In Geneva, the firm of David Feldman held its summer auction June 22-25. The big surprise was the result obtained for a series of 19th-century revenue stamps from the Australian state of Victoria.

On Dec. 6, 2001, Guatemala issued a 10-centavo airmail stamp commemorating the 1993 census. The controversial stamp was withdrawn from sale less than a week later, on Dec. 11.

The American Topical Association, with almost 3,000 members worldwide, is the largest philatelic society devoted specifically to topical collecting. It provides many benefits to its members, including a checklist database with more than 400,000 stamps, and its journal Topical Time, published six times per year.

Interasia in Hong Kong held an auction of China and Asian stamps and postal history on July 18-20. Modern rarities from the People’s Republic of China were well-represented in the Interasia July sale.

Penrhyn is the northernmost and largest of the 15 islands within the Cook Islands range. In common with the other islands in the Cook group, Penrhyn’s small population is primarily of Polynesian heritage.

Sesame Database Manager isn’t a new program; it’s been around since 2003. Previously priced at $79, the program is now available free for personal use.

Queen Elizabeth II has spent far more of her life on British North America postage stamps than any other member of the royal family: 83 years (1932-2015), versus only 51 for Queen Victoria (1851-1902).

Simply defined, a stamp with an overprint is one that has any printing added over the original completed design of the stamp. Surcharges generally occur when there has been a rate change requiring different denominations than are available on the current stamp issues.

In 1939, Paraguay issued 12 stamps of similar design but for different postal purposes (Scott 351-54, C122-C123 and O99-O104) to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion. Paraguay’s oldest university was established in 1889 during the presidency of Patricio Escobar.

The envelope, mailed in 1972 to an American diplomat in Kuwait, is franked with two stamps that were rejected and disdained by national and international stamp hobby organizations.

In the late 1950s, the stamps became more colorful. Stamp designs began to focus on the people, the flora and fauna, and the history of the islands. This stamp era is where armchair travel kicks into high gear.

Most collector interest in Mauritania is a holdover from its status as a former French colony. In 1993, Mauritania issued a two-stamp set to commemorate the first anniversary of the first multi-party presidential election.

Novelty stamps have something unusual about them that makes them distinct from normal postage stamps. It might be their shape or some gimmick, a substance other than ink that releases a fragrance, or some way to give texture or to imitate motion.

Wallis and Futuna might be the least-known islands in all of the South Pacific. Well off the beaten track, remote Wallis and Futuna’s nearest neighbors are Fiji (346 miles southwest) and Samoa (405 miles west). Wallis (also known as Uvea) Island and Futuna Island are about 100 miles apart. There are 23 islands within Wallis and Futuna, all but three of them uninhabited.

With the highly-anticipated release of the The Force Awakens in December, the Royal Mail will release 18 total stamps celebrating the news. All of the bases will be covered, as characters, spaceships, and other vehicles will all be depicted in the sheet that releases on Oct. 20.

Great Britain’s Royal Mail will issue 18 stamps Oct. 20 to commemorate Star Wars and the upcoming release of the new film. Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

To encourage the writing of letters, the Netherlands issued a pane of 10 stamps Aug. 17 featuring famous people known for their personal letters. The Royal Library helped the Netherlands’ postal administration, PostNL, in the selection of these letter writers: artists Rembrandt van Rijn and Vincent van Gogh; poet Leo Vroman; mathematician and scientist Christiaan Huygens; and priest, philosopher and humanist Desiderius Erasmus.

A new stamp from the Czech Republic celebrates an innovative method for international communication. Issued Sept. 2, this nondenominated, self-adhesive definitive stamp honors Postcrossing, an international project in which people from around the world send each other postcards.

Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom on Sept. 9, exceeding her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years and 216 days. Canada, Australia and Jersey marked the historic milestone with new stamps.

Great Britain issued a souvenir sheet Sept. 9 honoring Queen Elizabeth II as its longest reigning monarch. One stamp will serve as a definitive for the next year.