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The current issue of Stamp Lover - February 2024

  • A short history of Post and Go , Part One. The  removal of Post and Go machines from service at the end of 2023, marked the end of a era for collectors of Great Britain. Michael L. Goodman, editor of Stamp Lover sketches the origins of Post and Go and how they first appeared in 2008  ( sorry  , a misprint in the text states 1998 by mistake ) . His first article describes the non pictorial labels, the second one due in April will deal with  pictorial labels and the final part in June will deal with labels issued from machines at museums and other places of interest. The first instalment also includes an introduction by Richard West MBE, a former editor of Stamp Lover.

  • Torres the forger and the British colonial key type issues; Gerhard Lang-Valchs examines how Spanish master forger Placido Ramon de Torres got to work on the British colonial stamps showing the head of Queen Victoria

  • Talismanic Numbers of early Sudan covers. Malcolm Coe  describes the covers he showed on line last December and how letter writers in Sudan wrote Islamic  talismatic numbers on covers  as a sign of good luck. Malcolm will show more Sudan material at our  virtual meeting of 10 June 2024.
    .
  • Index to  Stamp Lover  Volume 115 , 2023. Rodney Knight has compiled an index to all the Stamp Lover issues of 2023.

  • Meeting Reports - Kenya Uganda and Tanganyika varieties: Virtual meeting of Monday 11 December 2023. Roger  Gilbert showed in great detail flaws and varieties on issues of British East Africa and  KUT. In the second half Malcolm Coe showed Sudan covers, the subject of the feature listed above, Keith Johnson showed some Fanning Island in the Pacific, while Peter  Mellor showed some commercial covers which all told stories.

    London meeting of 13 January 2024 - Argentina, The annual Peter Brack Memorial Display, given by Ian King.  Ian King's display treated us to almost every definitive issue of Argentina from 1858 to the present. To show everything “in the flesh” would have filled the meeting room, so he used Powerpoint as well as showing stamps on frames. He began with early crude impe rforate issues, then the “Rivadavias” named after the national hero depicted on the stamps. There was a complete set of the Eva Peron issue of 1952, and lots of pictorials. Post war inflation and repeated revaluations of the peso meant the “noughts” disappeared off the stamp denominations at regular intervals, only to reappear with further inflation. The recent 2023 1000 peso definitives only have a face value equivalent to one US dollar.

  • Newsmix - List of Royal Mail new issues for 2024.- none to mark the 150th Anniversary of the UPU.

  • Book Reviews - Detailed and informative reviews are a regular feature of the magazine. Reviewed in this issue are SG Commonwealth & British Empire Stamps Catalogue 1840-1970 12th ed 2024, Internal Mail Routes of Nigeria Vol.1 by R.F.May FRPSL and SG Collect British Stamps 75th ed 2024. 
  • Plus OTHER REGULAR FEATURES

      • The President's Piece
      • National PS News
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Mesage friom the Editor    
      • Stamp Fairs Listing -  late January,February & March 2024.

    MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL PHILATELIC SOCIETY RECEIVE SIX ISSUES OF "STAMP LOVER" A YEAR

     

Michael R Thompson (1951-2023)

The National Philatelic Society has been saddened by the news that Michael R. Thompson, its immediate past President  and former Hon Auctioneer passed away on 27 September 2023.

Michael became Hon. Auctioneer of the NPS in 1997, running its monthly auctions for over twenty years. For a decade from 2012, he combined this with the role of Society President. Many NPS members will recall enjoying his President's displays of Lundy Island, Classic Ceylon, and Philatelic Congresses - three of his main interests.

 

With his drive, determination and thirst for hard work, the Society owes a great deal to Michael and it was indeed unfortunate that the end of his term of office coincided with the Covid pandemic and the onset of illness. Outside his NPS activities, Michael played an important role in the Kent philatelic scene and the London & Provincial Stamp Club, and was also involved in Stamp Active where he conducted the children's stamp auctions at Stampex for many years.


A fuller tribute to Michael will appear in December Stamp Lover.                                                                  October 2023

 



Our regular Zoom Displays move to Monday Evenings

We see these meetings as an opportunity for members to get together, wherever they live – more than half our membership live over 50 miles from London – and to enjoy displays from across the country or from even further afield.

 

However beginning October 2023, we have moved these rom Saturday mornings to Monday evenings as members felt this was a more convenient time. The new time is 7 pm when the invited speaker will present for about an hour.

 

After a short break there is then an opportunity for members to display in the form of two brief displays, or simply show one or two items of interest or something that they would like to share with others.

 

Tony Johnson remains technical host for the meetings. Members will receive an email link to  join the meeting a few days before the event. Members who want to take part in a virtual meeting but have not already done so should email Tony if they are not familiar with joining such meetings. Tony will also “train” members who would like to show their material on Zoom.

 

Zoom meeting  alternate with London ones. The next one  is Monday December 11th when Roger Gilbert shows Kenya Uganda and Tanganyika varieties 1890/1948. A report will appear in the December Stamp Lover of the previous Zoom meeting of Ocxtober 9th when Dr Jon Higgins FRPSL showed the pictorial stamps of Labuan and North Borneo.


                                                                                                                                                                   October 2023



London & Provincial Stamp Club

As  from 1 September 2023, members of the London & Provincial Stamp Club (L &P) have been welcomed to the National philatelic Society (NPS). As a result the NPS has  gained 79 new members. A further 25 L & P members were already members of the NPS. This transfer followed a vote by L & P members after the Club found itself unable to find new officers.


NPS President, Peter Mellor comments  “ As always, I am delighted to welcome new members, but in the case  of those from the L & P, I appreciate that it is always a sad moment when any club or society – philatelic or otherwise – feels that circumstances  mean it has to close its doors. Nevertheless I hope and believe that the National can add to these members’ enjoyment of the hobby in the way that the L &P did and certainly we will be the better and stronger as a result of this influx of new blood. Indeed it is good to know that Andrew Horn of the L & P is already becoming a valued member of our Packet Team., while Julia Todd has been co-opted onto the NPS Council”. 

The London & Provincial Stamp Club’s origins go back to 1946. In November of that year, 18 members of an international philatelic body called the International Stamp Collectors’ Association (ISCA) met together at a church hall in Paddington and agreed to form a London club.  The first meeting was held on 25th November 1946, with Robson Lowe, the eminent philatelist, as the guest speaker. His subject was "organised Philately".This small group prospered and attracted more members until in 1950 – upon the demise of the ISCA – it renamed itself and became the London & Provincial Stamp Club.

The club always had as its motto “The Friendly Club for the Average Collector”.  It welcomed all collectors, and set out to create a friendly atmosphere, foster their interests and carry out meetings in a happy and informal manner. As the name implies, the L & P drew members from across the country and for many years held Saturday bourses and auctions at the Victory Services Club.

                                                                                                                                                                             October 2023


 

NPS resumes room and postal auctions at new venue

National Philatelic Society Meetings have returned to a philatelic setting, with the first London meeting of the 2022-23 Season held at its new venue on 10 September - the premises of the Royal Philatelic Society at 15 Abchurch Lane - offering a room and postal auction for members and a display of Chile.

Overshadowed by the momentous event of two days earlier, as members assembled before the auction started, there was  a one minute's silence in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The  300  lot  members' Auction, was the  first combined room and postal sale since the Covid crisis .It was conducted  by our new Hon Auctioneer John Casanova, with Rod Thompson recording the bids.

 

Hugh Johnson  then presented “ Chile overall “ for this year's Peter Brack memorial lecture. Peter Brack, a  former NPS member left the society  a legacy on condition there was one speaker meeting per year on Latin America. The  display was wide ranging, beginning with  a tour of the country through its.postcards including some showing the damage caused by an earthquake in Valparaiso in September  1906.

We look forward to more successful meetings at Abchurch Lane, our next being on Saturday, 5 November.

November 2022


 
New venue our London Meetings

The venue for all our London meetings will now be the premises of the The Royal Philatelic Society, 15, Abchurch Lane, London, EC4N 7BW.

The nearest stations are Bank  Cannon Street, and Monument are also nearby. City Thameslink isa short bus ride or 10 minute walk.

2022 Annual General Meeting - Change of President

The Annual General meeting held on July 9th was a significant one as Michael Thompson stepped down as Hon .President after a decade in office. He is succeeded by Peter Mellor, a former hon. secretary and current membership secretary. There was a special presentation after the formal business when Michael Thompson was presented with books, a special goblet and a greeting card of appreciation signed by members present. Peter Mellor who made the presentation praised Michael 's “sterling work for the society over the years “.


 

 

National PS NEWS ARCHIVE
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