http://www.stampandcoin.co.uk JANUARY 2016^9Auction houses haven’t got the time
to give close inspection to what look
like routine stamp collections, writes
John Gledhill of the Postal Order
Society. So imagine the surprise
waiting for one lucky buyer who
bought a job lot of old albums in a
big London auction: when he took
the box full of albums home and
gave them a closer look he found on
the back of a ‘Gold Coast’ page an
old British postal order overprinted
for use in Gold Coast.
King Edward VII British postal orders overprinted for other countries
are extremely rare (only eighteen are known), so when he made contact
with the GB Overprints Society (GBOS) and through them with the
Postal Order Society (POS) he agreed to put it in the POS world-wide
auction. What was particularly exciting about this item was that the
layout of the overprint had never been seen before and the Society’s list
of known overprint types had to be recast. It is unique.
When the auction closed on 8 November, we were very pleased
that this remarkable find was successfully sold for £1,200, the second
highest auction price ever for an overprinted British postal order. This isindeed a good return on the modest sum paid for the old albums in the
job lot! Postal Orders are deemed to be postal stationery by the FIP, so
can be an interesting part of a country collection.
The lesson to be learned is clear: never dismiss old ‘schoolchild’
albums, as sometimes they contain outstanding gems.
For more information on both societies contact John Gledhill on
e-mail: [email protected]; websites: http://postalordersociety.
blogspot.co.uk; http://www.gbos.org.uk
For more society news see page 73.Quick Links
Page 10 Europa theme
Page 11 New S&CM website
Page 12 Alan Johnson Q&AStamp update
Collector discovers rare Postal Order
Philatelic bureaux are turning their attention
to the new year by revealing their 2016
stamp schedules, with Europa’s ‘Think Green’
theme and the Queen’s ninetieth birthday
celebrations appearing on many subject lists.
Jersey’s stamp year begins with ‘Year of the
Monkey’ stamps (as detailed on page 36), and
other subjects for 2016 include Einstein’s Theory
of Relativity, the fifth wedding anniversary ofthe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and RAF
Search & Rescue. Other countries marking
the Chinese New Year include the USA, New
Zealand and Hong Kong.
Åland Post will join other Nordic postal
administrations in celebrating Nordic cuisine
on a set of stamps in March, while the
following month stamps will recall ‘Witch-
hunts in Åland (1666-1668)’. Norway’s
stamps, meanwhile, will have a sporty feel
with stamps for the Youth Olympic Games
and the Biathlon World Championship, while
later in the year a ‘Lighthouse’ issue will please
collectors of the popular theme.
The life and work of jazz and pop singer
Sarah Vaughan will be celebrated on an
American stamp in the first quarter of the
new year (pictured), while other US stamps
will commemorate California educator Jaime
Escalante, and the 250th anniversary of the
repeal of the Stamp Act. A twenty stamp USA
set will celebrate pets, and a stamp will be
issued to mark the holding of the World Stamp
Show-NY 2016, in May.Of course, there will be an array of stamps
dedicated to the Rio Olympics in 2016,
though collectors of the theme suggest the
number may be lower than usual due to tighter
licensing restrictions. Those countries to have
confirmed Olympics issues include hosts
Brazil, Hong Kong, Belarus, and Israel.For more 2016 stamp schedules visit our
website: http://www.stampandcoin.co.ukBureaux prepare for 2016
p09 Stamp update.indd 9 23/11/2015 14: