Among my cover collections are some philatelic event covers. Below is one, a post card, that I recently purchased. It was an impulse buy, prompted mostly by the reverse side with art work that I found attractive. It is purely philatelic in origin. Coming as a result of this purchase is what might be called a philatelic epiphany. That is, after I made the purchase I asked myself why I bought this item. It really isn't anything like my other philatelic event covers. The answer I got was a response to my on-going argument against collecting covers. By way of explanation, I have always held, somewhat scornfully, that stamp and cover collectors don't collect covers for the stamp(s) on them, but for what is printed on the envelope, i.e. an advertisement, association return address, postal markings, or cachet, etc. I, for example, would not have collected this card without the art work. It was the art work that compelled me to buy it. At the same time, I would never have bought this card if it did not have a stamp or postmark. That tells me that while art work may be the primary motive for buying a cover, the inclusion of stamp and postmark are essential for collectors like me. The epiphany, then, is stamps and postal markings, however ordinary or common, are, after all, critical components of cover collecting. Don
For me the best of this card is the cancel on the left of the address-field: 8-9-47 De Gaulle à Biarritz Unfortunately it does not say,wether the general visited the stamp exhibition.
Werner: Thanks for noting that. I had not connected the card with a visit of Gen. De Gaulle to the exhibition. Possible, I suppose. Don
This letter has travelled from Nacka, Sweden to Belgrade, Serbia and has nobel price winners series of stamps.
I did send this registered letter (R - label on the backside) back home in 1973. It is franked with a complete set for the Indian Police Force in Laos and Vietnam (ICC) from 1968 and the obligatory Refugee-Relief stamp from 1971. The ICC - set was on sale at the time at the Calangute P.O. in Goa. It was obviously valid,or maybe,believed valid by postal clerks in Calangute,for general use.
Hello all, my cover of the day is the latest archaeological one from GB. Ancient Britain - Date of issue: 2017-01-17 Regards, James.
Hello all, sorry, I should have included the insert card that came with the previous FDC. Regards, James.
Hello all, My daughter (almost wearing) the Mold Cape that is featured on the lower right stamp on the FDC. Photo taken in the British Museum - July 2010 Regards, James.
Makanudo had shown some "beautiful kimonos" on Ajman stamp on the thread uniforms and costumes. Here my only cover from Ajman: mailed on May 22nd,1970 it is stampless. Ajman issued stamps from 1964 till 1972 in a avalanche-like fashion.I am not sure how many,but surely more than a thousand, imperforated and souvenir sheets not counted. They also had service-stamps,but as it seems they did not use those on official mail,at least on my cover.
The above cover contained a leaflet,what showed a map of the area on on side and the announcement of a new issue,Easter 1970, on the other side.A quite interesting item,I think: (I think,you must click,if you want to see it.) By the way,look out for Manama on the map.A few hundred stamps were issued for that "important" exclave of Ajman seperately !
Back in the days when stamp collecting was more wide spread there was even a philatelic society for those in the U.S.'s armed forces. This cover, which apparently was rather roughly opened, went to an army officer at a Lawton, Oklahoma, address. Lawton is the location of Ft. Sill, a base specializing in artillery training and one of the country's older continually staffed army posts. The Pentagon Philatelic Society published The Armed Forces Philatelist from 1948 to 1951 and judging by the number A299 on the far right of the first address line, Maj. Strawbridge was probably a member. An appropriate slogan cancel adds a collecting point to the cover. The stamp is Sc. 989, issued on April 20, 1950, as the first of a series of four stamps commemorating the nation's capitol. Like Molokai's covers this one is still in my shoe box album, but it is earmarked for my Philatelic Publications collection. Don
From my shoe box album: A cover with cachet and mailing by the Original Order of Zunks. Does anyone have any knowledge about this organization. I have not been able to find much information about them, other than what is in the cachets. This Christmas cover is the earliest one I have. The latest is 1944. Their covers appeared with some regularity during this 1940-1944 period and seemed to focus on national holidays and patriotic themes. An insert in this cover, images below, announces a future cover with instructions on how to get one. I don't have that cover, but the insert is a nice collateral item. I have no info on Gordon H. Hamilton either. A small time dealer, perhaps? Was he the founder of the Order of Zunks? A continuing mystery, the Zunks, I am hoping someone can provide some background Don
