50th Anniversary of First Human Space Flight
Readers are requested to send reports of philatelic activities in their area for publication. Short write ups by the readers about their journals, societies, publications and philatelic requirements can be sent for inclusion in this bulletin to j.jyoti9@gmail.com or rainbowstamp2008@gmail.com and by post to –
Ms. Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Director,
Dear Reader,
After Indipex 2011, philatelists are looking forward to participating in new philatelic exhibitions. There is a proposal of holding a National Philatelic Exhibition by India Post in 2012. It will be another golden opportunity for all Indian philatelists to participate and attend a big philatelic show, especially for those who missed INDIPEX 2011 for certain reasons.I have received complaints from the readers that they do not get detailed information about International stamp exhibitions. National commissioners are appointed for International and Asian International Philatelic Exhibitions to co-ordinate between exhibitors and the organizers. It is the duty of all national commissioners to send a press release note about these exhibitions to all philatelic magazines so that the information could be circulated timely among philatelists and they could apply for the exhibitions. It is a matter of great disappointment that no information is sent by the commissioners prior to the exhibition and they also do not send detailed report after the exhibition. Many interested philatelists fail to participate as they do not get information about the exhibitions timely and only the lucky ones get entry to these exhibitions through their personal contacts with these commissioners. The appointing body of these commissioners must give clear instructions to the National commissioners for circulating a Press release note about the update of the show timely as late news is of no use for those who intend to participate in the show. I regularly receive inquiries from the readers about exhibitions, but sometimes, find difficult to provide full information due to its unavailability. Therefore it is requested to all commissioners to provide full information about the exhibition with their contact details to all editors of philatelic magazines. This is all for this month……Enjoy this issue with news and articles from the world of stamps.....
Till Next Month…Happy Collecting !!
…. Jeevan Jyoti
Contents
Recent Indian Issues
In The News
Interview
Beginners’ Section
Specialized Section
Something of interest, also for non-philatelists
New Issues from Other Countries
Reader’s Right
Philatelic Library
Philatelic Clubs and Societies
Blogs & Websites on Philately
The Lighter Side
Promotional Section
Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters
Editor’s Mail Box
Recent Indian Issues
1 February : Chaudhary Ranbir Singh – Rs 5
2 February : Mary Ward-Loretto Institutions
4 February : Corps of Signals – Rs 5
7 February : Venkata Subbiah - Rs 5
8 February : Census of India - Rs 5
11 February : V.Venkatasaubba Reddiar
12 February Khadi MS – Rs 100
12 February 100 Years of aerial Post – 4 Stamps Rs 5 each + MS
13 February Legendary Heroines of India – 6 Stamps of Rs 5 each + MS
1 March La Martinere Schools – Rs 5
23 March : Subhadra Joshi – Rs 5
20 April : Chitralekha – Rs 5
30 April : Umrao Kanwar Maharaj Saa “Archana” – Rs 5
7 May : Rabindranath Tagore - 2 Stamps
2011 revised Stamp Issue programme of India Post is available at following link.
http://www.indiapost.gov.in/philatelycalendar2011.htm
Special Cover – Postmark
1 February 2011 25th Surajkund Craft Fair - Faridabad
5 March 2011 Spring Festival, Dehradun
16 March 2011 Jagannath sadak Yatra 9 (Carried by Bullock cart from Kolkatta to Puri)
23 March 2011 Bharat Itihas Samshodhal Mandal , Pune Celebrating Centenary Year
1 April 2011 Silver Jubilee year of CIFA, Bhubaneshwar
In The News
China 2011 - 27th Asian International Philatelic Exhibition
The 27th Asian International Stamp Exhibition China 2011 , co-sponsored by State Post Bureau, Jiangsu Government, China Post and All-China Philatelic Federation, will be held in Wuxi Taihu International Exposition Center from November 11 to November 15, 2011. This exhibition will be a large international stamp culture exchange activity. held in China after the 2009 World Stamp Exhibition.
Exhibition Date: November 11 – 15, 2011, will run for five days.
National Commissioner : Dr RS Gandhi, Patna
Email : gandhipatna@yahoo.com
Exhibition aims: to promote the development of our culture; promote the cause of China's postal and philatelic career development; promote the holding of the economic, cultural, all-round coordinated development; to promote philately in Asia and Oceania-round development; to promote international cultural exchange of people.
Venue : Taihu International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Organizers: the State Post Bureau, Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, the China Post Group Corporation, China National Philatelic Federation.
Sponsor: Wuxi Municipal People's Government.
Website : China 2011
PHILANIPPON 2011: World Stamp Exhibition
Date : July 28 – August 2, 2011
National Commissioner : Anil Suri
Email : anilksuri@email.com
Venue : Pacifico Yokohama, Exhibition Hall.1-1-1.1 Minatomirai Nishi-ku,
Yokohama 220-0012, Japan
Patronage : Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP)
Auspices : Federation of Inter-Asian Philately (FIAP) http://www.philanippon.jp/english/
USPS makes mistake in new Liberty stamp…
The U.S. Post Office made a small mistake in its new Liberty stamp.
The replica statue in Las Vegas (left) and the real Statue of Liberty in New York (right). The lighter rectangular patch in the center crown spike on the replica appears on the stamp. The actual statue does not have this feature. Photos by Jay Bigalke / Linn's Stamp News.
"Early Show" co-anchor Jeff Glor reported the Post Office did not use Lady Liberty in New York Harbor to make the stamp to celebrate its 125th anniversary. Instead, they mistakenly used the image of the similar statue in Las Vegas.
There are differences in the statues' hair and eyes. He added the statue in Las Vegas is also half the size of the real Statue of Liberty. Post Office spokesman Roy Betts told the New York Times, "We still love the stamp design and would have selected this photograph anyway."
But Betts added the post office regrets the mistake and is "re-examining our processes to prevent this situation from happening in the future." According to the New York Times, the stamp is not being changed - only informational material about it.
Marilyn Monroe's letter auctioned for $ 52,460
A letter penned by a 16-year-old newlywed Marilyn Monroe has sold at auction for $52,460.The letter, dated September 14, 1942, was sent by the movie star to her foster mother, Grace Goddard.Signed 'Norma', and written in pencil, it is eight pages long.
Image Source: AFP / Getty Images
Los Angeles-based auction house Bonhams & Butterfields had placed a pre-sale estimate of $25,000 to $30,000 on the artefact. The envelope has a postage stamp showing it was sent from Van Nuys, California on September 14, 1942.
Postage Stamps to go online in 2012
PTI New Delhi April 20, 2011
Department of Post is planning to introduce online version of postage stamps, which will enable India Post customers to use print out of the stamp for sending mails. "Our effort is to make access of postal service easy and simple for users. We are working on project that will enable them to print copy of bar-code based receipt and use it in place of postal stamps for sending mails," Department of Post (DoP) Secretary Radhika Doraiswamy told PTI. The project is a part of e-commerce initiatives by India Post, she added. "Our minister (Union Minister for Communications and IT Kapil Sibal) has already inaugurated e-post office and has asked e-market place to be developed. We are in process of developing application for various platforms on internet," she added.
Under the e-market place project, DoP will facilitate selling of small scale and cottage industry products through its website.The product catalogue will be published on internet and will give customers an option to select and make payments for the purchased product online.Once the order is placed, post-office, located nearest to the product seller's location, will arrange for the pick-up and delivery of the product to the customer."We will accept orders from both domestic and international customers," Doraiswamy said.
Doraiswamy mentioned that DoP is contemplating introduction of home pick-up services for mails and parcels for some set of services such as registered post, insured post, speed post and WorldNet. "Customer would have to pay online and register for the service. A postman will then go and pick the parcel or mail from the customer. The plan, however, is currently in a discussion phase," she said. She added, "We have to ensure that post office gets the payment for delivering services and customers get services conveniently. Everything is being worked out through RFPs (request for proposals), but most of our services will come on internet in 2012," Doraiswamy said.
New Special Covers from Orissa
16 March 2011
This is the special carried Cover issued on the occasion of Sri Jagannath Sadak Sagad Yatra which was undertaken from 6th – 20th March from Kolkatta to Puri. Only 500 covers have been issued and each cover is numbered and signed by Mr Dhir and Mr.Kasinath Sahoo. For availability of this cover. Mr Anil Dhir may be contacted at jagannathsadak@hotmail.com
A special cover was released by Dr Sahadev Sahoo, eminent philatelist of Orissa, on the occasion of Silver Jubilee year of CIFA, in presence of former Directors of CIFA Dr S. D. Tripathy, Dr S.P.Ayyar, Dr. K.Janaki Ram, Dr. Niranjana Sarangi, and present Director Dr A.P.Sharma, CIFRI, Kolkata. Dr. T. Adhya, Director, CRRI and Dr. A. E. Eknath, Director, CIFA. CIFA Scientists were present on the august occasion.
Philatelists of Eastern India Philatelists Association Mr Shanti Swarup Rath, Mr Debasish Mitra, Mr A.K.Rout, Mr B. Biswal, Mr Shakeel Ahmed and Mr Saroj Kar were present on the occasion. The special cover and cachet was designed by Dr. Bibhudatta Mishra of CIFA who is also a fish stamp collectors. Dr Bibhudatta may be contacted for covers at following address :
- Dr Bibhudatta Mishra
Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture
Kausalyaganga, BHUBANESWAR, ORISSA-751 002
Ph.09437282638 (M); 0674-2465421(o)
E-mail: bhanubibhu@gmail.com; bhanubibhu@rediffmail.com
Blog : http://fishstamplover.blogspot.com/
INDIPEX –2011 Mark lists
Indian exhibitors of INDIPEX 2011 who wish to get detailed mark sheet of their exhibit may write to Mr Rajesh Kumar Bagri, Commissioner General (Hony.) Indipex 2011 at email : rkbagri.indipex2011@gmail.com
Information from RTI regarding Khadi MS and MY STAMP
Here are some questions asked by our reader Mr Hemant Kumar Jain from India Post under RTI act regarding Khadi MS and My Stamp. Many readers would be interested to know the answers.
1. No. of Khadi Miniature sheet printed – 105,000
2. Total No. of Presentation Pack – 105,000
3. On Presentation Pack Printed No. is .01 Million. Is it correct ??
Ans : This Number is incorrect and wrongly printed. No Clarification issued by Department.
4. How many copies of Khadi Presentation Packs were sold during INDIPEX ? What decision has been taken by Deptt. for the rest of the Khadi Presentation Packs ??
Ans : Copies sold during INDIPEX : 22,222. Now rest of the copies are being sold through e post office : www.epostoffice.gov.in
5. Whether Khadi Ms will be distributed to account holders of Philatelic Bureaeus ?
Ans : No. It was decided that these MS will be sold at INDIPEX Venue only .
6. Besides New Delhi Philatelic Bureau, Whether Khadi MS will be available at other philatelic Bureaus of the country too ??
Ans : Decision not taken by the Department so far.
7. Whether FDC of this MS with special cancellation will be available for collectors ?
Ans : No
8. Those who could not avail MY Stamp Facility during INDIPEX, Can get this facility again…???
Ans : No. As this facility was only available at INDIPEX venue. Decision has not been taken to resume this facility by the Deptt.
9. The postage for Khadi MS by Post was Rs 25 but those who ordered for 10 sheets were charged 2750 where as the Speed Post postage spent by the Deptt was just Rs 50. Why extra amount of Rs 200 was taken by the Deptt from collectors ?
Ans : Rest of the extra amount will be returned to collectors. Anyone could claim for the reimbursement by sending application to the Deptt .
Chitralekha publishes interviews of philatelists..
Chitralekha, famous Gujarati magazine on which India Post has issued a postage stamp on 20 April, has published in its recent issue, a special article on philately in continuation to the release of Stamp on Shri Vaju Kotak & Chitralekha. Articles tells about the hobby of philately and they have also published interviews of noted Indian philatelists Shri Ashok Bayanwala, Shri Vijay Navlakha (Ahmedabad), Shri Dhirubhai Mehta (Mumbai) and Mr Prashant Pandya of Vadodara.
Small part of article translated in English is given below for the Readers….
History of Stamps
Chitralekha has done it once again and this feat in question has been unparalleled in the field of Gujarati journalism. Ministry of Communications through its Posts & Telegraph released a commemorative stamp on late shri Vaju Kotak, founder of Chitralekha, to engrave in history the 60-year glorious journey of the publication. The ever-alert editorial of the magazine seizes this moment to apprise the readers of the philately and its past traditions. Ketan Trivedy & Samir Paleja give us a glimpse into the colourful history of the past and present traditions of philately.
The hobby of stamp collection has always been a rage in every generation. The cover story begins with a unique case that aptly illustrates the craze for collection. A gentleman named Arthur Hind purchased a postal stamp titled British Guyana, worth one cent, at Rs 1, 68,886 way back in 1922. One day he got a call from another collector claiming that he too had the identical stamp with him. Arthur checked the authenticity of the stamp and then bought the second stamp from the new collector. What he did thereafter was really incredible. He flipped out his lighter and ignited the newly bought stamp right in front of the seller. Reason? Arthur wanted to ensure that he was the sole owner of this exclusive stamp and therefore never wanted to let there be any other identical stamp. This is what you call height of his passion, his craze for stamp collection.
So welcome to the exclusive world of philately and philatelists where the latter that are spread across the world, collect the used/unused stamps and other related postal stationeries of various countries just for pure fun. Stamp collectors look out for quirky stamps and would not hesitate spending millions to grab stamps bearing the Queen’s picture with her head printed upside down. Admittedly, in this world of emails and smses, use of postal stamps has considerably gone down but it has not dampened the spirit of these stamp collectors. Even today there is a virtual scramble whenever a new stamp and first day cover are released.
The cover story reveals that the first ever postal stamp was released in Great Britain on 6 May 1840. Before the practice of postal stamps was introduced, the charges for delivery were taken from the addressee. Legend has it that a British mother refused to pay these charges for the letter received from her son. Her logic was that there was no reason for her to pay for receiving a blank letter from her son which was enough for her to know about his well being. Yes, that was the first ever ‘miss mail’ of the world.
And this incident prompted authorities to suggest and introduce reforms in postal services and this is how postal stamps came into being. In India first postal stamp was released on 1 October 1854 when the British were ruling the country. It was therefore no surprise that the stamp would bear the picture of the Queen. It is however learnt that a couple of years before the first stamp was brought out, the Governor of Sindh had authorized a stamp for local use though, which continued till 1854.
How then the words like philately and this craze for stamp collection came into use? It is believed that a British lady requisitioned for postal stamps through ads in paper so that she could embellish her dressing table with them. This apparently spurred people to collect stamps. And the word philately was given by a French man.
This and many such tidbits are strewn across the story which is amazing, full of details that were hitherto unknown and least written about. You need not be a philatelist to be able to enjoy the story. However chances are that you might turn into one after reading the story. Happy reading, happy collection.And yes, let us not forget in conclusion that for those associated with Gujarati journalism and the Gujarati community at large, this is a proud moment that one from among them appeared on the face of a postal stamp. A rare feat and a glorious moment for all of us indeed..!!
From Chitralekha website: http://www.chitralekha.com/chitraguj/engsummary.php
Special Cover on Tagore
A special Cover on Guru Rabindranath Tagore will be released at RABINDRA PARISHAD, RABINDRA BHAWAN PATNA on 9 May 2011. The cover has been designed by Mr Souvik Roy of Kolkatta . 2000 Covers will be issued and the covers will be available from Rabindra Parishad Patna. For more details, Mr Souvik Roy may be contacted at email : lorenzosouvik@gmail.com
Commemorative Stamp of IMMANUEL SEKARANAR
Date of release ….09th October 2010:
India post come now confirms the date of release of Immanuel Sekaranar stamp and it is 09th October 2010. Earlier the actual date of release of this stamp was controversial.
Recent events
Philatelic Exhibition on Tagore
In celebration of 150 birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India will be organising a month long Stamp exhibition commencing on May 9, 2011, exclusively on Rabindranath Tagore from the collection of Sekhar Chakrabarti, Moloy Sarkar and Souvik Roy at Rabindranath Tagore Centre, Kolkata.
View its Catalogue with details of World Stamps on Tagore
http://www.scribd.com/doc/54187415/Stamp
National Stamp Fair
The National Stamp Fair will be held from June 17 to 19, 2011 at centrally located venue - Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan, Bhai Vir Singh Marg, Gole Market, New Delhi.
Contact Ashish Talwar: email : talwar2002@hotmail.com 09810186108 for details.
Philatelic & Numismatic exhibition in Trichur
Shrine Bassilica of our Lady of Dolours and Trichur Philatelic Club is jointly organising a three day Philatelic cum Numismatic display on "Pope John Paul II and Christianity" from 29th April 2011 to 01st May 2011 on the occasion of Beatification of Pope John Paul II at Vatican which coincides with 25th Anniversary of John Paul II visit to Trichur, Kerala.
Venue: Bassilica Jubilee Hall, Trichur.
A Special cover on Pope John Paul II will also be released on this occasion
National Numismatic Exhibition
May 6-8: Bangalore, Timings: 10am to 7 pm
Organizers: Marudhar Arts
Venue: The Bell Hotel, Adjacent to City Railway Station & Opposite Majestic Bus Station
Contact: Rajender Maru, 0 80 6532 9800
Website: www.marudhararts.com/exhi.php
Stamps of India National Exhibition
Nov 3-6: New Delhi,
Venue: NSIC Exhibition Complex, Okhla Industrial Estate, Govindpuri Metro Station
Timings: 11am to 7 pm
Organizers: Stamps of India
Contact: sj@stampsofinida.com
Website: www.stampsofindia.com/sine.html
THRISSURPEX 2011 Philatelic & Numismatic Exhibition
Nov 18-20: Thrissur, Organizers: Philatelic Club Thrissur
Venue: Pandy Samooha Madom Hall
INTERVIEW
In this issue meet with noted philatelist from Belagaum-Karnataka, now settled in Mumbai, Mr Umesh Kakkeri, who has specialized in Portuguese India and won many National and International awards at several philatelic exhibitions for his book and exhibit on Portuguese India. Mr. Kakkeri is a devoted philatelist has a variety of interests, which includes, philately, travelling and writing on philatelic and non philatelic subjects His flair for writing enabled him to bring out two books on contrasting topics. The books entitled ‘Postal History of Portuguese India’ and ‘Shree Mangesh’ on one of Goa’s most famous temples, are popular among philatelists and non philatelists too. It’s an unusual combination of talents of Mr Kakkeri. ‘Shree Mangesh’ reveals the history & happening of the famous temple of Goa, its campus, its daily schedules and religious services etc.
His book ‘Postal History of Portuguese India’ is a complete book on Postal System of Portuguese India, which has won Five International silver medals in Literature Class at the World Stamp Championship – 2004 at Singapore, World Stamp Exhibition, ‘Espana’ – 2006 at Malaga – Spain, Asian International Stamp Exhibition – 2007 at Bangkok – Thailand, Asian International Stamp Exhibition – 2009 at Hong Kong and also at World Stamp Exhibition, ‘Portugal 2010’– 2010 at Lisbon – Portugal. His traditional exhibit on Portuguese India has won two Large Silver at nationals and Vermeil at INDIPEX 2011.
Postal History of Portuguese India by Umesh Kakkeri
It is a complete well researched book only of its kind on yesteryear’s Postal System of Portuguese India. This book has uncommon sixteen colourful photographs, which illustrates all the aspects of history. It also lists all obliterations including Pre-stamp period also the first day cancellations issued by the postal department in Portuguese possession in India then, and all the information about the Government orders including details of all the stamps viz. value, perforation, printed quantity, printer, designer etc. and also postal stationery including errors & varieties issued in that period (1871-1961). It is a reference Book not only must for Portuguese India stamp collectors and general collectors, but for all as well as personal libraries as reference book on that subject. It’s a book that tells each & everything about Portuguese India postal department.
Mr. Umesh Kakkeri may be contacted at email: umesh_kakkeri@hotmail.com
Interview with Mr. Umesh Kakkeri
1. You have participated in INDIPEX 2011 and also attended the exhibition. What was the best & worst part of the show?
Ans: I will definitely not call it as the best exhibition, however the best part of the show according to me was I could exchange views on my subject with renowned international juries like Peter McCann, Danforth Walker, Hasse Brockenhuus etc. and the worst part of exhibition show, I won’t mention because the list is endless.
2. You have specialized in PORTUGUESE INDIA . What is the reason to adopt this particular subject for your collection ?? What are your other philatelic interests?
Ans: I did my civil engineering from Goa Engineering college, plus our family deity is in
I do not have any other philatelic interests, I collect only & only my subject. I personally feel that any collector should not go on collecting each & everything that comes in his way and waste his time & money on all, and make everything hotchpotch. Instead collector should concentrate on pin pointed subject of his liking & be master of it
3. In exhibitions, Thematic Class has emerged as the dominant class. In your opinion what is the reason new collectors running after this class and leaving behind traditional philately.
Ans: I think it may be because of expensive cost of traditional & Postal history philatelic material.
4. Ten to Fifteen years back the Philately had a different picture in the exhibitions as there used to be more exhibits on traditional philately, country collections, error studies...But Today we find that new collectors have lost interest in these subjects.....but have switched over to Thematic Philately...Do you think that the original philately is at the verge of extinction??
Ans: Extinction….Not at all, I have seen many international exhibitions, in which the entries for traditional & postal history are also good enough. Thematic or topical philately can give good brain drain to a collector to build his chosen subject in many possible ways.
5. There is no single Strong National Philatelic Federation in our country. The one which was a stronger one in the past is now split and it is not working actively. Do you think there is a need of a strong and active National Philatelic Federation in our country to look upon the national philatelic activities? What would you suggest the philatelic community of
Ans: We have P.C.I. (Philatelic Congress of India) as our apex body or National Philatelic Federation in our country. According to me there is not at all spit in P.C.I., Unfortunately the present office bearers are not showing any transparencies in their decisions or activities, and some people demand transparency including me, do you think anything wrong in it. Either you function with taking everybody in confidence, show transparency or you quit.
I suggest that if this fascism persists then each and every Indian philatelist should first become member of P.C.I. & use his brain and choose the office bearers of his choice, whom they think is transparent. Just like, it happens in any democracy.
6. You have visited International exhibitions held in
Ans: Discipline, punctuality, helping attitude, hardworking….we lack in these aspects.
7. What is your opinion about newly introduced One Frame Class in the exhibitions. In this class only marks are awarded and medals are not given. Do you think this class should be given more importance in order to promote philately? As it is easy to prepare one frame exhibit.
Ans: One frame class is not yet cleared to many philatelists. Actually, it is any philatelic stream or subject which does not have more material than one frame. It is not that easy as you think. To choose one frame subject you have to be very informative. I think once the concept is clear among philatelists, they may start giving medals & awards.
8. What is your opinion about the quality, denomination and selling price of newly Introduced Khadi Stamp by India Post?
Ans: I don’t know, I just purchased it because someone told me to buy it, actually there is none for myself as I don't collect any other thing than my subject ‘Portuguese India’ and It is not coming in my subject. But according to me it is… Duniya jhukti hai jhukane wala chahiye….
9. Tell about your most memorable experience in a philatelic event?
Ans: My most memorable experience in any philatelic event was when I personally presented my book ‘Postal history of Portuguese India’ to The President of Portugal, Mr. Anibal Cavaco Silva, during inauguration ceremony at Portugal- 2010 in Lisbon. He and his wife both were very happy & talked with me about Goa for 5-6 minutes during their busy schedule. This was my first aqentance with any President of country.
With President of Portugal at PORTUGAL- 2010, Lisbon
Q 10: You have written two books, one on Philately and the other on a non - philatelic subject i.e on your family deity 'SHREE MANGESH’. It's a great achievement. Being an engineer by profession and an ardent philatelist, what prompted you to writing and how you spared time to write these books.....??? Just share ,,,
Ans: People have misconception about everything, for example...A lady is mother of someone, same lady is wife of someone, she can be sister of someone, she is already a daughter of someone, she may be niece, aunt and even mother in law of some one. She has to perform all these relations with each individual differently by keeping her own personal identity intact,
Same way writing book is my pastime, philately is my hobby, Civil Engineer is my qualification, interior contracting is my business, travelling is my passion....I am the same. I do not mix these things at all. I write book when I feel about it, & I have all references or records available at my disposal. about sparing time, I write when I do not have any thoughts in my mind. I am mentally fresh.
11. Last but not the least ....Internet has become a good medium of information among philatelists. But do you think if this hobby is really developing??? Most of the exhibitions and stamp fairs have become centre of business instead of an event to promote this hobby?
Ans: There is excellent rapo between internet & philately, all information about the chosen subject, Auction houses, auction portals are available at your finger tips. Acquiring knowledge is unlimited.
As for your second question, look, if you call philately as business, there is risk involved but you look at philately as hobby, there is a pleasure involved. If any person wants to choose philately as business, ultimately he is going to serve collector only. In other way he helps in promoting the hobby. Like any other businesses philately also requires investment. When investment is made naturally dealer expects returns. It’s a chain process.
Beginners’ Section
What is Retail Value?
In the philatelic marketplace, many items are bought and sold commonly enough that a well-defined philatelic market exists. The average sale price of an item that trades often will remain fairly constant. Prices will fluctuate according to the laws of supply and demand.
The best gauge of the average sale price for a philatelic item that is not considered rare or unique is a philatelic catalog. There are philatelic catalogs that are primarily reference catalogs, such as the Scott Catalogue, and there are philatelic catalogs that are sales catalogs. You must read the introductory material of any catalog that you use to calculate the retail value of a philatelic item. In some cases, the prices are an average of what the marketplace retail price is. In some cases the prices are based on what the publishing company is willing to sell an item for. In all cases, the price given is what you could expect to pay, if you walked into a well-stocked stamp store, and wanted to buy one copy of a specific item.
Most of the time, collections are sold intact, or in smaller lots (such as by country). The larger the lot, the less expensive the price per stamp will be. While the minimum catalog value for a single stamp is twenty cents in the current Scott Catalogue, you can buy 1,000 different stamps for $5.00 (or roughly 2 for a penny), or 10,000 different stamps for $100.00 (or roughly a penny each). A mixture that does not guarantee individuality (no duplication) will sell for even less, per stamp. Stamps purchased on-paper, wherein you have to do most of the work of soaking, sorting, and separating, will often be sold in bulk by the pound. So the catalog price doesn't really tell you what someone has paid, or will pay, for the philatelic item that you are pricing.
What are Buy Prices?
A dealer's retail price has to cover what he or she paid to purchase the material, as well cost of handling the item. Philatelic dealers, for example, are in business for the purpose of making a profit. If there is no money to be earned in dealing in stamps, there is no good reason to be in business, and they could spend the time working on their own collections instead of selling stamps.
A dealer can purchase stamps wholesale from a philatelic wholesaler. In some cases, the stamps will be ready for sale, in stock sheets or display books, marked with catalog numbers and prices, and ready for the dealer to use. In other cases, the dealer has to do some preparation of the material in order to get it ready for sale.
With collections, very often there are several nice pieces or sections that can command a good sales price by themselves, if they are separated and catalogued and described. The rest is probably not very interesting material and can be broken up into sets, sold as one bargain lot, or perhaps simply scattered into a "3 cents per stamp mixture box". However, the act of taking a collection, picking through it for the items that make nice sales pieces, and then disposing of the rest, all takes time. When a dealer makes an offer for a collection, he/she has to factor in how much time it would take to get a price that is close to the catalog value of that set. Therefore, even if you know the exact catalog value of all the material in a collection that you plan to sell, do not be surprised or dismayed if you are offered only 25% - 30% of your calculated catalog value.
That's just the way it is. Dealers buy low, sell high, and the difference in prices pays for their time, their rent, and their supplies.
Specialized Section
THE STORY OF PIGEON POST
By Naresh Agarwal
Contd. from the last issue…
SOME INTERSTING STORIES / EPISODES OF PIGEON POST
IN RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY :
Carrier pigeons have their impressions on Indian religion, mythology, literature and culture. They also appeared on paintings and art work. They have been in use for carrying love messages into harems or secret military instructions to soldiers in the field.
Pigeons and Doves have important place in different religions. In Hindu,The Yama, god of the dead, has birds such as owls and doves or pigeons as messengers. In Islam the Three Holy Virgins are represented by stones, or pillars surrounded by Doves. In Japanese the Dove was sacred to Hackiman, the god of war, but it was a Dove with a sword that announced the end to war. In Chinese Doves are symbolic of good digestion, marital duty, and long life. In Pagans the dove has been widely understood as a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity, because of the affectionate mating habits of the species popularly known as turtled doves..
IN INDIAN CINEMA
One can find many stories of love, betrayal or wartime when pigeon played important roles as messengers. Indian cinema has explored and projected the utility of carrier pigeons in various films acting as link between the lovers by carrying and exchanging their mails. Pigeon used in Indian blockbuster movie "Maine Pyar Kiya" (I fell in love) and its heroics in conveying love messages between lovers. In films like Jodha Akbar, Mugal –e-aazam, Delhi-6, Anarkali etc.. the use of pigeon is predominant. Thus indian cinema have certainly immortalized pigeons through movies since the birth of cinema in India.:
PIGEON POST IN ART AND CULTURE :
Pigeon post has a great role in not only Indian but Western and European art and culture. It is reflected and projected in various art forms. Various painters have given pigeon a big place in their paintings
Nineteenth century oil paintings of young oriental ladies with a carrier pigeon and its mail
In Chinese martial art (wushu) films and dramas, homing pigeons are often used for "Pigeon Mail". People often labor under the misapprehension that the pigeons know where to deliver the mail. The fact is that they can only go back to one "mentally marked" point that they have identified as their home. So "pigeon mail" can only work when the sender is actually holding the receiver's pigeons.
SOME EPISODS :
CARRIER PIGEONS USED TO SMUGGLE CELL PHONES IN TO PRISON :
Astonishing but true pigeon post is being used in illegal operations. The prisoners desperate for cell phones have devised a new method to smuggle them into prison using carrier pigeons. The natural instinct of carrier pigeons to fly between two points has been recognized by prisoners. Inmates at the Danilio Pinheiro prison near the southeastern city of Sorocaba in Brazil have apparently been enterprising in terms of avian activities. Two carrier pigeons, one each on successive days, were caught at the prison. Each was carrying a cell phone and a charger.
A pigeon carrying a makeshift backpack with a cellphone is shown in São Paulo, Brazil.
Prison guards say using pigeons to smuggle in cellphones has become commonplace
FASTER THAN E MAIL AND BROAD BAND
Carrier pigeons are being used to transfer data between offices because bosses believe it is quicker than broadband.
Computer experts at a South African firm said it took six hours to transfer four gigabytes of encrypted data from Durban to a call centre 50 miles away near Pietermaritzburg.
Staff at Unlimited Group, a financial services company, attached a memory card to the leg of a pigeon called Winston who took just over an hour for the trip.
Winston the racing pigeon: A company in Durban, South Africa is using the bird to transfer data on a memory card to a call centre 50 miles away - which is much faster than using broadband
PIGEONS IN EXCLUSIVE SERVICE
Even in modern times, pigeons have been postal couriers. In 1981, Lockheed engineers in California needed to send negatives on a regular basis to a test station. The birds covered the distance in half the time and less than one percent of the cost of a car. Other means of communication have replaced the cooing messengers, but here and there they can still be found doing the useful work that made them the email of the Middle Ages. And they work for… pigeon feed
PIGEON MESSAGES A UNIQUE IMPRESSIVE GIFT OR
.
Pigeongrams are a unique way to send invitations for your special event. To explore this ancient but new style, a pigeongram service was started in Texas USA by a 42 years old homing pigeon management, training and flight experience company which offered public a unique pigeon post service allowing them to add an unusual and exciting touch to a message to be sent to someone’s special by using a homing pigeon as a messenger. The messages were carried by a specially trained homing pigeon messenger through the sky and over the trees and fields of rural Texas, the Lone Star State.
The message was printed on a Pigeongram form and attached the same to a Pigeongram homing pigeon. The bird was conveyed to a release point, released and then flown across the Texas countryside back to it loft.
The actual message that was carried by the homing pigeon was attached to a letter of authenticity from Pigeongram and forwarded to the recipient via the postal service too.
The messages and the letter of authenticity were framed to create a gift..
This service was highly appreciated by bird and animal lovers, nature enthusiasts, collectors, advertising or someone who needed to hear something special from someone. Discounted pricing for multiple messages was also offered..
CHEAPER AND FASTER THAN CAR :
Even in modern times, pigeons have been postal couriers. In 1981, Lockheed Engineers in California needed to send negatives on a regular basis to a test station. The birds covered the distance in half the time and less than one percent of the cost of a car. Other means of communication have replaced the cooing messengers, but here and there they can still be found doing the useful work that made them the email of the Middle Ages.
PIGEONS AS LIFE SAVERS
Although the pigeon is one of the most intelligent of all the bird species, man has found limited uses for the birds other than for the purposes of sport, food and as a message carrier. A team of navy researchers, however, has found that pigeons can be trained to save human lives at sea with high success rates. Project Sea Hunt has trained a number of pigeons to identify red or yellow life jackets when floating in the water.
LIFE SAVING CREW
The pigeons were not only found to be more reliable than humans, but they were also many times quicker when it came to spotting survivors from a capsized or sinking boat. The pigeon can see color in the same way that humans do but they can also see ultra-violet, a part of the spectrum that humans cannot see, and this is one of the reasons they are so well adapted to lifesaving.
SERVING AND HELPING WHITE WATER RAFTERS
Pigeons are being utilized to carry digital chips / images in a Lycra bag on their backs, of intrepid white water rafters for the team at rocky mountain adventures as their flying service has proven to be much quicker than driving the snaps to the base in the rocky mountains of Collorado, US.
They fly the memory card from a photographer snapping rafters near the start of their adventure to a processing base at the end, where the daredevils can collect their finished photos.
PIGEON POST OFFICE
At the pigeon post office letter pigeons carry written reports. These type of post offices were common in ancient times. In the modern times, pigeon post offices made their way mainly for military and police purposes. Though some financiers required it but they had their own system. Civilians letters too started getting way to it.. It came at some places even to the expenditure of own pigeon post office stamps. After the Second World War the pigeon post office was displaced nearly completely by modern telecommunications means.
In the art, the motive of the pigeon post office became above all. Their spread mainly in 19th Century. Various stamps and related postal material by private post offices (So called agencies ) were issued which are very popular amongst the philatelists. Though the quantitative transmission was less but it was enough fulfilling requirements of that time.
SOME INTERESTING HISTORICAL FACTS :
- By basing the pigeon's home loft in a particular spot, then sending birds out in baskets to where the messages start their journey, one can use them as flying postmen. The ancient Egyptians around 3000 BC.,were probably the first to do so,
- Messenger pigeons were used as early as 1150 in Baghdad and also later by Genghis Khan
- Between about 770 BC and 390 AD, the Greeks used pigeons to carry the results of the Olympic Games.
- There were pigeon posts in existence during the Dutch war in the 16Th century. Besieged Haarlem used pigeons to convey messages in 1573 A.D., and Leyden in 1574 A.D.
- In 1850, Paul Reuter, who later founded Reuters press agency, used a fleet of over 45 pigeons to deliver news and stock prices between Aachen in Germany to Brussels in Belgium. The homing pigeons travelled the 76 miles in a record-breaking two hours beating the railway by four hours.
- Pigeon have been used to transport short messages across long distances. In fact, historically well-known leaders, such as Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan, have used pigeons to carry important messages across long distances.
- The outcome of the Battle of Waterloo was also first delivered by a pigeon to England.
- Pigeon Post was essential during the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. It was used to extensively by Julius Reuter's to get information on the progress of the war out of Paris. Julius Reuter was the founder of the Reuters News Service.
- Possibly the first regular air mail service in the world was Mr Howie's Pigeon-Post service from the Auckland New Zealand suburb of Newton to Great Barrier Island, starting in 1896. Certainly the world’s first 'airmail' stamps were issued for the Great Barrier Pigeon-Gram Service from 1898 to 1908.
- Pigeons were used extensively during the First World War. About 20,000 of them were killed - and some 30 British carrier pigeons were awarded medals for bravery. One homing pigeon, Cher Ami, was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for his heroic service in delivering 12 important messages, despite being shot once.
- Eighty-two homing pigeons were dropped into Holland with the First Airborn Division Signals as part of Operation Market-Garden in World War II. The pigeons' loft was located in London which would have required them to fly 240 miles to deliver their messages.¹
- Over 200,000 carrier or homing pigeons were used by the Allied forces during World War I and II in order to conduct surveillance and relay messages to the front.
- Homing pigeons were still employed in the 21st century by certain remote police departments in Orissa state in eastern India to provide emergency communication services following natural disasters. This India's Police Pigeon Service messenger system in Orissa retired in 2004.
VIEWS :
In general ,pigeon enthusiasts in India say that P-mail as carrier pigeons are sometimes known have served the country in big way especially during the time of natural calamities and disasters in far flung areas such as floods and hilly regions as they flew hundreds of kilometers to deliver messages before returning to base. For example in Orissa during floods in 1982 and a cyclone in 1999, as radio networks were disrupted, carrier pigeon played a vital role in exchanging the messages. As old existing pigeon post had been discontinued in Orissa. Various social workers and bird lover opposed that move.
Various ornithologists e.g. Delhi based Rajat Bhargava did not agree with the government proposal. "The old pigeon tradition should not be destroyed. It's a vanishing art which should be protected". He added "Also, pigeons are excluded from the Wildlife Protection Act. So they can be kept. We're against cruelty to animals. But we're not against captive breeding of domesticated animals".
Some Important Facts
The use of carrier pigeons is of the greatest antiquity. Indeed, the earliest example of the bird being used to convey message to man would be the Dove which brought the Olive branch to Noah as a token of god’s goodwill. The Greeks, Egyptians and Assyrians are all believed to have used carrier pigeons. Pliny tells how Brutus besieged by Antony in Modena, used carrier pigeons to carry messages to the Roman consuls.Carrier pigeons were used at the siege of Leiden ( 1575),by the Rothschilds to get news of the victory at Waterloo(1815) three days before the news broke in London.In 1870-1 over 300 pigeons flew messages in to Paris, first written by hand on tiny flimsies and later by microfilms pellicule. The pigeons were taken out of Paris aboard manned balloons
The first commercial pigeon service was established in 1855 between Galle and Colombo, Ceylon to expedite news of the Crimean War. It ceased in 1858.
In 1896 W Fricker experimented with carrier pigeons between the Great barrier Islands and Auckland ,New Zealand, and inaugurated a public service early in 1897. Special adhesive stamps were issued in November 1898.Two services operated till 1908 when extension of the telegraph service rendered them superfluous.
Between 1931 and 1941 semi official carrier pigeon services operated in India,using specially printed flimsies, often of a commemorative nature, and latterly raising funds . For the war effort.
HM Naval Pigeon Service formed 189 for use of Naval emergencies, was used extensively in both world wars and also organized pigeongram flights for charities and fund raising stunts in peacetime.
A pigeongram service operated between Guernsey and the island of Herm in 1949; special 1s stamps and flimsies were issued.
The only instance of tame birds being used to carry mail was in the Gilbert Islands in the 1880’s,when missionaries used frigate birds to carry letters tightly rolled and inserted in a quill attached to their tail covers.
The Idea of microfilming messages to save weight in aerial transmission was first used in the Franco- German War,1870-1. the technique was developed by the Persian chemist Barreswil and used for messages transmitted by pigeon, sent from Tours to Paris. By means of photomicroscopy it was possible for a pigeon to carry upto 40,0000 messages on 12 – 18 measuring 38 x 60mm rolled to a pin’s thickness and inserted in to goose or crow quills, through which a silk thread was passed to fasten it to the pigeon’s tail coverts. On arrival in Paris the films were carefully removed,unrolled,monted on glass slides and projected on a screen so that four telegraphists could transcribe the messages in longhand for onward transmission to the addresses by the city post.
The idea was received by Kodak in 1932 but rejected by the British Post Office who felt that the public would never agree to the use of form filling or consent to their messages being exposed for all to see. In 1941,however, the scheme was brought in to use, for the use of military personnel stationed in the Middle East.Kodak supplied equipment and technicians and established a processing station at Cairo. A standard form was devised and a charge of 3d per Airgraph instituted. Completed forms were microfilmed and flown to England for processing at Kodak’s Wealdstone plant near London. The prints were forwarded to Londan Postal region, folded and placed in window envelops marked “AIRGRAPH” and dispatched to addressees. The first Airgraphs left Cairo on 21st April 1941 and reached England on 13 May. A service in the opposite direction was in August 1941 and gradually extended to other war zones. The service ceased on 31 July 1945. In four years some 350million airgraphs had been transmitted. The total weight of film used was no more than 50 Tonnes – compared with an estimated minimum of 4500 tonnes which a similar number of ordinary letters would have weighed.
.IMPORTANT : The contents of this article are the personal opinions of the author, and should not be construed as concrete opinion in any way though various articles, data from various net sources have been collected and reformed to suit the essence of this article. Author is thankful to various sites, archives and museum sites or articles from where some of the photographs or images have been taken purely for the purpose of projecting those in the article to complete the storyline for the interest of the philatelic fraternity. Author is thankful to all.
Mr Naresh Agarwal may be contacted at email : nareshkumar1992@yahoo.co.in
With this part the series on Pigeon Mail concludes…. Special thanks to Mr Naresh Agarwal for writing a very comprehensive series on pigeon Mail. Hope the readers enjoyed it ! - Editor
Something of interest, also for non-philatelists….
By Dr Avinash B. Jagtap
When the picture postcards would talk after a century.....
Apart from collecting stamps, covers etc. there is a special delight in collecting picture postcards. Especially in the post Edwardian Era (1910-1920) many British and European visitors, relatives and friends of the British forces, who were then in the His Majesty’s Governmental Services in India, used to send picture postcards to their loved ones, many with interesting remarks, garnished with typical British humour. I have here a few from my collection, written by (Mr.) Will to Mr. or Mrs. W. Baker of Bayswater in London and dating from 1913-1914. Many of these places which Mr. Will had visited have changed not only their faces but also have adopted themselves to a new atmosphere all together. These picture postcards tell us their stories, with the grandeur and beauty of the (now) lost paradise. To a person who happens to be the owner of such a treasure, it does mean much more than a mere collection of postcards...
Pic 1
Mumbadevi Road, Bombay (dated: 13. Jan. 1913) “Just another card for your album. We went down this road when we first came out to India. Notice there are no pavements to the streets out here...” (Pic 1)
Another card with the same view (dated 11. April 1913) “ Just a card, showing you one of our main streets out here. See our trams. After they have started you have time to go and get a drink and then catch them up the fellow who run them ...” (Pic 1)
Pic 2
Bombay Dancing girls: sent from Kirkee Bazar (Poona) dated 2. April 1913) “...Arrived at Kirkee. Quite safe and had a grand ride 6 days in the train just like a continuous geoscope of natural beauty and scenery. It is ever so much hotter here and more public about and a nice large town close by named Poona...” (Pic 2)
Pic 3
Crawford Market, Bombay: dated 17 April 1913 “This shows you a view of one of our big market places. You can get chickens down there for 4d to 6d each... for cheap dinners. Notice the comical trams and buses...” (Pic 3 )
Pic 4
Mysore Kolatum Dancers: sent from Bangalore, dated 7 May 1913 “... I am sending you Miss Moud Allen and Miss Anna Palova (Pawolowa?) the dancers ha! ha! She’s got rings on her fingers and rings on her toes and bracelets on her muscles also through her nose!....” ( Pic 4 )
Pic 5
Parvatti Hill & Temple, Poona: sent from Poona Camp, dated 15. September 1913: “...This is the sort of place for a nice quiet stroll on Sunday evenings. The tomb up on the hill is worshipped nearly every night by the natives...” (Pic 5)
To be contd....
New Issues from other countries
Australia
22 March 2011 : Floral paintings – 5 val.
Cyprus
23 March 2011 Roses – 2 val.
Hong Kong
14 April 2011 Green Living – 4 val.
Italy
25 march 2011Italian Cheese : 4 val.
27 May World Theatre Day – 1val.
Gibraltar
4 April 2011 Europa 2011 – 4 val.
Hungary
12 April 2011: %0 years of First Man in Space – Souvenir Sheet
Isle of Man
10 May 2011 : Cartoons by Dusty Miller – 6 val.
Isle of Man Post will issue a set of 6 stamps in honour of a former Liverpool telegram boy who became the Island’s most influential cartoonist.
Between 1933 and 1962 newspaper cartoons by Harold ‘Dusty’ Miller (1898-1964) captured political and social issues in a way that text alone could not. Some cartoons would remain topical for generations. Occasionally he bordered on morale-raising or conscience pricking propaganda but mostly visualised public sentiment. Miller won a scholarship to Liverpool School of Art when 13. Financially unable to take advantage of it, he became a telegram message boy, at 14, for Liverpool Post Office.
In 1953 Dusty’s artistry in oils and water colours led to his being founder chairman of the Isle of Man Art Society. His dream of an annual Easter art exhibition was realised in 1963, one year before his death, aged 66. Ten years later, the founder of Isle of Man Post Office and former work colleague, Victor Kneale, would suggest that, had Dusty been alive, he could have designed commercial postage stamps. In fact, he had produced two designs in about 1938 and 1953 when there were public campaigns for them.
Jersey
29 April Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate
Latvia
8 April 2011 Europa 2011 – 2val
Malaysia
28 March 2011 Spices from Malaysia – 5 val.
Monaco
3 March 2011 Europa 2011 : Year of Forests
Poland
5 May 2011 Europa 2011 – 1 val
San Marino
50 Years of First men in space – 1 val
Ukraine
12 April 2011 50 Years of first human Space Flight
USA
11 April 2011 :New River Gorge Bridge,
It is the third largest arch bridge in the world. Its 1700-foot span is the longest steel arch in the Western hemisphere. The bridge is so tall that the Washington Monument could stand under it with 300 feet to spare.
14 April Go Green – 16 stamps
Reader’s Right
Editor’s note- The aim of this stamp newsletter is to provide instant information and facts on philately to the readers and not to hurt anyone’s feelings. Readers may express their views, anguish and resentment through this column on philately. The platform is not used for any vested interest to cause derogatory to philately. When writing your views be sure that it should be related to philately only. It should not be used to express personal feelings between persons or groups in any manner.
Tagore Stamp from Uruguay…
Dear Jeevan Jyoti
Please recall our correspondence with Mr. Nicolas Malosetti, regarding inclusion of a small poem of Tagore in the proposed stamp to be issued by Uruguay in commemoration of Tagore's 150 years of birth. I had suggested then to Mr Maosetti, for inclusion of Tagore's "Aami Prithibir Kabi" (I am the poet of the world) in the stamp.
- Sekhar Chakrabarti
From Editor….
I don’t know how to express my happiness when I received this mail from Mr Sekhar Chakrabarti and saw the cover with Tagore’s poem on it….since both of us were involved with the issue prior to its release..Here is the story behind it which readers would like to know It is a matter of great pleasure that India Post is commemorating 150th Birth anniversary of Tagore on 7th May by issuing special postage stamps on this occasion…
During Indipex 2011 Ururuguay issued a stamp on Rabindranath Tagore. Prior to the issuance of this stamp I received an email from Uruguay Post that they wished to include a small poem by Tagore on the First Day Cover of the stamp and they wanted to know if any permission was required from concerned authorities for copyright publications . I forwardrd that mail to Mr Sekhar Chakrabarty of Kolkatta for an expert opinion. Mr Chakrabarty suggested them to include Tagore’s "Aami Prithibir Kabi" (I am the poet of the world) and advised them that permission is not required for 100 years old publications. It is a matter of great pleasure that this suggestion was materialized and the small poem of Tagore appears on the cover which Mr Sekhar Chakrabarty received from Uruguay (sent by Mr. Malosetti) released on the occasion of issuance of the Tagore stamp on 16 February 2011 which has the words "Aami Prithibir Kabi" and it was originally suggested by Mr Sekhar Chakrabarty.
I am extremely happy that small effort done in this regard resulted in a wonderful cover of the greatest poet of our country “ Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore”. with his beautiful lines "Aami Prithibir Kabi" I express my gratitude to Uruguay Post to honour the greatest poet of our country on commemorative stamp of Ururguay and including his poem on the cover….and many thanks to Mr Sekhar Chakrabarty for his efforts in selecting the most appropriate poem of Tagore and finally suggesting the Uruguay Post to include it on Special Stamp Cover !!
Hemant V Kulkarni, USA
The background story behind the Tagore poem getting printed on the cover is fascinating and is in a way tribute to the popularity of your blog that's being respected around the world (Uruguay in this instance). Also, thanks to your appropriate contacts of knowledgeable experts for suggestion of a presumably fine poem by Tagore (my lack of understanding Bengali) is commendable. Mr. Shekhar Chakrabarty too deserves congratulations. Great story!
Naresh Agarwal, Bilaspur (CG)
Congrats to you for such efforts. You know, small but perfect action from you ultimately brought out such beautiful cover. Mr. Chakrabarty of course, deserves all appreciation for suggesting inclusion of the poem. but one thing is for sure that RAINBOW is now an established and recognized bulletin all over the world that Uruguay Post contacted you for your valued suggestions. I really feel proud of you for this achievement. ...In deed this action is not small as you say....... your greatness
Prashant Pandya, Vadodara
Mr. Sekhar really gave a good idea of putting this sentence 'Aami Prithibir Kabi'. It's great pleasure for us and honour for India that Uruguay Post issued a commemorative stamp on greatest poet of India.
Ilias Patel, Ahmedabad
I am delighted to learn @ happy ending with small but timely efforts. How many in India do that?
We at GPA submitted a proposal to release a stamp at 600 years of Ahmedabad which has gone in to dust bin. It is only due to the fact that Gujarat is run by Narendra Modi? Ahmedabad is such great historical city in India no else city can parallel it. So India Post does not wish to glorify this great city which is expected to be declared as "world heritage city" shortly. This is nothing but a misery of Gujarat Philatelists.
Philatelic Library
e books on Philately : All about Stamp Collecting
http://www.scribd.com/doc/37667833/Stamp-Collecting
Online Stamp Catalogue…
Search stamps of different countries online…
http://www.catawiki.co.uk/catalog/100271-stamps
New Blogs & Websites
Lighthouses : http://ksbeacon.blogspot.com/ - Mr. K Sridhar, a thematic Philatelist from Mangalore has created this new blog on Lighthouses .
Kevin’s Stamp Album : http://kevinsstampalbum.com/ - Stamps of Israel, Japan,Ukraine & Ryukyu Islands.
My Picture Postcards : http://mypicturepostcards.blogspot.com/ - New Blog on post cards created by Mr Vijay Kapre.
Classic Errors http://classicerrors.com/ - A professional blog on Errors, varieties and rarities on Indian stamps
Hockey on Stamps : www.hockeyonstamps.com It is a specialized website on Hocky stamps. Sports lovers wud admire it very much.
Cricket Memorabilia : www.nazimcricket.com/stamps.php - It is a specific website on Cricket theme
Ferozpur Collection : http://www.myferozepur.com/ - Special website created by Narinder Sethi of New Delhi on Ferozpur covers.
Gandhi Stamps : http://gandhistamps.com - The website is a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi Philately. All the stamps issued on Mahatma Gandhi from various countries in the World have been featured.
Phila Mirror : http://philamirror.info/ - It is a very informative site. Regular updates on Indian & foreign stamps and news from the philatelic world are given on this site. This is a very useful site for every philatelist.
Indian Stamps for your Virtually : http://indianphilately.blogspot.com/ A nice blog has been created by Mr Kumar Kamaleshan Nair of Trivandrum. The regularly updated blog gives details about Indian stamps. The blog is beautifully designed by Mr Nair.
Join Mobile Philately & Stay Updated - http://mobilephilately.blogspot.com/ It is a blog by Mr Dipak Modi of Jalna, Maharashtra. Mobile Philately is a mobile technology based philatelic community with short messaging service (SMS) that allows the community members to get latest updates related to Indian philately directly into mobile message box.
Se- tenant Stamps of India - http://setenantsofindia.blogspot.com/ It is a specialized Blog on se-tenant stamps.
Flags & Stamps - http://flagstamps.blogspot.com/ - It is a specialized blog on Flag Theme .
http://jefferson-stamp.blogspot.com/ Stamp - Blog on COSTUMES, DANCES, CULTURES, FOLKLORES, ORIGINAL INHABITANT, UNIFORM MILITARY, & COAT OF ARMS
http://www.stampshopy.com/ - A new site on Indian Stamps and other philatelic items.
http://indiastampsdetails.blogspot.com/ - A new Blog on Indian Stamps by Sundar R. of Salem, Tamilnadu
http://dorincard.blogspot.com Donicard Language: English Topics: maximum cards, stamps, postcards Description: Focus on wild mammals on (traditional or non-traditional) maximum cards..
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Stamps-Philately-1610/indexExp_69442.htm - It is a site based on Question & Answers on Philately. Mr Prashant Pandya replies to queries.
Philatelic Clubs & Societies
Baroda Philatelic Society - http://www.vadophil.org/
Indian Stamp Ghar - http://www.indianstampghar.com/
Indian Thematic Society,
Mobile Philately - http://www.mobilephilately.webs.com/
Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur
Rainbow Stamp Club - http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/
Stamps of
The Lighter Side
Just Smile..
THE IRISH VIRGIN
In a tiny village on the Irish coast lived an old lady, a virgin and very proud of it. Sensing that her final days were rapidly approaching, and desiring to make sure everything was in proper order when she dies, she went to the town's undertaker (who also happened to be the local postal clerk) to make the proper "final" arrangements.
As a last wish, she informed the undertaker that she wanted the following inscription engraved on her tombstone: "BORN A VIRGIN, LIVED AS A VIRGIN, DIED A VIRGIN" Not long after, the old maid died peacefully. A few days after the funeral, as the undertaker--postal clerk went to prepare the tombstone that the lady had requested, it became quite apparent that the tombstone that she had selected was much too small for the wording that she had chosen.
He thought long and hard about how he could fulfill the old maid's final request, considering the very limited space available on the small piece of stone. For days, he agonized over the dilemma. But finally his experience as a postal worker allowed him to come up with what he thought was the appropriate solution to the problem.
The virgin's tombstone was finally completed and duly engraved, and it read as follows:
"RETURNED UNOPENED"
Interesting Facts…
Great Collections: The 'action man' and philatelist Charles Nissen
Charles Nissen was a notable stamp dealer, trusted advisor to the king and also a forgery sleuth...Charles Nissen (1880 - 1944) was one of the most industrious and dynamic men of philately, best remembered for unearthing a major postage stamp fraud.
British born Nissen was instrumental in building the Royal Philatelic Collection of the royal family, regarded as one of the greatest stamp collections in the Commonwealth. Often acting as philatelic adviser to King George V, Nissen was granted a Royal Warrant for his efforts.
Nissen was a well-respected stamp dealer, handling many notable specimens in his lifetime. His company, Chas. Nissen & Co. Limited, continued to thrive long after his death and was granted a Royal Warrant from Elizabeth II.
Nissen had made an early impact on the philately world when in 1898, at the age of 18, he discovered what became known as the Stock Exchange Forgery. Nissen found that a number of used stamps on telegraph forms from 1872 and 1873 lacked watermarks and had unusual corner lettering.
It was subsequently revealed that a Stock Exchange Post Office clerk in London had been pocketing one shilling telegram fees while using forged stamps. Following fruitless Police inquiries, it was presumed that the culprit had died in the intervening years. The faked stamps often appear at auction and can command significant prices.
Nissen wrote The Plating of the Penny Black Postage Stamp of Great Britain, 1840
A distinguished author on philately, Nissen's seminal work is The Plating of the Penny Black Postage Stamp of Great Britain, 1840, which he published in conjunction with Bertram McGowan in 1922. Nissen subsequently received the Crawford Medal for philatelic literature from the Royal Philatelic Society London.
He also published the Official Stamps of Great Britain book in 1906, established the British Philatelist publication in 1908 and edited the Stamp Collectors' Annual with PC Bishop from 1904 to 1911.
Promotional section
Year Book 2011
Mr Madan Middha the publisher of Year Book of Indian Philately needs suggestions from the Readers for Year Book 2011..for which he has started working Readers are requested to send their suggestions about contents of the new edition. Articles are also invited from the readers. Please contact Mr Middia email madan_middha@yahoo.co.in
Collectable Stamp series to commemorate World Cup Cricket Cricket 2011
Recent stamps issued by some countries on World Cup Cricket Cricket 2011 are available with Mr Pradip Jain. He may be contacted at : philapradip@gmail.com
Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters
Stamp of India Collectors’ Companion - India’s first and most updated weekly e-newsletter edited by Madhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of India, New Delhi. E-mail: mjhingan@yahoo.com Website: www.stampsofindia.com
ITS Stamp News - Quarterly - Editor: Suraj Jaitly Publisher: Indian Thematic Society website - http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/
Phila News, Editor Rajesh Pahariya and published by Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur
VADOPHIL, Editor - Prashant Pandya and published by Baroda Philatelic Society, Vadodara. Website -http://www.vadophil.org/
e ZEP Newsletter http://www.ezep.de/zpj/zpj.html Editor : Dieter Leder
email zpj@arcor.de website www.eZEP.de
SIPA Bulletin Editor - Mr G. Madan Mohan Das and published by South India Philatelists’ Association, Chennai website : http://www.sipa.org.in/
FILA Capsule – Editor : Ajit Dash and published by EIPA, Bhubaneshwar.
GPA News – Editor- Ilias Patel and published by Gujarat Philatelists’ Association, Ahemadabad.
Kar Phila News published by Karnataka Philatelic Society & edited by by Akshay Borad
e–mail : akshayborad@hotmail.com
Editor’s Mail Box
Dr Hemant Kulkarni, USA
The recent rainbow blog is very informative and studded with wonderful and colorful stamps from around the globe. Articles are unusual and entertaining for a philatelist novice or not. I read various complaints in other blogs about how the bureaus in India have been exploiting stamp enthusiasts by selling special Gandhi pack at more than its face value.
Dr Avinash B Jagtap-, Switzerland
Thank you for forwarding the April 2011 issue of Rainbow Stamp News". All articles epecially the interview by Mr. Ilias Patel are interesting. With the time the criticism on "Khadi Stamp" and "personalised stamps" will go on increasing.
Naresh Agarwal, Bilaspur (C.G.)
This time Rainbow seemed to be charged more as it gave a different, colorful look.It seems more graceful and attractive. It is really nice to see that more people are now coming up with their articles and comments .You really deserve appreciation for making such platform and for being so generous to accommodate them. Now I feel Rainbow will serve philately in a better way.
RAINBOW STAMP CLUB
This is a blog of e-stamp Club www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com . The idea of this blog is to extend philatelic fraternity in all corners of the world. Readers may write about themselves with their collecting interests and share new ideas with other philatelists. Those who are interested may send following details for publication on blog. If they wish they may also send their photo for publication. New Post on recent issues, news on stamp activities and Contribution by members are published every day on this blog.
Name…………………………………………
City/Country………………………………..
E-Mail………………………………………..
Postal Address…………………………….
Collecting Interests……………………….
Brief write up about yourself……………
Readers may also express their views on any philatelic matter which will be published under Club News at Rainbow Stamp Cub Blog. Philatelic Clubs and Societies may also send brief write ups. News about new issues of India and abroad and other information related with Philately are regularly posted on this blog. Readers may send reports on new issues, special covers, cancellations & philatelic activities of their area for inclusion in this Blog. - Editor
· Courtesy - News and Image Resource to this issue - Stamps of India, Sekhar Chakrabarty - Kolkata ; Prashant Pandya - Vadodara Mansoor B.- Mangalore, International Stamp News ; Sreejesh Krishnan - Trivandum ; Raman Kumar Mandal - Gorakhpur; Souvik Roy – Kolkata; Hemant Kumar Jain – Mandla (MP)
· All the images of this issue have not been included here. For detailed images related to this issue Please Visit: http://www.rainbowstampnews.blogspot.com/
Address for communication:
Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Director,
E-mail – j.jyoti9@gmail.com or rainbowstamp2008@gmail.com
Last date for receiving write ups – 25th of every month. Kindly send images in jpg compressed format & text in MS Word only.
If you liked this issue please forward it to your friends and help in promoting philately.
A Request to Readers & Contributors-
Please do not send the text in scan form. Send your write ups in MS Word only.
Kindly specify your contribution such as article/News/ Reader’s Right / Beginners’ Section/ Lighter Side etc.
Please do not send forwarded messages for promotional section if you want to give any information for promotion please write personally with brief write up. As this newsletter is not used for any commercial purpose in any manner.
Attention -
Please send limited number of images in compressed jpg format only with your article. Please send text and images separately. Please do not send text or image for publication in PDF.
Till Next Month …..Happy Collecting…………………………………………………………………
Rainbow Stamp News is edited and published monthly by Jeevan Jyoti, from Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) India.
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