British Science Fiction Classics (UK 2021)

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[press release]
Royal Mail Celebrates Science Fiction Classics from British Authors On Six Specially Commissioned Stamp Illustrations

  • Royal Mail commissioned six original illustrations for the stamp issue
  • The stamps feature striking interpretations of six science fiction classics by British authors and depict key moments in the evolution of the genre
  • Classics and artists in the set are:
    • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: illustration by Sabina Šinko
    • The Time Machine by HG Wells: illustration by Francisco Rodríguez
    • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: illustration by Thomas Danthony
    • The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham: illustration by Mick Brownfield
    • Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke: illustration by Matt Murphy
    • Shikasta by Doris Lessing: illustration by Sarah Jones
  • 2021 will mark the 75th anniversary of the death of HG Wells and the 70th anniversary of the publication of John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids
  • Britain has been at the forefront of science fiction writing, and the writers whose work is featured on the stamps are household names the world over
  • Royal Mail also worked with British writer and academic, Roger Luckhurst, on the stamp issue
  • The full set of six stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £11.10. The stamps and a range of collectible products are available now to pre-order from www.royalmail.com/classicsciencefiction
  • The stamps will go on general sale from 15 April 2021

Royal Mail has revealed images of original artworks being issued to celebrate six classic science fiction novels by British writers.

The specially commissioned illustrations feature striking interpretations of the classics and depict key moments in the evolution of the genre.

The stamps are issued in the year that marks the 75th anniversary of the death of HG Wells and the 70th anniversary of the publication of John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids.

The classic novels and illustrators featured in the set are:

  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: illustration by Sabina Šinko
  • The Time Machine by HG Wells: illustration by Francisco Rodríguez
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: illustration by Thomas Danthony
  • The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham: illustration by Mick Brownfield
  • Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke: illustration by Matt Murphy
  • Shikasta by Doris Lessing: illustration by Sarah Jones

There are many stories that can point to the origins of science fiction. The satirical author Lucian, writing during the 2nd century, imagined a trip to the moon in his True History. In 1516, Thomas More proposed an ideal society, an alternative Britain, that he called Utopia. But modern science fiction is the product of societies that were undergoing rapid technological change, where the scientific world view had an authority to rival theological explanations and where there was a large, literate population that could support new forms of mass culture. These conditions were met in 19th-century Britain, but the term ‘science fiction’ came into general usage only at the end of the 1920s.

When Mary Shelley reworked the Gothic romance to address the advances of contemporary science in her 1818 novel Frankenstein, a new literary genre was born.

From the beginning, Britain has been at the forefront of science fiction writing, and the writers whose work is featured on these stamps are household names the world over.

While science fiction can often be considered as a lowly form of culture, full of bug-eyed monsters in flying saucers, it is also a genre that can have ambitions to engage at the highest level with emergent scientific conceptions and technologies.

There is a strong British tradition of writers who reach for these sublime heights, which this stamp issue celebrates.

Royal Mail also worked with British writer and academic, Roger Luckhurst, on the stamp issue. Roger is a Professor in Modern and Contemporary Literature in the Department of English and Humanities at Birkbeck, University of London and was Distinguished Visiting Professor at Columbia University in 2016.

The full set of six stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £11.10. The stamps and a range of collectible products are available now to pre-order from www.royalmail.com/classicsciencefiction.

The stamps will go on general sale from 15 April 2021.

Stamp-By-Stamp
Mary Shelley (1797–1851) The daughter of radicals, Shelley wrote her most famous book when she was just 19, in a famous ghost-story competition with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. Frankenstein switched the Gothic romance from religious terror to secular scientific horror.

HG Wells (1866–1946) A young writer from the first generation of those with formal scientific training, Wells jumped into the new journals and magazines of the 1890s and helped fashion the British ‘scientific romance’ in his disturbing exploration of futures near and far.

Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) Huxley was a satirical novelist who, in horrified reaction to Wells’s outline of scientific utopia, created in Brave New World one of the most enduring novels of dystopia. He explores a future where technology oppresses rather than liberates humanity.

John Wyndham (1903–69) Wyndham captured the anxious and diminished state of England after 1945. The Day of the Triffids creates a catastrophe and then explores various ways of living in the ruins. This book was a major influence on what became known as post-apocalyptic fiction.

Arthur C Clarke (1917–2008) In ecstatic visions of expansion into outer space and evolutionary leaps for humanity, Clarke combined a longing for transcendence with an interest in the mechanics of technology. This strand is often termed ‘hard SF’, for extrapolating possible futures from known science.

Doris Lessing (1919–2013) A hugely versatile novelist, Lessing turned to science fiction in the 1970s to explore questions of gender, colonisation and power. Women have always been involved in science fiction, but Lessing’s generation gave the genre new avenues of social criticism.

Discovery of Insulin (Canada 2021)

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Issue date: 15 April

Updated 15 April with better images:
[press release]
Stamp marks 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin
Canadian dream team’s groundbreaking research has saved millions of lives

TORONTO, Ontario – Canada Post released a stamp today that marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin in a Department of Physiology laboratory at the University of Toronto, one of the world’s most important medical breakthroughs.

In 1921, the groundbreaking discovery of Frederick Banting, Charles Best, James Collip and John Macleod placed Canada’s medical researchers on the world stage.

Under Macleod’s oversight, Banting and Best used a pancreatic extract to successfully reduce blood sugar levels in a dog. With the help of biochemist James Collip, they refined the extract now known as insulin before testing it on humans in 1922 then putting it into mass production.

booklet pane

By the end of 1923, insulin had become widely available and Banting and Macleod had jointly been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work; they chose to share the prize money with Best and Collip. Since then, Canadians have contributed to a long list of medical advancements – in stem cell research, open-heart surgery, genetics and disease.

Before the discovery of insulin, being diagnosed with what is now known as type 1 diabetes was considered a death sentence. The only way to treat the disease was through an extremely restricted diet that only briefly extended a person’s life. A century later, millions of people with the disease continue to be treated with life-saving insulin.

The legacy of that dream team’s early medical research endures at the University of Toronto, where researchers continue to study progressive treatments in type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Yesterday, in collaboration with the University of Toronto’s Banting & Best Diabetes Centre, its Department of Medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Diabetes Action

booklet cover

Canada, this milestone was acknowledged and the new stamp design unveiled at 100 Years of Insulin: Celebrating Its Impact on Our Lives. The virtual event featured stories of people living with diabetes and specialists in the field. The stamp unveiling was done from the Banting House National Historic Site of Canada in the room where Banting first had the idea that led to the discovery of insulin.

Designed by Subplot Design Inc. of Vancouver, the stamp features the image of an early insulin vial resting on an excerpt of Banting’s unpublished memoir. It reflects the very moment he conceived the idea that set in motion events leading to the discovery of insulin. Photos were taken by Seth Stevenson, a Toronto-based photographer.

The Permanent™ stamp is now available in booklets of 10 and can be purchased at canadapost.ca/shop [direct link here] and postal outlets across Canada. There is also an Official First Day Cover cancelled in Toronto [shown below].

Canada Post’s 17-second video:

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Un timbre souligne le centenaire de la découverte de l’insuline
Les recherches avant-gardistes d’une équipe canadienne exceptionnelle sauvent des millions de vies

TORONTO, Ontario – Postes Canada a émis aujourd’hui un timbre qui marque le 100e anniversaire de la découverte de l’insuline dans un laboratoire du Département de physiologie à l’Université de Toronto, l’une des plus grandes percées médicales dans le monde.

Grâce à la découverte extraordinaire de Frederick Banting, Charles Best, James Collip et John Macleod en 1921, la communauté canadienne de la recherche médicale prend les devants de la scène internationale.

Sous la supervision de John Macleod, Frederick Banting et Charles Best utilisent un extrait pancréatique qui réduit le taux de glycémie d’un chien. Avec l’aide du biochimiste James Collip, ils raffinent l’extrait, plus tard nommé insuline, avant de le tester sur les humains en 1922, puis de le produire en grande quantité.

Avant la fin de 1923, l’insuline est largement accessible, et Frederick Banting et John Macleod reçoivent le prix Nobel de physiologie ou médecine, dont ils décident de partager la bourse avec Charles Best et James Collip. Depuis, les Canadiens ont contribué à allonger la liste des progrès de la médecine, dont la recherche sur les cellules souches, les chirurgies à cœur ouvert, la génétique et les maladies.

Avant la découverte de l’insuline, une personne qui recevait un diagnostic de ce qu’on appelle aujourd’hui le diabète de type 1 était pratiquement condamnée à mort. La maladie n’était traitable qu’à l’aide d’une diète très stricte qui ne faisait que prolonger brièvement la vie. Un siècle plus tard, l’insuline continue de sauver la vie de millions de personnes diabétiques.

Les résultats des premières recherches médicales de cette équipe exceptionnelle portent encore leurs fruits à l’Université de Toronto, où l’étude de traitements progressifs pour le diabète de type 1 et de type 2 se poursuit.

booklet cover

Hier, en collaboration avec le Département de médecine de la Temerty Faculty of Medicine du Banting & Best Diabetes Centre de l’Université de Toronto et Action diabète Canada,

ce jalon important a été souligné et le motif du nouveau timbre a été dévoilé dans le cadre de l’événement virtuel 100 Years of Insulin: Celebrating Its Impact on Our Lives, où ont discuté des personnes qui vivent avec le diabète et des spécialistes dans le domaine. C’est dans le lieu historique national du Canada de la Maison-Banting, dans la chambre où Frederick Banting a d’abord eu l’idée qui a mené à la découverte de l’insuline, que le dévoilement du timbre a eu lieu.

Conçu par Subplot Design Inc., de Vancouver, le timbre illustre un ancien flacon d’insuline qui repose sur un extrait des mémoires non publiés de Frederick Banting. L’image représente le moment précis où a germé l’idée qui a mis en branle les événements menant à la découverte de l’insuline. Les photos ont été prises par le photographe torontois Seth Stevenson. Le timbre PermanentMC est offert en carnet de 10 à [direct] et dans les comptoirs postaux partout au pays. Le pli Premier Jour officiel porte la mention « Toronto ».

From Details magazine:

On the brink of death from diabetes, 13-year-old Leonard Thompson was skeletal. The starvation diet he had been following – the only known treatment for diabetes in the early 20th century – had reduced him to less than 29 kilograms (65 pounds). As he lay in critical condition in Toronto General Hospital in January 1922, his father gave doctors permission to try an experimental drug developed by University of Toronto researchers that had never been injected into humans. Although Leonard had an adverse reaction to the initial formula, a second round of injections – administered after further refinements – saved his life. From these early trials came the medical breakthrough now known as insulin. The diagnosis of diabetes was no longer considered a death sentence.

It was an early-morning epiphany that led Dr. Frederick Banting to this life-saving discovery. The achievement was a team effort, with the surgical approach of Dr. Banting, the critical input of research assistant Charles Best and visiting biochemist James Collip, and the advice, guidance and oversight of John Macleod, chair of the Physiology Department. The discovery of insulin – which earned Banting and Macleod the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – has saved and improved the lives of countless people with diabetes over the past century.

Music Awards’ 50th Anniversary (Canada 2021)

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[press release]
Canada Post celebrates the JUNO Awards’ golden anniversary
New stamp honours 50 years of the JUNOS and a dynamic Canadian music scene

TORONTO – The JUNO Awards turn 50 this year, and Canada Post is celebrating this golden anniversary with a new commemorative stamp.

The stamp pays tribute to the country’s premier music event, and its role in supporting and showcasing Canadian artists and creators over five decades. Since 1971, the JUNOS have recognized Canada’s immense range of talent, from rising stars to household names, including 25-time JUNO winner Anne Murray – the recipient of the most JUNO Awards to date – Buffy Sainte-Marie, Céline Dion, The Tragically Hip, The Weeknd and so many more.

To mark the importance of the 50th anniversary, the JUNOS have redesigned the prestigious award from the solid crystal tower into a new golden statuette, which is featured on the commemorative stamp.

About the JUNO Awards
What has become Canada’s biggest night in music started as a simple annual poll of the country’s favourite musicians in a former trade publication, RPM, founded by publisher

booklet pane

Walt Grealis and record producer Stan Klees. Initially known as the RPM Gold Leaf Awards, they were renamed in 1971 to honour Pierre Juneau, first chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) who was also responsible for the implementation of Canadian content regulations in the early 1970s.

Since their beginnings, the JUNOS have evolved alongside Canada’s vibrant music scene, and they have added new categories to recognize the increasing diversity of the country’s most celebrated artists.

“We are thrilled to partner with Canada Post to celebrate the 50th Annual JUNO Awards,” says Allan Reid, President and CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards and MusiCounts. “Collaborating with this historical institution allows us to celebrate Canada and our nation’s renowned musical talent. Our new golden statuette will stand proud on the limited-edition stamp and we can’t wait for music lovers across the country to get their hands on one.”

booklet cover

The special 50th anniversary presentation of the JUNO Awards will be broadcast nationwide Sunday, May 16 at 8 pm, ET/5 pm, PT, on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music and globally on CBCMusic.ca/junos.

About the stamp
Designed by Paprika and illustrated by Amanda Arlotta, the stamp features the new golden statuette that JUNO Award winners will begin receiving this year.

Printed by Colour Innovations, this issue includes a booklet of five Permanent™ domestic rate stamps and the Official First Day Cover.

Stamps and collectibles are available at canadapost.ca/shop [direct link] and postal outlets across Canada.

Official first day cover

CPC Video:

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Postes Canada souligne le cinquantième anniversaire des Prix JUNO
Un nouveau timbre rend hommage aux cinquante ans des Prix JUNO et à la scène musicale exceptionnelle du Canada

TORONTO – Les Prix JUNO célèbrent leur 50e anniversaire cette année et Postes Canada souligne l’événement avec un nouveau timbre commémoratif.

Le timbre rend hommage aux prestigieux Prix JUNO, remis par l’industrie de la musique canadienne, et au rôle qu’ils jouent pour appuyer et promouvoir les artistes et créateurs canadiens depuis plus de cinquante ans. Depuis 1971, les Prix JUNO saluent les talents de tout genre, des étoiles montantes aux grands noms, comme Anne Murray, gagnante de 25 Prix JUNO, la lauréate la plus primée à ce jour, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Céline Dion, The Tragically Hip, The Weeknd et bien d’autres.

Pour souligner l’importance de leur 50e anniversaire, les Prix JUNO ont remplacé leur célèbre prix, une tourelle en cristal massif, par une nouvelle statuette dorée, laquelle est illustrée sur le timbre commémoratif.

À propos des Prix JUNO
L’événement musical le plus attendu au pays est né d’un simple sondage annuel réalisé auprès des lecteurs du magazine spécialisé RPM fondé par l’éditeur Walt Grealis et le producteur de disques Stan Klees. D’abord appelés les RPM Gold Leaf Awards, ils sont renommés en 1971 en l’honneur Pierre Juneau, premier président du Conseil de la

booklet pane

radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, également responsable de la mise en œuvre des exigences relatives au contenu canadien au début des années 1970.

Depuis leurs débuts, les Prix JUNO ont évolué au rythme de la scène musicale canadienne, et de nouvelles catégories se sont ajoutées pour refléter la diversité grandissante des artistes canadiens les plus reconnus au pays.

« Nous sommes ravis de nous joindre à Postes Canada pour célébrer les 50es Prix JUNO », se réjouit Allan Reid, président-directeur général de CARAS/Les Prix JUNO et MusiCompte. « Notre collaboration avec cette organisation historique est l’occasion pour nous de célébrer le Canada et le talent musical de notre pays. Nous sommes impatients de voir les amateurs de musique se procurer le timbre à tirage limité sur lequel se dresse fièrement notre nouvelle statuette dorée. »

L’émission spéciale consacrée au 50e anniversaire des Prix JUNO sera diffusée à l’échelle nationale le dimanche 16 mai à 20 h (HE), 17 h (HP), sur CBC TV, CBC

booklet cover

Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music et à l’échelle internationale sur CBCMusic.ca/junos (en anglais).

À propos du timbre

Conçu par Paprika et illustré par Amanda Arlotta, le timbre est orné de la nouvelle statuette dorée remise à compter de cette année aux gagnants des Prix JUNO.

Imprimée par Colour Innovations, cette émission comprend un carnet de cinq timbres PermanentsMC au tarif du régime intérieur et un pli Premier Jour officiel.

Les timbres et articles de collection sont en vente à postescanada.ca [direct] et dans les comptoirs postaux partout au pays.

Official first day cover

CPC Video:

Typically Dutch: Houseboats (Netherlands 2021)

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[press release]
The “art of small living” on stamps
[large illustration of entire sheet at end; click any image for larger version.]

The Hague, April 6, 2021 – Houseboats can be found all over the world, but especially in the Netherlands. The latest PostNL stamps from the Typically Dutch series give a good impression of what the houseboats look like in our country.

In 2021, the Typically Dutch series will focus on housing types and facades that are characteristic of our country. Previously, the stamps about traditional farmhouses, wooden houses and canal houses were published. Another issue about terraced houses will follow later this year.

Small waves
The Typisch Nederlands – houseboats stamps feature a colorful illustration of 2 houseboats in an idyllic setting with water in the foreground and tall trees in the background. The houseboat on the left is depicted in its entirety, the houseboat on the right partially. At the bottom of the stamp is a black line that refers to the street level of where the original photos of the houseboats were taken.

Arks, scharken and houseboats
The oldest written sources on the history of houseboats in the Netherlands date back to around 1600. From that time onwards, living on ships was certainly permanent, especially on cargo ships converted for habitation. Houseboats were later built especially for this purpose. Connoisseurs of houseboats make a distinction between arks or scharken (respectively a concrete or steel hull with a superstructure of wood, stone or plastic) and houseboats (decommissioned inland vessels that have been given a residential function).

Nice thoughts
The stamps about the houseboats in the Netherlands were designed by Edwin van Praet of Total Design. He describes a houseboat as a house as something special. “It’s the art of small living, after all. And in theory you have the option to drop anchor and sail to another place. I know: that doesn’t happen often, but it’s a nice thought.”

Availability
The stamp sheetlet Typically Dutch – houseboats has 6 identical stamps with the denomination Nederland 1, intended for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps are available from April 6, 2021 at the Bruna stores and via the website [direct link]. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

Scott Catalogue U.S. Update (April 2021)

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5557 (55¢) Chien-Shiung Wu

5558 (55¢) Garden Beauty – Pink Flowering Dogwood
5559 (55¢) Garden Beauty – Orange and Yellow Tulip
5560 (55¢) Garden Beauty – Allium
5561 (55¢) Garden Beauty – Pink Moth Orchid with Mottled Petals
5562 (55¢) Garden Beauty – Magenta Dahlia
5563 (55¢) Garden Beauty – Yellow Moth Orchid with Pink Center
5564 (55¢) Garden Beauty – Pink and White Sacred Lotus
5565 (55¢) Garden Beauty – White Asiatic Lily
5566 (55¢) Garden Beauty – Rose Pink and White Tulip
5567 (55¢) Garden Beauty – Pink American Lotus
a. Block of 10, #5558-5567
b. Convertible booklet pane of 20, 2 each #5558-5567

5568 (75c) Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly

UK Children Invited To Design Pandemic Heroes Stamps (UK 2021)

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[press release]
Royal Mail Stamps to Honour Heroes of The Pandemic
The Prime Minister and Royal Mail Are Launching a Competition for UK Schoolchildren to Design Stamps Marking the Amazing Work of Key Workers and Others During The Pandemic

  • The Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Royal Mail today announce a competition giving school-age children the chance to design a set of stamps featuring ‘heroes of the pandemic’
  • The competition is open to children aged 4-14 through school entries or independently via parents, home educators, carers and clubs
  • The designs are set to highlight the amazing work played by key workers and others in keeping the UK connected during these unprecedented times
  • A special judging panel will select eight winning images created by school children from across the UK
  • The Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said: From our family members, teachers, doctors and nurses to our vaccine scientists and fundraisers, we want to recognise and remember them
  • Only four times in Royal Mail’s 500-year history have designs created by children been used on stamps; 1966; 1981; 2013; and 2017
  • The eight winning stamps will be picked from 120 regional finalists
  • The competition’s theme is: “Heroes of the Pandemic”. All entries have to be received by the closing date of Friday 28 May, 2021
  • The winners will follow in the footsteps of highly acclaimed children’s designers and illustrators who have designed stamps in the past, such as, Quentin Blake (2012), Nick Park (2010) and Axel Scheffler (2012)
  • The eight winners will be announced in the Autumn
  • Full details can be found at www.royalmail.com/stampcompetition

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Royal Mail today announced the launch of a stamp design competition for UK schoolchildren to mark the important role played by key and frontline workers, as well as others, during the pandemic.

The competition will give children, aged 4 to 14, the chance to design an official Royal Mail stamp as part of a special set of eight. Children will be asked to think about who their hero or heroes are, and to design a stamp in their honour.

A special panel of judges will determine the winning designs which will feature on a set of eight Royal Mail stamps and appear on millions of items of mail across the UK. The stamps will celebrate the many who have done great things since the start of the pandemic and helped the country through people a very challenging period.

The subjects are wide ranging. Children may choose to illustrate frontline workers who work in health or social care. They may also want to celebrate some of the millions of key workers who have helped keep the UK connected during this time. This could include, for example, refuse collectors, cleaning staff, teachers, supermarket workers, public transport staff, delivery drivers and, indeed, postmen and postwomen. There have also been many volunteers who have helped in their local communities or raised money for charity, such as Captain Sir Tom Moore.

Full details can be found at www.royalmail.com/stampcompetition

As with all Special Stamps issued by Royal Mail, the final eight stamps will be sent to Her Majesty The Queen before they can be printed and issued.

Only four times in the company’s 500-year history have children designed official Royal Mail stamps – in 1966 and 1981, 2013 and 2017.

The winners will follow in the footsteps of highly acclaimed children’s designers and illustrators who have designed stamps in the past, such as, Quentin Blake (1993), Nick Park (2010) and Axel Scheffler (2012).

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The last year has been one of the most difficult any of us can remember, but throughout it all our COVID Heroes have been there for us, inspired us and done so much for others.

“From our family members, teachers, doctors and nurses to our vaccine scientists and fundraisers, we want to recognise and remember them.

“That’s why we’re launching a special competition with Royal Mail for children across the country to design a new stamp collection featuring their Covid Heroes – so we can honour their tremendous work.”

Simon Thompson, Royal Mail CEO, said: “We are so excited to launch this competition and give eight UK schoolchildren the opportunity to use their own creative flair to celebrate the heroes who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic. Over the past year there have been so many wonderful examples of people who, despite much uncertainty and fear, have continued about their work with such admirable determination and pride. They have helped us cope during what has been an extremely testing time. I look forward to seeing the winning stamp designs – best of luck!”

How It Works
The competition is open to children aged 4-14 through school entries or independently via parents and home educators. Childminders, volunteer leaders, carers and clubs can also enter children into the competition.

Schools, and parents/guardians of home-schooled children, can sign-up to the competition online or by returning the application form in a pack sent to them by iChild, the online educational resource centre, in association with Royal Mail.

Applications for the 6,000 available resource packs will be sent out on a first-come, first served basis. Entries must be received by the closing date of Friday 28 May 2021.

The winners of the competition will be announced in the autumn and the stamps will be available in the spring of 2022.

Royal Mail will select 120 regional runners-up across the UK. They, and their schools, will each receive prizes of £100 for the school and £100 gift vouchers for the child.

From those 120 runners-up, a shortlist of 24 finalists will be chosen. They and their schools will receive prizes of £500 for the school and £500 of gift vouchers for the child.

From the finalists eight winners will be chosen. They will also receive prizes of £1,000 for the school and £1,000 in vouchers for the child.

Hotchner: “Investing” in New Issues

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“Investing” in U.S. New Issues
by John M. Hotchner

My Dad was a serious collector who knew his philatelic A, B, Cs. He loved especially U.S. and German stamps, and went so far as to make his own albums. I learned much at his knee; both things to do and things not to do. After an unhappy incident when I was 12, we came to an agreement that we would collect different countries; with one exception, which I will get to.

The incident took place at a meeting of the New Delhi, India, Stamp Club in 1955, while he was assigned to India as the U.S. Information Agency’s liaison officer to All India Radio.

The meeting happened to have an auction, and I had just gotten my allowance – the princely sum of 5 Rupees per week (or about $1 U.S.). Added to money I’d saved, I had about 30 Rupees burning a hole in my pocket, and when a lot of Indian “Service” overprints came up, half a dozen hands went up around the room. I was in the back, looking in the equivalent of a penny box. I joined in the fun.

As the bids passed 10 Rupees, the sport of it all took hold of me, and I was determined to get the lot. As bidders dropped out, I failed to realize until too late that I was bidding against my father. He may not have realized he was bidding against me. But when he dropped out and I got the lot, and had to announce my name and club number, the cat was out of the bag.

On the way home, he was characteristically quiet; as was I. I had no idea of the storm to come. He was quiet for a week, and ultimately it was my mother who told me that he was furious, and I was guilty of improper behavior. To make a long story short, that was the end of my India collection, and he and I agreed not to be competitors in the future; enforced by our splitting of our collecting interests – except for United States, which he would collect mint, and I would collect used.

As part of his collecting he had been buying several sheets of U.S. mint new issues since the end of World War II, and he continued to do so – along with a lot of other stamp collectors – as a hedge against inflation. He saw stamps from the 1920s and 1930s doing fairly well in Fine-to-Very Fine condition, and made the assum

Howard Hotchner

ption that the trend would continue. So, he made an effort to put away at least a few VF panes of each new issue until he was disabled by Parkinson’s disease in the late 1980s. On his passing, I assumed his rather nice India collection, among others, and was also heir to a two-foot-high stack of U.S. mint sheets, not to mention a hefty holding of plate blocks that he had stashed away over the years.

I was not alone. It seemed that a great many collectors had the same idea post-WWII, and the Post Office Department thoughtfully upped the production runs to make certain that there would be plenty of stamps to satisfy demand.

The result was, and continues to be today, that panes of mint US commemoratives from the late 1940s onward are pretty much a drug on the market. Oh, there are a few that are “better” than face because of the subject portrayed, or because of shorter than usual production totals, but I found out to my chagrin that the holding was not going to bring even face value if sold. It was a buyers’ market as lots of other heirs had bales of mint U.S. to sell in bulk.

Luckily, I was by then writing columns for several philatelic publications, and – this being before the era of widespread use of the Internet – I had a considerable correspondence, and began to use the stamps for postage. Here it is 25 years later, and I am still using some of Dad’s hoard.

But it seems that the collector community and the heir community never connected, because collectors continue to buy and salt away panes of mint U.S. stamps. What with multiple designs in a pane, and smaller panes with fancy marginal art, a higher percentage of these more modern emissions do have premium value in the secondary market. But for the original buyer trying to sell them among quantities of other mint stamps including plate blocks, booklets and coil rolls, face value is about what can be expected if one is lucky.

And that ain’t so good when one considers the impact of inflation, and the rise in postal rates. More often, quantities of US mint stamps sell in clubs between collectors at 80 to 85% of face. And if selling to a dealer, the offers drop off precipitously as the face values of the stamps offered decrease. In fact, I recently saw a dealer describe his business practices as follows:

“I own thousands of face value stamps in my warehouse, and rarely take any to stamp shows. Yes, if I buy for 25-40% of face depending on content and condition and sell it for 70-80% of FACE, that is a great percentage markup. In my experience, the volume of sales will not justify the table space regardless. I really am not a great buyer for postage except as part of a much larger and better collection.”

I do see dealers at shows selling U.S. mint at face from large boxes of stock. And there seem to be lots of collectors poking through the material though I don’t know how much actually sells. The point is that a dealer who has to make a profit, and pay himself for the time he or she has put into acquiring and preparing the material to sell, has to buy at 30-40% below the sale price.

Many feel that this is unfair given what they or their collector relative put into the stamps. But “fairness” really does not enter into it. Supply-and-demand is what governs. And there is far more U.S. mint material for sale than there is demand to absorb it. Just like selling stocks at a loss, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.

My father was not looking to get rich quick. He bought prudently, in small quantities with low amounts of money, and based on what he saw as past performance. It was not irrational to expect that 20-25 years down the road, he would reap a modest profit. But, as it turned out, he would have done better to put the same amounts into, say, used $5 Columbians, or other premium U.S. stamps.

And yet, there continue to be collectors who follow the path of investing in mint panes, booklets and coil rolls. A few dynamics make this problematic. First, though the production quantities have decreased markedly, so has the percentage of collectors in the population. Add in the facts that inflation continues to rise, and postage rates continue to rise, while mail volume has declined and will likely continue to do so.

What this means is that the Postal Service is the only guaranteed winner in this equation. They get to use the money right now that collectors pay for stamps they stockpile and don’t “redeem” for many years into the future. And make no mistake: a great many of these “old” stamps are indeed ultimately going to be used for postage.

There are several lessons here. First is that buying mint U.S. stamps in quantity as an investment strategy will likely not turn out well. Second, if you decide to sell your accumulation while you can still benefit, do not sell everything as a single lot. Do your homework, and don’t be in a hurry. Watch buy prices for thematic commemoratives, booklets, coils, etc. that have acquired some premium value. You may not make a lot more than face, but at least you will do better than the 50-60% you would be offered for a large accumulation.

Third, find ways of selling what is left to other collectors at a small discount rather than to dealers at a large discount. Being a member of a stamp club is a plus because many collectors like to use older colorful stamps on their mail.

Fourth, be grateful that you are getting something back on your investment. For most hobbies and pastimes, you are buying pleasant memories, and maybe an investment in physical fitness, but you will get nothing back on the money you have spent on event tickets, golf club entry fees, tennis balls, etc.

Fifth, unless you are a movie star or a sports hero at the professional level, there is no such thing as easy money; and even for them that spigot can be turned off in a hurry if their performance or drawing power drops off. If you want to make money you have to work for it. And in stamps that means what may seem like an easy and sensible scheme, be it in mint stamps, first day covers, plate blocks, gold-replica stamps, or foreign new issues, rarely pans out. To be a successful investor, one must study the investing alternatives, past performance, collecting trends, supply versus demand, the real liquidity of different kinds of investment alternatives, and then make informed, clear-eyed, choices that are still only educated guesses.

But all of this is work, and in some sense is incompatible with why we start a hobby in the first place – to occupy our free time with a pleasurable activity. Investing may seem like a natural extension of collecting, but it is a different level of effort if done seriously; and one that can lead to disappointment with what had been at one time a fun hobby.

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

Or comment right here.

ATA Offers Exhibiting, Display Courses Online

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[press release]
ATA to Offer Two Courses

The American Topical Association is offering two courses via Zoom during the month of May.

Wondering How to Mount and Display Your Collection? Make Your Own Album Pages! is three sessions at 6:00 p.m. Eastern on May 4, 6 and 11. It will show how to design pages on a computer and print them or take them to be printed.

The course will be taught by Martin Kent Miller, owner of The Philatelic Press, a design and marketing firm geared to the needs of philatelists. Martin has worked as a graphic designer for 30 years and enjoys making album pages. Also teaching will be Jeff Hayward, ATA first vice president, who works in the computer field and assists ATA with its technology. He is an avid collector who designs album pages for his many topics.

Cost is $25 for ATA members, $40 for non-members. Registration is open on the ATA website at www.americantopical.org.

Thematic Exhibiting: Steps to Success is a five-part course is designed to give students practical information to use in planning and developing a thematic exhibit. The five-part course will be offered on May 15 (4 p.m. Eastern), May 18 and 20 (6 p.m. Eastern) and May 22 and 29 (4 p.m. Eastern). Cost is $35 for members, $50 for non-members.
ATA president Dawn Hamman will present the first session, an overview of the decisions students need to make in planning; writing the thematic story; and acquiring and describing material. There will be a discussion of resources to use along the way. She is a thematic exhibitor, writer and editor.

The second session, taught by Martin Kent Miller, will cover layout and design, including choosing paper, page design basics, matting, typefaces and size. The owner of The Philatelic Press, a marketing and design firm geared to the needs of philatelists, Miller edits numerous publications, including First Days and The United States Specialist. He designs many publications for ATA, and edited the 2020 book, Topical Adventures – A Guide to Topical and Thematic Stamp Collecting.

The third session will be a case study, in which prominent thematic exhibitor Phillip Stager will go through the steps he took in developing his award-winning exhibit, The Wonderful World of Bamboo. Stager has been exhibitjng since high school and has won many top awards for his thematic exhibits. He is a retired philatelic judge who served as chief judge for the National Topical Stamp Show several times. He wrote the chapter on thematic exhibiting for Topical Adventures – A Guide to Topical and Thematic Stamp Collecting.

Jean Wang will lead the class on May 22: How to Choose a Wide Variety of Philatelic Items for Your Exhibit. She is the grand award winning exhibitor for Blood: A Modern Medicine, CANPEX, 2019, and one of the foremost thematic exhibitors working today. She will describe how she selected a wide range of philatelic items to tell the thematic story.

The final session of the course will be a wrap-up for students to report on their progress and ask questions.

Typically Dutch: Canal Houses [Netherlands 2021]

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[press release]
Typically Dutch: Iconic canal houses on new stamps

The Hague, March 25, 2021 – Wherever you go in the world, almost everyone knows the canals of Amsterdam. Five beautiful buildings on these canals have now been immortalized on the latest PostNL stamps from the Typically Dutch series.

In 2021, the series will focus on housing types and facades that are characteristic of our country. Stamps about traditional farmhouses and wooden houses have already been published. Issues on houseboats and terraced houses will follow later this year.

Colorful illustration
The Typically Dutch canal houses stamps show a colorful illustration of 5 canal houses from Amsterdam. The buildings, large and small, are adjacent. The silhouette of the façades on the canal behind it is visible on the left and right in the background. The depicted canal houses can be admired in real life on the Herengracht, the Oude Turfmarkt, the Brouwersgracht and the Leidsegracht.

Crescent shape
The Amsterdam canal belt, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been laid out in phases. The Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht and Herengracht were dug in the early 17th century. From around 1660, the city extended the canals to the Amstel. Finally, the expansion to the Eastern Islands came about around 1680. This is how the map of Amsterdam got the typical crescent shape.

Painting
The stamps on the Amsterdam canal houses were designed by Edwin van Praet of Total Design from Amsterdam. Van Praet’s choice was based on the desire to show different buildings with different uses and different types of facades from different periods. He also wanted to emphasize that large and small buildings stand next to each other on the canals. Based on the typical appearance of the canal houses, Van Praet tried, as he says, to make “a painting”. “A romantic illustration as an ideal image of the canal house. There can be a list around it. ”

Availability
The Typically Dutch canal houses stamp sheet has 6 identical stamps with the denomination Nederland 1, intended for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps are available from March 22, 2021 at the Bruna stores and via www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

USPS Offers Own 2021 Inauguration Cover

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[press release]
2021 Presidential Inauguration Collectible Available through USPS Postal Store

WASHINGTON, DC — Commemorate the 59th presidential inauguration with this souvenir envelope. The No. 10 envelope features portraits of President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala D. Harris, along with an illustration of the White House.

The envelope may be purchased for $12.95 on usps.com. The item number is 882158.

Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide.

Direct link to product