10 APRIL 2016 http://www.stampandcoin.co.ukStamp update
The recent Stampex event saw thousands of
collectors descend upon Islington for four
days of stamps, socialising, buying and selling
in what has been described as ‘the busiest
Stampex in years’.
First on the ‘to do’ list for many visitors
was the Royal Mail stand, which saw queues
stretch across the hall for most of the first
day, with customers eager to snap up the
limited edition Royal Mail 500 miniature
sheets featuring an exclusive Stampex design.
Inspired by the success of a mini-sheet sold
only at the London 2015 event, the sheet
was this time limited to 7,500 copies and was
sold for over face value (the standard sheets
are £3.92, Stampex versions were £7.95), yet
early reports suggested over 2,000 were sold
during the first day. By the Thursday evening
examples of the sheets were selling online for
up to £16.99.
The 100+ stands gave collectors a huge range
of material to browse and buy. Penny Blacks,
themed stamps, covers with exotic stories to
tell, intriguing postcards and unusual postal
artefacts, were just some of the items on offer.
Stampex offers something for every collector
and every budget, making a trip to the capital
well worth it, online collecting is certainly
on the rise and is a great way to collect, butStampex
attracts
thousands
nothing beats seeing the stock for yourself and
sharing the enthusiasm with others.Extraordinary exhibits
In the midst of this busy trading, hundreds
of frames of rare philatelic material vied for
attention, with the ‘Seven Nations Challenge’
bringing together some of the most prestigious
collections in the world. What better way to
wind down from the wheeling and dealing
than a perusal of some wonderful collections?
The Seven Nations Challenge saw exhibits
from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany,
Great Britain, Sweden and the USA all entered
into a biennial competition which previously
took place in Perth, Australia and Malmö,Sweden. Chris King, Chairman of the ABPS
Exhibitions and International Committee, said:
‘Each country brings four exhibits, with each
from a different FIP class, and the London
competition, co-hosted by Great Britain
and Germany, brought together an array of
internationally important exhibits. The results
could not have been closer, with only one point
separating the first three teams.’ Great Britain
achieved 385 points with Denmark on 384 and
Germany coming third with 383.
Away from the international competitions,
collector Joseph Hackmey was presented with
the ‘Silver Mail Coach’ for his exhibit ‘The
Grand Duchy of Baden’. The Silver Mail CoachGB wins Seven
Nations Challenge
The winning team members of the Seven
Nations Challenge were as follows:- Lesley Marley, ‘A Whale’s Tale’,
Thematic Philately 95 points - Alan Holyoake, ‘Secured Delivery
Leading to the Introduction
of Registration 1201-1862’,
Postal History 97 points - Joseph Hackmey, ‘Classic Switzerland’,
Traditional Philately 96 points - Chris Harman, ‘The British Stamping
Office and Taxation-Revenue Duties
from 1671 to the Great Reform of
Joseph Hackmey (left) presented with the ‘Silver Mail Coach’ at Spring Stampex 2016 for his exhibit, ‘The Grand Duchy of Baden’.
Also pictured (l to r) are Chris King, Chairman of the ABPS Exhibitions and International Committee; Bill Hedley, Jury Chairman; and
Thomas Høpfner representing the BDPh, the German Philatelic Federation who co-hosted the Seven Nations ChallengeSign up for the free Stamp & Coin Mart e-newsletter and receive news direct to your inbox every month. Sign up at: http://stamp.cm/esign-upp09 Stamp update.indd 10 01/03/2016 11: