Philatelic News

Worldwide news about postage stamps, stamp collecting, philatelic literature, exhibitions, auctions and more!

May 12th 2011

Stamp issue of the day ~ Spain: World Heritage the Alhambra and the Generalife in Granada

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The Alhambra and the Generalife in Granada were declared “World Heritage” by UNESCO in 1984. The Alhambra features in this souvenir sheet depicting one of its beautifully decorated rooms, whilst the circle-shaped stamp resembles a 2 € coin with an image of the Patio de los Leones in the centre. In 1994 the declaration of World Heritage was extended to the neighbourhood of the Albaicin.

The Alhambra is located on the hill of al-Sabika, on the left bank of the Darro River, east of Granada. It is recorded that in 889 Sawwar ben Hamdun seeked refuge in his fortress from the fighting going on all over the Caliphate of Cordoba, which then belonged to the kingdom of Granada. In the 13th century with the arrival of Mohammed I, the first Nazari monarch, the Alhambra became a royal residence, marking the beginning of its splendour. The consecutive monarchs expanded and enrich the compound with the construction of new palace rooms, baths, towers, gates and extensions of the walls.

The complex of the Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín forms a complete and unique heritage which is especially representative of the architecture that emerged during the long period of the Arab rule in Spain. The Alhambra besides the Alcazaba, includes within the city walls the Nazaríes palaces defended by the towers of Vela, Armas, Pólvora, Sultana , Homenaje, Damas, Oratorio, Picos, Cadí, Infantas, Cautiva, Siete Suelos, Agua and many others. Within the complex, there are other important buildings such as the Palacio de Carlos V, a magnificent example of Renaissance architecture, designed by architect Pedro Machuca and built over the ruins of part of the previous buildings. It was commissioned by Emperor Charles V so that he could admire and enjoy the spirit and wonders of the Alhambra.

Technical details:

  • Date of issue: 12/May/2011
  • Denominations: 2 €
  • Printing process: Calcography & Offset
  • Stamp size: circular
  • Souvenir sheet size: 104.5mm x 150mm
  • Edition: 280,000 sheets
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Visit Spanish Post‘s online shop.

Posted at 8:00am and tagged with: Spain, UNESCO, World Heritage, two column, issues,.

February 20th 2011

March’s Auctions

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Mar 1: Siegel Auctions (US) ~ Sale #1004 The Gordon Eubanks Collection of the U.S. 1869 Pictorial Issue. Download catalogue.

Mar 2: Warwick & Warwick (UK) ~ Stamps Sale 667. Visit auction’s site. Worldwide stamps auction featuring 883 lots.

Mar 2: Siegel Auctions (US) ~ Sale #1005 The “New Amsterdam” Collection of City Despatch Post. The city despatch post was established in New York City in February 1842. According to an account published in 1894 and provided by Charles Windsor, the post was founded by his father, Henry Thomas Windsor, a London merchant who at the tme was living in Hoboken, New Jersey. Inspired by Rowland Hill’s postal reforms in Great Britain, Windsor and his friend, Alexander M. Greig, started operating the City Despatch Post during the first week of February 1842, in time for the busy Valentine season. Greig was advertised as the post’s “agent,” and his name is usually used alone by historians and philatelists when referring to the post’s proprietor. Download catalogue.

Mar 2-3: Siegel Auctions (US) ~ Sale #1006 The Wagshal Collection, Part 4: Perforated One-Cent 1857-60 Issue. This fourth and final part of the series of Wagshal sales presents the perforated 1¢ stamps, produced by Toppan Carpenter and issued from mid-1857 until all circulating postage stamps were demonetized in 1861 with the outbreak of the Civil War. The 1857-61 perforated 1¢ stamps were created in the same manner as the earlier imperforate stamps, except for some modifications intended to provide more space for perforation holes between the stamps. Download catalogue.

Mar 5: Prestige Philately (AU) - Auction #162 “The World at War”. Postal services during wartime in four discrete sections: 1. Russell Stern’s Australian Military Mail. The World War II conflicts in North Africa, Mediterranean, Palestine & Borneo, 2. Accumulation of civil censorship mail of the British Empire formed by John Little from England, 3. Australian material, from WWI POWs in New South Wales, and the balance of John Little’s censor mail, from the Great War and 4. G. Darge’s Gold Medal exhibit of “New Zealand Forces in WWI”. Visit auction’s site. Download catalogue.

Mar 7-12: Philatelie Christoph Gärtner (DE) ~ Auction #17 is composed by seven catalogues. 1. India & Indian States, 2. Asia, 3. Overseas and thematics, 4. Europe, 5. Germany, 6. Collections and 7. Rarities. So you will find a very special selection of fantastic stamps and covers as an extract of the more than 24.000 lots. Visit auction’s site.

Mar 9-10: Cavendish Philatelic Auctions (UK) ~ The Bentwaters’ Collection of Mulreadies with over 100 covers, plus over 100 1d Black and  1d Red covers. The Dr. James Kyle  CBE, FRCS, FRPSL Collections of the British Empire, with Australia, New Zealand, West Africa, and more. The Admiral Collection of Canada formed by the late Sandy Mackie, with foreign destination covers (Java, Mexico, Seychelles etc.), WWI censors, advertising mail. The John Bodman Collection of Papua (with Cocos Is.), an astonishing new discovery: an original find of 1870s stamped covers to Thailand (3 surface printed frankings from GB earlier than any item in the ‘Wheat’ Collection).

Mar 14: Soler y Llach (ES) ~ Worldwide stamps and postal history. Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Danish WI, Ecuador, Egypt, France & French colonies, Germany & states, GB & British commonwealth, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Italy, Levant, Mexico, Netherlands, Palestine, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, USA & Venezuela and much more. Download catalogue. Visit auction’s site.

Mar 17: Grosvenor (UK) ~ British Empire. The Lord Cornwallis Collection of Australia with Gambia, Gibraltar and Malta. An outstanding auction of 553 lots, including exceptional rarities of the Kangaroo and King George V Head issues of Australia. Download catalogue.

Mar 17: Apex Philatelic Auctions (UK) ~ Sale #106 is a 6500 lot general world sale. It includes extensive sections of Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria and Switzerland, the majority from the purchase in November of the entire stock of Leo Baresch Ltd., one of the world’s foremost dealers in the stamps of those countries (and who will be familiar to most serious collectors thereof). For single items, we draw your attention to lot 495 GB 1902 Board of Education 1/- green and carmine fine used, with 2007 BPA Cert. Cat £4500, lot 491 GB 1882 IR Official £1 green ‘TA’ with framebreak fine used. Cat £4500, Lot 1721 Bermuda 1938 line perf 10/- yellow green and carmine u/m [very slight gum toning as always found on this printing) and with variety “Lower right scroll with broken tail.” Cat £4000 1938 line perf 10/- yellow green and carmine u/m, with variety “Lower right scroll with broken tail.” Cat £4000, (plus several other varieties of this issue), lot 1858 British Virgin Isles 1857 (GB) 1d rose red ‘star’ used with fine strike of ‘A13’ cancel, a lovely example, very scarce. Cat £3750. Visit auction’s site.

Mar 19: Ron Leith Auctions (CA) ~ Sale #43 Stamps and postal history of Canada and United States.
Postal History auction highlights: includes the entire Tripo Costello Postcard Stock along with his famous Santa Clause Collection, the Wally Gutzman Canada Fancy Cork Cancel Collection, the “Calgary Collection” of Postal Artifacts comprising over 200 Canada postal hammers, part one of the Lila Walcer lifetime collection of British Royalty Memorabilia noting signed photos of King George-V and Queen Mary, a scarce group of USA General McClellan Civil War Patriotic Covers, a rare Amelia Earhart autographed cover (lot #782), and part one of the Donald Rogan Railroad Collection of RPO cancels, maps, books, and ephemera.
Stamp auction highlights: the Canada section includes the “Vernon Collection” of Superb Mint and Used Canada Classic Stamps, an extremely rare Newfoundland 5 Pence Favour “CANCELLED” Stamp that resulted in a British political scandal (lot #2476), the finest collection of Canada Coil Start and End Strips that we have ever offered, a fully operational USA Schermack Experimental Coil Vending Machine, the massive stock of recently retired packet dealer Hank Vander Veen, the Bill Anderson Precancel Collection listed as one of the top 10 collections in the Precancel Survey, and an outstanding collection of Canada Christmas Seals that includes many of the rare proofs. Visit auction’s site.

Mar 23: Stanley Gibbons (UK) ~ Worldwide Postal Bid Auction #220. Noteworthy sections in this auction include: Good selection of Bermuda, China, Ascension, Bahamas, Barbados, St. Helena, Malaya, Hong Kong, and Great Britain surface printed. Visit auction’s site.

Mar 25-26: Postiljonen (SE) ~ The “Leif Ericsson” Large Gold Collection of classic Iceland. Classic Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Portugal. Exhibition collection classic Denmark. Download catalogue.

Mar 28: Lugdunum Philatélie (FR) ~ France, French Colonies and Worldwide. Visit auction’s site.


Posted at 6:30am and tagged with: Australia, Canada, France, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, auctions, two column, Spain,.

February 19th 2011

2011 Portugal & Spain Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue

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Last published in 2004, the Stanley Gibbons Portugal and Spain Catalogue is the only comprehensive catalogue published in English which covers all the stamp issues of both Portugal and Spain in one handy volume, along with stamps of the Azores, Madeira and French and Spanish Andorra. This latest edition is in a new, easier to use format, with a useful guide to stamp entries included for the first time.

Information provided at the beginning of each country covers the history, early stamp issues and currency changes and a revised version of the International Philatelic Glossary (in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian) along with updated design indexes for Portugal and Spain, and a new design index for the Azores, aid the collector in identifying and cataloguing their collection. Major varieties including perforation, watermark and shade variations, overprint types and major errors are included.  Booklets are listed and priced and notes are provided on Machine Labels.

Retail price £39.95.

Posted at 5:08pm and tagged with: Spain, Portugal, catalogue, literature, one column,.

February 18th 2011

Stamp issue of the day ~ Spain: Civic Values

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Protection of Persons with Disabilities, Respect on the Net, the Use of the Safety Belt and Keep your City Clean are the four stamps of this year’s Civic Values issue.

The rights and freedoms of individuals should be enjoyed by people with disabilities on an equal footing. For this reason, governments are to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. United Nations, through the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, provides a set of guiding principles that underlie the Convention: Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one’s own choices, and independence of persons, non-discrimination, full and effective participation and inclusion in society, respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity, equality of opportunity and accessibility.

Respect on the Net is one of the issues in which the EU has legislated regarding the behaviour in the use of the computer network. The initiatives are aimed at protecting copyright and encouraging the use of the network as a platform for the Information Society. Responsibility, tolerance and respect are the main principles to be considered.

Fasten Your Safety Belt when getting into a car is the best choice few can all make. The purpose of its use is to minimize the effect of a collision and being thrown from the vehicle, saving many lives. Under the rules established in the Traffic Act, belt use is mandatory for both driver and all passengers including those sitting in the back seats. Children under three years travelling in the rear seats must use appropriate restraint systems for their height and weight.

“Do not forget, for a cleaner city” is the message featuring on these stamps highlighting the importance of keeping our cities clean. The place where we live and the streets we walk through should be respected by of all citizens. Using the litter containers in accordance with the recycling regulations, preventing graffiti on walls and doors, making use the bins and keeping the streets clean are some of the citizenship obligations.

Technical details:

  • Date of issue: 18/Feb/2011
  • Denomination: 0,35 €
  • Printing process: Offset
  • Design: Studio Jesús Sánchez
  • Stamp size: 40.9mm x 28.8mm
  • Sheets: 20 stamps

Visit Spanish Post‘s online shop.

Posted at 6:00am and tagged with: Spain, issues, one column,.

February 8th 2011

Stamp issue of the day ~ Spain: Anniversary of Property Act

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To celebrate the 150 anniversary of the Property Act (Ley Hipotecaria), a stamp is issued within the “Anniversaries” series depicting the official logo made on occasion of this commemoration.

The Property Act was passed on February 8 1861 under the reign of Elizabeth II and was the origin of the current real estate registry system. The new law was one of the milestones in the changing Spanish legal system, going from a situation of overlapping stratified rules to a scientific approach of regulations and a process of codifying laws.

The original legislation has been amended successively over its 150 year’s life existence during which many public institutions and organisms have been created. In 1861 the Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) was also created aiming at “the registration or endorsement of title deeds and other rights over real estate.” The Registry has an official status and its main duty is to provide reliable information to individuals when drawing up a contract on the property registered. This Land Registry meets basically three purposes: to establish a solid basis for mortgage loans, to provide protection to owners of registered rights and to make real estate legal transactions swift.

The Cuerpo Nacional de Aspirantes a Registradores (national corps of contenders to become a recorder of deeds) was created during the reign of Alfonso XII. This corps is currently known as Registradores de la Propiedad (recorders of deeds) and are the followers of those who worked 150 years ago to serve the nation and the legal certainty of Spanish law. According to the Dean of the association of the recorders of deeds (Colegio de Registradores de la Propiedad), this anniversary is “a chance for educating in the importance of the recording function and to try to expand corporate relationships whilst contributing to the defense of ideas and values such as private property, legal certainty, the market unit, national associations or technological innovation”.

Technical details:

  • Date of issue: 8/Feb/2011
  • Printing process: Offset
  • Stamp size: 40.9mm x 28.8mm
  • Sheets: 50 stamps
  • Edition: 300,000

Visit Spanish Post‘s online shop.

Posted at 6:00am and tagged with: issues, Spain, two column,.

February 7th 2011

Stamp issue of the day ~ Spain: International Year of Chemistry 2011

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The General Assembly of the United Nations has proclaimed 2011 as International Year of Chemistry and philately joins in this celebration with a commemorative stamp. The IYC 2011 is an initiative of IUPAC, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and of UNESCO. The goals of IYC2011 are to increase the public appreciation of chemistry in meeting world needs, to encourage interest in chemistry among young people, and to generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry.

The year 2011 will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry awarded to Madame Marie Curie and with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies. Throughout the year there will be a wide range of interactive, entertaining, and educational activities under the unifying theme “Chemistry—our life, our future” emphasizing that chemistry is a creative science essential for sustainability and improvements to our way of life and how chemical research is critical for improving our every day life as it is involved in the production of food, health and a large number of manufactured goods.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry Marie Curie, née Maria Sklodowska, was a Polish-born French scientist. The daughter of a distinguished professor, she was born in Warsaw in 1867 where she studied until the age of 24 when she moved to Paris to continue her studies at the Sorbonne. She obtained a degree in physics and mathematics and in 1895 she married French physicist Pierre Curie and became his most effective collaborator. A few years later she obtained her Phd with a thesis dedicated to radioactive substances. In 1898 in collaboration with her husband she discovered two new chemical elements: polonium, named in reference to her native country and radio.

In 1903 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics shared with her husband and physicist Henri Becquerel for discovering radioactivity. After the death of her husband in 1906, she became professor of physics at the Sorbonne thus becoming the first woman who taught at the University of Paris. Author of several books and founder of the Radium Institute, in 1911 she received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the first person to receive this. distinction twice. Marie Curie died in 1934 near Salanches (France).

Technical details:

  • Date of issue: 7/Feb/2011
  • Printing process: Calcography & Offset
  • Stamp size: 40.9mm x 28.8mm
  • Sheets: 50 stamps
  • Edition: 300,000

Visit Spanish Post‘s online shop.

Posted at 6:00am and tagged with: issues, Spain, people, two column, science,.