Welcome! You are visitor
Click To Go Back To The Main
Welcome! You are visitor to www.GlenStephens.com
.
Glen Stephens
Monthly "Stamp
News"
Market Tipster Column
March 2008
|
A new version of the
"'Comprehensive"' Catalogue of Australian
Stamps was published this month.
I have been using this book
daily since I got an advance copy, and must
say it is a delight to handle. It has been
a VERY long time coming ..... edition #3 was
published about 4 years back.
Anyone who needs a new catalogue covering Australia in huge detail - with AAT, and detailed Australian States should really track down one of these. Dealer colleague Michael Eastick in Melbourne is the Editor, and pricing of Dues and States was done by dealers Simon Dunkerley - and with input from Richard Juzwin too I understand. Published by Victoria Stamp Traders the price is $69.99 for this "Wiro-O-Bound" book. At that price it really is excellent buying. I just LOVE the "Wire-O-Bound" concept – and have loved it from the first edition some years back.
(The new large A4 size Nelson
Eustis "Australian Airmail Catalogue"
is being printed as we speak, and is in the
same size and Wiro format.)
This new "CCA" is a large,
heavy, "'solid" feeling catalogue set - it
weighs about 1½ kilos .... the previous
edition was only a kilo. with over 350 full
size A4 pages on heavy grade quality paper
in full cover and two volumes.
|
A Comprehensive Win!
|
The 23 ring "Wire-O-Bound" version is a delight to
use. Each
page lays perfectly FLAT.
I HATE using catalogues that do not lie
flat when I am at the desk looking up, or pricing
stamps.
The skinny new Stanley Gibbons is a
perfect example of one that does NOT! Hopeless if
you use them 7 days a week. Thick books work, but
thin ones do NOT.
I find this new catalogue is by far the easiest Australian catalogue to use. The full colour stamp illustrations face the prices and descriptions in every case. Stamps are priced mint and used, on FDC, and in booklets, and on Maximum cards. And a LOT of useful and accurate extra data is given as well.
In the decimal era they are also
priced in PO pack as well, and with leading dealers
doing the prices, they are spot on the market
prices. THAT is
essential.
Kangaroos are listed with all "Specimen" overprints priced, as are all "OS" perfins, large and small. Ditto the KGV heads which also clearly show the different dies in illustrations - which confuse many collectors.
And the growing army of
folks collecting Australian States issues will like the
extensive listings here.
The type face is large enough so I can read it quickly and readily. Some other catalogues have "saved" on page numbers by reducing font size, and I simply cannot read it in my declining years! Most of my customers have even worse eyesight, so that is a silly move making fonts so small. Each page here is on extra heavyweight gloss stock. Colour reproductions on the modern issues are superb. The listing of AAT material is second to none. FDC (Australian and base sets are specified and all priced) and PO packs are all priced – no other catalogue anywhere does this. How many readers knew an Australian cancelled FDC of the 1979 Ships set from AAT was worth $600? Not many I can bet.
Little gems like that will pay for this
catalogue in no time. Buy one today.
I sold 25 sets on pre-order alone via my newsletter, so
the pent up demand for a wide reaching production like
this is readily apparent to some at least. (For order
info see here –
www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=4329 )
Seven Seas Stamps has sadly lost the plot
in recent years on their "Australia Stamp Catalogue"
editions, and the ASC is now years out of date. It has
been totally out of stock for months, and I hear a new
one will not be issued until latter 2008.
The once unassailable stranglehold the ASC had on the Australian market is now just a wistful memory over at Brookvale. |
|
Seven Seas have just issued
their Volume 2 catalogue called "Oceania".
This does a very good job of covering the
stamp issues of Nauru, all the issues of
New Guinea, Papua, NWPI, GRI, and all the
later PNG issues, Norfolk island and
Pitcairn Islands.
As editor Graeme Morris notes
in the foreword, it is 5 years since the
last edition, and prices for many of the
early issues have increased up to 50% from
that edition - to reflect current market
value. Get one now .. as relying on an old
edition will cost you money.
|
Oceania Catalogue just out.
|
This is a hefty 288 pages thick, and
the colour reproduction is excellent.
I have always intensively disliked
the decade long Seven Seas policy of running wads of
colour pages of illustrations that are nowhere near
opposite the applicable text pages. I know I am not
the only one to think that. Indeed near everyone
mentions it as a pet hate.
I do not believe any stamp catalogue
on earth has adopted this bizarre system, therefore
ipso facto it is not a wise idea.
I've owned and printed colour
magazines and in 2008 believe there is truly no
logical or cost saving reason whatever to do this,
as the text pages are printed in colour as well.
That very large annoyance aside, the
content is excellent and the prices are a very
reliable guide to current retail. At $A38.50 rrp it
is a very useful and well priced volume to own.
This catalogue lists many VERY useful
areas such as the packs, year books, aerogrammes,
PSE's and booklets that are issued from these
countries.
It is the only place you'll find them
in one place. And that is a strength they need to
work on hard to KEEP this volume viable, seeing
Gibbons - luckily for them, do such a hopeless job
in this regard.
It seems to me that looking at the
PNG lists, many of these listings are either
woefully out of date re the recent issues, or PNG
has totally stopped issuing such profitable product
for the past 7 years.
|
In The Pink
|
Barrington Rhode Island Postmaster Steve
Santilli is a man of his word. Late last
year he laid down a challenge to his counter
staff - sell $US5,000 worth of USA Breast
Cancer Research semi-postal stamps, and he
would dye his hair pink.
These stamps cost 55¢ each, and only pay first class domestic postage - which usually costs 41¢. So a mailer using one of these stamps pays 35% more than they need to - the overage going to research etc.
So for counter clerks it is a true "upsell"
job to convince a customer to spend $5.50 to
mail their 10 letters, that otherwise cost
only $4.10.
|
The boss keeps his word
|
On November 1, Mr. Santilli came into his post
office with not only pink hair, but fluorescent pink
eyebrows, moustache and goatee beard to match - see
photo nearby.
The six sales clerks who serve customers in the Barrington post office exceeded Mr. Santilli's challenge, and sold approximately $US6,500 of the pink stamps. The previous year, that post office sold $US1,800 worth of the stamps. "We have the best clerks in the state and they were up for the challenge. They wanted to do it, and did a great job," Mr. Santilli said. "They liked the fact that I followed through with my promise. And if my pink hair brings awareness toward breast cancer, it was worth it.” Santilli said his grandmother survived breast cancer twice. “Everyone knows someone who has been affected by it,” he said. “With the money raised for research, breast cancer will be as easy to eliminate as the pink from my hair.” The pink dye was not permanent - Santilli claims it would eventually wash out with shampoo. The Breast Cancer Research semi-postal stamps are sold for 55 cents each or $US11 per sheet. His clerks sold 590 sheets during the month of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the USA. Of the $US6,500, approximately $US1,652 will go to the National Institutes of Health, and to the Department of Defence for research purposes. Mr. Santilli said that in south-eastern New England alone, more than $US300,000 was raised by selling 27,000 sheets of breast cancer stamps and $US76,300 will go toward research. "Every time someone puts one of these stamps on their mail, it brings awareness about breast cancer. The disease is treatable with early detection" he said. When asked if he plans to repeat the challenge this year, perhaps raising the bar higher than last year's challenge, Mr. Santilli smiled and said: "with this team - anything is possible." |
Over 800 million sold
|
The Breast Cancer Research
semi-postal was issued on July 29, 1998, at
a first day ceremony held in the White
House. It was a very unusual step in US
stamp history .. not known for her charity
or semi-postal issues. By law, 70 percent of the
net amount raised is given to the National
Institutes of Health, and 30 percent is
given to the Medical Research Program at the
Department of Defence. A four-year extension of this Breast Cancer Research (BCRS) semi-postal stamp program has recently been approved beyond Dec. 31, 2007. Legislation passed recently by Congress and just signed by President George W. Bush granted this extension. I attended a dealer dinner at Christmas hosted by Mr Noel Leahey, head of Australia Post Philatelic, and his marketing manager. Whilst there I raised this USA charity stamp program, outlined the enormous sales (and political) success it has enjoyed, and said I really hoped Australia might do something similar. Time will tell |
|
In a recent column here I
outlined the amazing
"Italy Find" of 75
kilos of 1d Red KGV heads on
piece. They had not been seen
by stamp eyes for 85 years and
yielded the most amazing range
of material to the lucky
Australian finder "Mr. X".
The web-link to his
very detailed story on
stampboards.com is here -
www.tinyurl.com/2753m2
- a "must read" article for all
collectors.
Included in this amazing
treasure trove were the
amazing used block 4 of the 1d
red KGV "Rusted Clichés", a
block of 9 of the "Substituted
Cliché's", and a superb Die 2 1d
Red single line perf!
As well as ½d green single line perfs, and other major flaws and varieties. And Salmon Eosin shades of all kinds - many on piece with normals, and Eosins with "OS" and private perfins.
These were all major pieces, many of them in the 4 figure league, and most are illustrated on the stampboards.com link above.
However of course many items are outlined that whilst of not so high a value, are just as fascinating.
One area I was not aware of was the high use of recycled envelopes in government departments and some businesses in this World War 1 paper shortage austerity era. Carefully study the illustration nearby of KGV 1d reds on piece.
Please look at it carefully and tell me how many stamps do you see.
|
How many 1d red KGV here?
|
If you look really VERY carefully you can see there are FIVE 1d reds used here on this one letter. Each cancelled at a different time, and placed on top of a previous copy. Four have Gundagai NSW cancels, and one has Tumut NSW.
The three we can see readily are all very different, a rough paper at right, and 2 quite different smooth paper shades at left and centre.
This was due to some government departments and businesses re-addressing envelopes and affixing another stamp over the top - to save paper.
The piece shown nearby from the same "Italy Hoard" shows the concept even better.
|
Bank Of New South Wales piece
|
This piece was re-used 3 times (the
right hand stamp is on rough paper)
The cancels from left to right are "Adelong
NSW" August 1918. "Tumut NSW" August 28,
1918, and a rough paper 1d also
cancelled 'Adelong" May 23, 1918.
As can be see this was all originally
used on a Bank Of New South Wales
letter, showing that business houses as
well as Government Departments followed
this unusual practice.
We know it was a standard weight letter,
as a 1d stamp was used each time.
The ceasefire on the European front was
not agreed until November 11, 1918, so
in this period of useage, World War 1
was in full flight.
The paper shortage was a great and
continuing worry to some in the Post
Office - and especially the printer.
Commonwealth Stamp Printer, J.B. Cooke
was concerned about a possible paper
shortage if the war continued.
I understand there are several letters
from Cooke in the PMG Archives on this
subject.
One to the Postmaster General concerning
lazy counter clerks often using 6 or 12
x 1d stamps on a parcel, instead of a
single 6d or 1/- Kangaroo, and asking
them to be instructed to cease this
"wasteful" practice.
Much printing equipment and ink was (and
still is!) sourced from Germany, hence
the mass of shades found in the 1d red
was directly due to this
war-time situation.
The printer literally took delivery of
anything that in some way resembled red
printing ink, even in small volumes, and
hence the nearly weekly changes in
shades encountered in the World War 1
era.
The 4d "Orange" KGV group experienced
the same WW1 ink problems. They exhibit
a riot of shades ranging through the
full spectrum from very Deep Orange
through to Lemon Yellow and even vibrant
pale Lime Yellow.
Indeed the vast array of different
papers on this series is due to the same
supply uncertainly. Various types of
smooth paper, rough uncoated paper, and
the use of unwatermarked and large
multiple watermark paper are the result.
|
|
Perforation equipment was also often sourced
from Germany - hence perforation heads were
often pushed way past their optimum use
by date, as replacements were expensive - or
more likely, totally impossible to source.
The "raggy" or "fluffy" perfs on many of the
Kangaroos (and KGV) printed in this 1914-18
period are due to perforating pins not being
replaced as often as was ideal.
Sheets were being perforated with blunt
pins, that essentially via brute forced
rough holes through the paper, rather than
neatly punching it out using sharp new pins.
The nearby illustrated £1 bi-colour Kangaroo
is from the June 1917 Cooke
printings, showing the "rough perf"
appearance of many stamps of this era.
|
|
|
Instant
Currency Conversion
FREE!
Just click here...
see exactly what my lots cost in your currency.
If you would like to be
notified of updates to this website,
Click
HERE. If have any questions,
or comments regarding my site, please email me at
glen@glenstephens.com
|
Search all my 300+ web pages! Simply type in what you are looking for. "Penny Black", "Latvia", "Imprints", "Morocco", "Fungi" "Year Books", etc! Using quotes ( " ) is more accurate for multi word searches - i.e. "Australian FDC" gives FAR more specific matches than simply Australian FDC if used with no quotes. Search is NOT case sensitive. Tip - keep the search word singular - "Machin" yields far more matches than "Machins" etc. |
I am a Dealer Member in Good
Standing Of:
Life Member - American Stamp Dealers' Association. (New York)
Also Member of: Philatelic Traders' Society. (London)
ANDA. (Melbourne) American Philatelic Society, etc
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Time and Temp in Sunny Sydney! |
GLEN $TEPHEN$ Full Time Stamp Dealer in Australia for over 25 years.
Life Member - American Stamp
Dealers' Association. (New York)
Also Member - Philatelic Traders' Society. (London) ANDA. (Melbourne) American Philatelic Society, etc
"Lothlórien4 The
Tor Walk, CASTLECRAG (Sydney), N.S.W. 2068 |
Click here to see MANY 1000s of stamp lots for sale at low $A Nett prices
Click here for all you need to know re SELLING your stamps for SPOT CASH
Click here for the current Monthly "Internet Only" special offers - CHEAP!
to read all my recent International stamp magazine articles. Click here to get back to the main www.GlenStephens.com HomepageClick here to ORDER on-line ANY items from ANY of my dozens of lists
Click for all info on Conditions Of Sale, Payments, Shipping, Returns &c
Click here for the complete library of my very unusual world travels!
How to PAY me. I accept EVERYTHING - even blankets and axes and beads!
Australia Post Annual YEAR BOOKS - massive stock - '27% off' discount offer today!
Instant Currency Conversion
FREE! Just click
here...
E-mail me at glen@glenstephens.com -
Every credit card shown is
accepted WITHOUT fee.
Earn Frequent Flier points while buying at bargain prices!
ALL prices are in weak Ozzie Dollars. I charge NO nasty, nasty
"Buyer's Commission" on stamps like nearly every "Auction" does.
