Hello, sorting a few stamps today and came across this one. Why am I showing it you ask? Well it made me think of the past week in Hong Kong. Weird association maybe but it has been very wet here and the winds have been very strong.
 Hope you like it. It will be up in my Bidstart store when I get a chance.  Of course there are over 6700 other stamps listed so if you are looking to cheaply fill a gap in your collection please have a look at http://www.ipdastamps.org/members/start.php   Enjoy.

have a great weekend ... Michael
http://www.cddstamps.com/

Oh, and if you are a dealer / part time seller please have a look at the IPDA new site at http://www.ipdastamps.org/   We have updated the site and you can see very quickly the benefits of Membership.  The August Newsletter has just been issued I am the Editor in case you din't know. I will send a free copy if you email me at michaelatipda@gmail.com

Hello, well I have a few stamps here with me in Hong Kong - just a few I put into my case before I left Australia.  Sadly I have no catalogues with me so cannot tell you much about this stamp.  However I show you this one because I can. Meaning, I got my new printer and scanner and the older version of Photoshop Elements all connected tonight.  Another step in getting organised.

Hope you like the stamp. Overprinted with 'Associated Statehood  1967'

Next trip back to Oz I will get a few catalogues and, a magnifying glass.  Never realised how much I used one until I don't have one. :-)  Oh, I did remember to pack my tweezers. well they took so little room in my suitcase :-)

Enjoy your stamps.
Michael

Hello, I know it has been a week or more since I wrote but just wanted to say Hello, and hope everyone enjoying their philatelic activities.

I moved to Hong Kong ( yes again) on Monday last week and have been busy in new  role, busy getting an apartment to live in , and busy this past weekend cleaning and settling into the apartment I signed up for. All settled now and I expect to be writing about stamps in the coming week.

Best wishes... Michael   www.cddstamps.com

Please don't forget my Bidstart store is still open and all my stock is here with me in Hong Kong and all orders will be mail from now on within  24 hours.   Visit me at  

http://www.bidstart.com/stores/michaelatcddstamps

pre printed stamps

Hi, many years ago I started keeping  all the mail I received from companies advertising their products and services. I have no idea why but I just did. This is one example. From a pre-printed envelope showing postage in Australia from Optus.  Now I am suspecting not many people bothered to keep these marketing letters, these spam letters as we might call them today.  So I have a few. Mostly Optus but a few others. And some 40 plus others that were corporate labels  not with "stamps" as such but impressions for postage.  Really nice collection if that is what you collect.

I am moving house and found these and rather than add the to the rubbish skip I thought I would tell you about them. Anyone collect such material?  If you do please write to me. I am not that wealthy that I can afford to send for free but if you pay my postage and handling costs they are yours. Awesome selection in my view   Write for more details to cddstamps@gmail.com if interested.  Total lot is over a kilo in weight so postage will not be cheap   - at Australia rates but  I can mail cheaper from Hong Kong if you can wait - but  maybe some interesting envelopes for you?  Let me know.

PS  my reply may be slow as I fly to Hong Kong for work on Monday   First serious expression of interest will get these.. some 50+envelopes..many unopened as they are just marketing material

 Anyway  interesting collecting material I think.

Best wishes..  have a great philatelic weekend

Michael  www.cddstamps.com

Hello, I could have chosen any one of a number of stamps to show you tonight but I particularly like the colour and design of this one. Issued in 1938. I know I say this often but the designs were just so perfect. Compared to the rubbish / pretty sticker designs of todays and recent issues. Don't you think? These took craftsmanship I think, and imagination,
Even though this was issued in 1938 and is MUH it still only has a catalogue value of £0.30. Hard to believe in my view.  But then it is listed on eBay for £2.25. Why? what have I got wrong?

Enjoy your stamps and always check the listing in a good catalogue :-)

michael  ............    www.cddstamps.com

Hello, hope you all had a good day. I did. Well mostly that is.    Finally tidied up a few more stamps and packed boxes because I am moving, both from house and back to Hong Kong. Dates to be finalised but soon I hope :-)

So this tonight as my going away gift to one of my readers :-) as I will be finding it difficult to write for the next week I think........ if you can answer this question.

oh, some details first. This set was issued in 1997 to commemorate the establishment of Hong Kong as a Special Region of the People's Republic of China. SG 900 - 905 with a catalogue value of £3.00. Nice addition to a collection I would think.

Ok the quiz question............ the use of the title Royal (as in Great Britain Royal) was commonly used before 1997 but the Royal title was dropped after 1997 from, I think, all or almost all organisations except for one very well known one...   can you name that orgainsation....  email me at cddstamps@gmail.com      1st correct answer wins, if you provide me with your mailing address.

All mailings will be from Hong Kong from next week...   all things going to plan and flights permitting :-)  

Best wishes  ........... Michael
www.cddstamps.com

Hello again, another from Canada which I hope you like.  This issued in 1955 to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

SG 480 and VFU catalogue is only 20p.  This copy is not used but has no gum as I found it with a group of stamps stuck together, Oh well still nice to have in my aviation themed collection.

ICAO is a specialised agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. Its headquarters are located in Montreal. .

The ICAO Council adopts standards and recommended practices concerning air navigation, its infrastructure,flight inspection, prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international civil aviation. ICAO defines the protocols for for air accident investigation followed by transport safety authorities in countries signatory to the Convention on International Civil Aviation ( the Chicago Convention). 

enjoy your collecting...... and learning from this wonderful hobby :-)  

Michael

Canada 1930's

Hi, I think I have a bias for Canada but all the same I hope you agree they produced some beautiful stamps over the years. Certainly collectible and worth having in one album to enjoy every now and again.  I have just  listed some stock from the 1930's to my Bidstart Store    check out http://www.bidstart.com/shop.php?keywords=canada&category=0&userid=105545&advsrc=&submitsearch= if you want to see some really beautiful stamps.

The first stamp I show above is one example. Issued in 1937 for George VI Coronation.  What a lovely cancel. The second stamp was issued in 1934 to commemorate the 4th century of the discovery of Canada and shows Jacques Cartier.  Cartier was a French explore of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France.  

He  was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named the Country of Canadas after the Iroquois names for the two big settlements he saw at Stadacona (now Quebec City and at Hochelaga (now Montreal Island)  

Hope you like to see these.

Best wishes.. Michael

Belgium Congo for a change

As many of you might know I am moving house soon and getting ready for that crazy day I am tidying up my study. Oh dear what a mess :-)  and stamps everywhere. Found this.    Issued in 1931, as SG 190. One would have thought, since it is a higher value item from the set,  it would command a better price. Really nice but sadly it only has a catalogue value of £0.10

Thought you might like to see it. Lovely design and interesting features maybe you will agree.

Hope you are having a great philatelic weekend,

Michael

Machin security Issues

Hi, I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. If you have time for stamps perhaps these security Machins interest you. Lots to collect and study.  You can read more at http://www.cddstamps.com/gb_security_machins.htm where you will see my entry to the GBPS competition a few years back. I am still sorting these. Always trying to keep my collection up to date.

If you collect these also have a look at   http://www.bidstart.com/mysummary.php?page=selling&subpage=selling   where you may find one or two that you are missing.  I will try to loaded more issues (codes and dates) over coming weeks as time permits. Of course you can always write to me at cddstamps@gmail.com.

One thing to say, my view anyway, you should not try to remove these from the envelope piece. You will see all mine are on piece, neatly trimmed with small margin of the envelope. Trying to remove these non soluble gum issues will damage the stamp, I don't care what others may try to tell you. Chemicals or whatever is just not a good idea. Many of these have useful catalogue values, even though they have been produced in their millions, so trying to remove them, that is soak them, from the envelope could see you damage a nice collectible item. And, if you want my advice,  if I saw these for sale cleaned from paper I would not be thinking of buying them. :-)

Have a great weekend..... Michael
www.cddstamps.com

A philatelic update from CDDStamps

Canada SG 365 FU  - from my Bidstart Store -  SG Cat  £2.75

Hi, time to give you an update on my recent philatelic activities. Much of my time is spent sorting and cataloguing stamps for my Bidstart Store. I am aiming to get a good stock there so you can have a good chance of filling those gaps in your collection. Why have to buy a set when you only need one stamp to complete an issue.

So far I have loaded just over 6500 listings. That number is after sales so far of just over 1300 listings. So I must be doing something right :-)  At least it is paying for some of the new material I am adding to my collection.

Average selling price for a lot is about 50c US  and prices generally range from 5% of cat to 65%, so you will see that you get excellent value.

You can go direct to my Bidstart store from this link http://www.bidstart.com/stores/michaelatcddstamps  or you can go to my website link which shows all the countries from which I have material listed      just click this link http://www.cddstamps.com/bidstart_store.htm   I think will be easier for you from this link. Try it and have a browse.

There is a pretty good selection of GB,  over 2000 listings, including through to early 2013 issues, and some 20 other countries including good selections from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Rhodesia Zimbabwe and some older 1950 - 1970 USA.

One thing I have done is list multiple copies of a stamp. This way I hope you will enjoy the opportunity to chose the franking that suits you. Most of the Used material I list is postally used. I don't list CTO and try to avoid listing stamps from FDCs but some I will admit are there.

Hope you have time to look and are able to fill a few gaps in your collection. If I have not listed a stamp you are looking for please write to me at cddstamps@gmail.com. I just may have not got around to listing that yet.

Best wishes  ..........   Michael