The French postal service, known as La Poste, stands as a quintessential institution deeply rooted in the nation’s history and culture. Its origins trace back centuries, evolving from rudimentary messenger systems to the sophisticated postal network it is today. Understanding the beginnings of the French Post Office unveils a fascinating journey of communication, innovation, and…
Early airmail stamps hold a special place in philatelic history, marking the dawn of a new era in postal communication. These stamps were specifically issued to cover the cost of sending mail by air, reflecting the pioneering efforts to establish airmail services. Here are some notable examples of early airmail stamps: These early airmail stamps…
The Vanishing Stamps: Why Some Post Offices Have Stopped Issuing Stamps In an era where technology seems to be dominating every aspect of our lives, there are some subtle changes occurring that might go unnoticed until they directly affect us. One such change that has quietly been taking place is the dwindling availability of postage…
Switzerland, famed for its precision and efficiency, has long been a global benchmark for postal services. The journey of the Swiss Post Office is a tale of adaptation, innovation, and steadfast commitment to service. From humble beginnings to a modern, multifaceted organization, the Swiss Post Office has traversed the currents of time, evolving to meet…
There was a time in our hobby where you couldn’t really call yourself a collector unless you belonged to a stamp club. Thousands of clubs existed in this country and, in Philadelphia alone, in 1970, a collector could go to a different stamp club meeting five days a week. There were over twenty clubs in the…
Tom Wilson had been a customer of ours for years when he called us to come and see his collection that he was ready to sell.Tom and I spoke on the phone and set up an appointment for me to come to his home in Chula Vista, quite a ways from my Jenkintown office, but, for…
There have been thousands of competitive stamp exhibits that have been prepared and displayed over the last century. These collections take years to develop and many hours to mount, describe and write up. They are then put up in frames at a stamp show, seen by a few score people and, on average, exhibited a dozen…
There are two major European cities that share a history of constant political change. Danzig in the north is at the border of the German and Russian areas of influence and has changed political affiliation many times, with incarnations as Polish/Russian dominated, German dominanted and independent. In southern Europe, Fiume is a philatelic entity at…
When I started in the stamp business in the late 1960s there was still active a large group of professional philatelists who had been political refugees from the 1930s. These were people who had escaped Germany and Eastern Europe and had come to the United States, often by very circuitous routes. All had a story and most…
Occupation stamps are war time issues that are printed by an occupying force for use in the territory of a conquered area. As such, they are usually quite popular in the country that did the occupying, as sort of a jingoistic memory, and quite unpopular in the country that was occupied, reminding them of their weakness…
Revenue from the sale of stamps fund many worthwhile projects. Early in the twentieth century, the first philatelic exposition souvenir sheets were issued to help pay for some of the world’s first stamp shows. Most European countries today issue semipostals, stamps with a charity surcharge, to fund the work of the Red Cross or to…
Luxembourg is a small and wealthy country located between France and Germany. In 1940, Luxembourg was on the invasion route that Nazi forces took to overrun France and the government of Luxembourg was quickly overthrown. As they did for most of the countries that they occupied, the Germans quickly issued Occupation stamps. The most remarkable thing…