News
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World Stamps Aug 17, 2015, 11 AM
World Stamp Exhibition 2015 in Singapore well underway
by CMS AdminThe World Stamp Exhibition began Friday in Singapore, which last hosted the event in 1995. The country is celebrating its 50th Year of Independence in conjunction with the event. -
Postal Updates Aug 17, 2015, 11 AM
Postal Service inspector general seeks public comments about upright Jenny Invert pane
by By Bill McAllister, Washington CorrespondentThe Office of Inspector General of the United States Postal Service has been highly critical of the recent sales of the rare upright $2 Jenny Invert panes. Now the inspector general is seeking the public’s opinion on that stamp promotion. -
Postal Updates Aug 17, 2015, 8 AM
Post office poster advertises Britain's highest denomination stamp
by By Larry RosenblumFrom 1967 to 2006, Royal Mail (Great Britain’s post office) advertised all new issues with posters displayed in post offices. Most of these posters had pictures of the stamps along with basic information such as the date of issue, instructions for first-day covers, etc. Some were a little more elaborate. -
Auctions Aug 17, 2015, 6 AM
Prussia, Hamburg mixed franking in Sept. 11-12 Wurttembergisches auction
by By Michael BaadkeA striking 1867 mixed-franking cover combining stamps from Hamburg and Prussia is featured in the upcoming auction by Wurttembergisches Auktionshaus of Stuttgart, Germany. -
US Stamps Aug 17, 2015, 5 AM
Record number of coil stamps for 1-ounce fund-raising letter
by By Ronald BlanksA recent political fund-raising campaign featured what must be a record number of United States postage stamps used to pay postage on a 1-ounce mass-mailed letter. -
US Stamps Aug 16, 2015, 11 PM
Born Aug. 17: Davy Crockett
by By Michael BaadkeFrontiersman, Congressman and Alamo defender Davy Crockett was commemorated on a 5¢ stamp in the American Folklore series. -
Postal Updates Aug 16, 2015, 5 AM
IRS, FBI top users of U.S. Postal Service mail surveillance progam
by By Bill McAllister, Washington CorrespondentThe Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are the two top users of the United States Postal Service’s mail surveillance program, The New York Times has disclosed. The Times, which published a detailed article on the “mail cover” program last year, published a follow-up story Aug. 14. -
US Stamps Aug 15, 2015, 11 PM
Born Aug. 16: Hal Foster
by By Michael BaadkeThe long-running Prince Valiant comic strip, created in 1937 by Hal Foster, is written and drawn today by other contributors. Foster retired in 1980. -
US Stamps Aug 15, 2015, 7 AM
New Elvis stamps leak out early, USPS quarterly financials released: Week's Most Read
by CMS AdminAlso this week, the U.S. Coast Guard rolled out its nautical welcomes as it greeted the first U.S. commemorative stamp to honor the service since 1945 (Scott 936). -
US Stamps Aug 15, 2015, 7 AM
Color shifts, varieties offer an affordable way to add to duck collection
by By George DeKornfeldJust as with postage stamps and despite a printer’s best intentions, mistakes on duckstamps do slip through the system and thankfully make it into the hands of collectors. -
US Stamps Aug 14, 2015, 11 PM
Born Aug. 15: Julia Child
by By Michael BaadkeFor many years, Julia Child hosted popular cooking programs on public television. Her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was a bestseller. -
Postal Updates Aug 14, 2015, 1 PM
U.S. Postal Service inspector general reports first-class mail slowdown
by By Bill McAllister, Washington CorrespondentIf you haven’t noticed, your mail likely is moving more slowly these days. A new report by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General confirms that a lot of first-class mail is taking more time than expected to reach its destination. -
World Stamps Aug 14, 2015, 12 PM
Liechtenstein receives Asiago stamp art award for Crystallography issue
by By Denise McCartyLiechtenstein won the Asiago international award for philatelic art for the best stamp issue of 2014 for its International Year of Crystallography. stamps. The Asiago awards, considered the Oscars of the stamp-design field, are presented annually in Asiago, Italy. -
World Stamps Aug 14, 2015, 10 AM
Try expanding your collecting horizons with airmail semipostal stamps
by By Janet KlugMost stamp collectors are familiar with semipostal stamps. You can find them listed in the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue after the regular postage stamps, with catalog numbers that have a “B” prefix. Semipostals usually have two denominations, often with a plus sign between them. -
Auctions Aug 14, 2015, 9 AM
Postal history and more in Sept. 2 McCusker auction
by By Michael BaadkeThe Sept. 2 public auction by James T. McCusker will take place at 10 a.m. at the McCusker auction gallery, 804 Broadway in Raynham, Mass. The auction includes postal history and ephemera, United States and worldwide stamps and covers, postal stationery, collections and accumulations. -
World Stamps Aug 14, 2015, 9 AM
UNPA to issue new Greetings from Geneva pane of stamps and labels
by By Denise McCartyThe United Nations Postal Administration will issue a new Greetings from Geneva pane of 10 stamps and labels Sept. 21. The 1.40-franc stamps show different images associated with the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, the home of the U.N. office in Geneva. -
World Stamps Aug 14, 2015, 8 AM
Germany honors Great Britain’s Penny Black for 175th anniversary
by By Michael BaadkeGermany is commemorating 175 years of postage stamps by showcasing the world’s first: Great Britain’s 1840 Penny Black. Germany’s E0.62+E0.30 Day of Stamps semipostal will be issued Sept. 1 in panes of 10, with two special pictorial cancellations from Bonn and Berlin. -
US Stamps Aug 14, 2015, 5 AM
Could ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ be the next U.S. blockbuster stamp issue?
by By Donna HousemanWill the United States Postal Service issue a Christmas stamp this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the classic television musical special A Charlie Brown Christmas? -
US Stamps Aug 13, 2015, 11 PM
Born Aug. 14: Ethel L. Payne
by By Michael BaadkeThe four-stamp Women in Journalism commemorative set issued in 2002 included one 37¢ stamp for Ethel L. Payne, longtime writer for the Chicago Defender. -
US Stamps Aug 13, 2015, 10 AM
Posters, pages and panels are first-day-related philatelic collectibles
by By Lloyd De VriesKnowing in advance what stamps will be issued, where they will be issued and on what dates is important information for those servicing first-day covers, whether dealers or individual collectors.