20 FEBRUARY 2016 http://www.stampandcoin.co.ukStamp update
M
ost collectors would probably love to specialise in
‘Inverts of the World’. But few have the resources
and even among those who might, there is
distinct resistance in many people to spending
hundreds let alone thousands of pounds for each stamp you put
in your collection. But if you have reached the point of no return
in your specialised ‘Inverts of the World’ collection or are just now thinking
general collecting is a bit too broad, you should know that specialisation
need not cost your children their college education.
Specialisation, like hotel rooms, comes in four categories: very expensive,
expensive, moderate, and cheap. But unlike hotel rooms (where occasionally
price equals quality) all you really get from expensive specialities (such as mint
USA) is higher priced stamps, not more fun. Indeed, there are many specialities
that a collector can come quite close to completing for a surprisingly modest
amount of money. And many of these specialties contain rare and elusive items
that will require more time to find than money to buy them.
Used Scandinavia (except Iceland) is a speciality in which you need
thousands of stamps to complete. The stamps are beautifully printed, usually
neatly cancelled, and nearly always inexpensive. In fact, even counting
Sweden #1, out of the thousands of stamps needed for completion, in Fine
condition only about fifty would cost more than £100 and only about
another 100 more than £40 with hundreds costing 20p or less.South America mint or used is another fascinating collecting area and you
can almost pick your country and be assured of interesting, hard to find,
inexpensive stamps. Try the Argentina Officials for a real challenge. Over
a dozen of them we have never seen, and all of those catalogue 25p or less.
There are some very expensive Latin American stamps but most of these were
issued before 1880. After that, the expense is incidental to the quest.
French Colonies is an area where a collector can get a lot of different
stamps for his money. The 19th century tends to be expensive but the 20th
century to independence is full of colourful sets of twenty values or more
that are quite hard to find. Portuguese colonies are pretty much the same,
though a bit more pricey.
In the British Empire area, India and Ceylon are inexpensive. Indian
States, both Convention and Feudatory, are a rich field with a few very
expensive examples. The perforation varieties of New South Wales and
New Zealand are tough to locate and though some are costly, most require
perseverance and diligence to find, not money.
There are many others too. The important thing to remember in philately
is that the untilled field will reap the greatest harvest. Collectors on a budget
can find fulfilled and economically rewarding collecting if they are thorough
in their search and march to a different drummer.John Apfelbaum has spent a lifetime learning about stamp collecting. He runs
the venerable firm of stamp professionals Earl PL Apfelbaum, a business that has
dealt in only stamps since 1901 and which was founded by his great grandfather.
He can be reached at [email protected]Inexpensive specialties
A cover featuring an ‘exceptionally rare undenominated
Brindisi deficiency mark’ was recently sold at
Cavendish. The cover had been sent to London on
7 September, 1870, franked with a 1/- New South
Wales diadem stamp, which was cancelled by Sydney
duplex. The postal rate for the cover had been
underpaid by 1d and so a framed ‘INSUFFICIENTLY/
STAMPED/VIA BRINDISI’ handstamp had been
added at left. According to the auctioneers, ‘just two
examples of this marking have been recorded thus far.’
The cover also featured an undenominated framed
‘INSUFFICIENTLY PAID/FOR BRINDISI ROUTE/
DEFICIENT POSTAGE/1d’ handstamp, thought to
be the only example of this marking on mail from the
Australian States.SOLD FOR £4,A cover bearing a horizontal strip of three 1843 60r
black ‘Bull’s Eyes’ stamps of Brazil, was recently sold at
Cherrystone. The stamps were from the first large plate,
boasted margins all around with marginal rules at top and
at right, and were tied on by a double ring ‘Correio Geral
Da Corte 21 Oct 44’ circular date stamp. The cover was
addressed to Santa Barbara, Minas Geraes, and the strip of
three paid five times the overland letter rate.SOLD FOR £17,Many of specialties contain rare and
elusive items that will require more
time to find than money to buy them
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