Collectors put printers under the magnifying glass

One thing I learned very quickly is that printers think a little differently than the rest of us. For them, a good quality printing job is all about the appearance of the printing. It doesn’t matter if the press is running publications, advertising material, or even stamps, the printer’s goal is to produce a product that is usable and pleasing to the customer. When it comes to stamps, the same thing happens. Collectors revel in details. For them, minute differences between stamps are clues that allow them to reassemble a printing plate, or even a plant’s whole production procedures. Continue reading →

British Guiana collection nets nearly $9M, minus its star

The four-cent black on blue, issued at the same time as the famed one-cent magenta, sold for more than $400,000.

While the British Guiana one-cent magenta sold recently for $10 million stole the spotlight, many collectors were just as interested in the balance of John du Pont’s British Guiana collection, which went on the block just a few days later in a sale conducted by David Feldman. The sale realized more than €6 million ($8.75 million) with every single lot selling for more than the pre-sale estimate. Continue reading →

Collectors and collections evolve with the postal system

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Canadian Stamp Dealers’ Association convention, held in Toronto. For me, one of the best parts of getting to a stamp event is that it gives me the chance to spend time talking to stamp collectors. A publication such as Canadian Stamp News is unique in that the readers are defined by interest, not by geography, so being able to chat with my readers is always a rare pleasure. Sometimes shows or sales seem to have themes, something has recently happened or is about to happen, or there is a hot item on the bourse floor. In this case, the message seemed to be about the fun of collecting. Continue reading →

Crafty stamp designs 
signal impending holiday

“It is always a challenge to come up with fresh ideas for Christmas, because there is a certain set of images that say ‘Christmas’ to Canadians – and that’s it,” he said. “But the interesting work happens when we take those traditional images and depict them in a way that is fresh and new – using different media or a different approach.” Designer Helene L’Hereux based her works on actual pieces of embroidery. Continue reading →

Stamps’ subject matter can hook new collectors

It took me a bit of searching to discover that Helvetia was really Switzerland. I also learned that some countries’ stamps were harder to find than others. While I ended up with dozens and dozens of Spanish definitives featuring Francisco Franco’s smiling face, my Portugal page had just two or three lonely stamps. Continue reading →

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