(Page 14) Summer 2010 Newsletter
THE PONY EXPRESS
Mick Inger
WANTED. Young , skinny, wiry fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages $25 per week. (No such thing as Health & Safety in those days.)
Mail carried by horseback is nothing new. There is evidence that the Persians had a system of riders and outposts for transporting mail as far back as 550 BC. Emperor Kulba Khan had a similar system involving 50,000 horses and 1,400 changeover stations, enabling messages to be carried up to 250 miles in a day.
Before the American Pony Express was set up, it could take mail carried by stagecoach up to 3 months to cross the continent. The Pony Express which ran from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, about 65% of the distance, reduced this time to an average of 10 days.
One of the early riders was a 15 year old William Cody, better known later as ‘Buffalo Bill’ On reaching the end of one of his rides, he discovered his relief had been killed, so Bill changed horses and carried on, covering a staggering 322 miles, the longest non-stop ride recorded. It is uncertain who the first rider was- either Johnny Frye or Billie Richardson, but we do know the name of the horse; it was Sylph.
With the advance of the Telegraph, which reached Salt Lake City on October 26 1861, the operation was closed down. The company lost over $200,000 during this short period. In the 19 months that it was in existence, 308 crossings were made, carrying about 35,000 items of mail, of which only 251 are known to exist today.
PRICES THROUGH THE ROOF
Sandra Poole
I received an e-mail from David Shipstone in May notifying me of a lot of Scandinavian locals in the forthcoming Cavendish auction at Derby. Without any high hopes, I decided to go along. It would be an opportunity to see how this esoteric collecting interest would fare at a provincial auction and how the recession was affecting the stamp market. There were only around 15 room bidders, but there were also at least 5 members of staff manning telephones and business was brisk, many lots realising two or three times the estimate. The Scandinavian locals, however, sold for less than the estimate but, in my opinion, the material was very ordinary and overpriced. David was lucky that he was able to purchase what he wanted at an acceptable price. But when it came to China, prices really hit the roof, with a £400 cover fetching £4,200. But most spectacular of all was the item below. Estimated at £500, it went for £13,000 (!!!!) to a telephone bidder. The room was one collective gasp. We did not stay much longer, but it appears that if you have the right material it will sell. Congratulations to Cavendish.
LONDON INTERNATIONAL STAMP EXHIBITION, 2010
Members' Reports
The Newsletter editor invited Society Members to submit comments and reports of their visit to the exhibition at The Islington Business Centre. These are recorded below. The Society's visit was organised by Steve Speak.
Photo: Joseph Micallef
Steve Speak: 13 Society members and 2 helpful ‘interlopers’ snuggled into the mini-bus for an eagerly awaited visit to London 2010. Tony Sibley set the tone by giving each member a free Wilding cover and Maddie Tennant was on excellent form too by allowing us to bring our own sandwiches!! Upon arriving, Doug Stubbings led the way by showing us how to get a free bag of goodies from Stanley Gibbons. All in all, an excellent Society outing. Here’s to 2020. (I wonder who will volunteer to organise that trip???).
Sandra Poole: London 2010- at least the main exhibition at the Business Design Centre- is now done and dusted. As a regular visitor to Stampex, which is also held there, I did have some reservations about the suitability of the venue for this much larger stamp show. But my concerns were soon dispelled when I saw how much more space was now available, although I still think it preferable to have all exhibits on view at the same time.
The first day, apparently, was packed, but the second day, when we went, was quite comfortable. My purpose in going, apart from having a general look round and to attend a Cinderella Stamp Club meeting, was to view the exhibits. But we are all different, which is why I asked members of Notts P.S. to send me their views. Unfortunately, not all responded but, hopefully, the few who did, will have given a flavour of the visit to those who were unable to attend.
Brian Clayton: A day out in a mini-chara to London, take yer own sarnies, talk nowt but stamps and get a sore …. ! What a way to spend a Sunday. But we did and thoroughly enjoyed it even though we were challenged by Steve (who insisted on sitting next to the driver) to invent a good story to explain to ‘er indoors’ where all the ‘housekeeping’ had gone (expensive coffee!?). The Business Design Centre is not my favourite venue, but one got good vibes on entering the main hall; there was a buzz of activity and many dealers had attractive stands displaying highly desirable material. I bought well with good NZ 1d Universal covers and stamp varieties and met (also at Philatex the previous week and in NZ earlier this year when on holiday) a dealer and philatelist of world renown in Antarctic material. I found a number of the displays on the upper floor quite breathtaking in terms of beauty and rarity including superb NZ that one could only dream about. Three days later I was at London 2010 again to attend the British Polar Group and Falklands Group joint meeting with a 10.15 start; 05.35 bus from Nottingham; return 19.15; another meeting 19.40; home 22.00; just a normal day in a philatelist’s life!!
Chris Tennant: This year, the Revenue Society decided to have a stand at the exhibition and had asked members to supply revenue material for sale at the show. Members responded well and material (stamps and documents) from almost all countries and areas was made available for sale. As is usually the case, most of the organization and work were undertaken by a few dedicated society members, with one in particular (Tony Hall) making the greatest effort. On the last Saturday, we had a society meeting at the Exhibition Centre with 14 short displays by members including one from Columbia and one from Australia. The venture was undoubtedly successful as sales exceeded £45,000! The largest single sale was for a collection of GB Consular Service stamps, which sold for £2,000. If that was not enough, we also recruited some 60 new members for the society. All of which demonstrates the tremendous increase of interest in revenue material and makes me awfully glad that I bought most of mine when I did!
Dennis Boot: An International Stamp Show is held every 10 years in GB. As I have been to all of them since Philympia in 1970, I thought that I would volunteer to help at this year’s show at the Business Design Centre in Islington. As 50 years ago I lived in Islington it felt like coming home again. I was put on the Information Stand on Tuesday with Wendy, who had done it before, and Fabio from Brazil. We had to hand over passes to volunteers and exhibitors and patrons. We also sold copies of the Catalogue and had lots of free leaflets about the show and places of interest in London. We were kept busy and I had an enjoyable day looking at the exhibits and going around the dealers.
Alan Squires: This was my first visit to this 10 yearly event. I had followed the debate on its venue in the magazines for some time, but was not really sure what to expect. The chance to go along was not one to be missed. On arriving I decided to go straight into the exhibition area to have a look at my first international exhibition. The first set of frames was on the Penny Black. I found the exhibit mind blowing. Whilst reading through I became almost blasé at yet another “largest block held in private hands”. I could not help wondering how much had been spent accumulating such a collection, but was stunned by what I was looking at. As I meandered through the frames the standard of the exhibits and the attached information kept me going for the best part of an hour. Even then I did not see all of them. I found myself reading about exhibits from countries I do not normally take any interest in. My next port of call had to be the Treskilling Yellow. Being the most expensive stamp in the world when last sold, it was naturally guarded, by a very bored looking guy in a blue uniform. I wonder how bored he got as the days went by? I can’t say the stamp looked impressive to me, but then to each their own. My only criticism was the lack of space at some of the dealers’ stands. Having nowhere to sit and browse meant tired feet and an aching back by the end of the day. Was it worth the visit? Very much so; it’s a pity that we have to wait another 10 years for the next one.
David Shipstone: I spent a very enjoyable and productive day at London 2010 and will mention only the purchase I prize the most. Amongst other things, I collect material on the postal history of Hamburg which, from 1618 until after the formation of the North German Confederation, was a Free City. Even after the loss of that status it remained a Free Port for some years, operating outside the German Customs Union. Following the formation of the German Empire in 1872, its chancellor, Bismarck, decided that a way had to be found to establish just part of the port as a free depot whilst incorporating the remainder into Germany’s customs system and, being the man he was, he got his way. That separate port area, the Freihafen (Free Port), was opened in 1888 complete with its own post office, Imperial Post Office Hamburg 14 (Freihafen). For some time now I have been hunting for Hamburg 14 items but most of the mail which passed through that office was commercial and they are not thick on the ground. Before London 2010, I had just two covers and one postcard. So you can only imagine my delight when, looking through a German dealer’s stock, I turned up a fine 1937 picture postcard of the Hamburg waterfront with an equally fine Hamburg 14 (Freihafen) cancellation. And priced at just 3 euros! (I’ve even told my wife about this purchase).
Doug Stubbings: On the trip to London, sitting next to Alan Squires, we found that we had more in common than just stamps. We were both budgerigar breeders. Experiences were passed and before we knew it, we were in London. This was my first International Stamp Exhibition. At first, seeing the layout, my first thought was ‘Will I be able to see it all?’. I managed to see it all and was able to pick up a few items of interest. Also meeting Peter Goodwin, our New Zealand friend (Britwee) at the Egypt and Sudan Study Group stand. Thoroughly enjoyed the day out.
Leslie Sutton: Unbeknown to myself at the time, a Maltese friend of mine paid a visit to London, staying for a few days so as to take in a few of its sights of interest, one of which was London 2010. .At the foot of one of his recent letters, he downloaded- I think that is the right description-… the view one got of the Exhibition’s ‘Royal Mail’ section. My own visit to the exhibition was a satisfying one, supplying me with one of the few Maltese stamps needed to complete my collection of that country’s philately. I will leave it to other members to give their descriptions of it. Needless to say, I didn’t take much rocking to set me nodding off when I got home .
And: The Inside Story, from Sandra Poole:
I was recently fortunate to speak to Francis Kiddle, an international judge, regarding one or two items that intrigued me when I looked at the London 2010 website after the exhibition had closed. Francis, a well known and respected philatelist, is always generous in sharing information and explained to me why some items had been removed from their frames by the judges. This was to check on certificates of authenticity, some of which turned out to be missing. When this is the case, the exhibitor has to provide one before being allowed to to show the display again. At London 2010, 12-14 forgeries were found. The exhibitors had been unaware of the forgeries and had no intention to deceive. Some of the entries, I knew, were worth mega-bucks, so I was curious to know how the commissioners got the entries to and from other countries on behalf of the exhibitors. Francis, himself, will be responsible in October for transporting around 6 boxes holding 17 exhibits of 128 sheets, to Joburg 2010, so he went through the procedure. The Royal Philatelic Society has agreed to be the drop-off and collecting point for the exhibits. Before setting off, Francis has to check each page in the company of the exhibitors, who have to pay an administrative fee of £20 per frame for the escort service and also pay for the insurance. He will then transport them by taxi to the airport where he hands them over to the airline and excess baggage is paid. When in South Africa, he will be met by the exhibition organiser and taken to the exhibition site and to the ‘bin room’ (a secure room). Each exhibit is then checked against an inventory, which states how many stamps and covers there are on each page. They will then be put in boxes in the secure room, ready to be put into frames, where they are locked. The process is reversed for the return journey, when the exhibits are removed from the frames. Francis will then have to check the exhibits before flying back. When he arrives at the Royal PS, he returns the exhibits to the owners, who check the material in his presence and then sign for it. It’s a process that has proved to work. More important, the insurance company is happy with it and the Federation and commissioners are absolved from all responsibility. It sounds so simple, but just think about the time it must take to check all those sheets.
KEYWORTH BREAKS GUINNESS WORLD RECORD
Sandra Poole
The record was for the most postcards posted in one location in one day. On 14th July, the village smashed the previous world record of 5,216 set in Tamilnadu, India with a new total of 8,033 cards posted at the Keyworth Post Office. Twenty seven different postcards with a special windmill logo were sponsored by local clubs, groups and businesses (the one below features the local choir) and were cancelled with a commemorative postmark in use for just the one day. It just so happened that I was a lucky recipient!
Meeting report: Moving the Mail by Railway, Yvonne Wheatley, 4 June 2010.
The first half concentrated on GB TPO Railway History with a wealth of covers and cards showing special cancels, additional cachets and instructions. The change to railways as a means of transport was much quicker and mail could be sorted en route. Also illustrated was the development of track-side apparatus for the collection of bags of mail without having to stop the train. In addition were examples of the considerable variety of labels and forms which had to be completed. Examples of Railway Parcel stamps were also on display. Part two illustrated a range of other countries’ systems, some of which charged for transit by the time taken to travel from A to B (i.e. by the hour.) There was a section showing early locos and the men who designed and built them. The first stamp to illustrate a locomotive was issued by New Brunswick in 1860. Other countries represented included Holland, Egypt, Czechoslovakia, Madagascar, France and Senegal. (G.L.)
Comment: I am sure that I was not the only person who felt overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of the display entitled ‘Mail on Rail’. Do you feel cheated if there are not 90 sheets by 2 at each meeting? Would it be better to have three sessions of say 40-50? At least there would be room to move more freely than at present. I realise that for some types of material, a larger number of sheets may be desirable. Is that a problem or an opportunity?. Comments please to the Editor. (A.W.)
(Difficult one, this - Our increased attendance at meetings does mean we have a more limited time to examine a display, which can be a problem when this is specialised, with a detailed write-up However, not all displays are like this and can be viewed more quickly and just as satisfyingly. What do others feel? Ed)
MONACOPHIL – Bryan and Minou Button
This international Philatelic event took place in Monaco from 4-6 Dec ’09. This was primarily a collective exhibition devoted to Belgian philately, but also included were 100 worldwide rarities from world famous collections belonging to Prince Albert II of Monaco; Queen Elizabeth II; 10 national Postal Museums and members of the Monte Carlo Club. The following themes of Belgian philately were covered: The Winged Wheel issue; the 1c. green of the so-called medallion issue; the maritime postal history of the Kingdom of Belgium; proofs and essays of Belgian stamps (1849-1949); franked covers to foreign destinations under the reign of King Leopold I and the postal history of the Lado Enclave. Subsidised de-luxe volumes were published on the worldwide rarities and the six themes. A short article will be subsequently written on each volume. The exhibition included 80 stands operated by postal administrations and well-known international stamp dealers.
EBAY- IS THE PRICE RIGHT FOR GOOD MATERIAL? Sandra Poole
In the Spring 2008 copy of the newsletter, Brian Clayton wrote two very good articles on the internet auction. I have never been brave enough to actually bid myself, but my daughter’s partner, Richard, has bought many items (Scandinavian locals) on my behalf and all at very reasonable prices. It suits us both as he gets the adrenalin rush for no financial outlay and I remain sane and get the goods with none of the hassle. And up till now, I have had few rivals. Over the last few weeks, however, there has been some amazing material and suddenly several new bidders have crept out of the woodwork to jolt me out of my complacency. I have missed out because I was too mean to pay silly prices, even for rare material. (I will never get a gold award!) However, a couple of weeks ago, a couple of ‘must have’ covers were posted and seeing that I had saved so much money by losing out on the other items, we decided I had to go for them and we set an upper limit. I watched the countdown at home on my computer, barely able to breathe as the seconds ran down –10 to go, 9- 8- no bid from Richard 7- 6-5- no bid- 4, 3- still no bid- 2- silent scream from me- 1, and up came a bid. But was it mine? I was sweating; had the expert blown it? What about all those who use Snipe? Phone rings. ‘You’ve got it. A rival bid came in at the same time, but ours was higher.’ The price was lower than expected, which meant more could be put on the next cover. I got the second cover, again at a lower price than expected, but still quite high. A block of about 8 stamps went for more than I had paid for a whole sheet on another occasion. But it was at least reassuring to find that there are people out there prepared to pay good prices for good material. I have now bought a new digital camera, hoping to sell some of my surplus stamps. For the present, I will leave Richard to do all my buying. While I was looking at the above items, I noticed a familiar looking cover for sale. I had just finished writing up my Christiania entires, so I recognised this one, which was firmly in my possession- same creases, same ink smudge, same pencil marks. It was one I had bought some time ago, from the same dealer who was now selling it! I reckon it was an old photo he’d found. He’ll have a shock when he tries to find the actual cover in his stock to send to the new buyer!
FROM THE WAIKATO P.S. NEWSLETTER:
A philatelist was arrested today at Invercargill International Airport as he tried to board a flight while in possession of a suitcase containing a ruler, protractor, set square, slide rule and calculator hidden under a stamp album. At a subsequent press conference Squire Dim Grabhold said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra
philatelic forgery movement. The man has been charged with carrying weapons of maths instruction. Al-Gebra is a problem, a recognised stamp dealer stated; their members go off on tangents looking for absolute values. They use secret code names like ‘x’ and ‘y’ or ‘perf11’ or ‘wmk7a’, but we believe they belong to a common denominator of medieval- with co-ordinates in every country. When asked to comment, the Govt. Philately Minister said ’If God had wanted us to have better weapons of maths instruction He would have given us more fingers and toes.’
(This was passed to me recently, but without the writer’s name. If anyone knows the name, I will acknowledge this-Ed)
From George Kirkham: I think I might be able to spread a little oblique light on the WAIKATO newsletter item. From 1951 to 1957, my life was made a misery by Al Gebrah and his mates G. Omettry, U.K. Lidde and a character I only knew by the nickname ‘Trig’. He communicated by ‘signs’. When I saw the magic formulae, my mind went blank (as usual) and I was transported back to a shivering wreck of a schoolboy. Being as I have never had to use these glyphs since, I think they are cabalistic and can now only be found in the initiates’ literature. I shall have to stop now before I shiver that much I make a blot.
DISCLAIMER: While 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 that may occur.