Ebay Realisations Are Hot

or, How to Be a Constant Underbidder!

I buy most of my Ebay items from the UK and US, so most items end in the wee small hours when beauty sleep is trying it's best to work it's magic.

I use Gavel Snipe to place my bids for me, and I've had a spectacularly unsuccessful week, with prices heading upwards for the Silver Jubilee material I'm constantly seeking.

Here's a few examples:

First, a cheap stamp. Straits Settlements Silver Jubilee 8c, SG257, with a clear strike of Changi, Proud D2, although no year is shown. I collect the postmarks of the small post offices of the Straits Settlements, and I have no Changi in the collection

The stamp has a CV of £3.25, and Proud rates the postmark as 40, or £4. The stamp sold at double CV, £6.50!

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.

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