The Columbian Exposition set of 1893 (Scott #230-245) was the world’s first commemorative set and it has become one of the most popular sets not only in United States philately but in the world. But this was not always so.
The problem of what quantities exist of different classic stamps has been one of the great difficulties of philatelic research. Counts of stamps such as United States 5¢ and 10¢ 1847 tend to be little more than guesses.
Hobbies are successful when they allow a diverse group of participants to engage in an activity where they can find enjoyment.
One of the most interesting philatelic areas is Confederate States. When the Southern States seceded from the Union in 1861, they quickly set up a postal system and issued their own stamps.
Plate numbers were put in the margins of United States sheets so that later the printer would know which sheets were printed from which plates so that plate wear and damage could be monitored.
Used Shanghai Overprints are rare. Most American companies that did business in China used the Chinese post office rather than the US post office.
A favorite philatelic country is St. Pierre and Miquelon. There is a philatelic tendency for remote areas of great charm to have a collecting importance far in excess of what any local population can create.
Almost from the very day that Philately began as a serious hobby, stamp collectors were plagued by forgeries. Forgeries exist in two types; those made for philatelic consumption and those produced to defraud the postal service of revenue (called postal forgeries).
Originally posted August 25, 2009 on ApfelbaumInc.com May 6, 1840 was an important date in English history. Postage rates were reduced to one penny throughout Great Britain, and pre-payment of…