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Winter 2014 Newsletter

UNUSUAL METHODS OF MAIL DELIVERY

Sandra Poole

Pricing stamps for a circuit booklet, it was just by chance, that I stumbled across in last year’s stamp catalogue, the 2011 Canadian issue shown below- a perfect follow-on to Douglas Harvey’s ‘Tin Can Mail’. I was hoping to find a copy amongst my collection of Canadian stamps, but no such luck. However, an email sent to Douglas more in hope than expectation, brought the requested scan and an article relating to the issue. which I have summarised below.

A telegraphic cable was snapped in the winter of 1910, cutting off communications between the inhabitants of the Magdala Islands and the mainland. Necessity being the mother of invention, they came up with the idea of rigging up a large, watertight barrel with a rudder and a sail on which they had written ‘Winter Magdala Mail’. Steel boxes filled with letters were then placed inside the barrel, with another one asking the finder to forward the mail in the usual way. Launched on 2 Feb, it was found just over a week later at Port Hastings and the contents were forwarded by more orthodox means. Mail delivery using dog teams and sleds was used in remote areas of Northern Canada until the early 1960s. (Source: ‘Canada Stamp Details’, vol XX, no.2, April to June 2011)

Mule Mail-mules still embark on a 6-8 hour journey through the Grand Canyon to deliver mail and other supplies to residents of Supai, Arizona.

It Beggars-Belief- a video on Mail Online shows a US postwoman driving up to a house, turning into the garden and driving across the lawn. She stops, gets out, puts the package on the deck, gets in and reverses back the same way she came- probably 20 to30 yards each way!

THE PACHENA POINT LIGHTHOUSE

Douglas Harvey

On 27 Dec 2007, Canada Post issued a ‘Flags’ set- one of a series of stamps depicting Canadian views and showing the national flag. This set of five lighthouses included a view of Pachena Point, British Columbia. To the left side of the lighthouse is the keeper’s house and the view is looking out to sea. A resident of British Columbia contacted Canada Post to point out that the keeper’s house is actually to the right of the lighthouse and the stamp is a mirror image of the correct view, clearly obtained by inserting the Kodachrome transparency into the projector the wrong way.

Accordingly, on 2 July 2008, the set was reissued, with an alteration to this particular stamp to show the correct view. Just to amuse collectors, the original 2007 date was printed on the revised stamps, including the 2008 issue of Pachena Point. A small part of the house can just be seen to the right of the picture.

(This article was written, as the identification from the SG catalogue seemed a little ambiguous.)

AN OLD LONDON STAMP SHOP

Sandra Poole

I was sorting through a drawer of Notts Philatelic Society papers and found a booklet from 1895 listing stamps, albums, accessories, crests etc. all offered for sale by William S. Lincoln from his new premises at 2 Holles St., in the West End of London. Inside was a picture of a very smart looking stamp shop, which you can see below. The shop, of course, is long since gone!

W.S. Lincoln was THE Lincoln: publisher of stamp catalogues and albums, many of which were advertised in the booklet. One was certainly spoilt for choice: albums with space for 6,000 stamps-bound in cloth, with gilt lettering; bound in French Morocco; with or without maps and catalogue, albums for crests and monograms and catalogues with 3,000 engravings of stamps. Also for sale were their own stamp hinges and perforation gauges and, of course, lots of stamps. An Edgar Lincoln sold English silver & copper coins, accessories and cabinets on the same premises.

THE GREAT BITTER LAKES POST

Tony Marshall

(See also Tony’s earlier article in the Winter 2011/12 Newsletter)

When the Suez Canal was closed and blockaded on 6 June 1967, fourteen ships from various countries were trapped in the Bitter Lakes. This lasted for eight years until the canal was reopened in 1975. There were two British ships, one of which belonged to the shipping company that I sailed with during my time with the Merchant Navy. Port Invercargill was built in 1958 and was one of Port Lines newest ships.

Within four months, the crews of the trapped ships got together to form an association with the initials GBLA. They contacted the Bureau International de l’Union Postale Universelle, who allowed the use of stamps issued by the Post Office of the GBLA. There were two main reasons for the creation of this system: first, it gave the crews a feeling of identity that postage stamps fulfilled and second, it boosted the men’s morale when their duties became mundane and repetitive. This led to a diversity of stamp designs from the various countries and the subjects ranged from competitions to celebrations. The competitions covered the Olympic Games, (they were held in 1968,) football matches (held on the ships with the largest space) and regattas using the ships’ lifeboats.

The celebrations centred round Christmas, Easter and other Holy days. In all, the months (years) that the ships were locked in the Bitter Lakes, 180 designs were issued. There was a lack of suitable equipment on board to produce fine sets of stamps and so, in the beginning, they tended to be unrefined. But as time and experience improved, so did the stamps. Some were very amusing and colourful and became highly sought after by the crews. (Two of these were shown in the previous article- Ed.)

Letter posted on board ship- shows GBLA cachets

When the Canal was reopened in 1975, all but one ship sailed out under her own steam and she was German. My company’s ship was towed to Greece, where her new owners refitted and renamed her, giving her another four years service.

(For further reading, see ‘The Great Bitter Lake Post’, by Captain Bryan Hill. 200 pages long, it details “not only the stamps, cancellations and envelopes, but also their registration and passage through the world’s post.”)

COLLECTING MODERN GB

Alan Squires

This article is something of a ‘thinking out loud’ process. Recently acquired mail which has been sent to me or my wife has not been cancelled. Always quick to try to exploit an opportunity, I wondered if I could profit from the Post Office’s laziness or lax attitude. Could the stamps be removed and re-used? They were after all mint unhinged. (Rather like me.) What I found was that with very careful persuasion and the use of a scalpel it was possible to peel them off the envelope with the security ovals still in place.

What I also discovered was that there was less than a 50% chance of doing this with real success. The process was time consuming and very awkward. I decided that this was probably a non-starter. I had heard that the stamps could be soaked off using white spirit. The white spirit would act as a solvent for the gum on the back of the stamp. I decided not to go down this avenue as I felt sure the lingering aroma of solvent would alert the Post Office that something was wrong. Health and Safety concerns could be raised by this practice if the envelope came too near a cigarette smoker. There was also the possibility, though remote, that Post Office workers could end up being sacked for solvent abuse whilst at work.

The idea of printing a label which could be stuck over the original address on the envelope and then re-used was my next idea. There were a few problems with this. First, the envelope never seemed to be the correct size. A brown A4 size envelope with a big enough white printed label stuck on it to send a cheque through the post was a bit over the top.Second, I never seemed to have an envelope at hand when I really needed one. Then I would have several, but no mail to send. Third, was the line of orange bar code type markings at the bottom of the envelope. If I stuck another label over these it did start to look odd.

Then I had a brain wave. Here was a real opportunity to be the first person in the country to start a new type of collecting. I could keep quiet about it until I had cornered the market and then become a dealer, possibly the only dealer in the country. What could go wrong? I would make a fortune!

My new collecting interests come in three forms. One, I will collect covers that have not been cancelled, not for re-use, but to form a comprehensive display. All I need to do is to pencil on the date when each letter arrives to be able to catalogue them correctly. The second area will be a collection devoted to those orange bar code type markings that get printed on envelopes. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure someone will have written an app for the iPhone that can read these. (Note to self- must find out what they are.) Third, and this one is, I think, brilliant, I will collect biro cancels. This last one will stop all those letters to stamp magazines complaining about this practice. In fact more people will be encouraging their postman to get out a pen. Just think red biro cancels, blue biro cancels, black biro cancels and the rarest of the lot must be green biro cancels. (A colour, I’m led to believe, is only used by a few teachers and auditors.) The list of sub categories could be endless and could even extend to magic markers. If I can get the organisers of a competition to allow these into their open categories I’m onto a winner.

Then there is a category all on its own. I will follow the example of the stamp dealer Edgar Weston, who invented an alter ego, Victor Marsh, and had letters sent to Marsh from Tristan da Cunha, which he then sold on to collectors. What I will do is cover my letters with a clear plastic after they have been addressed and stamped. Even if they are cancelled, once the clear plastic is removed I will have a pristine un-cancelled cover. However if they are biro cancelled once the cover is removed I will have an albino postmark! Brilliant! I’ve even invented my alter ego, F. Raud. Sounds a bit mysterious and foreign so it must be good. I’m letting you into this secret just in case I may have missed something.

Answers on a card to the usual address and I’ll keep my fingers crossed they’re not cancelled.

STAMP COLLECTING GLOSSARY

Alan Squires

MISCELLANY

Children’s Christmas Stamp Design Competition: Sandra Poole

I mentioned the competition in the last newsletter. Since then, the 240,000 entrants have been whittled down to 24 regional finalists and, finally, to the two outright winners. Special slogan postmarks were introduced for each finalist, showing their name and town where they lived. These were used for just one day, so will no doubt be fairly scarce. A special slogan was also introduced for the two winners-I do not know for how long this was in use; perhaps someone else does? The faint and blurred example below (a common problem apparently) shows the name of Rosie Hargreaves, who designed the stamp on the right. It seems that this stamp was less frequently used than the other Christmas stamps.

Henry Cole, civil servant, introduced the first Christmas card in 1843 and started a tradition that has continued for 170 years. Royal Mail marked the anniversary with a special slogan.

The Latin American Stamp Collector: Oswaldo Ponce

My hobby in collecting stamps started 15 years ago, when I had recently come to live in this country and when I went to the British Library there was by chance an exhibition of Latin American stamps. I was looking through all the exhibits and saw every country except my homeland of Ecuador, so at that moment, I decided to start collecting Ecuadorian stamps. The time has passed and my hobby has led me to travel to many places and meet many people that I wouldn’t otherwise have done. I have a little anecdote. Once I was in Quito, Ecuador, and I got talking to a fellow collector at a stamp fair and he gave me his contact details so we could keep in touch. The next day, I was reading the newspaper and realised he was the Ecuadorian Minister of Agriculture! He is retired now, but we are still friends and regularly exchange news and stamps. Recently, I started to suffer what many collectors have encountered; I became stuck with my collection. In Britain, I have been to many stamp fairs and it was getting more difficult to find the rare Latin American stamps and despite trying on-line auctions etc, I couldn’t progress any further. One day, I was talking to a friend at the gym and he told me about the Nottinghamshire Philatelic Society and advised me that to keep enjoying this hobby, you have to move to a different topic, which is why I have changed to collecting stamps featuring flowers and trees. I am very grateful to have found a new incentive, as I was thinking of giving up my hobby. Thank you to the Society for keeping me going.

Society 10 Sheet Competition- Letters N. P or S.

There were 14 entries. The results, decided by popular vote were: 1st Dennis Boot (Perfins); 2nd Brian Clayton (Postcards of Shackleton’s Expedition), joint 3rd David Shipstone (North Pole) and Mike Siverns (Indian Army Prisoner of War Camps)

Centenary Dinner

This was held on Monday 11 November at the Country Cottage, Ruddington and was attended by over thirty members and guests.

Our poet laureate, George Kirkham, was there to celebrate the event:

‘Twas, we’re told, a hundred years ago.

The Society was formed. How? Here we go:

Some blokes sat lonely and sober in the pub

“I know”, said one, “we’ll form a club.

I’ve got stacks of penny blacks

And I know that you have many a 2d blue.

We shall have to meet in a smart venue.

No top room in a pub will do

A piece of ribbon with something on the end.

I’ll pinch the ribbon from my wife’s best friend.

A cocoa-tin lid for a medal will do;

It’ll spell Cadbury’s in letters of blue.”

From these beginnings to the present day

Collectors come together to show and display.

To share the hobby with friends and pals

Men, boys, ladies and. girls- or should it be ‘gals?’

We owe a debt to these founding members,

A debt that ‘us all remembers’.

Please let’s be serious or silent at most

And fill your glasses for a memorial toast.

Raise them high for hope that transcends

And drink full deep to “ABSENT FRIENDS”.

At the annual dinner, a philatelist asked the waiter if he could have some more onions. “No”, he said, “that’s shallots”

SOCIETY MEETING REPORTS

Visit from Leicester Philatelic Society, 1 November 2013

Peter Richardson opened with Hong Kong stamps on covers, mostly maritime mail. Some mail sorted on P & O ships had recent paquebot cancels. Vince Patel followed with an unusual display of postal orders and associated publicity. This was intriguing being outside the scope of most philatelists. In part 2, Michael Berry presented an in-depth review of the South Africa issues of 1826-45, showing the many varieties. The dual language issues had been collected in cancelled used pairs. Finally, John Jackson displayed Netherlands stamps on covers during the second World War. The Queen Wilhelmina portrait issues of 1940 were in use until 1947, although the reissued carrier pigeon design stamps of 1924 were the definitives during the occupation. The display included express mail, censored mail, interrupted mail, mail sent through Thomas Cook in Lisbon and postal stationery.

Members’ Evening, 15 November 2013

This meeting was arranged at very short notice because the speaker was unable to get to the meeting. Douglas Harvey opened with recent Canadian issues and our president, Brian Clayton presented a review and discussion of the 2012 GB Olympic gold Winners stamps. Allen wood showed some of the collection of unusual covers, which Derrick Avery had assembled. Chris Tennant showed driving licences and permits for various vehicles spanning many years and Gordon Low displayed GB Machin booklets. As with all members’ evenings, the displays were suitably varied and comprised many items which had not been seen at the Society’s meetings.

GB Evening 100 years on (QV-KGV): Ian Shaw, 6 Dec 2013.

A hundred years ago on 6 Dec 1913, The Nottingham Guardian and Nottingham Daily Express reported on the first meeting of the Society when Mr. W.V. Morten reviewed the introduction of postage stamps in Great Britain. Many of the examples that he reported were displayed by Ian Shaw to the delight of the members present. The period of postal activity up to 1913 included stamps showing Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and King George V. It was King George who promoted the introduction of philatelic societies with his interest in philately. He even noticed stamp varieties that had not been previously reported.

DISCLAIMER Whilst every care is taken during the production of this Newsletter, neither the editor nor the Society Officers can accept any liability for views, opinions or unintentional publication errors which may occur.

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