(Page 31) Autumn 2014 Newsletter

TOURIST MAIL FROM ITALY

SANDRA POOLE

I was pleased, recently, to receive a card from my niece holidaying in Italy. Alongside the normal stamp, there was a Globe Postal Service one with English text- obviously for tourist mail then. Tourist stamps do pop up now and again; you probably remember the TNT and IFFC stamps used in Spain and the Canary Islands in the late nineties and the first few years of the new Millennium and, currently, Universal Mail (Autumn 2009 Newsletter.) What I couldn’t understand was why there were two types of stamps on the card. My niece explained that she had bought the cards in a small village shop and was charged 1.20 euros for the stamps (as opposed to 0.85), but was unaware that they were not the regular ones until she had written her cards and walked miles trying to find the special black boxes in which to post them. She eventually gave up, went to a shop in a different village and was told you could only post them in the village where you had bought them- hence the extra stamp on my card. At least the card arrived (by official mail} in ten days. Others were not so lucky with just GPS.

In July last year, a Canadian lady posted a warning about the service on an Italian ‘message board,’ after waiting a month in vain for her seven cards to reach her friends. They did arrive eventually, but an Australian tourist was still waiting after nearly 4 months- the Company’s target is 13 days. The original message elicited over 120 replies, including one from GPS, and they were still coming in. Even I did not read all of them, but all but one of the ones I did read (about 30) were negative. In response, the company said it had written to all the complainants and they have now launched a new SOS service for those whose cards do not arrive- you choose a new card for free and it is then sent, as I understand, by email, which is not quite the same and not everyone has email. But what about the chance to send a free video message via the stamp?

Now this does sound a novel and fun idea. You download a free app., follow instructions to record and to send a video message, the stamp then shows recipient of card that a message has been sent (obviously whether it has or not- see stamp on previous page). recipient then goes to GPS website, types in code on stamp, downloads app, and there it is. Well, at least in theory. I went to the linked Google Play site, on which there were 4 reviews- all negative. Although not representative perhaps of the whole, it does indicate a problem. If this is solved, they could be on to a winner. But I am still wondering why people would go to all that trouble when, so long as they were in a (preferably free) wifi area, they could send a video message to their friends anyway from their Ipad, tablet or phone (not by text though, too expensive)), and without all that palava. As for just sending postcards, it is probably wiser to use the regular postal service and just be thankful we have Royal Mail. If, however, you are a stamp collector or want a souvenir of your holiday, then the stamps, on which quite a few popular tourist areas are depicted, are nice to have

A PHILATELIC RAILWAY LETTER

DOUGLAS HARVEY

On 3 June 1970, Mr. RWF Smallman of Blaenau Ffestiniog carefully addressed a Festiniog Railway envelope to himself. He applied two 3d stamps and took it to the local railway station, where he purchased a new issue of the 1/3d Festiniog Railway Letter Fee stamp. Cachets were applied ‘FIRST DAY OF ISSUE’ and ‘TO BE POSTED AT SHREWSBURY ON THE SHREWSBURY – YORK TPO’. The railway stamp was cancelled ‘FESTINIOG RAILWAY CO TPO’ on the short journey to Porthmadog, where it was given a cachet ‘PORTMADOC 3 JUN BRITISH RLYS (LMR)'. It was taken by undisclosed transport to Shrewsbury, where it was transferred to the Royal Mail TPO and received the ‘SHREWSBURY – YORK TPO’ cancellation (the 6d postage was required for TPO mail). Royal Mail then delivered the empty envelope from York to Blaenau Ffestiniog on 4 June 1970.

The cost converted to decimal money was 9p. In the following year, the cost of the same service had risen to 21p, (English was still used in 1970 for railway station names in Wales.)

SERENDIPITY

MINOU BUTTON

Father Christmas came today and here’s how. Once in a while, like most people, I suppose, I cannot sleep and so I surf. I surf for news, I surf for recipes, I surf for stamps and I surf for postcards. For the latter two, I often go to www.delcampe.net

Well, about six months ago, I landed on Delcampe and thought I would look at what was available about Buta, Belgian Congo; my brother and my birthplace. There were few stamps with an interesting postmark, but there were postcards- some of the Missionary Fathers and one of a football team. Handwritten on the image was “L’Union sportive de Buta 1931” The Roumet text described it as the ‘Union sportive de Buta’. I am not that much into football, but the night was long and all of a sudden my eyes got attracted to the man in the lower bottom right corner- my father! I did not even know he ever played football as I was but seven when he died.

This was followed by comparisons with ancient photos, looking at the hairline, consulting the family patriarch, my cousin Andre. It was him. Alas, the auction had been and gone. It was actually a link from Delcampe to Roumet, a Swiss firm. After a while, it disappeared from Roumet, but through devious manoeuvres, I could still find it. In July, we went to the RDP Ceremony Weekend in Ypres and I talked to a young man sporting the name Delcampe- he was Sebastien Delcampe himself. I told him my little story and he was attentive.

Last week an email asked for my telephone number and address and lo and behold today the postcard arrived by UPS delivery. And you know, the handwriting on the card is suspiciously like that of my father. I must get that box of photos and papers down. Such a chance encounter, such a kindness. And, of course, the know-how to find such an esoteric item. I am a firm believer again.

THE POSTAL CHASNGE FROM GRANGE TO GRANGE-OVER-SANDS

BRYAN AND MINOU BUTTON

Grange in Cumbria was a small coastal fishing village with an increasing influx of rich tourists from Manchester and other big northern towns building some very grand houses there. Indeed, plans were laid for a railway in 1857 and the numbers of commuters and holidaymakers increased. The coastal village of Grange was beginning to grow The first parish church was built and completed in 1853 and consecrated and named ‘Saint Paul’. In 1858, Canon Henry Robert was appointed to Grange. He remained in office for thirty years and is credited with giving Grange its present title. Folklore has it that the vicar’s mail was being delivered to Grange in Borrowdale and not to Grange. This state of affairs did not make him very happy and he called the elders of the village to the church and decided as he looked out over the bay to name the village ‘Grange-over-Sands. By the time he retired, Grange-over-Sands had become a Cumbrian Urban District.

MEETING REPORTS

"Military India, Part 1": Mike Siverns, 17 October 2014

The East India Company initiated a military police presence in India to protect the company's trade interests in the 1830's and this was followed by the formation of a national force, which allowed soldiers leave of absence to take part in the Boer war. Stamps overprinted with 'C.E.F.' for the field post offices of the Chinese Expeditionary Force were issued in 1900. Kitchener used his Indian connections to recruit a large expeditionary force at the commencement of World War I, which had Indian stamps overprinted 'I.E.F.'. Most covers show concessionary free postage, but this was not granted for registered letters. Mail to the army field posts used special postcards which were coded A-G according to the field post destinations and these cards were routed via Bombay. During the World War, Indian posts were active in East Africa, and a controversial issue from Mafia Island (off Zanzibar) was shown. After the war, military operations continued, including internal action in the North West Frontier region of India. With the introduction of the RAF, early air mail letters appeared. A special feature of the display was a group of letters from a serving officer sent to his parents in England. President Alan Squires congratulated Mike on the depth of his research into this important piece of military history. (D.H.).

"World War II: Western and Pacific Fronts": Peter Ball, 26 September 2014

An informative history of the Second World War, illustrated with stamps, was given by Peter Ball. In addition to covering the main episodes of the war, the stamp collection centered around the German occupied countries and the issues for military personnel on all sides of the conflict. In the first part, issues from the German General Government in occupied Poland were shown. With scenes from the Battle of the River Plate in 1939, and most of the subsequent conflicts, it was necessary to show commemoration issues marking the anniversaries of the wartime events. The Marshall Islands issued a comprehensive collection of 165 commemorative stamps between 1989 and 1995, and these included vivid illustrations of the naval and ground battles. The North Africa campaign was illustrated with a fine collection of GB overprints. Memorabelia from the occupied Channel Islands was shown. The second part of the display related to the Pacific front, with the American involvement in the far east. Finally, the D-Day commemorative issues were shown. Overall, this was a fine thematic presentation. (D.H.)

Society Visit to Alfreton, 19 September 2014

Nine members-seven with displays and two as support- visited Alfreton this year, their seventieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, we were treated to a birthday cake and buffet and, as usual, it was a convivial evening with varied and interesting displays. But why did Bryan bring along his fishing tackle?

Apparently, when his neighbours go away, he and Minou are given the keys to pick up their mail each day. Recently, they went on holiday, and Bryan went to do his duties, but when he arrived, he discovered he didn’t have the keys, and there were letters on the floor- a dead giveaway to any opportunist burglar.

"Big Business on the China Coast": Peter Pugh, 5 September 2014

Around 1750, the East India Company commenced trading with China, initially establishing an opium market. After the 1838-40 Opium War, trading opened up, and Chinese exports centered around tea, porcelain, cotton and silk. Hong Kong introduced postage stamps in 1862, and Peter Pugh's display concentrated on the commercial use of Hong Kong and China stamps from the coastal ports in the period up to 1930. The trading companies applied overprinting or used perfins as a security measure and these were grouped in catalogued form. The larger companies, (e.g. Jardine Mattheson, Butterfield and Swire), had high postal requirements and consequently their overprinted stamps were relatively abundant, but the display also included rare varieties from many small companies. Banking, newspapers and shipping also had security stamps, and the display featured postcards showing their buildings and ships. This brilliant research showed the origins of our important present-day trading with China. (D.H.).

"The Society's Forgery Collection": Sandra Poole (Curator), 1 August 2014.

The Society's collection of forgeries and other items was displayed by Sandra Poole, who is the curator of the collection. Sandra made mention of the several curators who have looked after the collection, which was started in 1914, soon after the formation of the society. Much of the collection had been documented and prepared for display, with examples of genuine stamps and their forgeries. Other pages remain incomplete. Nearly all of the examples related to stamps issued in the period from 1860 to 1900, a time before philately became popular. The forgeries or facsimilies of these stamps were made in the early 20th century in various attempts to satisfy the demand for rare stamps by collectors. Examples of forged stamps of over 50 countries were shown and a high proportion of these countries were within the British Empire. Often the forgeries can be recognised as being of lower quality than the originals, although expert opinion had also been sought in a few cases. The collection included forged overprints and a range of Cinderella stamp labels which had been prepared for exhibitions. An interesting display, with a very wide range of examples. (D.H.)

MISCELLANY

Presidential Jottings, Alan Squires: I see that a single customer spent £5,000,000 with Stanley Gibbons last year. That’s an awful lot of catalogues and binders. I wonder how big his/her study is. Of course, I jest. .I know which member of The Nottinghamshire Philatelic Society it was, but rest assured, your secret is safe with me. An article in Stamp Magazine caught my eye. Apparently New Zealand has issued an Endangered Seabirds set to raise awareness of the problem of dwindling numbers of birds. To illustrate this problem visually, there are two birds on the stamps in silhouette which are printed in thermochromic ink. These silhouettes slowly disappear ‘as the stamps are warmed up’. Gas mark 4 should do it. A stolen rabbit was found by a postman in Maltby, South Yorkshire. The rabbit was to be unharmed. In some ways a touching story and a sad one. I wonder if it had the correct postage on it. Alistair Gunn, writing in Stamp Magazine, thinks it is a national scandal that so few Royal Mail issues have golf as their theme. Well, what about other national pastimes. I can’t recollect seeing an issue celebrating marbles or tiddlywinks. So come on R.M., it is the conker season.

Quirky Fact, Pillar boxes: Alan Squires

Trollope is credited with the introduction of the pillar box to Britain. The idea had been considered before, but Trollope’s report on postal services in the Channel Islands included a recommendation to try pillar boxes out in St Helier, Jersey and was approved. Pillar boxes were introduced to the Channel Islands in 1854 and a year later in mainland Britain. London got its first pillar boxes in 1855, there were initially only five; Fleet Street, The Strand, Pall Mall, Piccadilly and Rutland Gate (Kensington). They were rectangular, sage green and with a large ball on top. It was not until 1874 that they were painted the familiar red. Pillar boxes gave people the freedom of private correspondence. Young women particularly were able for the first time to send letters freely, without being subject to a trip to a post office or passing the letter to papa for posting by a servant. This gave young ladies the opportunity to form clandestine relationships, much to Trollope’s horror and disgust. Now, 160 years later, we have MSN, texting, e-mails, social media sites, etc. all of which allow anonymity when communicating, especially now the News of the World has been closed down.

Royal Mail: Alan Squires

To differentiate between letters going through the post and electronic communication, we have developed two labels for our mail- e-mail and snail mail. By law it is illegal to open mail sent through the post if it is not addressed to you. This is regarded as an invasion of your privacy.

The e-mail system, which has been blamed for the demise of postal services, is far more immediate in that I can send an e-mail to the other side of the world and receive a reply before any letters can be processed here in the UK. For this reason the term snail mail referring to letters seems apt.

Snail mail also costs far more than electronic mail and with the costs rising year by year may soon price itself out of the market However, I would like to pose a thought for the detractors of the postal service. How far could you take your own handwritten letter for the cost of a stamp? First class stamps are 62p and second class 53p at this present time. The bus fare into town is now £2.00 using Nottingham City Transport! Your 62p isn’t going to get you very far so perhaps it would be a good idea to walk! Which brings in the other plus for Royal Mail. For 62p the vast majority of letters will be delivered within 24 hours in most areas of the UK. My postman will often bring my signed for mail not to the front door, but to the workshop when he sees the door is open and I am obviously in there working, rather than leave me a card saying I was out when he called.

I use Royal Mail quite often for a variety of mail and I agree that sending mail overseas does cost more. Letters to my daughter in Canada cost in the region of £6.00 to £8.00 which is expensive. But the airfare is between £550 and £750, so mail is approximately 1%. Hats off to Royal Mail I say.

Feline Judge : Roger West (Avion Thematics),

(From an email after this year’s Phoenix Trophy Competition.)

‘As promised, I am sending you the results. I also enclose a picture showing one of the judges deliberating over M.L.’s entry. He was eventually awarded a CATastrophic 61%’. This is always a good evening. Next year is the 21st Anniversary of the competition and it would be nice to see a sizeable contingent from Nottingham offering support- if we are invited, of course!

Chris Tennant writes- On e-bay this month was a September 2014 tax disc with a visible Post Office cancellation, but with the written vehicle details faded by sunlight. It was described as very rare, with no writing on it and the latest possible date for a tax disc. The buyer would have to arrange to meet the seller as he was not prepared to post this ‘rare’ item for security reasons. The starting price- a mere £180,000! I believe the item was unsold!

The Revenue Society has recently been contacted by a collector in Norfolk, who is wishing to dispose of or ‘pass on’ his collection of tax discs- the quantity, 207,000.

Along with fellow velologist Tony Hill, Chris has given his views on the recent frenzy on ebay regarding tax discs and collecting in general in an article by Laurence Dodds in the Daily Telegraph (15 Oct).

THE CHRISTMAS SOCIAL AND EGG CUP COMPETITION: Alan Squires

The original Egg Cup Competition was started by Douglas Harvey when he kindly donated a wonderful trophy during his year as President. This was a one-off competition and the winner (Sandra Poole) kept the cup.

I have commissioned a team of experts to design, source and make a trophy to be fought over during the Christmas Social in future years. This will be called the President's Egg Cup Competition. (OK, I found a piece of wood off a tree in my garden and it is now ready for me to turn it into an egg cup!!)

The rules for this competition will follow along the lines which Douglas laid down for his competition

1. One sheet on any philatelic topic.

2. Humour and/or wit are important, or a clever way of dealing with your title or theme.

3. The winner being the one that the popular vote decides is best, purely subjective, and the President has a casting vote in the event of a tie.

Remember, you have to be in it to win it.

Mobile Phone Postage Update- Sandra Poole

In the Spring 2011 Newsletter, I wrote a short article on mobile phone postage, which was introduced in Denmark on 1 April 2011. Just to jog your memories- if you’ve run out of stamps and need to post a standard letter, just grab your phone and text ‘PORTO’ {postage) to the Post Office (‘1900’) and you will receive a code, valid for 7 days that you write in the top right hand corner of the envelope. I hadn’t given it a moment’s thought since then, but a few weeks ago a Danish friend, knowing of my interest in philately, excitedly thrust this letter into my hands. It certainly doesn’t look much- in a beauty contest the stamp would win hands down-but it is convenient, costs the same as normal postage plus the price of a text and obviously works.

You Write-

Just after the last newsletter went to press, Ian Jakes wrote that the publishers had entered his book into the international philatelic literature competition Rossica 2014. He was awarded a large silver, congratulations. Ian Jakes put up a display of the Trinidad Red Cross Label at the RPSL North Mids meeting, which Sandra attended and which Mike Siverns organised. It was an extremely interesting display of superb stamps and she would encourage anyone collecting philatelic material related to the subject or location to get a copy of the book. (B.C.)

Bryan and Minou notified that the displays at the exhibition they saw in Ypres in July may be viewed at www.rdpypres.com .(Worth looking at-Ed.)

All those who attended the ceremony, exhibits, visits and dinners of the RDP Ceremony Weekend in Ieper could not but admire the flawless organisation of every aspect of the weekend be it the award ceremony, the exhibits, the ceremony at the Menin Gate where the members were put in advantageous positions, the dinners, the visits, the camaraderie, the welcome extended to new faces and potential members- everything was extremely well organised, on time, always relating to philately (down to the naming of tables with well-known stamps), and utterly friendly. For that, everyone had to thank Patrick Maselis and his wife, Chris King, Vincent Schouberechts and many more whose name and share in it we don’t know. They all serve philately well, promulgate it and intend to do so. The Washington team from the National Postal museum Library, part of the Smithsonian, had made an all-out effort to come and attract philatelists- even promises of individual visits under some circumstances. We recommend the next one. (Postscript to article in Summer Newsletter)

Royal Mail Parcels- prices and sizing: Royal Mail parcel services changed on 20 Oct. The good news is that a standard service small parcel weighing 2kg can now measure up to 45x35x16cm (double the previous depth) and now costs £2.80, a reduction of £1. A new weight of 60g has been introduced in the International Standard Service for small parcels for and costs £2.34 (Europe), £2.98 (Zone 1) and £3.13 (Zone 2). The bad news is that these prices are only available until 18 January 2015. So, Happy Christmas! (Check Royal Mail or brochures available at post offices for other services which may or may not have changed).

TNT becomes Whistl- This is the new name of TNT Post. Following the 2011 de-merger from TNT Express, which kept the TNT brand name, TNT Post had legally to come up with a new one, and Whistl was the result. What should be of interest to collectors of such things is the new company logo. The current one (T,N and T in 3 circles) may not be used after the end of this year, so customers will have to use up their remaining stocks before then. To view the new indicium, go to the Whistl website and click on FAQs. Or see the next newsletter. But by then, you’ll probably have seen plenty on your own letters- they already process 26% of UK mail.

DISCLAIMER: While every care is taken during the production of the reports, neither the editor or Society Officers can accept any liability for views or unintentional publication errors that may occur.

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