Hello, I am finally making time to write. I hope you enjoy seeing these and perhaps learning something new, that is if you do not already know about the difference.

Issued in 1992 to commemorate the opening of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.  A feat of engineering and one I lived through I might add. Certainly made my drive to work back then so much quicker.

Anyway, why two images? Well the top pair are SG 1375/76 and have a perforation of 14½ while the bottom pair are SG 1375b/76b with a perforation of 15½. The stamps were also printed se-tenant in horizontal pairs to form a composite design. Rather nice I think.

There is also an interesting catalogue value difference. Perf 14½ are catalogued at £3 each, while perf 15½ are catalogued at £1.90 each. Have you got both sets in your collection?

I mention that because, as you can already guess, I have a few copies of both sets available in my online shop, along with many other perforation differences, phosphors, self adhesives and imperfs from booklets to help you fill a few gaps in your collection. Please enjoy looking at https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps    A great chance to fill a few gaps in your collection, especially for collectors of Australia stamps because I now have over 7700 in the shop, and at what I think are very competitive prices and nice quality.

Enjoy your stamps… Michael

Hello, another week flown by, literally for me as well because I have been to Australia for a long weekend. I found this waiting for me, along with quite a few $50 definitive values that I used on a parcel I mailed just over 2 years ago. Finally they made it to my collection and stock.

This stamp was issued in 2015 in a special miniature sheet to commemorate weather phenomena. Specifically it was to commemorate Typhoon Vicente.

This typhoon, in 2012, was regarded as the most powerful storm to strike southern China, Hong Kong and Macau in recent years. The Hong Kong Observatory issued a Hurricane Signal 10 warning, the first such high level since 1999. I recall the day very well as I was living there at the time, and my apartment was on the 62nd floor.  Very windy to put it mildly, and of course we did not go to work.

Enjoy your stamps  Michael   cddstamps.com

This is from the 1997 Fauna and Flora series showing various images of the Kakadu Wetlands.  Lovely issue. Hope you enjoy seeing this $10 stamp which has reflective gold coloured inking of the word Australia and the $ value.  That is why it looks black in the scan.

I found these and some other nice earlier issues when I was putting stamps on the orders I will be mailing from Australia later this week. I will be mailing orders from Sydney as it will ensure faster mail delivery time – especially for my Australia and New Zealand customers.

Only three full days before I fly out, ,so if you want maybe this stamp used on a letter,  and a free perforation gauge  - my special is free gauge with orders over $5 and I have 2 left I should add, then get your order in soon.   

Visit the online store here  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps

And in case you did not know - The Kakadu Wetlands are in the Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territories. The Park covers an area of just over 19,000 square kilometres – that is the size of Slovenia for example, or half the size of Switzerland.   A really amazing place. 

Enjoy your stamps    Michael    cddstamps.com

Hello, I hope you had a lovely weekend, and enjoyed some stamp time. I certainly did. Found this. Nothing that special I think but nice to have. It is has a touch of toning which slightly distracts.

It is SG 1 and while imperf it is imperf by nature of being between gutter margins. Pity not from adjacent stamp, but still something a bit different.

Now for a favour please. Simple really. Please  try to open the website cddstamps.com   www.cddstamps.com    I ask because I cannot open it from my home laptop.

My hosting support people tell me there is a hop problem with my ISP.  Very strange as my internet is working just brilliantly - it is just the one site that I cannot open, and I cannot update the pages. if you can try please just send me an email cddstamps@gmail.com saying yes you can or no you cannot.

One mate of mine in Australia was able to open it.

All very odd,  so I am trying people around the world so I have some more details to give to my ISP or the Hosting support people.

Will you be so kind as to help me?  Many thanks

 Enjoy your stamps.  Michael  cddstamps

 Hello, I thought I would show this lovely copy of SG 77 - the 1953 Coronation issue form Southern Rhodesia. It is mint never hinged and has lovely colouring and excellent centering I think you might agree

I show this because we have just listed 260 Southern Rhodesia stamps  including mint never hinged, mint hinged, VFU to good used, perforation varieties and blocks to the cddstamps online store HERE 

A great chance to fill some gaps in your collection as much of the material we have loaded is stock not previously listed by us. 

Also FYI, We will be visiting Sydney Australia from 16^th June to 20^th June. This gives us the opportunity to mail orders from there. 

For Australia and New Zealand customers it will mean very much faster mail delivery. For other overseas customers it should also give a faster delivery.

Also, we have been clearing some boxes and found the last 13 perforation gauges in stock and will include a free gauge with the first 13 orders with total value over USD $5

This offer lasts until all perf gauges gone or until the evening (my time) on 14^th June. I hope that gives you time to look through the store and find some GB and British Commonwealth (mostly pre 1970 Brit Comm) stamps to help you fill a few more gaps in your collection.

Oh, and I will use nice older Australia commemorative stamps on the mailing

Best wishes enjoy your collecting Michael

cddstamps.com https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps

Hello,  while it is still 2nd June in the USA as I write,  I thought it worth showing these -The set issued in 2007 SG 2686 - 2691 and the Sgt Pepper album commemorated on the stamp

Why?  Because 50 years ago on 2nd June the Beatles released the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album in the USA. Their 8th studio album and in many ways perhaps the iconic album of all time.

Enjoy your stamps and of course listening to the Beatles whose music has surely survived the passage of time.

Michael  cddstamps.com and our online store here https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps

  

Hello, I found these while sorting some of the stamps I picked up in Hong Kong last weekend. Nothing of value but perhaps interesting to see and learn about the postage stamps of this part of South Africa. I hope my summary below is accurate.  As not something I collect I thought maybe someone would like them. So a simple quiz.  Who designed the first the 1933 George V definitive for Swaziland?  Winner will be first correct answer in email to cddstamps@gmail.com with your mailing address of course.

In 1903, after British victory in the Anglo-Boer war, Swaziland became a British protectorate. Much of its early administration including for example, postal services, was carried out from South Africa until 1906 when the Transvaal colony was granted self-government. Following this, Swaziland was partitioned into European and non-European (or native reserves) areas with the former being two-thirds of the total land.

The constitution for independent Swaziland was promulgated by Britain in November 1963 under the terms of which legislative and executive councils were established. The first Legislative Council of Swaziland was constituted on 9 September 1964. Changes to the original constitution proposed by the Legislative Council were accepted by Britain and a new constitution providing for a House of Assembly and Senate was drawn up. Elections under this constitution were held in 1967.

The first stamps were issued for Swaziland in 1889, being from Transvaal (South African Republic) overprinted  with  ‘Swazieland’.

When Swaziland became a protectorate of the South African Republic in 1894, the stamps of Swaziland were withdrawn, and superseded by issues of the South African Republic overprinted Transvaal. During the Second Boer War, postal services came to a standstill. Having become a British protectorate in 1902, Swaziland again used the stamps of Transvaal but with no overprint and, from 1910, the stamps of the Union of South Africa.

Stamps specifically issued for Swaziland commenced from 1933, many of the issues being of the designs common to the British colonies.  From 1967 stamps were issued for Swaziland as a Protected State, and from 1968 as an Independent state. 

And please, don't forget if you have gaps in your British Commonwealth collection to have a look at cddstamps stock     at https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps 

Enjoy your stamps..  Michael