A Nice Straits Settlements Postmark Find

A New "Last-Recorded-Date"

I found this stamp online and paid 5p for it. It's Straits Settlements SG225, postmarked with Prye (Prai), Penang, Proud type D3.

Proud's "The Postal History of Malaya Vol 1" states that the recorded dates for type D3 were 6 December 1917 to 23 January 1925. Although the month is unclear, the left leg of an "A" is evident, meaning this was postmarked 27 April or 27 August 1925.

I sent an email to Proud Bailey, and received a very quick reply from Edward Proud, confirming that this is a new last-recorded-date, and stating that the next edition will be updated.

I'm fascinated that finds like this can be made 87 years after the event! 

These are the little things that make our hobby so intriguing and worthwhile.

Why Postal History Collectors Get Excited

Ebay Still Delivers Nice Finds

This postcard of a group of children from Assuan (Aswan), Egypt, posted in 1911, and addressed to Singapore was listed recently on Ebay Australia. 

The TPO (Travelling Post Office) postmark on the front of the card was reason enough for me to buy it

Straits Settlements Postmarks of the King George V Era

Looking for the Small Post Offices

One of the endearing, and frustrating, things about our hobby is the way that it will lead you off on tangents when you least expect it to. 

I've been a King George V collector for many years, but since my first visit to Singapore a few years ago, I've kept an eye on the postmarks on the KGV Straits Settlements issues. I noticed that fully 90-95% of the postmarks are from Singapore (in all it's variations - Registered, Parcel etc), Malacca and Penang. However, there are dozens of smaller post office postmarks to find, and they are elusive. I use Proud's "The Postal History of Malaya Volume 1" as my reference.

Serangoon Road, located in Singapore. This postmark, that was in use from December 1929, is Proud type D3, and is the least common of the Serangoon Road postmarks

The Internet and Philately - Part 3

Using Non-Philatelic Websites to Bring Your Collection to Life

Like most collectors, I have a huge bookmark folder, full of philatelic information sites, auction sites, forums and so on. I also have a bookmark folder that contains non-philatelic websites that I use to add flesh to the bare bones of my collection.

I hope you find some of these useful.

As a collector of British Empire, my favourite site for historical context is The British Empire, Where The Sun Never Sets. The site covers the period from 1497, when Newfoundland was claimed, to 1997 when Hong Kong was handed back to China. It's not an academic site, but a site that brings social context to the Empire.

In a similar vein, the British Pathé site lets you step back into history, with 90,000 historic clips online.

Specialised Catalogues

Some New Additions to the Shelf

The quest for specialised catalogues never ends if you want to delve into the minutiae of your collection. In an earlier blog I mentioned some of the fascinating books I had in my library,

A few new additions have made it to the bookshelf since that blog.

Firstly, the Philatelic Handbook of the Gilbert & Ellice Islands by D.H. Vernon. Issued in the 1970's this is an official reprint by the Pacific Islands Study Circle and can be ordered from their excellent website.

Collecting Postal History - A Brief Introduction

Part One of an Occasional Series

I've been collecting stamps for over 40 years, and covers for almost as long. While a postmark on a stamp can give an insight into what the stamp "did", only a cover can provide the full story. A postmark might tell you the where and when of postage, but can very rarely tell you the how and why.

This is the allure of postal history. The term was coined by Robson Lowe, and can be described as the study of postal systems and how they operate. The beauty of postal history is that it is a somewhat specialised field, so bargains really are everywhere.

The covers in the blog were all picked up for a song, because the people selling them didn't know what they were.

This grubby cover was sold as "Nigeria King on envelope". It's actually a First Flight cover, for the first direct flight from Lagos, Nigeria to Croydon, England. Addressed to Government House, Antigua, the airmail sticker has two pen marks through it. This is known as a jusqu'a cover (a French word which can be translated as "as far as"). The pen marks were  added on receipt at Croydon to indicate that the cover would not be conveyed by airmail from that point onwards, as there was no airmail service from Croydon to Antigua.

Franked with a pair of 1935 Silver Jubilees SG33 and 6d SG40.

Australia opened a number of Antarctic bases in the 1950's and the first Australian Antarctic Territory stamp was issued in 1957. Before that date, Australian stamps were used.

The Internet and Philately - Part 2

My Ten Favourite Online Resources

One of the joys of the internet is finding out that someone else has done the research and put it online for all to see. I especially enjoy websites that go beyond the standard references and broaden a subject.

My list of bookmarks runs into the hundreds, but these are my Top 10. Needless to say, but I will anyway, my collecting habits are reflected in the sites I've selected

1. King George V Silver Jubilee - without doubt the best online reference for the 1935 Jubilee issues. It includes the omnibus series issued by 44 colonies and territories, and the separate issues of 10 that didn't hop aboard. The listings, and illustrations, of the multitude of varieties is superb. To aid the postal historian, there are also details of the postal rates for each territory.

2. The Philatelic Database - definitely the place to go when you don't know where to start, the Philatelic Database contains a host of articles on all things philatelic, and they're archived

3. Philatelics.Org - a brilliant site for collectors of Great Britain. It has numerous downloadable PDF's on a range of subjects, and an excellent postmark database

4. The TPO and Seapost Society - another fantastic site for postal historians, covering Travelling Post Offices and maritime mail

A Letter From 1842 Brought To Life

A Property Dispute Involving an Earl, an Admiral and a Mystery Claimant

This entire (meaning a folded letter-sheet) was sent in April 1842 from solicitor James Burn of Edinburgh to solicitors Russel & Aitken of Falkirk.

The address reads Messrs Russel & Aitken, Writers, Falkirk. “Writers” is an abbreviation for “Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet”, a private society of Scottish solicitors formed in 1594 that still exists. The abbreviation “WS” can be seen after solicitor’s names in the letter, and members of the Society still use the letters today.

The stamp is SG8, 1d red-brown imperforate, issued in late 1841. It is cancelled with an Edinburgh Maltese Cross (this stamp was illustrated in my Marcophily blog)

Postal History - A 1943 Cover Tells It's Story

The Reason That I Love Postal History

The term "Postal History" was coined by the great Robson Lowe:

"Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems"

That's quite a mouthful, that can be abbreviated to "what can this cover tell me?"

There is a belief that Postal History relates to very old material. I'd like to show that a relatively common cover from WWII can tell a fascinating story of it's travels and it's times

This is the cover.