.

Collecting on a Shoestring 5

In 1969, I was given a North American album and a large packet of US stamps at the end of a visit to relatives in Canada. This got me started collecting US as this packet filled a large chunk of the US pages in the album from the 1950s and 1960s and challenged me to try to fill the rest.

I managed to fill a lot more of those gaps from visits to a local flea market. There were a couple of dealers that regularly had stalls and the stamps were usually a couple of pence each. Soon I had reasonable coverage of issues from the 1930s up to the mid 1970s. In the 1990s, I heard of a group - the Cover Collectors Circuit Club - through which members exchanged covers and even experiences and stamps. This filled even more spaces. What with moving around the country for work, my membership lapsed.

Throughout each of the moves, there were opportunities to visit dealers and fairs. I bought covers, loose stamps and sometimes the remnants of someone else's collection. I also bought kiloware which, simply put, is  a large quantity of stamps ripped off of envelopes and usually donated to charities to raise money by selling on to dealers.

On one occasion , I purchased the remains of a collection of US material covering up to around 1940ish. Most of the stamps were relatively common but included varieties such as coils and the odd booklet stamp. It appears that the original owner had annotated the collection giving a few details and a catalogue number for the stamps. So rather than break up the pages, I just incorporated them into the folder containing my collection. Two of these pages are illustrated here showing how the original owner kept his collection

From another dealer, I purchased sheets which were taken form a special one country album for the US. An example is illustrated below.

The pages have illustrations of each stamp and when the stamp is obtained it is stuck over the top of the image using either a hinge or hawid mounts. The USPS strip illustrated is mint (unused) and is mounted using the hawid system.

With many of the definitive series, one observes changes in shade and coloration over a period of time. Some of these changes were down to environmental factors while others due to changes in ink. Also, some countries produce precancelled versions and many countries arranged for or allowed stamps to have a perforated design as a security device protecting theft from companies buying in bulk for postage.

The above sheet show how I show some of these variations without going into specialised catalogues which sort of explain some of these variations and assign a catalogue number to each. For example, since 1967, Britain has issued Machin definitives which simply consists of the queen's head and the value. Since decimalisation in February 1971, more than 1000 stamps and varieties of these stamps have been produced. A specialist Machin collectors group exists for those specialising in those stamps.

A first class Machin that has been cancelled at Watford on an IMP (Integrated Mail Processor)

Some US issues are massive compared to other countries. There have been issues where sets of 50 stamps have been known. These sets have included state flags, flowers, birds, animals and even sites. The next three sheets illustrate one such flag issue.

All of these flag stamps are genuinely used on real mail and hence have real cancels which are not the best possible. They do represent the normal treatment of stamps on mail.

It is your choice how you present your collection and what you include such as postcards, tickets, coins, photographs, leaflets, etc. If you plan to enter sections of your collection in competition, then you have to follow the rules of that competition as to what is acceptable. 

  

Autumn Stampex Part 2

I managed another visit to Stampex today for the release of the Cattle faststamps. Cover was arranged and off I went with my first stop being William IV Street/Trafalgar Square (015010). Kiosks 1 and 2 were vending sheep and 3 and 4 the cattle stamps. A set from kiosk 3 was purchased and put onto FDC (which was subsequently posted at Stampex). Individual examples from each kiosk were purchased. 

Trafalgar Square Kiosk 3 (28/9/12)

Kiosk 4 has been producing a variety on the receipt were the address is on a single line and in lower case text.

Trafalgar Square receipt from 26/9/12. This format was also seen on the 28th.

Next stop was Aldwych (008010). There  was the suggestion on a blog that a third kiosk may have been installed. I can definitely state that there are still two kiosks at this office vending cattle stamps.

Back to Charing Cross underground and the Northern line to Euston then change to the Bank branch to Angel and the Design Centre. I arrived around 12.30 and the Royal Mail stand was quieter than it was on the morning of the first day but it was still doing good business.

Kiosk A1 was set up to just sell the cattle stamps while A2 was vending both jubilee flags and cattle. The cattle stamps were also available from B1 and B2 from the counter. I purchased examples from all four kiosks and prepared a cover using stamps from A2.

Kiosk B1 at Stampex (28/9/12)

The presentation packs were also available. The stamps have the data string A9NL12 C2-051840-06.

Final stop was Old Street (028003) where the same blog reported that two more kiosks were due at the end of July. This office has undergone quite a make over giving it a more spacious layout by removing some office space. There are four kiosks numbered 2, 1, 3 and 4. Kiosk 2 was out of order during my visit but other three were vending the cattle stamps.

 Old Street Kiosk 3 (28/9/12)

Old Street Kiosk 4 (28/9/12)

In the last Stampex  blog entry, I mentioned the number of receipts issued for an order. As well as the receipt for the overall order, receipts were produced for each of the collector’s strip and another for the card payment. All but the card payment receipt are illustrated here.

Finally an example of the flag stamp from the new kiosk (number 3) at Clapham on the 26th September with the associated receipt.

Autumn Stampex 2012 – The First Day

Autumn Stampex opened at 11.20 a.m. on the 26^th of September. The weather was slightly overcast. The big news for GB and ATM collectors is the presence of two new kiosks from Hytec. In addition, two further kiosks are in the back of the stand to run off pre-ordered faststamps. 

The programme of releases during the show include Flag fastsamps with and without the Jubilee overprint, Pig fastamps for the first two days and the new Cattle faststamps from Friday 28^th to close of show. All of the faststamps will have a new office ident and machine ident. Thursday 29^th sees yet another Olympic minisheet.

For this show, the Royal Mail stand is up one level and at the back of the hall. I suspect it is to encourage people beyond the entrance of the fair. Most of the early visitors seemed to be heading there to access the Hytecs or fill the gaps in their collections from the main part of the RM stand.

My target was the Hytecs. However, there were teething problems. A check on one kiosk threw up a little error on the “Europe up to 40g” which required a last minute reprogramming before we were allowed access to the machines. It originally read “up tp”. This change then lead to problems getting the machines working with a number of re-boots required which delayed things for 20-30 minutes. This was followed by printer error messages every so often requiring the engineer to open the units.

Kiosk A2

Kiosk A1

Visible inside the unit were three printers in the order stamp, receipt and stamp. From the angle that I viewed the “works” I could not see much more than the printers and what could be a power supply unit. I also noticed a toy racing car and suggested that they had done away with the conventional bus system and replaced it with a “high speed racer”. It didn’t go down well. (A2 is the closed kiosk and A1 is open).

From what was being said, there were also similar problems with the backroom kiosks and the engineer was making regular trips back and forward.

Unfortunately, the reflections on the screens make it difficult to photograph the text.

Flags Kiosk A1

Pigs Kiosk A1

Flags Kiosk A2

Pigs Kiosk A2

Both public machines were set up to deliver either the flags or the pigs. Kiosk A1 was not producing flags with the Jubilee print while Kiosk A2 plus the two in the back were. It should be noted that the backroom kiosks (B1 and B2) were only being used to produce the overprinted flags to keep up with the orders (circa 1.30p.m.).

 Flags Kiosk B1

Flags Kiosk B2

As previously reported on the Norphil blog site and the postagelabelsuk web site, a new format for the office ident and kiosk ident is being employed on these kiosks.

A9GB12 A2-000026-01

A9GB12 is the “office” ident currently in use. The significance of the first A is unknown. The 9 signifies September, GB is Britain and 12 is the year 2012.

A2 is the kiosk identifier. A signifies that the kiosk is accessible to the public and the 2 identifies the kiosk.

000026-01 is the session number and the transaction number as with the Wincors and previous Hytec issues at Stampex.

I also must apologise for the quality of the images presented here. Usually I scan the faststamps before uploading but this time I used a digital camera at the show before applying the stamps to cover. I will be including scans of the receipts and upload the material shortly.

I hope to revisit this show on the 28^th and I will try to add a few more images of the units and screens.

Collecting on a Shoestring 4: Luck Finds

The basic rule to remember when buying for your collection is not to spend more than you can afford. There is no point in bankrupting yourself to obtain that special item.

Most beginners start by building a general collection usually with packet stamps and items from incoming mail. However, once one as decided to specialise then packet stamps rarely fill the gaps. Finding local stamp dealers and spotting adverts for stamp fairs give one access to a wide range of stock. Talking to these dealers and cultivating a relationship can pay dividends. They see you as a potential client and, as such, may keep an eye on potential stock which may be in your area of study. They are also a good source of advice on your collection.

                                                                                  

Many dealers keep a general stock but often they specialise in one or two areas. If they do not stock your speciality, they maybe able to suggest someone who does. They may also know of stamp clubs/philatelic societies in the local area who may also help you find material and information to help with one’s collecting area.

It is often useful to have some sort of checklist of what you have and what you are looking for. One country collections are easy where one can just use a one country catalogue or a database or excel listing.

Dealers present material for sale I stock books, packets or even loose sheets that have been obtained from breaking up other collections. They may also have a general “junk” box which all sorts of odds end up in. These odds, again, may be from old collections, job lots from offices getting rid of old correspondence, material that is slow to move or even envelopes received by the dealer as correspondence. Many dealers may even have trays full of postcards ordered either by location or subject.

Auction catalogues are also produced by a number of dealers and organisations. These may help you to find elusive items. Visiting a dealer or fair is no guarantee of finding elusive items though sometimes one does have a bit of luck.

On one occasion, I went to the Scottish Philatelic Congress meeting at Stirling. An exhibition/competition was run in association with the Congress and the material was on display. I was particularly interested in a couple of frames which showed the use of Transorma operator idents on Dutch envelopes in the late 1920s to early 1930s.

The Transorma was the first successful sorting machine. Operators keyed in a code which diverted the item to a particular box. An identification character or characters were stamped on the envelope, usually in red, to indicate who the operator of the machine was.

I came away from those frames very impressed and thinking that there was no way I was going to find even one item from this period. So I started going round the dealers’ stalls. On one stall I was fortunate to find one of these envelopes. It is the only one that I have ever found.

As can be seen, there is a line of red type lettering down the centre of the envelope. These were printed on the envelope as it was pushed past an inked roller identifying the operator. More modern versions had single letters, numbers or double letters.

This postcard, from 1960. has a red “D” next to Connan’s Quay in the address. This letter is the ident applied by the operator of one of the Transorma’s that were installed at Brighton between 1935 and 1967ish. These markings are relatively common on postcards from Brighton (Sussex) found at fairs. It should be noted that there are about 110 varieties of these marks from Brighton and some are exceptionally rare with only one copy reported. However, a representative collection may be produced on a restricted budget. I haven’t erased the dealer’s price from the card but it does indicate the typical price of such items in the 1980s. Typically, the dealer’s prices for these cards were based on the better understood price of the postcard rather than the Transorma mark.

Circa 1978, a “new” dealer was setting up close to where I was living. The shop was a bit dark but that was expected given the area. He has since, become more affluent with a shop in the city centre. On one occasion, this dealer purchased a quantity of stock from a bank that was clearing out old storerooms. He was selling the material off at 50p per envelope for Victorian material. It doesn’t seem expensive today but the equivalent of Jobseekers at that time was £6 per week. Students were no better off with the full grant for those living at home being around £13 per week to cover transport, books, clothing, food, etc. I did manage to afford a few items to put away.

One such item was a pre-stamp letter from Edinburgh to Hadington in 1808 (above and below). Of note is that the letter was its own envelope folded and sealed with wax. There was an enclosure at one time which, I assume, was a copy of a letter from a Mr Falconer regarding what appears, from what is present, a problem over a debt. This particular letter is of relatively minor matters historically but it is a survivor and gives a snapshot of a problem in someone’s life. 

Look at the quality of James Dundas' handwriting compared to the 1960s example or even an example from today. One can see how fluid and graceful the lettering is in 1808. There is still some in the 1960s hand but... I will leave you to make your own conclusions over the quality of a handwritten example from today. There are other items out there which document more important events. Maybe looking through a dealer’s stock you might find such a gem. 

Looking back from today's perspective, I wish that I had bought more but that brings us back to the start of this item – never spend more than what you can afford.

Collecting on a Shoestring 3: Upgraded Printers on Integrated Mail Processors 2008.

 During 2008, new Post Jet Ink Jet Printers were installed on Royal Mail Integrated Mail Processors (IMPs). The Postal Mechanisation Study Circle (PMSC) and the Postmark Society covered the introduction throughout the Royal Mail Network.

I was able to monitor the use of these printers in Manchester over 2008-9 and put together a reasonable collection of envelopes showing the various slogans used over this period along with finding the odd irregularity which subsequently were reported in the PMSC Newsletter. This study runs to 63 pages but I do not intend to illustrate every item.

I do not write up my collection(s) as such but annotate the page NOT the item, in pencil, with any appropriate note, comment or observation. These notes are primarily for my benefit but it also documents (for others) the history behind the item. It also allows major changes to be made to the page rather than making up a new page for each change.

This blog entry illustrates a possible collection based on relatively common material that was obtained via the post and by putting envelopes in to the post at regular intervals. Some items were obtained by asking at (or writing to) the Mail Centre if items could be processed on a particular machine.

Royal Mail operates around 137 Integrated Mail Processors (IMPs) and Extended IMPs (IMPEX) machines. These machines cancel, code and sort the mail.

Manchester originally had six of these machines. These were upgraded with the PostJet printer around May 2008 but the earliest reported dates for sightings of the cancels produced by these are tabulated here.

IMP	Earliest
1	29/7/08
2	14/7/08
3	15/5/08
4	5/6/08
5	23/7/08
6	4/8/08

Four more machines were installed in 2009 bringing the total up to 10 at this Mail Centre. Three of these were transferred from Oxford and the fourth from South East Anglia Mail Centre (SEAMC)

IMP	Earliest	Notes
7	31/3/09	Formerly Oxford IMP3 (machine id 134)
8	28/5/09 as IMP 7 19/6/09 as IMP 8	Formerly SEAMC IMP7 which was ex Swindon IMP2 (machine id 139)
9		Formerly Oxford IMP1 (machine id 132)
0	18/8/09	Formerly Oxford IMP2 (machine id 133)

Let’s start by looking at just one of the IMPs at Manchester. Envelopes were dropped in the post over the period from 29 July 2008 to 4 February 2009 as well as “regular” items. This allows one to build up a picture of what cancellations were in use and when. A sequence of IMP1 cancels is given below. Data from this and other IMPs at this and other offices were used to generate the table. Some of this data may also be obtained via the two societies listed above. Try Googling them for membership details or if you have a specific inquiry.

Reduced Form Cancel

From observations and liaising with others (eg PMSC, etc) one can build up a picture of usage of slogans. This table lists cancels used from May 2008 to January 2009. This cam be extended using data from various sources but is here only to illustrate how one can use “normal” mail as part of a study in to the postal history of an area. Similarly, one could build up a collection of cancels from your local town or village over a period of time. Stamp and Postcard fairs can be excellent sources for this material.

Slogan	From	To
Reduced form cancel	Continuous
Please Print*	15/5/08	13/8/08
Nominate your hero	30/7/08	13/8/08
Moving home	24/8/08	1/9/08
RAF stamps	9/9/08	19/9/08
Recruiting Now	19/9/08	26/9/08
Pride of Britain	30/9/08	31/10/08
Children in Need	3/11/08	18/11/08
Christmas Pantomime	24/11/08	30/11/08
Checking Posting Dates	3/12/08	23/12/08
Recycle	22/12/08	29/12/08
Children’s Champion (2 Versions)	2/1/09	10/1/09
Safe Box	15/1/09	18/1/09
Please Print	19/1/09

* Please Print is the default slogan cancel.

Similarly with the other machines at this or any other Mail Centre.

These cancels consist of four parts – the return marker (boxed double arrow), the data block (giving date, Mail Centre, time and a number string), the slogan and the wavy lines to cancel the stamp. The number string is very useful as it contains three pieces of data – the machine identity, time (half hour period) and the item number. All of the number strings above start with a “1” hence this is IMP 1. The next two digits give the half hour period that the item was processed in and run between 00 and 47 where 00 corresponds to the half hour from midnight. The last five items are the item number.

It should also be noted that this data is also coded in the tag code which is the set of bars added just under the cancel (see the safe box cancel above) but that is another long and complicated story as to extracting this data from the barcode. Some aspects as to decoding these barcodes are still commercially confidential and not generally available to the collector. All that I will say is that for those with a mathematical interest may wish to consult texts on Reed-Soloman correction systems. However, in the majority of cases, it is easier just to use data in the cancel if one is present.

I may return to examine other items from this section from my collection to illustrate other areas where collecting day to day items can be used to study the postal history of an area without costing a fortune.

Collecting on a Shoestring 2

Experienced collectors always say that one should always purchase and collect the best available stamp or cover available. But always remember that most normal people have a restricted budget.

Some of these “experts” then proceed to do the exact opposite by collecting rather tatty, torn, water stained or partially burned items. These damaged items are collectable crash or accident mail and are the survivors of plane, train or ship accidents. Items from some of the more famous accidents such as the Hindenburg crash/fire are highly sought after. These are stories in themselves and take in researching the causes of the accident, who were involved in the accident, why were they there, was there a special stamp or cancel for the journey and so on.

What about the mail that drops through our letter box? If it is like anything like the mail that drops through mine, stamps are rare. Most of the items have their carriage paid either by meter or PPI (Post Paid Impression). So, at first glance, these envelopes can be dropped straight in to the great grey receptacle. However, take a closer look at the envelopes as there may be a strange story behind each of these dull items.

Postal operations add marks which assist in getting the item from sender to recipient and by “reading” these markings, one can build up a picture of the route taken. The difficulty arises from developing the skills to do so.

Metered mail, in the UK, receives either a red or blue inked impression giving the rate paid by the sender. In the impression, one gets a date stamp, possibly a slogan and there is a serial number identifying the machine and even the model!

Coding marks applied to automate the sorting of mail can through light on why the envelope may have been delayed, which machine was used to code it and where, date and time information and even an unique identifier for that item of mail. With some older processed items it may actually be possible from records to identify the person on the coding desk.

Postmarks have long been seen as the quickest and easiest way to track a mail item. The sending office puts a postmark cancelling the stamp. Sometimes intermediate offices may also apply a cancel mark and the receiving office may also have added the mark too.

Back to basic stamp collecting. Mint stamps appear to be promoted as the way to collect. These stamps should automatically be in the best condition since they are obtained direct from source and not subsequently used and abused by the postal service. They also make a nice display without those “nasty black smudgy cancels” to spoil the aesthetics.

First Day Covers (FDCs) are more bulky but are a very easy method of getting the stamps used with a clear cancel that also documents the first day of use of the stamps. However, these days, many FDCs are not first day as such. Philatelic bureaux prepare and cancel covers in advance of the issue to meet the prospective orders. In the UK, at least, there are about half a dozen Special Handstamp Centres (SHCs) which accept first day items up to a couple of weeks after the day of issue to allow for the “vagaries of the post”. In addition, these centres offer a range of special cancels which have relevance to the stamp issue and not just the place of posting.

Used stamps are exactly what they appear to be. They have been used to prepay the postage of an item. They have weathered the “hardships” of the postal services and received markings en route. Worst of all are the stamps attacked by the over zealous postie with a biro. This totally devalues the stamps as being collectable but some collectors do actually add such items to their collection as complete envelopes to show what can go wrong.

Collectors soak these stamps off the envelope and dry using blotting paper. However, self adhesive stamps which have become more popular over the last decade tend not to be able to be removed from the envelope by soaking and the best way to deal with them is to cut round the stamp. If there is a clear cancel then cut around the stamp and cancel.

So to finish this entry, it is possible to piece together a story from the envelope and how it passed through the systems. This can add to the story given by the image on the stamp.

Capex -Canadian International Philatelic Exhibition

I am trying to reorganise parts of my accumulation of stamps into a more logical format. To this end, I am mounting material onto white A4 card and placing the cards in protective plastic wallets in a ring binder. It is probably not the best way to mount material but it works reasonably well.

Circa 1997, there was a car boot sale in a local park. I went grudgingly but I did find a stall where someone was selling off some covers. I managed to buy the bulk of the Canadian material for about £20 which was all that I had on me. I had examples of the majority of the covers but what made them interesting was that they had postmarks other than the Canadian Philatelic Bureau one.

Amongst the covers was the cover illustrated below. It has the CAPEX sheet issued by the USPS. It is on what appears to be an envelope from the organisers. On the left of the envelope are printed three Victorian stamps and a maple twig similar in design to that shown on the sheet.

 

The stamps illustrate eight examples of North American wildlife including the blue jay, chipmunk and raccoon. The cancel is of CAPEX Station, United States Postal Service, Toronto and is dated 15 June 1978.

Note that Mr Zip, the postman, appears on the selvage. Mr Zip was introduced to help promote the use of the American version of the post code - the zipcode. The zip code initially had five digits but was later extended to zip+4 to improve the flexibility of the system and extend its usefulness in getting mail to more local areas.

Collecting on a Shoe String 

I have been collecting stamps for more than 50 years. I started when I was five. I have rarely had the cash to splurge on my collecting interests. So I think that I might be qualified enough to say something about building a collection on a restricted budget.

During the Olympics, I became involved in correspondence with a dealer on his blog site over the confusion surrounding the Gold Medal Winners’ stamps and the expense involved for completeness. There were six printers (with another three on standby) and four different margins per winner. With 29 gold medallists this mounts to 696 sheetlets each at £3.60. If one bought an example of each, it would cost £2505.60 (plus what ever appeared from the back up printers).

One aspect of the conversation was over buying material that one can afford over what was expected. The confusion mentioned above centred round whether the Post Office would sell single stamps instead of the sheetlet with six stamps. Some offices did sell single while others didn’t. The format suggested that the complete sheetlet of six stamps would be the norm mint or on first day covers. It would also suggest that dealers would only be interested in purchasing the complete sheetlets rather than individual stamps.

This dilemma over buying “commercial” or what fits with your collection is as old as stamp collecting. Dealers often use the “commercial” excuse for fixing buying and selling prices – “you have to the set because it is not commercial for us break up the set because we cannot sell the rest if you take that one stamp”.

National and international exhibitions often show the expensive and the exotic – the material that the normal person would rarely find let alone afford to purchase. This had lead to the suggestion that those that can afford it are “buying” the top honours in the philatelic world.

Therefore, unless you have just won big in the Euro-lottery, money is a limiting factor in building up a collection.

I started collecting by ripping around the stamps on the envelopes that arrived from family overseas. These were stored in a box. My bought me my first album. It was about C5 is size and consisted of about 32 pages. She also gave me a couple of packets of stamps. Any pocket money was spent at Woolworths on the 6d and 1/- packets of stamps that were available in the early 1960s.

In high school, I joined the stamp club which introduced me to first day covers and, a since then, first day covers is how I end to collect GB stamps. For a while I could also purchase a second mint set plus a few other GB “collectable” formats.

Gradually, my collection got to the stage where I had most of the “affordable” material from the three countries that I concentrated on – GB, Canada and the US. While at University, I joined the city philatelic society. This added to my knowledge but it also showed that there was no way that I could compete with some of the other members on material but it opened my eyes to possibilities.

One member regularly displayed material that could best be described at material from the waste paper basket. It met most of the criteria for philatelic study but failed on its relatively common status but it appealed to me.

So what was this material? In the 1970’s new Mechanised Letter Offices were coming on stream throughout the country. Coding desks were being installed which would allow the operator to put a dot code on to the envelope which would then speed up the sorting of the mail downstream. The dot code was a simple binary code corresponding to either the postcode or an extract of the post town. In addition an inked code number or letter was usually added which identified the desk and, hence, the operator.

To me this was a totally new area to collect. It had the advantage that the majority of material could be obtained almost for free by asking people to keep the whole envelope for you or you could simply go round the office at the end of the day and pick out the envelopes from the bin. It offered the opportunity to become involved with new postal technology almost from the beginning.

Since then, I have joined the Postal Mechanisation Study Circle and ended up editing their monthly newsletter.

What to Collect

 The choice as to what to collect is up to you. I collect GB stamps because of where I live, Canada because of family, USA because of a gift of a bundle of US stamps and Postal Mechanisation because it was cheap, readily available and novel (when I started). I also have fair collections of India and Poland because of contacts made, Algeria through family and friends and Denmark because of a kiloware purchase or two.

There are two main choices – single country or theme. 

Single country collections are probably easiest to research and build. The choice of country may be determined by family, a visit to that country or even a gift of material. It may be a place that you would like to visit and, through its stamps, one gets a potted history, geography and cultural lesson.

A listing of stamps issued can readily be obtained from a stamp catalogue which may be purchased or obtained, on loan, from a library. Catalogues may give dates of issue, perforation varieties, overprints, miniature sheets in basic detail or as extensive listings depending on the catalogue.

In the UK, the most used catalogues are produced by Stanley Gibbons. They produce a range covering from simplified to very detailed studies on single countries. In the US, the Scott catalogue rules.

With thematic collecting, one builds up a collection on some subject that interests you. It could be a history of aviation, flowers, cats, ships, prisoner of war mail or a multitude of other subjects. There are catalogues available for some themes. Many have been put together by collectors and made available to all. Alternatively, one could just start with a “world” catalogue and work one’s way through it making your own listing.

So now that you have decided what to collect, what do you do next? Again that depends again on the material you want to include. There are conventional stamp albums, stock books and cover albums.

Conventional stamp albums come in many forms. There are basic ones with country names printed at the top of the page. Stamps are stuck in using stamp hinges on the appropriate page. Blank page albums are probably the most flexible. Again stamps are put in using hinges. Special “hinges” known as Hawid strips are used for mint stamps. Postcards, envelopes, photographs and ephemera may be mounted using photo corners – not the double sided ones.

Stock books are commonly used for mint stamps and stamp booklets and cover albums are used for first day covers, postcards, etc.

You have now chosen to collect a single country. You have a listing of what stamps have been issued by that country. If like me, it is a second or third hand catalogue supplemented by photocopies from more modern editions. This allows you to sort out what you may already have chronologically. These can then be mounted on the page of your album – say one page per issue.

With a thematic collection, each page may be allocated to a particular subject – stamps depicting manx or Persian cats; roses or pansies; Concorde or Spitfire; and so on. The more one gets into the subject, the more one can “specialise” the subject – Spitfire mark 9 or mark 22 and so on. Or you may just decide to present by set issued.

The format you use is up to you.

In future blogs, I hope to return to this subject and illustrate some of the material that I have in my collection. How I write things up is essentially my benefit. For single country collections, I just pencil in the title of the issue and maybe the date. Other parts of my collection tend to be a header and maybe a pencilled comment. Maybe, this exercise will be an excuse to get me to get stuck in to my collection and write it up. Don’t just follow my lead, take what you think is reasonable but put your own “stamp” on what you produce.

Kennsington High Street Crown Office, London W8.

Originally this office was sited at 257 Kennsington High Street but is now at 208-212 which is just about opposite the old office. The old office only had one kiosk present and items produced by this office had the office ident 011006. The current office has two kiosks. The office ident is now 012006.

I visited the office at 208-212 on the 10th July 2010 and the items obtained from both kiosks.

Kiosk 1 receipts had no address while kiosk 2 had the address in upper case lettering and the building number on a separate line. Kiosk 1 was vending sheep stamps while kiosk 2 was vending pigs. Session numbers for both kiosks on the 10 July 2012 may be obtained from the images above.

208-212 Kennsington High Street - present location.

257 Kennsington High Street - old location.

I visited the old office in July 2010 and the extract from the summary table from my pmechuk website is given below.

011006

W8 6DB

257 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6DB

27/11/09

The kiosk was at session 11693 on 16/7/10. No logo was printed on receipts.

1

I hope to add further entries giving details of items obtained from various Wincor-Nixdorf offices. In this way, I hope the evidence that I am producing will assist collectors of this material. I would welcome feedback and data on session numbers, stamps vended, errors and varieties, problems, etc at any and all offices throughout the UK. Either add a comment to this site or e-mail me at pmechuk@gmail.com.