I started this newsletter early this summer, but as time went by some of the items became obsolete. So, here I go starting all over again. The PanAm games gave Canada Post an opportunity to release four 46 cent stamps to honour the occasion. The stamps went on sale on the 12th July. It is nice to know that the stamps were designed in Winnipeg by Circle Design Inc. Canada Post issues stamps
for Winnipeg Pan Am GamesYou have to look closely at the stamps for each stamp covers three sports. There is one predominate sport with two others in the background. In addition to the Canada 46, each stamp has a maple leaf and Xlll in opposite corners and PanAm 1999.
In addition to the four stamps there was much more to be obtained, at a cost, at The Forks and if you were lucky, at the athletes village.
A post office was set up at The Forks and it was there that you could obtain covers showing the flags of the 42 countries participating in the games with the four Pan Am games stamps - these you could have cancelled with a special cancel showing a line drawing of The Forks.
The date was changed daily and, I was informed, the cancel will be destroyed at the end of the games. In addition to the covers there were packages of four postcards. These cards are quite interesting as each has a different scene plus a reproduction of one of the Pan Am stamps.
The stamp portrayed on the front is also printed on the back (message and address side), there is a difference though, this stamp has no value. The cards say they are for mailing in Canada and delivery world wide.
Another item available at The Forks were pins. Yes, Canada Post had pin reproductions made of the PanAm stamps. There could have been other items but I was out of cash by the time I had one of each.
I also mentioned something available at the athletes village. This was another special cancel.
The cancel shows what I assume to be the three medal winners just after receiving their medals. The wording around the edge reads Canada Post - Postes Canada around the top and at the bottom Winnipeg, Manitoba. Just below the medal winners is the date.
I am certain some who read this were volunteers at the games so to you, well done, it makes one proud to be a Manitoban.
Earlier this year, at one of our meetings, I mentioned that a train would be crossing the United States to celebrate the century. This train included an old Railway Post Office.
Century celebrated with old Railway Post Office
I was able to contact a couple of our members to let them know it would be in Fargo around the end of June. I do not know if any of our members did get there.
I did, and found it quite interesting. The train consisted of an old private coach, a railway post office and two other coaches with all types of information about the U.S. Postal service.
Of course, most of the visuals had audio and in the confined space of a railway coach it was quite noisy. Anyway, it was great to see an old RPO again and the trip was worth it.
My wife and I drove to Grand Forks the first day and got a room for two nights, day two saw us visit Fargo and return to Grand Forks. Day three we came home. The weather was good and I had good company.
Earlier this year Canada Post released some orchid stamps. I think the real things are cheaper than the stamps.
Anyway, there were four different stamps, issued in sheets of 16. There is also a booklet containing 12 stamps, also with four different varieties of orchids.
The four different varieties in the booklet are supposed to repeat themselves, but do they? A close look will show that all that appears the same is not necessary so. Take a closer look, at the stamps in the booklet, you will find differences, as I will try to explain.
Lets start at the beginning with the first stamp, the dragon's mouth (Arethusa bulbosa). There are three of these stamps, the first one on the top row, the third on the third row and the middle on the fourth row.
The stamp on the first row and the one at the end of the third seem to be identical with the bottom of the stems touching the bottom perforations. Look at the stamp on the bottom row, the design goes right through the perfs.
The second stamp on the top row, the small round leafed orchid (Amerorchis rotundifolia) is identical to the third stamp in the second row with the leaf at the lower right reaching halfway through the perforations. The stamp in the lower left corner has the leaf going right through the perfs.
How about stamp number three, the third one across on the top row. The Greater Yellow Lady's-slipper (Cypripedium pubescens) There are three stamps with this design and all are different. The one on the top row has the right leaves going through the perfs. The stamp in the middle of the second row has the leaves just touching the perfs and the first stamp in the third row has the leaf on the left going right through the perfs.
Stamp number four, the small purple fringed orchid, (Platanthera psycodes) the first stamp on the second row. It has the leafs on the left going through the perfs. The middle stamp on the third row has none of the leaves touching the perfs nor does the third stamp on the bottom row, but this last stamp has the stem going through the perforations.
I have also heard that there is a difference in the size of some of the leaves.
I almost forgot this most important item. Important for the non- stamp-collecting readers that is. South Moluccas, Soruth or Sorath,
Pohjois Inkeri or Ingermanland,
and the Marianne IslandsFor we know that all stamp collectors know where all stamp issuing entities are located. Seems we have to visit South Moluccas, Soruth or Sorath, Pohjois Inkeri or Ingermanland and the Marianne Islands. Actually I have to put on my thinking cap for a couple of these as they are not places we hear about every day.
Starting with South Moluccas (Republic Maluku Selatan) This is a large group of islands in the East Indies, part of Indonesia. Fighting broke out in 1950 against Indonesian rule. In the next year a series of pictorial stamps appeared on the market supposedly issued by the revolutionary movement. The stamps are considered a private issue and not postally valid.
Listing in Scott Catalogue mentions that the stamps were considered privately issued and had no postal use. Accordingly, they are not recognized as postage stamps. How about Soruth or Sorath? This becomes complicated for as the years went by, there were many more name changes.
Actually in the beginning it was a group of Indian native states. To quote from Scott "The United State of Saurashtra (which the area eventually became known as) was formed in 1948 by 217 States, including the stamp issuing States of Jasdan, Morvi, Nowanuggur and Wadhwan". (Believe it is now known as Kathiawar which is a large chunk of land to the north west of Bombay).
As for stamps, the first stamps were believed to have been issued around 1864 and were hand stamped in watercolours. Issues between 1877 and 1886 had their values expressed in annas of the koree. 16 Soruth annas equalled one koree and one koree was equal to four annas of Indian currency. Some of the values in Scott for these early stamps are over $100 each, some well over $100.
Now we must go way up north for the next area. This is Pohjois Inkeri or some may know it better as Ingermanland, North. I must admit that I wasn't sure where this place was so had to look it up. In case you are not sure where it is, it is a part of Russian territory between the Neva river and Finland. The residents of this territory revolted from Russia in 1920 and set up their own government. This State existed only for a short while as the Russians soon took over again.
In the mean time this State was able to issue 14 stamps perforated, plus the same number imperforated. Used values are listed with a higher catalogue value than mint. There are counterfeits of the imperforated stamps of the second issue.
Last place on this tour is the Marianne Islands. These islands have changed hands quite a number of times. First they came under Spanish rule and a set (6) stamps were issued in 1899.
These were overprinted stamps of the Philippines. In late 1899 the islands, except Guam which was ceded to the United States, were sold to Germany. Stamps used whilst under German Dominion were overprinted German stamps. The second issue consisted of German key type.
In 1914 Japan occupied the islands and Japanese stamps were introduced. Since the end of WW ll the stamps of the United States of America have been used.
Yes, you can find all four of the above places in the Scott catalogue.
Next issue lets look up Marienwerder, Nyassa, Vathy and Icaria.
In closing off I would like to repeat something I have mentioned before, but to date there have been no takers. If you have something you would like included in these newsletters, please let me have it and I will do my best to include it.
There is no Fall '99 programme in this issue as I am not sure what we are going to be doing, needless to say, meetings will continue on the first and third Tuesday of the month, starting at 1 pm, in lecture room number 1 at 185 Smith Street. Oh yes, I should add, we will have fun as this is what stamp collecting is all about.
Whether you visit a stamp store or or purchase your stamps by mail, either direct or by auction, knowledge of what you are buying is of great advantage.Normally you know what you want and will have checked the data with a catalogue - So, lets say you require stamp number 63 (catalogue number) from Such and Such a country. Your catalogue lists the stamp at $5.00 in used condition.
The XYZ stamp company lists the stamp at $7.50 in good used condition and the RST stamp company has an auction and lists the stamp at $3.00 catalogue value.
Why three different prices? Well, sometimes there is, in little print, mention of which catalogue has been used. A couple of examples would be if you were looking for Canadian stamps - one catalogue could be Scott and the other Unitrade - both use the Scott numbering system but one gives the value in U.S. dollars and the other in Canadian dollars. Staying with Canadian stamps for a little longer, we could add another catalogue - Darnell. Darnell uses a different numbering system - but - with the stamps issued around 1939, the numbers are almost the same and as an example lets look at Scott 260 (20¢ Corvette) in the Scott volume 2 (C to F), mint value $7.50. Unitrade, very fine, mint $11.00. In the Darnell catalogue the same stamp is numbered 261 and lists at $10.75 N2 (Mint never hinged but with one or two with narrower margins).
I use this as an example because sometimes a slight difference in the number may not be noticed.
It should also be pointed out that catalogue numbers also change every so often. In Scott 1999, Canada has 8 new numbers added and two number changes. Dealing in stamps also is a matter of supply and demand. If there are plenty of copies available, the price will be low. If the demand is greater that the supply, up goes the prices. It is this supply and demand situation that often is the reason for stamps selling at a much higher price than listed in a catalogue.
Then there is the question, what is a catalogue price. Although some catalogue publishers say the price is based on auction and dealers selling prices, it should be remembered that these prices are those in effect about a year or more ago. Already the 2000 catalogues are available so the prices are from last years sales. They could have gone up or down since then. Whilst with catalogues, I have been asked the following question quite a few times.
“Why is it that a catalogue will list (for example) four stamps at 15 cents each yet the set of four only worth 25cents?”
The answer is that the publishers of the catalogue feel that a minimum value of 15 cents should be charged for a stamp as the dealer has to spend time sorting the stamps, then there are the overheads of utilities, rent etc., and 15 cents is a reasonable value.
The stamps really are not worth 15 cents each and so the set value is, shall we say, the real value.
Who said that it doesn't look as if Canada Post is doing anything to mark the Millennium?Great Britain has been releasing four stamps a month, this for the whole of 1999.
The United States has also been releasing stamps to celebrate the end of the 1900s.
What has Canada Post got up its sleeve?
If you are interested you had better check your bank balance, you may have to mortgage your house to purchase this issue. In September 1999 there will be 68, yes, that is sixty-eight, 46 cent stamps released to celebrate the Millennium.
With tax that will be around $35 for the set. But wait a minute, these sixty-eight stamps are incorporated in a book, yes a book, not one of those booklets that you get 10, 20 or 30 stamps in, this is a bonafide book and will cost $59.99, plus tax.
Complain
The APS has written to complain about this issue and Scott, the catalogue people, have said that they will not list this issue, except maybe with a footnote.Although genuine postage stamps it is doubtful if anyone will use them for postage as it will spoil the book, the stamps being part of the book. Since first reading about this issue, there is now mention that these stamps will be available early in the year 2000 in blocks of 4.
Nothing has been said as to whether the two issues will have the same perfs or even the same printer. Stay tuned, this sounds interesting. What else has happened lately?
Well one thing is that Creative Retirement has moved their offices, they are now sharing space with Age and Opportunity at 283 Portage Avenue. The telephone numbers remain the same.
For information, or to submit material to the Stamp Club’s newsletter please contact: George Apps at 888-3952, or e-mail c/o denesiuk@crm.mb.ca
Internet Sites
The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada
www.interlog.com/~rpscCanada Post Corporation
www.canadapost.ca/CPC2/phil/stamp/stamp.htmlBritish North American Philatelic Society
www.wep.ab.ca/bnapsThe American Philatelic Society
www.west.net/~stamps1/aps.html
