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.

The Prince of Wales Camp Postmarks 1921-1922

The Future King Edward VIII on Tour

From 1919 to 1922, the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, embarked on a grand world tour. 

In 1921, the Eastern Tour commenced. The HMS Renown departed Portsmouth at sunset on October 26, with the Prince on the saluting deck. The ship called at Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Suez and Aden before arriving at Bombay on November 17. Four months later, on March 17, the Prince left India behind as the Renown sailed for Japan.

A commemorative postmark was used during the tour of the subcontinent, featuring the legend "H.R.H The Prince of Wales' Camp P.O." at the top, with the Prince of Wales feathers in the top centre, and seven bars on each side. The date and time are at the bottom centre, with a thick bar below

Although the postmark doesn't show a location, the tour itinerary makes it possible to ascertain where the postmark was used.

The itinerary was kindly provided by Kasinath Rajasekaran on the Global Philately Facebook Page, and reproduced here in full:

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

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.

Marcophily - The Study of Postmarks - Part 1

Sometimes, You Don't Notice The Stamp!

The hobby of collecting postmarks is known as Marcophily. It's a fascinating area, with specialist areas within the hobby. Avid postmark collectors are quite willing and able to look past deficiencies in the quality of the stamp if the postmark is scarce enough!

Postage stamps were introduced in 1840, and the first postmarks were designed to obliterate the stamp to ensure that it couldn't be re-used. The first postmark in wide use was this one, a Maltese Cross. Many different types exist, and this one can be identified as an Edinburgh Maltese Cross