Cluttered Web Sites: Are stamp collectors cluttered in the head?

I spent some time today, looking around the Internet at various web sites related to stamp collecting.

To be honest, I wasn't very impressed with what I found.

Please! No cluttered web sites!

Maybe that sounds a bit blunt and rude, so let me clarify. I was actually very impressed with the volume and variety of philatelic web sites and blogs out there. Seems a LOT of stamp collectors have found their way to the world wide web and are sharing lots of interesting content about stamp collecting and philately.

What left me feeling very UN-impressed-- and even a little frustrated-- was the sheer number of poorly designed, willy-nilly, cluttered web sites out there; web sites that looked more like a going-out-of-business sales flyer than a way to present one's treasured stamps.

Now, you might be asking yourself why I even care. Good question. So here's the point:

If your web site is made up of dozens of seemingly unrelated little text boxes with text in different colors and fonts, arranged in a way that suggests NO planning whatsoever... your web site design, itself, is actually taking AWAY from your attempts to share with other people. Think, for a moment, about what an album page looks like. It is pretty plain, with borders around each stamp, and maybe a little bit of descriptive text. Odds are your stamps are NOT mounted up on paper from the most recent Wal-Mart flyer, right? So WHY would you build a web site made up to look like a patchwork quilt with blinking lights?

Think simple. Let the STAMPS tell the story... not the "wrapping" (aka web site). Keep it simple...

Variety Focus: Sweden's 20/20 öre "Double Print" Stamp

A closer look at Sweden 1876: 20 öre red on 20 öre faint orange Ringtyp perf 14; Facit no. 23/Scott no. 23b

One of my specialized collections is of the Swedish "Ringtyp" (sometimes called "Circle Type") issues of 1872-99. Within these old sets of stamps, my favourite issue is the so-called 20 öre "Double Print" stamp, which is unique in the world of philately.

The first ringtyp stamps were issued on July 1, 1872, to replace the previous "Vapentyp" ("arms" type) stamps. Nine values between 3 öre and 1 riksdaler were issued, all perforated 14, all with the same basic design: a large central numeral of value inside a circle or "ring." One of the primary reasons for this stamp issue was that the numbers on the previous vapentyp stamps were small and sometimes difficult to read-- the ringtyp design featured a much more prominent numeral inside a circle in the center of the stamp.

Facit Nr. 22f, 20 öre printed in extremely pale orange

The 20 öre value was printed in red. A number of printings between 1872 and 1877 produced an assortment of shades of red-- red was a difficult color to reproduce exactly. However, one of the printings of the 20 öre stamp was done in a colour of "dull orange" SO pale that the design could almost not be seen (Facit no. 22f). This printing was sent to post offices in 1875, but it quickly became a problem. Either the colour was too difficult to see, OR the stamp was confused with the yellow-orange 24 öre value.

As a result, the stamps were recalled by the Swedish Port Office (towards the later part of 1876), and it was decided that the stamps would be printed a SECOND time, this time in a brighter red colour-- rather than be destroyed.

Of course, with the fairly simple printing technology of the 1870s it was almost impossible for the printers to get perfect registration between the two colors, so most often the examples of the "double print" stamps we find have a faint "ghost image" of the paler colour-- on the stamp below, it can be seen in the right margin, and inside the large number 20. For a better look, click on the stamp and you'll get a much larger image to look at.

A genuine example of the "Double Print" stamp

The listed catalogue value is relatively low, especially for a classic stamp of which only 180,000 were printed, and most were used and discarded on ordinary mail. I expect this is largely because only the Swedish Facit catalogue recognizes the stamp as a "main" number, while for all other catalogues the stamp is listed as a "variety." For Scott it is no. 23b, the other primary Scandinavian catalogue-- AFA-- lists it as no. 22x. As a result, most pre-printed album pages for Swedish stamps do not have a separate space for this stamp, even though it was an "official issue," and not an "error." If the album designers did include a space for the Double Print, the stamp would probably be worth 4-5 times more, because of the much higher demand to fill those empty spaces.

Another thing that makes this stamp interesting for collectors of Sweden is the "treasure hunt" factor. Although the variety is listed in most major catalogues, very few descriptions exist to tell people what to look for. Most copies I have found have come from duplicate stocks of the "normal" 20 öre stamp. Odds are good that next time you find yourself at a stamp show, you might just find one of these in a dealer's box, not marked as a vareity!

Fine and Rare, Number 2

The "Fine and Rare" pages of this blog is a space where I sometimes share some of the "gems" (in my opinion) and favorites from my personal collections. Some will be rare, some will just be of exceptional quality, some will merely be unusual-- a few will be "all of the above."

Denmark 1915: 5 kroner brownish red, watermarked multiple crosses, perfed 14 x 14 1/2, depicting the Central Post Office in Copenhagen. Very fine used copy with the major variety "Plate flaw: KJØBFNHAVN instead of KJØBENHAVN in caption," AFA Catalogue No. 81x. 

The 5 Kroner "Central Post Office" stamp of Denmark has never been a common stamp. First issued in 1912 with the "large crown" watermark, then reissued in with the "multiple crosses" watermark, only about 86,000 copies of each stamp were printed. One stamp in each sheet of 50 has one of Denmark's most significant and widely recognized plate flaws: Instead of "KJØBENHAVNS" in the caption below the building, the word is "KJØBFNHAVNS."

This particularly nice example came to be in my collection by way of the APS's online "Stamp Store." It was actually a surprise-- I was looking for a nice copy of this stamp to replace the existing copy I had. You see, this stamp was mostly used on parcel cards, and most used examples have partial strikes of 2-3 postmarks, and I was ready for a nicer copy. Pleased to have found an attractive copy for a fair price, I was very excited to discover that I had actually acquired a major variety.

Just to make sure that everything was OK, I sent the stamp to Denmark to be examined and certified by Lasse Nielsen, Denmark's foremost philatelic authority. It came back with a "squaky-clean" certificate and remains one of the "best" stamps in my Denmark collection.

Although not listed by Scott, this variety is listed in the Danish AFA stamp catalogue as no. 81x. It is also included in other major European stamp catalogues. Because the "base" stamp already carries a fairly high value, the variety is even more expensive-- and quite difficult to find. It currently lists for 4200,- Danish Kr. (about US $820.00).

The Future of Stamp Collecting

It's a new year, and I find myself wondering about the year ahead. It got me to thinking about collecting stamps, and the future.

I wonder if people will continue to collect stamps. I wonder if-- when I die and my collections will be offered for sale-- anyone will buy them.

On one hand, we hardly ever use stamps, any more. Let's face it, email has replaced a vast volume of snail mail. And to the degree we send things through the postal system, we often don't even use stamps. There's less and less to collect-- at least if "postally used" is your bag.

From a different angle, stamp collecting seems less "cool" than it was, in the past. The children and youth of today seem less into "collecting" things, and more into "playing things." That is, video games and electronic interactions have replaced "finding and collecting." Where stamp collecting once was a "viable" thing to do, it is now "deeply nerdy," if you're under the age of 30.

And the nature of stamps has changed, too. How we collect. Many countries-- no doubt in response to sagging revenues-- issue more and more new stamps, every year. And because fewer of them are actually used on letters, we feel increasingly pressured to "collect mint." Not so good, if you're eight years old and only have a few dollars. Not so good, even, if you're adult and have limited income.

Perhaps I am representative: I only collect used stamps, and I don't collect modern issues anymore, because (a) I can't keep up and (b) I don't seem able to find postally used stamps the way I used to.

Which leaves me collecting issues from the late 1800s. 50 years down the road, will there be a new generation, who ALSO collect issues from the late 1800s? Or will the "challenge" for them be to find stamps from the 1990s, that actually carried a letter? Or will "collecting stamps" pass from the realm of being something you (theoretically) can do on a shoestring, to being something you "buy," like a collection of "labels" or Barbie dolls?

Just pondering out loud, here...

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Stamps For Sale!

Because I have philatelic material for sale in so many different locations, and the material often changes, I have decided the easiest way to keep announcements all in one place is to simply have this post always sitting at the top of the blog.

Here, then, is a listing (with brief description) of the places I have stamps for sale (titles are links to the sites):

Delcampe Stamp Auctions:

Currently 200+ lots stamps from Sweden, almost all used, with better and some of the "tricky" mid-priced items. All are identified by the Swedish Facit stamp catalogue. Please note that the bidding here is in EURO.

StampWants Auctions:

Currently about 250 lots mid- and lower priced Swedish stamps, from classic to the 1960's, some mint, but mostly used. All listed by the Swedish Facit catalog as well as Scott, with varieties, town cancels, and more.

eStampAuctions UK:

About 120 lots older Denmark, mostly mid-priced material. Please note that the bidding here is in UK pound Sterling, and that stamps are listed by the Danish AFA stamp catalogue. However, the descriptions are clear enough that you can easily "convert" to your own catalog of choice.

In general, there are some good values to be had, with many stamps offered for as little as 20% of catalogue value.

Fine and Rare, Number 1

The "Fine and Rare" section of this blog is a space in which I will periodically show off some of the "gems" from my personal collections. Not necessarily "valuable," but certainly unusual.

Denmark 1873: 4 skilling red Official, perf 14 x 13 1/2. Flawless condition and XF centering, with fresh bright color. Centrally postmarked with light numeral cancel "238" (Thorshavn, Faroe Islands).

Found this stamp in an APS Circuit sales book, some years ago. It turned out to be a "double bargain."

For starters, it was just a beautiful stamp with great eye appeal. But I noticed that it was actually the scarcer 4 skilling official, misidentified as the much more common 8 øre value, issued in 1875. These early Officials are not so easy to find, in perfect condition, so I was happy... and the nice centrally placed numeral cancel was just a bonus.

A little further research revealed that the numeral cancel "238" was assigned to the post office at Thorshavn in the Faroe Islands. This is actually one of the rarest of the numeral cancels used in Denmark, and to have it on a stamp in perfect condition only adds to the value. So this "common" stamp-- at first glance-- actually became one of my "gems."

The 1995 AFA Specialkatalog has a section listing Faroese cancels on Danish stamps, and it values the "238" numeral cancel on a single stamp at 4500,- Danish kroner-- the equivalent of about US$870.00.

Stamp Collecting Basics: The joys of Kiloware

Although I suppose I have risen to the rank of "advanced" collector over the years, I still enjoy getting back to basics, and back to the way I started stamp collecting.

For some "serious" stamp collectors, this is a bit like having "a dirty little secret:"

I really enjoy messing around with kiloware.

Back in my "poor days," it was one of the few ways I could afford to buy a LOT of stamps, without breaking the bank.

I started buying kiloware already when I was about 15, using my money earned from mowing lawns and shoveling snow out of people's driveways in winter. Back then (1975), we were still living in Denmark, and I would take the bus into Copenhagen and visit several dealers who carried a good stock of "unsorted stamps on paper."

A couple of "Machins" from my old kiloware purchases

It was one one of these journeys I discovered "Blue Peter bags." These were ten pound burlap bags from the UK, filled with all manners of "treasures," imported by this Danish dealer for his retail shop. Evidently they were collected for the Blue Peter charity appeal in England, by people who knew nothing of stamp collecting, and then were sealed into 10lb sacks, completely unsorted, and then marketed to stamp collectors around the world.

Now, you might think that a 15-year old boy never would have the patience and perseverance to sort, soak and process 10lbs of stamps on paper... but between ages 15 and about 24, I actually bought and completely processed four 10lb bags of "Blue Peter mix." Much to my mother's frustration (and amusement, at first), there would be towels with stamps drying covering almost every flat surface in my room. And yes, there were many many duplicates, but he untold thousands of "Wildings" and "Machins" in those mixtures went on to form the basis of a couple of my specialized (non-Scandinavian!) collections.

A GB stamp of the "Wilding" design

Part of the charm of the Blue Peter bags was that you could find virtually anything in them. One bag had-- literally-- over a thousand Queen Victoria era stamps, still on the corners of ancient envelopes. I can only imagine that someone found a box of great-grandma's old letters in the attic, cut all the stamps off, and submitted them to the charity appeal. Retrospectively, I can understand how the contents of the letters would hold far more "value" to a non-stamp collector, than the stamps outside the envelopes.

In my third bag, I found a sound-- and quite presentable, with three margins-- Great Britain "Two Pence blue" (no. 2), which has a catalogue value of at least £675.00, in the most recent Stanley Gibbons catalogue. Even at the time I found it, its catalogue value was more than twice the price I'd paid for the entire bag of stamps!

Of course, I bought many other kinds of kiloware, over the years. I used to buy "post office sealed" one-kilo boxes from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. These were boxes of high value stamps on parcel cards, and I really enjoyed these because they differed from "ordinary" kiloware in that most of the stamps were not of the contemporary "letter rate" of the time, but "odd" and "high values" that rarely were used on regular envelopes. Many of these stamps went on become the foundation of my town cancel collections.

Iceland post office kiloware from parcel clippings

When I had a little more money, I went on to buy more expensive and "exotic" mixtures. One of my earliest "big investments" was in a box of post office sealed mixture from Iceland (pictured at left). It was (to my way of thinking, at the time), horrendously expensive... but well worth it, as most of the stamps in the box had catalogue values between $2.00 and $10.00 each, and offered me excellent trading material for years.

Sadly, with the advent of email, and ever-greater standardization of the global mail handling process, kiloware has become more and more difficult to find. Especially if you want-- as I do-- authentic postally used stamps. People just don't use stamps, as much as they used to.

My roots as a "mixture sorter" continue to be reflected in the way I collect stamps, to this day. I may be a "serious" collector, but I have never been someone who goes out and buys "just those exact three stamps" to fit particular spots in an album. Sure, there are exceptions-- occasionally I'll spring for a single stamp, of particular appeal. On the whole, though, I have always preferred to "take my chances" on finding them-- or not-- in a "messy accumulation" bought at a stamp show, or in an auction.

The bottom line is that I get just as much enjoyment from the "treasure hunt" aspects of stamp collecting, as I do from "having a collection."

Thankfully, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to collect stamps!