Stamp Magazine 2022 11

ELIZABETH II THE WORLD’S BEST PHILATELIC MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2022
MEMORIAL
ISSUE
TM
MAGAZINE
Jamaica’s Commandos in
1903 Coat of action on Britain’s
Arms series new special issue
Her Majesty
A passage to Oz
Mail and mailships
of the Orient Line
Arctic anomaly
How should we
catalogue the Thule
stamps of Greenland?
www.stampmagazine.co.uk £4.99
The first philatelic tributes to
Queen Elizabeth II, and our
gallery of portrait definitives
TM
MAGAZINE
WELCOME
IN THIS ISSUE
The death of Her Majesty the Queen
should not come as a surprise to us. She
was 96 years old, after all. But still it
came as a shock. This was a monarch
who appeared to many of us (certainly to
those of us under 70) to be permanent.
Part of the evidence which seemed to back that up,
undoubtedly, was her definitive stamps, the Machins.
Their currency may have changed, their colours,
their face values, their printers, their typefaces, their
perforations, their paper, their shape, their security
features... But not their portrait.
This is a series that has kept on growing and
diversifying for an astonishing 55 years, to the extent
that some thought it scarily complex (which strikes
me as understandable) and others thought it
irredeemably boring (which strikes me as odd).
Now, suddenly, Machins are about to turn from an
infinite collectable into a finite one.
That will give some collectors an opportunity to
draw breath, catch up and complete. It will give
others an excuse to rationalise their holdings or
jump off the bandwagon altogether — at a time when
Royal Mail is offering a matched-value exchange
deal for surplus decimal definitives!
The end of the reign could sound the death knell
for collecting Great Britain. On the other hand, it
could give it a shot in the arm. Excitements awaiting
us (perhaps for the first time in our lives) include a
new definitive portrait, a different cameo head for 54 Covers, stamps and postcards telling the story of the Orient Line
commemoratives, and presumably a Coronation
issue. Perhaps these modest aspirations will be
trumped by something more revolutionary still?
Watch this space. God save the King!
8 WORLD NEWS
GUY THOMAS, Editor The first memorial issues for
guy.thomas@dhpub.co.uk Queen Elizabeth II
Stamp Magazine, David Hall Publishing Ltd, Suite 6G,

10 NEW ISSUES
Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF A new Falkland Islands definitive
(please mark correspondence either ‘Editorial’ or ‘Advertising’) set celebrates its rural heritage
14 AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Art Editor Publishers Exhibition pieces from Britain to
Julie Bentley David Hall Publishing Ltd
Tel: 020 3855 6105 (UK) Hawaii, and Mexico to China
Advertisement Sales Consultant
Tel: +44 20 3855 6105 (rest of the world)
Jay Jones
jay.jones@dhpub.co.uk Subscriptions
CDS Global, Tower House, Lathkill Street,
20 GB NEW ISSUE
Group Advertisement Manager Our verdict on the Royal Marines
Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 9EF
Rhona Bolger
Tel: 01858 438436 (UK)
rhona.bolger@dhpub.co.uk
Tel: +44 1858 438436 (rest of the world)
special stamp issue
Subscriptions Executive (lines open Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm UK time)
Beth Ashby-Njiiri dhpub@subscription.co.uk
22 GB NEW ISSUE
Chief Executive Current & Back Issues
Full details of Britain’s In
8 Earliest tributes to the Queen
Owen Davies Tel: 01795 662976
www.mags-uk.com Memoriam set for the Queen
Printers
William Gibbons & Sons Ltd ISSN 0307-6679
24 GB COLLECTOR
USA Stamp Magazine, ISSN 0307-6679, is published monthly by How the new reign will affect
David Hall Publishing Ltd, Suite 6G, Eden House, Enterprise Way,
Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF, UK. The US annual subscription price is stamp issues, and the first
108USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named WN
Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, forgeries with data matrix codes
USA. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn NY 11256.
US Postmaster: send address changes to Stamp Magazine, WN
Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, 30 LETTERS
USA. Subscription records are maintained at DSB.net Ltd, 3
Queensbridge, The Lakes, Northampton, NN4 5DT, UK. Air Business Why are old-style Machins still
Ltd is acting as our mailing agent. being sold? And how much inland
mail is delivered via Thailand? 89 More interesting than first imagined!
4 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

CONTENTS
NOVEMBER 2022 | Volume 88, Number 11 | www.stampmagazine.co.uk
40 Her Majesty’s definitive stamps 20 Royal Mail’s new set honouring the Royal Marines 62 Why the 1961 Post Office Savings Bank issue was a landmark for Britain
66 Thule’s place in Greenland philately 14 Philatelic treasures and curiosities going under the hammer 10 Falkland Islands rural heritage
FEATURES 35 TALKING POINT COMPETITIONS

The success of philately has been
built on its level of organisation,
40 DEFINITIVES OF but what are today’s priorities? Win a Transformers
QUEEN ELIZABETH II presentation pack!
Our tribute to Britain’s longest 51 COMMONWEALTH Or a copy of our
reigning monarch centres on a CLASSICS GB price guide!
pictorial review of her portrait Jamaica opted for a coat of arms
See page 37
definitives. Can you guess how design instead of portraying King
many we thought we needed Edward VII in its 1903 series
to illustrate?
62 EARLY ELIZABETHANS ‘How many societies have a
54 POSTAL HISTORY OF The Post Office Savings Bank set of
THE ORIENT LINE 1961 piled a lot of pressure on the website to let potential members
For nearly 90 years, much of the printers, and it showed
mail between Britain and Australia know of their existence?’
was carried on ships whose names 71 VICTORIANA
began with ‘O’. Covers, stamps Was it normal for linen sacks to
see page 35
and postcards tell their story be posted as ‘letters’ in Victorian
times? And was it legitimate? SUBSCRIBE ELIZABETH II
MEMORIAL
ISSUE
THE WORLD’S BEST PHILATELIC MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2022
66 THE THULE ISSUE TM
74 WHAT’S ON
MAGAZINE
OF GREENLAND Jamaica’s
1903 Coat of
Commandos in
action on Britain’s
Genuine postage stamps, local Exhibition, auction, fair and society

Take advantage of our Arms series
Her Majesty
new special issue
carriage labels or cinderellas? The dates for your diary special subscription offer A passage to Oz
Mail and mailships
of the Orient Line
quaint and unusual 1935-36 issue and have Stamp Magazine

of Thule could be used to send 89 STRANGE BUT TRUE delivered to your door. Arctic anomaly
How should we
catalogue the Thule
stamps of Greenland?
mail 2,000 miles, but is denied Stanley Gibbons said the Orange See page 72
www.stampmagazine.co.uk £4.99
The first philatelic tributes to
Queen Elizabeth II, and our
gallery of portrait definitives
full catalogue status Free State’s field post stamps were

‘of no philatelic interest’. Wrong!
NOVEMBER 2022 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 5

WORLD NEWS
The Queen
honoured
by France...
One of the first philatelic tributes to Queen Elizabeth II following her
death in September came, of all places, from France.
The French postal service put a sheetlet of four ‘collector stamps’ on
sale on the day of her funeral on September 19, with images of the
monarch at different stages in her life.
Available from the La Poste website, the self-adhesive stamps are
non-value-indicators inscribed ‘International’, meeting the worldwide
priority letter rate, and are sold at €8.50 per set.
‘Collector stamps’ are not considered part of France’s regular stamp
programme, and are not sold in post offices. Instead they are a part of its
personalisable service, akin to Royal Mail’s collector’s sheets (formerly
known as generic Smilers).
The photographs show the Queen at the Trooping the Colour parade in
1972, during her Silver Jubilee in 1977, in London in 1986, and during her
Golden Jubilee in 2002.
...and fondly
remembered
by Malta
Also on September 19, Malta issued a miniature sheet titled In
Memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Its single €5 stamp has a monochrome image of Elizabeth
in Malta as a Princess, with her husband Prince Philip.
The couple lived in Malta for two years in 1949-51, when
Philip was stationed there as an officer in the Royal Navy.
The border portrays the Queen in later life, with a
background view of Valletta.
Memorial issues
from IGPC nations
The US-based Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation, which
represents many smaller stamp-issuing countries, announced
stamps honouring Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her death.
Six days later, on September 14, it confirmed six-stamp
miniature sheets from Grenada and Papua New Guinea, and a
four-stamp miniature sheet from Tuvalu, all with ‘In Loving
Memory’ and ‘Longest Reigning Monarch’ inscriptions in their
borders, along with the Union flag.
It was implied that this mini-omnibus would soon be joined by
Antigua & Barbuda, Gambia, Grenada, Guyana, the Marshall
Islands, Nevis, St Kitts and St Vincent & The Grenadines.

WORLD NEWS AUCTIONS | GB COLLECTOR | LETTERS | COMMENT | COMPETITIONS | FEATURES | EVENTS | STRANGE BUT TRUE
Australia celebrates its NEWS IN BRIEF
transformational telegraph... > Ukraine’s postal

service has opened
more than 350
mobile post offices
A stamp from Australia marks the 150th anniversary of since the invasion by
one of the British Empire’s greatest engineering Russia in February,
achievements, the Overland Telegraph line from the and many more
temporary offices in
south coast to the north coast. civic buildings.
The communication link between between Adelaide in
South Australia and Darwin in the Northern Territory > Patrick Pearson,
was completed in 1872, after months of arduous a Past President of
the Royal Philatelic
construction through the arid centre of the continent
Society London, has
and the wet, mosquito-infested north. died at the age of
A single galvanised wire was supported by 36,000 92. He served on the
poles on its 1,775-mile route across what was at the society’s Expert
time virtually unexplored territory, with 11 manned Committee for a
record 53 years.
repeater stations set up to receive and transmit
messages in Morse code. > New Zealand
Within another two months, an undersea cable from The Morse code inscription at the bottom spells out withdrew a stamp
Darwin to Java permitted communication with the wider ‘Overland Telegraph’. issue marking the
50th anniversary of
world within minutes rather than weeks. Australia previously celebrated the same
the Maori Language
The $1.10 design shows a telegraph key and a map. achievement with a 7c stamp in 1972. Petition just before
its planned issue
date at the start of
...and Alderney its vital breakwater August. It said the
decision was made
following ‘feedback
A set of four from Alderney marks the 175th anniversary of the start from stakeholders’.
of construction of the island’s vital breakwater.
Begun in 1847 and completed in 1864, the 800m-long structure was > The International
Philatelic Music
built primarily as a defence against possible French invasion, by
Study Group’s Yehudi
dropping thousands of tonnes of rubble into the sea, up to a depth of Menuhin Trophy for
56m in places. It created Braye Harbour, a safe haven for British the most popular
naval vessels as well as supply ships and ferries. music stamp of 2021
In 2018 it was named one of the top 200 most influential has been awarded to
the United Nations
engineering projects in the world by the Institution of Civil Engineers. issue honouring
Values of 52p, 79p, £1.10 and £1.35 illustrate the structure from John Lennon.
four different angles.
> The Musée de la
Poste (postal
museum) in Paris
has an exhibition
Watch your back! NFTs now devoted to the story
of France’s famous
Marianne definitives,
The adhesive stamps which have helped Ukraine to express its
defiance since the Russian invasion in February have been joined by
big in Asia including unadopted
designs. It is open
an amusing piece of postal stationery. until September
Besides the U-rate stamp depicting the national symbol of a Two Asian countries have joined the 2023.
trident, it illustrates Vladimir Putin eyeing up a map of Ukraine, but worldwide clamour to offer stamp designs
as non-fungible tokens.
> Banbury Stamp
about to receive a tap on the shoulder from a Ukrainian soldier. Society is hosting a
Malaysia’s first NFTs come Festival of Stamps
complimentary with its newly issued sheet on October 23,
of 14 stamps with designs representing the comprising a stamp
country’s 14 constituent states. and postcard fair
and the Thames
Bhutan has ambitious plans to ‘tokenize’ Valley Federation
its entire back catalogue of stamps, in competitions. The
partnership with Estonian company venue is the Blessed
Stampsdaq. Owners of these NFTs are George Napier
School in
promised exclusive benefits, including
Springfield Avenue.
tourist trips to Bhutan.
NFTs are digital pieces of artwork, whose > The Kent
authenticity and ownership are recorded in Federation of
a blockchain (a digital ledger). They have philatelic societies
has been disbanded,
now been issued by more than a dozen due to a lack of
countries in an attempt to create new volunteers to fill
collectables. committee posts.

WORLD NEWS
NEW ISSUE
Falklands definitives
focus on rural heritage
new definitive series issued by the and educate the Fuegian Indians who came sheep could be immersed in a liquid
A Falkland Islands illustrates the

Rural Heritage of the archipelago,
while recalling some evocative and
to the Falklands as seasonal labour.
The 77p illustrates a farm caravan, a
movable hut for farm workers who need to
solution which would kill skin parasites.
The £5 top value celebrates the ‘standing
man’ on Weddell Island, an example of a
poignant local folklore. stay in a remote site for short periods. The stone cairn built on high ground as a
Photographic views of remote areas typical caravan was timber framed and wayfinder for travellers between farm
recall how life was tough for early farmers, iron-clad, with bunks and a small peat settlements. From the 1950s, these were
due to difficult terrain, a lack of proper stove, and could be towed from location to used by surveyors mapping the islands.
roads, hazardous sea links, inclement location on sleigh runners. The set is completed by a non-value
weather and poor communications. The 80p value shows Little Chartres indicator in a different format for the local
The 1p value shows Rudd’s Pass, a ford Bridge, a prefabricated wartime Bailey postage rate (currently 33p), illustrating a
across the San Carlos River. In 1864 John bridge which replaced an earlier wooden traditional wooden farm cart. This is
Rudd, a camp manager for the Falkland construction allowing flocks of sheep, available in booklets of 10.
Islands Company, was murdered here by a horses and later vehicles to cross the
gaucho (cattle hand) who was later hanged Chartres River.
for the offence. The £1 features The Bull’s House at
The 2p shows the wreck of the St Mary at Lafonia, a tiny rural shelter thought to have
Whale Point. After being damaged near been used by cattle-herders working in an
Cape Horn in an earlier collision, the cargo exposed landscape.
ship hit a reef in 1891 and was subsequently The £2 stamp illustrates the Whaling
torn apart by storms. Station on New Island, the first and last
The 5p illustrates Hillside House at shore-based station in the Falklands,
Riverside Farm, an early stone cottage built operated by Christian Salvesen & Co from
in 1868 and now in a ruined state. 1908 until 1916. The rails running into the
The 10p focuses on Ferguson’s Lookout bay were for winching carcasses ashore.
on New Island, a stone shelter built as a The £2.05 value shows a stone corral at
coast watching station during World War II, Kelp Harbour, the best-preserved example
when monetary rewards were given for the in the Falklands, comprising a large stone
sighting of foreign ships. circle with a smaller one attached, for
The 54p shows the Mission Station on controlling herds of cattle.
Keppel Island, established in 1855 by the The £3.60 shows a sheep dip at Mount
Patagonian Missionary Society to convert Rosalie, a long stone-built trough where

13
AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
CHINA 1893
Combination cover
with France
The inaugural sale by AVA Auctions in Hong
Kong in July included a fabulous realisation
for a rare combination cover, with the
stamps of Imperial China and France paying
unusually high postage rates.
Registered in Kiukiang (Jiujiang) on
June 27, 1893, and addressed to Berne in
Switzerland, it was sent via the French post
office in Shanghai.
The reverse was franked with 26
examples of the 5ca yellow (including a
block of 20) and a pair of the 1ca green from
the Small Dragons issue of China, paying a
total of 132ca, tied by ‘Customs Kiukiang’
handstamps in red.
On the address side were strips of three
of the 1f green and three of the 25c black
from the Peace & Commerce series of
France, tied by ‘Shang-hai Chine’
handstamps dated June 30.
Other postal markings included a
‘Customs Shanghai’ transit mark of June 29
and a Berne arrival handstamp of August 3.
SOLD BY AVA £348,775
HAWAII 1851-52 GB USED ABROAD 1868

Unused 5c blue Unique Spanish mail packet cover
Schuyler Rumsey’s The highest
auction at the realisation at Spink’s
Great American sale on September 13
Stamp Show in was for the only
Sacramento, recorded cover with
California, on the ‘D26’ Spanish mail
August 25-28 packet handstamp
offered an unused cancelling a British
example of one of stamp.
the legendary The oily but clear
‘Hawaiian barred-oval
Missionaries’. cancellation ties a
The 1851-52 5c Great Britain 1865-67
blue is one of only 12 unused copies recorded, 4d vermilion to an
two of which are in the Tapling collection held by entire posted from
the British Library, leaving only 10 available to Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, to the United States on November 8, 1868.
private collectors. The stamp, which has its perforations trimmed off on three sides, is also tied by a
From the left position in the setting of two, ‘NY Steamship/10’ handstamp of December 10.
without gum, the stamp has had margins added On the reverse is a ‘Spanish Mail Packet’ handstamp and a transit mark of
at top and right, with a portion of the frame line St Thomas, dated November 17.
painted in, but is of very fine appearance. Santo Domingo had been the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the Americas, but
Values quoted in the Scott catalogue are for from 1844 was the capital of an independent Dominican Republic.
‘examples with minor damage that has been St Thomas, then part of the Danish West Indies, became an important Caribbean mail
skillfully repaired’. hub in the 19th century; it is now in the US Virgin Islands.
SOLD BY SCHUYLER RUMSEY £37,192 SOLD BY SPINK £14,000

WORLD NEWS AUCTIONS GB COLLECTOR | LETTERS | COMMENT | COMPETITIONS | FEATURES| EVENTS | STRANGE BUT TRUE
Prices quoted exclude buyers’ premiums
MEXICO 1866 GREAT BRITAIN 1879

Highest recorded franking of Penny Red plate 225 block
Emperor Maximilian issue
Another highlight of
the Schuyler Rumsey
sale was a Mexico
cover of 1866
featuring the highest
known franking of the
1864-66 Emperor
Maximilian issue.
This comprised six
copies of the 50c
green (including a strip of five), plus a 13c blue and a 25c, all Spink’s auction included the largest known multiple of the
overprinted with the consignment number 87.1866 and tied by Penny Red with the plate number 225.
circular datestamps. The block of 12 in the lake-red shade, from the lower right
The postage adds up to $3.38, on an oversized, folded lettersheet corner of the sheet, shows both the plate number ‘225’ and the
addressed to Guadalajara on October 2. current number ‘268’ in the margin.
Following the overthrow of the republic by a French-backed revolution, Plate 225 was the last plate put to press, near the end of the
the Mexican Empire was proclaimed in 1864, under Maximilian I, the Penny Red’s long lifespan in 1879. Stamps from this plate are
younger brother of the Emperor of Austria. He had little popular support, rarer than any other except plate 77.
however, and was deposed and executed in 1867. This block is an outstanding exhibition piece, with full original
The stamps portraying the Emperor were initially litho-printed and gum, and only two minor creases. A reversed watermark
later recess-printed, all issued imperforate. showing an inverted ‘WW’ can be seen in the lower margin.
SOLD BY SCHUYLER RUMSEY £20,124 SOLD BY SPINK £12,000
PANAMA CANAL ZONE 1962

Missing colour error
Daniel F Kelleher’s sale of the Richard Bates collection of Panama
Canal Zone errors and varieties on September 20 included a
‘pristine’ example of what is probably the United States territory’s
best-known error.
This was a mint marginal copy of the 1962 Thatcher Ferry Bridge
4c stamp missing silver, which means the image of the bridge structure, now known as the Bridge of the Americas, which spans
itself is embarrassingly absent. the canal near its Pacific Ocean entrance, ‘uniting the continents’.
Two complete sheets of the error were donated to museums when The Canal Zone was an unincorporated territory of the United
it was discovered, and the remainder destroyed, leaving only 50 on States from 1903-79, before being ceded back to Panama.
the philatelic market.
The stamp was issued to commemorate the opening of the SOLD BY KELLEHER £17,100
ALL WORLD 1840-90

Old-time stamp album
A head-turner at the Auction Galleries Hamburg sale on September
2-3 was a 19th-century all-world stamp album, partly complete with
issues of the 1840-90 period.
The Schaubek illustrated album was a thing of beauty in itself, with
its green and gold Art Nouveau cover. It was well-preserved, with only
part of the clasp missing.
The contents included a particularly well developed collection of the
German states, notably Baden, Bavaria, Lübeck and Württemberg, as
well as the Thurn & Taxis postal service and the German Empire.
Some high-quality pieces and covers had been added, often accompanied by certificates.
SOLD BY HAMBURG £7,876

16
Buying & selling
USA & transatlantic
Postal history
STAFFORD STAMP SHOW
County Showground, Stafford
ST18 0BD 11-12 November
Stephen T. Taylor
5 Glenbuck Road
Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS
Phone: 01372 468566
info@stephentaylor.co.uk
https://stephentaylor.co.uk
Your American dealer in Britain
The History & Local Post of

RATTLESNAKE ISLAND, LAKE
ERIE
Revised and Updated - 2009
This modern edition contains

More Local History
Additional Detail of the Ford Tri-Motor
All Stamps including 2009 issue
Over 200 Illustrations
ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY

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GB COLLECTOR
NEW ISSUE
The diverse talents of

Britain’s commandos
n September 29, Royal Mail released strips of four. The miniature sheet was
O a stamp issue celebrating the elite

British fighting force that is the
Royal Marines.
designed by Webb & Webb Design, and its
border reproduces Denis Dighton’s painting of
The Fall of Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.
A set of eight from counter sheets shows The issue was printed in litho by
elements of their modern-day operations International Security Printers.
and roles, from photographs, while a
miniature sheet of four features 1st class AVIATION OPERATIONS
illustrations by Graham Turner of a The Royal Marines were the first military
historical selection of uniforms. unit ever to perform an insertion of combat
The Corps of Royal Marines is the UK’s troops by helicopter, during the Suez Crisis
commando and amphibious force, ready to in 1956. Today Marines personnel are part
deploy anywhere at short notice, in small of the Commando Helicopter Force, which
groups, for special operations. Its motto is can support other units as required.
per mare, per terram (by sea or by land). Royal Marines endure the longest training
It traces its origins back to the period of any infantry in the world, 1st class COLD-WEATHER OPERATIONS
formation of the Duke of York & Albany’s acquiring the skills needed for operations During the Cold War, the Royal Marines
Maritime Regiment of Foot in 1664. New such as amphibious landings and night were tasked with reinforcing NATO’s
regiments were raised as required, and in raids, including in hostile terrain. northernmost flank in Norway.
1755 they became a permanent part of the The sheet stamps were designed by Cold-weather training is carried out
Royal Navy. Osborne Ross, and are available in se-tenant annually in northern Norway.

WORLD NEWS | AUCTIONS GB COLLECTOR LETTERS | COMMENT | COMPETITIONS | FEATURES | EVENTS | STRANGE BUT TRUE
1st class MOUNTAIN OPERATIONS
Royal Marines were active during the
Falklands War in 1982, much of which was
fought on hills. In particular, the liberation
of South Georgia combined mountain
warfare with amphibious and Arctic
operations.
1st class ARID-CLIMATE OPERATIONS

In modern times, the Royal Marines have
played key roles in the Gulf War of 1990-91,
the Iraq War of 2003-11 and operations in
Afghanistan from 2001-21.
£1.85 COMMANDO TRAINING

Commandos have been trained at
Lympstone in Devon since 1940. The
training centre welcomes 1,200 recruits
each year, for one of the most physically
demanding courses in the world.
£1.85 BAND SERVICE

An independent element of the Royal
Marines is its band, which takes part in £1.85 AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS it was the favourite colour of the regiment’s
ceremonial events ranging from the Royal Marines played a prominent role in colonel.
Festival of Remembrance to the Lord the Normandy landings in 1944, among
Mayor’s Show. Its personnel also perform many other amphibious assaults. Today the 1st class GRENADIER, CHATHAM DIVISION,
medical and logistical support duties. Amphibious Task Group is kept at high HM MARINE FORCES, 1775
readiness for swift deployment, often from The Marines started wearing red uniforms
PRICES specialist naval ships. from 1755, when they became part of the
Royal Navy.
£1.85 MARITIME SECURITY OPERATIONS
Set of 8 stamps £11.20
A specialist 550-man unit of the Marines, £1.85 SERGEANT, 4th BATTALION, ROYAL
Miniature sheet £5.60 the 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group, MARINES, 1918
Presentation pack £17.70 is responsible for guarding the UK’s naval Khaki was worn in combat operations from
Stamp cards £5.85 nuclear weapons. the 1880s until the 1940s.
First day cover (stamps) £14.10

MINIATURE SHEET £1.85 OFFICER, 48th ROYAL MARINE
First day cover (mini sheet) £7.40 1st class SEA SOLDIER, DUKE OF YORK & COMMANDO, 1944
Medal covers from £19.99 ALBANY’S MARITIME REGIMENT, 1664 Camouflaged smocks began to be worn by
Early uniforms were yellow, simply because commandos towards the end of World War II,
along with the green beret.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS
The presentation pack traces the history of
the Royal Marines across four centuries.
Along with stamp cards and the standard
first day covers, there is a choice of
limited-edition medal covers.
VERDICT
COMMEMORATIVE WORTH
Britain’s elite fighting force has a global
reach and a worldwide reputation
QUALITY OF DESIGN
The photographs are varied, but cannot
give much of an impression of how the
Marines operate
WOW FACTOR
This is an intimate look at a relatively
secretive branch of the armed forces

GB COLLECTOR
NEW ISSUE
In Memoriam:
Queen Elizabeth II

oyal Mail is issuing a set of four were approved by the Queen herself. Karsh in 1984. This image was used for the
R stamps on November 10 in memory of

Queen Elizabeth II.
Born on April 21, 1926, Elizabeth came to
Royal Mail has issued dozens of
commemorative stamps celebrating
landmarks in the life and reign of Queen
45p value in 2002.
Karsh was a Canadian-Armenian
renowned as one of the greatest portrait
the throne on February 6, 1952, on the death Elizabeth, including for her coronation in photographers of the 20th century. He also
of her father King George VI. She died on 1953, anniversaries of her coronation in took perhaps the most famous photo of
September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. 2003 and 2013, birthdays in 1986, 2006 and Winston Churchill, which was the used for
On the throne for 70 years and 214 days, 2016, wedding anniversaries in 1972, 1997, the Churchill Commemoration stamp
she was the longest reigning monarch in 2007 and 2017, jubilees in 1977, 1992, 2002, issue of 1965.
British history, and the second-longest in 2012 and 2022, and for her becoming the
verifiable world history. longest reigning monarch in 2015. £2.55 PORTRAIT FROM 1996
She was Queen regnant of a total of 32 The majority of these have shown her on Detail of a photograph taken by Tim Graham
sovereign states during her lifetime, and 15 state occasions or undertaking official in 1996. This image was used for the 65p
at the time of her death, and her portrait duties, so the images in this set are among value in 2002.
has appeared on far more stamp designs the most informal and intimate. The image was captured while the Queen
than anyone else. The stamps were designed by Kate was attending a banquet at Prague Castle
All four stamps in the In Memoriam set Stephens and Royal Mail Group, and printed during a visit to the Czech Republic. Graham
feature photographic portraits that were in litho by International Security Printers, in is also known for a series of informal
previously used in the 2002 Golden Jubilee counter sheets of 50. portraits of Princess Diana.
issue, showing close-up studies of the
Queen at different stages of her life. 2nd class PORTRAIT FROM 1952 ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS
The images have been slightly recropped Detail of a photograph taken by Dorothy The set is also available in a presentation
and given a black border and the inscription Wilding in 1952 to celebrate the Queen’s pack and on first day covers, with a choice
‘1926-2022’. They also appear to be accession. This image was also used for the of two postmarks. A set of stamp cards is
reproduced in a greyer, less sepia tone. 2nd class design in 2002. offered as usual.
Two of the designs have the same face Elizabeth II posed for Wilding no fewer
value as in the 2002 issue, and two of them than 59 times, and one of the other portraits
different values, all expressed in a was used on definitive and commemorative VERDICT
different typeface. stamps from 1952-67.
There was a fifth stamp in the Golden COMMEMORATIVE WORTH
Jubilee set, which is not part of this issue. 1st class PORTRAIT FROM 1968 Queen Elizabeth II was almost
These are the first Royal Mail stamps to Detail of a photograph taken by Cecil universally admired, and her passing
have been approved by King Charles III. Two Beaton in 1968, of the Queen standing in her is truly the end of an era
decades ago, of course, the same images admiral’s cloak. This image was also used
for the 1st class design in 2002. QUALITY OF DESIGN
Beaton showed this photograph in his The images may be recycled, but they
PRICES first major retrospective at the National are wonderful photographs of a
monarch looking both regal and radiant
Portrait Gallery in London, stating that he
Set of 4 stamps £6.03 wanted to ‘try something different’, without
the familiar regal trappings such as tiaras WOW FACTOR
Presentation pack £6.95
and jewels. Hopefully many people will use these
Stamp cards £1.80 stamps on everyday mail, to remind us
First day cover £7.90 £1.85 PORTRAIT FROM 1984 all of what we have lost
Detail of a photograph taken by Yousuf
FLASHBACK
The 2002 Golden Jubilee set comprised five stamps, printed in gravure by De La Rue.

GB COLLECTOR
The end of an era, but

changes won’t be rapid
The death of Queen Elizabeth II on
September 8 heralds the end of an era for
British stamps, but collectors should not
expect to see rapid changes.
The end is nigh for the Machin definitive
series, arguably the most complex and
collectable in history, after more than 55
years in everyday use. However, it will remain
in everyday use in the early months of the
new reign, before a design portraying King
Charles III is approved and comes into use.
Historically, the fastest time in which new
definitives have been issued following the
accession of a monarch is five months.
Royal Mail says that existing stocks of
definitive stamps will continue to be
distributed, and scheduled special issues
released as planned, although in some cases
the release date might change.
New stamps featuring King Charles will
enter circulation once current stocks of
stamps are exhausted. This policy is ‘in line
with guidance from the Royal Household, to
minimise the environmental and financial
impact of the change of monarch’.
While confirming that stamps bearing the image of the late Queen
remain valid for use in the interim, the company issued a reminder
that definitives without data matrix codes will still be invalidated at
THE PACE OF CHANGE
the end of January as planned.
Monarch Accession First definitives
After the Royal Marines set, the remaining scheduled issues are an
Edward VII Jan 22, 1901 Jan 1, 1902
unannounced theme on October 19, Christmas on November 3 and
George V May 6, 1910 Jun 22, 1911
Tutankhamun on November 24. It is to be expected that all of these
Edward VIII Jan 20, 1936 Sep 1, 1936
stamps have already been printed, with the familiar cameo head of the
George VI Dec 11, 1936 May 10, 1937
Queen. Christmas sets are typically printed during the summer.
Elizabeth II Feb 6, 1952 Dec 5, 1952
Further announcements about stamp issues would be made after
consultation with Buckingham Palace, said Royal Mail’s statement.
British Forces Philatelic Service closing down

The British Forces Philatelic Service, which produces The online shop will cease trading by the end of November, after a
commemorative covers and special handstamps to mark military closing-down sale. Visit www.bfps.org.uk
events and anniversaries, is closing down.
Founded to take over and operate the dormant Forces Philatelic
Bureau 10 years ago, the not-for-profit organisation has since been
run by two volunteer directors, Graham Meacher and Darrell Drury,
who have now decided to retire.
Working on behalf of the British Forces Post Office, which
provides everyday postal services to the military, BFPS has
produced more than 100 covers, and raised tens of thousands of
pounds for charities linked to the armed services.
Its final commemorative cover marked the disbandment of the
Postal & Courier Service Reserves on September 24, and its final
first day cover was for the Royal Marines stamp issue on
September 29.

First forgeries of data matrix stamps NEWS IN BRIEF
Forged business sheets of 50 1st class and 50 1st > Royal Mail pulled
out of manning a
Large definitives with data matrix codes have been
stand at Stampex
reported, just six months after the new-style stamps less than a week
were issued in February. before it opened,
Both the sheets and the individual self-adhesive after strike action
stamps in them appear relatively convincing and may was called during
the last two days of
fool the uninitiated, but can be identified readily
NORVIC PHILATELICS
the event.
enough by philatelists.
One tell-tale sign is that the digital coding is unlikely > The Special
to be unique on each stamp, as it should be. Another is Handstamp Centre
in Cardiff has been
that the codes have a flatter, less shiny appearance.
closed permanently.
The sheets are being offered for sale via the This leaves only two
internet, and are believed to have been made in China. ABOVE: Forged business sheet of the 1st class data matrix stamp SHCs remaining, at
Tallents House in
Edinburgh and
Mount Pleasant in
In Memoriam London.
> Under a new

postmark monitoring
framework, Royal
Mail is required to
A slogan postmark commemorating the death submit a view of the
of the Queen went into use as early as sustainability of the
September 9, the day after her death. universal postal
service annually to
Ofcom, the postal
services regulator.
Postal workers plan 19 days of strikes > Postboxes already

in production or
being prepared for
The strikes by postal workers announced in late when a pay dispute endured for seven weeks, from
installation will
September looked set to cause the biggest disruption to January 20 until March 4. retain the insignia of
the British postal service for half a century. This straddled the introduction of decimal currency, Queen Elizabeth II,
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) earmarked and led to many private postal services (some officially Royal Mail has said.
no fewer than 19 days of strike action by Royal Mail sanctioned, others not) springing up to fill the void, and
> The Post Office
workers in the dispute over pay and conditions. producing an exotic range of stamps which became has agreed a deal
All CWU members plan to withdraw their labour on very collectable. with German
October 13, October 20, October 25 and November 28, Postal strikes were also organised in 1988 (2 weeks), logistics company
with certain groups causing further disruption by 2007 (nine days) and 2009 (five days). These caused DHL, to allow
parcels to be picked
striking on other dates. various degrees of disruption, and backlogs, but left no
up from its branches
The only bigger strike in modern times came in 1971, major philatelic legacy. from next year. It is
the third deal it has
signed with a rival
carrier since ending
Postbox homage its exclusive
partnership with
Royal Mail.
Yarn-bombers around the country have been
out in force paying their respects to Queen > Royal Mail has had
to contact the
Elizabeth by knitting postbox toppers. This
newsdesks of many
example is from Mickleover in Derbyshire. regional and even
national newspapers
to correct mis-
reporting of the
pending invalidation
of definitive stamps
without data matrix
codes.
> At the Labour

Party conference in
September, a motion
to renationalise
The blue’s cafe Royal Mail, and
reunite it with the
Post Office, was
A new cafe opened on the site of a former post office in Kent has passed. The party
its name and decor inspired by an iconic British stamp. The leadership is not
Two Penny Blue Cafe is on Silverdale Road in Tunbridge Wells. bound by the result.

YOUR VIEWS
LETTER OF THE MONTH
How often does Royal Mail missend

domestic mail to Thailand?
I read with great amusement John Crace’s Devil’s Advocate column concerning
organisations with an apparent death wish (October issue, page 35). Perhaps I can offer
some evidence to support his argument, at least in respect of Royal Mail?
I recently purchased some stamps from a dealer in the UK. The package was posted,
using the tracked Signed For service, on August 23, and was expected to be delivered on
GET IN TOUCH August 25 or 26. It had not arrived by the end of the month.
The tracking website, which had previously showed ‘in transit’, subsequently modified
that to ‘there has been an issue’. The mail eventually arrived on September 7. Although it
These pages are devoted to giving was clearly addressed to East Lothian, the cover had a ‘Missent to Thailand’ handstamp.
you the opportunity to have your Given that it clearly has a dedicated postmark for such instances, I wonder whether
say. Whether you want to praise or Royal Mail regularly sends UK inland mail to Thailand?
complain, suggest or advise, add Malcolm Morriss, Haddington
information or correct it, or just get
something off your chest, we’d love
to hear from you.
Send your letters to:

Stamp Magazine, David Hall
Publishing Ltd, Suite 6G, Eden
House, Enterprise Way,
Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF
Or send an e-mail to:

guy.thomas@dhpub.co.uk
The Editor reads all letters, but is

unable to answer them all
personally. We reserve the right to
edit letters for publication.
The sudden closure of the Philatelic Bulletin came Keep politics out of
not only as a shock, but also as a surprise a hobby magazine
I have been a subscriber to Royal Mail’s I must protest in the strongest
Philatelic Bulletin since 1966, only to find possible terms about the Devil’s
that it has been closed down without Advocate column by John Crace
adequate notice. (October issue page 35).
It was only when I telephoned to Stamp Magazine is a respected
enquire about the non-receipt of the publication dedicated to the hobby of
September issue that I discovered it had stamp collecting, and as such it has
been discontinued. no place for a writer’s political bile.
I had not received any previous His opinions (or yours, or anyone
notification, and never realised there else’s for that matter) on this
was a need to ‘turn over and look at the country’s past and present Prime
back’ of the pointless invoice that came Ministers are not something to be
with each issue, which I only ever saw as discussed in the pages of your
an unnecessary waste of paper. otherwise estimable publication.
Why was such an important message Please leave political commentary
hidden on the back of this? to the publications that cater for that
This is just another step to the decline sort of thing.
of the hobby, following on from the Colin Day, via e-mail
invalidation of the existing definitive
stamps, and the resultant need for me I appreciate your views on this matter.
to break up over £2,000 worth of John Crace is a political satirist by
prestige stamp books and miniature trade, as well as being a philatelist.
sheets before they lose a substantial The magazine would not usually stray
part of their face value. into politics; in this case they intruded
Mike Harris, via e-mail as part of a wider argument. -Ed

WORLD NEWS | AUCTIONS | GB COLLECTOR LETTERS COMMENT | COMPETITIONS | FEATURES | EVENTS | STRANGE BUT TRUE
SOAPBOX
Deciding to collect less, rather than more, is a rite of passage for the majority of
collectors, for solid practical reasons. It pays to be picky, says Alastair Gunn
At one meeting of our philatelic society,

a dinosaur member strode in
announcing that he had cancelled his
subscription to all new Royal Mail stamp
issues, as he no longer wanted to buy
‘collectable stickers’ which saw little
postal use.
There was stunned silence. Not
because all the other members
approved of his idea, or disapproved of
it, but because nobody could believe that
anyone still had a standing order to give
Royal Mail so much money.
For some years now, it has paid
philatelists to be picky about new
issues, buying those they like and
ignoring those they feel are
unnecessary or even exploitative.
LESS IS MORE
Ever since the postage stamp was ABOVE: Not for you?
invented, some collectors have tried Be free to make your
to collect too much, and ended up own choices, but
having to rein-in their ambitions. always bear in mind
One can imagine whole-world that one man’s meat is
collectors giving up in droves in the late another man’s poison
19th century, as by that time too many
countries were issuing stamps.
Many British Empire collectors
surely began to struggle as colonies PERSONAL TOUCH time, traditionalists moan about them.
began to produce more extravagant There is nothing wrong with collecting Now, one can question the Britishness
issues, including high values with little some new issues, and rejecting others. of many of these sets, which is fair
postal use. The subject matter might be a theme comment, but we need to understand
More will have opted not to continue in which you are especially interested, that traditional philatelists are not the
collecting the output of the independent for example, or the issue might involve a target market for them.
successor states when the Empire new printer, a new printing process or a So, we can decline to buy them, and
crumbled, especially as commemorative new philatelic product which has save our money for something we
issues steadily increased. implications for your core collection. consider more worthy.
In modern times, a complete collection This is new-issue collecting with a Alternatively, we can make sure we
of even a single country can feel purpose, because the aim is to add a buy them, and use them on our mail, to
unaffordable. And even if it is affordable, storyline or a personal interpretation to show non-collectors that stamps are not
it can start to feel unfulfilling. the basic raw material of the stamps. just dull old scraps of paper but can and
Collecting is partly about passion, and do relate to the modern world.
it is natural to aspire to owning every ADJUSTING YOUR SIGHTS So, the set of stamps which made the
stamp issued by a country. But collecting At least once or twice every year, Royal dinosaur give up collecting new issues
is also about research and hunting Mail produces is a set of stamps devoted might just turn out to be set which starts
instinct, and there is no skill or tenacity to an aspect of modern culture, such as someone from the next generation
in just buying every new stamp issue popular music, film franchises, collecting. How ironic!
from a philatelic bureau. television series or comic strips. Every Alastair Gunn
There are almost no adhesive stamps on my post any more

Having been monitoring my mail closely for the past three weeks, company with a printed image of a 2nd class Machin, and 20 more
my findings are that I received 27 items, and only two of them bore with imprinted Royal Mail postage. The remainder had the labels of
adhesive stamps. other delivery companies.
Both were from dealers, and one of them (a parcel franked with I expect this reflects all readers’ mail now, confirming that the
with £5.95 worth of Machins) was cancelled with the dreaded biro. postage stamp is doomed!
Besides these items, there was a mailshot from a home shopping Keith Cruttenden, Ballymena

YOUR VIEWS
ABOVE: 1964 Shakespeare Festival 2s 6d, the thin end of the wedge? ABOVE: 2022 Transformers £1.85, the thick end of the wedge?
British commemoratives have been going wrong since 1964

What a ghastly set of stamps the Transformers issue was, and for the 3s 6d cost of buying the other four stamps in the set.
that matter all the recent Great Britain sets! I was 11 years old at the time, and I got around 5s every fortnight
Any young collector who was interested would need to have a from my aunt for doing her gardening. I didn’t want to see all my
friendly bank manager to pay for them all. money go on five little pieces of paper.
I stopped collecting Great Britain way back in 1964, when the I’m so glad I stopped when I did.
Shakespeare Festival issue had a 2s 6d high value, in addition to K N Nankivell, Bodmin
Transformed, but not in a good way Initial reaction

What a great pity that the final British stamps of Queen Elizabeth II’s lifetime were All I can say about Royal Mail’s Transformers
those appalling Transformers sticky labels! set is something that a financial expert once
And how this country has deteriorated in philatelic terms since the glorious said about a particular share issue:
Coronation issue of 1953! Can’t
I can only imagine what the Queen’s grandfather, King George V, might have said Recommend
about this latest issue. I suspect it might have been even stronger than what he was A
reported to have said about Bognor Regis. Purchase.
Mike Williams, Sturminster Newton Bob Paterson, Newbury
Revenge is tweet Why are post offices still selling

I was most amused by a social media spat between Royal booklets of obsolescent Machins?
Mail and the Communication Workers Union, conducted via
Twitter in August, with postal strikes pending. I was on holiday on
The postal operator tweeted: ‘We are losing £1m a day, Scotland’s Fife coast
and we need to change what we are doing to fix the situation recently and wanted to
and protect jobs. The CWU have their heads in the sand and send some postcards.
are failing to grasp the seriousness of the situation.’ When I asked for 2nd
In response, the union tweeted what it considered an class stamps in the local
approximate translation of the Royal Mail position: ‘We post office, which was
made £758m profit last year, gave £400m to shareholders inside a village shop, I
and handed our execs £2m in bonuses. Sorry, but we just was surprised by what I
can’t afford to pay posties properly.’ was offered, on two
Ouch! levels.
Carl Ireland, Hertford I assumed I would
receive Scotland country
definitives, but was told that these were not available. They had to be
Sad but true specially ordered in.
Given Scotland’s fierce sense of national pride, one would have expected
Alastair Gunn made a good point in his Soapbox column Scottish post offices to be automatically supplied with country definitives.
(September issue, page 27), when he suggested that we Then I was even more surprised that the booklet I was sold contained
should all be mixing old-style and new-style definitives on old Machin definitives without data matrix codes. They had ‘M19L’ year
our outgoing mail. codes in their overlay.
Sadly, he also showed prescient timing when he wrote: Why are post offices still selling these to the public, when they will
‘How long these new definitives will be available is an open become invalid in a matter of months? There are going to be a lot of
question, as the Queen will not live forever’. confused members of the public out there.
Anna Richards, Clevedon Terry Davies, Caersws

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Details correct at time of going to press
WORLD NEWS | AUCTIONS | GB COLLECTOR | LETTERS COMMENT COMPETITIONS | FEATURES | EVENTS | STRANGE BUT TRUE
TALKING POINT
RECRUITMENT DRIVE
If it is to continue to thrive, the hobby needs to promote itself to a wider audience.
This is where ‘organised philately’ comes into its own, but what needs to be done?
lmost from the first lack of volunteers to take up impact of social media cannot THE AUTHOR
A time a stamp was

bought purely to keep
(thought to have occurred on
organisational roles, has led
many to cease functioning.
A question at the forefront of
be ignored.
How many societies have an
eye-catching website, or indeed
Richard West is
Stamp Magazine’s
Editor at Large
and a Past
President of the
May 6, 1840), questions have the discussions at Congress, any website, to let others know National Philatelic
been raised about the future of therefore, was how to reach out of their existence, and the Society
our hobby. to new recruits. advantages of membership?
Yet it has survived, and We must accept that the way In addition, perhaps we need encourage casual browsers to
continued to thrive. Even the people communicate is to discover more about social stop and delve further.
pandemic couldn’t destroy it, changing. The importance of the media, and use it to share our A fine example comes from
with lockdowns prompting many internet and the enormous passion, in a way which might those interested in Southern
to look out their old stamp Africa revenues, who share
albums. their enthusiasm on
Historically, one reason Facebook. An initial
behind the health of the posting by one person has
hobby has been its level of attracted more than 700
organisation. At the participants.
Philatelic Congress of However, spreading the
Great Britain, run by the word need not be through
Association of British digital media alone. There
Philatelic Societies in are non-philatelic
September, the subject organisations which hold
under discussion was meetings with large and
‘organised philately’. enthusiastic audiences,
Sometimes I wonder and may be keen to find
how many collectors are speakers with an
aware of Congress, or of interesting message.
the Association, or indeed Examples might include
appreciate the concept of your local U3A (University
organised philately? Many of the Third Age)
enjoy their hobby without organisation or Probus
realising, perhaps without club for retired and semi-
caring, that there exists a retired people, or Rotary
structure. They don’t visit club or Women’s Institute.
exhibitions, read At a younger level, the
magazines or join local, Stamp Active Network
specialist or national does wonderful work at
societies. events such as Stampex,
I have always enjoyed through its Kidstamps
being a member of ABOVE: How can philatelic societies reach out to a wider range of potential members, initiative, and by helping
societies, seeing displays including those who may be blissfully unaware of their existence? those organising stamp
by others, learning from groups in schools.
their experiences and Although many
discovering much I didn’t ‘Many collectors enjoy their hobby without collectors started while
previously know. Equally they were at school, the
important for me is meeting
realising, and perhaps without caring, that young are often dismissed
with other collectors and it has structure. They don’t attend today as no longer
chatting face-to-face, interested. That is simply
although Zoom meetings exhibitions or join societies’ not true. Many no longer
have proved they also have know of stamps, sadly, but
a role to play. some are eager to find out, and
Under the auspices of the WHAT DO YOU THINK? maybe they will turn to
ABPS, local societies have long collecting later in life.
been the bedrock of the hobby. Do you come into meaningful contact with local or national Our hobby still thrives, but
Today, however, life is a struggle philatelic organisations, or does their existence pass you by? must work hard to promote itself
for them. A declining and ageing E-mail your comments to guy.thomas@dhpub.co.uk to a wider audience. We can all
membership, coupled with a play a part in some way. ■

WORLD NEWS | AUCTIONS | GB COLLECTOR | LETTERS | COMMENT COMPETITIONS FEATURES | EVENTS | STRANGE BUT TRUE
COMPETITIONS
COMPETITION COMPETITION
Spot The Stamp Royal Mail prizes
WIN
a copy of British Stamp
WIN
a Transformers
Market Values 2023 presentation pack
We have a copy of British Stamp Market
Values 2023, the authoritative annual
price guide from the publishers of
Stamp Magazine, to give away to one
eagle-eyed reader.
For your chance to win, simply take a
close look at the enlarged detail of a GB
stamp shown below, and see whether you
can identify it. All you have to do is tell us
the stamp’s face value, the name of the
set it is from and the year of issue.
Send your answer on a postcard (or
sealed envelope), with your name and address, to Spot The Stamp
(Nov), Stamp Magazine, David Hall Publishing Ltd, Suite 6G, Eden We have a presentation pack of the Transformers stamp issue to
House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF. give away to each of 12 lucky winners, courtesy of Royal Mail.
The closing date is November 10, 2022, and the first correct The set of eight and a miniature sheet celebrate the popular toy,
answer drawn from our postbag will win the book. Good luck! television, comic and film franchise featuring animated alien robots.
To enter, visit www.stampmagazine.co.uk/competitions, answer the
Terms & Conditions: Entry is open to UK question below and fill in your contact details. The closing date is
residents with a permanent UK address, except
employees (and their families) of David Hall
November 10, 2022. Winners will be drawn at random after that date.
Publishing, its printers and agents. Winners
must be aged 18 or over. Only one entry per Terms and conditions apply. Please note that your data will be managed in compliance with
household is permissible. Prizes are not GDPR law. Our privacy policy can be found at www.mytimemedia.co.uk/privacy
transferable to another individual and no cash or
other alternatives will be offered. The promoters
reserve the right to amend or alter the terms of
competitions. The winner will be chosen from
all correct entries received by the closing date
QUESTION
stated. The decision of the judges is final, and no
correspondence will be entered into. Please note Which fictional planet was the original home
that your data will be managed in compliance
with GDPR law. Our privacy policy can be found at of the Transformers?
www.mytimemedia.co.uk/privacy
COMPETITION WINNERS
Unsung Heroes presentation pack

The answer to our competition question in the August issue was
‘Wrens’, and the 12 lucky winners whose correct answers were
drawn at random were Denise McGann from Ludlow, Artur
Paniczek from Aberdeen, Richard Sutherland from Edinburgh, Ann
Collerson from Hailsham, Bryan Andrews from Leeds, Brian
Stapleton from Peterborough, Simon Emery from Oldham, Craig
Yeomans from Willenhall, Jean Forrest from Glasgow, Preston Cox
from Steyning, Dennis Wibberley from Stoke-on-Trent and Helen
Swales from Catterick.
Spot The Stamp

The Spot The Stamp winner from the August issue is Patrick Heaton
from Swansea, who correctly identified the mystery stamp (right)
as the 2nd class value from the 2000 Body & Bone set, illustrating
acrobats in the Body Zone at the Millennium Dome exhibition.

GB QUEEN ELIZABETH II DEFINITIVES
Trooping the N
MEMOR
1926
IA
•I
M
many colours 2022
QU EE
•
II
N
EL
H
IZABET
The myriad portrait definitives of her long and glorious reign add up to an
extremely colourful pictorial tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
■ Report by Dorothy Arnold
t had begun to seem as if the
I much-loved and universally

respected Queen Elizabeth II
might live forever. But her death in
September, at the age of 96, brought
us back to reality with an
uncomfortable bump.
Many of us have just witnessed
the end of a reign and the
succession of a new monarch for
the first time, and the after-shocks
will keep coming.
We’re already getting
accustomed to using the word
‘King’ in a non-historical context
for the first time in 70 years, and
essentially having to relearn the
national anthem. Soon we will be
using new coins and, of course,
new stamps.
In fact, stamps portraying King
Charles III may come as the biggest
jolt of all, simply because the
definitive portrait of his mother
has become such a familiar sight.
Two portraits
It’s an obvious truth that a greater
variety of stamps have portrayed
Queen Elizabeth than anyone else
in history. The proliferation of
modern issues and the increasing
use of photographic images for
commemorative designs have long
since secured that particular claim
to fame.
What is more remarkable, even if
we limit our attention to British
stamps, is the huge number of
definitive stamps — especially
when you consider that they have
employed only two different
portraits across seven decades.
The Wilding portrait, based on a
photograph by Dorothy Wilding
and introduced in 1952, showed a
young Queen in her mid-twenties.
It was regal and charming, ABOVE: The iconic Machin portrait of Queen Elizabeth II has adorned hundreds of British stamps since 1967

WORLD NEWS | AUCTIONS | GB COLLECTOR | LETTERS | COMMENT | COMPETITIONS FEATURES EVENTS | STRANGE BUT TRUE
Wildings, 1952-1967
‘I declare before you
all that my whole
life, whether it be
long or short,
shall be devoted to
your service’
Queen Elizabeth II
although prone to becoming dated.

The Machin portrait, based on a
bas-relief sculpture by Arnold
Machin and introduced in 1967,
showed a middle-aged Queen
entering her forties. It was equally
regal, and what it lacked in warmth
it more than recouped in elegance
and versatility.
The image was the result of a
great deal of hard work, intricately
sculpted and then carefully
photographed for a three-
dimensional quality. Yet its greatest
strength was its apparent
simplicity, emphasised by the bold
decision to abandon the decorative
frames of previous definitives.
There was a general expectation
that an updated image would be
required later, perhaps in the 1980s.
It was discussed by the postal
authorities on several occasions,
but it never transpired. If it ain’t Pre-decimal low-values, 1967-1971
broke, as they say, don’t fix it.

Decimal low-values, 1971-1996

Hundreds of stamps
How many Queen’s-head definitive
stamps were issued during the
reign? Well, it depends how you
count them!
Without considering regional
issues and commemorative
variants unavailable from post
offices, we make it 349 basic
stamps, including colour changes
and security enhancements.
That’s an impressively large
number, and it would be
considerably higher had ‘non-value
indicators’ not been introduced
from 1989, to enable 1st class and
2nd class stamps to remain in
service through successive postage
rate increases.
But this headline figure is just the
starting point. It excludes changes
of printer, shade varieties, paper High-values, 1969-1973
varieties, watermark varieties,


High-values, 1999-2000
High-values, 2003
High-values, 1977-1987
Low-values with elliptical

perforations, 1993-2010
gum varieties, perforation varieties, Graphite lines were added to the backs unending battle against forgery.
phosphor and graphite varieties, of the stamps from 1957, then phosphor First, from 1993, came elliptical
booklet and coil varieties and iridescent bands to the front from 1959, before the perforations, a simple expedient to make
overlay varieties. Post Office settled on the latter as its it harder for fraudsters to mimic the
If you start to add those, your collection preferred solution. finished appearance of a definitive.
will quickly rise into the thousands. The Machins series might have Later, from 2009, following the evolution
remained uncomplicated, had it not to self-adhesive definitives, came
Continuous development endured for so long. Its longevity meant it iridescent ‘wavy-line’ overlay text
The Wildings series was simple in required multiple printers, straddled the incorporating source and date codes, to
essence, but encompassed experiments in decimalisation of the currency, and make forgeries much easier to spot, at
mechanised sorting technology. received many adaptations in the least for the initiated. At the same time,
Self-adhesives,
1993-2021
Gummed non-value-indicators, 1989-2009

‘Some attributes of leadership are universal, and are often about finding
ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their
insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration, to work together’
Queen Elizabeth II
Self-adhesive non-value-indcators, 1993-2021

Data-matrix
codes,
2021-22
U-shaped die-cut slits were added introduced in 2006, and for Each of these provides a possible
(and gum made stickier) to mitigate signed-for and special delivery entry point for an intrepid new
against stamps being peeled off services from 2009. collector, as do first day covers and
cover in one piece and reused. Bigger stamps have recently commercial covers.
An in-depth study of the Machin made a reappearance thanks to the Given the handful of different
series is not for the faint-hearted. advent of data matrix codes. These printers involved (Harrisons,
have added a modernist, digital Waddingtons, House of Questa,
Outsize formats edge to the final definitives of the Enschedé, De La Rue and Walsall/
Whilst most Elizabeth II definitives reign, although some consider their ISP/Cartor), a popular approach
have been produced in a standard juxtaposition with the royal has long been to collect cylinder
size, in photogravure or litho, there portrait sacrilegious! blocks. But beware, this can
have been plenty of exceptions. become expensive!
The earlier low-value Machins Spot the differences Even if you just limit yourself to
were accompanied by larger-format Just when you begin to think you the 349 basic individual stamps,
high values, and in some cases have got your head around the long you’re going to need a big album. ■
these were recess-printed. and winding development of these
Larger formats were also definitives, you will find
employed for the first experimental exceptions to many of the rules
self-adhesives in 1993, for stamps within retail booklets, prestige
intended for large letters when stamp books, coils and
Pricing in Proportion was commemorative miniature sheets.
REGIONAL VARIATIONS
The elephant in the room is that the Wilding and Machin heads have
additionally been used on regional definitives (for Guernsey, Jersey
and the Isle of Man) from 1958-73 and country definitives (for
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) from 1958-2000.
As with the nationwide stamps, their values were updated almost
annually in response to tariff changes, so they take up quite a
chunk of catalogue space, adding another 250 or so different
stamps portraying Queen Elizabeth II.
High value, 2017
ON SALE NOW!
9000
ITEMS
LISTED
2023
■ EVERY GREAT BRITAIN ISSUE SINCE 1840

BETTER
From the publishers of
■ DEFINITIVES, COMMEMORATIVES, BOOKLETS
■
■
OFFICIALS, POSTAGE DUES, SMILERS, POST & GO
REAL MARKET VALUES, NOT CATALOGUE PRICES
VALUE THAN
ANY OTHER
PRICE GUIDE
Order your copy at www.mags-uk.com
Or telephone 01795 662976
ONLY
› Fully updated to mid-2022 £15.99
› Handy, pocket-size format
COMMONWEALTH CLASSICS
Two arms but no head

For its new definitive series in 1903, Jamaica passed over a portrait of the
new King in favour of a Coat of Arms design, which was soon redesigned
■ Report by John Winchester
I
f you lived in Jamaica in
Edwardian times, you could
almost be forgiven for not
noticing that Queen Victoria had
died in 1901. Some of the stamps
bearing the Queen’s portrait would
remain on sale until at least 1911.
Furthermore, when a new series
of definitive designs was launched,
on November 16, 1903, the chance
to portray the new monarch, King
Edward VII, was passed up.
Instead, the stamps would
feature the Coat of Arms of the
Colony, letterpress-printed by
De La Rue in London in two
colours, with a grey vignette
surrounded by a coloured frame.
Jamaica’s Coat of Arms was

suitably impressive, with its
crossed shield emblazoned with ABOVE: A pair of in words at the foot. The requisite required in 1905-06 it opted to
five golden pineapples, Jamaica’s 1903-04 ‘Postage’ and ‘Revenue’ reprint the old Queen Victoria
surmounted by a royal helmet and 1d grey and carmine, inscriptions were squeezed in designs rather than expand the
a Jamaican saltwater crocodile and with one stamp uncomfortably below the curve of Arms series further.
supported by two Taíno people. (right) showing the the vignette. For the time being, the only new
Less dynamic was the Latin motto flaw Arms stamp was a 5s grey and
motto running in a scroll below. Initially the issue was limited to a violet, issued in 1905 with the new
‘Indus Uterque Serviet Uni’ ½d grey and dull green and a Multiple Crown Over CA
loosely translates as ‘Each Indian 2½d grey and ultramarine, printed watermark.
Will Serve One’, a concept lost on on Crown Over CA watermarked
many who tried to work out what paper in sheets of 240, arranged in This rather disparate state of
it meant! four panes of 60. affairs was perpetuated by a
De La Rue had its work cut out The armorial vignettes were redesign of the Arms issue in 1906.
incorporating so much detail onto printed from a common plate, so Both the ½d and 1d values were
a regular-sized stamp, especially clearly any flaw would be redrawn with a view to being
with the denomination spelled out replicated across both printed in a single colour, to save
denominations. Sure enough, two cost. The modified frame design
‘The King had died before his letters of the word ‘Serviet’ were
damaged on the second impression
gave greater prominence to
‘Postage’ and ‘Revenue’ by
portrait ever graced a of the fourth row in the top-left incorporating them along the
pane, making one stamp in every flanks.
Jamaican stamp’ 240 read as ‘Ser.et’. The new 1d carmine and ½d
Whether the motto flaw was yellow-green were put on sale in
MARKET VALUES unnoticed or disregarded isn’t
clear, but it was still in evidence
1906. One further single-colour
printing would follow, a 2½d pale
when a 1d grey and carmine and a ultramarine in 1910.
Collectors will find it relatively easy to acquire the 5d grey and yellow were added to By this time the King had died,
1903 or 1905 Arms types, the former catalogued at the series in 1904. still without his portrait ever
£32 mint or £25 used for the set of four. gracing a Jamaican stamp. It would
Stamps with the motto flaw are understandably Exactly what the Stamp Office take a petition by island philatelists
more expensive, with the 1907 5d (of which only thought of the new stamps is not to set the record straight, by way of
50 exist) catalogued from £1,400. recorded, but when fresh supplies a solitary posthumous 2d grey
of 3d, 6d and 1s values were issued in 1911. ■

ORIENT LINE 1878-1966
Wizards of Oz
The ships of the Orient Line carried the mail and the migrants between Britain
and Australia for nearly 90 years. The company’s enduring legacy can be traced
in postal history, commemorative stamps and postcards
he opening of the Suez RIGHT: A classic
T Canal in 1869 was a

watershed in the handling of
mail from Britain to its territories
promotional poster
for the Orient Line
service to Australia,
in the east, including India and the showing RMS Otranto
Australian colonies. passing through the
This short-cut from the Suez Canal
Mediterranean to the Red Sea
avoided the circuitous route
around the Cape of Good Hope
(or previously a crossing of the
Egyptian desert via Thomas
Waghorn’s now defunct Overland
Express Service), cutting journey
times significantly.
The question was, which
shipping companies would take
best advantage of this, securing the
lucrative mail contracts offered by
the Post Office?
The Peninsular & Oriental Steam
Navigation Company (P&O) was
the incumbent, having secured a
£500,000-a-year deal when its
contract was renewed in 1867. In
future, however, the Post Office
was determined to encourage
competitive bidding from smaller
shipping companies, hoping to
lower the subsidies it was paying.
One beneficiary would be the
newly established Orient Steam
Navigation Co, which would
become famous for carrying the
mail to Australia and also for
transporting British migrants to a
new life ‘down under’.
DID YOU KNOW?

The Pacific Steam Navigation Co, a British paddlesteamer and bore the company’s
company whose chartered ships played a initials in the four corners.
significant role in the early growth of the These stamps were never used by the
Orient Line, also has a major place in the company, but in December 1857 they were
history of South American philately. authorised by the government of Peru for
In 1847, when the PSNC was operating a use as an experimental first national issue
fleet of Glasgow-built steamships along of postage stamps.
the Pacific seaboard of the Americas, it Issued imperforate, the 1r blue and
produced stamps to furnish its mail 2r red were in use for only a matter of
services. Lithographed by Perkins Bacon, months before being replaced by a
they depicted a two-masted definitive issue.

Down under
The Orient Line came to
prominence when Anderson,
Anderson & Co, which was already
running packet boats to Australia,
joined forces with Frederick Green
& Co, a shipbuilder known for its
Blackwall clippers.
The partnership was registered
in 1878 as the Orient Steam
Navigation Co, with capital assets
of £44,642, and immediately laid
down its first steamship, Orient,
designed to ply the Australia route.
Remarkably, Orient was the
second largest ship in the world at
the time (behind only Brunel’s
ageing SS Great Eastern), grossing
5,386 tons.
Initially steaming outbound via
the Cape and homeward via Suez,
her performance exceeded all
expectations. Speed records were
broken, and the monthly service
made profits even without the ABOVE: Orient Line track chart published for the 1934 season, showing the route plied and distances covered by its mail ships on their
advantage of a mail contract. fortnightly service to Australia. A departure from London on March 31 would reach Fremantle on May 1 and Brisbane on May 14
This certainly caught the
attention of P&O, whose Australia enabling a second new ship,
service had hitherto run only as a Austral, to be laid down in 1880 and
branch connection from its route to completed the following year.
India. In 1879 it introduced a
fortnightly service to Australia, but Mail contracts
the Orient Line was able to match The year 1882 was a difficult one
this, thanks to a number of ships it for the Orient Line. Austral sank at
had chartered from the Pacific her mooring in Sydney Harbour,
Steam Navigation Co, a British New South Wales, and salvaging
company operating in South her proved costly.
America. The short Anglo-Egyptian War
Carrying both emigrants and also put Suez Canal transits in
mail, the operation flourished, jeopardy, causing a reversion to the
longer Cape of Good Hope route.
In 1883, however, the company
was awarded the New South Wales
mail contract, with the proviso that Ocean island of Diego Garcia, ABOVE: Paquebot
all sailings take place through the which was then part of the cover of September
Suez Canal now that it was secure British colony of Mauritius. 22, 1897, using Orient
once again. Cooperation was subsequently Line stationery,
The contract initially created the established between the two posted from Gibraltar
possibility of clashes with P&O at competing companies, and in to Hampshire with a
its coaling station in Aden, so the 1888 a mail contract was British 2½d stamp
Orient Line established its own awarded to them jointly, with the
coaling facility on the Indian stipulation that the journey time
ABOVE: First page of a letter written by the Duke

of York (the future King George V) on HMS Ophir
during the 1901 Royal Tour. Posted from Tasmania, ABOVE: Front and back of a postcard of September 11, 1900, from Marseille to Naples, sent from and depicting RMS Ormuz
it was addressed to the Khedive of Egypt

ABOVE: Colour postcard depicting RMS Ortona in the early 1900s, before the Orient Line ABOVE: Postcard illustrating the first ship named RMS Oriana at La Palice-Rochelle,
adopted its more familiar livery featuring buff-coloured funnels posted from France in 1912 using a 5s Sower definitive
to Adelaide in South Australia

should not exceed 34 days and
‘In 1888 the mail contract for depression, with the unravelling of
property prices and a collapse of
18 hours. Australia was awarded jointly to private investment. To make
matters worse, the failure of the
Naming policy P&O and the Orient Line, as monsoon and a heatwave caused a
The fortunes of the Orient Line drought in 1900.
were on the rise. Mail contracts cooperation was established The shipping line’s profits were
meant priority passage through the
Suez Canal, and the rising
between the two companies’ down too, even though four of its
vessels were chartered as troop
popularity of pleasure cruising ships for the Second Boer War.
brought extra business, with establishing the distinctive naming Shortly after the accession of
several ships sailing off visit the policy which would become a King Edward VII in 1901, a
northern capitals of Europe. hallmark of the company. significant morale-booster for all
At the end of the decade its concerned was the chartering of
existing fleet of seven Orient ships Deep depression Ophir to serve as the vehicle for the
and a similar number of PSNC The 1890s promised much, for the royal tour by the Duke and
vessels was augmented by a new Orient Line and indeed for Duchess of York (the future King
pair of four-masted, two-funnelled Australia, but fate intervened. George V and Queen Mary).
steamers. Orotava and Oruba joined Falling wool prices in the This was a prestigious occasion,
Orizaba, Ormuz and Orient on the Australian colonies triggered a the first ever visit to Australia by
Australia mail run, firmly financial crisis and a major an heir apparent, whose arrival in
ABOVE: Picture postcard of RMS Omrah, launched in ABOVE: Picture postcard of RMS Ormuz, launched in ABOVE: Picture postcard of RMS Ophir, built in 1891 as
1899 for the Australia run and sunk by a torpedo after 1886 as one of the Orient Line’s earliest ships, the first twin-screw ship on the Australia run and
being requisitioned in 1918 shown arriving in Naples used for the Royal Tour in 1901
ABOVE: Picture postcard of RMS Ormonde, built in ABOVE: Picture postcard of RMS Orsova, the longest- ABOVE: Picture postcard of RMS Osterley, another
1917, which saw service as a troopship, a mail ship, a lasting of the new class of larger vessels which built in 1909, unusually showing the ship in what
cruise ship and a migrant ship went into service in 1909 must have been uncomfortable seas!

LEFT: A book of
Orient-Royal Mail
THE ‘O’ SHIPS
Line postcards sold
to passengers in the Orient 1879-1910
early 20th century, Orizaba 1886-1905
and one of the cards Ormuz (1) 1886-1912
postally used from Oroya 1887-1906
Queensland to Wales. Orotava 1889-1906
The Orient-Royal Mail Oruba 1889-1906
Line cover branding Ophir 1891-1918
dates from 1905-08 Omrah 1899-1918
and the Queensland Ortona 1899-1906
5d stamp is from the Orontes (1) 1902-1926
1897-1908 series Orsova (1) 1909-1936
Orvieto 1909-1931
Osterley 1909-1930
Otranto (1) 1909-1918
Otway 1909-1917
Orama (1) 1911-1917
Ormonde 1917-1952
Ormuz (2) 1920-1927
Omar 1921-1924
Orcades (1) 1921-1925
Orama (2) 1924-1940
Oronsay (1) 1925-1942
Otranto (2) 1926-1957
Melbourne was timed to coincide 1909, eclipsing those operated by Orford 1928-1940
with the opening of the first P&O. They were duly named Orontes (2) 1929-1962
parliament of the Commonwealth Orsova, Orvieto, Osterley, Otranto Orion 1935-1963
of Australia. and Otway, joined later by a sixth Orcades (2) 1937-1942
vessel, Orama. Orcades (3) 1948-1962
Changing alliances The new ships had but a short Oronsay (2) 1951-1962
A quick succession of operational time to thrive in civilian life, Orsova (2) 1954-1965
restructures characterised the early however, before being Oriana 1960-1965
years of the 20th century. requisitioned in World War I.
First, the Orient Steam Most of the fleet ended up either BELOW: Orient Line
Navigation Co and the Pacific flying the White Ensign of the promotional postcard Orsova continued the mail service
Steam Navigation Co unified in Royal Navy or at least painted in showing the pre-war to Australia. From 1916 the Cape
1901 under a new title, the Orient- battleship grey or other camouflage dining saloon on the route became mandatory, with a
Pacific Line. colours. Orama and Otway were first of the ships call at Table Bay.
The name was to be short-lived, torpedoed and lost in 1917, and named RMS Orama,
however, as the PSNC’s interest in Omrah suffered the same fate in the before she was Ups and downs
the England-Australia route was following year. requisitioned for war When the war was over, the Orient
taken over in 1905 by the Royal Through it all, Osterley and service in 1914 Line was left with a motley
Mail Steam Packet Co, which
meant the adoption of a new title,
the Orient-Royal Mail Line.
This marriage too would end in
1908, when RMSP withdrew from
the Australian service and the
Orient Line became fully
independent once more.
Through all these upheavals,
however, came one longer-lasting
legacy: the whole fleet adopted a
livery of black hull, white
superstructure and buff-coloured
funnels, which for three decades
would become as familiar as ship
names beginning with ‘O’.
Big investment
The renewal of the mail contract in
1908 allowed new investment for
the Orient Line, and a fleet of five
12,000-ton liners was launched in

ABOVE: A pair of Tuck’s ‘oilette’ postcards from the 1920s showing Orient liners steaming into Port Said (left) and transiting the Suez Canal (right)
surviving fleet. Orontes had to be RIGHT: Orient Line

refitted after being used as a troop stationery posted
ship, for example, and Orvieto from Brixham in
reconverted after service as a Devon to Edinburgh in
mine-layer. April 1932, franked
As part of war reparations, the with a King George V
company was granted control of 1½d brown
five German ships, including
Konigin Luise (renamed Omar),
Prinz Ludwig (renamed Orcades)
and Zeppelin (renamed Ormuz).
These were gradually sold off as a
major building programme added
modern 20,000-ton ships capable of
a cruising at 20 knots. As economic conditions again

Constructed between 1924 and took a downturn, the company was
1929 were Oronsay and Orford, and forced to accept a reduction its mail
second incarnations of Orama, subsidy and adjust to a decline in
Otranto and Orontes, the majority of emigration to Australia, so Orsova,
these used as mail-carrying liners Ormonde and Orford were
but some offering budget cruises. converted to tourist-class ships
By the start of the 1930s, Orsova offering Mediterranean cruises.
was the sole survivor of the Nevertheless, 1935 brought a
pre-war class. striking new ship for the Australia
ABOVE: Travel posters of the late 1930s,

advertising passages from Britain to ABOVE: Complete sheet of Orient Line poster stamps of the 1930s, distributed to passengers to apply to their mail (usually as
Australia and from Australia to Britain seals for the backs of envelopes), illustrating 12 ports of call on the Britain-to-Australia route: London, Gibraltar, Toulon, Naples,
Port Said, Aden, Colombo, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane

ASHES TO ASHES
The Orient Line was responsible for transporting several England
cricket teams to take part in Ashes tours of Australia.
Perhaps the most famous team was for the famous ‘Bodyline’ tour
of 1932-33, which travelled aboard Orontes. Captained by Douglas
Jardine, it is best remembered for the controversial fast bowling of
Harold Larwood.
One of the finest teams was the 1954-55 selection which travelled
aboard Orsova. Led by Len Hutton, it also included Denis Compton,
Colin Cowdrey, Bill Edrich, Peter May, Tom Graveney, Fred Trueman,
Jim Laker and Alec Bedser.
ABOVE: Australia 1932 5s commemorating the opening of Sydney

Harbour Bridge, showing RMS Orford steaming underneath
ABOVE: $25 value in Liberia’s 1999 20th Century by Sea & Air set,
ABOVE: Picture postcard of the Orient Line’s RMS Orsova signed by many of the cricketers in
illustrating RMS Orion, in service from 1935-63
England’s 1954-55 Ashes team, including captian Len Hutton
route, and a jazzier new colour building of a new 28,000-ton

scheme too. Orion was Orcades (this becoming the only
distinguished from previous name to be used for three different
vessels by having a large single Orient Line ships), while the
funnel and single foremast, and surviving war service ships were
was resplendent in her corn-cream able to resume the England-to-
hull and green waterline. Australia run by 1947.
The Australia service was
extended to New Zealand in 1938. Ten Pound Poms
The post-war government of
Wartime disruption Australia, led by Ben Chifley,
ABOVE: Ghana 1998 Famous Ships 800c, showing RMS Ormonde
Orient Line ships were initiated a ‘populate or perish’
decked out in wartime camouflage
requisitioned once again for service policy to boost the number of
in World War II, mostly for use as migrants entering the country and
troopships. provide a workforce for industrial
Four of the eight would never expansion.
return. Orama was sunk and Orford Central to this was the Assisted
was bombed and beached in 1940, Passage Migration scheme, which
while Oronsay and Orcades were subsidised the cost of emigration
both torpedoed in 1942. from the UK to Australia, and
During the conflict the company provided affordable housing for
was given temporary management those who came. For many, facing
of several Dutch vessels, as well as austerity and rationing in bomb-
some of the ‘Liberty’ ships mass- ravaged Britain, the idea promised
produced by the United States as a better lifestyle.
emergency cargo carriers. Adult migrants were charged just
ABOVE: 2s design in Fiji’s 1967 International Tourist Year issue, Peacetime brought another a £10 for their fare, while children
illustrating the cruise liner Oriana anchored off Suva period of conversion and travelled free of charge. The ‘Ten
reconstruction, led by the Pound Poms’ scheme, as it quickly
became known, would attract more
‘The Orient Line’s ships were requisitioned in World than a million migrants to
Australia over the next 30 years,
War II, and four of the eight would never return’ and more to New Zealand when

ABOVE: Cocos (Keeling) Islands 1984 miniature sheet celebrating the tradition of having mail dropped
off in barrels floating offshore, recalling a selection of passing liners. These include the Orient Line’s
Omar, Orford and Orion, and two different incarnations of both Orontes and Orsova
it adopted a similar policy. flight, was ‘go big, or go bust’.

Transporting the ‘Ten Pound In 1953 it launched its second
Poms’ became a vital element of the vessel named Orsova, its biggest yet
Orient Line’s business, at a time at 29,000 tons, and in 1959 its
when the development of air travel, grandest of all, the impressive ABOVE: A $1.45 stamp from Australia’s 2004 Ocean Liners set, reproducing
which had already taken away 42,000-ton Oriana. an inter-war travel poster advertising ‘one class only’ cruising to England
postal business, now threatened to Dubbed ‘The Queen of the Seas’, aboard Ormonde and Orsova
reduce the passenger trade. Oriana had a maximum speed of
Beneficiaries of the scheme, as more than 30 knots, which the senior partner.
children starting a new life with meant she could reach Sydney in Within six years the Orient name
their families, included two future just 21 days. had been dropped, and Orcades,
Prime Ministers of Australia, Sadly, she turned out to be a Oronsay, Orsova and Oriana had
Julia Gillard and Toby Abbott, as magnificent finale, as the axe was been transferred to the P&O fleet,
well as Barry, Robin and Maurice poised over the company’s their corn-cream livery replaced by
Gibb, the brothers who made up independent identity. its black hull and white
the Bee Gees. P&O had had a financial stake in superstructure.
the Orient Line for many years, and Oriana would fly the Orient Line
Into the sunset the two organisations were flag for one final time, on her final
The Orient Line’s response to the formally merged in 1960 to form voyage before retirement in 1986, It
increasing popularity of package the P&O-Orient Line. But there was a fitting farewell to an
holidays, which usually involved could be no doubt as to which was influential shipping line. ■
‘The Assisted Passage

Migration scheme, which
subsidised the cost of emigration
from the UK to Australia,
became a vital element of the
Orient Line’s business in the
post-war years’
LAST LAUGH
Shortly before the launch of the Orient Line’s
flagship Oriana in 1959, someone started a witty
rumour that she would be named Orstralia.
ABOVE: Cover from the Pitcairn Islands to Britain, carried aboard the third ship named Orcades, with
an Orient Line cachet surprisingly still in use as late as 1968

61
EARLY ELIZABETHANS
The gift of thrift

The 1961 set marking the Centenary of the Post Office Savings Bank was notable
for being printed on two different presses, and for its missing colour errors
■ Report by Peter Marren
T
he Postmaster General
readily agreed to a proposal
from his Savings
Department for a set of stamps to
honour the centenary of the Post
Office Savings Bank in 1961, but the
timing was extremely awkward.
It almost coincided with Britain
hosting the European Postal &
Telecommunications Conference
(CEPT) and the Commonwealth
Parliamentary Conference, for
which sets of stamps were also
planned.
That meant three commemorative
issues within a month, which had
never happened before. It would be
a severe test for the printers,
Harrisons, especially as the plan
was to print all the stamps in two
or three colours. Premium Bonds and thereby themes, notably ‘thrift’, ‘service’ ABOVE: 1961
funding almost 10% of the and ‘security’. Only later was the Centenary of the Post
The Post Office Savings Bank had national debt. requirement for spelling out ‘Post Office Savings Bank
been established by an Act of Office Savings Bank 1861-1961’ 3d violet and orange-
Parliament in 1861, to provide both The POSB set was to extend to clarified, which meant that many brown, designed by
a source of funds for Government three values, covering the 2½d designs had to be redrawn. Michael Goaman,
borrowing and a simple savings postcard rate, the 3d basic letter It seems the artists took the with a design full of
scheme for individual people. rate and the 1s 6d airmail rate. Each ‘thrift’ concept very literally, for no savings symbolism
The Government offered was to be printed in two colours. fewer than 10 of the submitted
generous rates of interest, in Through its usual medium of the designs featured a stylised thrift
exchange for taking loans from Council for Industrial Design, the plant, a coastal perennial which
people’s savings, and the scheme Post Office decided to invite has long been a symbol of
proved a great success. submissions only from artists with financial prudence.
Now known as National Savings experience in producing work for Perhaps they were inspired by
& Investments (after the Savings multicoloured photogravure the image of a thrift which had
Department was hived off from the printing. been used from 1936-52 on the
Post Office in 1969), it still exists The instructions they were given reverse of the twelve-sided 3d coin,
today, best known as the agency for included a selection of suggested the ‘thruppenny bit’, examples of
which were still in circulation.
Thrift duly became the dominant

motif on two of the three selected
designs.
On the upright 2½d by
36-year-old Peter Gauld, who was
designing his first stamp, the
image strongly resembled that on
the coin. With the primary colour
of this value needing to be red, the
ABOVE & RIGHT: The 1s 6d blue and red, designed by Goaman plant was rendered in black, as was
(probably assisted by his wife Sylvia), and the 2½d red and the Queen’s head and the
black, designed by Peter Gauld, in both cases using on the denomination, while the
thrift plant as a main motif inscription, which marched round
the curves of a distinctive

an eerie monochrome design, or
with the black missing, and hence
lacking both the Queen’s head and
the thrift plant. The spectacular
strip of 10 showing the progressive
missing-black error is currently
catalogued at £27,000.
More easily affordable is the 3d
missing orange-brown, found on
printings from both presses.
There are also perforation errors
and colour shifts, including one on
the 3d value on which the owl
seems to be wearing a white
sailor’s hat!
Printing difficulties meant there

was only a limited delivery of
stamps to post offices on the day of
ABOVE: First day issue, August 28, 1961.
‘These stamps were not only more colourful cover illustrating the That might account for the
but also more modern-looking than any that POSB headquarters
in London, posted
relative scarcity of first day covers,
the most common of which
had gone before. Was a new dawn breaking?’ from Lancashire to illustrates the Bank’s headquarters
South Africa on Blyth Road in West Kensington.
figure-of-eight or ‘hourglass’ requiring the use of both of Printing wastage was so high
design, was left white. Harrison’s photogravure presses: that there were continued
For the 1s 6d design, Michael the Timson, which printed stamps shortages at some outlets,
Goaman chose red as his in single-pane sheets, and the particularly of the 2½d and 1s 6d
secondary colour, alongside the Thrissell, which produced values.
obligatory blue, to bring extra life double-pane sheets.
to his thrift plant. His deceptively The differences between the The press commented that the Post
simple composition, with the printings show most markedly in Office seemed to be getting more
inscription running along two the Queen’s head, which is heavily adventurous in its production of
sides as a framing device, pleases shaded from the Timson press but commemorative stamps, and that
the eye in its colour contrast and appears lighter and flatter from the these designs were noticeably less
simple formality. Thrissell. formal than previous issues.
The plant may have been drawn There are also variations in the Collectors found them not only
by his wife, Sylvia, who was a perforation in the sheet margins, as more colourful but also more
botanical artist and who partnered outlined in the Stanley Gibbons modern-looking than any that had
Michael in most of his stamp work. catalogue. gone before. Was a new dawn
The chosen design for the 3d Like the preceding First breaking for British stamps? ■
stamp, also by Goaman, featured a Anniversary of CEPT issue, this set
veritable medley of savings was printed on whiter, chalk-
symbols, including a bountiful nut surfaced paper. This, and the
tree symbolising growth, a squirrel improved definition of 250 dots per
storing nuts and a wise old owl; the linear inch, now became the
original artwork also featured a standard for photogravure stamps.
safe, symbolising security, The slightly thicker paper meant RIGHT: A pair of the
although this was later dropped. that, from now onwards, 3d value missing and
The base colour had to be violet, watermarks were less clear than partially missing
and Goaman juxtaposed this with they had been previously. orange-brown
orange-brown. He was careful to
separate the two colours to allow for This issue brought the first really BELOW: A strip of 10
a degree of registration slippage. spectacular missing colour errors of the 2½d with one
on British stamps. stamp missing black
The two lower values were printed The 2½d stamp can be found and four partially
in exceptionally large numbers, with the red missing, which leaves missing black

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Phone or email today for our free popular illustrated monthly catalogue.
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"Terry Garcia - supplying collectors since 1966"
4 Ascot Close, Eastbourne, East Sussex. BN20 7HL

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GREENLAND THULE ISSUE
Arctic anomaly
Should the quirky and unconventional 1935-36 Thule issue of Greenland be
considered as conventional postage stamps, locals or cinderellas?
■ Report by Peter Hamilton
n the far north-western corner RIGHT: Thule 1935
I of Greenland, the Danish

anthropologist and explorer
Knud Rasmussen established a
30ø blue, one of a set
issued to mark the
25th anniversary of
mission and trading post in 1910. the settlement in
The little community, named north-west
Thule (pronounced ‘too-lay’), was Greenland
one of the northernmost towns in
the world, 750 miles north of the
Arctic Circle. It had sunlight 24
hours a day from the middle of
April to the end of August, but
none at all in the depths of winter.
In 1935-36 Thule issued a set of Disputed status

stamps to celebrate the 25th Greenland was administered by
anniversary of its foundation. They the Royal Greenland Trading
are widely considered to be local Company (KGH), on behalf of the
carriage labels rather than bone fide Danish Crown, but sovereignty
postage stamps, but they could be over the island had only recently
used to send mail to the Danish been fully clarified.
ABOVE: Cancelled (perhaps cancelled to order) examples of the
capital Copenhagen, which was The United States had given up
Thule 10ø green, 15ø red, 25ø violet and 40ø black
2,400 miles away! its claims on the west coast in 1917,

DID YOU KNOW?
Thule was the name
given in ancient Greek
and Roman literature to
the farthest north
location thought to
exist. A mythical place
beyond the known
world was sometimes
called Ultima Thule.
Medieval maps
imagined Thule as a
small island beyond
the Orkneys, and ABOVE: Thule as depicted on the 16th-century Carta
as part of a deal which saw it take ABOVE: The 10ø, 15ø showed it surrounded Marina by the Swedish cartographer Olaus Magnus
possession of the Danish West and 30ø cancelled to by sea monsters.
Indies (now the US Virgin Islands). order on unaddressed Modern interpretations began to associate the name with
Norway, which had lost its prior Cape York Station Greenland, and when Knud Rasmussen established his mission in
authority over Greenland when its stationery, dated the north-west of the island he named it accordingly.
union with Denmark had been August 30, 1935
dissolved in 1814, relinquished its
claims in the east only when
international arbitration backed ‘Validity for postage from north-west
Denmark in 1933.
Greenland all the way to Copenhagen
Parcel post
Greenland did not have stamp
stretches the definition of a local issue’
issues in its name until 1938.
Indeed, the KGH handled letters Thule anniversary often bearing the complete set of
free of charge, whether sent In 1935, when the proud little five. Imperforate proofs also exist,
domestically or to Denmark. settlement of Thule celebrated its ungummed.
Since 1905, however, it had issued 25th anniversary, it sought and was
stamps inscribed ‘Pakke-Porto’ granted permission to issue its own Postal usage
(Parcel Post), with a design based commemorative set of stamps. Although authorised only for local
on the arms of Greenland, These were printed, in use from Thule, these stamps
featuring a polar bear. letterpress, by H H Thiele of enjoyed the same validity as the
Mail from Greenland to Denmark Copenhagen, the company which Parcel Post stamps, and were
went via the company’s BELOW: The other had produced the Parcel Post treated by the Company as
headquarters in Copenhagen, and stamps in use at the stamps and had been printing the post-paid. So it could be argued
could be collected from there or same time as the stamps of Denmark since 1851. that they had comparable status.
sent on with the addition of Danish Thule issue were the The designer was thought to be In any case, validity for postage
stamps. Royal Greenland the famous ceramics artist Knud from north-west Greenland to
The Parcel Post issues are Trading Company’s Khyn of the Royal Copenhagen Copenhagen, seems to stretch the
widely accepted as being the first parcel post series, porcelain factory. definition of ‘local’.
stamps of Greenland, but their used here on a card The Facit catalogue, published in
status remains ambiguous. They addressed to Set of five Sweden, and the Scott catalogue,
are listed in Stanley Gibbons’ Jacobshavn and The initial issue, on August 10, published in the USA, both give
specialised catalogue, for cancelled with a 1935, comprised four designs: a these stamps a full listing, while
example, but not in its company postmark of 10ø green with a portrait of Stanley Gibbons does not.
simplified catalogue. October 13, 1938 Rasmussen, a 15ø red showing the It must be said, however, that
Danish flag in front of Thule Peak, commercial covers are very rare,
a 30ø blue depicting walruses and and many of the stamps on the
a 45ø black with a view of Cape philatelic market appear to have
York, including a polar bear. been cancelled to order.
One can only surmise that there One reason is that the issue was
was a local outcry that the set did in use for only a short period, less
not include an image of the centre than two years. It was invalidated
of the community, for a fifth stamp when the Greenland Crown
was added on the same day the Administration officially took over
following year: a 25ø violet government of the Thule region on
depicting the Mission Church. August 1, 1937.
First-day covers may be found The first definitive stamps for
cancelled either at Thule or in Greenland would be issued the
Copenhagen, with 1936 examples following year.

GREENLAND THULE ISSUE
KNUD RASMUSSEN
Knud Rasmussen (1879-1933)
was and remains something of
a hero to both the Inuit and
Danish peoples.
Born in Greenland in 1879,
his maternal grandmother
was Inuit and his father was a
Danish missionary on behalf
of the Lutheran church.
He was partly brought up in
Greenland, playing and
learning with Inuit children. ABOVE: Greenland 1960 30ø ABOVE: Greenland 1979 1.30ø+20ø stamp marking the ABOVE: Greenland 2010 25k design
As a result, he became not marking the 50th anniversary of 100th anniversary of Rasmussen’s birth, showing him celebrating the centenary of the
only fluent in the local the settlement at Thule, and interviewing Eskimo people as part of his ethnographic Thule trading station, and again
language but also skilled in portraying Rasmussen research project portraying Rasmussen
traditional Inuit survival
techniques such as hunting and driving dog-sleds. consolidated Danish territorial claims, and collected
After completing his education in Denmark, he became an ethnographic and archaeological data about the indigenous
anthropologist and explorer, travelling widely over the people. One of the expeditions reached as far as Alaska.
Arctic regions of Greenland and Canada between 1912 and Rasmussen studied the languages, traditions, customs,
1933, including five major expeditions for which Thule was myths and beliefs of the Inuit peoples and, through writings
the starting point. and lectures, brought the knowledge of them to a wider
These mapped the northern coastline of Greenland, audience. He has been called ‘the father of Eskimology’.
Modern reprints Forced relocation intercontinental ballistic missiles

A modern twist to the story of the If you search online for Thule that might be launched from the
Thule stamp issue came in 1979, on today, you will either be redirected Soviet Union towards North
the 100th anniversary of to the United States air base, near BELOW: 1979 reprints America.
Rasmussen’s birth, when reprints the original site of the mission, or of the Thule set of Unfortunately the establishment
of the stamps were made from the to the modern settlement of five, with different of this facility in 1953 entailed the
original clichés. Qaanaaq (alternatively known as perforation, on a Red forced resettlement of the
They were available in New Thule), around 60 miles to Cross miniature sheet 130-strong Inuit community of the
imperforate pairs on card, or as the north. marking the 100th original town. Many years passed
perforated stamps (perf 11 rather Thule Air Base, which is the anniversary of Knud before they received financial
than the original 14 x 14¼) in a northernmost airfield operated by Rasmussen’s birth compensation for this. ■
miniature sheet of cinderellas the US Air Force, has advanced
which was produced and sold in missile defence capabilities,
aid of the Red Cross. developed to detect and track any
LATE DEFINITIVES
The first definitive issue of Greenland
was issued in 1938, depicting King
Christian X of Denmark on lower values
and a polar bear on higher values.
These made the existing Parcel Post
and Thule stamps redundant, but Thule
nevertheless has a final claim to fame
for first day cover collectors.
For some reason, it was decided to
distribute the new stamps during the
Arctic winter, which presented
transport problems. This meant the ABOVE: Greenland 1938 7ø green
stamps arrived at the various post offices
at different times, and had different dates of issue.
The Facit catalogue lists 20 different first day covers for the issue,
between November 18, 1938, and January 1, 1940, which must be
some kind of a record. The last of these dates was that of Thule, the
remote settlement in the far north-west.

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Tel: 0161 798 4734 riw@isaglo.com SM
VICTORIANA
Sackcloth and blushes

How unusual was it for a Victorian postal clerk to be handed a linen
sack for entry into the mail system? And how legitimate was it?
■ Report by Norman Watson
T
he postal reforms of May
1840, with their cheaper
prices and provision for
pre-payment, seem to have
encouraged the Victorian public to
believe that just about anything
could now be sent through the
post, as long as it carried the new
adhesive stamps.
Before the month was out, a
flour-dealer in Malton is reported
to have sent samples of wheat
through the post. In June, an
ironmonger in Arundel packaged
up a plough and put it into the
mail, and a woman from Yeovil
sent 27 gooseberry bushes to a
friend in London, all properly
stamped.
A grumpy letter writer to the
influential John Bull newspaper
complained in June that ‘A couple
who were married by a Popish brought into line with the printed
priest availed themselves of the paper rate, starting at just ½d — a
postage reduction to send to their concession forced upon the Post
friends...pieces of wedding cake’. Office by competition from the
With the demand for a circular delivery companies.
potentially lucrative parcel Perhaps unsurprisingly, the low
service staring them in the face, rate encouraged some private
however, the Post Office dithered. individuals to abuse the system by
It was the railway operators which sending each other gifts. That
jumped on the opportunity, and by contributed to the service being
1850 they were monopolising the withdrawn in 1871, before being
parcels market. resurrected in 1887. From 1897, the
rates matched the letter rates.
The Post Office would not set up
its own parcel post service until as Illustrated here is a 7in x 5in (18cm the sack once contained. The ABOVE: Both sides of
late as 1883, following the x 13cm) linen sack posted to a Mrs hand-stitched interior is clean and a small linen sack
establishment of international Howden in Edinburgh in 1900. dry, and there is no sign or smell of posted to Edinburgh,
arrangements for handling Crossed in blue crayon and its original contents. probably from London,
parcels by the Universal Postal marked with a large blue ‘R’, it is Did it once carry a gift for a far- in 1900, with postage
Union in 1881. franked with two 6d and two ½d flung loved one, or a sample of a and registration paid
As early as 1863, however, to stamps from the 1887 ‘Jubilee’ commercial product? The question by two 6d and two
encourage commerce, it had issue, covering the postage and can probably only be answered by ½d stamps
introduced what was known as the registration fee, cancelled with those clever archaeologists who
Pattern Post service, which allowed what looks like a heavy parcel can tell what Neanderthals had for
manufacturers to send samples or obliterator of London origin. dinner by detecting microscopic
tasters (small amounts of product There is no indication as to what seeds in their dung! ■
with no resale value) to prospective
customers.
Initially the service charged 3d
‘In 1863 the Post Office introduced the Pattern Post
for each 4oz of weight, up to a service, allowing manufacturers to send samples or
maximum of 24oz (680g). In 1870,
however, the Pattern Post was tasters to prospective customers’
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

OCTOBER 13-16 Vizepräsident, Deutsche britishlocals@aol.com Sarasota National Stamp Contact: NZ2023
CZECH REPUBLIC Altbriefsammler-Verein, www.capetown2022.org Exhibition secretary@nz2023.nz
Liberec 2022 Lindenstrasse 29, 85661 Forstinning, Venue: Sarasota Municipal www.nz2023.nz
Venue: Wellness Hotel Babylon, Germany NOVEMBER 18-20 Auditorium, 801 N Tamiami
Nitranská 1, 460 07 Liberec, Tel: +49 8121 253880 USA Trail, Sarasota, Florida 34236. MAY 19-21
Czech Republic. t.hoepfner@t-online.de Chicagopex 2022 Contact: Liz Hisey, Chairman AUSTRALIA
Contact: Steve Harrison, www.dasv-postgeschichte.de Venue: Westin Chicago Northwest, Tel: +1 941 444 0777 Hobart Stamp Show
UK Commissioner 400 Park Boulevard, Itasca, Illinois lizhisey@comcast.net Venue: Hobart Town Hall, Macquarie
Tel: 0121 313 0671 OCTOBER 28-29 60143, USA www.sarasotastampclub.com Street, Hobart, Tasmania 7000,
sharrison500@btinternet.com NETHERLANDS Contact: Kathy Johnson Australia.
www.liberec2022.eu Postex 2022 kjj5217@gmail.com APRIL 28-30 Contact: Peter Allan, Exhibition
Venue: De Veluwehal, Nieuwe Markt chicagopex.org USA Secretary, GPO Box 594 Hobart,
OCTOBER 21-23 6, 3771CB Barneveld, Netherlands. Westpex Tasmania 7001, Australia
DENMARK Contact: Ben Mol NOVEMBER 24-26 Venue: Marriott San Francisco hesperus@netspace.net.au
Nordia 2022 b.mol76@upcmail.nl MONACO Airport, 1800 Old Bayshore www.hobartstampshow2023.com
Venue: Birkerød Idrættscenter, www.postex.nl MonacoPhil 2022 Highway, Burlingame, California
Bistrupsvej 1, Birkerød, 3460 Denmark Venue: Musée des Timbres et des 94010, USA. MAY 25-28
Contact: Danish Philatelic NOVEMBER 8-12 Monnaies, Terrasses de Fontvieille, Contact: Westpex GERMANY
Association SOUTH AFRICA 98000 Monaco. www.westpex.org IBRA 2023
www.danfil.dk Capetown 2022 Contact: Patrick Maselis, Venue: Halls 1 & 2, South Entrance,
Venue: International Convention General Commissioner MAY 4-7 Messe Essen, Alfredstrasse, 45131
OCTOBER 27-29 Centre, Convention Square, 1 Lower Tel: +32 474 84 84 39 NEW ZEALAND Essen, Germany.
GERMANY Long Street, Cape Town 8001, patrick@maselis.be NZ2023 Contact: IBRA
Postgeschichte Live South Africa. www.monacophil.eu Venue: Ellerslie Event Centre, www.ibra2023.de
Venue: Ulm-Messe, Böfingerstrasse Contact: Jon Aitchison, UK Ellerslie Racecourse, 100 Ascot
50, 89073 Ulm, Germany. Commissioner JANUARY 20-22 Avenue, Remuera, Auckland 1050, JUNE 2-4
Contact: Thomas Höpfner, Tel: 01279 870488 USA New Zealand. SLOVAKIA
Bratislavafila 2023
Venue: National Museum, Vajanského
Nábrezie 2, 81006 Bratislava.
Contact: Sekretariát ZSF,
Radlinského 9, 81211 Bratislava
zsflazar@gmail.com
www.slovenskafilatelia.sk/
vystava-bratislava-2023
JUNE 2-4
ICELAND
Nordia 2023
Venue: Ásgardur, Gardabaer, Iceland.
Contact: Icelandic Federation
www.postsaga.is
JUNE 2-4
USA
Napex
Venue: Hilton McLean, Tysons Corner,
7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean,
Virginia 22102, USA.
Contact: Napex
www.napex.org
JULY 20-23
GERMANY
Naposta 2023
Venue: Exhibition Centre, Moselauen
1, Trier 54294, Germany.
Contact: Deutsch-Französischen
Briefmarkenclub Trier
www.briefmarkenclub-trier.de
AUGUST 10-13
USA
Great American Stamp Show
Venue: Huntingdon Convention
Center, 300 Lakeside Avenue,
Cleveland, Ohio 44114, USA.
Contact: APS, 100 Match Factory
Place, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
16823, USA
FRANZFOTO
Tel: +1 814 933 3803 ext 218

greatamericanstampshow
@stamps.org
www.stamps.org/
ABOVE: Postgeschichte Live, formerly held in Sindelfingen in southern Germany, relocates to the city of Ulm in October greatamericanstampshow
Every care is taken to ensure the details published are accurate, but we cannot be responsible for any errors or cancellations. You are advised to check with the event organisers before setting out.

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London, 15 Abchurch Lane, London Tel: 020 7557 4452 AJH STAMPS
info@mpastamps.com
EC4N 7BW. OCTOBER 17-23 auctions@stanleygibbons.com Venue: The Dunkenhalgh Hotel &
www.mpastamps.com
Contact: Spink UK CHRISTOPH GÄRTNER www.stanleygibbons.com Spa, Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire
Tel: 020 7563 4005 Venue: Steinbeisstrasse 6 & 8, 74321 BB5 5JP. MOWBRAY
Fax: 020 7563 4037 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany. OCTOBER 27-29 Contact: AJH Stamps, The Laurels, mowbray.stamps@xtra.co.nz
auctionteam@spink.com Contact: Philatelic Christoph Gärtner SPARKS Manchester Road, Accrington, www.mowbrays.co.nz
www.spink.com Tel: +49 7142 789 400 Daniel Cantor collection of Lancashire BB5 2PF
Fax: +49 7142 789 410 Queen Victoria Tel: 01254 393740 SAJAL PHILATELICS
OCTOBER 12 info@auktionen-gaertner.de Venue: Suite 101, 1770 Woodward Fax: 01254 382274 brian@brian-reeve.com
AJH STAMPS www.auktionen-gaertner.de Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2C 0P8, sales@ajhstamps.co.uk www.brian-reeve.com
Venue: The Dunkenhalgh Hotel & Canada. www.ajhstamps.co.uk
SANDAFAYRE
Spa, Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire OCTOBER 22 Contact: Sparks Auctions
stamp@sandafayre.com
BB5 5JP. SWPA Tel: +1 613 567 3336 NOVEMBER 9
www.sandafayre.com
Contact: AJH Stamps, The Laurels, Venue: Harewood House, Ridgeway, Fax: +1 613 567 2972 GROSVENOR
Manchester Road, Accrington, Plymouth, Devon PL7 2AS. www.sparks-auctions.com Specialised Great Britain THE STAMP GROUP
Lancashire BB5 2PF Contact: South West Philatelic Venue: 399-401 Strand, London info@stampgroup.net
Tel: 01254 393740 Auctions, 2nd Floor, The Watermark NOVEMBER 2 WC2R OLT. www.stampgroup.net
Fax: 01254 382274 Erme Court, Leonards Road, Ivybridge, SPINK Contact: Grosvenor Philatelic
sales@ajhstamps.co.uk Devon PL21 0SZ. Stamps & Covers of the World Auctions UNIVERSAL
www.ajhstamps.co.uk Tel: 01752 698089 Venue: Royal Philatelic Society Tel: 020 7379 8789 info@upastampauctions.co.uk
richardswpa@outlook.com London, 15 Abchurch Lane, London Fax: 020 7379 9737 www.upastampauctions.co.uk
OCTOBER 12 www.swpa-stamp-auctions.com EC4N 7BW. info@grosvenor-auctions.co.uk VANCE
MARESCH Contact: Spink UK www.grosvenorauctions.com mail@vanceauctions.com
Venue: 6-2 Vata Court, Aurora, OCTOBER 26 Tel: 020 7563 4005 www.vanceauctions.com
Ontario L4G 4B6, Canada. SPINK Fax: 020 7563 4037 NOVEMBER 12-13
Contact: R Maresch & Son Auctions Stamps & Covers of the World auctionteam@spink.com AVA
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE
Tel: +1 905 726 2197 Venue: Royal Philatelic Society www.spink.com Venue: Unit 1501, 15/F Hong Kong ONLINE SALES
Fax: +1 905 726 7721 London, 15 Abchurch Lane, London Trade Centre, 161-167 Des Voeux Road
peter@maresch.com EC4N 7BW. NOVEMBER 2 Central, Hong Kong. DALKEITH
www.mareach.com Contact: Spink UK WARWICK & WARWICK Contact: AVA Auctions www.dalkeith-auctions.co.uk
Tel: 020 7563 4005 Venue: The Court House, Jury Street, Tel: +852 2119 1123
OCTOBER 12-13 Fax: 020 7563 4037 Warwick CV34 4EW. Fax: +852 2119 1126 DELCAMPE
CAVENDISH auctionteam@spink.com Contact: Warwick & Warwick, Chalon contact@avaauctions.com www.delcampe.net
Worldwide & Great Britain www.spink.com House, Scar Bank, Millers Road, www.avaauctions.com McCUSKER
www.jamesmccusker.com
LOT TO BE DESIRED MOWBRAY

www.mowbrays.co.nz
PHILATINO
One of the lots in Christoph Gartner’s www.philatino.com
sale on October 18 is a cover from
RASMUSSEN
war-torn Ukraine, being auctioned to
www.bruun-rasmussen.dk
raise money for Ukrainian orphans
who are innocent victims of the REGENCY
www.regencystamps.com
conflict with Russia.
Posted from Kharkiv to Italy on ROGERS
August 17, the registered cover is www.michaelrogersinc.com
franked with the domestic-rate (F) SAMMARINESE
and international-rate (W) stamps www.filsam.com
and se-tenant labels from the SANDAFAYRE
‘Russian Warship Done’ issue. www.sandafayre.com
It was delivered via Kiev and SKANFIL
probably Poland, arriving in Italy on www.skanfil.no
September 1.
STAMP CENTER
On the day the cover was posted, www.thestampcenter.com
Kharkiv, about 25 miles from the Russian border, was hit by Russian rockets which killed six people.
STAMPFAIR
May’s ‘Russian Warship Done’ issue was the triumphant follow-up to April’s ‘Russian Warship Go
www.stampfair.com
F*** Yourself’ issue, and was produced to celebrate the sinking of the armed cruiser Moskva in the
Black Sea. The image of the ship was removed from the stamps, and appears only on the labels. TORRES
www.antoniotorres.com
The cover was arranged and the proceeds of the sale are being donated by Gerhard Freund, who
recently wrote a feature for Stamp Magazine about posting a cover from the Himalayas to the TRAFFORD BOOKS
International Space Station (August issue, page 46). www.traffordbooks.co.uk

77
WHAT’S ON: FAIRS To include an event in this listing, we need at least two months’ notice.
UK STAMP FAIR E-mail: guy.thomas@dhpub.co.uk

OCTOBER 14-15
SALISBURY
(stamps, postal history,
postcards)
Venue: Five Rivers Leisure
Centre, Hulse Road, SP1 3NR.
Time: 10am
Contact: Tony Hender,
Arun Stamps
Tel: 01328 829318
OCTOBER 15
COLCHESTER
postcards)
Venue: Stanway Village Hall,
Villa Road, Stanway, CO3 0RH.
Time: 10am-4pm
Contact: Peter Nason
Tel: 01206 570544
HULL
(stamps, postal history)
Venue: St James Centre,
169 First Lane, Hessle,
HU13 9EY.
Time: 9.30am-3.30pm
Contact: H V Johnson & Co
Tel: 01909 562927
SITTINGBOURNE
postcards)
Venue: Carmel Hall, Ufton
Lane, off West Street,
ME10 1JB.
Time: 9.30am-3pm
Contact: Chris Rapley
Tel: 07711 677760
Contact: Andrew Vaughan Venue: Onslow Village Hall, postcards) COVENTRY Centre, Wootton Street,
OCTOBER 16 Tel: 07824 775979 Wilderness Road, GU2 7QR. Venue: Blessed George Napier (stamps, postal history) PO6 3AP.
ALTRINCHAM Time: 9.30am-3pm School, Springfield Avenue, Venue: Shilton Village Hall, Time: 10am-4pm
(stamps, postal history, OCTOBER 19 Contact: Chris Rapley OX16 9JD. Wood Lane, Shilton, CV7 9JZ. Contact: Panda Fairs
postcards) EAST GRINSTEAD Tel: 07711 677760 Time: 10am-4pm Time: 10am-1pm Tel: 01489 582673
Venue: Cresta Court Hotel, (stamps, postal history, Contact: John Davies Contact: Dave Mann
Church Street, WA14 4DP. postcards) MIDDLEWICH Tel: 01295 255831 Tel: 07976 797975 SOUTHPORT
Time: 9.30am-3.30pm Venue: Chequer Mead Arts (stamps, postal history) (stamps, postal history,
Contact: Howard Hatton Centre, De La Warr Road, Venue: Community Centre, OCTOBER 26 EALING postcards)
Tel: 0161 766 9031 RH19 3BS. Civic Way, off Leadsmithy TORQUAY (stamps, postal history) Venue: The Royal Clifton
Time: 10am-3pm Street, CW10 9BX. (stamps, postal history, Venue: Ealing Parish Church, Hotel, Promenade, PR8 1RB.
DRONFIELD Contact: John Perriman Time: 10am-4pm postcards) St Mary’s Road, W13 9PR. Time: 10am-3.30pm
(stamps, postal history) Tel 01903 244875 Contact: Fred O’Reilly Venue: Torquay Boys’ Time: 9am-1pm Contact: Howard Hatton
Venue: Coal Aston Village Tel: 01226 765069 Grammar School, Shiphay Contact: T Brittain Tel: 0161 766 9031
Hall, Eckington Road, Coal OCTOBER 22 Manor Drive, TQ2 7EL. Tel: 07957 158299
Aston, S18 3AY. BOURNEMOUTH SUTTON COLDFIELD Time: 9.30am-3.30pm NOVEMBER 5
Time: 9.30am-3.30pm (stamps, postal history) (stamps, postal history) Contact: Barry Mudie HARTLEPOOL BECKENHAM
Contact: H V Johnson & Co Venue: St Edmund Campion Venue: Methodist Church Hall, Tel: 07931 508886 (stamps, postal history) (stamps, postal history)
Tel: 01909 562927 Church, 481 Castle Lane West, South Parade, B72 1QY. Venue: Belle Vue Centre, Venue: Azelia Halls, Croydon
BH8 9TN. Time: 9.30am-3.30pm OCTOBER 29 Kendal Road, TS25 1QU. Road, BR3 4DA.
LUTON Time: 10am-4pm Contact: JRS Fairs CLAYGATE Time: 9am-1pm Time: 9am-3pm
(stamps, postal history, Contact: Panda Fairs Tel: 07971 281267 (stamps, postal history) Contact: Alex Sedgwick Contact: Ray McQuade
postcards) Tel: 01489 582673 Venue: Claygate Village Hall, Tel: 07948 979544 Tel: 020 8395 9285
Venue: Village Hall, Markyate THATCHAM Church Road, KT10 0JP.
Road & Grove Road, Slip End, DURHAM (stamps, postal history) Time: 10am-4pm MORLEY BILSBORROW
LU1 4BU. (stamps, postal history, Venue: Thatcham Memorial Contact: Brian Sole (stamps, postal history) (stamp, postal history)
Time: 10am-3pm postcards) Hall, Brownsfield, Bath Road, Tel: 01932 220677 Venue: St Mary’s Church Hall, Venue: Bilsborrow Village
Contact: Simon Shaw Venue: Bowburn Community RG18 3AG. Commercial Street, LS27 8HZ. Hall, Bilsborrow Lane,
Tel: 07534 496845 Centre, Bowburn, DH6 5AT. Time: 9am-2pm COLCHESTER Time: 9.30am-3.30pm PR3 0RP.
Time: 10am-4pm Contact: Kennet Discount (stamps, postal history) Contact: H V Johnson & Co Time: 10am-4pm
SOLIHULL Contact: Graham Whitewick Stamps Venue: Parish Hall, Old Tel: 01909 562927 Contact: Fred O’Reilly
(stamps, postal history) Tel: 07849 904353 Tel: 01635 868244 London Road, Marks Tey, Tel: 01226 765069
Venue: Knowle Village Hall, CO6 1EN. OCTOBER 30
St John’s Close, Knowle, GUILDFORD OCTOBER 23 Time: 9am-3pm PORTSMOUTH CROYDON
B93 0NH. (stamps, postal history, BANBURY Contact: Lorne Webb (stamps, postal history) (stamps, postal history)
Time: 9.30am-2.30pm postcards) (stamps, postal history, Tel: 01424 751518 Venue: Cosham Community Venue: Shirley Methodist

WORLD NEWS | AUCTIONS | GB COLLECTOR | LETTERS | COMMENT | COMPETITIONS | FEATURES EVENTS STRANGE BUT TRUE
Staffordshire County
Showground, Weston Road,
ST18 0BD.
Time: Friday: 10am-5pm,
Saturday: 10am-3.30pm
Contact: JRS Fairs
Tel: 07971 281267
NOVEMBER 12
DERBY
(stamps, postal history)
Venue: Nunsfield House
Community Hall, 33 Boulton
Road, Alvaston, DE24 0FD.
Time: 9.30am-3.30pm
Contact: H V Johnson & Co
Tel: 01909 562927
NORTON
postcards)
Venue: Norton Methodist
Church Hall, High Street,
TS20 2QQ.
Time: 9.30am-1.30pm
Contact: Graham Whitewick
Tel: 07849 904353
UPMINSTER
postcards)
Venue: St Laurence Church
Hall, Corbets Tey Road,
RM14 2AJ.
Church Hall, Eldon Avenue, YORK postcards) Time: 9.30am-3.30pm OXFORD Time: 10am-3pm
CR0 8SD. (stamps, postal history, Venue: Cresta Court Contact: Tony Limb (stamps, postal history) Contact: Simon Shaw
Time: 9am-3pm postcards) Hotel, Church Street, Tel: 07562 570562 Venue: Botley WI Hall, North Tel: 07534 496845
Contact: Ray McQuade Venue: Wiggington Recreation WA14 4DP. Hinksey Lane, off Botley Road,
Tel: 020 8395 9285 Hall, The Village, Wiggington, Time: 9.30am-3.30pm MILTON KEYNES OX2 0LT. NOVEMBER 13
YO32 2PL. Contact: Howard Hatton (stamp, postal history, Time: 10am-1.30pm WOKINGHAM
LEICESTER Time: 9am-2pm Tel: 0161 766 9031 postcards) Contact: T Brittain (stamps, postal history,
(stamps, postal history, Contact: Graham Whitewick Venue: Irish Centre, Manor Tel: 07957 158299 postcards)
postcards) Tel: 07849 904353 LINCOLN Fields, Watling Street, Fenny Venue: St Crispin’s Centre,
Venue: Derby Room, The (stamps, postal history, Stratford, MK2 2HX. NOVEMBER 11-12 London Road, RG40 1SR.
Holiday Inn, St Nicholas Circle, NOVEMBER 6 postcards) Time: 10am-3pm STAFFORD Time: 9am-2pm
LE1 5LX. ALTRINCHAM Venue: Reepham Village Hall, Contact: Simon Shaw (stamps, postal history) Contact: T Brittain
Time: 9.30am-3.30pm (stamps, postal history, Hawthorn Road, LN3 4DU. Tel: 07534 496845 Venue: Ingestre Suite, Tel: 07957 158299
Contact: John Suschitzky
Tel: 0116 235 0441
RAWRETH
postcards)
Venue: Rawreth Parish Hall,
Church Road, SS11 8SH.
Time: 9am-3pm
Contact: Barry Mead
Tel: 07786 302722
SOUTHAMPTON
postcards)
Venue: Methodist Hall,
St James Road, Shirley,
SO15 5HE.
Time: 10am-4pm
Contact: Panda Fairs
Tel: 01489 582673
SWINDON
postcards)
Venue: Lawn Community
Centre, Guildford Avenue,
Lawn, SN3 1LA.
Time: 9.30am-2.30pm
Contact: John Puttock
Tel: 01793 542767

WHAT’S ON: SOCIETIES To include an event in this listing, we need at least two months’ notice.
SELECTED UK PHILATELIC SOCIETY E-mail: guy.thomas@dhpub.co.uk

OCTOBER 13 Contact: John Davies King George VI Definitives & by Hugh Jefferies Gosberton Road, Surfleet, Contact: Mike Torreggiani
DUNDEE & Tel: 01295 255831 Queen Elizabeth II Wildings Venue: St Joseph’s Church PE11 4AB. Tel: 01983 821417
DISTRICT PS Venue: Royal Philatelic Hall, Bugle Street, SO14 2AH. Time: 2pm
USA Stamps Pre-1940 NEWCASTLE UPON Society London, 15 Abchurch Time: 7pm Contact: Dahlia Harrison NOVEMBER 9
by Tom Erskine TYNE PS Lane, London EC4N 7BW. Contact: Patrick Austin Tel: 01775 423087 GUILDFORD &
Venue: Art Society Gallery, World War II and Time: 11am Tel: 01794 514354 DISTRICT PS
17 Roseangle, DD1 4LP. Forces Mail Contact: John Davies STRATFORD UPON British Guiana
Time: 7.30pm Venue: Literary & Tel: 01295 255831 WEST LONDON PS AVON PS Venue: Quaker Friends’
Contact: Charles Lloyd Philosophical Society, 23 The Development of GB Ascension & St Helena Meeting House, Ward Street/
Tel: 01241 852210 Westgate Road, NE1 1SE. OCTOBER 25 Booklets by Ian Harvey by Alan Squires North Street, GU1 4LH.
Time: 6.45pm NORTH WEST Venue: The Church Hall, Acton Venue: Winning Connections, Time: 7.30pm
MAIDSTONE & Contact: Stephen Dixon KENT PS Hill Church Rooms, Woodlands Stratford Upon Avon Contact: Barry Stephens
MID-KENT PS Tel: 07531 322654 Competitions & Bourse Avenue, Acton W3 9BU. Racecourse, Luddington Road, Tel: 01483 828630
South African Pre-War Venue: Hurst Community Time: 8pm CV37 9SE.
Aviation by Leonard Barnes OCTOBER 19 Centre, Hurst Place, Hurst Contact: Christopher E Oliver Time: 1.30pm SCARBOROUGH PS
Venue: St Paul’s Church Hall, IPSWICH PS Road, Bexley DA5 3HL. Tel: 020 8940 9833 Contact: Colin Fountain Competition Night
Boxley Road, ME14 2AH. Sarawak Time: 8pm Tel: 01789 841606 Venue: Community Centre,
Time: 7.30pm by Simon Martin-Redman Contact: Clifford Ayers NOVEMBER 2 Osgodby Lane, YO11 3QE.
Contact: Brian Stonestreet Venue: Orwell Room, Tel: 07551 993819 HEREFORDSHIRE & NOVEMBER 3 Time: 7pm
Tel: 01622 675784 Kesgrave War Memorial MID WALES PS WITHAM PS Contact: Chris Phillips
b.stonestreet@btinternet.com Community Hall, Twelve Acre OCTOBER 26 Here Be Dragons Members’ Afternoon Tel: 01723 368475
Approach, off Bell Lane, LYTHAM ST ANNE’S by David Griffiths Venue: Spring Lodge Centre,
TORQUAY & Kesgrave, IP5 1JF. PS Venue: St Martin’s Parish Powers Hall Lane, CM8 2HE. NOVEMBER 10
TEIGNBRIDGE SC Time: 7.30pm USA Civil War & The Centre, Ross Road, Hereford, Time: 1.45pm DUNDEE &
GB With A Difference Contact: Mike Smith Confederacy HR2 7RJ. Contact: Ian Kelly DISTRICT PS
by Bob Wheeler Tel: 01473 403904 Venue: The Drive Methodist Time: 7.30pm Tel: 07767 633655 US National Parks &
Venue: St Michael’s Church Church, Eastbank Road, St Contact: Janet Nelson Newfoundland
Hall, Chudleigh Road, STRATFORD UPON Anne’s, FY8 1LH. Tel: 07887 997932 NOVEMBER 8 by Alan Blakeley
Kingsteignton, TQ12 3JU. AVON PS Time: 7.30pm RINGWOOD PS Venue: Art Society Gallery,
Time: 7.30pm Redditch Postal History & Contact: Tim Giddings IPSWICH PS Transatlantic Bits & Pieces 17 Roseangle, DD1 4LP.
Contact: Dave Cleaver Needlemakers Tel: 07703 183655 Classic British Empire from by Julian Jones Time: 7.30pm
Tel: 01803 297212 by Chris Jackson Perkins Bacon Venue: Greyfriars Community Contact: Charles Lloyd
Venue: Winning Connections, OCTOBER 28 by Chris Harman Centre, Christchurch Road, Tel: 01241 852210
OCTOBER 14 Stratford upon Avon BRIDLINGTON & Venue: Kesgrave War Ringwood, BH24 1DW.
KING’S LYNN PS Racecourse, Luddington Road, DISTRICT PS Memorial Community Hall, Time: 2pm NOVEMBER 11
Queen Victoria Jubilee CV37 9SE. Visit from Scarborough PS Twelve Acre Approach, off Bell Contact: Gordon D Masson HAYLING ISLAND SC
Stamps by Phil Waud Time: 1.30pm Venue: Emmanuel Church, Lane, Kesgrave, IP5 1JF. Tel: 01425 470710 Competition
Venue: The Scout Building, Contact: Colin Fountain Cardigan Road, YO15 3JT. Time: 2pm Venue: The Small Hall, United
Beulah Street, Gaywood, Tel: 01789 841606 Time: 7pm Contact: Mike Smith ROCHDALE PS Reformed Church, Hollow
PE30 4DN. Contact: David Driver Tel: 01473 403904 France by Eddie Dunn Lane, Mengham, Hayling
Time: 7.15pm OCTOBER 20 Tel: 01262 850488 Venue: Unitarian Chapel, Island, PO11 9EY.
Contact: Dahlia Harrison BURNLEY & KETTERING S&PS Clover Street, OL12 6TP. Time: 7.30pm
Tel: 01775 423087 DISTRICT PS REDHILL PS Members’ Evening Time: 7.30pm Contact: David Carter
French and German Members’ Displays: Venue: St Andrew’s Church Contact: Peter Grimshaw Tel: 023 92486534
OCTOBER 15 Cameroons Letter D Hall, Crown Street, NN16 8RG. Tel: 01706 367240
SOUTHAMPTON & by Brian Lythgoe Venue: The Club House, Time: 7.30pm KING’S LYNN PS
DISTRICT PS Venue: The Central Methodist Redhill Football Club, Three Contact: Gordon Tregidgo VECTIS PS Rajahstan by John George
Grand Auction Church, Hargreaves Street, Arches Road, RH1 3AE. Tel: 01536 746800 Grand Auction Venue: The Scout Building,
Venue: St Joseph’s Church BB11 1DU. Time: 2pm Venue: Newport Conservative Beulah Street, Gaywood
Hall, Bugle Street, Time: 7.30pm Contact: Paul Munro SPALDING & Club, Lower Pyle Street, PE30 4DN.
SO14 2AH. Contact: Barry Evans Tel: 01737 789319 DISTRICT SC Newport, Isle of Wight, Time: 7.15pm
Time: 7pm Tel: 01282 616156 Competition: Transport PO30 1XB. Contact: Dahlia Harrison
Contact: Eddie Mays NOVEMBER 1 Venue: The Frasier Room, Time: 7.30pm Tel: 01775 423087
Tel: 023 8040 2194 COLCHESTER & BANBURY STAMP
OCTOBER 17
DISTRICT PS
Grenada & Other Topics
SOCIETY
Tonga to Togo REDHILL PS
SOUTH MIDLANDS by Andy Soutar by Dave Hutchins
SC Venue: Wilson Marriage Centre, Venue: Hanwell Fields
Members’ Night: How Barrack Street, CO1 2LR. Community Centre, OX16 1ER. Redhill Philatelic Society is
Inventive Can You Be? Time: 7pm Time: 7.30pm celebrating its 85th anniversary
Venue: Barford Memorial Contact: Paul Miller Contact: John Davies this year, but also hoping to
Hall, Church Street, Barford, Tel: 07983 293054 Tel: 01295 255831 recruit new members.
CV35 8EN.
Time: 1.30pm MAIDSTONE & REDHILL PS
It holds around 20 evening
Contact: John Gledhill MID-KENT PS Great Britain by Edward meetings a year, on the first and
Tel: 01789 842112 Italy & Colonies Walker and Paul Munro third Tuesday of every month
by Paul Cahill Venue: St Matthew’s Church, (except during the summer
OCTOBER 18 Venue: Mote Park Indoor Station Road, RH1 1DL.
break). The November 1 meeting
BANBURY STAMP Bowls Club, Willow Way, Time: 8pm
SOCIETY ME15 7RN. Contact: Paul Munro will include not one but two
The Ups & Downs of Time: 10.30am Tel: 01737 789319 displays on Great Britain.
Aviation by Trevor Radway Contact: Brian Stonestreet In addition there are intermittent Friday afternoon
Venue: Hanwell Fields Tel: 01622 675784 SOUTHAMPTON & meetings at the clubhouse at Redhill FC.
Community Centre, Banbury, DISTRICT PS
OX16 1ER. OCTOBER 22 Stanley Gibbons &
For further details contact Paul Munro. Tel: 01737 789319.
Time: 7.30pm GREAT BRITAIN PS Philatelic Terms Illustrated

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STAMP SHOPS
CORNWALL GLOUCESTERSHIRE FEATURED WEBSITES
West Cornwall M & C Stamps www.purvesphilatelics.co.uk

Stamp Centre Comprehensive and
competitively prices list-
ing of
26 Westgate Street, British Commonwealth (no
G.B) from 1840-1980.
Prinz Publications UK Ltd, Gloucester, GL1 2NG. The site is very user friendly
and quality is assured.
Unit 20a, Long Rock Industrial Tel: 01452 506361

Estate, Long Rock, Penzance Fax: 01452 307161 www.robinhood-stamp.co.uk
Cornwall, TR20 8HX Singles, sets and collections from around the World.
Retail Shop open every Friday.
Tel: 01736 751910 GB, Commonwealth and World
Rushcliffe House, 17-19 Rectory Road,
www.prinz.co.uk Stamps. GB New Issue Service. West Bridgford, Nottingham. NG2 6BE
Tel: 0115982
Tel:0115 9826152
6152
prinzpublications@gmail.com Accessories for all collectors.
www.embassystamps.co.uk
West Cornwall’s only stamp shop! Open: Thursday - Monday 1,000’s of G.B. stamps from
£10 to £100,000. Probably
Wide range of philatelic mate- 10.00-5.00pm the greatest selection of
G.B. on the web today.
rial on offer - plus large stock of Sunday 11.00-4.00pm

albums and accessories. We offer Access and Visa
an extensive mail order service. Telephone & mail order www.brianreeveauctions.com
Please note our new address! service available Regular public. Stamps
Auctions in London also
monthly First Day Cover
postal auctions.
Shop open weekdays 9.00-5.00 Follow me on Facebook UNSOLD LOTS ALWAYS

FOR SALE FROM LAST
AUCTIONS
mick@mandccards.co.uk
HERTFORDSHIRE
STAMP PAD
With the closure of Stamp Fairs, Clubs and Auctions unable to hold
competitive arenas, it is left to the Stamp Approval businesses to keep home
based collectors supplied. We have found there to be a considerable increase
in business and new customers taking up the hobby.
Unlike many of our competitors, we service over 350 satisfied customers and
to enable us to do this, we are holding large stocks. You may ask, where do
we get our replacement stock now that Auctions are unable to replenish their
stocks. Simply, over 40 years of trading we lose customers, either by failing
interest or death. We hold all these customer contacts, so re-provision our
stocks by this means.
We have single country 10 page books which cover all Commonwealth

countries of both Empire and Republic; also, all Foreign countries with
exclusion of the Far East. THE STAMP PAD
Poachers Retreat, Common Lane, Kings
We engage in personal contact with all new customers. In this way, we are Langley, WD4 9HP
able to help you with your collection with a personal knowledge of knowing
what you are looking for. Very few customers are disappointed. Tel: 01923 269775
mg.read@btinternet.com
Do give us a try. We only need a reference, preferably a Stamp Auction. www.michaelgread.co.uk

WEB DIRECTORY
WEB DIRECTORY YOUR GUIDE TO THE BEST PHILATELIC WEBSITES
FEATURED WEBSITES APPROVALS
Great Britain 1839-1951

www.andrewglajer.co.uk
Andrew G Lajer Ltd

sales@andrewglajer.co.uk
T: +44 (0)1189 344151
VISIT THE NEW EUROPEAN STAMP STORES

www.StampsItaly.com www.StampsFrance.com
www.StampsBelgium.com www.StampsAustria.com
www.StampsPortugal.com www.Stamps-Germany.com
www.Stamps-Europe.com www.Stamps-America.com
Lowest prices you can find on the Internet
Pedro Almeida
American Philatelic Society Dealer Member #228891
Pcta Juiz Carlos Lopes Quadros, 4 - 4 Dto. 2775-695 Carcavelos, Portugal
mail@stampsportugal.com Tel:+351 211 557 634
GB AND
APPROVALS COMMONWEALTH
101 FREE STAMPS APPROVALS
When requesting Commonwealth
or Foreign stamps on approval. GVI TO 2016 FINE USED STAMPS
Realistically priced with generous AT 75% OR MORE
discounts of up to 20% DISCOUNT ON SG CATALOGUE
MIKE WALKER PRICES, WANTS LISTS
10 Weston Grove, Immingham, DN20 2DE
WELCOMED. POSTAGE PAID
^Khd,ΘEdZ>DZ/ Tel 01469 574144
BOTH WAYS.
^ƚĂŵƉƐ͕WƌŽŽĨƐ͕WŽƐƚŵĂƌŬƐΘ
WŽƐƚĂů,ŝƐƚŽƌǇĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞĂƚ
CLASSIFIEDS RATES
E PICKUP,
ǁǁǁ͘ůĂƚŝŶĂŵĞƌŝĐĂŶƉŚŝůĂƚĞůŝĐƐ͘ĐŽŵ Number of issues 8 FAIRDOWN AVE,
1 4 6 12 WESTBURY, WILTSHIRE,
BA13 3HS
www.michaelkay.co.uk 2.5cm X 1 column TEL: 01373 865474,
EANDVPICKUP@HOTMAIL.COM
New - Lighthouse 2023 £34 £32 £29 £27
Stamp Accessories Brochure
available to download 5cm X 1 column BRITISH COMMONWEALTH
01869-321676
£68 £64 £58 £54
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“ NEW ZEALAND”
number of Issues 6 (minimum) 12
£140 (post-paid)
3cm X 1 column £22 £20
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6cm X 1 column £40 £35 www.campbellpaterson.co.nz Email: service@campbellpaterson.co.nz

CLASSIFIED GUIDE TO THE SPECIALISTS
BRITISH COMMONWEALTH GREAT BRITAIN

FIRST DAY COVERS
Commonwealth Great Britain First Day Covers
and Commemorative Covers
Free comprehensive illustrated Price List
BASIC MINT AND USED AT A MAXIMUM OF HALF SG CATALOGUE Steven Riley
37 Badger Gate, Threshfield, Skipton BD23 5EN
Our price guarantee – has been for the last 35 years! Email: stevenrileycovers@btinternet.com
REGULAR LISTS
Retail Shop open every Friday
B & S STAMPS Included are Booklets, Booklets Panes,
RUSHCLIFFE HOUSE, 17-19 RECTORY ROAD WEST BRIDGFORD, NOTTINGHAM. NG2 6BE First Day Covers, and a wide range of Definitives
and Commemorative stamps in unmounted and
Tel: 0115 981 6214 alan@robinhood-stamp.co.uk fine condition. For a friendly personal service.
Why not request a copy today or send is a list of
your requirements. Whether buying or selling we
look forward to receiving your enquiries.
FOREIGN LEEDS PHILATELIC
SOCIETY
STAFFORD STAMP SHOW
11th-12th November
28th - 29th October Staffs County Showground,
9 2021 Pudsey Civic Hall, Leeds
LS28 5TA
Weston Road, Stafford
ST18 0BD
21 5 paid
Email: arunstampspobox15@gmail.com
Tel: 01386 841923 Email:blomefield@aol.com

g.fisher243@btinternet.com
Federal USA State

DUCK HUNTING STAMPS
for details and price list, contact
John Wells
P.O. Box 222, Waltham Cross, Herts EN8 8GS
Tel: 01992 628976 Our new RushExpress No. 77A –
E. mail: john.wells123@btinternet.com
something for everyone is now available
can be viewed/downloaded from our website
Ask for our World RushTelegraph No.70 (with big discount)
KG VI Collectors List 1 Indian Feudatory

States. List 2 Convention to Cover all Stanley
Gibbons Printed Albums List 3 earlier or other
issues of the Indian States
!!would help Imperial Collectors!!
Court Fees, Revenues, Postal History K & C Philatelics
or you may send a wants list for a firm quote!
Visit my store at www.ebay.co.uk/str/sunstampco
PO Box 1096. Sunderland. SR3 1WZ
THE QV GB SPECIALISTS
Tel: 01915 235 811 Mob: 07764 830 136
Email: bill@sunstamps.co.uk
QUEEN VICTORIA STAMPS,
COVERS, PRE-STAMP and
SCOTTISH, IRISH, WELSH
POSTAL HISTORY
Tel/Ans: 01245 223120
AUSTRALIA USED 1913 - 2009 Email: kcphil@usa.net
FAROE ISLANDS MINT AND USED 1860 - 1985 Do visit our expanded website: new items
added regularly to each section
www.kcphilatelics.co.uk
TO ADVERTISE
jay.jones@dhpub.co.uk
TO ADVERTISE
jay.jones@dhpub.co.uk
www.stampmagazine.co.uk

GREAT BRITAIN POSTAL AUCTION
DO YOU COLLECT BRITISH STAMPS? L&R Postal

We offer Great Britain stamps from Queen Victoria through to 2018 mint and used.
We can send you approvals please let us know your interests. Or you can send us
your wants lists by post or email. You will be impressed by our competitively priced
Auctions
stamps. Discounts available including 20% on first selection. Regular Commonwealth and
Robert Williams Foreign postal auctions with
1 Butt Hill Drive, Prestwich, Manchester M25 9PL
Tel: 0161 798 4734 riw@isaglo.com no buyers’ premium and wide
selection of quality material.
INSURANCE IRELAND Contact us for free catalogue.
L & R Stamps
INSURE YOUR COLLECTION WE BUY IRELAND 12 Townsend Close, Wyton,
ALL RISKS - NO EXCESS Generous prices paid for postal history,
GB used in Ireland, high value overprints,
Huntingdon, PE28 2AR
REPLACEMENT VALUE errors, booklets, coils, covers (except post
1960 FDC), revenues, or any specialist or
01480 464552
S tam ps, Postcards, Coins, D iecast m odels, rare items of Ireland. Good collections Email: info@lrstamps.co.uk
always of interest.
D olls Houses M odel Railw ays etc.
Write or telephone:
STAMP INSURANCE SERVICES MacDONNELL WHYTE LTD

102 Leinster Road, Dublin 6, Ireland.
Postal Auction
C G I Services Limited Telephone: (+353-1)4977449 With Free Catalogues
29 Bowhay Lane, Exeter, EX4 1PE Fax: (+353-1) 4977440 No Buyers Premium Low Commission Rates
Members: PTS, BDF, ASDA, APHV, IPTA
Tel: 01392 433 949 Good Material Always Wanted
mail @stampinsurance.co,uk R.A.J Philatelics 35 Castlecombe Drive Wimbledon
Authorised & Regulated by the
Financial Conduct Authority
stampmagazine.co.uk
o.uk London SW19 6RN www.raj-stamps.co.uk
STAMP AUCTIONS
G, Sharples, 5, The Knowle

Bispham, Blackpool FY2 0RY
356267
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No. of
issues 1 4 6 12
SWITZERLAND 2.5cm X
All Issues 1850 to 2021
Free 48-page price list 1 column £34 £32 £29 £27
Also large stocks of covers, cards,
postal history, soldier stamps etc. 5cm X
1 column £68 £64 £58 £54
Werner Gattiker
7 Friars Oak Rd., Hassocks, BN6 8PT
01273 845 501
werner@swisstamps.co.uk
WEB LISTING RATES
PRIVATE COLLECTOR
No. of issues 6(minimum) 12
WISHES TO PURCHASE
TO ADVERTISE 3cm X 1 column £22 £20 COLLECTIONS OF SG 43-44
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WORLD NEWS | AUCTIONS | GB COLLECTOR | LETTERS | COMMENT | COMPETITIONS | FEATURES | EVENTS STRANGE BUT TRUE
STRANGE BUT TRUE
Going commando
Catalogue compilers dismissed the legitimacy of a Boer War field post stamp of
1899. Yet there was some chemistry between the issue and intrigued collectors
C
ollectors were not sure what to make later tried to put the record straight.
of the primitive-looking field post After the Boers crossed the border into
stamps from the early stages of the the British colony of the Cape of Good
Second Boer War when they first appeared Hope in October 1899, they set up a
on the philatelic market. temporary military camp. Free postage was
Affixed to campaign letters posted by the established for the troops to send letters
soldiers of the Orange Free State, they were home, provided that these were authorised
coarsely typeset in black on bistre-yellow and signed by an officer.
paper, with the simple three-line inscription As the quantity of mail increased,
‘Commando Brief’ (command letter), ‘OVS’ officers found themselves devoting too
(Oranje Vrij Staat) and ‘Franko’ (stamp). They much time to this, so Hochapfel was asked
were well perforated, but had no ABOVE: Orange Free State 1899 field post stamp to provide a solution.
denomination of value. He ordered 10,000 free-frank stamps from
Expert opinion was guided by the entry in the November 1900 a printer in Bloemfontein, Curling & Co, which came in 500
issue of the addenda to the Stanley Gibbons catalogue, which sheets of 20 and were available from October 15.
bluntly stated: ‘They are the private speculation of a chemist of As the militia moved from place to place, the stamps travelled
the Orange Free State... They are superfluous, had no franking with them, and therefore collected handstamps from around 35
power and are of no philatelic interest whatever.’ different locations, the most common being Modder River, where
This declaration might, of course, have been influenced by the General Piet Cronjé based his headquarters.
fact that the stamps were the products of an enemy country. But Despite Gibbons’ disdain, collectors clamoured to acquire
should they be dismissed so easily? these stamps and covers, pushing prices up. Today, genuine
The chemist in question, one A F Hochapfel, who was at the covers from uncommon locations can fetch £1,000, not bad for a
time the field-postmaster for a Boer commando (militia unit), label of ‘no philatelic interest whatever’! ■
NEXT MONTH
PLUS
■ The fine 1935 pictorial
Too much tax? issue of New Zealand

■ Great Britain’s first
The many and varied uses of British three-coloured stamps
revenue stamps, and how to set about
understanding and collecting them ■ Retrospective view of
Togo as a German colony
■ Poetry and doggerel
on Victorian covers
DECEMBER ISSUE
IN SHOPS FROM
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
AC STAMPS ................................. 38 M.L.CLIFFORD ............................. 36
MANCHESTER STAMPS CENTRE... 70

AJH STAMPS ............................... 39
MICHAEL G. READ ....................... 36

ALBANY STAMPS ........................ 64
MILLSTAMPS .............................. 65
CDD ............................................. 53
NORTH STAFFS STAMPS............. 81
CRISTOPH GARTNER ................. IFC PHIL INDEX.................................. 64
COLONIAL STAMP COMPANY ....... 3 PHILATELINK ............................... 12
PLUMBRIDGE .............................. 53
CORINPHILA .............................. 6, 7
PURVES PHILATELICS ........... 28-29
COURT PHILATELICS .................. 52

ROBSTINE.................................... 33
EASTERN AUCTIONS ................... 18

ROWLAND HILL..................... 36, 38
FAROE ISLANDS POST OFFICE .... 11 SALISBURY STAMP & PC SHOW
..................................................... 52
GUERNSEY POST OFFICE ............ 12
SARACEN STAMPS ...................... 53

H.W.WOOD .................................. 26
SOUTH-WEST PHILATELIC
IAN LASOK SMITH ....................... 50

AUCTIONS ................................... 69
IAN OLIVER.................................. 38 STAFFORD STAMP SHOW ........... 52
JERWOOD PHILATELICS ............. 26 STEPHEN T TAYLOR .................... 18
TONY LESTER .............................. 27

JOHN BAREFOOT ......................... 49
UPA................. 13, 16-17, 61, 77, 90
JOHN CURTIN .............................. 34

........................................... IBC, OBC
JOHN LAMONBY .......................... 75

WARWICK and WARWICK .......... 19
JOHN WELLS ............................... 18 ZEBOOSE ..................................... 34

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ELIZABETH II THE WORLD’S BEST PHILATELIC MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2022

Stamp Magazine, David Hall Publishing Ltd, Suite 6G,

4 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

FEATURES 35 TALKING POINT COMPETITIONS

66 THE THULE ISSUE TM

Genuine postage stamps, local Exhibition, auction, fair and society

quaint and unusual 1935-36 issue and have Stamp Magazine

full catalogue status Free State’s field post stamps were

NOVEMBER 2022 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 5

8 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

transformational telegraph... > Ukraine’s postal

NOVEMBER 2022 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 9

A Falkland Islands illustrates the

10 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

SOLD BY AVA £348,775

HAWAII 1851-52 GB USED ABROAD 1868

SOLD BY SCHUYLER RUMSEY £37,192 SOLD BY SPINK £14,000

14 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

MEXICO 1866 GREAT BRITAIN 1879

SOLD BY SCHUYLER RUMSEY £20,124 SOLD BY SPINK £12,000

PANAMA CANAL ZONE 1962

ALL WORLD 1840-90

SOLD BY HAMBURG £7,876

NOVEMBER 2022 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 15

The History & Local Post of

This modern edition contains

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY

John Wells, P.O. Box 222

Price including postage & packing only

Payment accepted by cheque or money order

The diverse talents of

O a stamp issue celebrating the elite

20 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

1st class ARID-CLIMATE OPERATIONS

£1.85 COMMANDO TRAINING

£1.85 BAND SERVICE

First day cover (stamps) £14.10

NOVEMBER 2022 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 21

22 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

R stamps on November 10 in memory of

NOVEMBER 2022 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 23

The end of an era, but

British Forces Philatelic Service closing down

24 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

> Under a new

Postal workers plan 19 days of strikes > Postboxes already

> At the Labour

NOVEMBER 2022 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 25

LETTER OF THE MONTH

How often does Royal Mail missend

Send your letters to:

Or send an e-mail to:

The Editor reads all letters, but is

30 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

At one meeting of our philatelic society,

There are almost no adhesive stamps on my post any more

NOVEMBER 2022 www.stampmagazine.co.uk 31

British commemoratives have been going wrong since 1964

Transformed, but not in a good way Initial reaction

Revenge is tweet Why are post offices still selling

32 www.stampmagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2022

Two great web sites for ﬁne used stamps!

Trading in stamps since 1982, I have been known

A time a stamp was