Hello,  well the weeks did pass quickly!!  back with this interesting stamp and story.  First though how  good is the hobby of stamp collecting?    Very good when you meet people and share stamps with them, as this is one from one of our customers.  Thank you very much. A lovely surprise to get this in the mail.

This Che Guevara stamp was issued  in 2017 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death: SG 2486.

When the stamp was issued there were questions in the Irish House of Parliament and the stamp was withdrawn within days. The reason; some felt it inappropriate to honour a "revolutionary", and especially one with a controversial legacy and a strong Irish heritage.  All in all a fascinating story and if you want to know more I recommend this really well written and interesting piece.  

Thanks to my new stamp friend.  Very kind of you to send this to me and help me learn more. That is what  philately is all about.  Kindness and learning.

Michael  cddstamps 

Hello again, one more from Jamaica. I hope you enjoy seeing this stamp.   Titled Bamboo Walk and one more from the 1938  pictorial definitive series I mentioned previously.

You might think this is just a few bamboo trees colourfully named but in fact it is a special place. Also called Bamboo Avenue it is on the main South Coast Highway, between Middle Quarters and Lacovia.

The avenue was planted with Bambusa Vulgaris, a specie of Bamboo which was the largest variety introduced in Jamaica. The avenue is approximately two and a half miles long with the tall bamboo forming a canopy over it.

All this from a  simple stamp.  well not actually a simple stamp. If you have a copy check the watermark. It is multiple script CA  but if the A is missing you are going to be very financially happy I think.

Michael cddstamps.com

and  with thanks to my friend at  British Commonwealth Album  here   -  and you might enjoy a visit to his online store  the Used Stamp Collector here.

Hello,  welcome back to this series and  another stamp from Jamaica.  

Now we are in the first series of GVI pictorial definitives. Some really lovely images on these stamps and some expensive stamps to collect if you pay attention to the catalogue.  This 2d value has a couple of varieties which are usually hard to find if one wanted to have a complete collection,  as well as perforation varieties.

Trivia:  in 1661 when the Spanish were leaving (fleeing perhaps is a better word)  the island after finding they could not overcome the British,  the Spanish leader Don Christobal de Ysassi  left from  this cove,   thus now known as Don Christopher’s Cove. By all accounts it is a beautiful location on the north of the island.

One day we may get there.   Until then enjoy your stamps and all they bring      Michael cddstamps.com

and  with thanks to my friend at  British Commonwealth Album  here   -  and you might enjoy a visit to his online store  the Used Stamp Collector here.

 

Hello, one more from Barbados from this website - .  Does this age you?  Do you remember the farthing.  This is Scott  90  (SG 135) from the 1905 issue of this design showing the  Seal of the Colony.  This issue has the watermark Multiple Crown C A   the earlier issue in 1896  (scot 70) has the Crown C A watermark. The C A standing for Crown Agents.

One of the nice features about this site is the catalog pages where you can see very clearly the different watermarks  as denoted in the Scott catalog

 Now, have a guess.  Which stamp, say as a good quality used copy, has the higher catalog value?  The 1896 issue or the 1905 issue?     

You would wrong if you thought the earlier printing, the older stamp - after all it was issued 125 years ago.  Just goes to show that because a stamp is old it is not always worth a higher value.    Scott 70 is catalogued at 25c  while the later issue is catalogued at $3.25.  Always check your watermarks.

There is also a copy issued in 1909 which is all brown ( Scott 91)  Just in case you are checking what  you have.

And one final plug for this website The owner sells on Hipstamp - a small store - but he is a  very good seller.  Check him out  here.

Best wishes    Michael cddstamps.com 

Hello,  just a short one tonight.  Every now and then I come across a  person  who is really doing something positive for this wonderful hobby.   This is Philatelovely    and he has a store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/philatelovely   Mostly  I read him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Philatelovely

For new collectors and  collectors looking for something different to help build their collections this chap is doing something different and interesting and, what to me looks like something rewarding for collectors.    Have a look.    PS  there is nothing in this for me in telling you this. I just think when we see someone doing  goodness for philately it should be recognised.

Have a lovely day and stay safe  and don't forget you are always safe in our store    Michael cddstamps.com

 

Hello, We hope everyone is well. is it time to fill a few gaps in your collection? Treat yourself we look forward to welcoming you to our store.

FYI we are bundling orders for the USA and UK at the moment so we can ship via courier Fed Ex to dealer colleagues there who will then mail to customers using local mail services _ this will make deliveries of your orders much quicker. We are absorbing this additional cost until such time as international air and airmail services return closer to normal.

 We hope you don't let the corona virus stop you from visiting our store just copy this link https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps

have a great day Michael cddstamps

I have given some thought about writing this because some might think it a bit presumptuous of me. - I apologise if you think that, it is not meant that way at all. I just think it worth pointing out. I was listing some stamps for sale in the online shop. I thought I would see what other sellers were pricing the same stamps at. My price was competitive overall but a few undercut me rather a lot. Then I checked Shipping for those sellers. I got a bit of a shock: so high and with 10c, 15c 25c and even 50c for an extra stamp in the order. My price was very competitive when I read those shipping charges.

But it is not only about $ is it? It is about sense, isn't it!! Common sense, and up front openness in the first place. A recent customer bought 67 stamps. What a shock they would have got if they saw on check out, because they had not checked shipping, that they had another $33 to pay for shipping. That will never happen with cddstamps: fair asking price, one shipping charge, and free shipping on orders over $35. We look forward to welcoming new customers to cddstamps and from now until February 14th we are giving away a free pair of cddstamps tongs with every order. - your Valentine gift from us for enjoying cddstamps.