Posts Tagged ‘stamp collectors’

Carl Einar Pelander was noted for his expertise on Scandinavian stamps and received a Fieandt Memorial medal in 1960 from the Finnish Philatelic Society for doing an original research on the stamps of Finland and for promoting Finnish philately.

Philip Ward Jr. was a world famous stamp dealer, known for buying and selling collectors stamps, including the rarest stamps which are classic issues of the world. He had an exceptional collection of match and medicine stamps and his widely known collection was the U.S. Revenues, which had the only complete set of inverted centers. He was the first person to recognize the importance of first day covers and then created the many of the rarest and earliest.

William Woodbury Hicks was a renowned specialist and founder of the Three cent 1851-1857 Unit of the American Philatelic Society. He built the largest and most complete collection of U.S railroad cancels from the 1830s to 1861.

Harry Weiss was an editor of the Weekly Philatelic Gossip in the 1930s and the most prominent philatelic columnist of his time. His column comprised stories on hobbies, new stamps, and hot tips. He organized the Midwest Philatelic Laboratory in 1946, which had technical equipments and offered a wide range of services for stamp collectors. Services include, stamp appraisals, expertization, mounting and even suggested ways for the successful outlook of collections.

George Ward Linn is a known stamp collector, journalist, dealer who own the George W. Linn Company and famous for his “Linn’s Weekly Stamp News”. Some of his stamp specimens have been among the rarest and most valuable among the philatelists. He traveled the world in search for old, rare and obsolete issues of stamps, even the ones with much historic interest.

Louise Boyd Dale is considered to be the most distinguished stamp collector in America. She was the first woman to be appointed as judge for an international philatelic exhibition. She became the first American woman to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelist and was also appointed to the jury of the London International Stamp exhibition.

Ad Indusophon, a known lady philatelist from Siam; was the wife of the late Prakaipet Indhusophon, a popular international philatelist of the 1970s to 1980s. Her greatest achievements in the field of philately include; the building of a foundation in Thailand to promote philately among youth; her “Cape of Good Hope Triangulars” stamps collection, won the International Grand Prix at Toronto in 1996; when her work was recognized and was invited to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in Hereford last July 2001.

Anatoly Karpov was a former world chess champion, who is known for his stamp collection on chess and Olympic Games dated from the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896 to the Olympic Games in Amsterdam of 1928.

Cyril Harmer was the chairman and managing director of the “Hamers Auction House” from 1967 to 1976. He assembled what was without a doubt the finest collection of the Airmails of Newfoundland, “the Newfoundland overprinted stamps”. This collection was sold last February 26, 2002 for a total of £803,000.00.

Dr. Arthur Woo was known for his unique postage stamp collections of Classic Birds. Some of which are, the Western Australia Swan, the Guatemala Quetzel, the Colombia Andean Condor, and the USA 1869 Eagle.

Hiroyuki Kanai was postage stamp collector known for possessing 6 of the Greatest Mauritius stamp collection out of the 27 and it is the greatest number ever to be owned by one person in the world. The highly valuable Mauritius collection was printed in September 1847, under the instructions of the Governor of Mauritius’ wife, Lady Gomm, who wanted stamps for the invitations to her fancy dress ball. He received numerous awards in the field of philately but he is most proud of the award received in the National Grand Prix for his Finland Collection in Helsinki 1988.

Pichai Buranasombati was a top Great Britain postage stamp collector who formed great stamp collections such as “Straits Settlements” which won the National Grand Prix in Singapore 1995, “Burma” winner of the National Grand Prix in Indepex 1997, “Classic Siam”, which won a large gold medal at Bangkok 1993, and “Siam: middle period”, which won a large gold in Singapore 1995.

More often people really do enjoy collecting stamps not for profit but for pleasure. Experienced stamp collectors usually advise beginners to start collecting stamps on a general or worldwide theme. This is not a bad idea; however, it will give beginners the notion that this hobby is tiresome and demands a lot of effort for the reason that, thousands of new stamps are produced. With the worldwide theme on hand, it may seem endless. So instead of enjoying the hobby it may lead to frustration.

Conversely, topical stamp collecting or thematic philately is much easier and more interesting as compared to general stamp collecting. It may be general in some ways because, topics can be chosen from wide varieties, it can range from Birds on stamps, flowers on stamps to scientist on stamps or any topic you wish to collect.

When collecting topical postage stamps or thematic stamps, there are no rules to follow, you can simply just set your own rules and change them as you wish; for instance, defining the scope of you collection or making literary pieces to describe your collection.

Thematic stamps certainly won’t bring you a fortune because topical stamps are most often referred to as stamps for fun and relaxation; not for acquiring riches.

To start topical stamp collecting, all you need is a topic, a checklist of stamps which are related to the topic and a stamp album.

Select a Topic. In forming a topical stamp collection, topic selection is a very vital aspect. Your topic must be something that interests you or things that fascinates you. Once the decision is done, you must take into consideration how limited or how broad you topic will be. The easy way is to opt for a sub-topic from a topic with larger scope. For example; if you chose flowers, a more specific topic can be orchids. Then you can focus on collecting different kinds of orchids.

Prepare a checklist. In order to prepare a checklist, you can scan through stamp catalogs from your local library, like the “Scott’s Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue” or the “Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue”.

Acquire Stamps. Study your checklist and classify the topical postage stamps into sub categories like; theme on stamps that feature your topic as the principal design; stamps which have the same borders or shading; stamps that feature your topic as a symbol or stamps that can be considered as supplementary for your collection.

Once done, you can start off buy purchasing stamps in packets from dealers, obtaining stamps from friends or relatives, or search on the internet. Sort your stamps according to the sub categories mentioned earlier, then you can search for additional stamps later on.

Procure a Stamp Album. For a well-organized collection you need a stamp album and better yet get a stamp tong too.

Arrange and Mount. Devise your stamps in an orderly manner, this way it will be easier to find any stamp in your collection. When arranging your stamps remember the keys for an attractive display; Symmetry, Balance and Clearness. It is rather difficult to arrange stamps that vary in sizes, so you can simply experiment as you intend to mount. When you find an arrangement that is pleasing to the eye, make a sketch of the outline then use it as a guide when finally mounting your stamps.

Consider spacing. It is imperative that you maintain uniform spacing between stamps as it can add beauty to the finished appearance. You can use “Quadrille sheets” to aid page arrangement.

Make write ups or descriptions. Write descriptions that will simply tell about your collection, but remember not to over do it; let the stamps tell its story.

As you continue with your topical collection, you will soon realize that the art on stamps are colorful, interesting and educational. Later on, as you scavenge for your desired stamps, you might encounter rare topical stamps; this will make you more interested in the hobby.

Stamp collecting is easier and more fun when you have the right tools to help you organize, identify, and handle your stamps.

Philatelists (stamp collectors) have special tools that help them collect with skill and enjoyment. The great thing is that there are only a few basic items you will need and they are inexpensive. As a beginner, you really only need an album, hinges or mounts, a pair of tongs, a magnifying glass, a perforation gauge and a watermark detector. Stamp catalogues are very useful, but you don’t have to have one. You can borrow catalogs from other collectors or you can usually find them in your local library. Let’s review these tools in greater detail.

Stamp Albums: It is a good idea to store your stamps in albums to help protect them. You can buy stamp albums from local stamp dealers, make your own, or even use a photo album with acid-free paper. (Do not use a photo album with pages that are sticky as these pages will damage your stamps). Some stamp albums that you purchase feature specific categories with pictures of the stamps that should appear on each page. A stock book is another type of album with plastic or paper pockets on each page. Stock books do not picture the stamps, so you can organize them however you wish.

Hinges/Mounts: Put stamps in your albums with a hinge or a mount. Don’t use tape or glue as you will decrease the stamp’s value and possibly damage the stamps when you try to remove them from your album. Hinges are small, thin, folded pieces of translucent paper or plastic with special gum on the one side. Mounts are clear plastic sleeves that are open on both sides. Both hinges and mounts are available from local stamp dealers.

Tongs: Keep your stamps in good condition by handling them as little as possible. We suggst that you use tongs to handle dry stamps because no matter how well you wash your hands, oil from your skin will damage your stamps. Tongs look like tweezers, but have a smooth gripping surface designed to handle stamps.

Magnifying Glass: Some stamps appear to be alike, but with close inspection you will see small differences that can help to identify a rare stamp. Considering the size of a stamp, a magnifying glass is a great tool to help see the details of our stamps and to find differences. When selecting a magnifying glass, choose one that magnifies clearly, without distortion. We recommend a magnifying lens with at letast 5 times to 10 times magnification. It’s also a good idea to select one that folds into a case to help prevent scratches on the lens.

Perforation Gauge: Here’s another tool to help us find differences in stamps. Some stamps have the same design but different numbers of perforations (holes between stamps that make it easy to separate them). Of course you could count the perforations yourself by counting how many appear along a row 20 millimeters long on each edge of the stamp — sounds confusing, don’t you think? That’s why perforation gauges are a good idea. They are usually made of cardboard, plastic, or metal and make the measurement of perforations simple. The gauge has different scales showing the various sizes of perforations so that you can simply place your stamp against each scale until its perforations match exactly those on the gauge.

Watermark Detector: Watermarks are another way to recognize differences in similar stamps. A watermark is a design (maybe a letter, a number, or a picture) that is pressed into the paper that a stamp is printed on during manufacturing. Watermarks are used to make it harder to counterfeit stamps. Sometimes watermarks are visible, or can easily be seen by looking at the back of a stamp as you hold it up to the light, or by placing the stamp face down on a black background. If these methods don’t work, a watermark detector can be used. A watermark detector is a shallow, glass black cup or dish. Simply place your stamp face down in the detector, and pour watermark fluid over it; if there is a watermark, it should become visible. Plain water is the most common and safest watermark fluid, but you can’t use it with all stamps. You don’t want to use water to test stamps that have gum intact or on stamps that have ink that can be damaged by water. For these special stamps you will want to use stamp chemicals known as “dry fluids,” as they evaporate quickly and won’t harm the stamps. These chemicals are flammable and can produce harmful fumes — so use them only with the help of an adult.

Stamp Catalog: A variety of stamp catalogs are available. They are very helpful, and can easily be borrowed from the library. A stamp catalog is a great reference book filled with illustrations that can help us identify and learn about our stamps. They provide us with such information as, the date when the stamp was issued, a description of the stamp, why it was issued, how it was printed, and gives the value of the stamps in used and unused-condition.

While hobbyists organize their personal stamp collection, most often they enjoy the philatelic pursuits of other collectors. There are stamp collectors clubs all over the world and with that, a number of Famous stamp collectors are recognized.

Some of these Famous stamp collectors and enthusiasts are:

Ad Indusophon, a known lady philatelist from Siam; was the wife of the late Prakaipet Indhusophon, a popular international philatelist of the 1970s to 1980s. Her greatest achievements in the field of philately include; the building of a foundation in Thailand to promote philately among youth; her “Cape of Good Hope Triangulars” stamps collection, won the International Grand Prix at Toronto in 1996; when her work was recognized and was invited to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in Hereford in July 2001.

Anatoly Karpov was a former world chess champion, who is known for his stamp collection on chess and Olympic Games dated from the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896 to the Olympic Games in Amsterdam of 1928.

Cyril Harmer was the chairman and managing director of the “Hamers Auction House” from 1967 to 1976. He assembled what was without a doubt the finest collection of the Airmails of Newfoundland, “the Newfoundland overprinted stamps”. This collection was sold on February 26, 2002 for a total of £803,000.00.

Dr. Arthur Woo was known for his unique postage stamp collections of Classic Birds. Some of which are, the Western Australia Swan, the Guatemala Quetzel, the Colombia Andean Condor, and the USA 1869 Eagle.

Hiroyuki Kanai was postage stamp collector known for possessing 6 of the Greatest Mauritius stamp collection out of the 27 and it is the greatest number ever to be owned by one person in the world. The highly valuable Mauritius collection was printed in September 1847, under the instructions of the Governor of Mauritius’ wife, Lady Gomm, who wanted stamps for the invitations to her fancy dress ball. He received numerous awards in the field of philately but he is most proud of the award received in the National Grand Prix for his Finland Collection in Helsinki 1988.

Pichai Buranasombati was a top Great Britain postage stamp collector who formed great stamp collectons such as “Straits Settlements” which won the National Grand Prix in Singapore 1995, “Burma” winner of the National Grand Prix in Indepex 1997, “Classic Siam”, which won a large gold medal at Bangkok 1993, and “Siam: middle period”, which won a large gold in Singapore 1995.

Carl Einar Pelander was noted for his expertise on Scandinavian stamps and received a Fieandt Memorial medal in 1960 from the Finnish Philatelic Society for doing an original research on the stamps of Finland and for promoting Finnish philately.

Philip Ward Jr. was a world famous stamp dealer, known for buying and selling collectors stamps, including the rarest stamps which are classic issues of the world. He had an exceptional collection of match and medicine stamps and his widely known collection was the U.S. Revenues, which had the only complete set of inverted centers. He was the first person to recognize the importance of first day covers and then created the many of the rarest and earliest.

William Woodbury Hicks was a renowned specialist and founder of the Three cent 1851-1857 Unit of the American Philatelic Society. He built the largest and most complete collection of U.S railroad cancels from the 1830s to 1861.

Harry Weiss was an editor of the Weekly Philatelic Gossip in the 1930s and the most prominent philatelic columnist of his time. His column comprised stories on hobbies, new stamps, and hot tips. He organized the Midwest Philatelic Laboratory in 1946, which had technical equipments and offered a wide range of services for stamp collectors. Services include, stamp appraisals, expertization, mounting and even suggested ways for the successful outlook of collections.

George Ward Linn is a known stamp collector, journalist, dealer who own the George W. Linn Company and famous for his “Linn’s Weekly Stamp News”. Some of his stamp specimens have been among the rarest and most valuable among the philatelists. He traveled the world in search for old, rare and obsolete issues of stamps, even the ones with much historic interest.

Louise Boyd Dale is considered to be the most distinguished stamp collector in America. She was the first woman to be appointed as judge for an international philatelic exhibition. She became the first American woman to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelist and was also appointed to the jury of the London International Stamp exhibition.

With the birth of stamps came the birth of stamp collectors or philatelists as they have become known. Shortly after adhesive postage stamps were introduced by Great Britain in 1840, people began collecting them. In 1841, a women even placed an advertisement in the London Times in which she requested help in collecting stamps so that she could paper a bedroom wall.

The two terms philately and philatelist, which refer to the collection and study of postage stamps, were derived from the Greek word phileo, meaning “I love” and ateleia, meaning “free of charges”, in the sense that postage stamps replaced a cash postal charge. As people began to collect these interesting pieces of paper, no one realized how valuable stamps could become.