FEBRUARY & APRIL 2013

February 2013

• Connecting Nations with Philately - A Short History of Architecture in Dutch-Chinsura - The city of Chinsura (Chuchura) in India was a Dutch possession from 1635 to 1825. Briti Deb describes the city and looks at ways in which it has been represented in philately.

• When Aerial mail flew by "Chopper" - Recalling various firsts in the history of airmail, Dave Hill looks at the lesser known experiment with helicopter mail in the UK in 1948. 

• Philatelic Features Raffle Draw Chinese postal card - the editor explains how Brian Asquith, the presenter of our November 2012 Display came to appear on a Chinese postal card.  

• Free Franks and Famous People - Dave Hill explains the system of free franking that was once available to Members of the House of Commons and of the House of Lord and that was open to abuse in the days before cheap postage.  

• New Year brings new Machin coil and new colours - New British stamps from Royal Mail are described by Michael Goodman. 

• Post and Go ventures under water for 2013 - Michael Goodman firstly describes the "Christmas Robins" labels that he acquired from the  "Post and Go" vending machine installed at the British Postal Museum & Archive in London, before bringing us up to date on the Royal Mail's plans for "pond life" labels in 2013.
  

• New Issues - 

  • Postmen's uniforms from Malaysia marking World Post Day

  • Ascension commemorates the 75th Anniversary of Wideawake Airfield with a miniature sheet of birds and planes. 

  • The Ibero-American Summit - stamps from Spain for this summit meeting the theme of which was the 1812 Constitution of Cadiz.

  • Diamond Jubilee Roundup - the latter part of the year saw further issues from Papua New Guinea, St Helena, Tokelau, Niue and Malaysia.  

• Meeting report - a detailed write-up on the Display "Triest/Trieste" that Brian L Asquith gave to the National Philatelic society on Saturday 10 November 2012. 

• Annual Competitions 2012 - Details of the entries that featured in the Society's annual competitions day on Saturday   December.
  
  

• Book Reviews - This issues reviews range over the latest Gibbons' Commonwealth Catalogues for the Leeward Islands and Indian Ocean, Jusqu'a Hand Stamps, Czech Liberation Overprints, and Refugees from the Nazis. 

 PLUS -  Other Regular Features - 

• The President's Piece, National PS News

• Letters to the Editor

• Other Philatelic News 

• Stamp Fairs Listing - February, March and April 2013.

April 2013

• Fiji: The November/December 1941 PanAm Transpacific Service -  David Alford describes how PanAm's FAM 19 service between the USA and New Zealand was diverted to Fiji as a result of World War II and the covers issued to mark this development.

• Collect Something Different - Twenty years ago Stuart Henderson found a number of discarded motor vehicle tax discs. Perforated, bearing a value and issued by the Government, Stuart saw them as a form of revenue stamp and as a new collecting interest. Here he describes how this interest developed and the help that he has received, not least as regards discs from the wartime years when the number issued was reduced by the restrictions on motoring at that time.  

• Worth a Farthing?  - This small coin, of which there were 960 to the £, was withdrawn from circulation in the United Kingdom in 1960. Dave Hill describes how Britain once had a Penny-farthing stamp and a number of island territories within British Empire issued stamps for one farthing.  

• The Collector's Enemy - Using envelopes to light fires or produce hair curling fires were just of the reasons why envelopes addressed to Victorian households failed to survive as Dave Hill explains. 
  

• New Issues - 

  • QR codes on the miniature sheets from Hungary for the Bicentenaries of Verdi and Wagner

  • Stamps from Malaysia marking the postal history of the state of Kedah and the issue of its first stamps in 1912. 

  • The Falkland Islands referendum of 2013. 

  • Stamps from Australia marking the centenary of Canberra as the national capital.

  • Hungary commemorates the role of Jozsef Galamb in the development of the Model-T Ford..  

• Meeting reports - Detailed and illustrated reports on the Display "The Design, production and marketing of GB Stamp Booklets"  given to the National by Ian Harvey FRPSL on Saturday 12 January 2013 and on "They also Served" and "Post War Britain", two thematic display given by Christine Earle FRPSL on 9 February 2013.   

• Book Reviews - This issues reviews range over Bermuda, Fiji's Times Express Stamps, Perfins, Uruguay Travelling Post Offices the latest Collect Channel Islands and Isle of Man Stamps and Collect British Stamps catalogues from Stanley Gibbons and the 2nd edition of Gibbons Antarctica catalogue. 

 PLUS -  Other Regular Features - 

• The President's Piece, National PS News

• Letters to the Editor

• Other Philatelic News 

• Stamp Fairs Listing - April, March & June 2013.

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