Philatelic News

February 24th 2011

Stamp issue of the day ~ United Kingdom: Musicals

Royal Mail looked back at more than seven decades of popular stage musicals to find the most suitable shows for the set. Criteria included the shows’ origin, writers and composers, longevity and success. A conscious effort was taken to represent the evolving nature of musical theatre, and to include shows based upon successful films and songs from popular artists’ back catalogues. Oliver, Blood Brothers, We Will Rock You, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Me and My Girl, Return to the Forbidden Planet and Billy Elliot were chosen.

Technical details:

Date of issue: 24/Feb/2011
Denominations: 1st class: Oliver!, Blood Brothers, We Will Rock You and Monty Python’s Spamalot. 97p: The Rocky Horror Show, Me and My Girl, Return to the Forbidden Planet and Billy Elliot
Printing process: Lithography
Design: Webb and Webb
Stamp size: 27mm x 37mm
Sheets: 25 and 50 stamps

Visit Royal Mail’s online shop.

Posted at 8:00am and tagged with: United Kingdom, issues, musicals, one column,.

February 22nd 2011

Lugano 2011 ~ National Philatelic Exhibition: 6th to 8th May @ Lugano

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The “Club Filatelico Lugano” is organizing a National Philatelic Exhibition to be held in Lugano, Switzerland from May 6th to May 8th. The event is being held under the patronage of the Swiss Philatelic Society. Lugano 2011 will host various classes including: Traditional Philately, Postal History, Thematic Philately, Aerophilately, Astrophilately, Maximaphily and Philatelic Literature among others.

Philatelic and Postal History audiovisual competition
During the exhibition, a competition of audiovisual works regarding Philately and Postal History is institutes. The purpose of the competition is to promote, to spread and to introduce the Hobby and its history through the stamp in all its cultural, social, historical, geographic, artistic, technical aspects and so on, through the production and the diffusion of audiovisual works of variable duration. The Competition is reserved to the Postal Administrations, Museums, Collectors, Experts, Students, Designers, Stamp Dealers, Auction Houses, Editors and Philatelic Associations of all the World.

Venue
Centro Esposizioni Padiglione Conza, entrata Viale Castagnola 15
Lugano, Switzerland

Contact
Organising Committee
Gianfranco Bellini, Via Ronchetto 12, 6900 Lugano
bellini.gianfranco@bluewin.ch
www.lugano2011.ch

Posted at 8:00am and tagged with: Switzerland, events, exhibitions, one column, Lugano,.

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 16th 2011

The British Post Office in Colombia 1821-1881 by Malcolm Bentley

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Published 2010 by The Postal History Society, Somerset, England. Hardcover, xiv + 141 pp., color illus., ISBN 978-0-85377-031-2. Retail price £40, price to members £35 plus p&p. Website: www.postalhistory.org.uk

Postal History Society’s review:

This book gives an all round view of the British postal activities in Colombia set against a most informative description of the history, geography and the politics of a very interesting period of the country’s development. Through Malcolm’s approach, one has every chance to enhance ones knowledge of the Victorians’ interest in trade and commerce and in particular how they improved their communications in the Americas through the importance of the Panama/Colon offices.

A dramatic period with mass migration from Europe to North America, California acquiring statehood, the Gold rush of 1849, the construction of a railway linking ports of the Caribbean to the Pacific and the surveying of a canal across the Isthmus.

All of this and much more is covered in this quality printed book, which is well illustrated both in colour and black and white. It is an excellent companion for both readers and collectors new to the area as well as for those more familiar with it.

Posted at 9:00am and tagged with: Colombia, United Kingdom, literature, one column, reviews, postal history,.

February 13th 2011

An Post Museum: Letters, Lives & Liberty exhibition

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Situated in a corner of Dublin’s GPO, The An Post Museum houses the exhibition - Letters, Lives & Liberty.

The exhibition explores the influence of the Post Office in Ireland and offers an insight into the role played by Post Office people in the development of Irish society over many years. From stamps and stamp collecting to An Post’s copy of the 1916 Proclamation and the little known story of the staff who were actually in the GPO on Easter Monday, the exhibition is a unique way to learn about the importance of the Post Office in Irish life.

Visit the museum’s virtual tour.

Posted at 9:00am and tagged with: Ireland, museums, exhibitions, one column,.

February 12th 2011

India’s first cloth stamp

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Hindustan Times reports:

A unique stamp printed on cloth is all set to grace the collections of philatelists world wide. In a bid to popularise philately (study and collection of stamps and related items), India Post has decided to release a stamp printed on khadi. A first such stamp in the country, it will bear the image of Mahatma Gandhi.

“We will issue the special philately stamp on February 12, the inaugural day of week-long world philatelic exhibition —Indipex 2011 — that will be observed in India and Japan this year. President Pratibha Patil will inaugurate the stamp,” Harpreet Singh, director, Indipex 2011, said.

The stamp will be released at the national museum amid thousands of eminent philatelists from different countries.

“The stamp, with the denomination of R100, will be released on a single sheet and we are hoping that it would be in great demand,” said an officer of department of post’s philatelic bureau.

According to eminent philatelist Madhukar Jhingan, this is a revolutionary step as no Indian stamp was ever made on any material other than paper.

“I am sure this stamp will be in high demand. Earlier, a few countries such as Bhutan, Thailand and Austria had successfully experimented with stamps on cloth and other materials,” Jhingan said.

During Indipex, which will be organised jointly by India Post and Philatelic Congress of India, the department will also issue unique personalised stamps called ‘My Stamp’.

“A personalised stamp is a postage stamp where a picture or photograph can be added to the stamp,” said Singh. Those interested can get their snaps clicked during the Indipex.

These snaps would then be printed on stamps and can be used along with real stamps, Singh said.

He also inaugurated a letter writing and stamp designing competition on Sunday at India Gate premises, which saw participation of more than 3,000 schoolchildren.

The winners of the stamp designing competition, the theme of which was ‘save the tiger’, will have their designs displayed at Indipex.

Six best designs will be printed as official government stamps and issued on the Children’s Day, said India Post sources.

Posted at 1:00am and tagged with: India, issues, one column,.

February 11th 2011

World’s largest stamp mosaic

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New Guinness World Record holder of the largest stamp mosaic unveiled at Show. The Sandton Convention Centre was a hive of activity with the opening ceremony of the Joburg 2010 International Stamp Show, which saw the unveiling of the new Guinness World Record holder for the largest stamp mosaic.

The mosaic, which towers at 27 meters wide by six metres high, officially holds the Guinness World Record for the largest stamp mosaic. The mosaic was assembled through the collaboration between The South Africa Post Office and Hatfield Tuition College (HTC), and features all proudly South African Stamps.

The new record holder features the Tshwane skyline, and was completed in a record four weeks by 115 volunteers. The previous record holder was completed over three years by 300 volunteers.

Source
Stay posted. South Africa Post Office, 2011(4). Pag. 12.

Posted at 2:00pm and tagged with: South Africa, one column,.

February 10th 2011

Ireland introduced a new coil of self-adhesive stamps

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Early this year Irish Post changed the format of box of 100 Self-adhesive stamps. The stamps is now issued in a wrapped coil of 100 stamps and is not issued in a box. The stamps contained within the coil are the 55c large flowered butterwort which can be used to cover the postage of a letter/postcard weighing up to 100g and no larger than C5 in size within Ireland.

Source
The collector. Irish stamps, 2011. Pag. 10.

Posted at 3:00pm and tagged with: Ireland, issues, self-adhesive, one column,.