The British Guiana 1-cent magenta stamp of 1856 is one of the most famous and valuable stamps in philatelic history due to its extreme rarity and legendary status. It is believed that only one example of this stamp exists, making it highly sought after by collectors. The stamp was printed as an emergency provisional supply […]
Issued under local authority of occupying Nazi German forces as fundraising (like semi-postals) stamps for the benefit of Danish Legion forces (Danish volunteers fighting, mostly on the Eastern Front, on the side of the Germans). Such stamps are listed by the Michel Catalog. Great caution must be exercized when purchasing such stamps as some excellent […]
The First Croatian Storm Division was established on October 9, 1944, as an elite unit aimed at halting the advance of the Red Army into the country. It was formed in collaboration with the German armed forces. In support of this division, stamps were issued on January 9, 1945. The stamp release had a very […]
Hungary before and after Trianon The post-World War I period in Hungarian philatelic history, particularly between 1918 and 1920, is characterized by complex events and shifting geographic borders, culminating in the signing of the Treaty of Trianon in 1920. This era is reflected in the philatelic issues of Hungary, which feature overprinting of stamps to […]
Perforations, which are small rows of holes punched between stamps, are essential for easy separation. The number of holes or teeth within two centimeters is measured using a perforation gauge. For instance, if a stamp has 11 perforations in 2 cm, it’s referred to as “Perf 11.” Here are some steps on how to measure […]
Perfins, or perforated initials punched into stamps, form distinctive patterns of letters, numbers, or designs, serving as a security measure to prevent theft and unauthorized use of postage stamps. While the belief that stamps should be in perfect condition is common, perfins represent a unique area of stamp collecting that embraces imperfections. Perfins were first […]
Soaking Now that you have gathered some stamps from envelopes that came through the mail how are you going to get the stamps off the envelopes? First you should decide if you really want to remove the stamp. Perhaps there is a special cancel or image on the envelope that appeals to you — in […]
The history of philatelic fakes and forgeries dates back to the origin of postage stamps themselves. These deceptive labels are produced to appear as genuine postage stamps with the intent to deceive or defraud collectors and postal administrations. While the terms “forgery” and “fake” are often used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings in the world […]
To carry out stamp grading accurately, a degree of specialist philatelic knowledge is required. But even if you enjoy collecting stamps as a hobby rather than as an investment, you can still learn about the many different factors that must be considered when trying to determine a stamp’s value. The best philatelic experts use a […]
We’re all aware that bees are not only cute, but also extremely important for the life on the Earth. Today we’ll go through 8 interesting bee facts and also see some really interesting bee-related stamps. WHY ARE BEES IMPORTANT? “Almost 90% of wild plants and 75% of leading global crops depend on animal pollination. One […]
You may be thinking that stamp collecting is a pointless, unexciting – even dull – hobby but you’d be wrong. Quietly, as befits such a sedentary pursuit, philately has emerged as one of the hottest and most fashionable pastimes in the world. Postage stamps are the third largest category traded on eBay and it is […]
Many of us are partial to building up collections of a variety of items. One of the most commonly collected items is stamps. This may be because you have inherited a stamp collection from a relative or because you are a stamp collector yourself. Here we look at whether stamp collections can be valuable, the […]