Saturday, February 18, 2006

Queen Elizabeth

King George the 6th. Coronation issue. FDC in fact AND an overprint, What more could you ask for? Another big Omnibus issue from the same country that brought us the original postage stamp.

The Cook Islands and New Zealand are old stomping grounds of Captain Cook, who was murdered and chopped into pieces and divided amongst Hawaiian Chieftains.

9 days till the St Louis expo. Hope to see you there!!





Friday, February 17, 2006

Real Estate

I had a busy day today. I saw a house I had to get. I find out by 6 tomorrow if my offer is accepted. The house looks similar to the building on this stamp.
In my eyes.
JimmyB

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Cahokia Mounds Unesco

22 million cubic feet of earth make up this mound just 15 miles from my house. I didn't know about it until recently when I was in the Topicalstampsandpostcards group on yahoo and someone(actually several people) traded UNESCO cards. I looked up UNESCO on the internet and I DISCOVERED it. This place had a population of 20,000 between 1100 and 1200 AD. I was shocked when I saw how big it was and didn't even know it was here. Unesco, check it out. Lots of Sites Worldwide. Collecting postcards from them is a collectors challenge. Good Luck. I can readily get these cards for any postcard trades. If you just want the card, all you have to do is send me a letter requesting one. If you want it mailed in mint condition, please email me and we can see what kind of deal to work out. I have no problem collecting cards postally used. I know some of you collectors have better taste(and I admit you do) rightfully so. everyones got their own tastes. Mine is cheap beer and Captain Morgan.

Oh yeah, those two previous contests for SUPER CHEAPO prizes, that would still be nice in a collection are still open. No winners yet. The Let's Dance set of postal cards and the letter from the US with very nice Commemoratives. I'll even ask you what you want from my recent mint I have, or older commemoratives from the 40's 50's 60's and 70's maybe later too.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

CCCP or CPCP

A couple good guesses yesterday, both from my daughter at college. I guess it may take someone familiar with US to know what to look for. My feelers HAVE been out in the WW area. Though I do like US classic and the rest woill be nice when I find the time to add to the album(Mystics Heirllom). Really a nice Album, though I'd opt for buying a 4th spare binder, as the 3 are big and stuffed. They would be better manageable divided into 4 binders.
I'm stumped on this cover. It's a flyer with a stamp cancelled. I thought it was russian. CPCP on the stamp. CCCP on the flyer. It's one piece of paper folded over with Cyrilic writing inside. Is it something Russian but not in my catalogue because it's like a cinderella? telegraph or railroad or the like? I'm stumped here fellas. Any ideas? I havent found my linns stamp identifier. DRATS!!! Keep pegging away at it Rosie, maybe someone in your dorm has interest in US stamps. THAT everyone, will show the popularity of Philately in the US. Did everyone click on the ad at the top and make me a nickel? I'm getting rich everyone!!! That's why I also work 6 nights a week now.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Columbus? I just heard the Vikings and Chinese beat him!!!

Tonight I added a link. It's basically a huge link page. Hmmm? What am I gonna put up tonight?
I'll put up a pair of stamps and see if someone can see, the difference, and tell them apart. The 1st person to tell correctly in the comments will get a splendid letter with some nice US commemoratives on the cover. Now remember...this offer is good till it's got a winner. Even if I gotta keep offering it every month till Kingdom comes!!! hehe, anyways, here are the stamps. I tried loading them earlier large, but I'm loading it medium now. Someday I will have this web page designing stuff down better. You have to wipe the dust off your screen and look careful to see the difference, but if you know what your looking for you'll have a better time seeing it. Good luck, and you gotta specify 1 top and 2 bottom in your comment or the next person may wind up being the winner, though you may have been correct!


These are not very pretty stamps, I agree. Let me just say that I get what I can. I'm not proud, I'm just happy.

JimmyB

Monday, February 13, 2006

Tuvalu



Tuvalu is a GROUP of Islands, located about halfway between the Hawaiian Islands and Australia. Ethnicity was the reason Tuvalu seperated from the rest of the islands. New coinage is printed on the stamps here. I'm not sure what that is all about. The turtle theme is another topical that is very popular in the US. The cover is addressed to someone that lived in Germany. I'm not real crazy about envelopes with the red and blue border. The red bleeds over onto stamps when you try to soak them off the cover. Not a problem if you keep the entire cover. The special envelopes are lighter in weight, so as to save on the high cost of international mail. every gram of paper weight that can be saved in shipping cost matters, especially if you mail letters a lot.

JimmyB

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Latvia Cover



Nice cover from Latvia I got yesterday. He's selling turtle covers on ebay. Musta got a lot of them at an auction. I got a Tuvalu to Germany cover. Turtle stamp of course. That'll give me something to show tomorrow.
Getting excited about the upcoming stamp show. I hope to get lots of material at a good price. 2 weeks away. I work on friday and saturday, so I'll be relinquished to attending on Sunday. Just in time for the markdowns anyways. I always seem to get bigger discount offers in the last couple hours then I do if I go on opening day anyways. There are so many stamps I want, that I don't have to worry about getting that ONE stamp I had to have.
Don't forget to click on an ad up above, I'll do the same for you!!

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Salsa Postal Card



A US postal card released last year. The same design as the 37 cent stamp set. Family is visiting for a few days from Florida. Wish they'd a brought some warm weather with them, still above freezing is still good for February. If someone would like the complete set of 4 postal cards, please send me a letter(snail mail) and if you are drawn from a random drawing(in a month) you will get the set. If not, you will at LEAST recieve a nice thank you reply letter with a couple(or several) US postage stamps affixed.

JimmyB

Friday, February 10, 2006

Ship


Today it's a ship, oh, just happens to be a Trafalgar anniversary again!!!! I can't get away from them.

I just read where the US 29 cent stock exchange invert, went for $26,000. Wish I could get sweet stamps like that.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Lord Nelson Trafalgar



The sweet smell of gunpowder and victory!!! The greatest military hero ever!!!
I've got a lot of the Anniversary issues last year, but I'm still missing a lot.
For those of you who don't know, Nelson masterminded the total annihilation of France and Spains combined fleet of 33 ships. 18 of which were totally destroyed. He did this with only 27 British vessels, and losing not a single ship. He only had 1700 casualties(counting himself), compared to France and Spains 7,000. He died knowing he had won a great victory.

God save the Queen!!



Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Gilbert and Ellice Islands




Whay kind of bird is this I wonder? Nice looking stamps I have to add. I wonder how the letter "d" came to signify the penny? c for cent in the US, but just call me to lazy to see what the "d" is for. Is it for denier? Does anyone know?

Ignorantly,

JimmyB

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Reason against personalized stamps


Heres a good reason why personalized stamps should not be allowed.

This guy got a picture thru the censors who watch for bad stuff coming in for stamp requests. This is a high school picture of "the unabomber" Ted Kaczynski.

Why allow even a chance for stuff like this to get on postage stamps. I grabbed this image off the internet and that is why I don't have my usual black border around the white envelope. I think I make my point come across anyways though.

JimmyB

Monday, February 06, 2006

Nudes



Not too long ago I posted a few stamps of nudes on a group site and was told that it was a family site and children could possibly see them. I removed the scans from the site, but then I was a bit perplexed also. Aren't these meant to go on mail delivered in public view? I don't find anything offensive with these stamps and every person alive, if fed naturally as an infant, has seen a breast before.
Austria has a few of the best nude stamps I've seen. If you should by chance find these offensive, don't fret, I won't be posting these often.

JimmyB

Sunday, February 05, 2006

United Nations FDC



Going thru a cigar box, I came across this Human Rights Day 10th Anniversary FDC. No clue how I got it, must have been awhile ago. It was in one of MY cigar boxes, not a cigar box I've recieved from several such ads in Linn's that are always packed full of interesting stuff.
I've always been intrigued by the fact that the UN issues there own stamps, these bear the New York postmark. I can't recall the other UN postal localities just now, I'll have to dig out the book and let you know(if you don't already) in another post.
I see that Canada is going to issue 4 stamps commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Ontario Horticultural Association. The 4 51 cent stamps will each show a different type of garden. I only see three of the samples on the cover of Linn's. Perhaps the 4th depicts a marijuana garden?!! From what I've read, that seems to be the big thing to grow up there.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Philippine Stamps on cover

A recent cover recieved from a penpal in the Philippines. Nice series of stamps. One flawed a bit. I think this happens because of either poor gum, or else the corner was not moistened and it folded over and broke off.
For me personally, damaged stamps are fine for my collection. I know that many collectors abhor such damaged stamps, but I welcome them. Particularly when I don't have any other copies of them. Beggers can't be choosers.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Two Zeppelins



Just two mind you, these are both very nice stamps. I paid a bit more for the US Zeppelin I have to admit, but the Hungary stamp is much nicer looking. That just goes to show you that a nice looking stamp collection can be had by even those of us on the tightest of budgets.
Zeppelins abound on stamps and make a great topical for a collection.

JimmyB

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Giving the dog a bone




Hong Kong, China. This place is synonomous with the year of the dog.

I think I need to get the cleaner out for my scan plate. I swear these stamps are perfect, my scanner has reflected light specs on the images. It's too late to go thru the trouble right now, These pics are good enough to tell the story.

Is anybody getting SuperBowl fever? I predict the team that scores the most points will win. I gotta admit it'd be nice to see the Bus go out in style, just the way Walter Payton did with the Bears back in the mid eighties.

JimmyB

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Winter Olympics 2006/Franklin


Heres a look at the US Olympic stamp and sheet I mentioned a couple days ago. Pretty nice design I have to say. That's a compliment coming from me. I tend to dislike quite a bit of what the USPS puts out.
The only gripe I may have(gotta have one I guess), is that the olympic rings are all black and should be of different colors. Then again colored rings may have been looked at and decided against for visual effect.
Is anyone going to the games? I'd like to see what Italy's coming out with for the commemoration.

I was mistaken the other day when I said that the Franklin postal cards were not in at the post office. Mistaken in the sense that they were postal cards. They are postal ENVELOPES!!!

Today the post master said he didn't have Franklin postal cards, but he did have envelopes. Oops on my part. Franklin envelopes were released in January with his image for postage. Both on regular and business sized envelopes. I grabbed two of each in case someone would like one with whom I correspond with. They cost 47 cents apiece for customers buying them. I wonder how many people really use postal envelopes? Well, just look at yesterdays post and you will see one person who does.

Nice image of Franklin, I was expecting a white bust silhouette when I originally read about it awhile back(I think in Linn's news).

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Ghana




Today I'd like to thank Samuel for the kind letter he sent me, telling me much about himself. It was sent on a postal envelope and is very greatly appreciated. I am returning the favor immediatly. So much is told in a letter and penpal letters truly are written in pen. The internet is nice for communication, but letters are so much more personal. Now I can add Ghana to the list of countries I have recieved mail from. Posted jan 13th it took just over two weeks to arrive. Pretty good time, all things considered.

I wonder if this postal stationary stamp is similar to actual stamps produced by Ghana? Does anyone have a clue? The flower looks similar to orchids I have seen. I have not gotten a chance to look up what actual flower it is. Western union is also printed on the envelope and I imagine that the envelope was purchased at a store that has a western union. So much to look into.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Pikes Peak



I was hoping, hoping I say, to get a set of the new postal cards featuring Benjamin Franklin today, when I went to the post office. Instead, I picked up this new postal card with the Pikes Peak stamp featured.
Postal card rates were increased by 1 cent to 24 cents on Jan 8th this year.
My local office doesn't always have all the available postal items. Hopefully the Franklin cards will come in sometime soon.
I also picked up a couple sheets of stamps, one featuring a slalom skier for the winter olympics and another with Hatie Mcdaniel in the Black Heritage series. Those I'll show on an upcoming blog.
Pikes Peak was named after Zebulon Pike who led an exploration party in southern Colorado in 1806. This was the same time that the Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark were seeking a passage to the Pacific further to the north.
Pikes peak is By no means the tallest mountain in Colorado, It's fame is due to the fact that it is far to the east in the mountain range and can easily be discerned from as far away as the great plains.

JimmyB

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Mozart





Mozart would have been 250 years old last Friday the 27th. Austria, his birthplace, released this commemorative stamp to celebrate the event.

If you haven't been reading the news this month, a museum supposedly has his skull, which was unearthed by a man who remembered where he was buried in a communal grave (right, like I believe that). Hard to imagine the likes of him being bankrupt. Scientists last month tried testing the skull to see if it was really him by collecting dna. The study was inconclusive so the question remains, whether it is his skull.

Here is a German stamp bearing his image.


Even if you don't like classical music, I'll bet if you listened to it, you'd find much of his work enjoyable. Haven't you ever sang "Twinkle twinkle little star"? Don't get it stuck in your head now!!