Help Earthquake victims of Nepal !!
Some remarkable issues to help Earthquake victims
UNPA and Neighboring nations of Nepal should release such issues to help the earthquake victims.
Dehradun May 2015 Vol. VIII Issue # 89
Monthly e-Stamp Bulletin Edited by Jeevan Jyoti for free circulation among philatelists
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 and by post to –
Ms. Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun – 248002. India
Note- This bulletin is only for circulation among a limited group of philatelists without any commercial purpose. The bulletin will be sent to the readers only on request. Those who wish to receive it regularly please reply giving the name of your city / country with the subject SUBSCRIBE RAINBOW
Dear Reader,
With the release of May 2015 issue of Rainbow Stamp News, I express my deepest condolences to all those families of Nepal and Northern India who lost their dear ones in recent earthquake. My heartfelt sympathies to all the victims of this greatest disaster. I request the postal administration of UN and neighboring countries of Nepal to issue earthquake relief stamps to help the victims . This small step would help them in some way . During such disasters some countries have earlier issued relief stamps and postmarks. This is a humble way to help the victims and give tributes to those who lost their life in this earthquake.
This is all for this month. More in next issue.
Until then ….. Happy Collecting !!
-- Jeevan Jyoti
Contents
· From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal
· Recent Indian Issues
· In The News
· Beginners’ Section
· Specialized Section
· Lighter Side
· New Issues from Other Countries
· Promotional Section
· Philatelic Clubs and Society
· Blogs & Websites on Philately
· Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletter
From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal
INDIA IGNORED….WHY ?
I was just going through the discussion on “Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Bulletin Board Forum” of Stamp Board.Com on the subject cancellation /rejection/non-acceptance of Indian entries in SINGAPORE 2015 World Stamp Exhibition. One of the Indian applicant Parvesh Gupta chat on cancellation / rejection / non-acceptance of his entry by the allotment committee without assigning any reason. While going through the discussion, I came to know that out of an expected 3300 frames to be displayed, the exhibition hall could accommodate on 2500 frames. Further, in all, out of 36 entries sent to exhibitions from India, only 6nos. had been accepted. The matter of worry is, why it is so?. The various possible reasons coming in to my mind are :
Is it due to the reduction in space and so the number frames in the show
or is it the low standard/quality of Indian exhibits
or Is it the high number of exhibits in the same class
or Is it the improper filling of the forms
or is it low awards won by the exhibits in the previous shows
or there is some other reason
What ever it be ,acceptance of only six entries from a country like India in such a big show is a matter of great worry. It has also been reflected in the discussion that the main reasons for rejection could be the fact the low quality/standard of exhibits and /or lack of space due to less space in hall.
If these are the reasons, I am not able to digest these because 1.2% (considering 6 entries of 30 frames) space allocation to a country like India is nothing but a fact that Indian entries were ignored. Australia got acceptance of 87 frames against 142 applied & India received acceptance of 30 frames against 180 frames (considering all entries of 5 frames each) applied for.
Looking in to the quality of exhibits, if some one has this feeling as mentioned in the discussion, we need a great deal to concentrate and think upon these. Our national commissioners appointed for the shows need to check on these. Promotion of exhibitor is okay but quality should not be compromised. After all, an exhibit represents a country. Here, the role of commissioner is important. Commissioner needs to check the complete history of the exhibit and proper information / certification about the quality of exhibit before acceptance of the same at his/her level and further referring the same to the allotment committee.
Coming to main point , who is responsible for this? it is poor representation and power of India at FIP or FIAP level which has lead to this undesired happening. Our representing bodies lack leadership, force, source and voice at higher level. We need to check on and knock such bodies like PCI so that these perform better at such levels. Regarding quality of exhibit, it Is a matter which needs to be taken care of at all lower levels of philatelic exhibiting and so the judgment. Improper judgment at State and National levels leads to such rejections or poor performance in the higher level shows. Also lack of guidance to the exhibitors/philatelists and improper training to the commissioners lead to such happenings.
We must understand performance comes only after acceptance by the organizing committee.. This non-acceptance warns us to stop, check and then decide. It is better not to apply rather then getting rejections. One may have number of excuses to console but the fact remains that we need improvement in quality of exhibits and power and say at FIAP and FIP levels. Commissioners carry a big responsibility of safeguarding nations pride. They are not just messenger who carry exhibits. They carry with them the pride of nation. Exhibitor too need to understand the importance of quality keeping aside emotions.
- Naresh Agrawal : email : nareshkumar1992@yahoo.co.in
Recent Indian Issues
· 20 March 26, 2015 - Indian Ocean and Rajendra Chola I – Rs 5
· 27 March 2015 – Engineers India Limited – Rs 5
· India France Joint Issue – Rs 25 + Rs % stamps with Miniature sheet
· 18 April 2015 – Patna High Court – Rs 5
Recent Special Covers
1 April 2015 : Lathmar Holi of Mathura – Mathura
2 April 2015 : ‘Homer Pigeon Mail’ to flag off 150th Anniversary Celebration of Cuttack Club - Cuttack
10 April 2015 : 160 years of Railways in Eastern India - Kolkata
14 April 2015 : National Fire Service Day – Panaj
17 April 2015 : 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s first visit to Madras - Chennai
19 April 2015 : 175th Anniversary of St. Paul's Church, Bangalore
20 April 2015 : Celebration of Civil Services Day- Mumbai
20 April 2015 : 100th Birth Centenary of Dr. Jack de Sequeira - Santa Cruz, Goa
23 April 2015 : Tercentenary Celebration of St George's Anglo-Indian School & Orphanage – Chennai
23 April 2015 : 10th Anniversary of Re-establishment of Shri Ahichhatra tirth - Ramnagar Kila (U.P.)
24 April 2015 : AL Jerry Braganza, father of Konkani Cinema - Mapusa, Goa
View : Special Covers
In The News
Indian Winners at Taipei 2015 - 30th Asian International stamp exhibition
30th Asian International Stamp Exhibition was organised from 24 – 28 April 2015 at Taipei World Trade Centre by Chunghwa Post Co., Ltd., Chinese Taipei Philatelic Federation and Taiwan External Trade Development Council under the Patronage of Inter-Asian Philatelic Federation (FIAP), recongised by Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP).
Heartiest Congratulations to all the winners !!
Avinash Sharma from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Aliganj, Lucknow ( Vermeil Medal with Special prize) Shubrajyoti Behra (Silver Bronze) Suyog Bora ( Bronze)
Abhai Mishra, Dinesh Sharma, Jeevan Jyoti
Result of Indian Participants
Mast. Avinash Sharma - Vermeil + Sp. Prize (Youth)
Mr. Abhai Mishr - Large Silver (Literature)
Mr. Dinesh Sharma - Silver (Literature)
Dr. K.S.Mohan - Silver (Traditional)
Mast. Shubrajyoti Behra.....Silver Bronze (Youth)
Mast. Suyog Bora - Bronze (Youth)
Mr. C.D. Singh - Bronze (Literature)
Ms. Jeevan Jyoti - Bronze (Literature) – Rainbow Stamp News
Mr. C.D. Singh - Bronze (Thematic)
National Commissioner Taipei 2015
Website : Taipei 2015
Resolution for Diwali stamp introduced by two US lawmakers
The two influential US lawmakers have submitted a bipartisan Senate resolution calling for the US Postal Service to issue a commemorative stamp in honor of the holiday of Diwali.
Virginia Democrat Mark and Texas Republican John Cornyn are co-chairs of Senate India Caucus, a forum for senators to work with Indian government officials and Indian-Americans in promoting US-India bilateral relations.
“This commemorative stamp is an important recognition of the significance of Diwali to the more than three million Indian Americans and one billion Indians worldwide who celebrate this holiday,” Warner said.
“A stamp commemorating Diwali is a significant and meaningful way to honor the importance of the Festival of Lights to so many Indian Americans, both in Texas and across the country”, Cornyn said.
Diwali, also known as the “festival of lights”, is an Indian holiday that marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year, the resolution noted.It celebrates the triumph of good over evil, the awareness of one’s inner light, the dispelling of ignorance, and bringing peace and joy through the awakening gained from a higher knowledge.
The US Postal Service has issued stamps to honor other popular holidays in the United States, including Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Eid ul-Fitr.
Newly discovered World-Class Rare philatelic items are to be auctioned this spring
After the extraordinary find in January 2015 of mint blocks of the 1882 China 5ca Large Dragon rare stamp multiples (cataloging at US$580,000), Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions of Danbury, Conn. USA announced two more major new philatelic discoveries.
An overseas client of the firm recently held a conversation with Laurence Gibson of Kelleher’s, stating that while sorting a recent auction purchase from a European firm comprised of used classic Russian Coat of Arms issues, he discovered something extraordinary among the 20 kopeck value of the 1875 issue. While sorting for paper types, he happened upon a variety listed in Scott as the “crossed-shaped ‘T’ in bottom word” for “twenty” variety.
He was happy to find this item, as he maintained that this variety is far more scarce that it’s currently listed valuation indicates. Then came the real surprise. Upon further inspection, he noticed, much to his shock and delight, that the center was inverted. Preliminary research by the firm showed only 3 examples of this great Russian Empire stamp have ever been recorded. The next step would be to get the stamp into the hands of the most widely respected authority for Russian stamps, Paul Buchsbayew of New York City, for his esteemed opinion.
The results could not have been better. Mr. Buchsbayew noted that the stamp was free from any defects and was genuine, further noting in his expertizing certificate: “A great rarity from Imperial Russia, one of only four known (to me) inverted centers of this value; obviously unique error with the plate flaw variety”. The stamp therefore, shows a combination of Scott No. 30a-b, and is unique. The basic inverted center variety carries a current Scott catalog value of $85,000.
Within days of the discovery of the rare Russian invert, yet one more huge discovery was made by the Kelleher firm. Though the source of the following major rarity cannot be revealed by the Kelleher firm because the original owner does not wish a name to be released, Larry Gibson remarks, “The China Large Dragon cover is a true discovery ‒ having rested for many years in a collection the owner of which did not know about the full significance of it”.
The China Large Dragon Cover from Peking to Tokyo in 1884, written by Saburo Yokata to Kuniomi Yokata, Minister of Justice in Tokyo, Japan, endorsed “Tokio Japan” on front, franked with Japan 5s blue New Koban stamp canceled by a crossroads-shaped obliterator along with “Shanghai 19 MAR 1884 I.J.P.A. ” datestamp imprint.
Reverse of the cover shows China 5ca chrome yellow Large Dragon on thick paper, smooth perforation issue, canceled by one complete and one partial strike of Peking, China seal in blue, with matching “I.G. of Customs MAR 10 84 Peking” date stamp alongside, next to the 5ca stamp, which shows a partial second strike where a 1ca stamp was affixed, then lost in transit.
Mr. Gibson states: “This 1884 China cover is truly remarkable for several reasons. In Jame B. Whang’s authoritative A Comprehensive Illustration of the Covers of Chinese Large Dragons, the author notes ‘Large Dragons addressed to destinations in Japan are extremely rare, so far only two are known’. Secondly, according to Whang, this cover would now represent the earliest known cover charged according to the new 6ca rate to the U.S. or Japan. Thus, a huge find and a rarity of high significance.
Both the Russian invert and the China Large Dragon cover will appear at auction later this spring; the Russian invert in a Daniel F. Kelleher public auction in the United States ‒ while the cover will be auctioned in Hong Kong by Kelleher & Rogers Fine Asian Auctions, the firm’s Asian division.
Recent Stamp Exhibitions
World Stamp Show-NY 2016
World Stamp Show, New York 2016 will be held from 28th May to 4th June 2016 at New York, USA.
Shri Dhananjay Desai of Ahmedabad is Commissioner for this exhibition. He may be contacted for participation at email : dhananjay_47@yahoo.co.in
Website of exhibition : http://www.ny2016.org/
Bulletin of exhibition can be downloaded from :
http://www.ny2016.org/SubMenu/Official_Bulletin.aspx?id=517
Application form is available at : http://www.ny2016.org/SubMenu/Exhibit_Application.aspx?id=515
Date : May 28-June 4, 2016
Venue : Jacob Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001 on Level 3 taking up 294,000 square feet.
Over 200,000 beginner through advanced stamp collectors, their families and friends are expected to attend this once-a-decade event.The exhibition is being organized Under the patronage of the American Philatelic Society with major support from The Collectors Club of New York and The Philatelic Foundation along with their members.
Hong Kong 2015
Mr Ajay Kumar Mittal has been appointed National Commissioner for HONG KONG-2015 31st Asian International Stamp Exhibition) going to be held from 20th November to 23rd November 2015.
Mobile : 9811032311, 9311332311
Email : ajaymittal1957@gmail.com
SINGAPORE-2015
Commissioner for Singapore 2015
The Philatelic Congress of India has appointed Mrs Damyanti Pittie as National Commissioner for Singapore 2015 a F.I.P. World Exhibition to be held from 14th 19th August, 2015.
Philatelists eligible and willing to participate may contact her by e.mail /or by post on following e.mail and contact address. The IREX and Forms can be down loaded from Singapore 2015 web site : http://www.singapore2015.com/the_show.php
Mrs. DAMAYANTI PITTIE, F.R.P.S.L.
NATIONAL COMMISSIONER : SINGAPORE 2015.
SUKET, 4th Floor, 29-B, Dongersi Cross Lane, Malabar Hill, Mumbai-400 006.
Tel.No.00 91 022 23644337. Fax No.00 91 022 23633696.
E-mail: dm_pittie@mtnl.net.in
purchasemumbai@harinagar.co.in
purchasemumbai@harinagar.co.in
Fifth National Stamp Fair
Presented by Philatelic Dealers’ Association
June 5, 6, & 7, 2015
11am to 6pm
Galleries C & D, (Air-Conditioned),
All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society, AIFACS,
1 Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001
For booking stalls please contact
PDA Secretary General, Rohit Prasad
prasadrohit1962@yahoo.com 0 98103 04233
STAMPEX 2015
A stamp exhibition and workshop will be held at Shri Shyma Prasad Mukharjee Art Gallery, Rajkot from 1st - 3rd May 2015.
Reader’s Right
Help Earthquake victims of Nepal !!!
An Appeal
India is doing so much to provide aid to Nepal. But, I do feel that we as citizens need to extend a helping hand too. It would be a great idea if the Dept of Posts could issue stamps and a minisheet highlighting the disaster. the money gained from the stamps could be exclusively sent to Nepal as a contribution from us Indians who feel and understand their pain and grief.
This will be a much quicker way of collecting money, rather than create a fund the credibility of which most people don't believe in anyway.
- Commodore Vijay Kapre, New Delhi
Blog : http://letstalkstamps.blogspot.in/
Beginners’ Section
Most appealing stamps..
Most appealing stamp featuring "Protection of the Baltic Sea Natural Environment". The souvenir sheet depicting a crying seal with a caption "Save Baltic Seal " was issued by Estonia Post on 12th March 2015. The heavy ship traffic in the Baltic Sea is one of the biggest threats to the sea life .
The Baltic Sea is an inland sea of the Baltic Ocean, which surrounds Estonia from the north and the west. The other countries of the Baltic Sea are Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Baltic States are developed industrial countries and the settlements’ and industrial enterprises’ effluent flow into the sea from large areas. A lot of nutrients used in agriculture and forestry flow into the sea and as a result of this the coastal and maritime flora has started to thrive out of proportion. For many organisms it is difficult to adapt water that contains a lot of nutrients and as result they fall ill and finally die. Recently “flowering of the water” or mass gadding of the blue green algae has increased.
General growth of ship traffic and explosively increased transport of crude oil additionally bring considerable danger of a collision of tanker ships. Many oil tankers moving on the Baltic Sea are still single-bottomed as before. During the past twenty years there have been dozens of accidents involving ships and oil pollution. Oil pollution on the seaboard can preserve for decades and its most visible consequences are oil on the surface of the sea: birds and seals suffocate and the opportunity that they do not die is reduced by the deterioration of their movement. But purposeful protection makes it possible to keep the Baltic Sea relatively clean and viable, to preserve the versatility of to its natural environments and to restore the quality of the environment and of the waters.
Specialized Section
Some Remarkable Cancellations and Postmarks – 27
- Dr. Avinash B. Jagtap
The All India Series of 1873-84 Cancellations (Renouf Type 19 )
Type 19 is a circle of 24 mm diameter, formed by parallel horizontalframinga circle letter. It first appeared in 1880. It is found in a single or a duplex form.
Type 19 cancellations for the circles Behar (“D”), Central India (“I”), Oudh and
Assam (“S”) are rather scare.
1891 Postal Stationery Cover from Baraouni to Shikar with Type 19 cancellation, reading “BARAOUNI: NO.27.91 = D, Backstamped “RAMGARH: DE 3:91”
1887 Registered Postal Stationery Cover from Rangiya to Lachmangarh with “RANGIYA:16 AU/87” B/S “S” Type 19 Cancellation and “LACHMANGARH:AUG 2” + Regd. Cachet
1889 Registered Postal Stationery cover from Hasanganj: Lucknow: JU 31:89, B/S “O” Type 19 cancellation and “SAMBHAR:REGD: AU 2”
1884 Registered Postal Stationery Cover from Bombay to Amritsur. 2 As adhesive obliterated by normal Type 19 cancellation with “B” in Eight Bars, Circle Diameter 24 mm.
LATUR OBLITERATOR with NINE instead of EIGHT Bars
1890 Registered Postal Stationery cover from Latur to Bombay. 2x1 Anna+6Pies adhesives obliterated by Type 19 Cancel, bearing “B” in a circle with 9 bars. Circle diameter 27 mm. Latur was in Hyderbad State (later on in Central Provinces) and not in Bombay Circle.
: Dr Avinash B. Jagtap email : abjagtap@hotmail.com
Extreme Postmarking
© Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agrawal
Among postal history collectors, the postmark is a clue to the story behind a cover. In general, old postmarks might have some value, but new postmarks are viewed mostly as a nuisance. However Pictorial postmark collecting of even today’s appears to be growing in popularity.
There are many ways of collecting Postmarks even ordinary one making them interesting using some sort of imagination and efforts. Very popular is the hobby of collecting postmark on a cover on the day of someone’s Birthday, marriage anniversary or some other important occasion of our life to be preserved. Recently philatelists were very interested in collecting Palindromic and special dates of this Millennium.
Palindromic date 11/11/11, reading the same backwards and forward
Palindrome date cancellation 7/7/77 with time of posting 7 and pin code 7777
Special date 07/08/09 postmark
Special date 11-12-13 postmark
Sometimes ordinary looking postmarks, which are overlooked by collectors, become focus of an exhibit. An example is the set of postmarks provided by Dept. of Post / Gujarat Circle depicting ‘Gandhi’s Charkha-Spinning Wheel with four unusual dates of the year 2011: 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11 , 11/11/11 and 12/12/12 of the year 2012.
‘Gandhi’s Charkha(Spinning Wheel)’ postmark with unusual dates of the year 2011and 2012: 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11 ,11/11/11 and 12/12/12
Though ordinary, but their collection in the flight route preparing a “Round the Flight” cover make them interesting postmark collection.
Round the World Flights cover
For all such types of Postmarks collecting only we have to wait but may be collected from the comfort of our own home whereas few other types of postmark collecting also of great fun, the Extreme Postmarking which involves lot of patience and physical labour too.
For such activity, vacations provide excellent opportunities if a road trip in a recreational vehicle is planned specially on the day of release of First Day Postmark for any new release, and have a stop at each post office along the way. A separate cover can be prepared for each stop, or a single document can be franked and cancelled along the way. Such collectibles make wonderful souvenirs of a family trip.
A cover prepared by former U.S. Postal Service employee Ken Turmel of Oklahoma, who chosen the occasion of issuance of The 29¢ Cherokee Strip postage stamp issued for the centennial of an Oklahoma Land Run in 1993 is a very interesting example of this category.
Cherokee Strip postage stamp issued for the centennial of an Oklahoma Land Run, USA 1993
The Land Run of 1893, known as the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening to settlement of the Cherokee Outlet, in what would become the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The run began at noon on September 16, 1893, with more than 100,000 participants hoping to claim land. The land offices for the run were set up in Perry, Enid, Woodward, and Alva with over 6.5 million acres (26,000 km²) of land. It was the largest land run in United States history.
Ken Turmel collected all the centennial postmarks created for the occasion within the region of the land run, including some from post offices within the former Indian Territory covering a distance of 5000 miles.
Cover inspired by the anniversary of the Oklahoma Land Run in 1893 and the stamp issued in 1993 to commemorate the event. Its creator travelled more than 5,000 miles to collect postmarks from post offices within the land-run region.
Another piece of extreme postmarking occurred on the occasion of commemoration of 70th anniversary of Route 66 in USA in 1996.
Map of famous ‘Route 66’ of USA
U.S. Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway and colloquially is the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, established on November 11, 1926 which became one of the most famous roads in America, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending at Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).
In the 1950s, Route 66 became the main highway for vacationers heading to Los Angeles. The road passed through the Painted Desert and near the Grand Canyon. Meteor Crater in Arizona was another popular stop. The sharp increase in tourism in turn gave rise to a burgeoning trade in all manner of roadside attractions and people doing business along the route became prosperous .By time the growing threat of being bypassed by the new Interstate Highway System to keep the highway alive, these people also fought a long.
Elmer's bottle ranch on Route 66
The old rail road and World's tallest thermometer at Route 66
(Above photographs taken by my son Tushar during his recent visit of US with his family enjoying driving on Route 66)
Ken Turmel decided to prepare a cover collecting all the 250 pictorial postmarks issued to commemorate this event for post offices along the route. To complete this daring project he travelled a distance of about 28,600 miles in two years (1995-1997) and visited all the post offices in person. It resulted in a 2-foot-by-3-foot print bearing more than 250 pictorial postmarks along with ordinary hand cancels from the remaining post offices which were not offered pictorial postmarks for this event.
2-foot-by-3-foot cover print with more than 250 pictorial postmarks with stamps plus autographs from people associated with the highway offered for the 70th anniversary of Route 66 from every post office along the route. Its creator travelled more than 28,000 miles and time taken in two years to visit all of the post offices in person.
The cover became piece of philatelic rarity also as many of the post offices enrooted are now closed down and few postmarks became last day postmarks. This piece of Philatelic rarity became of historic importance too as he also taken on this cover autograph of postmasters and various famous people associated with the legend of Route 66.
A part of above cover enlarged depicting autographs along with pictorial postmarks
Few notable autographs of VIP’s who have graced the original artwork with their signatures include Bobby Troup, who wrote the song Get Your Kicks on Route 66; Jim Rogers, son of the late Will Rogers; Martin Milner, actor in the 1960-1964 CBS Route 66 television series; Lucille Hamons, legendary store/motel/filling station owner since 1941;Ron Shutiva, Acoma Tribal Governor in New Mexico, Keith Birdsong, artist of the Indian Dances U.S. postage stamps; Michael Wallis, author of the award winning Route 66: The Mother Road; Hody Porterfield, a "well versed" mountain man at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas; Ira Letterman, retired Missouri Highway Patrolman of 36 years on Route 66; Jerry McClanahan, Route 66 artist/historian "extraordinaire"; Jim Ross, Route 66 historian and author of Oklahoma Route 66 and 18 other extremely interesting guests.
Michael Wallis, the noted author of ‘Route 66: The Mother Road’, 2002, praised this effort of Ken Turmel in following words:
"This stunning artwork is not only a fitting tribute to our beloved Mother Road; it is truly a piece of tangible history that will always be cherished by Road Warriors yet unborn."
This cover as ‘Post office Map of Route 66’ also lithographed in limited number of 2448 in colour and sold for $ 150 each.
- Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal : email : rosephila@hotmail.com
Lighter Side
There might be something waiting for you at Japan’s Missing Post Office
Many countries’ postal systems have a type of “dead letter office” which handles mail that has been inappropriately addressed and could not be sent. In most cases, if the sender cannot be found the messages are destroyed in order to maintain privacy.
The Missing Post Office, on the other hand, welcomes unaddressed post cards and keeps them for eternity if need be until they end up with the rightful owner even if they aren’t alive. The unusual post office opened on the island of Awashima on 5 October 2013and welcome all to come and read their discarded messages of humanity.
■ A work of art
The Missing Post Office was created by artist Saya Kubota as a part of the Setouchi Art Festival around the Islands of the Seto Inland Sea in Kagawa Prefecture. It’s actually a renovated post office which closed down in 1991.
Much of the office remains intact aside from the addition of some art pieces and changes to the sign. The standard 〒 symbol which identifies post offices was stylized into a wavy version symbolizing the ocean which carries messages in a bottle – a central theme to the Missing Post Office. The symbol can be seen all around the place including the uniforms of its staff.
■ Inside the office
The main piece of the Missing Post Office is the Drifting P.O. Box. Tin boxes are suspended on standing piano wire all atop a revolving wooden table. Visitors are encouraged to reach into a box and pull out a message. The messages are anonymous but 100% real. They might be written to deceased relatives, unborn children, or even a traffic light. Whatever people were motivated to write down or needed to get off their chest can be found in these boxes.
The following are some sample messages from the Drifting P.O. Box:
“Mother,
When you died last summer I didn’t cry. When you were alive it was like we only said horrible and spiteful things to each other… If we met now I think we still would… But a year has passed and I have only loving memories from childhood left.
I have when we made pudding together.
I have when we read books.
I have when you bought me my piano. That was the happiest.”
_________________________________________________________________
“To my future grandchild,
When will you arrive? The sooner the better, come on and be born! I can’t wait to finally do for you everything I couldn’t do for my own kids.”
_________________________________________________________________
“Actually, I was hoping to do the folk dance at school with you. My heart was pounding with excitement as our turn together was coming around soon but… just before it happened, the song cut off.
Since then several autumns have gone by. What might have happened to you by now?”
■ How to send to the Missing Post Office
If you’d like to send a message to the Missing Post Office, just write it on a post card and send it to the address listed below without including the name of the recipient, your own name or address. Only post cards though. They will not open envelopes since the message is not meant for them.
In the case that your message is too long to fit on a post card, then they encourage you to use several. Whoever it’s meant for should be able to piece it together. Also, in the event that the person who the message is intended for appears at the Missing Post Office, they will be able to leave with it.
The autumn is a very nice time to visit the islands of Kagawa Prefecture, and even if conceptual art is not your thing, it’s hard to ignore the raw humanity that can be felt in the Missing Post Office.
Information
Missing Post Office (Hyoryu Yubinkyoku)
〒769-1108
Hyoryu Yubinkyoku Dome
Awashima 1317- 2, Takuma Town, Miyoto City, Kagawa Prefecture
Special Valentine’s Day Stamp
Special Valentine's Day stamp from Croatia. The stamp shows The words " I Love You" in different languages inducing Braille. It also depicts Hindi Words on upper right corner " Main Tumse Pyar Karta Hoon "
The Chess champion Anatoly Karpov as an avid collector of stamps and philatelic items
Many may not know that the greatest chess player Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov , is also an avid collector of stamps and can boast by a hugely valuable collection led by Belgian philately items.
Karpov has always been an avid collector, devoting the same relentless dedication to collectibles as he has to his chess. Like most of his classmates he collected pins and generated a collection featuring about 30,000 sport, Olympic and chess pins.
He also collects stamps however, and the first stamp in his collection was the USSR stamp celebrating 40 years of the Red Army in 1958. But it wasn’t Soviet stamps which really grabbed Karpov’s interest.
Instead Karpov’s attention was drawn by colonies of the British Empire, and also stamps showing animals which could not be seen in Russia such as snakes, kangaroos or zebras. He has gone on to collect chess and Olympic Games stamps from the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece (1896).
Karpov also has a range of stamps from the USSR, France, Monaco, and the Netherlands, but his most valuable selection is from Belgium and the Belgian Congo, of which he has the largest existing collection. The earliest stamps (until around 1869) are notable for their attractive designs.
One of his Belgian stamps is one of just fourteen examples of the famous Termonde invert which shows one of the buildings upside down. It is thought to be worth around $100,000. By some estimations Karpovs collections of stamps and other items are worth US$15m. But he has not collected primarily as an investment.
Karpov has spent some of 2010 finishing off a book which will place all the collectibles in their historical context. The book was delayed when the original text was stolen, but the book is now substantially complete.
In his later years Karpov has had some involvement with politics including at one point being the President of the Soviet Peace Fund, and has an interest in international relations. Karpov has often said he sees stamps as a useful tool for connecting with other cultures, and a route into communicating with people all round the world.
Obituary
Veteran Philatelist of Bangalore Shri T.N. Prahlad Rao passed away on 18th April 2015. He was a noted Olympic Philatelist and member of Karnataka Philatelic Society. He won many awards for his collection on Olympic Games. He was an active philatelist and won award at the age of 82 in Olymphiex 2008.Rainbow Stamp News expresses its deepest condolences . May his soul Rest in Peace.
Read article “Philately a hobby for every age group by TN Prahlad Rao “ in Rainbow Stamp News at following link :
http://rainbowstampnews.blogspot.in/2008_12_01_archive.html
Editor’s Mail Box
Sushila Soaresl - Mumbai
Thanks for sending me the Rainbow Stamp E-bulletin every month. Congratulations on bringing out such a comprehensive philatelic newsletter. You are doing a great job. I like reading it particularly about the history and the latest stamp updates.
New issues from other Countries
ALAND
10 April 2015 : Peach-leaved bellflower (Campanula persicifolia).
Singapore
25 March 2015 : Traditional Biscuits from Singapore
Singapore Post released a special set of stamps on 25th March dedicated to traditional snacks. Traditional snacks such as the kueh bangkit, murukku and almond biscuit are getting their own special stamps. Traditional Biscuits stamp issue which also features the gem biscuit, kueh makmur and cream cracker.
These snacks are familiar to most Singaporeans, and putting them on stamps will allow customers to appreciate the rich diversity of cultures here, Singapore Post said. For example, murukku is a Tamil word for “twisted”, which describes the shape of the savoury Indian biscuit.
Malta
Malta Post released a philatelic miniature sheet to commemorate the ANZAC Centenary on 25 April 2015.
The stamp on the miniature sheet illustrates a Red Cross nurse attending to a wounded soldier together with two other soldiers on either side. The stamp within the miniature sheet bears a face value of €3.59.
The Gallipoli Campaign (Battle of Gallipoli) took place at the Gallipoli Peninsula between 1915 and 1916 and involved British and French troops as well as divisions of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). The battle was thought to put an early end to the Great War by creating a new front that the Ottoman-German alliance would not cope with.
Malta played a significant role in the Gallipoli battle, not just as a back-up base for the Royal Navy but also as one of the major hospitals in the Mediterranean. Around 800 Maltese volunteers went to Gallipoli as muleteers or to dig the trenches and some even fought within the Australian ranks or worked as stevedores unloading the ships. This effort is considered to be Malta’s greatest contribution to the Allies’ efforts during that terrible war.
Promotional Section
Collector's Guide to British India Bazar Postcard – By Praful Thakkar
Bazar Postcards of British India is a fascinating section of Indian Postal stationery which has colors, creativity and charisma. They were created during British period by dealers who knew the pulse of the masses. They were artistically and exquisitely made to attract and appeal to public imagination to use them. They were mainly produced and used during the Edwardian period. Subsequently, they were in vogue for advertising purpose in Georgian periods too.
This subject has an attraction because these ornamental and artistic Bazar Postcards have got the touch of creative imagination of dealers of those days. The colorful creativity of Bazar Postcards can be seen on address side. Here attracting pictures, calligraphic & artistic writing of words “Post Card” and graphic designed box for affixing the stamp were shown by the manufacturers..
In this book of 240 fully colored pages, an effort is made to present more than 1700 Bazar Postcards with value along with pictures in different varieties of British Royalty, Indian Princely State Rulers, Ravi Varma paintings-oleographs and Other Themes with further classification of color, creativity, calligraphy and design. They certainly show that the touch of creative imagination of dealers of those days was able to create fascination and attraction in general public for these ornamental and artistic Bazar Postcards.
Blogs & Websites
1. Forces in Philately - http://gunsinstamps.blogspot.in/ - .A new blog has been created by Commodore Vijay Kapre of New Delhi, featuring philatelic items related with our Armed Forces.
2. Praful Thakkar’s Exotic gallery of Indian Philately - http://www.indianphilatelics.com/ : It is a complete website on Indian Philately created by noted philatelist Mr Praful Thaakkar
3. Welcome to the World of Indian Philately - http://www.indianphilately.net/
An exclusive website created by Mr Prashant Pandya dedicated to Indian Philately .The philatelists can register for “ Online Philatelists’ Directory ” on this website.
4.Virtual Stamp Club http://www.virtualstampclub.com/index.html It is website for On Line collectors. Membership is free. Many collectors around the world are its members. .
5.Indian Thematics - http://www.indianthematics.blogspot.in/ - A new blog created by noted Thematic Philatelist Mr Dinesh Chandra Sharma. This blog is all about Thematic Philately.
6. Indian Philatelists’ Forum - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indianphilatelists/
This is an electronic discussion forum dedicated exclusively to Indian Philately that allows members to engage into meaningful discussions on all aspects of Indian Philately. Membership to the forum is open to all philatelists who have interest in Indian Philately. Members can share and discuss their ideas, knowledge, research, collections, events, exhibitions, auctions, publications exclusively related to Indian Philately.
7. The best stamps - http://thebeststamps.blogspot.co.uk/ It’s a beautiful blog created by Julian Fernandes of Pune ( Now living in UK) featuring lovely stamps of birds with the photos of the same birds giving a wonderful look !!
8. Numismatic & Philatelic Association - http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm - This Numismatic & Philatelic Association is a nonprofit and non-trade motive association that aims to promote the hobbies – Philately (Stamp Collection) and Numismatics (Coin Collection) among children, students, interested individuals among the general public and especially for the budding philatelists and numismatists.
9. How to Collect Stamps - http://www.howtocollectstamps.com/ : The Complete Guide To Stamp Collecting
10.GANDHI Stamps & Philately Study Circle : http://gandhistampsclub.blogspot.in/ - A new Blog by Ketan Patel .…. Saving Gandhi Philately by trying to bring awareness and exposing illegal activities in Gandhi Stamps and Philately.
11. Europa Stamps : http://europa-stamps.blogspot.in/ : A blog on Europa, cept, norden & sepac stamps
12. Phila Mirror : http://philamirror.info/ : The Indian Philately Journal
13. Se- tenant Stamps of India - http://setenantsofindia.blogspot.com/ It is a specialized Blog on se-tenant stamps.
14. Flags & Stamps - http://flagstamps.blogspot.com/ - It is a specialized blog on Flag Theme .
15. Glimpses of Modern Indian Philately : http://modernindianphilately.blogspot.com/ - It is a specialized blog on Modern Philately, created by Mr Prashant Pandya .
16. Question & Answers on Philately : 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.
17. Philatelic Journalists Forum - http://philatelicjournalistsforum.blogspot.in/ “The Philatelic Journalists” is an initiative by a few enthusiast philatelists, who love the hobby to the deepest.
18. The Philatelist - http://o-filatelista.blogspot.in/ - A blog with lot of info about stamps and philatelic activities around the world.
19. Phila India - http://philaindia.info/index.html - Website created by Mahesh Reddiar with lot of info and articles on philately .
20. Princess Diana – Queen of Hearts - http://princessdiana-queenofhearts.blogspot.in/ - New Blog by noted philatelist of Orissa Mr Santanu Panigrahi.
21. Stamp Magazine - http://blog.stampmagazine.co.uk/ This blog is updated by Adrian Keppel every Friday with new Articles on a variety of subjects
Philatelic Clubs & Societies
Baroda Philatelic Society - http://www.vadophil.org/
Deccan Philatelic Society – Pune, Maharashtra
Eastern India Philatelists’ Association - http://www.filacapsule.blogspot.com/
India Study Circle - http://www.indiastudycircle.org/
Indian Stamp Ghar - http://www.indianstampghar.com/
Indian Thematic Society, Ludhiana - http://indianthematicstamps.webs.com/
Ludhiana Philatelic Club
Mobile Philately - http://www.mobilephilately.webs.com/
Numismatic & Philatelic Association of Vellore Fort http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm
Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur
Rainbow Stamp Club - http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/
Rajkot Philatelic Society – Rajkot, Gujarat
Gujarat Philatelic Association - Ahmedabad
South India Philatelists Association - http://www.sipa.org.in/
Stamps of India - http://www.stampsofindia.com/
The Army Philatelic Society, Pune
Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters
Stamp of India Collectors’ Companion - India’s first weekly e-newsletter edited by Madhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of India, New Delhi. E-mail: mjhingan@yahoo.com Website: www.stampsofindia.com
India Post – Quarterly Journal of the India Study Circle publishes original articles submitted by members of ISC.
ITS Stamp News - Quarterly - Editor: Suraj Jaitly Publisher: Indian Thematic Society website - http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/
VADOPHIL, Editor - Prashant Pandya and published by Baroda Philatelic Society, Vadodara. Website -http://www.vadophil.org/
Journal of the Army Philatelic Society : Editor – Col Jayanta Dutta
SIPA Bulletin http://www.sipa.org.in/
GPA News – Published by Gujarat Philatelists’ Association, Ahemadabad.
Stamps Today – Stamp & Coin Magazine edited by Vijay Seth
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. New Post on recent issues, news on stamp activities and Contribution by members are published every day on this blog.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 : International Stamp News; Indian Philately Digest ; Prashant Pandya – Vadodara; Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum; Jagannath Mani - Bangalore
Address for communication:
Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box No. 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun – 248001. India
E-mail – j.jyoti9@gmail.com
Last date for receiving write ups – 25th of every month. Kindly send images in jpg compressed format & text in MS Word only.
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…..Happy Collecting…………………………………………………………………
Rainbow Stamp News is edited and published monthly by Jeevan Jyoti, from Dehradun ( Uttarakhand) India.