myStampJourney

Christmas falls on 25th December worldwide but the spirit of giving spans almost the entire month, and perhaps even longer in some parts of the world as I was told. Christmas, as popularized by mainstream media, plays out with snow falling, jingling bells, a warm fireplace, and wrapped presents under a decorated tree - the good kind of Christmas in family movies. Relatives and close friends that are far away are reached through mails and postcards sent throughout the season. And as stamps were affixed onto mailed letters and postcards, a Danish postal clerk,  Einar Holbøll, thought it would be better to incorporate additional stamps to raise fund for charity.  Einar Holbøll; portrait obtained from Seal Society Holbøll worked as a clerk at the post office. He had long been interested in philanthropic work and thought to himself, "If we could only catch people while they are in this holiday mood and filled with kind sentiments, I am sure that they would buy a charity stamp to be put

Agro-based product definitives were issued in 25 October 1986 in all states of Malaysia featuring a set of seven stamps depicting agricultural products: Coffee, Coconut, Cocoa, Black Pepper, Rubber, Oil Palm, and Rice. Throughout the years, these stamps ran from sheet 1A to 14A, signifying the massive reprints as definitive stamps before it was eventually replaced by the new state definitives issued in 2007.  Initially, the Agro-based state definitive stamps were lithographically printed on SPM watermarked phosphor coated paper with a perforation of 11.75 (listed as 12 in both Scott and Stanley Gibbons). Each state shared a similar design type except the state name, emblem/ coat of arms, and portraits of respective rulers.  Perlis 20c, P. 11.75 Reprints, later on, had more interesting changes to perforation, watermark, gum, and denomination. Varieties in perforation always the easiest to distinguish, at times, even without a perforation gauge. I have had no luck with finding an unwater

The Camel Corps Military Telegraph stamps were released in 1898 for telegraphic purposes until 1901 between towns in Sudan. On the stamp is the Camel Corps of the Sudan Defence Force marching through the desert with telegraph lines depicted in the background. The Camel Corps was established by the Egyptian army in 1883; it was then reformed again in 1884 for the Gordon Relief Expedition.  For this issue, telegraph stamps were bisected in the middle with a central perforation for the ease of separating the telegraph and its receipt. Not an error, rather for convenience. When separated, sender would receive the telegraph receipt with half portion of the stamp affixed while the post office keeps the other half attached to the telegraph form. It is an interesting find because it is very creative considering that the top half of telegraph forms used then was the receipt. Some time ago I came across just that example commented by Dave on Stampboards in 2019, which provided a visual explanat

The conventional method of removing stamps off paper is by soaking in lukewarm water. However, there are certain stamps that should stay far from the soak-in-a-bulk technique especially those that were printed with fugitive ink .  Fugitive ink wash off when exposed to water or any organic solvent such as spirits, which will stain the stamps and other unlucky stamps too that soaking together. Thomas De La Rue & Co., a firm based in London is quite well-known in terms of the usage of fugitive inks especially shades of purple to magenta and green. The nature of fugitive ink, I believe, is solely to combat the issue of reusing stamps by removal of postmarks. From all the gentle scrubbing while removing postmarks, one could potentially smudge the entire stamp in purple or green. With that, it is important to have knowledge of which printing firm responsible for any said stamp prior to soaking. If not, separate the purple and green ones for careful removal and to avoid the washed off ink

This is quite new, and it just further proves the elaborate use of stamps beyond mainstream postage purposes. Newspaper stamps as the name suggests are affixed on newspapers or newspaper wrappers as means of paying the cost of mailing them. Quite specific, isn't it? There are many examples of newspaper stamps issued by many countries but since I happen to collect German stamps, I think that it is great to feature an example here.  1943 German Reich - Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia 7 Heller brick red  These are with left margin There are two versions of newspaper stamps (Zeitungsmarken) for this protectorate: the first set being released in 1939 (MiNr. 42-50) with nine denominations, and the second set being released in 1943 (MiNr. 117-125), also with nine denominations, however, bearing an additional inscription 'Deutches Reich'.  For the newspaper stamps that were released in 1943, they were the only stamps that were allowed to be used after the re-establishment of th

First and foremost, happy World Pneumonia Day (12 Nov 2020). I personally find that the significance of World Pneumonia Day this year has been greatly redefined by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pneumonia is the infection and inflammation of lungs that lead to fluid-filled air sacs (alveoli). This respiratory disease has long existed and therapeutic solutions against it includes vaccines and steps to lower its risk factors such as smoking. However, with the current pandemic affecting every country, the availability of medical oxygen has been put into attention - thus, this year's theme is 'Every Breath Counts'. 1989 Taiwan - Anti-smoking campaign Pneumonia was not as popular in philately compared to other medical themes such as Tuberculosis, Malaria, diabetes, AIDS, and now, COVID-19. Speaking of COVID-19 stamps, they fetch quite a premium with most, if not all, sold at several times their face value. Hence, after weeks of browsing through stamps that were offered by local sellers,

Mail-carrying rockets?  It was a plan first proposed by Heinrich von Kleist, a German editor of the Berliner Abendbl ä tter (Berlin Evening Papers) in 1810. However, the first rocket mail, after decades of fascination towards delivering mail via a faster projectile led the launching of the first rocket mail by Friedrich Schmiedl. Among other pioneers are Hermann Oberth, Gerhard Zucker, and Stephen Smith.  Friedrich Schmiedl To be honest, I was not aware that rockets were ever considered as another mode of mailing. The idea of mail being shot up the sky and finally parachuting down to its destination sounds cool but at the same time, quite risky. Changes in wind direction may steer the rocket off course.  In spite of that, there were numerous successful launches containing postal covers commemorating such. For instance, the launch of a long range rocket mail from the US submarine USS Barbero in 1959 to a naval station in Florida.  At the time of writing, I had only acquired one example

US Army Postal Service Collecting and studying Army Post Offices (APO) is a vast subject with over 1000 different A.P.O's between 1941 and 1945. One of the main reasons, if not, the prime reason for the development of A.P.O's is to enable soldiers to receive mail whilst maintaining anonymity.  When the opportunity presents itself, by opportunity I mean military covers that are sold at very cheap prices by local sellers, I would always grab a few to study.  This was sent from A.P.O. 704 (Manila, Philippines) [1] to Amsterdam on a 6¢ orange air post envelope/ postal stationery envelope (PSE) dated 26 OCT 1943.  Mail under the care of postmaster of San Francisco, California. Passed by US Army Examiner 16470 Now that I wouldn't want to plagiarize information, make sure to check out Jim Forte's website. I have learnt a great deal from that site alone [2].  References: 1. A Price Guide to U.S. A.P.O. Cancels of the Second World War by Jim Forte & Richard W. Helbock 2. htt

In the previous Basics in Philately, date stamp or postmark (used interchangeably to some extent) were mentioned in one of the examples. The concept of postmark is very easy: It is any markings done which is made on both the stamp and the mail to indicate that the stamp has served its purpose sufficiently in terms of postage charges. Postmarks are vital to prevent repetitive usage of the same stamps for postage. Air mail from Singapore to India dated 30 JUN 57 on SINGAPORE circular date stamp (CDS) It is a common sight on mails - recipient's address in the centre, stamps on the upper right corner, and a circular postmark overlapping both the stamps and the mail. Get enough mails and you would notice that the circular postmarks vary from size, style, and at times even shape.  Postmarks, in general, are applied either via handstamp or machine cancellations.  General classification of postmarks according to mode of cancellation. *Update: The term, 'Frank' is put under machine

When walking out of a grocery store promptly after paying at the cashier, a receipt is issued to indicate (and prove, if need be) that we have purchased the items. Similarly, stamps are essentially small pieces of paper affixed onto mails to indicate that we have paid for the postage.  Stamp affixed to upper right corner of an envelope with a date stamp. Date stamps are postmarks that indicate the stamp has been used or cancelled. This step is necessary, else, a single stamp could be used again and again - that's not good for the economy. However, the term stamp is an umbrella of many categories. Reiterating the definition, stamps can therefore be divided into subcategories depending the nature of its use. Likewise, they are printed differently indicating its purpose. Say, when a parcel is posted but is paid insufficiently for postage, the post office would affix postage due stamps in which the recipient would have to bear the additional charges to collect the mail.  The four gene

Morocco was a massive war zone where European power exerts immense interest. The French bombarded Tangier, and later Mogador in the Franco-Moroccan War in 1844. 15 years later, the Hispano-Moroccan War took place. Both wars forced Morocco to negotiate with the British. Morocco became a protectorate of Great Britain after the Franco-Moroccan War, and take loans from Great Britain after the Hispano-Moroccan War. The Treaty of Madrid (1880) was perhaps the beginning to European ownership of Moroccan land but was escalated by two factors: 1. Economic instability (Morocco was in a huge debt where the French happily agreed to settle in return for revenues in the future. 2. Concern raised by the German Kaiser in 1905, which he condemned France's increasing control over Morocco, which ushered the Algeciras Conference in 1906. Germany was shut off, other European powers supported French presence in Morocco and her rights to collect revenues in Moroccan ports. This was the First Moroccan C

A very brief introduction: The British Empire Exhibition (BEE) took place in Wembley between 23 April 1925 to 31 October 1925 to showcase wealth and developmental potential throughout the empire with other member nations of the empire to the public.    A 1924 postcard illustrating the Malaya Pavilion (O'Neill, 2019) In terms of philatelic material, two commemorative stamps featuring the King's portrait, the Wembley Lion, and a rising sun at the lower left corner of the stamp were issued by the British Post Office on the opening day. Along with the two commemorative stamps, special datestamps were used too.  Some BEE datestamps. 104: Handstamp used on ordinary mail at London NW Head Office; 105: CDS with 'Paid' marking struck in red; 106: Two rubber handstamps issued to be used on packets, one in London NW Head Office and the other at Wembley sub-office; 107: Rubber handstamp used at Paddington for backstamping registered letters; 108: Handstamp used on registered mail

There is a special vibe to this color and I feel that its monochromatic yet warm tone perfectly resonates reverence towards this ancient giant.  Top: Some mint 1 cent stamps depicting Mount Kinabalu with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Bottom: A First Day Cover (FDC) commemorating the release of the stamp on 1st October 1954  On a recent read on the Colonial Report on North Borneo 1949, the photograph featured on the cover of the report was identical to the one used for this stamp but if you were to travel to Kota Belud, prepare to bask in the glorious view of the mountain.  Cover of the Colonial Report on North Borneo 1949 Coming back to the mountain, there are many folklores and local legends gravitating around this mystery. Among various stories suggesting where the mountain got its name, I was often told three versions of the story: 1. The story of Kinohiringan, Umunsumundu, and Kondiu According to the Kadazandusun creation myth, Kinohiringan and Umunsumundu were deities that were