Greetings RCSDers: Well - after a not so short sojourn at the outer limits, I'm back online with yet another ISP. The ups and downs of my last ISP's news server just got to be too much. After the company was bought out, the new owners seemed to have little interest in keeping that service...

Postal War Tax of 1917 The article, "The Postal War Tax Act of 1917," in STAMPS a few weeks ago, brought back memories of the "War Stamp" overprints on U. S. 1¢ stamps, which created some interest when they were seen for a short time in the mails during 1917. British Colonials had been...

Chalky Paper A highly surfaced, chalk-coated paper introduced for stamp printing purposes in 1902 and still used from time to time. It is designed to deter any attempt at the fraudulent re-use of stamps by making it impossible to clean off the postmark without removing the stamp design as...

Could anyone please identify this 55 Euro cent stamp from Austria? http://cjoint.com/data/kkvuJpQlhv.htm It is interesting in that it shows a stamp (Tibet) on a stamp. Unfortunately, it is not in my 2004 Scott catalogue.

Art Paper A superfine 'calendered' (ironed) paper with a surface of china clay or kaolin, giving it a highly enamelled finish for the printing of fine-screen half-tone blocks. Has occasionally been used for stamp printing. The issues of Kishangarh are examples. Sometimes called coated paper.

Abnormals In the Queen Victoria Great Britain surface printed issues, the practice was to print six preliminary sheets for each plate as it was completed. One sheet was kept for record purposes in the archives (see imprimatur) and the others were often perforated and issued. In many cases these...

Could anyone please identify the following set? I seem to have misplaced my notes on it. http://cjoint.com/data/kouw5c7eg5.htm Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Blair

Further to my recent posts about different stamp papers, I recently came across a set of vignettes by De La Rue. At the 1933, Philatelic Exhibition in London, De La Rue issued a souvenir series of vignettes on 7 different papers. This would certainly be a big help to collectors of the day in...

This article may be of interest to a number of you. http://www.funonthenet.in/articles/postage-stamps.html Blair

Goldbeaters' Skin A thin, tough, translucent, resin-impregnated paper, which was used for the 1886 parcels stamps of Prussia. The stamps were printed on a collodion surface on the reverse side, the gumming being done on top of the ink. They were not sold to the public, but were affixed to heavy...

OTTOMAN NAVY ASSOCIATION (TURKISH NAVAL LEAGUE) STAMPS (A) ISSUE OF 1914 These stamps were originally issued by the Ottoman Navy Association in 1914 as 1, 2, 5, 10, and 40 para labels to be voluntarily purchased to support the Ottoman Navy Association.

With its new additions, the European Union now has 25 member countries. Interestingly, 12 use the Euro as currency but 13 do NOT use the Euro. Blair

Norway Post discourages use of postage stamps It would appear that, despite revenues gained from philatelic sales, Norway Post offers cheaper postage rates to clients who use postage meters over those using postage stamps. Here are some examples of the rates: PRICES - DAILY LETTERS (prices in...

A Listing of Many of Bruce Conde's Articles About Yemeni Stamps http://www.ohmygosh.on.ca/stamps/yemen/conde.htm

Wall Paper for Stamp Dens James M. Brown sends me an advertisement of a new wall paper featuring a repeating pattern of cancelled stamps with varying postmarks that would appeal to those collectors who like to surround their stamp or hobby rooms with an overall philatelic decoration. He also...

India Paper A very thin, tough, but opaque paper, without any definite visible texture. The genuine variety is actually Chinese in origin, is made of bamboo fibre, averages .002 to .003 inches in thickness, and is of white or creamy colour. Its principal use in stamp production is for...

Laid Paper One of the two principal types of paper used for stamp printing, the other being wove. Close inspection shows a texture of closely parallel lines, either horizontal or vertical, due to the impression of the wires of the dandy-roll of the paper-making machine. Many stamps have been...

Bâtonné Thin 'bank' letter paper, designed for lightweight foreign corrrespondence, and watermarked with parallel lines to facilitate neatness in writing. Has often been used for stamp printing. Basically, it may be either laid or wove, its chief characteristic being the guide lines, which are...

Paper The paper on which stamps are printed forms an interesting study, and the many varieties are dealt with in detail under the separate headings in this work: art; bâtonné; bond; chalky; coated; deckle-edged; 'Dickinson'; double; glacé; goldbeaters' skin; granite; grill; laid; pelure;...

I once put my name and address in a bottle and threw it into the sea. 10 years later I got a letter from someone in Australia. It was a fine from their government for littering Sydney beach.