Monthly Archives: May 2019

Flightless Birds (Australia 2019)

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[press release] Issue Date May 7th
Commemorative stamps feature our flightless birds

Australia Post is set to commemorate our flightless birds — from the very big to the very small.

Speaking on the stamp release, Australia Post Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt said: “Australia’s distinctive flightless birds have become iconic symbols both here and overseas. Each beautifully presented stamp showcases the unique features of each bird, and is sure to appeal to bird lovers, the general public and collectors.”

The smallest of all the penguin species, the Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) is the only penguin to breed in mainland Australia and Tasmania, and is a contrast to our largest birds, the Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

The two domestic base-rate ($1) stamps and international ($2.30) stamp were designed by Sharon Rodziewicz of the Australia Post Design Studio and feature:

$1 Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) The Emu, which is common throughout much of inland Australia, can reach up to two metres in height and is the second tallest bird in the world, after the Ostrich. The female Emu’s clutch of around eight to 10 dark-green eggs is incubated by the male, who doesn’t eat or drink for the eight weeks until they hatch. He also cares for and protects the striped grey and brown-black chicks for 18 months, until they can fend for themselves.

$1 Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) The only cassowary species found in Australia is the Southern Cassowary, distinguished by its vivid blue face and neck, long drooping red wattles hanging from the throat, and tall horn-like brown helmet or casque. The Southern Cassowary is found in tropical far north Queensland, and like the Emu, the male incubates the blue-green eggs.

 

$2.30 Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) The Little Penguin or Fairy Penguin, which reaches about 33 centimetres in height, is found around the coast of southern Australia. Spending most of its time foraging at sea, it returns just after dusk to rocky burrows near the beach.

Products associated with this issue include a first day cover, stamp pack, and maxicard. The stamp and associated products are available at participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794, and online at auspost.com.au/stamps, from Tuesday 7 May 2019 while stocks last.

Native Bees (Australia 2019)

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[press release]   Issue Date: May 14th
Australia Post abuzz with native bee stamps Some of Australia’s native bees are set to appear on a striking commemorative stamp issue to be released by Australia Post this May.

Speaking on the stamp release, Australia Post Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt said it was an opportunity to learn about the diversity of Australia’s native bees.

“We have a great diversity of native bees and they play an important role as pollinators of native flora. These beautiful stamps remind us of how integral the often solitary native bee is, and they’ll be of interest to nature lovers and collectors alike.”

The four domestic base-rate ($1) stamps feature artwork from renowned Australian wildlife illustrator Kevin Stead and include:

$1 Resin Bee (Megachile macleayi)
The Resin Bee, from the family Megachilidae, builds its nest in narrow holes in timber, constructing the nest and sealing the entrance with gums and resins it collects from leaves and plants. This solitary bee, which is found across northern Australia, prefers nectar from legume flowers.

 

$1 Green and Gold Nomia Bee (Lipotriches australica)
From the family Halictidae and found throughout eastern Australia, the solitary Green and Gold Nomia Bee nests in the ground. After looking for mates and foraging for nectar during the day, clusters of numerous male bees spend the night clinging or “roosting” together on tree twigs or grass stems.

$1 Wasp-mimic Bee (Hyleoides concinna)
The solitary Wasp-mimic Bee from the family Colletidae can most frequently be seen feeding from eucalypt flowers in eastern Australia from southern Queensland to Tasmania. It convincingly disguises itself as a black and orange wasp in order to fool and deter predators.

$1 Neon Cuckoo Bee (Thyreus nitidulus)
The striking, bright metallic blue Neon Cuckoo Bee from the family Apidae is so named because it opportunistically lays its eggs on the pollen balls inside the ground nests of the Blue-banded Bee (Amegilla cingulata). This solitary cleptoparasitic bee, which has no need to collect pollen from flowers, is found across eastern and northern Australia.

Products associated with this issue include first day cover; stamp pack, medallion cover, booklet collection and booklet of 10 x 4 $1 self-adhesive.

The stamp and associated products are available at participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794, and online at auspost.com.au/stamps, from Tuesday 14 May 2019 while stocks last.

Hotchner: U.S. Stamp Prices And Inflation

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By John M. Hotchner

I’ve just gotten to the long put-off project of updating my U.S. albums — used stamps only — and that has required paying attention to catalogue listings; not so much values as numbers, what can be washed and what can’t, year-by-year programs, and such. And that has provoked some random thoughts.

When I began collecting stamps in earnest, in 1954, at age 11, there were barely 1000 catalogue numbers after 107 years since the first U.S. stamps were issued. In the 74 years since then, the U.S. has issued another 4300+ stamps. The midpoint, catalogue number 2650, was issued in 1992, with a First Class letter rate of 29¢. Which means we have had about 2650 U.S. stamps (ignoring air mail, postage due, officials, and other Back of the Book issue) in just the last 26 years.

Many of the U.S. stamps from the very beginning to those of today have varieties and subvarieties. What this means is that collecting the entire country has become a mammoth undertaking — even if we limit ourselves to a single copy of each major variety. Projecting into the future, at roughly 100+ new stamps per year, the challenge will become gargantuan over the next 25 years — assuming we still need or want stamps in the next 25 years!

Let’s look at another aspect: Our first stamps in 1847 were denominated at 5¢ and 10¢; the former for letters sent up to 300 miles, the latter for over 300 miles. Shortly thereafter, in 1851, the basic rate was reduced to 3¢ for up to 3000 miles and 5¢ for beyond that distance. On October 1, 1883, the domestic First Class letter rate was set at 2¢, regardless of distance. And there it sat for nearly 50 years; except for 1917-19 when a penny was added for postage on letters (really, a semi-postal rate, as the additional penny was intended to help pay for the costs of American involvement in World War I.)

The 2¢ rate ended on July 6, 1932, when the 3¢ rate came into force. Twenty-six years later, it was increased to 4¢ on August 1, 1958. And the march to higher rates with ever shorter time spans began in earnest. In recent years, there have been nearly annual rate increases (though there was a hiccup in April, 2016, when a court directed the USPS to reduce its 2014 49¢ rate to 47¢ because the increase to the 49¢ rate had been improperly processed. Eight months later the 49¢ rate came to stay, last year it became 50¢, and this year, it went to 55¢.

Some of the sting of recent rate increases has been removed by introduction of the Forever stamp concept in 2007. Had you bought heavily in 2007, the 41¢ you paid then per stamp would now be carrying 55¢ letters. Of course, some of that gain would have been eaten up by inflation. And the USPS would have had your money all this time instead of you having it in the bank earning interest. You have to figure that the USPS knew what it was doing, and did not expect to lose money on the Forever deal. In fact, virtually all First Class stamps are now issued with the word “Forever” as a part of the design, and the concept has been extended to other types of mail as well.

The bottom line is that collecting U.S. stamps has become more expensive if looked at it purely from the standpoint of cost per First Class stamp — especially if we collect mint U.S. Ah, but I hear you say, today’s dollar is not what it used to be. To be fair, the present First Class rate has to be seen in the context of inflation. In other words, 2¢ in 1900 is not the same as 2¢ in 2018.

The website in2013dollars.com is helpful in understanding this. A single 1900 dollar could buy what it takes $30.42 to buy in today’s dollars. The 1950 figure is $10.33, and the 2000 figure is $1.45. Using their calculator, the 2¢ you paid for postage in 1900 is the same as 61¢ in today’s money. And that means we are getting a bargain.

Looked at another way, we really do get a bargain. Our domestic letter mail cost is among the lowest in the developed world; made possible by the volume of mail sent in this country: around 40% of the world’s total. Nowhere else in the world can you send a letter as far for as low a rate.

But we buy much more than First Class stamps. For example, the numbers of dollar stamps these days greatly exceeds (what with Priority Mail and Express Mail) the numbers of dollar stamps issued through the 1954 Liberty issue of my youth. And as I think back to the few 1¢-5¢ booklet panes which I treasured in my youth, today’s output of booklets is staggering when one considers the range of stamps in booklet form, and the varieties of booklets.

What is on our stamps? The earliest U.S. issues celebrated the Founding Fathers, which was gradually expanded to presidents and other prominent politicians and government (including military) officers.

The the first tentative steps toward expanding subject matter of stamps began with the 1869 issue, advanced with the 1893 Columbian Exposition issue, and really began to flower with the 2¢ red commemoratives starting in the mid-1920s. But the people honored remained mostly those in the above categories.

Expanding the categories of people was begun in 1940, with the Famous Americans issue of 35 stamps; five in each of seven categories (Authors, Poets, Educators, Scientists, Composers, Artists, and Inventors).

Today, we have taken what was a good thing and arguably gone round the bend with a majority of our stamps being devoted to pop culture, and sports, fruits and other edibles, pets and flowers. Whereas our stamps of the first 100+ years were devoted to the people, events, discoveries that made America great, we now overwhelmingly celebrate what will sell.

Let’s look at a few more changes. Multicolor stamps — actually only two colors to start with — were a rarity from 1869 when they first appeared, and were the exception rather than the rule into the late 1950s. The first year that more U.S. commemoratives were issued with multicolor designs than as single color was 1961. The reason tracks to advances in printing technology that made multicolor stamp production more reliable, faster and cheaper.

The same advances in printing technology also resulted in our much lamented leaving the era of line engraved stamps in favor of surface-printed and photogravure printing. Many feel strongly that the trade-off of routine multi-color stamps in place of the beauty of quality intaglio printing was a mistake. Why couldn’t we stick with engraved multi-color stamps? The Postal Service felt the higher cost couldn’t be justified.

The early 1960s also saw another imperative for multicolor stamps — the fact that another “color” was being added in the form of tagging; made necessary by the requirement to automate mail handling in the interest of speed and cost control. That has blossomed into its own specialized field with different tagging compounds, formats (overall, block and stripes), and tagging embedded in the paper that comes from the manufacturer so that it doesn’t have to be added by printing.

And we can’t forget the advent of self-sticks, introduced in 1974 and used now and then until the self-stick experiments of the early 1990s, which quickly morphed into nearly the entire production of U.S. stamps being produced in self-stick form. Granted, the public loves it, and we collectors might also — had it not come with a terrible surprise: Almost all used self-stick stamps are difficult if not impossible to wash from the envelopes that carry them. The USPS has not seen the cost of adding a washable layer to stamps, thus making self-sticks collector-friendly, as being worth the cost.

And so, time, fashion, and technology march on. Whether the result in our issued stamps is a net positive or negative for U.S. stamp collectors can be debated ’til the cows come home.

On balance, I think it is a less attractive hobby to newcomers than it used to be, and I regret having to say that. But it can be just as absorbing and fascinating once a collector is hooked, and for that reason, I don’t fear for philately’s demise as some do.

U.S. stamps will continue to change. It is not in our power to stop change. What is in our power is to resolve to adapt to the changes as best we can rather than simply railing against them.

Should you wish to comment on this column, or have questions or ideas you would like to have explored in a future column, please write to John Hotchner, VSC Contribu-tor, P.O. Box 1125, Falls Church, VA 22041-0125, or email, putting “VSC” in the subject line.

Or comment right here.

Queen Victoria Bicentenary (U.K. 2019)

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Issue Date May 24, 2019

[from a Royal Mail press release]
Queen Victoria Bicentenary We mark two significant bicentenaries in 2019 – the birth of both Queen Victoria and of her husband Prince Albert. Queen Victoria’s reign was the second longest in British royal history and the era named after her saw dramatic social, political and economic change. We mark this anniversary with stamps that chart the life of Victoria from Princess to Empress, and the accompanying miniature sheet stamps celebrate the legacy of Prince Albert.

Products:
Stamps AS4583 £7.30
Miniature Sheet MZ141 £4.50
Presentation Pack AP460 £12.60
FDC – Stamps AF445 £9.35
FDC – Minisheet MF138 £6.00
FDC – PSB Pane HF087 £5.20
Stamp Souvenir AW111 £9.35
Stamp Sheet Souvenir AW112 £6.00
First Day Envelope AE400 £0.30
Prestige Stamp Book YB084 £17.20
Press Sheet PZ040 £74.25
Postcards AQ277 £4.95
BU £5 Coin Cover AN161 £19.95
Silver £5 Coin Cover AN162 £82.50
Gold £5 Coin Cover AN163 £1,995

Stamp Technical Details:
Number of stamps: Six
Design: Webb & Webb Design
Acknowledgements: Queen Victoria by Baron Heinrich von Angeli, Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019; Queen Victoria with Benjamin Disraeli by Theodore Blake Wirgman © The Forbes Magazine Collection, New York/Bridgeman Images; Queen Victoria on Horseback with John Brown by Charles Burton Barber © The Forbes Magazine Collection, New York/Bridgeman Images; Queen Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019; The Marriage of Queen Victoria by Sir George Hayter, Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019; Queen Victoria when a Girl by Richard Westall, Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019
Stamp Format: Square
Stamp Size: 35mm x 35mm
Number per sheet: 30/60
Printer: International Security Printers
Print Process: Lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5
Phosphor: Bars as appropriate
Gum: PVA

Values / Descriptions:
1st Class Head and shoulders portrait of Queen Victoria by Heinrich Von Angeli in 1890.
1st Class A painting of Queen Victoria and Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli at Osborne House in 1878.
£1.35 Painting of Queen Victoria depicted on horseback with servant, John Brown, dated 1876.
£1.35 Portrait of Queen Victoria wearing the Robes of State dated 1859
£1.60 The marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert dated 1840
£1.60 Queen Victoria as a young girl with her terrier, Fanny, dated 1830

Minisheet Technical Details:Number of stamps: Four
Design: Common Curiosity
Acknowledgements: Background image – Albert Prince Consort © Hulton Fine Art Collection/Getty Images; Model Lodge, Kennington, Private Collection/© Look and Learn/Illustrated Papers Collection/Bridgeman Images; Balmoral Castle, Scotland, Private Collection/© Look and Learn/Bridgeman Images; The New Crystal Palace, Sydenham © Science & Society Picture Library/Getty Images; Royal Albert Hall, London, Private Collection/© Look and Learn/Peter Jackson Collection/Bridgeman Images
Miniature sheet size: 146mm x 74mm
Stamp Format: Landscape
Stamp Size: 41mm x 30mm
Printer: International Security Printers
Print Process: Lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14
Phosphor: Bars as appropriate
Gum: PVA

Value / Description:
1st Class Model Lodge, Kennington
1st Class Balmoral Castle, Scotland
£1.55 The New Crystal Palace, Sydenham
£1.55 Royal Albert Hall, London
Background Image Albert Prince Consort

Presentation Pack (No. 571):
The Presentation Pack contains all six special stamps plus the Legacy of Prince Albert miniature sheet in a separate carrier. The pack includes an illustrated biography of Queen Victoria reflecting on her life on one side and her long period of mourning following the death of Prince Albert on the other.

 

 

Garden Birds (Netherlands)

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[press release via Google Translate]
Garden birds in the Netherlands

The Hague, 23 May 2018 – On 20 May, PostNL issued a new stamp sheet: Garden Birds in the Netherlands. Illustrations of 6 different garden birds adorn this sheet. Michelle Dujardin provided the illustrations, art director Yvonne Warmerdam was responsible for the stamp design.

Second issue with (garden) birds
The Tuinvogels stamp sheet in the Netherlands is a follow-up to the issue that PostNL issued for PostEurop on April 23, Vogels in the Netherlands. At Birds in the Netherlands only 2 birds were central, on the stamp sheet of Garden Birds in the Netherlands 6 garden birds can be seen: blue tit, winter king, robin, house sparrow, golden rooster and great tit.

Every bird has a soul
On the stamps Garden Birds in the Netherlands the illustrations of the birds are placed on the stamps to fill the image. 5 of the garden birds are sitting on a twig, only the house sparrow is sitting on the ground. The illustrations by Michelle Dujardin have its characteristic minimalist style: realistic, with a slight abstract-impressionistic touch. Michelle: “I have chosen 6 common garden birds. They are birds of which everyone at least knows the name. Last summer I saw a golden rooster here in the garden. Striking, because normally you don’t see them often in the west. I have a weakness for the shape of this type of bird, which also includes the wren. Real balls that actually still resemble the egg from which they crawled. On the stamps I have depicted them the way I prefer them. As if every bird is alive, has a soul and could fly up like that.”

Own bird version
For both bird drawings, Michelle used photos to properly capture the feathers, the colors and the shape. “But I always take the liberty to draw my own version of the birds. With a build-up of colors that you don’t always see at first sight, “says Michelle.

Availability
The Tuinvogels stamp sheet in the Netherlands has 6 stamps in 6 different designs, with value designation 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps have been available since May 20 at the post office in the Bruna stores and via the website. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

Dutch Frisian Islands (Netherlands 2019)

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Two souvenir sheets issued May 20, 2019, each with its own press release from PostNL.

[press release]
Schiermonnikoog gets its own stamp depicting nature and architecture

The Hague – The well-known ‘Mooi Nederland’ (‘Beautiful Netherlands’) stamp series will be dedicated to the Dutch Frisian Islands in 2019. Today, the fifth stamp sheetlet from this series was published, paying ample attention to Schiermonnikoog’s nature and architecture. Stamps depicting Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling and Ameland were published earlier this year. At the same time as the stamps about Schiermonnikoog, PostNL today published an assembled stamp sheetlet depicting all five islands.

Scenic beauty
Since 2005, the ‘Beautiful Netherlands’ stamp series has drawn attention to local history, cultural wealth and scenic beauty. This year’s new series about the Dutch Frisian Islands was designed by Birza Design from Deventer.

Recognisable images of Schiermonnikoog
In the design of ‘Beautiful Netherlands 2019: Schermonnikoog’, the island shape plays the leading role. This is reflected in the map of Schiermonnikoog, which the designers have positioned in miniature on the stamps and in large on the stamp sheetlet. The stamps show recognisable images of the island: the current lighthouse (North Tower, Noordertoren), the former lighthouse (South Tower, Zuidertoren), the lower jaw of a blue whale and the statue of theSchiere Monnik (literally ‘the Grey Monk’), both of which are in the centre of the village. The typical shape of the island is also reflected in the design in other ways. For example, the font used for the captions is a ‘stencil font’, made up of elements that are separate from each other.

Friendly and pleasant
Almost all of the photographs used were taken during a working visit to Schiermonnikoog by graphic designers Ingmar and Carla Birza in the sunny summer of 2018. Carla Birza praises the atmosphere in Schiermonnikoog. ‘It’s very friendly; very pleasant. When we arrived by boat it was immediately obvious how the wind affects tree growth, hence the photo of the windswept rowans. The Westerplas is a beautiful area with a large population of waterfowl, and there is a bird-watching hut in the middle of the water. Schiermonnikoog is home to special objects, some of which we have included on the sheet. There are the images of the monks, of course, and the huge whale jaw. And the special lines of Cape Kobbeduinen. We also incorporated personal memories from our visit in the sheetlet, such as the strikingly woolly common cottongrass. It’s just beautiful when you see it for yourself in nature.’

Availability
The ‘Beautiful Netherlands 2019: Schiermonnikoog’ stamp sheetlet features five identical stamps with ‘Nederland 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for mail in the Netherlands. The stamps are available from 20 May 2019 from PostNL locations on the island of Schiermonnikoog and online at postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

[press release]
Five stamps about the Dutch Frisian Islands, depicting nature and architecture

The Hague – The well-known ‘Mooi Nederland’ (‘Beautiful Netherlands’) stamp series will be dedicated to the nature and architecture of the Dutch Frisian Islands in 2019. Today, the stamp sheetlet from this series has been published, together with the stamp sheetlet about Schiermonnikoog. Stamps depicting Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling and Ameland were published earlier this year.

Scenic beauty
Since 2005, the ‘Beautiful Netherlands’ stamp series has drawn attention to local history, cultural wealth and scenic beauty. This year’s new series about the Dutch Frisian Islands was designed by Birza Design from Deventer.

Recognisable images of Schiermonnikoog
In the design of each of the five stamps of the ‘Beautiful Netherlands 2019’ assembled stamp sheetlet, the island shapes of the five islands plays the leading role. This is reflected in the island maps, which the designers have positioned in miniature on the stamps. Each of the five inhabited Dutch Frisian islands has its own stamp with a distinctive colour. In the background of each stamp there is a duotone landscape photo with a view of the lighthouse of the relevant island. Around it there are photos with typical and recognisable images of the island in question, usually with a nautical character. The typical island shape is also reflected in the design in other ways. For example, the font used for the captions is a ‘stencil font’, made up of elements that are separate from each other.

Friendly and pleasant
Almost all of the photographs used were taken during a working visit to the five islands by graphic designers Ingmar and Carla Birza in the sunny summer of 2018. Carla Birza explains how each island shows its own character. ‘Texel, for example, is very special from a landscape point of view. It’s a kind of mini Netherlands, with polders, a hill, bulb fields, meadows, forests, brook landscapes, farming villages and harbours. Vlieland’s small scale is particularly striking, with its sheer abundance of nature. Terschelling, again, is the most vibrant of all of the islands. And the vast beaches are magnificent, of course.’ The centuries-old commander’s houses were our best memory of Ameland, with a serene street screen. Finally, Schiermonnikoog, where friendliness is perhaps the most distinctive feature.’

Loew Taking Over APS Expertizing

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In a telephone-conference board meeting, the American Philatelic Society Board has approved Gary Loew from Atlanta [right] to replace Tom Horn as Director of Expertising, reports Foster Miller in The Stamp Collecting Forum. He will be moving to Bellefonte and will start June 16.

Loew has written dozens of articles on postal history for such publications as The Collectors Club Philatelist and Philatelic Literature Review, as well as a regular column for Kelleher’s Stamp Collector’s Quarterly. He will be teaching an APS “On The Road” series seminar, “Introduction To Seaposts: Ship Letters, Packet Mail, Paquebots And More,” in Saint Louis July 25, preceding Americover 2019. Both will be held at the Renaissance Saint Louis Airport Hotel. Information and registration for “Seaposts” is available on the APS website (second item).

During the meeting, APS executive director Scott English said Loew will be the process leader, not the lead expert. That is, he will direct the operation, not necessarily do all or most of the expertizing.

“Gary’s role will be precisely the same as the role Tom Horn is playing now,” English said in a message on the TSCF board. He also revealed that the APS has five finalists for the “content editor” position recently vacated by Mark Kellner, which includes editing the journal American Philatelist. He believes a new editor will be chosen before the end of the month.

Meanwhile, English says staffers Doris Wilson and Fred Baumann have been editing the AP — and even finished it three days early.

White Ace Albums, Mounts Sold

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[Washington Stamp Exchange press release]
Washington Stamp Exchange of Florham Park, New Jersey is pleased to announce the sale of its White Ace line of stamp albums to Alco Distributors of Marion, Ohio. Also included in the sale is the StampMount brand line of stamp mounts and holders. White Ace and StampMount have long been two of the most popular brands amongst collectors in the United States. After the transfer of the White Ace and StampMount inventory is completed, Alco will quickly begin production of White Ace supplements for 2018 stamp issues. Alco will soon start to accept orders for its new product lines through the website washpress.com.

White Ace stamp albums were introduced in the 1940s with the publication of an album for United States commemorative singles. That album has remained the brand’s biggest seller. Other albums were quickly introduced for US commemorative plate blocks and for regular issue singles and plate blocks. As White Ace grew in popularity, the company expanded the product line to include albums for a number of countries including Canada, Israel, Ireland, Japan, the United Nations and many more. It also produces supplies such as binders, dust cases, first day cover albums, and numerous other items used by philatelists. From the very beginning White Ace has always been a name synonymous with quality products.

StampMount produces a line of mounts and holders made of archival quality mylar film in a wide range of sizes. Unlike many brands of mounts, StampMounts are pre-cut and sealed on three sides. They are affixed to an album page using an adhesive strip. The mounts are offered with both clear and black backs. StampMounts are much thinner than other brands but extremely durable, qualities which have made them a very popular choice for philatelists.

Alco Distributors is located at 1600 Marion-Bucyrus Road, Marion Ohio 43302 and has provided quality stamp and coin supplies for over 5 decades. They are very excited to carry on the White Ace and StampMount tradition of great products for years to come. They will continue to carry the same line of products, while also updating supplements and adding new albums to the line. According to the ownership of Alco “Our goal is to make quality products that collectors want. We are happy to supply collectors with great products made in the USA!”

British Engineering (U.K. 2019)

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[press release]
British Engineering Celebrated with New Special Stamps from Royal Mail
Issue Date: May 2, 2019

    • The 10-stamp set features marvels of British engineering from the last 50 years
    • From the smallest of computers, the Raspberry Pi, to the Falkirk Wheel, the world’s only rotating boat lift, Britain has a long and proud history of engineering
    • Also included are: the three-way catalytic converter; superconducting magnets and the monumental tunnel boring project that will enable Crossrail
    • Completing the main six-stamp set is the synthetic bone-graft devised by Dr Karin Hing at Queen Mary University of London
    • Also featured is the Harrier Jump Jet, celebrating 50 years since it entered RAF service. Four stamps, presented in a Miniature Sheet, show the first operational jet fighter in the world to use revolutionary vertical short take-off and landing technology
    • Royal Mail worked with the Royal Academy of Engineering on the stamp set
    • The stamps and a range of collectible products are available from www.royalmail.com/britishengineering, by phone on 03457 641 641 and in 7,000 Post Offices throughout the UK

    Royal Mail has revealed 10 new Special Stamps to mark Britain’s long and proud history of engineering excellence.

    World-class inventions and innovations have had a huge impact on many aspects of modern life, from medicine and computing to travel and infrastructure. The last 50 years have produced many marvels of British engineering, from the smallest of computers, the Raspberry Pi, to the Falkirk Wheel, the world’s only rotating boat lift.

    At just the size of a credit card, the Raspberry Pi might be tiny, but with sales of over 20 million these microcomputers have revolutionised education in computer science and programming worldwide.

    A collaboration of British engineers and architects produced the world’s first and only rotating boat lift, The Falkirk Wheel, joining two major Scottish canals for the first time in 70 years with a phenomenally beautiful structure.

    Today cars are far less polluting than they were 50 years ago, due to three-way catalytic converters scrubbing car exhausts of harmful gases.

    Chris Morgan, Technology Director at Johnson Matthey, commented: “Being recognised with a stamp celebrating British Engineering is a huge honour for employees past and present who have been involved in Johnson Matthey’s ground-breaking work behind the Catalytic Converter. Every year, our catalytic converters prevent some 20 million tonnes of pollutants from entering the atmosphere, helping to make the world cleaner and healthier.”

    MRI scanners, on which we now rely for routine imaging of our bodies, would not be possible without the work done with superconducting magnets by British engineers at Oxford Instruments.

    The monumental tunnel boring project that will enable Crossrail, required 13 miles (21km) of twin tunnels under the city, and navigated existing sewers, Tube train tunnels and building foundations.

    The team at Queen Mary University of London led by Dr Karin Hing, engineered materials that encourage bone growth when used in complex orthopaedic surgeries and have improved the outcomes for hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide.

    Dr Karin Hing said: “It was a delightful surprise and a huge honour for my work on synthetic bone grafts to be recognised with a stamp and, in particular, to be part of a set which celebrates some incredible innovations in British engineering. I feel very fortunate that my research has gone on to have such a positive impact on people’s lives, but this would not have been possible without multidisciplinary collaboration. Having our engineering of synthetic bone grafts celebrated on a stamp like the Marvel Comics and the Harry Potter books might even impress my kids.”

    Completing the issue, is another of the UK’s many success stories – the Harrier Jump Jet, designed and produced by Hawker Siddeley, which entered service with the RAF 50 years ago. It remains one of the few operational aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing. More advanced Harriers developed by British Aerospace (later BAE Systems) and McDonnell Douglas (later Boeing) were used by the militaries of a number of countries.

  • This cross-section of engineering marvels showcases the ingenuity of engineers working in the UK.Some of the innovations celebrated have won the MacRobert Award, bestowed by the Royal Academy of Engineering – the UK’s most prestigious and longest running award for engineering excellence. The award marks its 50th birthday this year.Dr Dame Sue Ion DBE FREng FRS, Chair of Judges for the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award, said: “The UK is a global engineering powerhouse with many world firsts developed here that have both benefitted our economy and helped to transform people’s lives for the better. This wonderful new set of Royal Mail stamps perfectly encapsulates the technical and commercial achievements made by British engineers over the last 50 years, from the Harrier jump jet to Raspberry Pi. These great British engineering innovations – several of which have won the MacRobert Award, the UK’s biggest prize for engineering innovation – represent an amazing foundation from which to develop exciting technologies for the future.”Philip Parker, Royal Mail, said: “British innovation in engineering is world renowned. This stamp issue proudly celebrates the projects and inventions which showcase this, as well as demonstrating the extraordinary range of disciplines that British engineers excel in.”

    Raspberry Pi
    The Raspberry Pi has sparked a worldwide revolution in low-cost computing. At the size of a credit card and with prices starting at £5, these award-winning microcomputers pack a mighty punch. Since February 2012, over 20 million have been sold, making the Raspberry Pi Britain’s bestselling computer. The beauty of this ingenious microcomputer lies in its versatility. The device features USB ports, onboard memory, video output, audio output and Internet connectivity. Its general purpose input/output connectors allow for other capabilities, such as sensors and actuators, to be hooked up to its tiny processors, so that the only limit is the user’s imagination. From a Sony factory in South Wales, Raspberry Pis have reached all corners of the globe and even gone into space.

    The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a charitable company working to overhaul how computing is taught in schools. It offers free learning resources on its website, as well as supporting teacher training courses and over 10,000 code clubs across the world to encourage young people to experiment with computer science. Although the Raspberry Pi was originally intended as an educational resource, the adult maker and hacking communities have also embraced it, and its applications seem endless. From landmine-clearing robots to home irrigation systems, and from heart monitors to experimentation on the International Space Station, the Raspberry Pi has transformed the computing landscape and was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering’s MacRobert Award in 2017.

    The Falkirk Wheel
    The Falkirk Wheel is the world’s first and only rotating boat lift, vertically connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The two waterways were once connected by a series of 11 locks, which took almost a day to traverse, but these were dismantled in 1933. As part of the Millennium Link project, the British Waterways Board teamed up with Arup, Butterley Engineering and RMJM architects to reconnect the canals after 70 years with a 21st-century landmark structure.

    The Union Canal extends out of the countryside via an aqueduct to meet the top of the wheel, which consists of two opposing arms whose design was inspired by a double-headed Celtic axe and a ship’s propeller. On the end of each arm is a water-filled caisson that can hold up to four canal boats, plus enough water to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool. The weight on each arm must be carefully balanced. According to Archimedes’ principle, boats entering the caisson will displace their own weight in water. Therefore, water levels in the caissons are precisely computer controlled, with a tolerance of only 37mm. This equalisation allows ten hydraulic motors to turn the wheel using very little energy – half a turn uses the equivalent of boiling eight kettles to raise boats 35m in just four minutes.

    Three-way catalytic converter
    Catalytic converters clean the emissions from vehicles that have internal combustion engines. In the early 1980s, British company Johnson Matthey pioneered the three-way catalytic converter. This type is now fitted to petrol-powered vehicles worldwide and the company is a world leader, supplying about a third of these globally. The technology converts toxic pollutants into milder gases, making the air we breathe cleaner and healthier. The three-way catalytic converter turns carbon monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen into carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen. It does this with the use of metallic catalysts containing platinum, palladium and rhodium that are coated onto a ceramic honeycomb ‘monolith’ through which the exhaust gases flow. The efficiency of the three simultaneous reactions going on inside the three-way converter relies on a precise ratio of air and fuel in the engine’s injection system.

    This important balance is controlled electronically, using constant feedback from oxygen sensors in the exhaust to ensure that the optimum air-to-fuel ratio is being burnt for the most efficient exhaust conversion. This feedback system has a slight lag, so in reality the ratio fluctuates above and below the ideal proportions. A cerium oxide component in the catalyst helps to correct for these fluctuations, allowing the overall emissions of harmful exhaust gases to be massively reduced. Thanks to catalytic converter technologies such as this, today’s passenger vehicles are far less polluting than those of 50 years ago. Johnson Matthey Group was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering’s MacRobert Award in 1980 for this innovation.

    Crossrail
    Crossrail is the name of the project that created a new railway line through London, linking Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west with the City and Essex in the east. The prediction is that once it is up and running, the Elizabeth line (as it was named in 2016) will be used by 200 million passengers annually, increasing the rail capacity of central London by 10 per cent and bringing 1.5 million more people within a 45-minute commute of the city’s key areas. The project represented a monumental engineering challenge, requiring 13 miles (21km) of new twin tunnels to be bored under the city. These had to weave through the existing underground networks of Tube train tunnels, underground stations, sewers and buildings.

    At Tottenham Court Road station, the tunnel passed between the Northern line and an escalator tunnel with less than 1m clearance either side, a feat nicknamed ‘the eye of the needle’. Tunnelling was completed in 2015 and was achieved using eight Herrenknecht tunnel boring machines, which excavated and removed 3.4 million tonnes of material. In partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), 3 million tonnes were moved to Essex to create the Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project.

    Superconducting magnet for MRI
    Today, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used routinely in hospitals around the world to generate pictures of the insides of our bodies to help diagnose maladies such as cancer, internal bleeding or infections. This revolutionary, non-invasive technique would not be possible without powerful superconducting magnets, which were first developed in the 1960s and in the 1970s applied to body scanning by Sir Martin Wood of Oxford Instruments. The first electromagnet was invented by British scientist William Sturgeon in 1824, and today’s superconducting magnets are based on the same principles.

    A superconducting magnet is made up of a large coil of wire that, when electricity is passed through it, produces a strong magnetic field thanks to the laws of electromagnetism. The coil itself is made from very thin filaments of a niobium-titanium alloy, which are embedded in a copper matrix. This material becomes superconductive if it is cooled to below ten kelvins (–263ºC). In this state, it has nearly zero electrical resistance and, once created, the magnetic field is self-sustaining – it does not require external power during operation. To achieve these cryogenic temperatures, the superconducting coil is cooled using liquid helium and is insulated from the warmth of its surroundings by a vacuum. In this way, the coils in MRI machines can produce magnetic fields that are around 50,000 times that of the Earth’s magnetic field. The Royal Academy of Engineering awarded Oxford Instruments the MacRobert Prize in 1986 for their work on superconducting magnets.

    Synthetic bone-graft substitute
    When bones fracture, they are often able to heal themselves. But sometimes the fracture is too large or complex for the body to repair on its own, so bone grafts are used in surgery to promote bone healing. These grafts can be either taken from the patient’s own body (auto-graft) or engineered (synthetic bone-graft substitute). Whereas an auto-graft introduces a natural template and new living bone cells into the area, a synthetic bone graft must bioactively encourage native bone and stem cells to form new bone tissue, which should eventually replace the synthetic scaffold material completely.

    Dr Karin Hing and the team at Queen Mary University of London developed bone-graft substitutes able to enhance the body’s natural ability to rebuild bone tissue by looking at their structure and chemistry. The team studied the sponge-like structure of cancellous bone and mimicked it in the synthetic material. The pores needed to be the right size for new bone to grow into as well as interconnected, to allow for the exchange of nutrients via blood vessels to make and sustain healthy tissue. The group is also investigating the role of the grafts’ chemistry on bone regeneration, where the introduction of silicate ions into the scaffold is believed to alter the surface chemistry so that the right proteins are recruited to direct cell attachment and bone formation. This work resulted in the commercial launch of the bioactive synthetic bone grafts Actifuse™ and Inductigraft™. Dr Hing was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Silver Medal in 2011 for her work.

    Harrier Jump Jet
    The Hawker Siddeley Harrier was developed from a unique experimental aircraft known as the P 1127, which was capable of taking off and landing vertically. In 1962, British, US and German armed forces procured nine of these aircraft to form a Tri-Partite Evaluation Squadron at RAF West Raynham. Now called Kestrels, these aircraft could take off and land using paved runways, semi-prepared sites in clearings in woods and other confined spaces.

    The success of the trials and the exciting concept of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), led to the UK Ministry of Defence ordering a batch of the aircraft in 1965. These were the first Harriers, entering RAF service with No. 1 Squadron in April 1969. Over the next 30 years, British Aerospace (later BAE Systems) developed Harriers for extremely effective ground attack. They could drop precision-guided weapons and operate in poor weather using the latest radar, infrared and optical devices. Because of their remarkable take-off ability, they became known as Harrier Jump Jets.

    Rolls-Royce developed the innovative Pegasus engine of the Harrier, and for this they shared the first MacRobert Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1969. Photographer Richard Cook captured a Harrier GR3 especially for the stamps.

    The stamps and a range of collectible products are available from www.royalmail.com/britishengineering, by phone on 03457 641 641 and in 7,000 Post Offices throughout the UK.

U.S. Scott Catalogue Update – May 2019

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5361 (55¢) Star Ribbon, serpentine die cut 11¼x10¾
5362 (55¢) Star Ribbon coil stamp, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.

5363 (35¢) Coral Reefs – Elkhorn coral and French angelfish, serpentine die cut 11¼x10¾
5364 (35¢) Coral Reefs – Brain coral and Spotted moray eel, serpentine die cut 11¼x10¾
5365 (35¢) Coral Reefs – Pillar coral, Coney grouper and Neon gobies, serpentine die cut 11¼x10¾
5366 (35¢) Coral Reefs – Staghorn coral and Blue-striped grunts, serpentine die cut 11¼x10¾
a. Horiz. or vert. strip of 4, #5363-5366
5367 (35¢) Coral Reefs coil stamp – Pillar coral and Coney grouper and Neon gobies, serpentine die cut 9 ½ vert.
5368 (35¢) Coral Reefs coil stamp – Staghorn coral and Blue-striped grunts, serpentine die cut 9 ½ vert.
5369 (35¢) Coral Reefs coil stamp – Elkhorn coral and French angelfish, serpentine die cut 9 ½ vert.
5370 (35¢) Coral Reefs coil stamp – Brain coral and Spotted moray eel, serpentine die cut 9 ½ vert.
a. Horiz. strip of 4, #5367-5370

5371 (55¢) Marvin Gaye