This year’s SEPAC theme is ‘Seasons’. SEPAC stands for Small European Postal Administration Co-operation and consists of the following group of small European postal administrations: Greenland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Åland, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, Malta, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican.
Well, it’s only 2,500 miles!!
It is now almost 158 years ago that one man’s dedication and perseverance bore fruit.
Cyrus W. Field, a retired American paper merchant, formed a company in 1854 with the intention of improving and speeding up communication between North America and Britain. The idea was to transmit telecommunication signals between those lands.
One of the biggest frustrations for many stamp collectors is the enormous amount of new issues. The question can then become: “How much of my ready cash do I spend on new stamps and how much should I spend on old items that will give me a more varied collection?” However, there are still countries in the year 2016 with very modest issuance programmes.
Guatemala is the only country in the world with its currency named after a bird.
Rather a shame that other countries haven’t followed suit. If you live in America you might have Cuckoos in your bank account, in Britain you could pay your rent in Robins, in France your shopping could cost 20 Finches and you could get your Tits out for a taxi fare in Italy.
One of the biggest frustrations for many stamp collectors is the enormous amount of new issues. The question can then become: “How much of my ready cash do I spend on new stamps and how much should I spend on old items that will give me a more varied collection?” However, there are still countries in the year 2016 with very modest issuance programmes.
In February the United States of America will release the stamp sheet shown below. This issue commemorates the 250th anniversary of the repeal of the Stamp Act, British legislation that galvanized and united the American colonies and set them on a path toward revolution.
Trains and railways have always been a popular topic for stamp collectors. Recently issued by Malaysia is this stamp set, called Trains in Sabah, featuring a Hitachi diesel locomotive (60 sen), as well as a railbus (70 sen) and a diesel multiple unit (80 sen).
Strangely, during the Second World War, on the remote islands of Tristan da Cunha – a British Overseas Territory and dependency of St. Helena – the islanders actually used the humble potato as a form of currency!
The management and staff at PostBeeld would like to thank all customers and visitors to our various websites during 2015. We extend festive greetings and hope that 2016 is a happy and healthy year for you all.
In the past there have been many nice postcards printed featuring philately as a subject. Here are some from PostBeeld’s own collection, many of which feature scenes from the Paris stamp market, which has existed since the 1860s. The market is still open three days per week. Have you seen, or do you have, other philately-related postcards? Let us know.