Postage stamps and philately of UK and related areas

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British postage stamps with discount backprints (underprints)

British postage stamps with discount backprints (underprints) Have you ever wondered all those British stamps with bluish star or letter D on the back? Only recently did I learn that they come from rather shortlived experiment with discount stamp booklets and discount folders, and the backprint (or underprint as Stanley Gibbons calls it) was to ensure the discount stamps were not sold over the counter at full face value. ...(550 words,4 images, 0 comments)

Working with Machin stamps

Working with Machin stamps Machins. You either love them or hate them. I have experienced both phases, and I would describe my current relationship with Machins as 'deep fondness'. My first touch with Machin occurred as a kid when my uncle’s fiancée was in London and sent some mail that were franked with 10½p yellow Machins. Since then my collection of Machins has grown to fill a single 32 page stockbook. ...(1294 words,4 images, 18 comments)

Non-governmental stamps - whats your take with them? And where to draw a line what is a postage stamp and what is not?

Non-governmental stamps - whats your take with them? And where to draw a line what is a postage stamp and what is not? Universal Mail. DX Mail. MorgenPost. Fastway Post. DCS. Pete's Post Ltd. TNT International Mail. Easy Post International... If you have not been living under the cave for the past two decades, then you have likely found, seen or at least heard on some of the non-governmental stamp issuers above. I find it interesting how little factual information on these alternative postal service operators and their labels and stamps is out there. With all the postal services deregulation worldwide, it is not as if the number and variety of these alternative postal operators would go down, but maybe some day in the future there will really be a situation where some countries will no longer have their own postal service, but instead fully rely on third party run 'hired gun' to take care of national and international mail collecting. ...(1178 words,10 images, 2 comments)

Making sense of plates, dies and watermarks of KGV postage stamps (of Ceylon)

Making sense of plates, dies and watermarks of KGV postage stamps (of Ceylon) One of those 'thumb rules' that most worldwide collectors learn over time is that British Commonwealth KGV definitive stamps come in two different engravings, namely Die I and Die II. The easiest identifier between stamps made from different dies is a small 'bud' on the curlicue arabesque at the extreme outer lower right and left corners. With Die I stamps the bud is there, and with Die II stamps it's not. The benefit of knowing the stamps die is that it helps you to know the watermark at the same. Die I stamps have got Multiple CA watermark, and the Die II stamps have got Script CA watermark. Simple and sweet. ...(472 words,2 images, 2 comments)

Best of British stamp design

Best of British stamp design To continue display of some recent additions to my collection, here are three different booklet panes from London 2010 Accession of KGV prestige stamp booklet. I got these from a parcel that brought me a second hand set of specialized stamp catalogs of Greece (Karamitsos/Hellas 2008 to be more precise) from UK. I know several websites have shown images of these stamps/booklet panes, but I suspect very few have seen these real used like this. These are absolutely stunning IMHO. ...(177 words,6 images, 12 comments)

UK 1971 strike mail letter from Malawi

UK 1971 strike mail letter from Malawi Though I normally don't collect "entire items" (covers, cards etc), here's something I've included to my collection. It's a 1971 cover from Malawi, addressed to United Kingdom during the 1971 postal strike. It features the 1st commonwealth approved "strike mail stamp" as well as a UK local mail delivery vignette. ...(252 words,1 images, 4 comments)

Lundy Puffin postage stamps

Lundy puffin postage stamps are widely known amongst the stamp collectors. The history behind the stamps of Lundy is similar to stamps of Herm Island. ...(526 words,6 images, 47 comments)

Herm Island local stamp -1961 Europa(CEPT)

Herm Island local stamp -1961 Europa(CEPT) I have had this Herm Islands stamp in my albums for few years. It is part of the 1961 Europa (CEPT) set of six different local stamps issued on September 18th 1961. ...(197 words,1 images, 2 comments)

The unusual stuff found on kiloware

The unusual stuff found on kiloware I think most stamp collectors do make unusual (and random) findings from kiloware (assuming it is truly unsorted). ...(76 words,1 images, 5 comments)

British Post Offices in China

British Post Offices in China For a long time, these two stamps have bugged me. They are very common Hong Kong definitive stamps from the King George V era with single line overprint "CHINA". ...(207 words,1 images, 3 comments)

Great Britain 1902 King Edvard VII stamp with KLD perfin

Great Britain 1902 King Edvard VII stamp with KLD perfin One of the most common form of unusual things in postage stamps are perfins. Some consider a stamp with a perfin seriously damaged, some (like me) collect them with passion. Below is an image of nicely used 1902 Great Britain King Edward VII 2sh6p stamp (Michel 115A, SG#261, Scott#139) with perfin. ...(125 words,1 images, 2 comments)

Q&A:Stamps of Britain and Commonwealth

Q&A:Stamps of Britain and Commonwealth Do you have question about British or commonwealth stamps / philately? Your questions answered. ...( 134 comments).