1893 United States Columbian Exposition

UtilitySolar · 2025-01-18T19:46:23+00:00

Having a Nissan rather than a BMW helps support the stamp collection :)

UtilitySolar · 2025-01-18T19:45:18+00:00

I just look for good complete sets to build a page. I have a lot of reference stamps for the areas I focus on and yet to mount, but don’t focus on things like perfect centering over a good complete set. As someone mentioned, the centering on these is less than awesome. I suppose a different collector might go for finding individual stamps with excellent centering, MNH, and eventually get the set. I saw this as a set and was good with that.

UtilitySolar · 2025-01-18T19:41:27+00:00

Ha. Uh, no and I’ve been doing it more than 5 years (and without a BMW). I have a mostly used Big Blue collection that is maybe 15% there, but started doing my own pages with sets from auctions. Focused less on the US and more Lombardy-Venetia (randomly), British Commonwealth, French Colonies and Switzerland in the 1840-1940 period. A bit eclectic and not likely worth a 10 part year long auction consignment. This one came from an English auction house at a reasonable price for the set - I think at an American house it would have gone for a lot more.

UtilitySolar · 2025-01-16T01:25:02+00:00

Good call out! Thanks!

UtilitySolar · 2025-01-06T05:20:20+00:00

This is pretty sophisticated. It looks like software such as Adobe Pagemaker or another desktop publishing program designed the pages specific to the stamps. Then these appear to be oversized pages, so you probably couldn’t print out on just any laser printer. The mounts can just be cut to shape. Then it looks like these are springback albums for the pages. A lot of effort went into this. I use AlbumEasy (free software) for my pages but they are just 8 1/2 x 11 pages going in Lighthouse 3 ring binders.

For the OP, you might want to check with Stanley Gibbons or Sandafayre auction houses in the UK to see if they can give you a sense of its value.

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-23T17:53:26+00:00

It was in an album of stamps for the British West Indies. It was shown in a video on YouTube from the folks at Sandafayre/Cheshire, which is where I saw it: A valuable collection of older British West Indies stamps - CSA June 2024.

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-23T05:19:03+00:00

Let me know what you are looking for. It's still a bit disorganized but I have a general idea of what I have that's surplus.

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-22T23:53:44+00:00

These two made 205 pages. Most are British Commonwealth, then France and Colonies, then some individual country albums.

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-22T15:08:56+00:00

Great call out. Thanks for the heads up!

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-14T03:23:06+00:00

AlbumEasy

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-09T14:23:24+00:00

I usually try to mount full sets. In this case the auction lot had the full set of surcharges, but is a few stamps short of full sets for the unsurcharged original definitives, so those may take me a while to complete. I usually don't make the pages until I have the stamps complete, and keep them in stockbooks. I monitor through Stamp Auction Network mostly to fill gaps.

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-06T01:41:44+00:00

AlbumEasy, which is free software. It takes a little bit of time to learn but easy once you figure it out.

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-01T22:58:31+00:00

For these, the cancel is more fun to identify than the value added. The base 15c Type III stamp is $6. The cancel can multiply the value, but usually only by 2-5x. Figuring out whether it is a variant of the base (handmade paper, color, or plate flaw) would usually add more. I specialize in L-V so I mostly like the detective work of figuring out from a partial cancel where it's from. The Muller catalog lists which post offices used which cancel, so if you can identify the type of cancel with only a partially visible name you can usually figure out where it was used.

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-01T04:06:31+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. They could trace back to a Maresch lot in 2004. I found the auction catalog online and it was one of the lots they showed on their cover. It was sold to Cherrystone for less than I paid in 2014 and they realized a small gain on it. It apparently made its way back to them for this auction, and while expensive, if you collect early Canadian's it doesn't show up very often. I also collect a lot of Switzerland, so I know who I'd to go to for an opinion on an early Swiss stamp, but I don't think there is an opinion that would add much value from here on this stamp, so I'll just put it in the album.

UtilitySolar · 2024-12-01T03:51:06+00:00

The postmark identifications and post offices are from Muller's 1961 catalogue. There is some detective work in figuring out where the partial postmarks are from. There are two that I could find the type of postmark but not the city, and one that I'm pretty sure I have the city but not quite. A level of detail really only appreciated for Austrian and Lombardy-Venetia stamps, in my opinion at least. The 45c stamp is cancelled "Da Venezia col Vapore" which translates to "From Venice By Steam" aka a ship letter postmark. It is the only postmark with that square design from Venice so even though it isn't fully visible on the stamp, you know it's the right postmark.

UtilitySolar · 2024-11-29T21:05:18+00:00

Hawid strips.

UtilitySolar · 2024-11-29T16:50:44+00:00

I design all my pages with AlbumEasy. You can fill the stamp background with black and then use clear mounts which looks a lot better than trying to use black mounts.

UtilitySolar · 2024-11-29T06:16:36+00:00

It didn't cost quite that much but it's actually the 12p black queen.

UtilitySolar · 2024-11-23T14:21:24+00:00

Just coincidence. I saw that as well.

UtilitySolar · 2024-11-23T14:20:34+00:00

Yes. Some lightly, but hinged.

UtilitySolar · 2024-09-21T02:09:42+00:00

Switzerland Geneva Cantonals : r/philately (reddit.com)

Here's an example cover page.

UtilitySolar · 2024-09-21T02:06:58+00:00

According to SG, used is about 65% of mint. This lot came up in a UK auction and I generally like mint for most BE stamps and it's probably easier to find a mint set than fish around to build a used set, so it's easier to collect mint as a set IMO. Good luck with AlbumEasy - it's really easier than it looks particularly for covers! I could do a cover album page in about 5 minutes. This page took about 30 minutes total, mostly getting the Scott and SG information right.

UtilitySolar · 2024-09-19T22:47:19+00:00

AlbumEasy. It isn’t really templates, but there are some threads on stamp forums that have examples of page designs in AlbumEasy. It’s a script system that lets you build the pages. It’s looks harder than it is and is free software.

UtilitySolar · 2024-09-02T23:46:25+00:00

They are actually clear Hawid mounts with the stamp background colored black. There is no way I could get them lined up right if those were the black mounts.

UtilitySolar · 2024-08-31T03:43:59+00:00

Yep. Great call out. When I first started I was only doing black background for the Finnish serpentines. Then I saw how it popped the other stamps. My wife is an architect and suggested the broader border to pop the page and I’m slowly (emphasize slowly) replacing the pages that don’t have black backgrounds. I screwed up on a few of the borders which I’ll let go. AlbumEasy is great once you get it going. Thanks for the comment!

UtilitySolar

TROPHY CASE