Hi, TGIF and time for some stamps. Seems I see nothing but new issues celebrating Christmas in my mail boxes these days.  Many from countries that just seem to mass produce so called stamps because they hope to raise some revenue. Others because they wish to celebrate in some way or other. This USA stamp above  is in my view one of the nicer stamps I have seen for a while. Not sure when it was issued but nice to find in a kiloware lot I am sorting.

Anyway, since it is Christmas in 4 weeks I thought it time to send my Christmas present to one lucky reader.  Just email me at cddstamps@gmail.com, no quiz, no question just email me I will will send the lucky winner a mix of some 200 GB stamps (yes probably some duplicates but I have tried to minimise them, and tried to make sure quality is good)...... the winner being the 25th email I receive.  Oh and please send your mailing address.

Best wishes..  michael

and if you want to treat yourself  for Christmas, and cheaply at that, and fill a gap or two in your collection please visit http://www.cddstamps.com/bidstart_store.htm    and check out the country you collect from my Bidstart store. Prices are very competitive, quality is very well described and every order no matter how small will receive 100 free world mix if ordered before 9th December. ( so you get them all in time for Christmas)

I am back online. No internet since Sunday and while I can hotspot from my phone that is just not the same is it.

So to celebrate I thought I would show you this lovely cover. Well a bit dirty but nice all the same.

As you may know I collect GB GV Downey Heads and GV has always interested me. A little bit of history ( courtesy wikipedia of course)

George was a grandson of Queen Vistoria and Prince Albert and the first cousin of Tsar nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser wilhelm II of Germany.  From 1877 to 1891, he served in the Royal Navy.  On the death of Victoria in 1901, George's father became King Edward VII, and George was made Prince of Wales. On his father's death in 1910, he succeeded as King-Emperor of the British Empire.  

As a result of the First World War, other empires in Europe fell while his expanded to its greatest effective extent. In 1917, he became the first monarch of the House of Windsor, which he renamed from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as a result of anti-German public sentiment. His reign saw the rise of socialism, communism, fascism, Irish republicanism, and the Indian independence movement, all of which radically changed the political landscape. The Parliament Act 1911 established the supremacy of the elected British House of Commons over the unelected House of Lords. In 1924 he appointed the first Labour ministry and in 1931 the Statute of Westminster recognised the dominions of the Empire as separate, independent states within the Commonwealth of Nations

Of course one of the notable aspects of his life was his interest in stamp collecting. He was a well-known stamp collector,and he played a large role in building the Royal Philatelic Collection into the most comprehensive collection of United Kingdom and Commonwealth stamps in the world, in some cases setting record purchase prices for items.

Why Canada issued a cover to celebrate the 72 anniversary of his birth I have no idea. Perhaps I am missing the obvious. Any readers know this? 

Enjoy the history to your stamps.   Michael

Hello, TGIF and here I finally am in front of the computer and wanting to write about stamps. What to write about. I was in a boring meeting today and started to think about what to write but nothing came to mind. But back in my apartment I found this.  A lovely cover from 1980, from Kenya. The stamp alone has a SG catalogue value of £2.50 so I assume a cover in this condition would be collectible. Something to add to my Bidstart store maybe, if I ever get time.

Anyway, I am showing it because I enjoy seeing anything Rowland Hill related.

As I am sure you all know, he was an English teacher and inventor. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the then postal system, that was back on the late 1830s in England.  His ideas led to the Penny Post, a prepayment for the delivery of letters. He served as a government postal official and is generally credited with originating the basic concept of the postal services we all know of today, including the invention of the postage stamp.

Without him I would not be writing!!!
have a great weekend.. Michael

PS click image to see larger view, and if you want to fill a gap in your collection I hope you visit http://www.cddstamps.com/bidstart_store.htm after you have looked at eBay prices and choices :-)  

Time flies. As it seems do I. Am back in Hong Kong but so busy again. Skipped a business dinner / drinks tonight as just wanted to be home and look at some stamps and write. Sad eh!!   Not really.
hope you like this. Found in a lot I am sorting at the moment. One of many I believe designed for this issue and this one with a Gent postal franking.

Nice. If you know more please write to me at cddstamps@gmail.com and I will share with other readers

Best wishes.. Michael

Hello, Sorry not written for ages, been so busy. Am back in Australia for 48 hours and picking through a box of stamps and covers I found this lovely cover.   No idea I had this. Hope you enjoy seeing it as much I enjoyed finding it. Lots more, which I will hopefully show over coming weeks, and I may even list in my Bidstart store    check out http://www.cddstamps.com/bidstart_store.htm if you want to fill a gap or two in yout collection.

Have a great weekend.. Best wishes.. Michael

You may have read about the typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, reported as one of the strongest ever recorded with winds up to 200mph. I hope all my fellow collectors and their families over there are safe

Have a safe weekend

Michael
www.cddstamps.com

Tonight a group of three. Sorting again today and from a few copies of this issue (SG 713 from the 1966 Christmas issue) I noticed some printing shifts. The middle stamp certainly has a good shift to the left, while the left hand stamp is shifted to the right.  There is nothing recorded in my GB Concise so I presume these are quite common. All the same it is nice to see such a variety and I think they make an interesting addition to a collection.

I am listing the three in my Bidstart store for 25p. I do hope they are common :-)   Visit me here at http://www.cddstamps.com/ and click the Commemorative link under the Queens image on SG 2541 and when in the Store just type 713 in the Search For field.

Have a great weekend  .. Michael

Hello,  hope you like tonights stamp. One I found while sorting some Isle of Man recently.

Also to let you know I have published my November issue of cddstamps Newsletter. A one page Newsletter that if you haven't seen past issues you might enjoy. Some information about stamp quality descriptions which I think is so important given the plethora of rubbish one frequently sees on auction sites from people who are obviously not stamp collectors or bona fida sellers. Whatever, it is always up to you to make your purchasing choice I guess.

Anyway, the Newsletter is free  -  just email me at cddstamps@gmail.com and I will send it to you.

Hope to find more time to write over the weekend, after had some sleep :-)   been a very busy week.

Best wishes.. Michael     www.cddstamps.com