Remembering King George V

3 June 1865 - 21 January 1936

His Majesty George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, passed away on 21 January 1936. 

For reasons I still don't fully understand, his reign has become important to me, and the focus of my collecting.

The stamps of his reign are becoming harder to find, and prices continue to rise. When I have difficulty finding anything I need or want, I enjoy searching for non-philatelic items that can add social context to my collection, and where better to start than postcards? Here are just a few of mine.

This postcard shows the Downey portrait of His Majesty, which was used for the much-maligned first Great Britain issue of his reign

Welcome to 2013!

Three Major World Exhibitions

With 2012 now behind us, we can all look forward to a year of major philatelic events.

The big event from an Australian perspective is the Australia 2013 exhibition in Melbourne from 10-15 May. The exhibition is being held primarily to celebrate the centenary of the iconic (if rather unattractive in my opinion!) kangaroo series. The 1d red was issued on 1 January 2013. 

When I found this stamp, I was convinced that it was a first day cancel, but under magnification, there is a clear remnant of a "2", making it the 21st. It's still a nice early usage though.

You can visit the Australia 2013 website here. I'll be visiting the exhibition, along with many other members of the Grumpy Old Men's Club

Other major world exhibitions are Thailand 2013 in Bangkok in August, and Brasiliana 2013 in Rio de Janeiro in November.

If you can get along to a major exhibition, you should. You'll either be hugely invigorated and motivated, or overawed!