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When the stamp was issued there were questions in the Irish House of Parliament and the stamp was withdrawn within days.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.

Hello,   very short piece and one stamp. I am so lucky to have such knowledgeable readers.   One of whom has written to tell me that this stamp shows a LMS Coronation class  locomotive at Euston Station. You know who you are and a very big thank you to you.

 So there you go, Euston station can be found on a GB stamp.  I learnt something new today.   Stamps are so educational J

Michael  cddstamps.com 

British Bridges and stamp collecting 50 years on

Hello, Happy New Year to everyone. Yes it is now 2018. Seems amazing how the years pass by. I was thinking back 50 years  because I saw the stamps issued in April 1968  commemorating British Bridges. Rather nice stamps I think.  Certainly all with an interesting location being shown.

The 4d shows Tarr Steps in Exmoor Somerset.  The 9d stamps shows the Aberfeldy Bridge in Perth and Kinross in Scotland. This bridge is locally known as “Wade’s Bridge”.   On the 1s 6d stamp we see the Menai Bridge which connects the Isle of Anglesey with North Wales and finally, a more modern styled bridge is shown on the 1s 9d stamp. This is the M4 Viaduct which is more commonly known as the Chiswick flyover. 

All very collectible and back then 4 of the 15 new commemorative stamps that were issued in 1968. How times have changed. As I write this, Royal Mail have so far announced 18 new commemorative sets  (yes sets!) in the stamp issuing program for 2018, including a Post and Go issue in January.  This is before any Royal Wedding stamps and any other special issues they announce, which seems to be something they do these days.  

How many stamps will be issued in 2018 is not known yet but based on 2017, for example, we can expect to see, I would predict, around at least 120 stamps.    

I hope you are not swamped with new issues you cannot afford to buy simply because there are just too many of them for your budget.  A shame really; perhaps this new stamp issuing policy that we see across so many countries around the world is not helping philately, or is it?

Have a brilliant philatelic 2018, and a happy and healthy one as well.

Michael    cddstamps.com

This is from the 1997 Fauna and Flora series showing various images of the Kakadu Wetlands.  Lovely issue. Hope you enjoy seeing this $10 stamp which has reflective gold coloured inking of the word Australia and the $ value.  They is why it looks black in the scan. 

I found these and some other nice earlier issues when I was putting stamps on the orders I will be mailing from Australia later this week.  I will be mailing orders from Sydney as it will ensure faster mail delivery time - especially for Australia and New Zealand customers. 

Only three full days before I fly out, so if you want maybe this stamp used on a letter,  and a free perforation guage  - my special is free gauge with orders over $5 and I have 2 left I should add, then get your order in soon.   Visit the online store here  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps

And in case you did not know - The Kakadu Wetlands are in the Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territories. The Park covers an area of just over 19,000 square kilometres – that is the size of Slovenia for example, or half the size of Switzerland.   A really amazing place. 

Enjoy your stamps    Michael    cddstamps.com

Hello, I thought I would show this stunning copy of SG 77 - the 1953 Coronation issue from Southern Rhodesia.

It is Mint never hinged and has lovely colour and excellent centering, I think you might agree.

We have just loaded another 260 Southern Rhodesia (Mint never hinged, Mint Hinged, perforation varieties, blocks) to the cddstamps online store HERE  and this is a great time to fill some gaps your Southern Rhodesia collection as there are many new listings

Also to let you know we will be visiting Sydney Australia from 16th June to 20th June. This gives us the opportunity to mail orders from there.

For Australia and New Zealand customers it will mean very much faster mail delivery. For other overseas customers it should also give a faster delivery.

And, we have been clearing some boxes and found the last 13 perforation gauges in stock and will include a free gauge with the first 13 orders with total value over USD $5

This offer lasts until all perf gauges are gone or until the evening (my time) on 14th June. I hope that gives you time to look through the store and find some GB and British Commonwealth (mostly pre 1970 Brit Comm) stamps to help you fill a few more gaps in your collection.

Oh, and I will use nice older Australia commemorative stamps on the mailing.
Best wishes enjoy your collecting Michael cddstamps.com https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps

Having just spent 8 hours flying Sydney Manila (about 6200 miles) I thought I would put the journey time into perspective and show this cover for the flight from Manila to San Francisco (8200 miles) which was with stops at Guam, Wake Island, Midway Island and Honolulu before reaching San Francisco, a journey time of about 6 days and with 60 hours flying time or there abouts, compared to about 12 hours today, in one flight. This was Pan Am’s Martin M-130 flying boat, better known as the China Clipper. The cover shows the special stamps issued by the Philippines Post Office; the 10c Fort Santiago stamp and the 30c Blood Compact issue with overprint PI – US Initial Flight December 1935. There was a special cachet, as shown on the left hand side of the cover, for mail carried on the flight from Manila to San Francisco, and this was on 74,719 pieces of mail. Enjoy your flying and your stamps. Michael cddstamps.com

Euro 2016 Portugal winner's s/s

Hello fellow collectors,

Long time no see... but from now on I promise to update my blog more frequently! :)

Portugal win Euro 2016:

Portugal            1- 0           France

and Portuguese Postal Administration issued a s/s to commemorate this achievement!

This issue is already OUT OF STOCK! :(

FDC '06:
Parabéns Portugal: Campeão da Europa 2016


Do you collect Soccer themes?

Please let us know!

Cheers!

FIFA World Cup 2014

 begins on

Thursday, June 12

and ends on

Sunday, July 13

 

 

perhaps you will enjoy seeing this. From a large letter I received today. Very nice I think Michael www.cddstamps.com where you can fill some gaps in your collection at an affordable price please and enjoy looking http://cddstamps.com/bidstart-sales/

Hello, A Christmas stamp tonight, from Canada because I like it. And, it was another I found while sorting through some stock over the past few days. Issued in 1996, SG 1711, one of a set of three. Of course it reminds me how much I miss the snow. Not!!!! And, it also reminds me to tell you that I now have over 8000 lots in my Bidstart store including this and the others from the issue. I know I bore you telling you about my Bidstart store but how else am I to let you know, especially if you have some gaps in your collection that you want to fill. This last post for a few days I think as have a few busy evenings ahead then flying back to Sydney for Christmas. Will write from there and hopefully pick up the new Australia Christmas stamps while there. Maybe even the Christmas Island issue. Maybe even as a prize for Christmas :-) Best wishes to all and thanks for reading my blog this past year. Michael www.cddstamps.com and if you want to look at the Bidstart store offers just visit http://www.cddstamps.com/bidstart_store.htm and chose the country you are looking for.

This was always such an active blog. Sorry I have not written recently. Here something for you to enjoy I hope. A cover from my Aviation collection In 1928, Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm arrived in the United States and began to search for an aircraft. Famed Australian polar explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins sold them a Fokker F.VII/3m monoplane, which they named the Southern Cross. At 8:54 a.m. on 31 May 1928,[9] Kingsford Smith and his 4-man crew left Oakland, California, to attempt the first trans-Pacific flight to Australia. The flight was in three stages. The first, from Oakland to Wheeler Army Airfield,[11] Hawaii was 3,870 kilometres (2,400 mi), taking an uneventful 27 hours 25 minutes (87.54mph). They took off from Barking Sands on Mana, Kauai, since the runway at Wheeler was not long enough. They headed for Suva, Fiji, 5,077 kilometres (3,155 mi) away, taking 34 hours 30 minutes (91.45mph). This was the most demanding portion of the journey, as they flew through a massive lightning storm near the equator. The third leg was the shortest, 2,709 kilometres (1,683 mi) in 20 hours (84.15mph), and crossed the Australian coastline near Ballina before turning north to fly 170 kilometres (110 mi) to Brisbane, where they landed at 10.50 a.m. on 9 June. The total flight distance was approximately 11,566 kilometres (7,187 mi) I have some covers in my Bidstart Store http://www.cddstamps.com/bidstart_store.htm and will soon be loading more. Also if you collect Great Britain please have a look at the Store. Some great stamps there, nice quality, well described and at competitive prices. And finally, My cddstamps December Newsletter has been issued. For a free copy just email me at cddstamps@gmail.com Best wishes.. Michael

Indonesia and Japan

Hello Fellow Collectors,

Today I'm showing you 2 very nice covers. Hope you like them!

1st cover is from Indonesia!

And the 2nd is from Japan! 

If you guys have any details about the stamps please let me know! Thank you!

Happy collecting!!!

Hello, It is Friday so to end the week another stamp from RSA that I found this week. This is SG 674 issued in 1988 for the 150th Anniversary of the Great Trek. This shows "Exodus" a tapestry by W Coetzer, a prominent South African artist closely identified with the spirit of Afrikaner Nationalism. He was commissioned to do stamps for this issue and another of his works was included in the set on the 40c stamp, the Crossing of Drakenber. And finally, to add some more context to this issue, given it was a 150th Anniversary: The Great Trek was an eastward and north-eastward migration away from British control in the Cape Colony during the 1830s and 1840s by Boers (Dutch/Afrikaans for "farmers"). The migrants were descended from settlers from western mainland Europe, most notably from the Netherlands, northwest Germany and French Huguenots. The Great Trek itself led to the founding of numerous Boer republics, the Natalia Republic, the Orange Free State Republic and the Transvaal being the most notable. How interesting to know what your stamps are showing you. Well I think so. Have a great weekend. Michael.

Hello, just back from Hong Kong and of course while there, as I may have mentioned the last time I wrote, I visited the Mong Kok stamp arcade. Wonderful few hours spent looking through the little shops there. I even managed to pick up a few stamps. Just a few :-) will show tomorrow. Tonight a couple of pictures of the place. Two floors of many dealers. As I say, wonderful time. Do go there if you are ever in Hong Kong. Michael