A discovery in a mystery box

Yesterday I went to Stampfest 2013, sponsored by the Milwaukee Philatelic Society, in West Allis (a suburb of Milwaukee).  I found a few covers that fit into my March 4 collecting topic, and I hope to have them scanned and posted soon too, but there was nowhere near the quantity that I’ve found at other shows.  So I looked around a little more and picked up a mystery box of worldwide stamps to have something more to search through when I got home.  There were many stamps in the box that were new to my collection, there were a few more train stamps for my ferroequnately collection, and there was exactly one March 4 cancellation that I found within the box.

This is Scott # 1109, issued on February 26, 2003, just a few days before it was used for this example, as part of a set of 5 stamps showing vintage automobiles.  My copy of the 2011 Scott catalog lists the set at $5.50, so this stamp with a clear cancel in my collecting topic was a good find.  There was another copy of this stamp in the box, so I have one for my general worldwide collection too.

New issues in Linn’s, January 2013

Going back a month, the next-most-recent issue of Linn’s Stamp News had these stamps in the Scott New Issues update column.  In my continuing efforts to help other collectors building a collection based on an anniversary date, here they are sorted by issue date.

New issues in Linn’s, February 2013

Since I've had so much trouble finding stamp listings by their issue date, I'm going to start something that could help other collectors that are searching for specific date collections like I am.  This post lists all of the stamps in the New Issues Update from Linn’s February 2013 issue sorted by issue date.  I don’t intend to build a complete listing for the entire world, but as I go through upcoming magazine issues and through my back issues collection, I’ll try to put together a similar list for each one.  Besides, doing this will make me look closer at all of the listings to ensure that I’m not missing anything with a March 4 connection.

For this set of lists, I’m only planning to include the most significant items and not include variations that are listed immediately below the major numbers.  I am not an expert collector, and I am not a Scott editor.  Use these lists as a starting point…

Adding a revenue stamp to my collection

Last week my BidStart alert for March 4 showed me a cancelled stamp that fit perfectly into my collecting interest. Unlike another recent post, this lot was within my price range at $1.50 (+$1.50 for shipping), so I clicked on Buy; yesterday it arrived in my mailbox. This lot was an example of a U.S. revenue stamp, Scott # R24c, with a very clear and very well centered March 4, 1869, cancellation. This stamp was issued in a series that was printed from 1862 to 1871.

Darnit, I can’t afford that…

Okay, so it’s been quite some time since my last update here.  I’ve been busy trying to get my photography business going this year so my personal projects have fallen by the wayside.  I’m trying to get back to posting on a more frequent basis and I’m still purchasing and reading about stamps that fit into my collecting topic.

One of the ways that I keep my toes in the stamp market is by automatic notifications of new auctions for related materials at BidStart (I very rarely purchase anything on eBay any more, but that’s a story for another time).  Today’s notifications included one item that I would love to add to my collection, a used off-paper U.S. Scott #9 with a very clear “MAR 4” cancellation that is almost socked on the nose (but the year is not present), but even at the current $247.50 listing price, it is out of my budget.  Well, I guess I’ll keep watching the notifications and when my finances allow again, I’ll bid then.

Uruguay finally added to The List

It's been a little while since my last post. I do intend to continue with my thoughts about what would make a "killer catalogue app," and I've also got treasures that I acquired at Wiscopex and Compex to show you, but not right now.

Today I've got a new issue added to The List. This marks Uruguay’s first appearance…

Country	Issue date			Scott #	Subject	Denom.
Uruguay	March	4	2011	2332	Las Llamadas by Carlos Páez Vilaró - souvenir sheet	37p

A set from Ireland added to The List

While looking through my Scott Catalogue to identify stamps for this week’s new “Selected study unit” on the American Topical Association’s website, I ran across this set from Ireland to add to The List…

Country	Issue date			Scott #	Subject	Denom.
Ireland	March	4	1993	887	Irish impressionist paintings - Evening at Tangier by Sir John Lavery	28p
Ireland	March	4	1993	888	Irish impressionist paintings - The Goose Girl by William J. Leech	32p
Ireland	March	4	1993	888a	Irish impressionist paintings - booklet pane of 887 and 888
Ireland	March	4	1993	889	Irish impressionist paintings - La Jeune Bretonne by Roderic O'Connor	44p
Ireland	March	4	1993	890	Irish impressionist paintings - Lustre Jug by Walter Osborne	52p
Ireland	March	4	1993	890a	Irish impressionist paintings - booklet pane of 889 and 890
Ireland	March	4	1993	890b	Irish impressionist paintings - booklet pane of 887 through 890

Compex is coming up next weekend, maybe I’ll find this set there…

Building a killer catalogue app–part 1

It’s amazing what you get to thinking about when you’re awake at 3:00am.  Today I woke up at that time to realize that our whole-house fan was still running, but on my way back to bed, I got to thinking about my earlier post about the Scott Catalogue app.  Rather than just complain that it’s not quite the way I want a catalogue app to be, I’m going to start a series of posts to describe the specifications for what would make a killer catalogue app.  The ideas that I will present in this series will be a collection of thoughts that could be used by any catalogue, and as such, unless I am referencing a specific publisher’s work, I will use the generic term “catalogue” (with a lower-case c) to describe what I want.

The app is here! But is it worth it?

Since my last update to this blog, the Scott Catalogue app for iPad/iPhone has been released.  Let the celebrations begin!  But wait, what’s all this about searching and buying content?