with uninked embossed stamps (making them difficult to see) to prepay postage within the town of [[wikipedia:Sydney| Sydney]].<ref>[http://www.norbyhus.dk/btpbr.html] [[wikipedia:Ken Lawrence| Ken Lawrence]]: ''Before the Penny Black Revisited'' (retrieved 27 September 2006)</ref>

===The British postal reforms of 1840===
[[Image:Mulready envelope.jpg|right|thumb|A used 1840 hand-coloured 1d [[wikipedia:Mulready stationery| Mulready stationery]] envelope mailed to [[wikipedia:London| London]]]]
Prepaid lettersheets were introduced in the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] at the same time as the first [[postage stamp]]s were available for use on May 6 1840. Part of [[wikipedia:Rowland Hill|Rowland Hill's]] postal reforms were the introduction of prepaid lettersheets and envelopes designed by the artist [[wikipedia:William Mulready| William Mulready]], whose name is always associated with these first lettersheets and envelopes. In the same way that the first postage stamps were issued in two values ([[Penny Black]] and [[Two Penny Blue]]) both the lettersheets and envelopes were issued in one penny and two penny values in the same black and blue colours as the same value postage stamps.<ref>[http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/queen's/mulreadystationery-list2.html] Mulready stationery: Lettersheets and envelopes (retrieved 25 September 2006)</ref>

The design incorporated [[wikipedia:Britannia| Britannia]] at the centre top with a shield and a reclining lion surrounded on either side by a representation of the continents of Asia and North America with people reading their mail in the two lower corners. Rowland Hill expected the lettersheets to be more popular than the postage stamps but the postage stamp prevailed. Many [[wikipedia:caricature| caricature]]s were produced by stationery manufacturers whose livelihood was threatened by the new lettersheet.<ref>[http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/queen's/mulreadystationery-list3.html] Mulready stationery: Caricatures (retrieved 25 September 2006)</ref> Only six days after their introduction, on May 12, Hill wrote in his journal:
;''I fear we shall have to substitute some other stamp for that design by Mulready ... the public have shown their disregard and even distaste for beauty.''
Within two months a decision had been made to replace the Mulready designed stationery and essentially they were a [[wikipedia:Postage stamp error|folly]].<ref>[http://alphabetilately.com/M.html] Mulready Letter Sheets (retrieved 25 September 2006)</ref>

===19th century United States===
During the [[wikipedia:American Civil War| American Civil War]] period, in 1863, two different size lettersheets were issued by the [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service| United States Postal Service]] that both had the same stamp design. The small lettersheet was for ladies correspondence and the larger size was for soldiers. Between 1886 and 1894 heavier lettersheets with a picture of President [[wikipedia:Ulysses S. Grant|Ulysses Grant]] were issued, but lettersheets were discontinued due to poor sales, and the United States has not produced any since.

Privately produced pictorial lettersheets were published by several stationers in [[wikipedia:New York| New York]] and other cities. These lettersheets, predominantly showing bird's-eye views and street scenes, were created to comply with, yet circumvent, postal regulations that like the United Kingdom were based on the number of sheets of paper. These lettersheets were popular because of their 8.5 x 21 inch size that could be folded in half, providing four pages for writing but the Post Office regarded them as one sheet of paper.<ref>[http://dlib.nyu.edu:8083/nyhsead/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=/lettersheet.xml&style=/saxon01n2002.xsl&part=body#series1] New York Historical Society ''Guide to the Pictorial Lettersheet Collection ca. 1840-1890'' (retrieved 6 October 2006)</ref>

===Air Letter Cards===
[[Image:Iraq 1933.jpg|thumb|right|[[wikipedia:Iraq| Iraq]] airmail letter card issued in 1933]]
Special stationery on thin sheets of paper, called ''Air Letter Cards'' were available in [[wikipedia:Iraq| Iraq]] and [[wikipedia:British Mandate of Palestine|Palestine]] as early as 1933. The sheets was folded to the size of a blue border, and gummed flaps were used to seal the sheet. Douglas Gumbley, director of Posts to the Iraq Government in the 1930s, realised there was a need for a lightweight form for use in the developing air services in, and through, the [[wikipedia:Middle East| Middle East]] because regular overland mail was charged by weight and varied in size and seemed likely to be too expensive for [[wikipedia:airmail| airmail]] service. He personally copyrighted the product in February 1933 and it was used first in Iraq and later in the British Mandate of Palestine where Gumbley was in charge of postal matters in the late 1930s.

===World War II lettersheets===
In early 1941 the United Kingdom introduced thin, lightweight forms intended for use by their overseas military forces. Known as '''air letter sheets''', they took up much less space then regular letters, and by August the use of these sheets was extended to civilians. Allied [[wikipedia:Prisoner of war|POW]] communications through the [[wikipedia:International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]] used a special lettersheet inscribed ''Prisoner of War Air Mail'' in [[wikipedia:English language|English]] and [[wikipedia:German language|German]] or [[wikipedia:Japanese language|Japanese]] with a 2 1/2d indicia. The Forces air lettersheets were rated at 3d while the civilian version was imprinted with a 6d stamp.<ref>Mackey, James (1971). "11", '''Airmails 1870–1970'''. B. T. Batsford, London, 178–180.</ref>

Several other countries adapted the British lettersheet model during the war while many other countries introduced them after the war. Curiously the British 6d air letter rate remained in effect until 1966 while other postal rates increased.

Some German POW<ref>[http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/netherlands_main.htm] German POW camp lettersheets in Westerbock, Netherlands (retrieved 14 January 2007)</ref> and concentration<ref>[http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/ravensbruck_main_main.htm] [[wikipedia:Ravensbrück concentration camp|Ravensbrück]] lettersheets (retrieved 14 January 2007)</ref> camps issued their own special lettersheets for use by the inmates. Towards the end of WWII, at least eight forged German [[wikipedia:Feldpost| Feldpost]] lettersheets were printed by the [[wikipedia:Office of Strategic Services|OSS]] [[wikipedia:Operation Cornflakes| Operation Cornflakes]] to undermine [[wikipedia:Axis powers of World War II|Axis]] moral during late 1944 and 1945.<ref>[http://www.psywarrior.com/Cornflakes2.html] [[wikipedia:Operation Cornflakes| Operation Cornflakes]] feldpost lettersheets (retrieved 14 January 2007)</ref>

===Modern lettersheets===
[[Image:GB Christmas Aerogram.jpg|thumb|right|Pictorial GB 6d Christmas [[wikipedia:aerogram| aerogram]] with pre-paid [[wikipedia:indicia| indicia]]]]
The [[wikipedia:Aerogram| Aerogram]], also written aérogramme, aerogramme, or airletter, also made from a lightweight paper, is the modern equivalent of the WWII lettersheet and most [[wikipedia:Postal authority|postal authorities]] issue them prepaid though [[wikipedia:Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[wikipedia:New Zealand| New Zealand]] and [[wikipedia:Rhodesia| Rhodesia]] have issued them without an indicium requiring the addition of a postage stamp before mailing.

The [[wikipedia:Universal Postal Union| Universal Postal Union]] adopted the term ''aérogramme'', the [[wikipedia:French language|French]] word for air letter, during the 1951–52 13th Postal Union Congress held in [[wikipedia:Brussels| Brussels]] and all countries inscribe this on their air mail lettersheets except for the United Kingdom which still uses the term ''Air Letter''.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://imagesoftheworld.org/stamps/1d-mulready.htm 1d Mulready Lettersheet]
* [http://imagesoftheworld.org/stamps/2d-mulready.htm 2d Mulready Lettersheet]
* [http://alphabetilately.com/M.html Mulready Stationery] Envelopes, Lettersheets, Parodies, Lampoons, Caricatures and Exhibit Pages
* [http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/queen's/mulreadystationery.html National Postal Museum, Washington, D.C.] Stamps That Changed the World
* [http://postalheritage.org.uk/collections/archive/stamps/phillips/VolII/view Mulready example page VolII] British Postal Museum & Archive
* [http://postalheritage.org.uk/collections/archive/stamps/phillips/VolIX/view Mulready example page VolIX] British Postal Museum & Archive

[[Category:Postal stationery]]
[[Category:Philatelic terminology]]

Postcard

WikiSysop — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:45:16 GMT

Summary: Copied from Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License

[[Image:Postal card UK 1890.jpg|right|thumb|British postal card, used in 1890]]
[[Image:Burns on Ayr Postcard 1899.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Example of a court card, postmarked 1899, showing [[wikipedia:Robert Burns| Robert Burns]] and his cottage and monument in [[wikipedia:Ayr| Ayr]]]]

A '''postcard''' or '''post card''' is a rectangular piece of thick [[wikipedia:paper| paper]] or thin [[wikipedia:Card stock|cardboard]] intended for writing and mailing without an [[envelope]] and at a lower rate than a [[wikipedia:letter (message)|letter]]. [[Stamp Collecting|Stamp collector]]s distinguish between postcards (which require a [[postage stamp|stamp]]) and '''postal cards''' (which have the postage pre-printed on them). While a postcard is usually printed by a private company, individual or organization, a postal card is issued by the relevant [[wikipedia:Mail|postal]] authority. The [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service| United States Postal Service]] defines a postcard as: rectangular, at least 3-½ inches high x 5 inches long x .007 inch thick and no more than 4-¼ inches high x 6 inches long x .016 inches thick;[http://www.usps.com/businessmail101/mailcharacteristics/cards.htm] (in metric; 12.7 cm x 8.9 cm) however, some postcards have deviated from this (for example, shaped postcards).

The study and collecting of postcards is termed '''[[wikipedia:deltiology| deltiology]]'''.

== Brief history of postcards in the United States ==
[[Image:pikespeak.jpg|left|thumb|Greetings from [[wikipedia:Pikes Peak|Pikes Peak, Colorado]]: A "large-letter" style American postcard from the linen era]]
John P. Charlton of [[wikipedia:Philadelphia| Philadelphia]] patented the postcard in 1861, selling the rights to H. L. Lipman, whose postcards, complete with a decorated border, were labeled "Lipman's postal card." Nine years later European countries were also producing postcards.

The United States Postal Service began issuing pre-stamped postal cards in 1873. The postal cards came about because the public was looking for an easier way to send quick notes. The USPS was the only establishment allowed to print postcards, and it held its monopoly until May 19, 1898, when Congress passed the Private Mailing Card Act which allowed private publishers and printers to produce postcards.

[[Image:1905DuPontGunpowderMill.jpg|right|thumb|Message on the front of a 1905 'undivided back' post card]]
Initially, the United States government prohibited private companies from calling their cards “postcards,” so they were known as “souvenir cards.” Although this prohibition was rescinded in 1901, it was not until 1908 that people were permitted to write on the address side of a postcard.

The first postcard in the [[wikipedia:United States| United States]] was created in 1893 to advertise the [[wikipedia:World's Columbian Exposition| World's Columbian Exposition]] in [[wikipedia:Chicago| Chicago]]. Shortly thereafter the [[wikipedia:United States government| United States government]], via the [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service| United States Postal Service]], allowed printers to publish a 1-cent postcard (the "Penny Postcard"). A correspondent's writing was allowed only on the front side of these cards.

[[Image:1905DuPontMillpcardback.jpg|right|thumb|Back of the above 1905 card]]
Postcards, in the form of government postal cards and privately printed souvenir cards, became very popular as a result of the Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893, after postcards featuring buildings were distributed at the fair. In 1908, more than 677 million postcards were mailed.

1901 brought cards with the word "Post Card" printed on the reverse (the side without the picture). Written messages were still restricted to the front side, with the entire back dedicated to the address. This "undivided back" is what gives this postcard era its name.
[[Image:Freudenberg ArthurOscar 02.jpg|right|thumb|American 'divided back' postcard, 1916]]
The "divided back" card, with space for a message on the address side, came into use in the United States in 1907. The back is divided into two sections, the left section being used for the message and the right for the address. Thus began the Golden Age of American postcards, which lasted until about 1915, when [[wikipedia:World War I| World War I]] blocked the import of the fine [[wikipedia:Germany|German]]-printed cards.

[[Image:Christopher Columbus whaleback white at Racine.jpg|thumb|left||A tinted (black and white image which has had colored tint added) souvenir card. Image of the [[wikipedia:Christopher Columbus (whaleback)|Christopher Columbus]] taken circa 1896]]
The "white border" era, named for obvious reasons, lasted from about 1916 to 1930. The "linen card" era lasted from about 1931 to the early 1950s, when cards were primarily printed on papers with a textured surface similar to linen cloth. The last and current postcard era, which began about 1939, is the "chrome" era, however these types of cards didn't begin to dominate until about 1950. The images on these cards are generally based on colored [[wikipedia:photograph| photograph]]s, and are readily identified by the glossy appearance given by the paper's coating.

In France, erotic postcards appeared in 1910.

In 1973 the British Post Office introduced a new type of card, [[PHQ Cards]], these have since become a popular [[wikipedia:collecting| collecting]] area, especially when they have the appropriate stamp affixed and a [[wikipedia:First day of issue| First day of issue]] [[wikipedia:postmark| postmark]] obtained.

== British seaside postcards ==
In 1894, British publishers were given permission by the [[wikipedia:Royal Mail| Royal Mail]] to manufacture and distribute picture postcards, which could be sent through the post. The first UK postcards were produced by printing firm Stewarts of Edinburgh and early postcards were pictures of famous landmarks, scenic views, photographs or drawings of celebrities and so on. With [[wikipedia:steam locomotives| steam locomotives]] providing fast and affordable travel, the [[wikipedia:seaside resort|seaside]] became a popular tourist destination, and generated its own souvenir-industry: the picture postcard was, and is, an essential staple of this industry.
[[Image:McGill betting.jpg|thumb|150px|left| A typical "saucy" postcard by [[wikipedia:Donald McGill| Donald McGill]]]]
In the early 1930s, cartoon-style saucy postcards became widespread, and at the peak of their popularity the sale of saucy postcards reached a massive 16 million a year. They were often bawdy in nature, making use of [[wikipedia:innuendo| innuendo]] and [[wikipedia:double entendre| double entendre]]s and traditionally featured [[wikipedia:stereotype|stereotypical]] characters such as vicars, large ladies and put-upon husbands, in the same vein as the ''[[wikipedia:Carry On films|Carry On]]'' films. In the early 1950s, the newly elected [[wikipedia:Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government were concerned at the apparent deterioration of morals in Britain and decided on a crackdown on these postcards. The main target on their hit list was the renowned postcard artist [[wikipedia:Donald McGill| Donald McGill]]. In the more liberal 1960s, the saucy postcard was revived and became to be considered, by some, as an art form. This helped its popularity and once again they became an institution. However, during the 1970s and 1980s, the quality of the artwork and humour started to deteriorate and, with changing attitudes towards the cards' content, the demise of the saucy postcard occurred. Original postcards are now highly sought after, and rare examples can command high prices at auction. The best-known saucy seaside postcards were created by a publishing company called [[wikipedia:Bamforths| Bamforths]], based in the town of [[wikipedia:Holmfirth| Holmfirth]], [[wikipedia:West Yorkshire| West Yorkshire]], [[wikipedia:England| England]].

Despite the decline in popularity of postcards that are overtly 'saucy', postcards continue to be a significant economic and cultural aspect of British seaside tourism. Sold by [[wikipedia:newsagents| newsagents]] and street vendors, as well as by specialist souvenir shops, modern seaside postcards often feature multiple depictions of the resort in unusually favourable weather conditions. The use of saturated colour, and a general departure from [[wikipedia:Realism (arts)|realism]], have made the postcards of the later twentieth century become collected and admired as [[wikipedia:kitsch| kitsch]]. Such cards are also respected as important documents of [[wikipedia:social history| social history]], and have been influential on the work of [[wikipedia:Martin Parr| Martin Parr]].

==Early Controversy ==
[[Image:Hemsbypostcard.jpg|thumb|A modern-day postcard from the village of [[wikipedia:Hemsby| Hemsby]], [[wikipedia:Norfolk| Norfolk]], [[wikipedia:UK| UK]]]]
The initial appearance of picture postcards (and the enthusiasm with which the new medium was embraced) raised some legal issues that can be seen as precursors to later controversies over the [[wikipedia:internet| internet]]. Picture postcards allowed and encouraged many individuals to send images across national borders, and the legal availability of a postcard image in one country did not guarantee that the card would be considered "proper" in the destination country, or in the intermediate countries that the card would have to pass through. Some countries might refuse to handle postcards containing sexual references (in seaside postcards) or images of full or partial nudity (for instance, in images of classical statuary or paintings).

In response to this new phenomenon, the [[wikipedia:Ottoman Empire| Ottoman Empire]] banned the sale or importation of some materials relating to the [[wikipedia:Prophets in Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[wikipedia:Muhammad| Muhammad]] in 1900. Affected postcards that were successfully sent through the OE before this date (and are postmarked accordingly) have a high rarity value and are considered valuable by collectors.

==Glossary of postcard terms==
[[Image:Post245.jpg|left|thumb|A historic postcard showing electric trolley-powered streetcars in [[wikipedia:Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], [[wikipedia:Virginia| Virginia]], where [[wikipedia:Frank J. Sprague| Frank J. Sprague]] successfully demonstrated his new system on the hills in 1888. The intersection shown is at 8th & Broad Streets.]]

'''''Applique''''' - A term used to describe a postcard which has some form of cloth, metal or other embelishment attached to it.<br />''''' Art Deco''''' - Artistic style of the 1920s, recognisable by its symmetrical designs and straight lines.<br />''''' Art Nouveau''''' - Artistic style of the turn of the century, characterised by flowing lines and flowery symbols, yet often depicting impressionist more than representational art.<br />'''''Bas Relief''''' - Postcards with a heavily raised surface, giving a papier-mache appearance.<br />'''''Composites''''' - A number of individual cards, that when placed together in a group, form a larger picture.<br />'''''[[Court card|Court Cards]]''''' - The official size for British postcards between 1894–1899, measuring 115mm x 89mm.<br />'''''Divided Back''''' - Postcards with a back divided into two sections, one for the message, the other for the address. British cards were first divided in 1902 and American cards in 1907.<br />'''''Early''''' - A term loosely used to describe any card issued before the ''Divided Back'' was introduced.<br />'''''Embossed''''' - Postcards with a raised surface.<br /> '''''Hold-to-Light'''''- Also referred to as 'HTL', postcards often of a night time scene with cut out areas to show the light.<br />'''''Intermediate Size''''' - The link between Court Cards and Standard Size, measuring 130mm x 80mm. <br />'''''Kaleodoscopes''''' - Postcards with a rotating wheel that reveals a myriad of colours when turned.<br />'''''Midget Postcards''''' - Novelty cards of the size 90mm x 70mm.<br />'''''Novelty''''' - Any postcard which deviates in any way from the norm. Cards which do something, or have articles attached to them, or are printed in an unusual size or on strange materials. An example is cards made of leather<br />'''''Oilette''''' - A trade name used by Raphael Tuck to describe postcards reproduced from original paintings.<br />'''''Real Photographic''''' - Abbreviated to 'RP'. Used to describe postcards produced by a photographic rather than a printing process.<br />'''''Reward Cards''''' - Cards that were given away to school children for good work.<br />'''''Standard Size''''' - Introduced in Britain in November 1899, measuring 140mm x 89mm.<br />[[Image:benwickpost.jpg|left|thumb|A Topographical postcard of [[wikipedia:Benwick| Benwick]] courtesy of www.lilyholtroad.co.uk]]
'''''Topographical''''' - A term used to describe postcards showing street scenes and general views.<br />'''''Undivided Back''''' - Describes postcards with a plain back where all of this space was used for the address. This is a term often used to describe ''Early'' cards, although undivided were still in common use up until 1907.<br />'''''Vignette''''' - Usually found on undivided back cards, consisting of a design which does not occupy the whole of the picture side. Vignettes may be anything from a small sketch in one corner of the card, to a design cover three quarters of the card. The purpose is to leave some space for the message to be written, as the entire reverse of the card could only be used for the address.<br />'''''Write-Away''''' - Used to describe a card with the opening line of a sentence, which the sender would then complete. Often found on early comic cards.

== See also ==
*[[Greeting card]]
*[[wikipedia:e-card| e-card]]
*[[wikipedia:Postcrossing| Postcrossing]]
*[[wikipedia:Real photo postcard| Real photo postcard]]
*[[wikipedia:Advertising postcard| Advertising postcard]]
*[[wikipedia:Francis Frith| Francis Frith]]
*[[wikipedia:PHQ Cards| PHQ Cards]]
*[[wikipedia:James Valentine (photographer)|James Valentine]]
*[[wikipedia:PostSecret| PostSecret]]
*[[wikipedia:Mail Art| Mail Art]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.postcrossing.com Postcrossing] Postcards exchange project from all over the world
*[http://www.cardcow.com CardCow] Largest Online Postcard Database of US Views
*[http://www.postcardy.com Postcardy.com] -- All about U.S. postcards plus links to other postcard collector websites.
*[http://www.chicagopostcardmuseum.org Chicago Postcard Museum] -- A complete collection of the 1st postcards produced in the U.S.
*[http://www.postcard.co.uk The Postcard Traders association] -- Represents professionals within the UK postcard industry.

[[Category:British comedy and humour|Seaside postcard]]
[[Category:British culture|Seaside postcard]]
[[Category:Postcards| ]]

Envelope

WikiSysop — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:27:17 GMT

Summary: Copied from Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License

[[Image:Envelope - Boonville Address-000.jpg|thumb|Front of an envelope mailed in the U.S. in 1906 contains postage stamp and address.]]
[[Image:Envelope - Boonville Address-002.jpg|thumb|Back of an envelope mailed in the U.S. in 1906 contains an additional postmark.]]

An '''envelope''' is a [[wikipedia:packaging| packaging]] product, usually made of flat, planar material such as [[wikipedia:paper| paper]] or cardboard, and designed to contain a flat object, which in a postal-service context is usually a [[wikipedia:letter (message)|letter]], card or bills. The traditional type is made from a sheet of paper cut to one of three shapes: the [[wikipedia:rhombus| rhombus]] (also referred to as a lozenge or diamond), the short-arm cross, and the kite. These designs ensure that in the course of [[wikipedia:envelope manufacture| envelope manufacture]] when the sides of the sheet are folded about a delineated central rectangular area, a rectangular-faced, usually oblong, enclosure is formed with an arrangement of four flaps on the reverse side, which, by virtue of the shapes of sheet traditionally used, is inevitably [[wikipedia:symmetrical| symmetrical]].

In 1876 William Irwin Martin published the Stationer's Handbook. He worked for the Samuel Raynor & Company in New York. He created the first commercial sizes of envelopes and simply numbered them from 0 through 12. It was mostly for social and business stationery purposes in those days. That's how the No. 10 envelope got its name.

== Overview ==

[[Image:Envelope - Wood Food Company-000.jpg|thumb|left|Envelope with advertising from 1905 used in the U.S.]]
[[Image:USPatent701839-CallahanAmericus-WindowedEnvelope.gif|thumb|right|Patent drawing of [[wikipedia:Americus Callahan| Americus Callahan]]'s windowed envelope.]]

When the folding sequence is such that the last flap to be closed is on a short side it is referred to in commercial [[wikipedia:envelope manufacture| envelope manufacture]] as a '"pocket"' - a format frequently employed in the [[wikipedia:packaging| packaging]] of small quantities of seeds. Although in principle the flaps can be held in place by securing the topmost flap at a single point (for example with a wax seal), generally they are pasted or gummed together at the overlaps. They are most commonly used for enclosing and sending [[wikipedia:mail| mail]] ([[wikipedia:letter (message)|letter]]s) through a prepaid-postage [[postal system]].

Window envelopes have a hole cut in the front side that allows the paper within to be seen. They are generally arranged so that the sending address printed on the letter is visible, saving the sender from having to duplicate the address on the envelope itself. The window is normally covered with a transparent or translucent film to protect the letter inside, as was first designed by [[wikipedia:Americus Callahan|Americus F. Callahan]] in 1901 and patented the following year. In some cases, shortages of materials or the need to economize resulted in envelopes that had no film covering the window. One innovative process, invented in Europe about 1905, involved using hot oil to saturate the area of the envelope where the address would appear. The treated area became sufficiently translucent for the address to be readable. A typical use for window envelopes is [[wikipedia:courtesy reply mail| courtesy reply mail]].

An [[wikipedia:aerogram| aerogram]] is related to a [[wikipedia:lettersheet| lettersheet]], both being designed to have writing on the inside to minimize the weight. Any handmade envelope is effectively a lettersheet because prior to the folding stage it offers the opportunity for writing a message on that area of the sheet that after folding becomes the inside of the face of the envelope.

[[Image:JapaneseFuneralEnvelope.jpg|thumb|A Japanese funeral envelope used for offering condolence money. The white and black cords represent death. Similar-looking envelopes with red and silver cords are used for weddings.]]

The "envelope" used to launch the [[wikipedia:Uniform Penny Post|Penny Post]] component of the British postal reforms of 1840 was a lozenge-shaped lettersheet known as a [[wikipedia:Mulready stationery|Mulready]]. But if desired, a separate letter could be enclosed with postage remaining one penny, provided the combined weight did not exceed half an ounce (about 13 grams). This was a legacy of the previous system of calculating postage, which partly depended on the number of sheets of paper used.

During the U.S. Civil War those in the CSA occasionally used envelopes made from wallpaper, due to financial hardship.

A "return envelope" is a pre-addressed, smaller envelope included as the contents of a larger envelope and can be used for courtesy reply mail, [[wikipedia:metered reply mail| metered reply mail]], or [[wikipedia:freepost| freepost]] (business reply mail). Some envelopes are designed to be reused as the return envelope, saving the expense of including a return envelope in the contents of the original envelope. The [[wikipedia:direct mail| direct mail]] industry makes extensive use of return envelopes as a response mechanism.

Up until 1840 all envelopes were handmade, each being individually cut to the appropriate shape out of an individual rectangular sheet. In that year George Wilson in the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom|U.K.]] patented the method of [[wikipedia:tessellating| tessellating]] (tiling) a number of envelope patterns across and down a large sheet, thereby reducing the overall amount of waste produced per envelope when they were cut out. In [[wikipedia:1845| 1845]] [[wikipedia:Edwin Hill (U.K.)| Edwin Hill (U.K.)]] and [[wikipedia:Warren de la Rue| Warren de la Rue]] obtained a [[wikipedia:patent| patent]] for a [[wikipedia:steam| steam]]-driven machine that not only cut out the envelope shapes but creased and folded them as well. (Mechanised [[wikipedia:gumming| gumming]] had yet to be devised.) The convenience of the sheets ready cut to shape popularized the use of machine-made envelopes, and the economic significance of the factories that had produced handmade envelopes gradually diminished.

As envelopes are made of paper, they are intrinsically amenable to embellishment with additional graphics and text over and above the necessary postal markings. This is a feature that the [[wikipedia:direct mail| direct mail]] industry has long taken advantage of -- and more recently the [[wikipedia:Mail Art| Mail Art]] movement. Custom printed envelopes has also become an increasingly popular marketing method for [[wikipedia:small business| small business]].

Most of the over 400 billion envelopes of all sizes made worldwide are machine-made. Some will be made by hand. These include some of the eastern poorer countries.

==Post office requirements==
[[Image:Luftpostumschlag.jpg|thumb|left|[[wikipedia:Air mail| Air mail]] envelope]]
[[Image:Lifa Yuan-envelope.jpg|thumb|A Chinese-style envelope used in [[wikipedia:Taiwan| Taiwan]] and printed for official use by the [[wikipedia:Legislative Yuan| Legislative Yuan]]. The red box in the center is for the name of the recipient, written vertically in Chinese characters. The address is also written vertically to the right of the red box. The postal code is written in the boxes in the lower left-hand corner.]]

According to international postal conventions, a letter envelope must measure at least 90 × 140 mm. The length of [[postcard]]s and [[wikipedia:aerogram| aerogram]]s must be at least the width times the square root of 2.<ref>Universal Postal Convention, Article 12, RL122. In: [http://www.upu.int/acts/en/2_letter_en.pdf Universal Postal Union – Letter Post Manual], page D.4</ref> These requirements help sorting letters by making it easier to line up all the envelopes with the addresses reading the same way.

The same regulations also reserve certain regions on the envelope for the address, the postage, as well as markings that can be added by sorting machines.

In some countries using [[wikipedia:postcodes| postcodes]], common envelopes are preprinted with lines and boxes that help write those postcodes in a consistent way in a consistent position.

In [[wikipedia:Australia| Australia]], post office-preferred envelopes have four boxes printed in orange ink at the bottom right-hand corner where handwritten [[wikipedia:postcode| postcode]]s are meant to be written. Character recognition software is used to read the postcode number.

Envelopes in the [[wikipedia:Soviet Union| Soviet Union]] were printed with something like the common [[wikipedia:Seven-segment_display|7 segment LCD]], to assist the user to write the 6-character postcode directly in machine-readable format.

While conforming to postal regulations can save postage and lead to a faster and more reliable delivery, postal workers usually try to deliver also more non-standard forms of envelope. [http://www.iuoma.org/extrememail.html]

==International standard sizes==
[[wikipedia:International standard| International standard]] '''ISO 269''' defines several standard [[envelope]] sizes, which are designed for use with [[wikipedia:ISO 216| ISO 216]] standard [[wikipedia:paper sizes| paper sizes]]:

{| class="wikitable"
! Format !! Dimensions (mm) !! Suitable for content format
|-
! DL
| 110 × 220 || 1/3 A4
|-
! C7/C6
| 81 x 162 || 1/3 A5
|-
! C6
| 114 × 162 || A6 (or A4 folded in half twice)
|-
! C6/C5
| 114 × 229 || 1/3 A4
|-
! C5
| 162 × 229 || A5 (or A4 folded in half once)
|-
! C4
| 229 × 324 || A4
|-
! C3
| 324 × 458 || A3
|-
! B6
| 125 × 176 || C6
|-
! B5
| 176 × 250 || C5
|-
! B4
| 250 × 353 || C4
|-
! E3
| 280 × 400 || B4
|}

The German standard [[wikipedia:DIN| DIN]] 678 defines a similar list of envelope formats.

==North American sizes==

There are dozens of sizes of envelopes available. Not all are used for posting mail, but for such things as former pay packets or putting a gift card or a key in. U.S. and Canadian postal regulations differ from those of the rest of the world; although envelopes are still deliverable worldwide by the regulations of the [[wikipedia:Universal Postal Union| Universal Postal Union]], the sorting machines will not accept the international sizes. This is not as much a difference as usually thought, for the location of sending address and return address differ between Germany and France, for example.

Most envelope sizes in this system have names, not designations. The designations under the system "A2", etc., do not correspond to ISO paper sizes.

{| class="wikitable"
! Format !! Dimensions (in) !! Dimensions (mm) !! Ratio
|-
! A2
| 4 3/8 × 5 3/4
| 110.3 × 144.9
| 131%
|-
! A6
| 4 3/4 × 6 1/2
| 119.7 × 163.8
| 137%
|-
! A7
| 5 1/4 × 7 1/4
| 132.3 × 182.7
| 138%
|-
! No. 6¾
| 3 5/8 × 6 1/2
| 92.1 × 165.1
| 179%
|-
! No. 9
| 3 7/8 × 8 7/8
| 98.5 × 225.5
| 229%
|-
! No. 10
| 4 1/8 × 9 1/2
| 104.0 × 239.4
| 230%
|}

== References ==
{{reflist|1}}

==External links==

* [http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper.html International standard paper sizes]: ISO 216 details and rationale
* [http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=36631 ISO 216 at iso.org]
* [http://www.tinletter.com/ Envelopes made out of tin / metal ]
* [http://www.paper-papers.com/envelope-size-chart.html Envelope Sizes]
*[http://www.thepapermillstore.com/pages.php?pageid=202 American envelope sizes]
*[http://www.printernational.org/iso-envelope-sizes.php European envelope sizes and their uses]
*[http://www.mydesignprimer.com/printing/envelopes_sizes_catalog_invitation_business_size.shtml My Design Primer - standard envelope sizes]
*[http://www.paper-papers.com/envelope-size-chart.html Envelope Size Chart]

== Phrases ==

* [[Back-of-the-envelope calculation]]

== See also ==
* [[wikipedia:Secrecy of correspondence| Secrecy of correspondence]]
* [[wikipedia:Return address| Return address]]
* [[wikipedia:Aerogram| Aerogram]]
* [[wikipedia:Packaging| Packaging]]
* [[wikipedia:Paper size| Paper size]]
* [[wikipedia:Postage| Postage]]

[[Category:Postal system]]
[[Category:Stationery]]
[[Category:Paper products]]
[[Category:Envelopes| ]]

Postal History

WikiSysop — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:06:07 GMT

Summary: Copied from Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License

[[Image:WallensteinBriefSiegel.jpg|thumb|200px|Pre-stamp [[wikipedia:1628| 1628]] [[Letter sheet|lettersheet]] opened up showing folds, address and seal, with letter being written on the obverse]]

'''Postal history''' is the study of [[postal system]]s and how they operate and, or, the collecting of [[cover]]s and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems. The term is attributed to [[wikipedia:Robson Lowe| Robson Lowe]], a professional [[wikipedia:Philately|philatelist]], [[wikipedia:stamp dealer| stamp dealer]] and stamp [[wikipedia:auctioneer| auctioneer]], who made the first organised study of the subject in the 1930s and described philatelists as ''"students of science"'', but postal historians as ''"students of humanity"''.<ref>Sussex, Vivien J. (1988). "1", ''Introducing Postal History''. British Philatelic Trust in conjunction with The Postal History Society, London, p5.</ref>

==A collecting speciality==
Postal history has become a philatelic collecting speciality in its own right. Whereas philately is concerned with the study of the stamps ''per se'', including the technical aspects of stamp production and distribution, philatelic postal history refers to stamps as historical documents; similarly re postmarks, [[postcard]]s, envelopes and the letters they contain. Postal history can include the study of postal rates, postal policy, postal administration, political effects on postal systems, postal surveillance and the consequences of politics, business, and culture on postal systems; basically anything to do with the function of the collection, transportation and delivery of [[wikipedia:mail| mail]]. The specialized area of philatelic history defines postal history as the study of rates charged, routes followed and special handling of letters. Areas of special interest include disrupted or transitional periods, such as wars and military occupations, and mail to remote areas.

The philatelic-based definition of the term developed as the discipline developed. Philatelic students discovered that understanding and authentication of stamps depended on knowing why postal authorities issued particular stamps, where they were used and how. For instance, a stamp apparently used before any other stamp of its type could be proved a [[Philatelic fakes and forgeries|forgery]] if it was [[postmark]]ed at a location known not to have received any stamps until a later date.

Much information is still not known about the workings of postal systems, and millions of old covers have survived, constituting a rich field of "[[wikipedia:Artifact (archaeology)|artifact]]s" for analysis.

==Possible areas of study==
In studying or collecting any postal history subject some overlap is inevitable because it is impossible to separate the different areas that affect the mail from one another; transportation, rates, geography and subject are all intertwined, but the emphasis remains different depending on the chosen topic. The postal history topics described below are some of the better known and popular topics.

===Geographical based studies===
* '''Regional studies''' are typically based on a geographical area, such as countries of origin, native districts, cities, towns or villages, places associated with family roots, or workplaces. In the past collectors usually based their studies on "mail from," but "mail to" and "mail through" a place expand the postal service story because outgoing mail mainly shows marking associated with the areas of study while incoming mail tells a much broader story and are now more likely to be included. It is best to select a topic to study that is broad enough because narrow geographical boundaries will likely bring frustration due to the lack of material available. Examples are: ''Postal History of [[wikipedia:Brunn| Brunn]] 1638-1875'',[http://www.japhila.cz/hof/0003/index0003a.htm] and ''Private and Foreign Post Offices in [[wikipedia:Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Thomas]]''.[http://www.scc-online.org/MemberExhibits/StThomasPOs/index.htm]

* '''Postal routes''' are alternate geographical based study areas that provide great variety due to the many places and services available along a route. For instance; a study of the [[wikipedia:Thurn and Taxis| Thurn and Taxis]] route from [[wikipedia:Antwerp| Antwerp]] to [[wikipedia:Florence| Florence]] via [[wikipedia:Mantua| Mantua]] would include much of the early postal history of Western Europe and the ''Postal History of the First Transcontinental Railroad''[http://www.cprr.org/Museum/Ephemera/Postal.html] can show a good range of stamps, [[wikipedia:postal stationery|stationery]], and associated marking across 3,000 miles that started in [[wikipedia:1869| 1869]].

The [[wikipedia:era| era]] for a geographical based study can add dimension depending on the services available or the changes that took place. The period should seek to tell a complete story and not limit the chosen topic.


===Transportation based studies===
[[Image:Cover Bahamas 1929 front.jpg|thumb|left|145px|First flight cover for [[wikipedia:Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]] to [[wikipedia:Miami, Florida|Miami]] airmail route in 1929]]
[[Image:Cover DE 1936 Hinden-800px.jpg|thumb|left|145px|'''[[wikipedia:Zeppelin mail| Zeppelin mail]]''' from [[wikipedia:Chemnitz| Chemnitz]], Germany to [[wikipedia:Sausalito, California|Sausalito, USA]] on 1st North American flight of ''[[wikipedia:LZ 129 Hindenburg|Hindenburg]]'' in May 1936]]
* '''[[Aerophilately]]''' specialises in the study of [[wikipedia:airmail| airmail]]. Philatelists observe the development of [[wikipedia:mail| mail]] transport by air from its beginning, and most aspects of airmail service have been extensively studied and documented by specialists, some of which are individually listed. [[wikipedia:Crash cover| Crash cover]]s, [[wikipedia:Imperial Airways| Imperial Airways]] Empire route mail to [[wikipedia:Australia| Australia]] and [[wikipedia:South Africa| South Africa]], CAM (Contract Air Mail) or FAM (Foreign Air Mail) routes to and from the [[wikipedia:United States| United States]] are a few topics.<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/airmails_20001030/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Airmail collecting can take you anywhere''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref>
* '''[[wikipedia:Balloon mail| Balloon mail]]''' was employed during the [[wikipedia:Siege of Paris| Siege of Paris]]<ref>[http://www.arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=&tid=2029986 ''Siege of Paris Mail''] (retrieved 24 February 2007) Smithsonian [[wikipedia:National Postal Museum| National Postal Museum]]</ref> to get mail out of the city during the [[wikipedia:Franco-Prussian War| Franco-Prussian War]] in [[wikipedia:1870| 1870]]. Balloons can be both manned and unmanned but balloon mail is not a common form of mail transport.
* '''[[wikipedia:Ship cover|Maritime mail]]''' is a theme that offers a wide variety of possibilities.<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/paquebot_20041213/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Paquebot mail begins at sea, postmarked on land''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> Study of a particular [[wikipedia:shipping line| shipping line]] like, [[wikipedia:Cunard| Cunard]], [[wikipedia:P & O|P & O]], [[wikipedia:Danube| Danube]] steamers, South American packets or American [[wikipedia:steamboat| steamboat]] mail are a few options as are; Ship Letter marks, mail between a mother country and its [[wikipedia:colonies| colonies]] or mail between two countries separated by seas or oceans. Many ships applied their own [[wikipedia:endorsement| endorsement]]s so collecting examples of all ships of a particular shipping line can be aspired to. [[wikipedia:Maiden voyage| Maiden voyage]]s and [[wikipedia:Shipwreck|wreck cover]]s are very desirable. [[wikipedia:Ship transport|Maritime]] mail rates changed frequently and occasionally varied for different shipping lines over the same route that could be due to [[wikipedia:treaty| treaty]] changes or arguments between countries that involved retaliatory rates. [[wikipedia:Navy|Naval]] mail can also fall in the Military mail category and are also known to apply identifying endorsements or [[postmark]]s.
* '''[[wikipedia:Railway mail| Railway mail]]''' refers to mail carried partly, or fully, by [[wikipedia:rail transport| rail transport]] from its inception in [[wikipedia:1830| 1830]] between Liverpool and Manchester in the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|UK]] until its decline in the late [[wikipedia:20th century| 20th century]] that include [[Railway letter stamp]]ed mail, [[wikipedia:Travelling Post Office|TPO]] and [[wikipedia:Railway post office|RPO]]<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/railway_103006/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Processing mail in transit: the Railway Mail Service and railway post offices''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> handstamps, instructional handstamps or manuscript notations, or even the [[wikipedia:First Transcontinental Railroad| First Transcontinental Railroad]] (also mentioned as a geographic study above).
* '''[[wikipedia:Rocket mail| Rocket mail]]''' is the delivery of mail by [[wikipedia:rocket| rocket]] or [[wikipedia:missile| missile]] and is a specialised collecting area of aerophilately called [[Astrophilately]]. One of the early famous rocketeers was [[wikipedia:Stephen Hector Taylor-Smith|Stephen Smith]], a Secretary of the Indian Airmail Society, who launched 270 rockets between [[wikipedia:1934| 1934]] and [[wikipedia:1944| 1944]] of which 80 contained mail.<ref>[http://www.philatel2.com/jubilee/id313.htm Stamps of King George V Silver Jubilee - Stephen Smith] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> Other topics for consideration are: [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service|USPS]] rocket mail from 1936 or 1959 launches, Russian submarine launched rocket mail, or reusable launch vehicle mail.
* '''[[wikipedia:Zeppelin mail| Zeppelin mail]]''' is a popular topic for the mail carried on the [[wikipedia:Germany|German]] [[wikipedia:Zeppelin| Zeppelin]] [[wikipedia:airship| airship]]s between [[wikipedia:1908| 1908]]<ref>[http://www.arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=2&tid=2032883 Zeppelin & Airship Mail: Pioneer Period (1783-1918)] (retrieved 24 February 2007) Smithsonian National Postal Museum</ref> and [[wikipedia:1939| 1939]].<ref>[http://www.arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=2&tid=2040240 Zeppelin & Airship Mail: Developmental Period (1919-1945)] (retrieved 24 February 2007) Smithsonian National Postal Museum</ref> Much mail exists because up to 12 tons was carried on each flight. Mail from within Germany and from the several trans-Atlantic flights are extant however mail from the famous [[wikipedia:Hindenburg disaster| Hindenburg disaster]] are very scarce.

===Subject based studies===
[[Image:Cover Austria 1938-650px.jpg|right|145px|thumb|'''[[wikipedia:Express mail| Express mail]]''' used after the [[wikipedia:Anschluss| Anschluss]] in [[wikipedia:1938| 1938]]; letters from [[wikipedia:Austria| Austria]] to [[wikipedia:Germany| Germany]] required German stamps to added, resulting in a [[wikipedia:mixed franking| mixed franking]]]]
[[Image:1940 Madrid-Paris cens.jpg|thumb|right|145px|'''[[wikipedia:Postal censorship| Postal censorship]]''' of 1940 civil cover from [[wikipedia:Madrid| Madrid]] to [[wikipedia:Paris| Paris]] opened by both Spanish and French ([[wikipedia:Vichy France|Vichy]]) authorities]]
[[Image:Ganzsache Bayern P44-1.jpg|thumb|right|145px|[[wikipedia:Bavaria| Bavaria]]n '''[[wikipedia:postal stationery| postal stationery]]''' postcard used from [[wikipedia:Nuremberg| Nuremberg]] to [[wikipedia:Munich| Munich]] in 1895]]
[[Image:Altbrief.jpeg|thumb|right|145px|1834 '''pre-adhesive mail''' with [[wikipedia:Wittingen| Wittingen]] straight-line town handstamp to [[wikipedia:Ebsdorfergrund|Ebsdorf]]]]
* '''[[wikipedia:Express mail| Express mail]]''' is an accelerated delivery service for which the customer pays a surcharge and receives faster delivery. ''Haste Poste Haste'' letters of the [[wikipedia:17th century| 17th century]] can be considered precursors of modern Express mail as was the [[wikipedia:Pony Express| Pony Express]] mail.<ref>[http://www.arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=&tid=2032344 Pony Express Mail] (retrieved 24 February 2007) Smithsonian National Postal Museum</ref> The service for domestic mail is governed by a country's own [[wikipedia:Postal authority| Postal authority]] but since 1998 the international accelerated delivery services are governed by the EMS Cooperative of the [[wikipedia:Universal Postal Union| Universal Postal Union]] (UPU). Studies of domestic, or international express mail are possible as are studies of the Express mail rates.
* '''[[wikipedia:Marcophily| Marcophily]]''' is the study of [[wikipedia:postmark| postmark]]s, [[wikipedia:Cancellation (mail)|cancellation]] and [[postal markings]] applied by hand or machine. Though not strictly speaking a postal history topic can be collected as such. It offers vast areas to select a topic for study or collection as the marcopholist is more interested in the details, style and design of the markings than the reason why and where a letter was sent. Large cities that have many [[wikipedia:post office| post office]]s offer great study opportunities due to the vast range of handstamps or machine cancellations in use over any time period.
* '''[[wikipedia:Military mail| Military mail]]''' is mail associated with any of the [[wikipedia:armed services| armed services]] or [[wikipedia:History of United Nations Peacekeeping|peacekeeping]] forces, or formed around any particular [[wikipedia:military campaign| military campaign]], like the [[wikipedia:Opium Wars| Opium Wars]], [[wikipedia:Spanish Civil War| Spanish Civil War]], [[wikipedia:World War I| World War I]] and II, or even the recent conflicts in [[wikipedia:Afghanistan| Afghanistan]] or [[wikipedia:Iraq| Iraq]].<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/militaryPH_20021014/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Give modern military postal history a try''] (retrieved 21 February 2007)</ref> Many older letters, when available, provide insight into the conditions of the people involved.
* '''[[wikipedia:Parcel post| Parcel post]]''' is perhaps the least collected, or studied, area of postal history due to the size of potential material much of which is never saved. From [[wikipedia:1883| 1883]] Special labels were applied to parcels in Great Britain. International parcels handling tend to gather [[wikipedia:Customs| Customs]] evidence making for attractive material.
* '''[[wikipedia:Postal censorship| Postal censorship]]''', both [[wikipedia:overt| overt]] and [[wikipedia:covert| covert]], has been performed on mail long before the World Wars of the [[wikipedia:20th century| 20th century]] and can include both civil and military censorship. It has mainly taken place during times of conflict though has also been performed during other times like; periods of [[wikipedia:civil disorder| civil disorder]] or a [[wikipedia:state of emergency| state of emergency]]. An example of [[wikipedia:covert| covert]] postal censorship is the [[wikipedia:Black room|Cabinet noir]].
* '''Postal rates''' are an extensive area of study that can be made by country, time period,<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/rates_20010716/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Short rate periods sometimes yield treasures''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> or even currency. [[wikipedia:Stamp collecting|Stamp collectors]] may study the rates in effect during the time of issue of the postage stamps they collect thereby augmenting their collections.
* '''[[Postal stationery]]''' are mailable products, issued by postal authorities, such as a [[envelope]]s, [[letter sheet]]s, [[post card]]s, lettercards, [[aerogram]]s or wrappers, on which the amount of postage has usually been pre-printed with a stamp, or ''[[wikipedia:indicia|indicium]]'', at the rate required for a particular postal service.<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/postalstationery_20020114/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Postal stationery offers collecting variety''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> Postal stationery is generally sold at [[wikipedia:post office| post office]]s. Each stationery type can be an area of study in its own right but can also be studied by country or by time period.
* '''[[wikipedia:Pre-adhesive mail| Pre-adhesive mail]]''' also called '''pre-stamp mail''' is mail used before the issuance of the [[Penny Black]] and [[Two pence Blue]] stamps on 6 May, [[wikipedia:1840| 1840]] in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and in other countries, mail used prior to the postal authority adopting their own adhesive labels. The material can range from court and government letters before official public mail services to distinctive town-marks worldwide.
* '''Prisoner-of-war mail''' can be a subcategory of either, or both, Military mail or Postal censorship.
* '''[[wikipedia:Registered mail| Registered mail]]''' are often used to mail items, or documents, considered valuable and need a [[wikipedia:chain of custody| chain of custody]] that provides more control than regular mail. The letters have their details recorded in a register to enable their location to be tracked and offer many distinctive handstamps. Many countries have issued special [[wikipedia:postal stationery| postal stationery]] for Registered mail expanding the possible areas being studied beyond regular registered letters. Earlier similar services were known as ''[[wikipedia:Money Letter| Money Letter]]s''

==See also==
* [[List of philatelic topics]]
* [[Timeline of postal history]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.civilisations.ca/cpm/chrono/index_e.html The Canadian Museum of Civilization - Chronology of Canadian Postal History]
*[http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/About+An+Post/History+and+Heritage/ An Post History and Heritage]
*[http://www.ukphilately.org.uk/bpt/index.htm British Philatelic Trust]
*[http://www.postalheritage.org.uk British Postal Museum & Archive]
*[http://www.envelopecollective.com/gallery.php?id=1045 Mental-hospital or psychiatric-ward inmates' mail]
*[http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/blount/symposium.html Defining United States postal history] a [[wikipedia:National Postal Museum| National Postal Museum]] symposium
*[http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu National Postal Museum] USA
*[http://www.paphs.org/ Pennsylvania Postal History Society]
*[http://stampclubs.com/phs/ Postal History Society] Collecting Postal History
*[http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/welcome.htm United States Postal Service postal history page]

'''[[wikipedia:Linn's Stamp News|Linns.com]] ''Refresher Courses'''''
*[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/postalhistory_19980803/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Cover collecting is a part of postal history]
*[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/human_090505/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Human interest enhances postal history]

[[Category:Postal History]]

Non-Denominated Postage

WikiSysop — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:25:17 GMT

Summary: Copied from Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License

'''Non-denominated postage''' is postage intended to meet a certain postage rate that retains full validity for that intended postage rate even after the rate is increased. It does not show a monetary value on the face. In many English speaking countries, it is called ''no-value indicator'' (NVI) postage.

Invented to cope with the cost of printing large issues of low-value stamps to "top-up" old issues, this type of postage has been employed by a growing number of countries in recent years. Among the countries now issuing it are [[Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain|Britain]], [[wikipedia:Singapore| Singapore]], [[wikipedia:Finland| Finland]] (and [[wikipedia:Åland| Åland]]), [[wikipedia:Israel| Israel]], [[wikipedia:Belgium| Belgium]], [[wikipedia:France| France]], [[wikipedia:Norway| Norway]], [[wikipedia:Monaco| Monaco]], [[wikipedia:Postage stamps and postal history of Sweden|Sweden]], [[wikipedia:Postage stamps and postal history of Canada|Canada]], and the [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service|United States]].

== United Kingdom ==
Non-denominated postage was first introduced in the United Kingdom in [[wikipedia:1989| 1989]] for domestic mail, in part as a workaround to the problem of fast-changing rates.

In [[wikipedia:1995| 1995]], the [[wikipedia:Universal Postal Union| Universal Postal Union]] approved its use on international mail.

The Post Office issued "non-value indicated" [[wikipedia:Machin series|Machins]] using textual inscriptions "1ST" and "2ND" to indicate class of service rather than a numeric value. It has since then introduced a number of variations including those for worldwide and European use, for different weights, and for [[postcard]]s.

== United States ==
[[Image:1743.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The US "A" stamp was valued at 15 cents (US$0.15) when it was issued on May 22 [[wikipedia:1978| 1978]].]]

===Letter-denominated stamps===

In past years, non-denominated postage issued by the [[wikipedia:United States| United States]] differed from the issues of other countries, in that the stamps retained their original monetary value. Some stamps, such as those intended for local or [[wikipedia:bulk mail| bulk mail]] rate, were issued without denomination.

This practice began in [[wikipedia:1975| 1975]], when there was uncertainty as to the timing and extent of a rate increase from ten cents for the first ounce of first class postage as the end of the year approached. Christmas stamps were released without denomination, giving the [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service| United States Postal Service]] flexibility to refrain from reprinting hundreds of millions of stamps in a new denomination. The rate increase, to thirteen cents (US$0.13), occurred just after Christmas.

The United States also issued stamps with letter denomination, beginning from ''A'', ''B'', etc., during [[wikipedia:history of United States Postal Service rates|postal rate changes]]. After reaching the letter "H", this practice was discarded in favor of simply indicating the class of postage (e.g., first class) for which the stamp was intended.

===Forever stamps===

In [[wikipedia:2006| 2006]], the US Postal Service applied for permission to issue a stamp similar to non-denominated stamps in the UK, termed the "'''forever stamp'''", for [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service#First-Class mail|first-class postage]].<ref>Lee, Christopher (2006-05-04). "Proposed stamp would resist postal rate hikes", [[wikipedia:The News Journal| The News Journal]], [[wikipedia:The Washington Post| The Washington Post]], pp. A1, A12.</ref>

On March 26 [[wikipedia:2007| 2007]], the US Postal service unveiled the first such stamp, which went on sale [[wikipedia:April 12| April 12]] [[wikipedia:2007| 2007]], for 41 [[wikicoins:US Cent|cents]] (US$0.41).<ref>[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FOREVER_STAMP?SITE=TXCLU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Post Office Unveils 'Forever' Stamp] from [[wikipedia:Associated Press| Associated Press]]. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.</ref> The first NVI stamp issued by the USPS was the so-called "Liberty Bell" stamp, which is marked "USA FIRST-CLASS FOREVER".

Some fundraising (or semipostal) stamps have had this feature for years. For example, the [[breast cancer research stamp]] was issued in [[wikipedia:1998| 1998]].

==Canada==

Canada's NVI is called the "Permanent" stamp, which is a trademarked term.

In announcing its decision to adopt non-denominated postage in [[wikipedia:2006| 2006]], [[wikipedia:Canada Post| Canada Post]] noted that it had to print more than 60 million one-cent stamps following the last price increase in 2005. It is marked by a white capital ''P'' overlaid on a red maple leaf, which is itself within a white circle.

Both the Canadian and American NVI programs are essentially equivalent, both covering regular first-class mail. One NVI stamp covers the cost of mailing a standard letter up to 30 g in Canada, and up to 1 oz (28 g) in the United States.

== Singapore ==

[[Image:Singapore2007Definitives.jpg|thumb|The Singaporean 2007 definitive 1st and 2nd Local stamps, for standard letters of up to 20g and 40g respectively.]]

[[wikipedia:Singapore| Singapore]] has two NVIs today: 1st Local and 2nd Local.

The first Singaporean NVIs were issued in [[wikipedia:1995| 1995]]; almost every issue had a "For Local Addresses Only" stamp. Later, in [[wikipedia:2004| 2004]], a new NVI denomination was released: "2nd Local". Since then almost all issues have "1st Local" stamps, and some have "2nd Local" stamps, rather than the previous "For Local Addresses Only". 1st Local stamps are valid for standard letters within Singapore up to 20g, and 2nd Local stamps are valid for standard letters within Singapore up to 40g.

== Scandinavia ==

=== Åland ===

The Åland islands currently issue three NVI denominations: Inrikes (domestic), Europa (Europe) and Världen (the world).

=== Sweden ===

Sweden currently issues one form of NVI: the Brev (literally 'letter') stamp: valid for letters within Sweden of up to 20g. "Brev" or "Brev Inrikes" ('letter domestic') is printed on the stamps.

== See also ==
* [[Denomination]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.canadapost.ca/textonly/personal/corporate/about/newsroom/pr/default-e.asp?prid=1182 Canada Post news release, 19 September [[wikipedia:2006| 2006]]]. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
* [http://www.gbstamps.com/machins/faq3.html Discussion of UK version]. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR2006050301039.html ''Washington Post'' article on the forever stamp]
* [http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2006/pr06_031.htm Official announcement of the US forever stamp proposal]

==External links==
* [http://www.usps.com United States Postal Service]
* [http://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/Q604a.htm United States Postal Service guide to non-denominated postage stamps]
* [http://www.alphabetilately.com/G2.html Non-denominated US stamps: Pictures and rates]
* [http://foreverstamps.com ForeverStamps.com] Blog covering the Forever Stamp
* [http://www.slate.com/id/2166475?nav=tap3] Criticism of Forever Stamps

[[Category:Philately]]

Two Pence Blue

WikiSysop — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:15:21 GMT

Summary: New page: [[Image:GB_2d_Blue_Postage_Stamp.jpg|right|frame|2d blue postage stamp; this is an 1841 printing on pale blue paper.]] The '''Two Penny Blue''' was the world’s second official [[postage ...

[[Image:GB_2d_Blue_Postage_Stamp.jpg|right|frame|2d blue postage stamp; this is an 1841 printing on pale blue paper.]]
The '''Two Penny Blue''' was the world’s second official [[postage stamp]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production =
*Location of Production =
*Date of Production =
*Nature of Rarity =
*Number in Existence =
*Face Value =
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
It was issued in the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] in May [[wikipedia:1840|1840]], and was essentially the same format as the [[Penny Black]]. It was intended that the 2d blue was to be issued at the same time as the 1d black, however there is doubt about this - the earliest post mark seen on one of these was the 8th of May 1840, two days later than the [[penny black]]. The first issues of this value, (intended for double rate letters), were printed from plates 1 and 2.

Later when the colours of the stamps were being revised, the colours chosen were red-brown for the penny value and a new blue ink for the two pence value. As the printed stamps in the new ink looked the same as the original issue, it was decided to add a horizontal line at the top and bottom of the label so as the newer printings could be easily identified. These are generally referred to as the ''white lines added issue''.

==See also==
* [[Penny Red]]

[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

Robert Penn Warren Commemorative Stamp

WikiSysop — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:35:31 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:RobertPennWarren.png|thumb|right|350px|Robert Penn Warren Commemorative Stamp]]
In April 2005, the [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service|United States Postal Service]] issued '''Robert Penn Warren Commemorative Stamp''' to mark the 100th anniversary of Penn Warren's birth. Introduced at the Post Office in his native Guthrie, it depicts the author as he appeared in a 1948 photograph, with a background scene of a political rally designed to evoke the setting of ''[[wikifirsteditions:All the Kings Men|All the King's Men]].'' His son and daughter, Gabriel and [[wikipedia:Rosanna Warren|Rosanna Warren]], were in attendance.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production =
*Location of Production=
*Date of Production=
*Nature of Rarity =
*Number in Existence =
*Face Value =
*Estimated Value =

== Background ==
'''Robert Penn Warren''' (April 24, [[wikipedia:1905| 1905]] – September 15, [[wikipedia:1989| 1989]]) was an [[wikipedia:United States|American]] poet, [[wikifirsteditions:novelist| novelist]], and literary critic, and was one of the founders of [[wikipedia:New Criticism|New Criticism]]. He was also a charter member of the [[wikipedia:Fellowship of Southern Writers|Fellowship of Southern Writers]]. He is the only person to have won Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and poetry. He won the Pulitzer in 1947 for his novel ''[[wikifirsteditions:All the Kings Men|All the King's Men]]'' ([[wikipedia:1946| 1946]]) and won his subsequent Pulitzers for poetry in 1957 and then in 1979.

Warren was born in [[wikipedia:Guthrie, Kentucky|Guthrie, Kentucky]], on April 24 [[wikipedia:1905| 1905]]. He graduated from [[wikipedia:Clarksville High School (Tennessee)|Clarksville High School]] in Tennessee, [[wikipedia:Vanderbilt University|Vanderbilt University]] in 1925 and the [[wikipedia:University of California, Berkeley|University of California, Berkeley]] in 1926. Warren later attended [[wikipedia:Yale University|Yale University]] and obtained his B. Litt. as a [[wikipedia:Rhodes Scholar|Rhodes Scholar]] from [[wikipedia:New College, Oxford|New College, Oxford]], in [[wikipedia:England| England]] in 1930. That same year he married Emma Brescia, from whom he divorced in 1951. He then married [[wikipedia:Eleanor Clark|Eleanor Clark]] in 1952. They had two children, [[wikipedia:Rosanna Warrenn|Rosanna Phelps Warren]] (b. July 1953) and Gabriel Penn Warren (b.July 1955). Though his works strongly reflect Southern themes and mindset, Warren published his most famous work, ''[[wikifirsteditions:All the Kings Men|All the King's Men]]'', while a professor at The [[wikipedia:University of Minnesota|University of Minnesota]] and lived the latter part of his life in [[wikipedia:Fairfield, Connecticut|Fairfield, Connecticut]], and [[wikipedia:Stratton, Vermont|Stratton, Vermont]]. He also received a [[wikipedia:Guggenheim Fellowship|Guggenheim Fellowship]] to study in [[wikipedia:Italy| Italy]] during the reign of [[wikipedia:Benito Mussolini|Benito Mussolini]]. He died on [[wikipedia:September 15| September 15]] [[wikipedia:1989| 1989]] of complications from bone cancer.

==Career==
While still an undergraduate at Vanderbilt, Warren became associated with the group of poets there known as the [[wikipedia:Fugitives (poets)|Fugitives]], and somewhat later, during the early [[wikipedia:1930s| 1930s]], Warren and some of the same writers formed a group known as the [[wikipedia:Southern Agrarians|Southern Agrarians]]. He contributed "The Briar Patch" to the [[wikipedia:Agrarianism|Agrarian]] manifesto ''I'll Take My Stand'' along with 11 other Southern writers and poets (including fellow Vanderbilt poet/critics [[wikipedia:John Crowe Ransom|John Crowe Ransom]], [[wikipedia:Allen Tate|Allen Tate]], and [[wikipedia:Donald Davidson (poet)|Donald Davidson]]). In "The Briar Patch" the young Warren defends racial segregation, in line with the traditionalist [[wikipedia:American conservatism|conservative]] political leanings of the Agrarian group, although Davidson deemed Warren's stances in the essay so progressive that he argued for excluding it from the collection.<ref>Edwin Thomas Wood, "On Native Soil: A Visit with Robert Penn Warren," ''Mississippi Quarterly'' 38 (Winter 1984)</ref> However, Warren recanted these views in the 1950s by writing an article in ''[[wikipedia:Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine on the [[wikipedia:Civil Rights Movement|Civil Rights Movement]] and adopted a high profile as a supporter of [[wikipedia:racial integration|racial integration]]. He also published ''[[wikipedia:Who Speaks for the Negro|Who Speaks for the Negro]]'', a collection of interviews with black civil rights leaders including [[wikipedia:Malcolm X|Malcolm X]], in 1965, further distinguishing his political leanings from the more conservative philosophies associated with fellow Agrarians such as Tate, [[wikipedia:Cleanth Brooks|Cleanth Brooks]], and particularly Davidson.

Warren served as the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, [[wikipedia:Poet Laureate|Poet Laureate]], 1944-1945 and went on to win the [[wikipedia:Pulitzer Prize|Pulitzer Prize]] in 1947, for his best known work, the novel ''[[wikifirsteditions:All the Kings Men|All the King's Men]]'', whose main character, Willie Stark, resembles the radical [[wikipedia:Populism|populist]] governor of [[wikipedia:Louisiana| Louisiana]], [[wikipedia:Huey Pierce Long|Huey Pierce Long]] (1893-1935), whom Warren was able to observe closely while teaching at [[wikipedia:Louisiana State University|Louisiana State University]] in [[wikipedia:Baton Rouge|Baton Rouge]] from 1933-42. Warren won Pulitzer Prizes in poetry in 1958 for ''Promises: Poems 1954-1956'', and in 1979 for ''Now and Then''. He is the only writer ever to win the Pulitzer in both fiction and poetry.<ref>Nelson, Randy F. ''The Almanac of American Letters''. Los Altos, California: William Kaufmann, Inc., 1981: 27. ISBN 086576008X</ref> ''All the King's Men,'' starring [[wikipedia:Broderick Crawford|Broderick Crawford]], became a highly successful film, winning the [[wikipedia:Academy Award for Best Picture|Academy Award for Best Picture]] in 1949. A 2006 film adaptation by writer/director [[wikipedia:Steven Zaillian|Steven Zaillian]] featured [[wikipedia:Sean Penn|Sean Penn]] as Willie Stark and [[wikipedia:Jude Law|Jude Law]] as Jack Burden.

In 1981, Warren was selected as a [[wikipedia:MacArthur Fellow|MacArthur Fellow]] and later was named as the first U.S. [[wikipedia:Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry|Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry]] on February 26, [[wikipedia:1986| 1986]]. Warren was co-author, with [[wikipedia:Cleanth Brooks|Cleanth Brooks]], of ''Understanding Poetry'', an influential literature textbook (which was followed by other similarly coauthored textbooks ''Understanding Fiction'', which was praised by Southern Gothic and Roman Catholic writer [[wikipedia:Flannery O'Connor| Flannery O'Connor]], and ''Modern Rhetoric'' written from what can be called a [[wikipedia:New Critical|New Critical]] approach).

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

*[http://thefsw.org/page/members/charter-members/robert-penn-warren Robert Penn Warren bio at The Fellowship of Southern Writers]

[[Category:The United States]]

All Aboard! 20th Century American Trains

WikiSysop — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:09:33 GMT

Summary: New page: [[Image:Superchiefstamp.jpg|thumb|300px|right|One of five ''All Aboard! 20th Century American Trains'' [[commemorative stamp]]s issued by the USPS. Here, Santa Fe locomotive #6 (an [[wikip...

[[Image:Superchiefstamp.jpg|thumb|300px|right|One of five ''All Aboard! 20th Century American Trains'' [[commemorative stamp]]s issued by the USPS. Here, Santa Fe locomotive #6 (an [[wikipedia:EMD E1|EMD E1]] unit) is seen painted in the ''Super Chief's'' distinctive ''Warbonnet'' livery.]]
In August, 1999 the [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service|United States Postal Service]] issued a set of 33¢ postage stamps entitled '''''All Aboard! 20th Century American Trains''''' to "''pay tribute to American industry and design, and specifically to the heritage of our railroads.''" Artist [[wikipedia:Ted Rose|Ted Rose]] created five [[wikipedia:watercolor|watercolor]] images depicting the following celebrated American [[wikipedia:List of named passenger trains|named passenger trains]] from the 1930s and 1940s:

* the ''Congressional'' of the [[wikipedia:Pennsylvania Railroad|Pennsylvania Railroad]];
* the ''[[wikipedia:Coast Daylight (SP)|Daylight]]'' of the [[wikipedia:Southern Pacific Railroad|Southern Pacific Railroad]];
* the ''[[wikipedia:Hiawatha (passenger train)|Hiawatha]]'' of the [[wikipedia:Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]];
* the ''[[wikipedia:Super Chief|Super Chief]]'' of the [[wikipedia:Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]]; and
* the ''[[wikipedia:20th Century Limited|20th Century Limited]]'' of the [[wikipedia:New York Central Railroad|New York Central Railroad]].

Descriptive text regarding each of the trains was listed on the gummed side of each stamp.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.usps.com/images/stamps/99/all_aboard.htm ''All Aboard! 20th Century American Trains''] 1999 USPS Stamp Program

[[Category:The United States]]

Commemorative stamp

WikiSysop — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:01:15 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Faroe stamp 332 human rights.jpg|right|frame|This 1998 stamp of the [[wikipedia:Faroe Islands|Faroe Islands]] marks the 50th anniversary of the [[wikipedia:Universal Declaration of Human Rights|Universal Declaration of Human Rights]].]]

A '''commemorative stamp''' is a [[postage stamp]] issued to honor or commemorate a place, event or person. Most [[wikipedia:mail|postal service]]s of the world issue several of these each year, often holding [[wikipedia:first day of issue|first day of issue]] ceremonies at locations connected with the subjects. Commemorative stamps are usually used alongside ordinary or regular-issue stamps of the time, although in some cases their use has been obligatory.

There are several candidates for the title of first commemorative. A 17-cent stamp issued in [[wikipedia:1860|1860]] by [[wikipedia:New Brunswick|New Brunswick]], showing the [[wikipedia:Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]] in anticipation of his visit is one possibility. <ref>[http://www.rpsc.org/cp/charles_connell.html Charles Connell]</ref> The [[wikipedia:United States|United States]] 15-cent black stamp of [[wikipedia:1866|1866]] depicts [[wikipedia:Abraham Lincoln|Abraham Lincoln]], and was the first stamp issued after his assassination in [[wikipedia:1865|1865]], but it was not officially declared as a memorial to him. The U.S. also issued a 5-cent stamp in [[wikipedia:1882|1882]] showing the recently murdered President [[wikipedia:James A. Garfield|James A. Garfield]]. In addition, the United States issued [[wikipedia:stamped envelope|stamped envelope]]s for the [[wikipedia:Centennial Exposition|Centennial Exposition]] in [[wikipedia:1876|1876]], although technically these are [[wikipedia:postal stationery|postal stationery]] and not stamps. The [[wikipedia:United Kingdom|UK]]'s [[wikipedia:Jubilee Issue|Jubilee Issue]] of [[wikipedia:1887|1887]] may be thought of as commemorative of the 50 years' reign of [[wikipedia:Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria]], although there are no special inscriptions on the stamps, and they were intended as regular stamps.

[[Image:Stamp New South Wales 1888 1p.jpg|left|200px|thumb|1888 1d of New South Wales, one of the first commemoratives in the world.]]
The first undoubtedly commemorative stamps were issued by [[wikipedia:New South Wales|New South Wales]] in [[wikipedia:1888|1888]] to mark its 100th anniversary; the six types all include the inscription "<small>ONE HUNDRED YEARS</small>". Commemoratives followed in 1891 for [[wikipedia:Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] and [[wikipedia:Romania|Romania]], then in [[wikipedia:1892|1892]] and [[wikipedia:1893|1893]] a half-dozen nations of America issued commemoratives for the 400th anniversary of the discovery by [[wikipedia:Christopher Columbus|Christopher Columbus]].

The appearance of commemoratives caused a backlash among some [[wikipedia:stamp collector|stamp collector]]s, who balked at the prospect of laying out ever-larger sums to acquire the stamps of the world, and they formed the [[wikipedia:Society for the Suppression of Speculative Stamps|Society for the Suppression of Speculative Stamps]] around [[wikipedia:1894|1894]] to [[wikipedia:blacklist|blacklist]] what they deemed to be excessive stamps. However, it had very little effect, and today the early commemoratives are prized by collectors.

Today, commemorative stamp collection remains one of the most popular collection hobbies in the world.
<br style="clear:both;">
[[Image:Superchiefstamp.jpg|thumb|250px|right|One of five ''[[All Aboard! 20th Century American Trains|All Aboard! 20th Century American Trains]]'' commemorative stamps issued by the [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service|United States Postal Service]] in August, 1999, this stamps honors the Super Chief but is not associated with any particular event or anniversary.]]

==See also==
* [[Definitive stamp]]
* [[List of Great Britain commemorative stamps]]
* [[List of philatelic bureaus]]
* [[List of people on stamps]]
* [[Miniature sheet]]
* [[Stamp collecting]]
* [[Postage stamp|Stamps]]

== References ==

<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.stanleygibbons.com/home/index.asp/ Stanley Gibbons stamps shops homepage]
* [http://www.allworldstamps.com/ All World Stamps]

[[Category:Postage stamps]]

Stamp Collecting

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:44:19 GMT

Summary: Copied from Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License

[[Image:Filatelie.jpg|thumb|275px|A [[stamp album]] page with different [[wikipedia:Machin series|Machin]] stamps and spaces for missing stamps]]

'''Stamp collecting''' is the [[wikipedia:collecting|collecting]] of [[postage stamp]]s and related objects, such as [[covers]] (envelopes or packages with stamps on them). It is one of the world's most popular [[wikipedia:hobby|hobbies]], with estimates of the number of collectors ranging up to 20 million in the [[wikipedia:United States|United States]] alone.

==Collecting==
[[Image:Carcassonne_stamp_2000.jpg|left|300px|thumb|A French stamp issued in a panoramic format.]]Collecting is not the same as [[philately]], which is the study of stamps. A philatelist often does, but need not, collect the objects of study, nor is it necessary to closely study what one collects. Many casual collectors enjoy accumulating stamps without worrying about the tiny details, but the creation of a large or comprehensive collection generally requires some philatelic knowledge.

Stamp collectors are an important source of [[wikipedia:revenue|revenue]] for some small countries who create limited runs of elaborate stamps designed mainly to be bought by stamp collectors. The stamps produced by these countries far exceed the postal needs of the countries.

Some collectors, observing the generally rising prices of rare stamps, have taken to [[philatelic investment]]. Rare stamps are among the most portable of tangible investments, and are easy to store.

== History ==
The first postage stamp, the [[Penny Black]], was issued by Britain in 1840. It pictured a young Queen Victoria, was produced without perforations (imperforate), and consequently had to be cut from the sheet with scissors in order to be used. While unused examples of the "Penny Black" are quite scarce, used examples are common, and may be purchased for $25 to $150, depending upon its condition.

Children and teenagers were early collectors of stamps in the [[wikipedia:1860s|1860s]] and [[wikipedia:1870s|1870s]]. Many adults dismissed it as a childish pursuit.

[[Image:Stamp Falkland Islands 1891 0.5p.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Queen Victoria's profile was a staple on 19th century stamps of the [[wikipedia:British Empire|British Empire]]; here on a half-penny of the [[wikipedia:Falkland Islands|Falkland Islands]], 1891.]]

During the late [[wikipedia:1800s|1800s]] many of those collectors, as adults, began to systematically study the available postage stamps and published research works on their production, [[wikipedia:plate flaw|plate flaw]]s, etc.

Some stamps such as the triangular issues of the Cape of Good Hope became legendary. (See [http://web.archive.org/web/20070607194535/http://www.capepostalhistory.com/ Stamps of the Cape of Good Hope]).

It was not until the [[wikipedia:1920s|1920s]] that publicity about valuable stamps encouraged a large increase in the number of stamp collectors. This rapid increase in postage stamp values was largely because very few of the older stamps were being saved in good condition. Especially difficult to find were pairs, triples, and large blocks of older stamps.

Because many U.S. stamp issues of the 1920s rose rapidly in value, during the [[wikipedia:1930s|1930s]] many American collectors stockpiled mint U.S. stamps with the hopes of selling them for a sizeable profit in a few years' time. This never materialized. Even today, more than 60 years later, one can find many 1930s U.S. issues in mint condition for close to face value, and many [[wikipedia:stamp dealer|stamp dealer]]s and collectors still use stamps issued as far back as the 1930s for postage when mailing letters.

Most U.S. postage stamps issued since the 1930s are easy to obtain and have minimal value. Some high face value stamps, such as the $2.60 United States Graf [[wikipedia:Zeppelin|Zeppelin]] issued in 1930, are worth substantial amounts of money. Other stamps issued since 1930 that are usually worth something are [[souvenir sheet]]s from popular countries, hard to find [[plate number coil]]s, and errors in printing.

== Future ==
It has become commonplace to declare that the future of stamp collecting is bleak, because of the increasing popularity of [[wikipedia:e-mail|e-mail]], other electronic forms of communication, and [[Stamps.com|custom-made stamps]]. However, both the [[wikipedia:Telegraphy|telegraph]] and [[wikipedia:telephone|telephone]] were revolutionary alternatives to physical mail when introduced in the 19th century, yet did not spell the end of stamps on mail. Also, collectors tend to be just as interested in old stamps as new ones, and they would not stop collecting just because no new stamps were being introduced; on the contrary, in forums such as the letters page of ''[[wikipedia:Linn's Stamp News|Linn's Stamp News]]'', many collectors complain that there are too many new types of stamps to keep up with each year, and that the flood seems to be increasing rather than decreasing.

==Stamp collecting equipment==

No equipment is needed in order to be able to collect stamps. However, the great majority of collectors choose to invest in a few essential items for the better display, preservation and inspection of their stamps. Below are some of the more commonly used pieces of stamp collecting equipment.

The easiest and cheapest method to store stamps is placing them in [[wikipedia:glassine|glassine]] envelopes and storing them in a box free from humidity, light, and heat. This obviously will be of no help when trying to go through the stamps for display or other purpose. Placing stamps in [[wikipedia:stamp album|stamp album]]s helps in easy display of the stamp collection. Stamps can be displayed as per the wish of the collector, by country, topic, or even size, such that the ultimate display is pleasing to the eyes.

== Acquiring stamps ==
The starting point for many new collectors is to ask family and friends to save stamps from their incoming mail. Although the stamps received by major businesses, and those kept by elderly relatives, may be of international and historical interest, the stamps received from family members are often of the definitive sort. Definitives seem mundane but, considering their variety of colours, watermarks, paper differences, perforations and printing errors, they can fill many pages in a collection. Introducing either variety or specific focus to a collection can require the purchasing of stamps, either from a dealer or online. Large numbers of relatively recent stamps, often still attached to fragments or envelopes, may be obtained cheaply and easily. Rare and old stamps can also be easily obtained via similar channels, with costs extending far beyond the means of all but a tiny minority of collectors.

Duplicate stamps are the stamps that a collector already has, and are therefore not required to fill a gap in a collection. Duplicate stamps can be sold or traded, so they are an important medium of exchange among collectors.

Many stamp dealers sell their merchandise over the Internet. Others have neighborhood stamp shops, one of the best resources for beginning and intermediate collectors. Some dealers also jointly set up week-end stamp markets called "Bourses" that move around a region from week to week. They also meet collectors at regional exhibitions and stamp shows.

== Collecting specialties ==
A complete worldwide collection would be enormous, running to thousands of volumes, and incredibly expensive to acquire; many consider that Count [[wikipedia:Ferrary|Ferrary]]'s collection at the beginning of the 20th century was the most complete ever formed. So many collectors limit their scope, such as to particular countries, time periods, depicted subjects (called "topicals") or types of stamps.

Some of the more popular collecting areas include:

* [[Postage stamp]]s - particular countries and/or time periods
** Definitive stamps - the most common type of stamps
**Commemorative stamps - stamps to commemorate events, anniversaries etc., on sale for a limited time. Commemorative stamps are available at a stamp dealer.
**Pictorials - stamps printed with images of a country's scenery or lifestyle.
** Revenue stamps - stamps issued to pay tax in small amounts. Some early stamps had ''Postage and Revenue'' printed on them, to indicate that they were acceptable for both uses.
* [[Postal stationery]] - includes government-issued post cards, [[aerogram]]s, air letter sheets, etc.; interestingly, the earliest postal stationery predates the earliest stamps- the Kingdom of Sardinia issued the first postal letter sheets in 1819.
* [[Revenue stamp]]s
* [[Sheet of stamps|Sheets]]
** Sheetlets - this is a format that is now issued regularly by postal administrations. Instead of issuing stamps in large sheets of 40 or more stamps, smaller sheetlets with 16 or 20 stamps are issued with a large selvage area which may incorporate part of the stamp design or theme.
** [[Miniature sheet]] - is very similar to Souvenir sheet, it will be in a form of a sheetlet with a single or a number of stamps embedded in it.
** [[Souvenir sheet]]s - the many postal services sometimes release stamps in a format that look like a sheet with a big picture. Various parts of the picture can be torn out and used as postage stamps. See [http://new.usps.com/cgi-bin/uspsbv/scripts/printfriendly.jsp?D=16480 example] with 10 stamps in one picture. (Souvenir sheets should be distinguished from [[souvenir card]]s, which are souvenirs of a philatelic meeting or exhibition but are not valid for postage.)
** Corner blocks - composes a block of stamps from one of the four corners of the stamp sheet. Collectors usually opt for a block of four stamps, complete with the selvage area which will sometimes have the printing details on it.
* [[Postage due]] stamps/labels
* [[Federal Duck Stamp|Federal Duck stamps]] (stamps for duck hunting licenses, mainly U.S. with some other countries such as Canada and New Zealand)
* [[First day cover]]s - (FDCs) - envelopes with stamps attached and canceled on the first day that the stamp was issued. Most modern FDCs bear designs, called "[[cachet]]s" related to the theme of the stamp issued.
* [[PHQ Cards]], these cards are pictorial [[wikipedia:postcards|postcards]], issued by the British Post Office {[[wikipedia:Royal Mail|Royal Mail]]}, each card shows an enlarged colour reproduction of a commemorative stamp.
* First Day Ceremony Programs - these are folders or brochures given out to attendees of the First Day Ceremonies of postage stamps, with historical information on the stamp, a list of speakers, and an attached stamp, canceled on the First Day of Issue. Collectors of "FDCPs" generally prefer their programs autographed by those who spoke at the ceremony.
* [[souvenir page]]s - with first day cancelled stamps on a page describing all design, printing and issuing details. This is similar to first day covers except that it is done on a printed sheet of paper instead of an envelope, and the specification of the stamp is printed by the official source. See [http://www.stampprof.com/sp/sp72-00a.gif picture of first souvenir page in the US].
* [[Topical stamp collecting|Topical]] - many collectors choose to organize their philatelic collection on the theme of the stamps, covers, or postmarks. Popular topical themes are animals, dogs, cats, butterflies, birds, flowers, art, sports, Olympics, maps, Disney, scouting, space, ships, Americana (topics relating to the US), stamps on stamps, famous people, chess, [[Chinese new year stamps|Chinese new year]], and many others.
* [[Philatelic literature]]
* Cinderellas - stamp-like labels that are not valid for postage
* Government issued material associated with postage stamps (e.g., envelopes)
* stamp-like labels
* non-stamp items picturing actual postage stamps
* non-stamp items picturing stamp-like labels
* counterfeit/forged postage stamps (Before purchasing a rare and valuable stamp for which there is any doubt as to authenticity, it is always advisable to obtain an expert's certificate stating that the stamp is authentic. The most prominent stamp expertising organizations in the U.S. are the Philatelic Foundation and the American Philatelic Society.) There are several types of collectible faked postage stamps:
** [[postal counterfeit]]s are produced by criminals for fraudulent use as postage stamps; frequently, these are scarcer than the stamps which they were intended to represent in part because counterfeits are subject to government seizure and selling them may be illegal
** forgeries of rare stamps
** [[reprint]]s are produced by government printing offices or private organizations using the plates used to produce the original stamps; stamp catalogues often contain information on how to distinguish reprints from the originals
** [[faked stamp]]s are common stamps which have been altered to resemble rare stamps; examples of such "fakery" include forged overprints, forged cancellations, chemical alterations of a stamp's color, added perforations.
* [[postmark]]s or [[postal marking]]s in general
** [[wikipedia:Pre-adhesive mail|stampless covers]] - not all postal markings are associated with postage stamps. Prior to the issuance of postage stamps, postmarks were applied to letters at the location where they entered the mails. The markings were either in manuscript or, at larger post offices, were made with handstamps. Many of these handstamps resemble those in use today (a circle containing the location and date of posting). Typically, the amount of postage was written in the upper right hand corner of the letter or package and the word "Paid" added to the amount if the postage was prepaid. However, a majority of letters and packages were sent without prepayment and the recipient was expected to pay the amount written on the letter or package.

== Organizations ==
[[Image:Thaipex05 booth.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A booth at the show THAIPEX 2005 in Thailand.]]

There are thousands of organizations for collectors, ranging from local stamp clubs, to special-interest groups, to national organizations. Most nations of the world have a national collectors' organization of some sort; the [[wikipedia:American Philatelic Society|American Philatelic Society]] in the [[wikipedia:United States|United States]] is an example. The [[wikipedia:Internet|Internet]] has greatly expanded the availability of stamp collecting information and has also made it easier for starting and intermediate stamp collectors to obtain stamps, covers and other philatelic material.

Stamp clubs and philatelic societies can add a social aspect to the experience of stamp collecting, and provide a forum where novices may associate with more experienced collectors. Despite such organizations often being advertised in stamp magazines and online, the relatively small number of collectors in society at large - especially outside of urban areas - means that a stamp club may be difficult to set up and sustain. The Internet has provided a partial solution to this problem, as the association of collectors online is not limited by geographical distance. For this reason, many highly-specific stamp clubs have been established on the web, with international membership.[http://www.stamphelp.com/STAMP%20CLUBS%20&%20SOCIETY%20LINKS%20PAGE.HTM] It is debatable whether the social, real-time contact of a stamp club is comparable with the textual and photographic communication of online organizations, or whether the development of the latter constitutes '[[wikipedia:Social progress|progress]]'. Organizations such as the [[wikipedia:Cinderella Stamp Club (UK)|Cinderella Stamp Club (UK)]] retain hundreds of members interested in a specific aspect of collecting. Social organizations, such as the Lion's Club and Rotary International, have also formed stamp collecting groups specific to those stamps that are issued from 100's of countries worldwide that bear their organization's logo.An example of one American stamp show that has been operating for almost 60-years is the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show in Denver. This is a further example of a type of stamp show called World Series of Philately whereby the winners of top honors in one show can compete at other shows around the country and the grand winner then moves on to compete internationally.

==Rare stamps==
Rare stamps can be found in nearly all of the postage systems in the world, and are often over a century old. Two of the best known rare American stamps are the "[[Inverted Jenny]]" (which is actually a printing error) and the "1-cent Z grill" stamp.

Just two 1-cent [[Z grill]] stamps exist, and only one is available to stamp collectors. The other is in the collection of the [[wikipedia:New York Public Library|New York Public Library]]. Both of them are now on public exhibition at the Smithsonian's [[wikipedia:National Postal Museum|National Postal Museum]] in Washington, D.C. (through October 1, 2007).

Other [[wikipedia:List of notable postage stamps|rare and famous stamps]] include the [[Treskilling Yellow]], [[Penny Black]], [[Mauritius "Post Office"]] stamps, [[British Guiana 1c magenta]], and many others.

== Catalogues ==
[[Stamp catalogue]]s are the primary tool used by serious collectors to organize their collections, and for the identification and valuation of stamps. Most stamp shops have stamp catalogues available for purchase. There are hundreds of different catalogues, most specialized to particular countries or periods. Several major catalogues have worldwide coverage:

* [[wikipedia:Stanley Gibbons Ltd|Stanley Gibbons]] (Britain)
* [[wikipedia:Scott catalogue|Scott]] (USA)
* [[wikipedia:Michel catalog|Michel]] (Germany)
* [[wikipedia:Yvert et Tellier|Yvert]] (France)

Other catalogues focus on individual countries or regions, or specialized types of stamps:
* ACS Colour Catalogue - this 2007 30th edition catalogue is published by Auckland City Stamps, Auckland, NZ, covers New Zealand stamps issued from 1855 to 2007. It is also available in an online edition.

* Australasian Stamp Catalogue - a single volume basic catalogue for Australia and its territories published by Seven Seas Stamps
* Australian Commonwealth Specialists' Catalogue - a nine volume specialist catalogue published by Brusden White
* Campbell Paterson's Catalogue of New Zealand Stamps
* Darnell Stamps of Canada Catalogue
* Phila India Guide Book - this 2005 13th edition full colour catalogue published by Phila India, Kolkata, India, covers Indian stamps issued from 1800 to 2004. It does not cover the Princely states.

* Unitrade Specialized Catalogue of Canadian Stamps
* State Revenue Stamps Catalog, published by the State Revenue Society, and edited by Scott Troutman

Additionally, certain organizations, namely Lion's Club and Rotary International (Rotary-on Stamps), have had such pervasive influence and exposure in many countries that countries have issued stamps bearing the logos of the respective organizations. For instance, Rotary International's Rotary-on-Stamps can be found issued from hundreds of countries with key collectibles from countries such as Austria, Korea and Cuba, dating as far back as the 1930's.

=== By Region/Country ===
* Australasia
* Asia: China, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Straits Settlements
* France and colonies
* Israel
* Latin America
* Portugal and colonies
* Arab world
* Canada
**[http://www.collectionscanada.ca/postal-archives/index-e.html Canadian Postal Archives], perhaps not a catalogue but a virtual stamp collection of Canadian stamps
* Russia, USSR
* Antarctica
* Great Britain and Commonwealth
**[http://bps.gov.bb/index.php?ZZZ=4_1055_9 Barbados Postal Service collectors page]
* Hungary
* Italy
**[http://www.ibolli.it free Italian stamps catalogue]
* Africa
* USA
* Caribbean
* New Zealand
**[http://www.nzstamps.com/Cat_pages/Cat01.html Auckland City Stamps' New Zealand Stamps]
* Vatican

===By Theme or Topic===
Thematic collecting is very popular among stamp collectors. In this form only stamps on a particular theme or topic are collected instead of a broad based collection.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*Richard McP. Cabeen, ''Standard Handbook of Stamp Collecting'' (Collectors Club, 1979)
* Edward J. Nankivell, ''Stamp Collecting as a Pastime'' Stanley Gibbons Philatelic Handbooks (1902); reprinted, ARC Manor (2006); Dodo Press (2007) ISBN 1406530581

==External links==
*[[wikipedia:b:World Stamp Catalogue|The WikiBooks Worldwide Stamp Catalogue]]
* [http://www.stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com/ Stamp Collecting Round-Up] Interesting news, articles, resources and links about stamps, stamp collecting, and postal operations.
* [http://www.stampnews.com/ StampNews.com] Provides updates on new stamp issues and stamp collecting from around the world.
* [http://www.glassinesurfer.com/ Glassine Surfer] Stamp columns, blog, links, stories, help.
* [http://www.reinhardfischerauktionen.de/lexikon_e.htm Philatelic Dictionary] English - German - French
* [http://www.stamp2.com/ Stamp2.com] All things philately
* [http://www.washpress.com/ The Washington Press] Resources for Stamp Collectors
* [http://www.stamplisting.com/ www.stamplisting.com] Postage stamp collecting web directory for stamp collectors / stamp exchange.
* [http://www.stamps.org/ The American Philatelic Society] The United States national philatelic group.
* [http://virtualstampclub.com/ The Virtual Stamp Club] An internet stamp club with news articles, new issue information, and on-line forum. Membership open to all.
* [http://www.stampnewsnow.com/ Stamp News Magazines] Home to both Mekeel's & Stamps Weekly and U.S. Stamp News Monthly
* [http://www.rockymountainstampshow.com/ The Rocky Mountain Stamp Show] Denver, Colorado. One of the World Series of Philately shows.

[[Category:Stamp collecting]]
[[Category:Philately]]

Cover

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:16:35 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Pioneer_Zephyr_first_run_covers.jpg|thumb|300px|Commemorative covers that were carried aboard the ''[[wikipedia:Pioneer Zephyr|Pioneer Zephyr]]'' for its first revenue run (November 11 [[wikipedia:1934|1934]]) and as it crossed the one million mile mark (December 29 [[wikipedia:1939|1939]]).]]
In [[philately]], a '''cover''' is an [[wikipedia:envelope|envelope]] or [[wikipedia:package|package]], typically with [[postage stamp|stamps]] that have been cancelled.

The term originates from the practice of covering a letter by folding a separate sheet about it to physically protect and prevent infringement of confidentiality. In the first half of the 19th century it became the fashion to cut the cover into a diamond or lozenge shape. This was the precursor version of the envelope as it is known today. Its popularity was ensured in Britain when the lozenge design was adopted for the special pre-paid postage envelopes and covers issued at the launch the postal reforms of 1840.

A [[first day cover]] is typically an envelope with a postage stamp cancelled on its first day of issue. The design or theme of the stamp is printed on the cover to enhance its appeal to the philatelic community.

A pre-stamped cover is a cover that has the stamp image pre-printed on it.

A coin cover also called [[numismatic]] cover is one which is used to commemorate a newly minted coin. It is mounted in a special plastic bubble in which the coin is placed. This bubble is then mounted inside the envelope with opening punched out on both sides to make both sides of the coin visible. This envelope will be stamped and cancelled with the first day cancel of the date of issue of the coin. In some cases the coin and stamp issues are done jointly as in the case of the Matterhorn issue by the Swiss Post in 2005, when a single numismatic cover with a [[wikipedia:Swiss franc|CHF]] 10 coin and a [[wikipedia:Swiss franc|CHF]] .85 stamp commemorated the [[wikipedia:Matterhorn|Matterhorn]] mountain.

A [[commemorative cover]] has a commemorative design and special postmark to mark the date of a specific event. A [[stampless cover]] is an envelope or folded outer sheet bearing an address and manuscript or ink-stamped postal markings without prepaid adhesive postage stamps, normally from the period before adhesive postage stamps became available or common in the mid-to-late 19th Century.

==References==
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>

==See also==
*[[Crash cover]]
*[[Pre-adhesive mail]]

[[Category:Envelopes]]
[[Category:Philatelic terminology]]

CIA invert

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:51:35 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:1610c.jpg|300px|thumb|right|CIA invert]]
The '''CIA invert''' is a one-dollar value [[postage stamp]] error issued by the [[wikipedia:USPS|United States Postal Service]]. It is one stamp from the [[wikipedia:Americana series|Americana series]] that were produced between [[wikipedia:1975|1975]] and [[wikipedia:1981|1981]]. The $1 colonial [[wikipedia:rushlight|rushlight]] holder stamp was first issued on July 2, 1979 and one sheet of 100 stamps was issued with the black (the last color printed, though it covers much of the stamp) inverted. The lamp candle holder and text are inverted relative to the flame. About 95 copies have been accounted for. The [[wikipedia:Scott catalogue|Scott catalogue]] number is: 1610c. This was the first United States stamp issued with a major design element printed upside down since the [[Dag Hammarskjöld invert]] error of 1962.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:United States|United States]]
*Location of Production =
*Date of Production = 2 July [[wikipedia:1979|1979]]
*Nature of Rarity = [[Invert error]]
*Number in Existence = 100
*Face Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US $]]1.00
*Estimated Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US $]]15,000

One sheet of stamps was bought by a [[wikipedia:CIA|CIA]] employee who had been sent to the post office to buy some stamps. After the involved employees saved one each, the remainder were sold to a stamp dealer. The Government attempted to reclaim them, but was not successful because they had been legally purchased from a post office clerk.<ref>[http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibits/2f1a_inverts.html] National Postal Museum (retrieved 29 September 2006)</ref><ref>[https://atlas.site5.com/~hgitnerc/CIAinvert.html] Henry Gitner (retrieved 29 September 2006)</ref>

The stamps catalog for only $15,000; one tenth of the [[Inverted Jenny]] that is valued at $150,000 yet about the same number of each stamp exist. A block-of-four stamps sold in 2004 for $60,000.<ref>[http://www.bennettstamps.com/cgi-bin/viewlot.pl?site=1&sale=283&lot=2118&lang=1] Matthew Bennett Auctions (retrieved 29 September 2006)</ref> [[wikipedia:September 2006|Recently]] reproductions have been sold on [[wikipedia:eBay|eBay]].

==Sources==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

==See also==
* [[Inverted jenny]]
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

==External links==
*[http://alphabetilately.com/I.html#CIA I is for invert]
*[http://www.mysticstamp.com/ Mystic Stamp Company]

[[Category:Postage stamps of the United States]]
[[Category:The United States]]

Dag Hammarskjöld invert

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:42:18 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Stamp US 1962 4c Dag Hamm.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Dag Hammarskjöld invert]]
The '''Dag Hammarskjöld invert''' is a 4-cent value [[postage stamp]] error issued on 23 October [[wikipedia:1962|1962]] by the [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service|United States Postal Service]] (then known as the [[wikipedia:United States Post Office Department|Post Office Department]]) one year after the death of [[wikipedia:Dag Hammarskjöld|Dag Hammarskjöld]], [[wikipedia:Secretary-General of the United Nations|Secretary-General of the United Nations]], in an airplane crash. The stamp, showing the yellow background inverted relative to the image and text, is also known as the '''Day's Folly''' after [[wikipedia:United States Postmaster General|Postmaster General]] [[wikipedia:J. Edward Day|J. Edward Day]] who ordered the intentional reprinting of the yellow invert commenting, "The Post Office Department is not running a jackpot operation."

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:United States|United States]]
*Location of Production =
*Date of Production = 23 October [[wikipedia:1962|1962]]
*Nature of Rarity = [[Invert error]]
*Number in Existence = 40,270,000
*Face Value = 4-cents [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US$]]
*Estimated Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US $]]0.50

==Background==
The [[wikipedia:Postage stamp reprint|stamp reprint]] was in effect a deliberate error produced by the Post Office Department to avoid creating a rarity. It was decided to reprint 40 million of the inverted stamps after the discovery of the error so there would be no rarity factor in the [[Invert error|inverted stamp]] and to prevent people profiting from the Postal Service's mistake.<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/errorsandfreaks_20010813/refreshercourse.asp?uID=] Linns: ''Errors versus errors, freaks and oddities'' (retrieved 29 September 2006)</ref> The reprints were issued to the public on 16 November and described as a ''Special Printing''.<ref>[http://www.siegelauctions.com/2005/895/y89558.htm] First day of issue in Robert Siegel 2005 auction (retrieved 29 September 2006)</ref>

The black, brown and yellow [[commemorative stamp]] with yellow background correctly printed has a [[wikipedia:Scott catalogue|Scott catalogue]] number of 1203 but the inverted error is numbered 1204. The catalogue value of the invert is worth little more than the normal. The stamp, printed on Giori press in plates of 200, was designed by Herbert Sanborn and engraved by C. A. Brooks. 121,440,00 normal stamps were printed and 40,270,000 of the inverted reprint were produced.<ref>[http://www.norbyhus.dk/dh/usa.html] ''Dag Hammarskjöld On Stamps'' by Chuck Matlack (retrieved 29 September 2006)</ref> It has not been recorded how many original invert stamps were produced and it is virtually impossible to tell a reprint from an original unless it has a clear early date, but an invert error on a [[wikipedia:First day of issue|first day cover]], proving that stamp was from the original printing and not from the reprint, was sold in 2005 for US $3,500.

The discovery sheet, owned by Leonard Sherman, a [[wikipedia:New Jersey|New Jersey]] jeweler, donated his sheet to the [[wikipedia:American Philatelic Society|American Philatelic Society]] in 1987 because the reprint dashed his hopes of owning a valuable stamp error.<ref>'''[[wikipedia:The American Philatelist|The American Philatelist]]''', ''It's a really Big Shoooow!, Barb Boal, August 2004, p863, [[wikipedia:American Philatelic Society|APS]], ISSN 0003-0474</ref>

==Sources==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

==See also==
* [[Invert error]]
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

==External links==
*[http://www.siegelauctions.com/2005/895/y89558.htm First Day cover with invert error] Robert Siegel 2005 Rarities of the World auction
*[http://alphabetilately.com/I.html#HAMMAR I is for invert]
*[http://www.mysticstamp.com/viewProducts.asp?sku=1204 Mystic Stamp Company catalog page]

[[Category:The United States]]

Trans-Mississippi Issue

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:36:39 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Stamp GB Edward VII 2d Tyrian plum.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Edward VII 2d Tyrian plum]]
The '''two pence (2d) Tyrian plum''' is a [[postage stamp]] produced by [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] in [[wikipedia:1910|1910]] as a replacement for the bi-coloured stamp which was in current use at the time. Its longer appellation was given as it bore the likeness of King [[wikipedia:Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]
*Location of Production = [[wikipedia:London|London]]
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1910|1910]]
*Nature of Rarity = Few exist
*Number in Existence = Unknown
*Face Value = 2 [[wikipedia:penny|penny]] [[wikipedia:£sd|£sd]]
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
A hundred thousand sheets totalling 24,000,000 stamps were printed and delivered to the post office stores for distribution to Postmasters. The circulation of these new stamps was delayed whilst existing stocks of the current stamp were used up so that the change would take effect at one time and the amount of surplus stock of the old value would be kept to a minimum.<ref>[http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page3402.asp A First Class Show] British Monarchy website (retrieved 27 December 2007)</ref>

Following the death of Edward VII, it was decided not to go ahead with this new issue; almost all the stock was destroyed, and only a few examples survive.

A single used example is known used on a [[cover]] which was sent by the then [[wikipedia:Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]], later King [[wikipedia:George V of the United Kingdom|George V]], to himself. This example is in the [[wikipedia:Royal Philatelic Collection|Royal Philatelic Collection]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See Also==
* [[wikipedia:Stanley Gibbons catalogue|Stanley Gibbons catalogue]]

[[Category:Postage stamps of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

Edward VII 2d Tyrian plum

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:29:05 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Stamp GB Edward VII 2d Tyrian plum.jpg|250px|right|thumb| Edward VII 2d Tyrian plum]]
The '''two pence (2d) Tyrian plum''' is a [[postage stamp]] produced by [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] in [[wikipedia:1910|1910]] as a replacement for the bi-coloured stamp which was in current use at the time. Its longer appellation was given as it bore the likeness of King [[wikipedia:Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]
*Location of Production = [[wikipedia:London|London]]
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1910|1910]]
*Nature of Rarity = Few exist
*Number in Existence = Unknown
*Face Value = 2 [[wikipedia:penny|penny]] [[wikipedia:£sd|£sd]]
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
The '''two pence (2d) Tyrian plum''' is a [[postage stamp]] produced by [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] in [[wikipedia:1910|1910]] as a replacement for the bi-coloured stamp which was in current use at the time. Its longer appellation was given as it bore the likeness of King [[wikipedia:Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]].

A hundred thousand sheets totalling 24,000,000 stamps were printed and delivered to the post office stores for distribution to Postmasters. The circulation of these new stamps was delayed whilst existing stocks of the current stamp were used up so that the change would take effect at one time and the amount of surplus stock of the old value would be kept to a minimum.<ref>[http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page3402.asp A First Class Show] British Monarchy website (retrieved 27 December 2007)</ref>

Following the death of Edward VII, it was decided not to go ahead with this new issue; almost all the stock was destroyed, and only a few examples survive.

A single used example is known used on a [[Cover|cover]] which was sent by the then [[wikipedia:Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]], later King [[wikipedia:George V of the United Kingdom|George V]], to himself. This example is in the [[wikipedia:Royal Philatelic Collection|Royal Philatelic Collection]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See Also==
* [[wikipedia:Stanley Gibbons catalogue|Stanley Gibbons catalogue]]

[[Category:Postage stamps of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

Archer Roulette

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:22:33 GMT

[[Image:roulette.jpg|right|thumb|Archer Experimental Roulette]]
[[wikipedia:Henry Archer|Henry Archer]], an [[wikipedia:Ireland|Irish]] [[wikipedia:London|London]] businessman, presented the British Government with an easy means of separating [[postage stamps]]. His plan, which was submitted to the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom Postmaster General|Postmaster General]] on October 1, [[wikipedia:1847|1847]], was referred to the departments of the [[wikipedia:post office|post office]] and after receiving final approval, Archer's patents were purchased in June [[wikipedia:1853|1853]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production =
*Location of Production =
*Date of Production =
*Nature of Rarity =
*Number in Existence =
*Face Value =
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
In [[wikipedia:1854|1854]] the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] first officially issued perforated stamps. Previously, the stamps were issued imperforate and had to be separated by cutting or tearing the stamps apart.

Henry Archer built two rouletting machines. After experimentation both machines proved to be failures. From one machine a few stamps have survived. This machine consisted of lancet-shaped blades working on a fly-press principle and piercing the paper with a series of cuts. The vertical pair shown is from Plate 70.

[[Category:Postal history]]
[[Category:Technical aspects of philately]]
[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

Penny Red

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:18:10 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:PennyRed.jpeg|right|thumb|250px|Penny Red]]
The '''Penny Red''', issued in [[wikipedia:1841|1841]], succeeded the [[Penny Black]] and continued as the main type of [[postage stamp]] in the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] until 1879, with only minor changes to the design during that time. The colour was changed from black to red because of difficulty in seeing a cancellation mark on the Penny Black; a black cancel was readily visible on a Penny Red.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production =
*Location of Production =
*Date of Production =
*Nature of Rarity =
*Number in Existence =
*Face Value =
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
[[Image:Stamp_UK_Penny_Red_pl148.jpg|thumb|A perforated Penny Red, letters in four corners and plate 148, therefore printed 1871 or later.]]
Initially some of the same plates that were used to print the Penny Black were used to print the Penny Red and about 21 billion Penny Reds were printed by Messrs. [[wikipedia:Perkins Bacon|Perkins, Bacon & Co]]. Initially the stamp had no [[wikipedia:perforation|perforation]]s, and had to be cut from the sheet using scissors in the same manner as for the [[penny black]] and the early printings of the [[Two pence blue]]. Perforations, (experimental gauge 16), first came into use in 1850 and were officially adopted in 1854, (in the same size as the experimental issue). The experimental issue can be distinguished from the general issue as the later was applied to stamp which used a different alphabet type for the letters in the lower corners. Each stamp has unique corner letters AA, AB, AC ... AL etc, so its position on the plate can be identified.

In January 1855 the perforation size was changed from 16 to 14 as it was found that the sheets were coming apart too easily. The reduced size allowed the sheets to remain intact until pressure was applied to force the separation.

The stamps were printed in sheets of 240 (20 rows of 12 stamps), so one row cost 1 [[wikipedia:shilling|shilling]] and a complete sheet one [[wikipedia:Pound sterling|pound]]. This situation continued with all postage stamps issued until 1971 when [[wikipedia:Decimal Day|decimal currency was introduced]] and the sheet size was changed to 200, (20 rows of 10 stamps) making the lowest value denomination, (half pence), one pound per sheet.

On the 1 April [[wikipedia:1864|1864]] the stamp was issued with the plate number engraved in the design, in the left and right side lace work. At this time the stars in the top corners were also replaced with the same check letters as used in the lower corners, but in reverse order.

Because of wear, over 400 different plates were used to print the Penny Red. Two different basic [[wikipedia:watermark|watermark]]s were used for the paper, small crown, (on the early issues) and large crown, introduced on the 15 May [[wikipedia:1855|1855]]. The first stamps printed on the large crown watermarked paper showed two small vertical lines in the central portion of the crown. Later printings showed a revised watermark on which these central lines are not present.

The era of the Penny Red came to its close at the end of 1879, along with Perkins Bacon's contract. It was superseded by the [[Penny Venetian Red]] printed by [[wikipedia:De La Rue|De La Rue]], which was in use for a little over a year before being succeeded in turn by the long-lived [[Penny Lilac]].

==See also==
* [[List of British postage stamps]]

==References==
* [[wikipedia:Stanley Gibbons Ltd|Stanley Gibbons Ltd]], ''Specialised Stamp Catalogue Volume 1: Queen Victoria''

[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

Prince Consort Essay

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:10:27 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:princeblack.jpg|right|thumb|Prince Consort Essay in black]]
The '''Prince Consort Essay''' was a [[surface printed]] [[postage stamp]] [[Essay|essay]], created in [[wikipedia:1850|1850]] as an example of the surface printed stamps that [[wikipedia:Henry Archer|Henry Archer]] proposed to print and perforate under contract with the British government at a lower price than the current printing firm of [[wikipedia:Perkins Bacon|Perkins Bacon]]. The Prince Consort stamps were provided by [[wikipedia:Robert Edward Branston|Robert Edward Branston]], from an engraving executed by [[wikipedia:Samuel William Reynolds|Samuel William Reynolds]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production =
*Location of Production =
*Date of Production =
*Nature of Rarity =
*Number in Existence =
*Face Value =
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
[[Image:princeredbrown.jpg|left|thumb|Prince Consort Essay in redbrown]]
The first essay depicted [[wikipedia:Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]], but [[wikipedia:Edwin Hill (U.K.)|Edwin Hill]] cautioned Reynolds not to make any essays with the Queen's portrait. Therefore [[wikipedia:Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|Prince Albert]]'s portrait was used instead. It is noted that the essays have the check letters "F" and "J" and it is believed by some scholars that [[wikipedia:Ferdinand Joubert|Ferdinand Joubert]], who pioneered the use of surface printed and designed Great Britain's first surface printed postage stamp, the [[1855 Four Pence]] printed by [[wikipedia:De La Rue|De La Rue]], may have played a role in the creation of the Prince Consort Essay.

[[Image:princebrown.jpg|right|thumb|Prince Consort Essay in brown]]

The Prince Consort Essay was printed from electros taken from one [[wikipedia:master plate|master plate]] of 12. The twelve positions all have unique characteristics. The essays were printed in red, red-brown, black and blue, in sheets of 36 (3 horizontal rows of 12), in sheets of 240 and in sheets of 252 (21 panes of 12). The essays are scarce and there are approximately 25 recorded examples perforated 16 by Archer. The majority are [[wikipedia:imperforate|imperforate]], and there is one [[wikipedia:Postage stamp separation|rouletted]] example in the [[wikipedia:Royal Philatelic Collection|Royal Philatelic Collection]].

Imperforate copies are available to collectors, typically for around several hundred pounds. There are approximately 36 perforated examples recorded and these sell for much higher prices. of the 36 examples
3 are in brown; three are in blue (the latest realized £38,080.00 at auction) and the remainder are in black.

[[Category:Postal history]]
[[Category:Postal system of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

VR official

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:03:41 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Vr_aa.jpg|300px|thumb|right|VR official]]
The '''VR official''' was one of three [[postage stamp]]s introduced by the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] in May [[wikipedia:1840|1840]] for the pre-payment of postage.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]
*Location of Production = [[wikipedia:London|London]]
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1840|1840]]
*Nature of Rarity = Few exist
*Number in Existence = Unknown
*Face Value = 1 [[wikipedia:penny|penny]] [[wikipedia:£sd|£sd]]
*Estimated Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US $]]20,000

==Background==
While the [[Penny Black]] and the [[Two pence blue|Two Pence Blue]] were for use by the general public, as were the [[wikipedia:Mulready stationery|Mulready envelopes and letter sheets]], the VR official was for use on official mail. In appearance the VR Official was the same as the issued Penny Black except that the stars in the top corners were removed and replaced by the letters V and R, hence its common name.

The plate layout for this issue was the same in almost all respects as that used for the penny black and the two pence blue produced at the same time. The only difference in the marginal inscription was the plate identification which was shown as a letter, (see picture), rather than a number as used on the general issue of postage stamps.

The idea of this stamp was that it would be used on official correspondence from government departments. However, the public dislike and mockery of the Mulready envelope and letter sheets led to vast numbers of the Mulreadies being issued to the various departments, with the tax office being the heaviest user.

Since existing stocks could be used, the idea of the official stamp was abandoned. Nearly all of the supplies which had been printed were destroyed on January 25, [[wikipedia:1843|1843]]. Twenty-one sheets survived, a few of the stamps passed (invalidly) through the posts, and [[wikipedia:Rowland Hill (postal reformer)|Rowland Hill]] used some to experiment with [[wikipedia:Cancellation (mail)|cancellation]] techniques. Unused examples today go for above US$5,000.

== References ==
* [http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/collections/archive/stamps/phillips/VolII/Vol_II_pg_045 The One Penny VR] The British Postal Museum & Archive

==See also==
* [[List of British postage stamps]]
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

Penny Blue

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:56:14 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Onepennyblue.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Penny Blue]]
The '''Penny Blue''' is an unissued type of [[postage stamp]] of [[wikipedia:United Kingdom|Britain]]. It is from a series of proof impressions which were made at the time [[wikipedia:Rowland Hill (postal reformer)|Rowland Hill]] was looking at the new colours which were to be used for the stamps which were to replace the [[Penny Black]] and the original [[wikipedia:1840|1840]] issue of the [[Two Pence Blue]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]
*Location of Production = [[wikipedia:London|London]]
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1840|1840]]
*Nature of Rarity = Colour trial
*Number in Existence = Unknown
*Face Value = 1-[[wikipedia:Penny|Penny]] [[wikipedia:£sd|£sd]]
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
The decision to change the black stamp to red had already been made, and at the same time the colour of the ink used for the cancellations was to be changed from red to black. Although it had been decided that the two pence value would remain in blue, this was going to be printed using a different ink from that used on the original. (Thus when the stamp was printed it had the addition of white lines added above and below the inscription so that the new printings could be distinguished at a glance).

At the beginning of December 1840, Rowland Hill wished to see what the stamps would look like in the new colours and requested, (in sheet form), examples in the red brown which was to be used for the new one penny stamp as well as two sheets in blue as the choice of colour had not yet been made. The two blues used for the printing were full deep blue and [[wikipedia:prussian blue|prussian blue]].

For the printing of these three sheets, plate 8 constructed for the production of the penny blacks was used. The choice of plates was probably just one of convenience as this plate was already on the presses being used.

Rowland Hill chose the full deep blue colour for the two pence stamp.

Some of the blue stamps made it onto postage but these are extremely rare. What became of the bulk of the 1840 impression is unknown.

Examples printed in the red-brown shade, if they made it onto postage, would be indistinguishable from later printings which were made in this colour as part of the general issue in 1841.

[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

Uganda Cowries

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:49:51 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:A pair of 50 cowries showing a correction.jpg|300px|thumb|right|A pair of Uganda Missionaries showing. A typed-over correction by Millar]]
The '''Uganda Cowries''', also known as the '''Uganda Missionaries''', were the first adhesive [[postage stamp]]s of [[wikipedia:Uganda|Uganda]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = British Protectorate of [[wikipedia:Uganda|Uganda]]
*Location of Production = [[wikipedia:Kampala|Kampala]], [[wikipedia:Kingdom of Buganda|Kingdom of Buganda]]
*Date of Production = March 14, [[wikipedia:1895|1895]]
*Nature of Rarity = Very rare 1
*Number in Existence = Unknown
*Face Value = 50 [[wikipedia:cowries|cowries]]
*Estimated Value = >£2,000.00 / pair

==Background==
[[Image:Kingdom of Unyoro Handstamp.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Handstamp of Unyoro on a cover addressed to Bishop Arthur Tucker of the Church Missionary Society.]]
Because there was no printing press in Uganda the stamps were made on a [[wikipedia:typewriter|typewriter]] by Rev. E. Millar of the [[wikipedia:Church Missionary Society|Church Missionary Society]], in March 1895, at the request of C. Wilson, an official of the [[wikipedia:Imperial British East Africa Company|Imperial British East Africa Company]]. After Millar received a much-needed new ribbon, the color of the typewritten characters changed from black to a violet color. The stamps were valid for postage within the [[wikipedia:Kingdom of Buganda|Kingdom of Buganda]]; in adjoining kingdoms and provinces they were used only for communications between officials of the Church Missionary Society<ref>Robson Lowe, "The Uganda Missionaries", a supplement to ''The Philatelist'' (August, 1974); Robson Lowe, London (1974), p. 8.</ref>.

The values of the stamps varied, but all were denominated in [[wikipedia:Cowry|cowries]] ([[wikipedia:monetary|monetary]] [[wikipedia:seashells|seashells]]), at 200 cowries per rupee or 12 1/2 cowries = 1d. The design was simple, showing just the initials of the jurisdiction and a number for the denomination. The paper used was extremely thin. The stamps have been forged<ref>[http://planet.nl/~klase024/ "Kenia and Uganda", ''Stamp Pages by Evert Klaseboer'']</ref>. Only a small number of the genuine stamps<ref>[http://www.sandafayre.com/gallery/country_394_1.htm Uganda Cowrie images, Sandafayre]</ref> seem to have survived. Pen initialed, surcharged values exist; of these [[wikipedia:Robson Lowe|Robson Lowe]] commented, "All are rare. We do not recall selling a copy in over 25 years."<ref>Robson Lowe, "2.-Uganda", ''The Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps, Volume II: The Empire in Africa,'' London (1949), p. 188.</ref>

Wilson's embryonic postal system for Uganda commenced operations on March 20, [[wikipedia:1895|1895]]. A single letter box was set up in [[wikipedia:Kampala|Kampala]], at Wilson's office, offering twice-daily letter service to [[wikipedia:Entebbe|Entebbe]] and Gayaza for postage of 10 cowries. Other destinations had different rates. For addresses beyond Entebbe or Gayaza the mails were collected less frequently. Letters with European addresses were dispatched once a month, and they arrived at their destinations some three months later.

This postal service of Uganda may have been preceded by a postal service of the Kingdom of Unyoro ([[wikipedia:Bunyoro|Bunyoro]]), which applied a handstamp in Arabic script.

Military Forces assumed the operation of the mails in June, 1896. The Uganda Missionaries were then followed by a typeset issue from a printing press in November, 1896, after the [[wikipedia:British Foreign Office|British Foreign Office]] had gained control of the government. A [[wikipedia:engraved|recess printed]] issue from [[wikipedia:De La Rue|:De La Rue]] & Co. appeared in 1898, featuring a detail from von Angeli's 1885 portrait of [[wikipedia:Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria]]<ref>[http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/eGallery/object.asp?category=AAPICTURES&object=403405&row=775 Heinrich von Angeli, ''Queen Victoria,'' (1885)]</ref>.

==References and sources==
;Notes
{{reflist}}

;Literature
* C. J. Phillips, "Postage Stamps of Uganda", ''Stanley Gibbons Monthly Journal'', pp. 164-5; ''Philatelic Journal of India'' pp. 4, 6.
* [[wikipedia:Robson Lowe|Robson Lowe]], "The Uganda Missionaries", a supplement to ''The Philatelist'' (August, 1974); Robson Lowe, London (1974)
* [[wikipedia:Robson Lowe|Robson Lowe]], "2.-Uganda", ''The Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps, Volume II: The Empire in Africa,''

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

[[Category:Uganda]]
[[Category:Postage stamps]]

Double Geneva

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:43:11 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Doppelgenf1.jpg|thumb|right|Double Geneva]]
The '''Double Geneva''' is a rare Swiss stamp that was issued by the City of [[wikipedia:Geneva|Geneva]] in 1843, making it the second-oldest stamp of the European continent after the [[wikipedia:Zurich 4 and 6|Zurich 4 and 6]]

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Switzerland|Switzerland]]
*Location of Production = [[wikipedia:Geneva|Geneva]]
*Date of Production = 30 September [[wikipedia:1843|1843]]
*Nature of Rarity = Extremely rare
*Number in Existence = Unknown
*Face Value = 5/10 [[wikipedia:rappen|rappen]]
*Estimated Value = [[wikipedia:Swiss franc|CHF]] 55,000

==Background==

[[Category:Switzerland]]

Gronchi Rosa

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:35:39 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Stamp It GronchiRosaError.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Gronchi Rosa]]
The '''Gronchi Rosa''' is a rare [[wikipedia:Italy|Italian]] [[postage stamp]] [[design error]]. It was part of a 1961 issue for the voyage of president [[wikipedia:Giovanni Gronchi|Giovanni Gronchi]] to three [[wikipedia:South America|South America]]n countries.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Italy|Italy]]
*Location of Production =
*Date of Production = 2 July [[wikipedia:1961|1961]]
*Nature of Rarity = [[wikipedia:Postage stamp design error|Design error]]
*Number in Existence = unknown
*Face Value = L. 205
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
[[Image:Stamp It GronchiRosa.jpg|thumb|left|125px|Corrected borders on replacement]]
The 205 [[wikipedia:Italian lira|liras]] rosa was intended for the stopover in [[wikipedia:Peru|Peru]]. The artist made a mistake with the [[wikipedia:Border|boundaries]] between Peru and [[wikipedia:Ecuador|Ecuador]]. The rose-colored stamp was quickly replaced by a grey version with corrected boundaries, but some [[Philately|philatelic]] souvenirs using the Gronchi Rosa already existed. A [[wikipedia:Philatelic fakes and forgeries|forgery]] of this stamp is known to exist.

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Italy]]

Inverted Head 4 Annas

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:30:57 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Inverted_Head_Four_Annas.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Inverted Head Four Annas]]
The '''Inverted Head Four Annas''' of India is a famous stamp prized by collectors.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:India|India]]
*Location of Production = [[wikipedia:Survey_of_India|Survey Office]], [[wikipedia:Calcutta|Calcutta]]
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1854|1854]]
*Nature of Rarity = Very rare
*Number in Existence = Less than 30
*Face Value = Four [[wikipedia:Indian anna|Annas]]
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
The 1854 first issues of India included a Four Annas value in red and blue<ref>http://www.firstissues.org/ficc/details/india_1.shtml First Issues Collectors Club (Retrieved 25 September 2006)</ref>. However, an error occurred during production, showing the head "upside down." This is one of the world's first multicolored stamps; the [[Basel Dove]] preceded it by 9 years.

== The Four Annas Stamps ==

The Four Annas stamps were lithographed by the [[wikipedia:Survey_of_India|Survey Office]] in Calcutta. Two colors were used, red for the frame and blue for the head. During production, the paper was first imprinted with the red frames and later the blue heads were superimposed within the frames. The First Printing began on October 13, 1854, using Head Die I and Frame Die I. There were 12 widely spaced stamps in each sheet. Exactly 206,040 stamps were printed from this Head Die I issue.

== The Inverted Head Four Annas ==

Among these First Printing stamps, at least three sheets with the red frames had been inadvertently placed in the press backwards, head to foot. Hence, the heads appear to be upside down, although in actuality the red frames were inverted.

The surviving examples of this error are low in number. [[wikipedia:E. A. Smythies|E. A. Smythies]] states, "Details and illustrations of all the known copies are given in that interesting publication, ''Stamps of Fame,'' by L. N. and M. Williams."<ref>http://www.geocities.com/mjshah.geo/articles/classic_error.html E. A. Smythies, "A Classic Stamp Error," ''[[wikipedia:The American Philatelist|American Philatelist]],'' pp. 59, 60 [1950].</ref> All of these are postally used. Only two (or three) are known cut square; another 20 or so are cut to shape (that is, in an octagonal shape). One from the collection of the Earl of Crawford was exhibited in the World Philatelic Exhibition in Washington in 2006.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060207055505/http://www.washington-2006.org/wrarities.htm#indiaqueen India's 1854 Blue and Pale Red Inverted Head]</ref>

== Discovery of the Error ==

This error was not found before the stamps were issued, of course, and it seems to have been not discovered for many years after. None of the 1870's publications mentions the Inverted Head Four Annas. The 1891 reprints provide the first conclusive evidence that the error was known, but E. A. Smythies said the error was first noticed during a meeting of the Philatelic Society of London in 1874.<ref>http://www.geocities.com/mjshah.geo/articles/classic_error.html [[wikipedia:E. A. Smythies|E. A. Smythies]], "A Classic Stamp Error," ''[[wikipedia:The American Philatelist|American Philatelist]],'' pp. 59, 60 [1980?].</ref> In 1907 Hausburg mentioned the Inverted Head Four Annas, but incorrectly, as he was not sure whether it came from the First or Second Printings. Mr. Séfi described this error in the ''West End Philatelist,'' January, 1912.

== Collections ==
Three cut to shape examples of the Inverted Head Four Annas repose in the Tapling Collection at the British Museum, London, including two (positions 3 and 4 on the printed sheet) on piece, showing that the error was created by an incorrect sheet placement rather than by a careless die transfer. One carefully cut to shape is found in the Royal Collection, position 5 on the sheet. The Government of India Collection, in Delhi, has a cut to shape example on piece, position 2 on the sheet. Two examples cut square, one of them on cover, were in the collection of [[wikipedia:C. D. Desai|Desai]]. Desai "raised" his stamp from its cover for study. The provenance of several other examples is described in Martin and Smythies, as cited below.

== Forgeries ==

Dangerous forgeries have been made by chemically erasing the upright head or the frame and then printing over it. These can be detected using "black light" and other techniques. One of these fakes appeared in the Masson sale, and one or two in the [[wikipedia:Philippe_Ferrari_de_La_Renoti%C3%A8re|Ferrary]] auctions. Some clever forgeries purport to show an inverted head with different head dies, which are obvious, and crude forgeries are plentiful.

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]
* [[Postage stamps and postal history of India]]

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>

== Literature ==
* D. R. Martin and E. A. Smythies, ''The Four Annas Lithographed Stamps of India, 1854-55'' London, Philatelic Society of India and Stanley Gibbons Ltd. (1930), pages 36-8.
* Robson Lowe, ''Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps'', vol. III, p. 171.
* E. D. Bacon, ''The Essays, Proofs and Reprints of the first issued Postage Stamps of British India of 1854-55''. Third edition, 1927 (with supplement in P.J.I, 1933), page 19.
* Leslie L. R. Hausburg, ''The Postage and Telegraph Stamps of British India ... Part I. Postage Stamps,'' RPSL and Stanley Gibbons, London (1907).
* ''The Monthly Journal,'' v. X, p. 167.
* Bertram W. H. Poole, ''West End Philatelist,'' June, 1910, page 10.
* [[wikipedia:A.J.Sefi|Alexander J. Séfi]], ''West End Philatelist,'' January, 1912.

[[Category:India]]

Scinde Dawk

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:19:38 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Red Scinde Dawk stamp.jpg|350px|thumb|right|1852 red [[wikipedia:Sealing wax|sealing wafer]]]]
'''Scinde Dawk''' was a very old [[wikipedia:Mail|postal system]] of runners that served the [[wikipedia:Indus Valley|Indus Valley]] of [[wikipedia:Sindh|Sindh]], an area of present-day [[wikipedia:Pakistan|Pakistan]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Sindh|Sindh]]
*Location of Production = Die produced by <br>[[wikipedia:De La Rue|De La Rue]], [[wikipedia:London|London]]
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1852|1852]]
*Nature of Rarity = Very rare
*Number in Existence = Less than 100
*Face Value = one-half [[wikipedia:Indian anna|anna]]
*Estimated Value =

==Background==
'''Scinde Dawk''' was a very old [[wikipedia:Mail|postal system]] of runners that served the [[wikipedia:Indus Valley|Indus Valley]] of [[wikipedia:Sindh|Sindh]], an area of present-day [[wikipedia:Pakistan|Pakistan]]. The term also refers to the first [[postage stamp]]s in [[wikipedia:Asia|Asia]], the [[Forerunner|forerunners]] of the adhesive stamps used throughout [[wikipedia:India|India]], [[wikipedia:Burma|Burma]], the [[wikipedia:Straits Settlements|Straits Settlements]] and other areas controlled by the [[wikipedia:British East India Company|British East India Company]].<ref>[http://www.firstissues.org/ficc/details/scinde_1.shtml] First Issues Collectors Club (retrieved 25 September)</ref> The name derives from the words “Scinde”, the British spelling of the name of the province of Sindh, and “Dawk”, the anglicised spelling of the [[wikipedia:Hindustani language|Hindustani]] word “Dak” or Post.

==Origins==
The Dawk, or Dak, was a very old postal system of runners. The runners were paid according to their distance of travel and the weight of their letters. This was a local Indus Valley system, inefficient and inadequate for the military and commercial needs of the [[wikipedia:British East India Company|British East India Company]] after their conquest of Sindh.

==Reform of the postal system==
[[wikipedia:Henry Bartle Frere|Sir Bartle Frere]] of the East India Company became the Chief Commissioner of Sindh in 1850<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=2w0EAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage&dq=Frere+%2B%22Commissioner+of+Scinde%22&source=gbs_summary_r#PPA39,M1] ''Encyclopedia Britannica, New American Supplement,'' XXVII, p. 39 (1907)</ref>. Following the English example set by [[wikipedia:Rowland Hill (postal reformer)|Rowland Hill]], Frere improved upon the postal system of Sindh by introducing a cheap and uniform rate for postage, independent of distance travelled. In 1851 the runners were replaced with an efficient system using horses and camels, following routes through Scinde province, generally along the valley of the [[wikipedia:Indus river|Indus river]]. The mail was carried quickly and efficiently, connecting government offices and post offices from [[wikipedia:Karachi|Karachi]] through [[wikipedia:Kotri|Kotri]] and [[wikipedia:Hyderabad%2C_Pakistan|Hyderabad]] up to Shikkur in the north.

==The stamps==
Stamps were required for the [[wikipedia:Rowland Hill (postal reformer)|prepayment of postage]], a basic feature of the new system. These stamps bore the [[wikipedia:Merchant%27s_Mark|Merchants' Mark]] of the British East India Company<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/mjshah.geo/scinde/scinde.html] Scinde District Dawks - The Premier Stamps of Asia</ref> in a design [[wikipedia:Embossing|embossed]] on wafers of red [[wikipedia:sealing wax|sealing wax]] impressed on paper. Because they cracked and disintegrated, they were soon replaced by a [[wikipedia:Color|colourless]] design embossed on white paper which was hard to see in a dim light. The last stamps were a blue embossing on white paper.<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/dakshina_kan_pa/art6/history.htm] Postal history of India (retrieved 24 September 2006)</ref> All of these had a value of only one-half [[wikipedia:Indian anna|anna]] each, but today they rank among the rare classics of [[philately]].<ref>[http://www.gatewayforindia.com/articles/postal.htm] Celebrating 150 years of the Indian Postal Services (retrieved 24 September)</ref>

==Forgeries==
[[Philatelic fakes and forgeries|Forgeries]] of these rare stamps are plentiful. The most easily detected fakes are not embossed on paper. Other crude fakes show a misalignment of the second letter 'A' of ANNA with the 'K' of DAWK; and in other fakes the '1/2' is not separated from the central heartshaped emblem.

==Later Developments==

After the Scinde Dawk, Colonel Forbes of Calcutta Mint came up with an essay for a postage stamp depicting a [[wikipedia:lion|lion]] and [[wikipedia:Arecaceae|palm tree]]. This, and several other essays, were never printed because Forbes could not ensure an adequate supply with the limited machinery at hand.<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/dakshina_kan_pa/art6/history.htm] Postal history of India (retrieved 25 September 2006)</ref> Soon after, new, [[wikipedia:Lithography|lithographed]] stamps printed by the Survey Office appeared in several denominations valid for use throughout [[wikipedia:British Raj|British India]] as part of sweeping postal reforms.<ref>[http://www.firstissues.org/ficc/details/india_1.shtml] First Issues Collectors Club (Retrieved 25 September 2006)</ref>

The British East India Company's posts are important, because the "Great Company" held sway over so much of the world's commerce in those days, extending across Asia and [[wikipedia:East Africa|East Africa]]. It had its own armies, coinage and [[wikipedia:Mail|postal service]]; constructed railways and public works; and acted like an imperial force long before the [[wikipedia:British Empire#British East India Company|Empire]] was established.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Literature==
* [[wikipedia:Robson Lowe|Robson Lowe]], ''Encyclopaedia of British Empire Postage Stamps,'' v.III, 1951: The Sind District Dawk, pp. 149-152.
* H.D.S. Haverbeck, "The Sind District Dawk," ''The Collectors Club Philatelist'' v. 44 no. 2 (March, 1965) pp. 79-85.
* Mohini Lal Mazumdar, The Imperial Post Offices of British India. Calcutta, Phila Publications, 1990.
* B. B. Misra, "Postal Communications in India, 1773-1834," reprinted from ''The Central Administration of the East India Company 1773-1834,'' pp. 415-449. Robson Lowe, Manchester University Press, 1939.

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]
* [[Postage stamps and postal history of India]]

[[Category:India]]

Hawaiian Missionaries

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:09:57 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Two Cent Hawaiian Missionary.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Two Cent Hawaiian, 1851 blue "Missionary" Type I|Hawaiian "Missionaries" ]]

The '''Hawaiian Missionaries''' are the first [[postage stamp]]s of the [[wikipedia:Kingdom of Hawaii|Kingdom of Hawaii]], issued in 1851. They came to be known as the "Missionaries" because they were primarily found on the correspondence of [[wikipedia:missionary|missionaries]] working in the Hawaiian Islands. Only a handful of these stamps have survived to the present day, and so they are amongst the great rarities of [[philately]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Hawaii|Hawaii]]
*Location of Production = ''The Polynesian'', [[wikipedia:Honolulu|Honolulu]]
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1851|1851]]
*Nature of Rarity = Few exist
*Number in Existence = 15
*Face Value = Two cents
*Estimated Value = ~£450,000.00 unused; ~£225,000.00 used

== Background ==
In the early 19th century, mail to and from Hawaii was carried by ship captains on an ''ad hoc'' basis. By 1849, partly as a side effect of the [[wikipedia:California Gold Rush|California Gold Rush]] and the settlement of [[wikipedia:California|California]], mail to and from [[wikipedia:San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] had increased greatly. In response, the Hawaiian government established a post office and set postal rates. [[wikipedia:Henry M. Whitney|Henry M. Whitney]], the first postmaster, was authorized to print stamps for those rates in June of 1851, which he did using the printing press of ''The Polynesian'', a weekly government newspaper.

== Issuance ==
The stamps went on sale October 1 [[wikipedia:1851|1851]], in three denominations covering three rates: the 2-cent stamp was for newspapers going to the US, the 5-cent value was for regular mail to the US, and the 13-cent value was for mail to the US East Coast, combining the 5 cents of Hawaiian postage, a 2-cent ship fee, and 6 cents to cover the transcontinental US rate.

The design was very simple, consisting only of a central numeral of the denomination framed by a standard [[wikipedia:printer's ornament|printer's ornament]], with the denomination repeated in words at the bottom. The top line read "Hawaiian / Postage" for the 2- and 5-cent values, but "H.I. & U.S. / Postage" for the 13-cent value, reflecting its unusual role of paying two different countries' postage. A thin line surrounded by a thicker line framed the stamp as a whole. All stamps were printed in the same shade of blue on [[wikipedia:pelure|pelure]] paper, an extremely thin tissue-like paper prone to tearing; 90% of known Missionaries are damaged in some way.

Although the stamps were in regular use until as late as 1856, of the four values issued only about 200 have survived (Scott Trepel's census in the Siegel catalog lists 197, but see below), of which 28 are unused, and 32 are on [[cover]].<ref>[http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/missionary.html Post Office in Paradise: ''Missionary Stamps''] (retrieved 1 May [[wikipedia:2007|2007]])</ref>

The 2-cent is the rarest of the Hawaiian Missionaries, with 15 copies recorded. When [[wikipedia:Maurice Burrus|Maurice Burrus]] sold his 2-cent Missionary in 1921 the price was USD$15,000; when [[wikipedia:Alfred Caspary|Alfred Caspary]] sold the same stamp in 1963 the price was $41,000, the highest value ever paid for any stamp at that time (even more than the [[British Guiana 1c magenta]] and [[Mauritius "Post Office"|"Post Office" Mauritius Blue Penny and Red Penny]] rarities). An astonishing lore surrounds this stamp: in 1892, one of its earlier owners, Gaston Leroux, was murdered for it by an envious fellow philatelist, Hector Giroux.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874790,00.html "More Than Child's Play", ''Time,'' June 7, 1963]</ref>

== The Dawson Cover ==
[[Image:Dawson Cover.jpg|thumb|300px|The Dawson Cover]]
The most valuable of all Missionary items is a cover sent to New York City bearing the only known use of the 2-cent value on cover, as well as a 5-cent value and two 3-cent US stamps. This is known as the Dawson Cover. It was in a bundle of correspondence shoved into a factory furnace around 1870, but packed so tightly that the fire went out (though one side of the cover bears a scorch mark). The factory was abandoned; 35 years later, a workman cleaning the factory for reuse discovered the stuffed furnace, and knew enough about stamps to save the unusual covers. This cover was acquired by [[wikipedia:George H. Worthington|George H. Worthington]] in 1905, then bought by [[wikipedia:Alfred Caspary|Alfred Caspary]] around 1917. It has changed hands several more times: in the 1995 Siegel auction it realized a price of US$1.9 million, and was last sold publicly for $2.09 million,<ref>[http://www.rfrajola.com/features/dawsontwin/dawsontwin.htm "Hawaiian Missionary Fragment", ''Frajola Philatelic'']</ref> making it one of the highest-priced of all philatelic items.

The Dawson cover, shown on the 2002 Souvenir Sheet (Scott 3694) may be evidence of the validity of the 1850 '''Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation''' between the United States and Hawaii<ref>[http://www.alohaquest.com/archive/treaty_us_1849.htm US Treaty with the Hawaiian Islands, Dec. 20, 1849. ''Aloha Quest.'']</ref> as a [[wikipedia:sovereign nation|sovereign nation]]. Under Article XV,
<blockquote>
So soon as Steam or other mail packets under the flag of either of the contracting parties, shall have commenced running between their respective ports of entry, the contracting parties agree to receive at the post offices of those ports all mailable matter, and to forward it as directed, the destination being to [some] regular post office of either country, charging thereupon the regular postal rate as established by law in the territories of either party receiving said mailable matter, in addition to the original postage of the office whence the mail [was] sent.
</blockquote>

On September 9 [[wikipedia:1850|1850]], Hawaii's Minister of Foreign Affairs, [[wikipedia:Robert Crichton Wyllie|Robert Crichton Wyllie]], asked San Francisco's [[wikipedia:postmaster|postmaster]] J. B. Moore to implement the treaty's mail exchange provision quickly, to support Hawaii's sovereignty against any potential French ambitions in the Hawaiian Islands. Moore agreed by early December, and the Honolulu Post Office opened on December 21 [[wikipedia:1850|1850]].<ref>[http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/treaty.html "Treaty Period", ''Post Office in Paradise'']</ref>

== The Grinnell Missionaries ==
In 1920, 43 additional Missionaries appeared on the philatelic market. They came from a Charles Shattuck, whose mother had apparently corresponded with a missionary family in Hawaii, were acquired by [[wikipedia:George H. Grinnell|George H. Grinnell]] and then sold to dealer [[wikipedia:John Klemann|John Klemann]] for $65,000. But in 1922, the stamps' authenticity became the subject of a court case, and they were adjudged forgeries.

They have been studied on a number of occasions since then, but opinion remains divided. In 1922, experts testified that the Grinnells had been produced by [[wikipedia:photogravure|photogravure]] and not by handset moveable type, but in the 1980s [[wikipedia:Keith Cordrey|Keith Cordrey]] showed that they were probably typeset, and the [[wikipedia:Royal Philatelic Society London|Royal Philatelic Society London]] agreed. Further analysis showed that the ink and paper were consistent with 1850s types. Even so, the Royal Philatelic Society declared the stamps to be counterfeit, and is preparing a book detailing their findings.

In May 2006, [[wikipedia:Mystic Stamp Company|Mystic Stamp Company]] announced that they had acquired 36 of the Grinnells from the descendants of George Grinnell, and were selling the group "as is" for 1.5 million US$.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* Donna O'Keefe, ''Linn's Philatelic Gems 1'' (Amos Press, 1989)
* Siegel auction catalog for the ''Honolulu Advertiser'' collection, November 1995

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

==External links==
* [http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/missionary.html Missionary stamps history]
* [http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/mi_current.html Missionary stamps - Forgery Study]

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:The United States]]

One kreuzer black

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:01:06 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Schwarzer Einser.jpg|350px|thumb|right|One kreuzer black]]
The '''One kreuzer black''', or '''Schwarzer Einser''', was the first [[wikipedia:postage stamp|postage stamp]] issued in the kingdom of [[wikipedia:Bavaria|Bavaria]], and the first anywhere in the territories making up modern [[wikipedia:Germany|Germany]]. It was issued on November 1, [[wikipedia:1849|1849]]. 832,500 copies of the stamp was printed on hand-made paper in printing shop of [[wikipedia:Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich|University of Munich.]]

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Bavaria|Bavaria]]
*Location of Production = [[wikipedia:Munich|Munich]]
*Date of Production = 1 November [[wikipedia:1849|1849]]
*Nature of Rarity =
*Number in Existence = unknown
*Face Value = One [[wikipedia:kreuzer|kreuzer]]
*Estimated Value = Unused US $600<br>Used US $1,600

==Background==
In October 1851 the stamps was removed from sale, but remained valid for postage until August 31, [[wikipedia:1864|1864]].

The design was developed by [[wikipedia:Johann Peter Haseney|Johann Peter Haseney]] and engraved by [[wikipedia:F. J. Seitz|F. J. Seitz]] and printed by [[wikipedia:J. G. Weiss|J. G. Weiss]]; their initals 'PH', 'S', and 'W' are hidden according to Joseph de Heselle in the floral pattern of the numeral as a safety precaution against forgery.<ref>Gustav Schenck. The Romance of the Postage Stamp. Doubleday & Co, Garen City NY (1959), page 191-2</ref>. Stamp is black and in the center is a large numeric denomination. Later engraving was moved from wood to plaster, which has led to distortions in size of the print. Different varieties of the stamp also emerged due to the damage to the engraving press and engraving itself, such as color dots and damaged angles.

Subsequent stamps of Bavaria followed the same general layout, though with the numeral framed in a complete or partial circle.

This stamp is valued though not especially rare; the 2002 [[wikipedia:Scott catalogue|Scott catalogue]] values an unused copy at $600 USD and a used copy at $1,600.

== References ==
<references/>

==See Also==
* [[wikipedia:Michel catalogue|Michel catalogue]]
* [[wikipedia:Scott catalogue|Scott catalogue]]

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Germany]]

Baden 9 Kreuzer error

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:53:21 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Baden-Fehldruck.jpg|350px|thumb|right|9 Kreuzer Cyan]]
The '''Baden 9 Kreuzer Error''' was a [[postage stamp error]] produced by the historical German state of [[wikipedia:Baden|Baden]] in 1851

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Baden|Baden]]
*Location of Production =
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1851|1851]]
*Nature of Rarity = Colour error
*Number in Existence = 4
*Face Value = 9-[[wikipedia:Kreuzer|Kreuzer]]
*Estimated Value = [[wikipedia:Euro|€]] 1,314,500

==Background==
On May 1 of that year, Baden's first [[postage stamp]]s were issued. The "9 [[wikipedia:Kreuzer|Kreuzer]] Green" stamp was a color misprint of the 9 Kreuzer denomination that was printed in green instead of pink. The green color was intended for the 6 Kreuzer value, but apparently the paper sheets were mismatched. Only three [[wikipedia:Cancellation (mail)|cancelled]] copies and one unused copy of this error are known,<ref>[http://www.davidfeldman.com/uploads/previous_auctions/CATS/081/2_Baden/Baden.pdf Baden - The Unique Unused 1851 9 Kreuzer Error of Colour]</ref> but more sheets of paper may have been printed. The cancellations recorded have the numbers "4" for [[wikipedia:Aachern|Aachern]], "41" for [[wikipedia:Ettenheim|Ettenheim]], and "106" for [[wikipedia:Orschweiher|Orschweiher]]. Two of the known copies are on [[cover|letters]].

==Four copies==
The error is one of the greatest [[philately|philatelic]] rarities in the world. The 9 Kreuzer error was not discovered until 44 years after the stamp was issued. Two letters initially were in the collection of Baron von Türckheim.
#The first copy was cancelled on July 20, [[wikipedia:1851|1851]] in Orschweiher; von Türckheim sold this letter to the German Reichspostmuseum. Today, it is one of the key items on display in [[wikipedia:Berlin|Berlin]]'s Museum of Post and Communication.
#The second copy was cancelled on August 25 [[wikipedia:1851|1851]] in Ettenheim. This letter found its way into the collection of [[wikipedia:Philipp von Ferrary|Philipp von Ferrary]], whose collection was auctioned off in the 1920s. It was bought by Alfred Maier and afterwards it was sold through Edward Stern of Economist Stamp Company to Alfred Caspary. In 1956, it was bought by John R. Boker, who sold it in 1985 for the enormous price of 2,645,000 [[wikipedia:Deutsche Mark|DM]], which at that time was the highest price ever paid for a single stamp.
#The third copy is on a piece and was cancelled in Aachern. In 1908 it was auctioned by Gilbert & Koch; in 1919 it was sold to Theodore Champion.
#The only unused copy, with nearly full original gum, appeared in 1919 for the first time, when it was sold in Berlin to Trubsbach. After [[wikipedia:World War II|World War II]] Trubsbach sold it to a German dealer. In 1991 it was first auctioned by [[wikipedia:David Feldman (philatelist)|David Feldman]] and in 1997 it was auctioned again and was sold for 603,750 [[wikipedia:United States dollar|US$]]. On April 3 [[wikipedia:2008|2008]] it was again auctioned by David Feldman for [[wikipedia:euro|€]]1,314,500.

The usual explanation for the occurrence of this error is that the printing plate was used invertedly. However, this theory cannot be correct because the stamp was produced in a single printing. It must be assumed that the printer had unintentionally used the wrong plate for the green paper: instead of a "9" he had read a "6".<ref>Williams, N. ''Encyclopaedeia of Rare Stamps.'' Vol. 1 pp. 81–83; vol. 2, pp. 83–86. Onex/Genf (1993).</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Postage stamps and postal history of Baden]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.phila-kompass.de/fileadmin/PDF_Dateien/baden.pdf Fragwürdiger Baden-Fehldruck] (''In German'') link from [http://www.phila-kompass.de/index.php?id=36&0=] (original source: Wolfgang Maassen: ''Echt oder falsch?'', Schwalmtal 2003, pp. 198-206)

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Germany]]

HMS Glasgow error

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:48:01 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:stampfalkerror.jpg|350px|right|thumb|HMS Glasgow error]]
The '''HMS Glasgow Error''' is a 6d [[postage stamp]] error produced by the [[wikipedia:Falkland Islands|Falkland Islands]] in [[wikipedia:1964|1964]]. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of the [[wikipedia:1914|1914]] [[wikipedia:Battle of the Falkland Islands|Battle of the Falkland Islands]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production =
*Location of Production=
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1964|1964]]
*Nature of Rarity = [[design error]]
*Number in Existence = 17
*Face Value = 6d
*Estimated Value = [[wikipedia:Swiss franc|SF]] 29,000

==Background==
The [[design error]] featured the incorrect ship, [[wikipedia:HMS Glasgow (1909)|HMS ''Glasgow'']], instead of [[wikipedia:HMS Kent (1901)|HMS ''Kent'']] which should have been used. Apparently one sheet was sent to a [[wikipedia:stamp dealer|stamp dealer]] in the [[wikipedia:United States|United States]] who did not notice the mistake.<ref>[http://stampmagazine.co.uk/content/worlds_rarest/qe2.html Stamp Magazine online: Queen Elizabeth II rarities] (retrieved 25 March 2007)</ref> It is believed that only the one sheet of 60 stamps was produced and only 17 stamps have been recorded.

One was sold in 2004 from the [[wikipedia:Sir Gawaine George Hope Baillie, 7th Baronet | Sir Gawaine Baillie]] collection for £24,000, and another example was sold in May 2005 for [[wikipedia:Swiss Franc|SF]]29,000.<ref>[http://www.bennettstamps.com/cgi-bin/viewlot.pl?site=3&sale=5&lot=403&lang=1 Harmers Auctions 27 May 2005] (retrieved 25 March 2007)</ref>. More recently an example sold in December 2006 for £30,555.<ref>[http://www.grosvenorauctions.com/news/news_dec06_post_sale.html Grosvenor Auctions 8 December 2006] (retrieved 4 March 2008)</ref>.

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]
* [[Postage stamps and postal history of the Falkland Islands]]

==External links==

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

Bluenose

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:41:33 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Stamp_Canada_1929_Bluenose.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Bluenose]]
The '''Bluenose''' is the [[wikipedia:Nickname|nickname]] for a 50-cent definitive [[postage stamp]] issued by the Canadian Post Office on 8 January [[wikipedia:1929|1929]] as part of the [[wikipedia:George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]] "Scroll Issue”.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Canada|Canada]]
*Location of Production =
*Date of Production = 8 January [[wikipedia:1929|1929]]
*Nature of Rarity = [[Classic stamp]]
*Number in Existence = = Unknown / 1,044,900 printed
*Face Value = [[wikipedia:Canadian dollar|CAN$]] 50-cent
*Estimated Value = [[wikipedia:Canadian dollar|CAN $]]700

==Background==
[[Scott catalogue|Scott]] number is 158 with a perforation of 12. The stamp depicts the fishing [[wikipedia:Schooner|schooner]] ''[[wikipedia:Bluenose|Bluenose]]'' and the design, by the [[wikipedia:Canadian Bank Note Company|Canadian Bank Note Company]], [[wikipedia:Ottawa|Ottawa]], is a [[wikipedia:Collage|montage]] of two different images of the vessel, racing off [[wikipedia:Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] Harbour. The stamp is considered a [[Classic stamp|classic]] even though it was issued after [[wikipedia:1900|1900]] and some people consider it to be the most beautiful stamp in the world, but certainly it is the favourite Canadian stamp.<ref>[http://www.bnaps.org/education/esc2.asp] BNAPS ''Bluenose is Still Considered Canada’s Finest Stamp'' (retrieved 1 October 2006)</ref><ref>[http://alphabetilately.com/glossary.html#BLU] Alphabetilately.com (retrieved 1 October 2006)</ref>

Three printing plates were made; plate 1 (of 200 impressions) was never used because of defects found, but plates 2 and 3 (of 100 impressions) were used to print 1,044,900 copies of the stamp. The photographs for the handsome engraved stamp were taken by W.R. MacAskill in 1922 and the vignette was engraved by the [[wikipedia:American Bank Note Company|American Bank Note Company]], [[wikipedia:New York|New York]].<ref>[http://www.mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/e/stmp158.htm] Canadian Fisheries and Oceans website (retrieved 1 October 2006)</ref>

In 2001 a Bluenose [[wikipedia:First day of issue|first day cover]] sold for [[wikipedia:Canadian dollar|CAN $]]3,650.<ref>[http://www.canadianstampauctions.com/Commentary/Number_46.htm] Canadian Stamp Auctions: ''Stamp market commentary April, 2003'' (retrieved 1 October 2006)</ref>

Stamps issued in 1982 and 1999 show all, or part, of the original Bluenose stamp in their designs. The 1982 stamp is a stamp-on-stamp design while the 1998 issue was in commemoration of the naval designer [[wikipedia:William James Roué|William James Roué]] of the original schooner.<ref>[http://shoebox.heindorffhus.dk/frame-Bluenose.htm] ''Bluenose: A National Symbol of Canada'' (retrieved 1 October 2006)</ref>

== References ==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

==See also==
* [[Classic stamp]]
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

==External links==
*[http://www.squashns.ca/bluenose2006/bluenose.html Bluenose info]
*[http://shoebox.heindorffhus.dk/frame-Bluenose.htm Bluenose: A National Symbol of Canada]
*[http://www.civilization.ca/cpm/montecarlo/cpmmncoe.html Canadian Postal Museum] Original rejected artwork and links to elements used in design process]
*[http://www.bennettstamps.com/cgi-bin/viewlot.pl?site=1&sale=284&lot=2078&lang=1 Imperforate horizontal pair] Bennett Stamps auction Jan 2005 (realised $290)
*[http://www.bennettstamps.com/cgi-bin/viewlot.pl?site=1&sale=284&lot=2074&lang=1 Marginal block-of-four] Bennett Stamp auction Jan 2005 (realised $500)

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Canada]]

Canada 2c Large Queen on laid paper

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:33:29 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:CanadaStamp.jpg|350px|thumb|right|2¢ Large Queen on laid paper, ''The rarest Canadian stamp'']]
The '''2¢ Large Queen on laid paper''' is the rarest [[postage stamp]] of [[wikipedia:Canada|Canada]]. Printed in [[wikipedia:1868|1868]], it was not discovered until [[wikipedia:1925|1925]], and so far only two are known to exist.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Dominion of Canada|Dominion of Canada]]
*Location of Production=
*Date of Production= [[wikipedia:1868|1868]]
*Nature of Rarity = Few remaining
*Number in Existence = 2
*Face Value = 2c
*Estimated Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US $]]125,000

==Background==
The [[Large Queen]]s were the first issue by the [[wikipedia:Dominion of Canada|Dominion of Canada]]; they are so-called to distinguish them from the 1870 issues (the "[[Small Queen]]s") which are similar in appearance but physically smaller. The Large Queens were normally printed on [[wikipedia:wove paper|wove paper]], but the 1¢, 2¢, and 3¢ values were also printed on the less-desirable [[wikipedia:laid paper|laid paper]]. The 1¢ and 3¢ on laid paper were long-known although uncommon.

In [[wikipedia:1925|1925]] a 2¢ green on laid paper was reported, although many authorities were dubious, and the [[wikipedia:Scott catalog|Scott catalog]] did not list it until the [[wikipedia:1930s|1930s]].
[[wikipedia:Bileski|Bileski]] reported another in [[wikipedia:1950|1950]]. Both copies are used, and in "fine" condition.

The latest auction price recorded is US$125,000.

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]
* [[Postage stamps and postal history of Canada]]

==External links==
* [http://www.bbdesign.com/saskatoon/prs_32laid.htm 2c Large Queen, Laid Paper Sold]
* [http://www.rpsc.org/reference/sets/pics-victorian-lq.htm Royal Philatelic Society of Canada] Large Queen issues

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Canada]]

Bulls Eye

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:15:22 GMT

Summary: [[Bulls Eye]] moved to [[Bull's Eye]]: Adding apostrophe

[[Image:Ochsenaugen-Brasilien.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Bull's Eye (Olho-de-Boi)]]
The '''Bull's Eye''' ''([[wikipedia:Portuguese language|Portuguese]] Olho-de-boi)'' [[postage stamp]]s were a set of three stamps issued by [[wikipedia:Brazil|Brazil]] on 1 August, [[wikipedia:1843|1843]]. The three stamps with face values of 30, 60, and 90 [[wikipedia:Brazilian real|réis]] were the second set of adhesive stamps issued in the world, after the [[Penny Black]] and [[Two pence Blue]], to be issued by a country (not just a local issue). Like Great Britain the design does not include the country name.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Brazil|Brazil]]
*Location of Production= [[wikipedia:Rio de Janeiro|Rio de Janeiro]]
*Date of Production = 1 August [[wikipedia:1843|1843]]
*Nature of Rarity = Limited number
*Number in Existence = Unknown
*Face Value = 30, 60 and 90 Réis
*Estimated Value = between US$ 5,000.00 and <br>US$ 400.00 (RHM - 2004)

==Background==
The unusual name derives from the ornamental value figures inside the oval settings and the arrangement of the stamps in the sheet permitted [[wikipedia:Se-tenant|se-tenant]] pairs that looked like a pair of [[wikipedia:Bullseye (target)|bull's eyes]]. The unusual naming of Brazilian stamps continued with the later issues of smaller, but rectangular design, were [[wikipedia:Nickname|nicknamed]] ''snake's eyes'', and the smaller but similar design to the Bull's Eyes were called ''goat's eyes'' (blue colour) and ''cat's eyes'' (black colour).

There were 1,148,994 30 Réis stamps impressed, 1,502,142 of the 60 Réis value and just 349,182 of the 90 Réis stamp.

The current catalogue values, based on the Brazilian RHM Catalogue (2004) are:

{| bgcolor="#EEEEEE" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"
|-
! style="background:#CCCCCC" | Stamp
! style="background:#CCCCCC" | Mint
! style="background:#CCCCCC" | Used
|-
| 30 Réis || [[wikipedia:United States dollar|US$]] 5,000 || US$   750
|-
| 60 Réis || US$ 2,000 || US$   400
|-
| 90 Réis || US$ 5,000 || US$ 1,600
|}

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

===External links ===
* [http://www.gnomevillage.com/gnews/StampNews/Brazil.asp The Brazil "Bullseyes" of 1843]
* [http://www.klassische-philatelie.ch/bra_ochse.html Die Ochsenaugen] ([[wikipedia:German language|German]])
* [http://www.sergiosakall.com.br/index/correios-selos.htm The first Brazilian stamps] ([[wikipedia:Portuguese language|Portuguese]])

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Brazil]]

Red Mercury

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:09:56 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Zinnoberroter Merkur.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Red Mercury]]
The '''Red Mercury''' is the rarest of [[wikipedia:Austria|Austria]]n [[newspaper stamp]]s ([[postage stamp]]s issued for the mailing of newspapers).

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Austrian Empire|Austria]]
*Location of Production=
*Date of Production= [[wikipedia:1856|1856]]
*Nature of Rarity = Few remain
*Number in Existence = few
*Face Value = 6kr
*Estimated Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US $]]40,000

==Backround==
Austria's newspaper stamps first appeared in [[wikipedia:1851|1851]]; they depicted a profile of [[wikipedia:Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]], the Roman messenger god, and were not denominated, the color of the stamp indicating the value. Blue indicated the 6/10 [[wikipedia:kreuzer|kreuzer]] rate for one newspaper, yellow for ten newspapers (6kr), and rose for 50 newspapers (30kr).

In [[wikipedia:1856|1856]], the design was [[wikipedia:Postage stamp reprint|reprint]]ed in red (or scarlet), and along with the rose, was made equivalent to six kreuzer. However, it was soon superseded by a new design which came out in [[wikipedia:1858|1858]], and only a few copies have survived.

Recent auctions have valued it at about US$40,000, with unused copies worth about 10% less than used. On February 7, [[wikipedia:2008|2008]] an unused copy was auctioned in Vienna for 26,000 [[wikipedia:euro|euro]].<ref>[http://www.hdrauch.com/results/index_s.php Rauch Results - Coins]</ref>

== Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}
----
* ''Philatelic Gems 1'' (Linn's, 1989)

==External links==
* [http://www.sandafayre.com/gallery/stamp_628.htm Picture of Red Mercury at Sandafayre]

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Austria]]

Z Grill

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:58:12 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Stamp US 1868 1c Z grill Miller.jpg|250px|thumb|right|[[wikipedia:New York Public Library|New York Public Library]] [[wikipedia:Benjamin Miller Collection|Benjamin Miller Collection]].]]
The '''Benjamin Franklin Z-Grill''' is a 1-cent [[wikipedia:Postage stamp|postage stamp]] issued by the [[wikipedia:United States Postal Service|United States Postal Service]] in [[wikipedia:1868|1868]] depicting [[wikipedia:Benjamin Franklin|Benjamin Franklin]]. With the embossed "Z-Grill" "[[wikipedia:waffle|waffle]]" on the back, this is considered the rarest and most valuable US stamp. A "Z-Grill" is a specific pattern of tiny squares embossed into the paper and visible on the back of the stamps.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:United States|United States]]
*Location of Production=
*Date of Production = [[wikipedia:1868|1868]]
*Nature of Rarity = Limited number
*Number in Existence =
*Face Value = 1-cent [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US]]
*Estimated Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US $]]3,000,000

==Background==
[[Image:Stamp_US_1c_Z_grill_Gross.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The Z Grill: Gross collection]]
The purpose of the [[Grill|grills]] was to permit the canceling ink to be absorbed into the stamp paper, thus preventing those who wanted to from cheating the postal service by washing out cancellation marks. The use of grills was not found to be practical and they were soon discontinued.

There are currently only two known 1-cent 1868 Z-Grills. One is owned by the [[wikipedia:New York Public Library|New York Public Library]] as part of the [[wikipedia:Benjamin Miller Collection|Benjamin Miller Collection]]. This leaves only a single 1-cent 1868 Z-Grill in private hands.

This 1868 1 cent "Z-Grill" stamp sold for $935,000 in 1998 to [[wikipedia:Mystic Stamp Company|Mystic Stamp Company]], a [[wikipedia:stamp dealer|stamp dealer]]. Siegel Auctions auctioned the stamp as part of the [[wikipedia:Robert Zoellner|Robert Zoellner]] collection. Zachary Sundman, the eleven-year-old son of [[wikipedia:Mystic Stamp Company|Mystic Stamp Company]] President Donald Sundman, was the individual responsible for wielding the paddle and doing the actual bidding.

Later, in late [[wikipedia:October 2005|October 2005]], Sundman traded this Z Grill to financier [[wikipedia:William H. Gross|Bill Gross]] for a block of four [[Inverted Jenny]] stamps worth nearly $3 million. <ref name="trade"/> By completing this trade Gross became the owner of the only complete collection of U.S. 19th century stamps.

Both the Z Grills were on display at the [[wikipedia:National Postal Museum|National Postal Museum]] along with the first part of the [[wikipedia:Benjamin Miller Collection|Benjamin Miller Collection]] from 27 May [[wikipedia:2006|2006]] till [[wikipedia:1 October|1 October]] [[wikipedia:2007|2007]].

==References==
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>

== External links ==
* [http://www.findyourstampsvalue.com/phil_terms/grills.htm Classification and photos of grills of US stamps]
* [http://www.arago.si.edu/flash/?s1=1|grouping=1|mode=1|tid=2041031|oid=173866 More information about the Benjamin Franklin 1-cent Z Grill]

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]
* [[Inverted Jenny]]

[[Category:The United States]]
[[Category:Philately]]
[[Category:Postal history]]

British Guiana 1c magenta

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:48:38 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:British_guiana_1c_magenta.jpg|thumb|right|250px|British Guiana 1c magenta]]
The '''British Guiana 1¢ magenta''' is among the rarest of all [[postage stamp]]s. It was issued in limited numbers in [[wikipedia:British Guiana|British Guiana]] (now [[wikipedia:Guyana|Guyana]]) in [[wikipedia:1856|1856]], and only one specimen is now known to exist.

It is [[wikipedia:imperforate|imperforate]], printed in black on [[wikipedia:magenta|magenta]] paper, and it features a [[wikipedia:sailing ship|sailing ship]] along with the colony's [[wikipedia:Latin|Latin]] motto ''"Damus Petimus Que Vicissim"'' (We give and expect in return) in the middle. Four thin lines frame the ship. The stamp's country of issue and value in small black upper case lettering in turn surround the frame.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:British Guiana|British Guiana]] (now [[wikipedia:Guyana|Guyana]])
*Location of Production= [[wikipedia:Georgetown, Guyana|Georgetown]]
*Date of Production= [[wikipedia:1856|1856]]
*Nature of Rarity = Very limited printing
*Number in Existence = 1
*Face Value = 1¢
*Estimated Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US$]] 935,000

==Background==
The 1¢ magenta was part of a series of three [[definitive stamp]]s issued in that year and was intended for use on local newspapers. The other two stamps, a 4¢ magenta and 4¢ blue, were intended for postage.

The issue came through mischance. An anticipated delivery of stamps never arrived by ship in 1856, so the local postmaster, E.T.E. Dalton, authorised a printer, Joseph Baum and William Dallas, who were the publishers of the ''[[wikipedia:Official Gazette|Official Gazette]]'' newspaper in [[wikipedia:Georgetown, Guyana|Georgetown]], to print out an emergency issue of three stamps. Dalton gave some specifications about the design, but the printer chose to add a ship image of his own design on the stamp series. Dalton was not pleased with the end result, and as a safeguard against forgery ordered that all correspondence bearing the stamps be autographed by the post office clerks. This particular stamp was initialed E.D.W. by the clerk E.D.Wight.

==Description and history==

Only one copy of the 1¢ stamp is known to exist. It is in used condition and has been cut in an [[wikipedia:octagon|octagon]]al shape. A signature, in accordance to Dalton's policy, can be seen on the left hand side. Although dirty and heavily postmarked on the upper left hand side, it is nonetheless regarded as priceless.

It was discovered in [[wikipedia:1873|1873]], by 12-year-old Scottish schoolboy Vernon Vaughan in the Guyanese town of [[wikipedia:Demerara|Demerara]], amongst his uncle's letters. There was no record of it in his stamp catalogue, so he sold it some weeks later for a few shillings to a local dealer, N.R. McKinnon. After that, the price escalated. It was bought by a succession of collectors before being bought by Philippe la Rénotière von [[wikipedia:Ferrary|Ferrary]] in the [[wikipedia:1880s|1880s]] for US$750. His massive stamp collection was willed to a Berlin museum. Following Ferrary's death in 1917, the entire collection was taken by France as war reparations following the end of [[wikipedia:World War I|World War I]]. [[wikipedia:Arthur Hind (1856 - 1933)|Arthur Hind]] bought it during the series of fourteen auctions in [[wikipedia:1922|1922]] for over US$36,000 (reportedly outbidding three kings, including King [[wikipedia:George V of the United Kingdom|George V]]), and it was sold by his widow for US$40,000 to a Florida engineer. In [[wikipedia:1970|1970]], a syndicate of Pennsylvanian investors, headed by Irwin Weinberg, purchased the stamp for $280,000 and spent much of the decade exhibiting the stamp in a worldwide tour. [[wikipedia:John E. du Pont|John E. du Pont]] bought it for $935,000 in [[wikipedia:1980|1980]]. Today it is believed to be locked away in a bank vault, while its owner serves a 30-year sentence for murder.

==Controversies==

At one point, it was suggested that the 1¢ stamp was merely a "doctored" copy of the magenta 4¢ stamp of the 1856 series, a stamp very similar to the 1¢ stamp in appearance. These claims were disproven.

In the 1920s a rumor developed that a second copy of the stamp had been discovered, and that the then owner of the stamp, Arthur Hind, had quietly purchased this second copy and destroyed it. The rumor has not been substantiated.

In [[wikipedia:1999|1999]], a second 1¢ stamp was claimed to have been discovered in [[wikipedia:Bremen (city)|Bremen]], [[wikipedia:Germany|Germany]]. The stamp was owned by Peter Winter, who is widely known for producing many forgeries of classic philatelic items<ref>[http://www.sheryll.net/Forgeries/Germany/Forgeries_article_Germany.htm Sheryll Oswald, "Peter Winter and the modern German forgeries on eBay" (28 July, 2001)]</ref>, printed as facsimiles on modern paper. Nevertheless, two European experts, Rolf Roeder and [[wikipedia:David Feldman|David Feldman]], have said Winter's stamp is genuine<ref>[http://www.phila-kompass.de/fileadmin/PDF_Dateien/guiana.pdf "British Guiana 1c, 1856: Weltrarität oder Fälschung?" Bund Deutscher Philatelisten (BDPh) e.V. (in German)]</ref>. The stamp was twice examined and found to be a fake by the [[wikipedia:Royal Philatelic Society London|Royal Philatelic Society London]]. In their opinion, this specimen in fact was an altered 4¢ magenta stamp<ref>[http://www.stampmagazine.co.uk/content/worlds_rarest/guiana.html "Is the British Guiana 1c unique?" ''Stamp Online'']</ref>.

==Popular culture==
The stamp was sought after in the [[wikipedia:Carl Barks|Carl Barks]] comic The Gilded Man.

The Guyana 1c was used as a plot device in the 1941 movie "The Saint in Palm Springs". In the movie its value was stated to be $65,000.

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references/></div>

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Stamp collecting]]

Basel Dove

WikiSysop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:16:55 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Basel Dove unused.jpg|350px|thumb|right]]
The '''Basel Dove''' (''[[wikipedia:German language|German]] Basler Taube''; ''[[wikipedia:Swiss-German|Swiss-German]] Basler Dybli'') is a notable stamp issued by the [[wikipedia:Switzerland|Swiss]] [[wikipedia:Basel (canton)|canton of Basel]]. It was issued on 1 July [[wikipedia:1845|1845]] with a value of 2 1/2-rappen. At the time each [[wikipedia:Cantons of Switzerland|canton]] was responsible for its own postal service. There were no uniform postal rates for Switzerland until after the establishment of a countrywide postal service on 1 January 1849. The only other cantons to issue their own stamps were [[wikipedia:Canton of Zürich|Zürich]] and [[wikipedia:Canton of Geneva|Geneva]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Switzerland|Switzerland]]
*Location of Production= [[wikipedia:Basel|Basel]]
*Date of Production= 1 July [[wikipedia:1845|1845]]
*Nature of Rarity = Extremely rare
*Number in Existence = Unknown
*Face Value = 2 1/2 [[wikipedia:Rappen|rappen]]
*Estimated Value = [[wikipedia:Swiss franc|CHF]] 18,000 [[wikipedia:Swiss franc|CHF]] 37,500 on cover

==Background==
The stamp, designed by the [[wikipedia:architect|architect]] [[wikipedia:Melchior Berry|Melchior Berry]], featured a white [[wikipedia:embossing|embossed]] [[wikipedia:dove|dove]] carrying a letter in its beak, and was inscribed "STADT POST BASEL". The stamp is printed in black, [[wikipedia:crimson|crimson]], and [[wikipedia:blue|blue]], making it the world's first tri-colored stamp.

The stamp was not valid for use after 30 September 1854, by which time 41,480 stamps had been printed. Collectors need to be aware that several forgeries have been circulated.<ref>[http://klaseboe.club.fr/switzcan.htm] Cantonal-issues (retrieved 6 October 2006)</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]
* [[Stamps and postal history of Switzerland]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==Literature==

* Jean-Paul Bach and Felix Winterstein, ''Basler Taube,'' Reinach, Vlg. Multipress (1995) - in German

==External links==
* [http://www.ghonegger.ch/english/result.asp?akv=K&katn=Basler Classic Swiss stamps] Honegger philatelie AG
* [http://www.baslertaube.ch Basel Dove stamp illustrations] German language

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Switzerland]]

Inverted Jenny

WikiSysop — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:47:15 GMT

Summary:

{{Template:Stamp type right column 01
|
| image01=[[Image:Inverted_Jenny.jpg|175px| Inverted Jenny]]
| image02=[[Image:Jenny73801437dd9db3z.jpg|175px]]
| Country=[[wikipedia:United States|United States]]
| Date=May 10, 1918
| No. Issued=
| No. Avail.=
| Face Value= 24¢
| priceguide=[[Inverted Jenny#Price Guide|Price Guide]]
|}}

The '''Inverted Jenny''' (or '''Jenny Invert''') is a [[wikipedia:United States|United States]] [[wikipedia:postage stamp|postage stamp]] first issued on May 10 [[wikipedia:1918|1918]] in which the image of the [[wikipedia:Curtiss JN-4|Curtiss JN-4]] [[wikipedia:fixed-wing aircraft|airplane]] in the center of the design was accidentally printed upside-down; it is probably the most famous error in American [[wikipedia:philately|philately]]. Only 100 of the [[wikipedia:Invert error|invert]]s were ever found, making this [[wikipedia:Invert error|error]] one of the most prized in all philately; an inverted Jenny was sold at a Robert A. Siegel auction in November 2007 for US$977,500.<ref>[http://www.siegelauctions.com/2007/946a/s946a.htm Robert A. Siegel, sale 946a]</ref> A block of four inverted Jennys was also sold at a Robert A. Siegel auction in October 2005 for US$2.7m.<ref>[http://siegelauctions.com/2005/901/y901.htm Inverted "Jenny" Plate Block Sells for $2.7 Million hammer!]</ref> In December of 2007, a [[wikipedia:Mint stamp|mint, never hinged]] example, meaning one not previously affixed to a stamp album, was sold to an unidentified Wall Street executive for $825,000.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071227/ap_on_fe_st/odd_rare_stamp]</ref> The broker of the sale says the buyer is a collector who lost the auction the previous month mentioned above.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:United States|United States]]
*Location of Production=
*Date of Production= May 10 [[wikipedia:1918|1918]]
*Nature of Rarity = [[Invert error]]
*Number in Existence = 100
*Face Value = 24¢ [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US$]]
*Estimated Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US $]]300,000

==Background==
During the 1910s, the [[wikipedia:United States Post Office|nited States Post Office]] had made a number of experimental trials of carrying [[wikipedia:mail|mail]] by air, and decided to inaugurate regular service on [[wikipedia:May 15|May 15]], [[wikipedia:1918|1918]], flying between [[wikipedia:Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.]], [[wikipedia:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], and [[wikipedia:New York City|New York City]]. The Post Office set a controversial rate of 24 cents for the service, much higher than the 3 cents for first-class mail of the time, and decided to issue a new stamp just for this rate, patriotically printed in red and blue, and depicting a [[wikipedia:Curtiss JN4|Curtiss Jenny]], the [[wikipedia:biplane|biplane]] chosen to shuttle the mail.

The job of designing and printing the new stamp was carried out in a great rush; [[wikipedia:engraving|engraving]] only began on May 4, and stamp printing on May 10 (a Friday), in sheets of 100 (contrary to the usual practice of printing 400 at a time and cutting into 100-stamp panes). Since the stamp was printed in two colors, each sheet had to be fed through the printing press twice, an error-prone process that had resulted in invert errors in stamps of 1869 and 1901, and at least three misprinted sheets were found during the production process and were destroyed. It is believed that only one misprinted sheet of 100 stamps got through unnoticed, and stamp collectors have spent the ensuing years trying to find them all.

Initial deliveries went to post offices on Monday, May 13. Aware of the potential for inverts, a number of collectors went to their local post offices to buy the new stamps and keep an eye out for errors. Collector [[wikipedia:W. T. Robey|W. T. Robey]] was one of those; he had written to a friend on May 10 mentioning that "it would pay to be on the lookout for inverts". On May 14, Robey went to the post office to buy the new stamps, and as he wrote later, when the clerk brought out a sheet of inverts, "my heart stood still". He paid for the sheet, and asked to see more, but the remainder of the sheets were normal.

Additional details of the day's events are not entirely certain—Robey gave three different accounts later—but he began to contact both stamp dealers and journalists, to tell them of his find. After a week that included visits from [[wikipedia:United States Postal Inspection Service|postal inspectors]] and the hiding of the sheet, Robey sold the sheet to noted Philadelphia dealer [[wikipedia:Eugene Klein (philatelist)|Eugene Klein]] for US$15,000. Klein then immediately resold the sheet to "Colonel" [[wikipedia:H. R. Green|H. R. Green]], son of [[wikipedia:Hetty Green|Hetty Green]], for US$20,000.

Klein advised Green that the stamps would be worth more separately than as a single sheet, and Green went along; the sheet was broken into a block of eight, several blocks of four, with the remainder sold as individuals. Green kept a number of the inverts, including one that was placed in a [[wikipedia:locket|locket]] for his wife. This locket was offered for sale for the first time ever by the [[wikipedia:Siegel Auction Galleries|Siegel Auction Galleries]] Rarity Sale, held on [[wikipedia:May 18|May 18]] [[wikipedia:2002|2002]]. It did not sell in the auction, but the philatelic press reported that a Private Treaty sale was arranged later for an unknown price.

A [[wikipedia:center-line block|center-line block]] catalogs for $600,000.

==A rare swap==
[[Image:Inverted_jenny400.jpg|200px|thumb|The inverted Jenny block of four]]In late October 2005 the unique plate number block of four stamps was purchased by a then anonymous buyer for $2,970,000. The purchaser was revealed to be U.S. financier [[wikipedia:Bill Gross (mutuals)|Bill Gross]]. Shortly after purchasing the Inverted Jennys he proceeded to trade them with [[wikipedia:Donald Sundman|Donald Sundman]], president of the [[wikipedia:Mystic Stamp Company|Mystic Stamp Company]] a [[wikipedia:stamp dealer|stamp dealer]], for one of only two known examples of the USA 1c [[wikipedia:Z Grill|Z Grill]]. By completing this trade, Gross became the owner of the only complete collection of U.S. 19th century stamps.

==2006 Find==
In November of 2006, election workers in [[wikipedia:Broward County, Florida|Broward County, Florida]] claimed to have found an Inverted Jenny affixed to an [[wikipedia:absentee ballo|absentee ballot]] envelope. The sender did not include any identification with the ballot, which meant the ballot was disqualified.

In a review of a digital photograph of this stamp, Peter Mastrangelo, director of the Pennsylvania-based American Philatelic Society said, "''It is our opinion, from what we've seen, that this stamp is questionable, and we are of the opinion at this point that it appears to be a reproduction.''" He said an in-person review was needed to be sure, but that all indications are that the stamp is a counterfeit. "''The perforations on top and bottom do not match our reference copies.''" Mastrangelo said. "''The colors of the blue ink are consistent with the counterfeit.''"

[[Image:Invertedjenny_stamp_ballot.jpg|200px|thumb|The counterfeit inverted Jenny affixed to the [[wikipedia:absentee ballot|absentee ballot]] envelope]]
On [[wikipedia:November 13|November 13]] [[wikipedia:2006|2006]], an elderly [[wikipedia:Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota, Florida]] man contacted [[wikipedia:SNN News 6|SNN News 6]], claiming to be the man who mailed the ballot. Dan Jacoby says the stamp he used is a commemorative stamp that is worth about 50 cents.

On [[wikipedia:December 4|December 4]] [[wikipedia:2006|2006]], it was confirmed that this stamp used on the ballot was a counterfeit. Inside the Broward County Elections Office in Florida, experts studied the stamp and decided that the method used to print it and the perforations along the sides were evidence of the stamp being fake.

This story recalls a plot point from the 1985 movie version of ''[[wikipedia:Brewster's Millions (1985 film)|Brewster’s Millions]]'', in which a man named Brewster (played by [[wikipedia:Richard Pryor|Richard Pryor]]) was challenged to spend thirty million dollars in thirty days. One of the many things he did in his attempt was to use an Inverted Jenny to mail a post card.

==See also==
*[[CIA invert]]
*[[Invert error]]
*[[Philatelic investment]]
*[[Stamp collecting]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External Links==
*Amick, George. ''The Inverted Jenny: Mystery, Money, Mania''. Scott Pub Inc Co ([[wikipedia:May 1|May 1]] [[wikipedia:1987|1987]]). ISBN 0-89487-089-0
*[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/issues/1996/july/object_july96.php Smithsonian Institution article on the Inverted Jenny on display at the [[wikipedia:National Postal Museum|National Postal Museum]]]
*[http://stampuoso.com/ Rare stamps]

[[Category:The United States]]

Mauritius "Post Office"

WikiSysop — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:09:04 GMT

Summary:

{{Template:Stamp type right column 01
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| image01=[[Image:Mauritius1.jpg|center|225px]]
| image02=[[Image:Modry mauritius.jpg|center|225px]]
| Country=
| Date=
| No. Issued=
| No. Avail.=
| Face Value=
| priceguide=[[Mauritius "Post Office"|Price Guide]]
|}}

The '''"Post Office" [[wikipedia:postage stamp|postage stamp]]s of [[wikipedia:Mauritius|Mauritius]]''' are among the rarest stamps in the world, and are of legendary status in the world of [[wikipedia:philately|philately]]. Two stamps were issued, an orange-red [[wikipedia:£sd|one penny]] (1d) and a deep blue two pence (2d). <ref> Scott Cat. nos. 1-2; Stanley Gibbons Cat. 3-25 (various states of wear)</ref>.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Mauritius|Mauritius]]
*Location of Production= Mauritius
*Date of Production= [[wikipedia:21 September|21 September]] [[wikipedia:1847|1847]]<ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' p. 17. </ref>
*Nature of Rarity = First stamps of the British Empire produced outside of [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Great Britain]]
*Number in Existence = 27 (as of 1981) <ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius'' p. 21. </ref>
*Face Value = Orange red: [[wikipedia:£sd|one penny]] Deep blue: two pence
*Estimated Value = $4 million both on cover (1993)

==Background==
The Mauritius were engraved by [[wikipedia:Joseph Osmond Barnard|Joseph Osmond Barnard]], born in England on August 10, [[wikipedia:1816|1816]], who stowed away on a ship to Mauritius in 1838 <ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' pp. 20-21. </ref>. The designs were based on the then current issue of Great Britain stamps (first released in 1841), bearing the profile head of Queen Victoria and issued in two denominations in similar colors: [[wikipedia:Penny Red|one penny red brown]] and [[wikipedia:Two pence blue|two pence blue]]<ref> Scott Cat. nos. 3-4. </ref>. Although these locally-produced stamps have a distinct primitive character, they made Barnard’s “name immortal in the postal history of Mauritius” <ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' p. 20. </ref>.

Five hundred of each value were printed from a single plate bearing both values and issued on September 21, [[wikipedia:1847|1847]], many of which were used on invitations sent out by the wife of the Governor of Mauritius for a ball she was holding that weekend <ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' pp. 15-18. </ref>. The stamps were printed using the [[wikipedia:intaglio|intaglio]] method (recessed printing), and bear the engraver's initials "JB" at the lower right margin of the bust. <ref> L.M. Williams, ''Fundamentals of Philately,'' American Philatelic Society (rev. ed. 1990), p. 523; Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' p. 24. </ref>

The words "Post Office" appear in the left panel, but on the following issue in 1848, these words were replaced by "Post Paid." A legend arose later that the words "Post Office" had been an error<ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' p. 19. </ref>.

The stamps, as well as the subsequent issues, are highly prized by collectors because of their rarity, their early dates and their primitive character as local products. Surviving stamps are mainly in the hands of private collectors but some are on public display in the [[wikipedia:British Library|British Library]] in [[wikipedia:London|London]], including the envelope of an original invitation to the Governor's ball complete with stamp. Another place where they can be seen is at the [[wikipedia:Blue Penny Museum|Blue Penny Museum]] in [[wikipedia:Mauritius|Mauritius]]. The two stamps also can be seen at the Museum for Communication (''Museum für Kommunikation'') in Berlin and in the [http://www.postmuseum.posten.se/museng/index.html Postal Museum of Sweden] in Stockholm.

==The "Post Office" versus "Post Paid" myth==

In 1928, Georges Brunel published ''Les Timbres-Poste de l'Île Maurice''<ref>Georges Brunel, "Les Timbres-Poste de l'Ile Maurice: Emissions de 1847 à 1898", Editions Philatelia, Paris (1928)</ref> in which he asserted that the use of the words "Post Office" on the 1847 issue had been an error <ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' p. 19. </ref>. Over the years, the story was embellished. One version was that the man who produced the stamps, Joseph Barnard, was a half-blind watchmaker and an old man who absent-mindedly forgot what he was supposed to print on the stamps. On his way from his shop to visit the postmaster, a Mr. Brownrigg, he passed a post office with a sign hanging above it. This provided the necessary jog to his memory and he returned to his work and finished engraving the plates for the stamps, substituting "Post Office" for "Post Paid" <ref> Source? </ref>.

These stories are purely fictional; philatelic scholars have confirmed that the "Post Office" inscription was intentional. <ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' p. 19-20; Peter Ibbotson, ''The Barnard Myth''; Harold Adolphe and Raymond d'Unienville, ''The Life and Death of Joseph Osmond Barnard,'' ''The London Philatelist'', vol. 83, pp 263-265 (December 1974). </ref>. Adolphe and d'Unienville wrote that "It is much more likely that Barnard used 'Post Office' because this was, and still is, the legal denomination of the government department concerned". The plates were approved and the stamps issued without any fuss at the time. Joseph Barnard was an Englishman of [[wikipedia:Jewish|Jewish]] descent from [[wikipedia:Portsmouth|Portsmouth]] who had arrived in Mauritius in 1838 as a stowaway, thrown off a commercial vessel bound for [[wikipedia:Sydney|Sydney]]. He was not a watch-maker, although he may have turned his hand to watch repairs; not half-blind; and certainly not old; he was born in 1816 and was therefore 31 years old when he engraved the stamps in 1847 <ref> Source? </ref>. In addition, several rubber stamps used in Mauritius on letters prior to these stamps also used the words "Post Office" <ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' p. 19. </ref>, as did [[wikipedia:Postage stamps and postal history of the United States#First stamps | the first two stamps issued by the United States in July 1847]] <ref> Scott nos. 1 & 2. </ref>.

==Philatelic Discovery ==

[[Image:Bordeaux Cover.jpg|thumb|325px|"Bordeaux Cover" with Mauritius 1d Red and 2d Deep Blue "Post Office" auctioned for [[wikipedia:Swiss franc|CHF]] 5,750,000 in 1993.]]
The Mauritius "Post Office" stamps were unknown to the philatelic world until 1864 when Mme. Borchard, the wife of a Bordeaux merchant, found copies of the one and two pence stamps in her husband's correspondence. She traded them to another collector. Through a series of sales, the stamps ultimately were acquired by the famous collector [[wikipedia:Ferrary|Ferrary]], and were sold in auction in 1921.

Over the years, the stamps became legendary in the philatelic world and sold for increasing and ultimately astronomical prices. Mauritius "Post Office" stamps and covers have been prize items in collections of famous stamp collectors, including [[wikipedia:Arthur Hind (1856 - 1933)|Arthur Hind]], [[wikipedia:Alfred Lichtenstein (philatelist)|Alfred F. Lichtenstein]], and [[wikipedia:Alfred H. Caspary|Alfred H. Caspary]], among other philatelic luminaries. <ref> David Feldman SA, ''Mautitius: Classic Postage Stamps and Postal History'' Switzerland (1993) pp. 10-17. </ref> The greatest of all Mauritius collections, that of Hiroyuki Kanai, included unused copies of both the One Penny and Two Pence "Post Office" stamps, the "Bordeaux" cover with both the one penny and two pence stamps which has been called '''"la pièce de résistance de toute la philatélie"''' <ref> Roger Calves, quoted in David Feldman SA, ''Mauritius: Classic Postage Stamps and Postal History'' Switzerland (1993) p. 92. </ref> or '''"the greatest item in all philately", ''' and numerous reconstructed sheets of the subsequent issues. <ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius.''</ref> Kanai’s collection was sold by the auctioneer [[wikipedia:David Feldman|David Feldman]] in 1993, the Bordeaux cover going for the equivalent of about $4 million. <ref>David Feldman SA, ''Mauritius: Classic Postage Stamps and Postal History,'' Switzerland (1993), ''Prices Realized supplement''. </ref>

==Subsequent issues==

The subsequent issues are discussed in [[wikipedia:Postage stamps and postal history of Mauritius#The "Post Paid" stamps and subsequent "primitives"|Postage stamps and postal history of Mauritius]].

==Reprints and forgeries==
The "Post Office" stamps have been reprinted from the original plates <ref> Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' pp. 22-23; [http://jburkhart.com/st3.html Mauritius Reprint from Original Plate ] </ref> and, like many other postage stamps, both rare and common, have been [[wikipedia:Philatelic fakes and forgeries|faked]] many times. <ref> Fernand Serrane, The Serrane Guide (1998), pp. 234-235. </ref>.

==Books==

A number of full length studies have been published of the “Post Office” issue and the early stamps of Mauritius. These include:

*Hiroyuki Kanai, ''Classic Mauritius,'' Stanley Gibbons, London (1981) ISBN 0852592515 -- an illustrated work on the author's famous Mauritius collection, including photos of reconstructed plates, postmarks and postal history.

*David Feldman SA, ''Mauritius: Classic Postage Stamps and Postal History,'' Switzerland (1993), illustrated auction catalog including the Kanai collection (see above), with ''Supplement'' providing detailed information on plating positions of the "Post Paid" and the "Lapirot" issues in their different states.

*Helen Morgan, ''Blue Mauritius: The Hunt for the World's Most Valuable Stamps,'' Atlantic Books (2006) ISBN 1843544350 -- a detailed study of the Penny Blues, including the social and economic factors that brought about the modern postal system in Mauritius and the resulting philatelic interest. The author compiled her sources and bibliography on a website: [http://www.helenmorgan.net/bm/home.html ''Blue Mauritius Research Companion''].

==See also==

*[[Penny Black]]
*[[wikipedia:Blue Penny Museum|Blue Penny Museum]]
*[http://www.mtc-nyc.org/current-season/mauritius/about.htm "Mauritius," a Broadway play based on these stamps.]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

[[Category:1847 introductions]]
[[Category:Postage Stamps]]

Penny Black

WikiSysop — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:06:14 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Penny black.jpg|350px|thumb|right]]
The '''Penny Black''', the world's first adhesive [[wikipedia:postage stamp|postage stamp]] of a public postal system, was issued by the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] on [[wikipedia:1 May|1 May]], [[wikipedia:1840|1840]], for use from [[wikipedia:6 May|6 May]]. Although all [[wikipedia:London|London]] post offices received official issues of the new stamps, other offices throughout the [[wikipedia:United Kingdo|United Kingdom]] did not, and continued to accept postage payments in cash only for some time. Post offices in some other localities, such as those in the city of [[wikipedia:Bath, Somerset|Bath]], began offering the stamp unofficially after [[wikipedia:2 May|2 May]].

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]
*Location of Production= [[wikipedia:London|London]]
*Date of Production= 1840
*Nature of Rarity = World's first postage stamp
*Number in Existence = Unknown
*Face Value = 1-[[wikipedia:£sd|Penny]]
*Estimated Value = £3-4000 (mint)

==History==
The idea of an adhesive stamp to indicate prepayment of postage was part of [[wikipedia:Rowland Hill (mail)|Rowland Hill]]'s 1837 proposal to reform the British [[postal system]]. A companion idea which Hill disclosed on 13 February, 1837 at a government inquiry was that of a separate sheet which folded to form an enclosure or envelope for carrying letters. At that time postage was charged by the sheet and on the distance travelled.

Postal delivery systems using what may have been adhesive stamps existed before the Penny Black. Apparently the idea had at least been suggested earlier, notably in [[wikipedia:Austria|Austria]], [[wikipedia:Sweden|Sweden]], and possibly [[wikipedia:Greece|Greece]].

Hill was given a two-year contract to run the new system, and he and [[wikipedia:Henry Cole|Henry Cole]] subsequently ran a competition to identify the best way to pre-pay letters. None of the 2600 entries was good enough, so in the end Hill launched the service in 1840 with an envelope bearing a reproduction of a design created by the artist [[wikipedia:William Mulready|William Mulready]] and a stamp bearing a reproduction of the profile of the reigning British monarch, [[wikipedia:Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]]. There are also references on the record to [[cover]]s bearing the Mulready design. To this day, all British stamps bear a profile of the reigning monarch somewhere on the design, and are the only stamps that do not name their country of origin.

[[Image:pennyblack-pd.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A Penny Black, with a red [[cancellation]] that was hard to see and easily removed]]
In 1839, the British [[wikipedia:Treasury|Treasury]] had announced a competition to design the new stamps, but none of the submissions was considered suitable. The Treasury chose instead to use a rough design endorsed by [[wikipedia:Rowland Hill|Rowland Hill]], featuring an easily recognisable profile of a 15-year-old Princess Victoria. Hill believed this would be difficult to forge. The head was engraved by Charles and Fredrick Heath based on a sketch provided by [[wikipedia:Henry Corbould|Henry Corbould]]. Corbould's sketch, in turn, was based on the [[wikipedia:cameo|cameo]]-like head by [[wikipedia:William Wyon|William Wyon]], that had been done for a medal used to commemorate the visit of Queen Victoria to the City of London in 1837, the year of her coronation<ref>H. W. Hill, ''The Fight for the Penny Post,'' London and New York, Frederick Warne (1940), pp. 75-79. See Plate 1.</ref><ref>[http://www.imagesoftheworld.org/stamps/wyon.htm "Wyon City Medal - 1837", ''Images of the World'']</ref>. The word "POSTAGE" appeared at the top of the stamp, to denote its intended use ([[revenue stamp]]s had long been used in the UK) and "ONE PENNY." at the bottom, indicating the amount that had been pre-paid for the transmission of the letter to which it was affixed. The background consisted of finely engraved [[wikipedia:engine turnings|engine turnings]]. In addition, the two upper corners contained star like designs and the lower corners contained letters designating the position of the stamp in a sheet of 240 stamps,"A A" for the stamp located in the top left position, and "T L" for the stamp in the bottom right position. As the name suggests, the stamp was printed all in black. The stamps were printed by [[wikipedia:Perkins Bacon|Perkins Bacon]].

Although 6 May was the official first date when the labels were available for the pre-payment of postage, there are known [[cover]]s postmarked 2 May, due to postmasters selling the stamps from 1 May. Stamps used on letters prior to 6 May should have been treated as un-paid and charged double the rate on delivery. A single example is also known on cover dated 1 May 1840.
[[Image:Perkins_D_cylinder_Printing_Press.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Jacob Perkins' press, which printed <br>the Penny Black and the 2d Blue]]
The Penny Black was in use for only a little over a year. It was found that a red cancellation was hard to see on a black background. Also, the red ink was easy to remove from the Penny Black, making it possible to re-use stamps, even after they had been cancelled. In 1841 the Treasury switched to the [[Penny Red]] and issued cancellation devices with black ink. The black ink, which was much more effective as a cancellation, was also harder to remove. The re-use of stamps with the un-cancelled portions of two stamps to form an unused whole impression continued and in 1864 the stars in the top corners were replaced by the check letters, as they appeared in the lower corners, but in reverse order.

==Printing==
The Penny Black was printed from 11 plates. However, as plate 1 was completely overhauled due to excessive wear, it is generally considered as two separate plates, 1a and 1b. Plate 11 was intended originally solely for the new red stamps, but a small number were still printed in black. These are now very rare. (See information on [[wikipedia:Penny black printing plates|Penny black printing plates]])

An original printing press for the Penny Black, the D cylinder press invented by [[wikipedia:Jacob Perkins|Jacob Perkins]], is on display to the public at the [[wikipedia:British Library|British Library]] in [[wikipedia:London|London]].

==Rarity==
The Penny Black is not a rare stamp. The total print run from all plates was 286,700 sheets with 68,808,000 stamps and a substantial proportion of these have survived<ref>[http://www.pennyblackstamp.net/penny_black_rarity.php Penny Black Stamp Rarity]</ref>. This is due mainly to the fact that, in those days, it was not the custom to use envelopes; generally, the letter would be written on one side of a sheet of paper, which would be folded over and sealed and then the address and stamp would be on the reverse of the same sheet. Therefore, if the letter was not thrown away, then the stamp would be saved from destruction too.

The Penny Black is readily available on the collectors' market today, a used stamp in poor condition can cost as little as £10 ($20). However, because of its significance, this stamp in fine condition is in demand by collectors and therefore not cheap; in 2000, a used stamp cost about £110 (around US$200), an unused example about £1,600 (around US$3,000) with prices steadily rising. By contrast, a used [[Penny Red]] was £1.50 ($3).

==Official variant==
In addition to the general issue of the Penny Black postage stamps, a similar stamp was produced which had the letters V and R in the top corners replacing the stars. The intention of this issue was that it would be for use on official mail. Following the general public's acceptance of the postage stamps and the ridicule of the Mulready [[wikipedia:Letter sheet#The British postal reforms of 1840|letter sheet]]s which had been produced at the same time, vast supplies of the letter sheets were given to government departments, such as the tax office, for official use. The idea of introducing an official stamp, as such, was abandoned. Only a few postally used examples exist, which probably originated from the [[wikipedia:Post Office circulars|Post Office circulars]] sent out as notification that the new stamps which were being brought into use. However, most of the cancelled examples are from trials which were made for cancellation types, inks, and experiments with their removal. These trials led to the change from black to red stamps and vice versa for the cancellations.

The [[wikipedia:VR official|VR official]] is stated to have been made from the original master die. However, this cannot be the case as this die still exists with the original stars intact; this is housed in the [[wikipedia:The British Postal Museum & Archive|National Postal Museum]] in London. It is believed that the master for this stamp was produced from the transfer roller used for the production of plate 1 with the stars removed from the top corners as some impressions show traces of these original stars.

==See also==
* [[Bath Postal Museum]]
* [[List of British postage stamps]]
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

==External links==
* [http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/queen's/worldsfirststamps-list2.html The 1840 Penny Black] at the American [[wikipedia:National Postal Museum|National Postal Museum]]
* [http://www.firstissues.org/ficc/details/gb_1.shtml "Great Britain", First Issues Collectors Club]
* [http://www.norbyhus.dk/btpb.html Ken Lawrence, "Before the Penny Black"]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:1840 introductions]]
[[Category:The United Kingdom]]

Treskilling Yellow

WikiSysop — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:47:21 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Gul tre skilling banco.jpg|350px|thumb|right]]
The '''"Treskilling" Yellow''', or '''3 skilling banco error of color''' (Swedish: ''Gul treskilling banco'') (Gul=yellow), is a [[wikipedia:postage stamp|postage stamp]] of [[wikipedia:Sweden|Sweden]], and the most valuable stamp in the world.

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Sweden|Sweden]]
*Location of Production=
*Date of Production= 1855
*Nature of Rarity = Limited number
*Number in Existence =
*Face Value = 3 [[wikipedia:Swedish skilling|Skillings]]
*Estimated Value = [[wikipedia:Swiss franc|Sf]] 2,500,000 / [[wikipedia:United States dollar|US $]] 2,060,000

==Background==
In 1855, Sweden issued its first postage stamps, a set of five depicting the Swedish [[wikipedia:coat of arms|coat of arms]], with denominations ranging from 3 to 24 [[wikipedia:Swedish skilling|skillings banco]]. The 3-skilling banco value was normally printed in a blue-green color, while the 8-skilling was printed in a yellowish orange shade. It is not known exactly what went wrong, but the most likely explanation is that a [[wikipedia:cliché#Other meanings|cliché]] of the 8-skilling printing plate (which consisted of 100 clichés assembled into a 10 x 10 array) was damaged or broken, and mistakenly replaced with a 3-skilling cliché. The number of stamps printed in the wrong color is unknown.

Somehow, this error went entirely unnoticed at the time, and by 1858 the currency was changed. The skilling stamps were replaced by new stamps denominated in [[wikipedia:öre|öre]]. In 1886, a young collector named [[wikipedia:Georg Wilhelm Baeckman|Georg Wilhelm Baeckman]] was going through [[cover]]s in his grandmother's attic, and came across one with a 3-skilling stamp, for which local dealer [[wikipedia:Heinrich Lichtenstein|Heinrich Lichtenstein]] was offering 7 [[wikipedia:Swedish krona|kronor|Swedish krona|kronor]] apiece.

After changing hands several times, [[wikipedia:Sigmund Friedl|Sigmund Friedl]] sold it to [[wikipedia:Philipp von Ferrary|Philipp von Ferrary]] in 1894, who had at that time the largest known stamp collection in the world, and paid the breathtaking sum of 4,000 [[wikipedia:gulden|gulden]].
As time passed, and no other "yellows" surfaced despite energetic searching, it became clear that the stamp was not only rare, but quite possibly the only surviving example.

When Ferrary's collection was auctioned in the 1920s, Swedish Baron [[wikipedia:Eric Leijonhufvud|Eric Leijonhufvud]] acquired the Yellow, then [[wikipedia:Claes A. Tamm|Claes A. Tamm]] bought it in 1926 for £1,500 ([[wikipedia:Pound Sterling|GBP]]) in order to complete his collection of Sweden. In 1937, King [[wikipedia:Carol II of Romania|Carol II of Romania]] purchased it from London auction house [[wikipedia:H. R. Harmer|H. R. Harmer]] for £5,000, and in 1950 it went to [[wikipedia:Rene Berlingen|Rene Berlingen]] for an unknown sum.

In the 1970s, the [[wikipedia:Swedish Postal Museum|Swedish Postal Museum]] caused controversy by declaring the stamp to be a [[wikipedia:forgery|forgery]], but after examination by two different commissions, it was agreed that it was a genuine error.

In 1984 the stamp made headlines when it was sold by [[wikipedia:David Feldman (philatelist)|David Feldman]] for 977,500 [[wikipedia:Swiss franc|Swiss franc]]s. A 1990 sale realized over one million US dollars, then in 1996 it sold again for 2,500,000 Swiss francs. Each time it has been sold it has set world records.

==References==
{{reflist}}
*'''''The Yellow Three Skilling Banco''''', Sven Åhman, 1976

== External links ==

*[http://www.nalbandstamp.com/letter1.htm Jack Nalbandian's Error Letter]

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Sweden]]

Inverted Swan

WikiSysop — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:12:04 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Inverted Swan.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Inverted Swan]]
The '''Inverted Swan''', a 4-pence blue [[wikipedia:postage stamp|postage stamp]] issued in [[wikipedia:1855|1855]] by [[wikipedia:Western Australia|Western Australia]], was one of the world's first [[wikipedia:invert error|invert error]]s. Technically, it is a "frame invert".

==Specifications==
*Country of Production = [[wikipedia:Western Australia|Western Australia]]
*Location of Production= [[wikipedia:Perth, Western Australia|Perth]]
*Date of Production= January 1855
*Nature of Rarity = [[wikipedia:Invert error|Invert error]]
*Number in Existence = 15 + a partial
*Face Value = 4-pence
*Estimated Value = [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US]] $37,500 - [[wikicoins:United States Dollar|US]] $80,000

== Background ==
In [[wikipedia:1854|1854]], [[wikipedia:Western Australia|Western Australia]] issued its first stamps, featuring the colony's symbol, the [[wikipedia:Black Swan|Black Swan]], as did all WA stamps until [[wikipedia:1902|1902]]. While the 1d black was engraved in [[wikipedia:Great Britain|Great Britain]] by [[wikipedia:Perkins Bacon|Perkins Bacon]], other values, including the 4d blue, were produced by [[wikipedia:Horace Samson|Horace Samson]] in [[wikipedia:Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] using [[wikipedia:lithography|lithography]], and with different frames around the swan design for each value.

== The error ==
In January [[wikipedia:1855|1855]], additional 4d stamps were needed. When [[wikipedia:Alfred Hillman|Alfred Hillman]] brought the printing stone out of storage, he found that two of the impressions had been damaged, so he had to redo them. One of the replaced frames was tilted; the other was accidentally redone upside-down. The stone's block of 60 was transferred four times to make the printing stone, and 97 sheets were printed before Hillman discovered the mistake and corrected it, resulting in a total of 388 errors being printed.

However, the errors went unrecognized and unreported for several years. Only 15 complete copies, plus a part of a stamp in a strip of three, have survived. No unused copies are known.

One example was discovered in [[wikipedia:Ireland|Ireland]] in the [[wikipedia:1860s|1860s]], acquired by the [[wikipedia:Duke of Leinster|Duke of Leinster]], and bequeathed to Ireland in [[wikipedia:1897|1897]]. It is on display at a museum in [[wikipedia:Dublin|Dublin]]. Other examples are in the Royal Collection, the [[wikipedia:Tapling Collection|Tapling Collection]] of the [[wikipedia:British Museum|British Museum]], and at museums in [[wikipedia:Sydney|Sydney]], and [[wikipedia:Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], in addition to private collections.

Prices have been variable, with one copy realizing US$80,000 in a 1980 auction, and another going for $37,500 in 1983.

==References==
* ''Philatelic Gems 1'' ([[wikipedia:Amos Press|Amos Press]], 1989)

==See also==
* [[List of notable postage stamps]]

[[Category:Postage stamps]]
[[Category:Australia]]

Philately Topics

WikiSysop — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:56:44 GMT

Summary: New page: {| id="toc" border="0" | [[#A|A]] [[#B|B]] [[#C|C]] [[#D|D]] [[#E|E]] [[#F|F]] [[#G|G]] [[#H|H]] [[#I|I]] [[#J|J]] [[#K|K]] [[#L|L]] [[#M|M]] [[#N|N]] [[#O|O]] [[...

{| id="toc" border="0"
|
[[#A|A]] [[#B|B]] [[#C|C]] [[#D|D]] [[#E|E]] [[#F|F]] [[#G|G]] [[#H|H]] [[#I|I]] [[#J|J]] [[#K|K]] [[#L|L]] [[#M|M]] [[#N|N]] [[#O|O]] [[#P|P]] [[#Q|Q]] [[#R|R]] [[#S|S]] [[#T|T]] [[#U|U]] [[#V|V]] [[#W|W]] [[#X|X]] [[#Y|Y]] [[#Z|Z]]
__NOTOC__
|}

==A==
- [[Acknowledgement of receipt]]
- [[Aerogram]]
- [[Aerophilately]]
- [[Affixing machine]]
- [[Airmail]]
- [[Airmail etiquette]]
- [[Arrow block]]
- [[Astrophilately]]
- [[Philatelic auction]]
- [[Philatelic auction catalog]]

==B==
- [[Balloon mail]]
- [[Bicycle mail]]
- [[Bisect (philately)|Bisect]]
- [[Bogus postal markings]]
- [[Bogus stamp issue]]
- [[Postage stamp booklet|Booklet]]
- [[British Guiana 1c magenta]]
- [[Bulk mail]]

==C==
- [[Cachet]]
- [[Camel mail]]
- [[Cancellation (mail)|Cancellation]]
- [[Cancelled to order]]
- [[Caribou mail]]
- [[Carrier's stamp]]
- [[Postal Censorship | Censored mail]]
- [[Center line block]]
- [[Certified mail]]
- [[Charity stamp]]
- [[chinese new year stamps]]
- [[Christmas seal]]
- [[Christmas stamp]]
- [[Cigarette tax stamp]]
- [[Cinderella stamp]]
- [[Circular delivery mail]]
- [[Classic stamp]]
- [[Coil stamp]]
- [[Color guide]]
- [[Color trial]]
- [[Combination cover]]
- [[Commemorative issue]]
- [[Commemorative stamp]]
- [[Concentration camp mail]]
- [[Consular fee stamp]]
- [[Control mark]]
- [[Counterfeit stamps]]
- [[Courier mail]]
- [[Cover (philately)|Cover]]
- [[Crash cover]]
- [[Crown agent]]
- [[Cut square]]

==D==
- [[Damaged mail]]
- [[Dead letter mail]]
- [[Definitive issue]]
- [[Definitive series]]
- [[Delayed mail]]
- [[Design error]]
- [[Die proof]]
- [[Diplomatic pouch mail]]
- [[Dirigible mail]]
- [[Disinfected mail]]
- [[Dog mail]]
- [[Dogsled mail]]
- [[Dummy stamp]]

==E==
- [[Earliest known use]] (EKU)
- [[Embossing]]
- [[Engraver's mark]]
- [[Engraving]]
- [[Entire]]
- [[Envelope]]
- [[Errors and varieties]]
- [[Errors, freaks, and oddities]] (EFO)
- [[Essay (philately)|Essay]]
- [[Expert]]
- [[Europa postage stamp]]
- [[Expertization]]
- [[Express company]]
- [[Express mail]]

==F==
- [[List of notable postage stamps|Famous stamps]]
- [[Fancy cancel]]
- [[Favor cancel]]
- [[Favor sheet]]
- [[Fee paid mail]]
- [[Field post office]]
- [[First day ceremony]]
- [[First day cover]]
- [[First day of issue]]
- [[First flight (philately)|First flight]]
- [[First issue]]
- [[Fiscal cancellation]]
- [[Fiscal issue]]
- [[Flat plate press]]
- [[Floor sweepings]]
- [[Forerunner (stamp)|Forerunner]]
- [[Forged stamps]]
- [[Forwarding agent]]
- [[Fractional currency]]
- [[Franchise stamp]]
- [[Franking privilege]]
- [[Free frank]]
- [[Fumigated mail]]

==G==
- [[Graphite line]]
- [[Grill (philately)|Grill]]
- [[Guide line]]
- [[Guide line pair]]
- [[Postage stamp gum|Gum]]
- [[Gutter (philately)|Gutter block]]
- [[Gutter (philately)|Gutter pair]]

==H==
- [[Handstruck stamp]]
- [[Health stamp]]
- [[Highway post office]]
- [[History of philately]]
- [[Hotel post]]
- [[Hovercraft mail]]

==I==
- [[Illegal stamps]]
- [[Illustration law]]
- [[Imitation stamp]]
- [[Imperforate]]
- [[Imprint]]
- [[Imprint block]]
- [[Postage stamp ink]]
- [[Inscription]]
- [[Inscription block]]
- [[Institutional collection]]
- [[Insured mail]]
- [[International mail]]
- [[International reply coupon]]
- [[Inverted Jenny]]
- [[Inverted Swan]]
- [[Philatelic investment]]
- [[Irradiated mail]]
- [[Interrupted mail]]

==J==
- [[James Chalmers]]
- [[Joint issue]]
- [[Joint line]]
- [[Joint line pair]]

==K==
- [[Killer (philately)|Killer]]
- [[Kiloware]]

==L==
- [[Label (philately)|Label]]
- [[Late fee stamp]]
- [[mail carrier|Letter carrier]]
- [[Letterpress]]
- [[Letter sheet]]
- [[Line pair]]
- [[Linn's Stamp News]]
- [[List of entities that have issued postage stamps]]
- [[List of philatelic topics]] (deliberate self-link)
- [[List of philatelists]]
- [[List of notable postage stamps]]
- [[List of stamp catalogues]]
- [[List of stamp collectors]]
- [[List of stamp dealers]]
- [[Lithography]]
- [[Local post]]
- [[Luminescent issue]]

==M==
- [[Mail delivery by animal]]
- [[Mail fraud]]
- [[Mail robbery]]
- [[Letter carrier|Mailman]]
- [[Marcophily]]
- [[Marginal marking]]
- [[Marine insurance stamp]]
- [[Maritime mail]]
- [[Maximaphily]]
- [[Maximum card]]
- [[Metered mail]]
- [[Michel catalog]]
- [[Military mail]]
- [[Millennium stamp]]
- [[Miniature sheet]]
- [[Minipack]]
- [[Mixed franking]]
- [[Mobile post office]]
- [[Money order]]
- [[Mr Zip]]

==N==
- [[Naval cover]]
- [[Naval mail]]
- [[Navigation and Commerce issue]]
- [[New issue]]
- [[Newspaper stamp]]
- [[Newspaper wrapper]]
- [[Nicholas F. Seebeck]]

==O==
- [[Occupation stamp]]
- [[Offices abroad]]
- [[Official mail]]
- [[Offset printing]]
- [[Overprint]]

==P==
- [[Packet letter]]
- [[Packet mark]]
- [[Postage stamp paper]]
- [[Paquebot]]
- [[Parcel post]]
- [[Paste-up pair]]
- [[Penalty mail]]
- [[Pen cancel]]
- [[Penny post]]
- [[Perfin]]
- [[Perforation (philately)|Perforation]]
- [[Permit mail]]
- [[Phantom issue]]
- [[Philatelic agency]]
- [[Philatelic cover]]
- [[Philatelic literature]]
- [[List of philatelic museums|Philatelic museums]]
- [[Philately]]
- [[PHQ Cards]]
- [[Picture post card]]
- [[Pigeon mail]]
- [[Pillar box]]
- [[Plate block]]
- [[Plate marking]]
- [[Plate number coil]]
- [[Printing plate]]
- [[Plating]]
- [[Plebiscite issue]]
- [[Pneumatic mail]]
- [[Polar mail]]
- [[Postage due]]
- [[Postage stamp booklet]]
- [[Postage stamp color]]
- [[Postage stamp reuse]]
- [[Postage stamp separation]]
- [[Postal card]]
- [[Postal convention]]
- [[Postal history]]
- [[Postal laws and regulations]]
- [[Postal marking]]
- [[Postal route]]
- [[Postal savings]]
- [[Postal slogan]]
- [[Postal stationery]]
- [[Postal tax]]
- [[Postal treaty]]
- [[Postal union]]
- [[Postcard]]
- [[Post office]]
- [[Post Office Cards]]
- [[Post Office circulars]]
- [[Post road]]
- [[Precancel]]
- [[Presentation album]]
- [[Presentation book]]
- [[Price list]]
- [[Postage stamp printing]]
- [[Prisoner-of-war mail]]
- [[Private cancellation]]
- [[Private carrier]]
- [[Private overprint]]
- [[Private post]]
- [[Stamp proof]]
- [[Provisional stamp]]

==R==
- [[Railway post office]]
- [[Railway mail]]
- [[Rare issue]]
- [[Ration stamp]]
- [[Backstamp|Receiving mark]]
- [[Red Cross label]]
- [[Registered mail]]
- [[Regummed stamp]]
- [[Reissue]]
- [[Reprint]]
- [[Remainder]]
- [[Reperforation]]
- [[Reply card]]
- [[Reply coupon]]
- [[Revenue cancellation]]
- [[Revenue stamp]]
- [[Rocket mail]]
- [[Rotary press]]
- [[Rouletting]]
- [[Rowland Hill (postal reformer)|Rowland Hill]]

==S==
- [[Savings issue]]
- [[Scott catalog]]
- [[Se-tenant]]
- [[Semi-official]]
- [[Semi-postal]]
- [[Postage stamp separation|Separation]]
- [[Ship mail]]
- [[Siege mail]]
- [[Slogan cancellation]]
- [[Socked on the nose]] (SON)
- [[Souvenir card]]
- [[Souvenir sheet]]
- [[Space cover]]
- [[Space mail]]
- [[Special delivery (postal service)|Special delivery]]
- [[Special handling]]
- [[Specimen stamp]]
- [[Stamp album]]
- [[Stamp catalog]]
- [[Stamp collecting]]
- [[Stamp condition]]
- [[Stamp design]]
- [[Stamp exhibition]]
- [[Stamp finder]]
- [[Stamp gum]]
- [[Stamp hinge]]
- [[Stamp mounting]]
- [[Stamp separation]]
- [[Stanley Gibbons]]
- [[Steamship issue]]
- [[Streetcar mail]]
- [[Strike mail]]
- [[Study circle]]
- [[Submarine mail]]
- [[Surcharge]]

==T==
- [[Tagging]]
- [[Tax stamp]]
- [[Telegraph stamp]]
- [[Test stamp]]
- [[Tete-beche]]
- [[Thematic collecting]]
- [[Tin Can Mail]]
- [[Topical stamp collecting|Topical collecting]]
- [[Training stamp]]
- [[Transatlantic mail]]
- [[Transoceanic mail]]
- [[Treaty port]]
- [[Treskilling Yellow]]

==U==
- [[Unaccepted design]]
- [[Undeliverable mail]]
- [[Undesirable issue]]
- [[Universal Postal Union]]
- [[Untagged]]
- [[Used abroad]]

==V==
- [[Valentine cover]]
- [[Variety (philately)|Variety]]
- [[Varnish bars]]
- [[Stamp vending machine]]
- [[View card]]

==W==
- [[Want list]]
- [[War cover]]
- [[War issue]]
- [[War mail]]
- [[War savings issue]]
- [[War tax]]
- [[Watermark]]
- [[Wrapper]]
- [[Wreck cover]]

==Y==
- [[Yvert|Yvert catalog]]

==Z==
- [[Zeppelin mail]]
- [[Zip block]]

[[Category:Philately]]