tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37490988259075736862024-03-06T15:02:00.347-05:00Filling SpacesThe famous stamp collector Josiah Lilly said that there were 100,000 postage stamps he wanted for his collection and he succeeded in acquiring 77,000. My considerably easier target is 35,000 of the more common stamps from 1840-1940 contained in the Scott Blue International Album Volume 1. This blog will record my progress, provide general information about Classic era philately and hopefully encourage other "Blue" collectors.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-42459841926393664872023-03-25T15:37:00.001-04:002023-03-25T15:37:47.113-04:00Sergio Sismondo, 1943-2023<p>According to <i>Linn's,</i> "Sergio Sismondo, a globally respected stamp dealer, philatelic expertizer
and prolific writer, died March 13 [2023] at the age of 80." He was an important contributor to the <i>Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue</i> from its beginnings (1994) to the present day.<br /></p><p> </p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-88780431173111996262022-11-20T13:51:00.005-05:002022-11-27T11:32:46.061-05:00Syria 106c finally reappears on the market<p>The most elusive stamp in Volume 1, Syria 106c, has been offered twice to my knowledge this year. (My knowledge, unfortunately, being after the fact so I couldn't alert anyone.)</p><p><a href="https://www.cherrystoneauctions.com/_auction/results.asp?auction=202207&country=SYRIA" target="_blank">Cherrystone</a> in July 2022 offered one copy as part of a lot that sold for $230 before fees:</p><p><i>Lot #1436<br /><span class="larger bold">SYRIA</span><br />1921-22 selection
of seven inverted or double overprints, some duplication, including
25pi on 5fr, also "25c" on 10c green (error), h.r., fine-v.f.</i></p><p>Rasdale had a copy in their November auction that Big Blue blog's reader Ray was able to acquire for the bargain price of $120 before fees. You can read more about that by scrolling down to the bottom of Jim's blog entry for Syria:</p><p><a href="https://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/2016/04/ClassicalerastampsofSyria.html?lr=1">https://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/2016/04/ClassicalerastampsofSyria.html?lr=1</a></p><p>And check out the thread here:</p><p><a href=" https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=82497&whichpage=1" target="_blank"> https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=82497&whichpage=1</a></p><p>I don't actively search for 106c these days, so any new sightings would be most appreciated. (Thanks Bud for the heads up about the Rasdale sale.)</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-91269693827254490092022-09-05T14:16:00.000-04:002022-09-05T14:16:05.376-04:00Early Big Blue Binders<p>Although this may be minutiae, there is nevertheless an interesting discussion on StampCommunity about a heretofore "undocumented" binder variation for the Scott Internationals. I'm not sure how to intelligibly describe it, so check out the message thread and its helpful photos: <a href="https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=81830">https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=81830</a><br /><br />Unrelatedly, I'm not completely clear about when Scott started offering hinged post binders (as opposed to the much older spring backs). I know that someone sold on eBay a 1939 Big Blue that was hinged post. And the 1940 Scott Catalog, which would have been published in 1939, talks about hinged post binders as being new (in the advertising at the back). This would not only have been for the then "Juniors" but also for the National, Specialty, etc.<br /></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-1768223886531209812022-04-28T13:38:00.001-04:002022-04-28T13:38:42.070-04:00A New Big Blue Blog<p><i>Mike's Big Blue Collection - Parts 1 to 7 </i>is the name of a new blog that will be of interest to Scott International Album collectors. His blog's description tells it all:</p><p>"<span>This blog will track an ambitious project to complete Scott's
International Postage Stamp Albums Parts 1 to 7 (1840 to 1971). Only
stamps that match the exact album description are included in the albums
themselves. Supplementary pages (courtesy of Mr. Bill Steiner) are
included for any stamps I have that were omitted from the Scott albums. I
hope that this will serve as a useful reference for fellow collectors."</span></p><p><span>Mike is taking the summer off but there are seven posts available for perusing.</span></p><p><span>The url is:</span></p><p><a href="https://bigbluecollection.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span>https://bigbluecollection.blogspot.com/</span></a></p><p><span><br /></span></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-75038435896516964262022-02-13T16:52:00.007-05:002022-02-14T19:00:17.014-05:00Scott Annual Album 1939-40<p>I've written about the Annual/Progressive Albums several times in the past. These were intended as yearly supplements to the Brown Internationals between publication of the cumulative volumes. <br /><br />I became particularly interested in them because the last Brown issued by Scott stopped its coverage in 1938, yet the Vintage Reproductions set includes a volume for 1939-40 to complete the first 100 years of philately. Where did that come from if Scott never issued a corresponding Brown? We can now say with confidence that Vintage used pages from the 1939-40 annual. <br /><br />Blog reader Dee recently sent proof with photos that Scott actually published an Annual Album for 1939-40. This is important because previously it had only been known, to me at least, from advertisements. <br /><br />Dee confirms that the 1939-40 Annuals were based on the 1941 Scott catalog (see the title page below). As was the tradition, the 1941 catalog was actually published the previous year which means that it would be missing some issues from 1940. And consequently also were the 1939-40 Annual and the Vintage reprint.<br /><br />So how many missing stamps are we talking about? Six hundred and fourteen. Wait, how can we possibly know that? We can thank Phil Pritchard who has undertaken a monumental project to identify stamps missing from the Vintage Reproductions pages among other improvements. Now, I must confess that the 614 isn't entirely accurate as I'm having to make inferences from Mr. Pritchard's statistics. But it gives you an idea.<br /><br />Which begs the question of how many spaces would a hypothetically complete 1939-1940 Brown have contained? Four thousand three hundred and ninety. Again, wait? We know that because Scott used to publish stats in its <i>Monthly</i> for the number of stamps issued per year. It did strike me that 614 is a rather large number out of 4390 to be missing, but I remind myself that there are some stamps from 1939 which had been left out, and Mr. Pritchard includes stamps now in the the modern Scott <i>Classics Catalogue</i> that would not have been in the 1941 one.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDGbzZ1TeIWKDy_hQ_XUQzG5F1dhS908JabcnVlO9NYOEzsgCG0f_pCtBbUgqUVSXhP6l_JIcUJRwGjV6d2KSQf-emGsNNJLj4v3WzDgCRT3OL9Q-jYo7-Q6YSs9cctE5OylqRROgUKz8NV5bpBN2JLSd72isPt17cXSfsyg7a1D7phavJpZfdmApQImSPVXqLhQ=s500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDGbzZ1TeIWKDy_hQ_XUQzG5F1dhS908JabcnVlO9NYOEzsgCG0f_pCtBbUgqUVSXhP6l_JIcUJRwGjV6d2KSQf-emGsNNJLj4v3WzDgCRT3OL9Q-jYo7-Q6YSs9cctE5OylqRROgUKz8NV5bpBN2JLSd72isPt17cXSfsyg7a1D7phavJpZfdmApQImSPVXqLhQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHP-X3hWE-D5a9rtxP_7zfwIxRxw6i-j0ZG3sjaKkWriK4hiVl_KLBHeJ_7iXa1u60Nb43jpMh5pzNpp_DSOmTEo250nT2W88sM0Nbp-nVLcuWI1SdySognBCo5gr6U6sYQw28CNZoFPcCZuLGSeH8lrTYMzwtbjvSblAs42HGSw3SzX39grlflh6k6_VkaL6Jwg=s800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHP-X3hWE-D5a9rtxP_7zfwIxRxw6i-j0ZG3sjaKkWriK4hiVl_KLBHeJ_7iXa1u60Nb43jpMh5pzNpp_DSOmTEo250nT2W88sM0Nbp-nVLcuWI1SdySognBCo5gr6U6sYQw28CNZoFPcCZuLGSeH8lrTYMzwtbjvSblAs42HGSw3SzX39grlflh6k6_VkaL6Jwg=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-66406968371529478272021-11-06T11:49:00.004-04:002021-11-06T12:03:20.189-04:002022 Scott Classic Catalogue<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 2022 edition, number 28, will arrive this year in December. Primarily responsible were the familiar names of Donna Houseman, Bill Jones, and Sergio Sismondo. Based on an article in the November 15, 2021 <i>Linn's,</i> it appears that price changes account for the majority of what is new. <br /></div><p></p><p>Editorial changes new to this edition according to the <i>Linn's</i> article include:<br />--on cover listings for Alexandretta, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Somaliland Protectorate, Syria and Zululand;<br />--Algerian Parcel post stamps; <br />--Editorial notes in Andorra for stamps that were authorized but not issued;<br />--two French local stamps, Scott L1 and L2; and<br />--British inland mail local stamps under Madagascar.</p><p> I've made summaries for all previous editions that you can find via the search function. <br /></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-46021300767366183842021-09-16T13:49:00.000-04:002021-09-16T13:49:06.586-04:00"If you want to collect the world, find a way to make it work for you"<p>This article by Paul M. Holland recently appeared in the September 20, 2021 issue of <i>Linn's</i> (pp 103-108) and is a succinct and entertaining introduction to collecting the world. My only complaint is that <i>Linn's </i>didn't include a warning that some of the author's photos may cause album envy.<br /><br />To someone unfamiliar with the lack of interest, even bias against worldwide collecting after WW II, the article might seem as unremarkable as it is informative. But when I began my blog in 2007, nothing like this piece existed in print. Basic information such as the difference between the current edition of the "Blue" Volume one and the many editions found on eBay or at auction wasn't available. And pragmatic articles like Hollands that showed collecting the world was really possible, practically non-existent.*<br /><br />For the record, here are some other periodical articles about the Internationals or worldwide collecting that I found useful:<br /><br />Block, Lawrence. "Generally Speaking," 33 columns in <i>Linn's</i> beginning with the November 29, 2010 issue. These columns were reprinted in the book<i> Generally Speaking: All 33 columns, plus a few philatelic words from Keller.</i> A Lawrence Block Production, 2019.<br /><br />Ewell, Albert H. "Hails & Farewells: The Story of the Scott Specialty Albums." <i>Philatelic Literature Review</i>, 3rd Qtr, 2003. pp 222 - 226<br /><br />Gorney, Cynthia. "They Collected the World: The Herculean Effort for a Grand Total of 195,219 Stamps | In a Herculean Effort, They Collected the World." Special to <i>The Washington Post</i>. Apr 26, 1978, B1-[B2?] (in the "STYLE Entertainment People Comics" section). Reprinted in <i>Scott's Monthly Stamp Journal</i>, July 1978. pp 16-17, 20-21.<br /><br />Thompson, Rick. "Judging an Album by Its Cover." <i>American Philatelist,</i> October 2010. pp 915-918. <br /><br />Turner, George T. "A Century, 1868-1968, Scott's Albums." <i>Scott's Monthly Journal</i>, March 1968. pp 1-3, 6-7, 10-11, 14-15, 18-19, 22, 34.<br /><br />*For completeness sake, there is an article that I missed when I was first researching and have not seen: <a title="Find all records with this Author"><span class="ViewControl"><span>Lawrence Januz's </span></span></a>"General Worldwide Collecting Still Alluring," <i>Linn's</i>, January 25, 1999, p. 30.<br /></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-42853835580140432572020-11-23T14:58:00.003-05:002020-11-24T16:06:11.070-05:002021 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amosadvantage.com/Media/Default/Products/C21C-01.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="607" height="320" src="https://www.amosadvantage.com/Media/Default/Products/C21C-01.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>The 27th edition of the catalog is out. Editor this year is Donna Houseman assisted by Bill Jones. As in the past, Sergio Sismondo made major contributions.<br /><br />Among the new additions and enhancements this year are:<br />--new on-cover listings for Alexandretta, Bahrain and Lebanon;<br />--forerunners of French Andorra and Spanish Andorra appear for the first time;<br />--a special article by Sismondo and 8 new major numbers and 10 minor numbers for India Scott 1-6;<br />--local stamps of french Morocco;<br />--Guatemala Official stamps with perforated initials;<br />--Extensive updating of values for Aden;<br />--Central Albania (Scott 1-23, J1-5);<br />--Extensive updating of values for the Portuguese colonies;<br />--More than 250 new minor listings for Portuguese India;<br />--Romania postal tax stamps (RA19A-RA21A);<br />--Many value changes for Turkey in Asia;<br />--Value changes and new minor listings for Turks Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands;<br />--NH values added or updated for more than a dozen countries.<br /><br />Information above abstracted from Jay Bigalke's "What’s new for the 2021 Scott Classic Specialized catalog?" which appeared in the Nov 2, 2020 issue of <i>Linn's</i>. <br /><br />The 2021 edition is available from Amos Media as well as major stamp dealers and book sellers. In addition to print, it is also available as an Ecatalogue.<br /><br />[If you want an overview of changes in all the editions since 1995, type the words "classic catalogue" into the search field in the upper left corner of the screen.]<p></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-23010239847735066292020-10-15T15:50:00.004-04:002020-10-15T17:48:19.142-04:00"For the World of Philately, WWI was a shot in the arm."<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-dcSBgIwpreG1v4E8kkffXRHLBmb_sbK6VeuJJC4LRKkjAYZcK-DTh2D1cNshfFN6R16gqNlcELPUhUwNk3Wf8V3Fh2SA5lIqhEsIc6sdlpZl69nHLQZbeUXISVbtjT7ZLFecht_q9Q4n_Q/s400/International_war_souvenir.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-dcSBgIwpreG1v4E8kkffXRHLBmb_sbK6VeuJJC4LRKkjAYZcK-DTh2D1cNshfFN6R16gqNlcELPUhUwNk3Wf8V3Fh2SA5lIqhEsIc6sdlpZl69nHLQZbeUXISVbtjT7ZLFecht_q9Q4n_Q/s320/International_war_souvenir.jpg" /></a></div><br />This is the title of an article in the latest <i>Kelleher's Stamp Collector's Quarterly</i>, vol 6, #3. If you aren't familiar, the magazine features consistently well written and consistently well illustrated articles. I can imagine non-collectors paging through one in a doctor's waiting room. <br /><p></p><p>The premise of the article is easily discernible from the title, although not so obvious might be the collectors of the era who wanted nothing to do with "enemy" stamps.</p><p>But I bring the article up as a reminder that we partly owe WWI for the Junior International which, of course, become the Big Blue. Here is an ad for the Junior (first issued in 1914) that I posted on this blog in 2008.</p><p> In case the scan isn't clear:<br /><br />"When
you are Daddy's age you will be telling your children all about the
great war of 1914 that changed the map of Europe. You will want to show
them the splendid collection of stamps you made of all the countries now
at war, and tell them about Belgium and Russia and France and Germany.
And you will be very proud of your collection, too, because, 'way back
in 1914, when you realized how interesting these stamps would be some
day, you arranged them neatly, as shown above, in your new JUNIOR
INTERNATIONAL ALBUM." </p><p>You can peruse the entire issue at this <a href="http://www.kelleherauctions.com/magazine/kcc_023.pdf" target="_blank">link.</a> The article is on page 34.</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-14395655190682312952020-10-10T11:02:00.005-04:002020-10-15T15:53:20.274-04:00International binders<p>There has been a nice discussion on the <a href="https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=74382" target="_blank">Stamp Community forum</a> about buying, maintaining, and repairing binders for the Scott International albums. </p><p>My two cents:</p><p>1) If your collection is actively growing, the binders will be subject to significant stress from use. I suggest going with pre-owned binders and using library book tape to keep them viable. When repairs are impracticable or your aesthetic sensibilities are compromised, replace with another set of used binders. Once your collection is approaching completion, then you can spring for new or pristine used binders.</p><p>2) An advantage of used binders is that most of us start our collections by purchasing existing Internationals, so you should have a ready supply of binders, at least initially. <br /></p><p>3) Non-jumbo binders will tolerate more abuse, but I prefer to work with as few binders as possible. So I house my collection in used jumbo binders, substituting convenience for beauty. If you aren't adding a lot of your own pages, I'm assuming that a complete Big Blue with interleaving will require two jumbo binders or three regular. I'm unclear as to whether page filler strips would change this.<br /></p><p>4) Regardless, I highly recommend slipcases, both to help control dust and to support the heavy albums (pages plus interleaving). And let me slip in a PSA for purchasing the latest pages from Amos which are printed on better and heavier quality paper.</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-55751586512837723642020-05-01T19:19:00.001-04:002020-11-10T14:37:59.167-05:001840-1940 stats according to Michel<p><i>See below my original blog entry for an important update.</i></p><p>I <a href="https://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2017/01/an-analysis-of-worldwide-catalog-data.html" target="_blank"><b>wrot</b>e</a> back in 2017 about a collector who had created a database of Michel catalog information for every country that you could sort by years, country, etc. The compiler has recently updated the information to use 2018/2019 catalog data.<br />
<br />
The website can be found at: <a href="https://www.germanstamps.net/ia-cost-comparison-ww/">https://www.germanstamps.net/ia-cost-comparison-ww/</a><br />
<br />
Since Michel no longer makes the data available, this will be the last update.<br />
<br />
I think it is well worth visiting the site, and playing with the various filters. But, to get to the bottom line, based on Michel catalog data, there were 66,609 stamps issued between 1840 and 1940 with a total catalog value for used copies of about 14.5 million Euros.<br />
<br />
Kudos to PostmasterGS for collecting this data and posting it online.</p><p>UPDATE: PostmasterGS has revised his stats. Please see his <a href="https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=72563" target="_blank">post</a> on the Stamp Community discussion group.<br /></p><p></p><p>1840-1940 total: 99,766 issues<br />1840-1940 total mint CV: 31,978,784 €<br />1840-1940 total used CV: 19,206,986 €<br />
<br /></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-79934339749604086562020-01-06T18:48:00.001-05:002020-03-08T17:06:48.284-04:00 Generally Speaking by Lawrence Block<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://0170f4f841-custmedia.vresp.com/5a8ddaa65b/Ebook%20Cover_191219_Block_Generally%20Speaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://0170f4f841-custmedia.vresp.com/5a8ddaa65b/Ebook%20Cover_191219_Block_Generally%20Speaking.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I waxed enthusiastic some time ago about the columns on worldwide stamps that writer Lawrence Block wrote for <i>Linn's.</i> Mr. Block has aggregated said columns in the recently published <i>Generally speaking: All 33 columns, plus a few philatelic words from Keller</i>.<br />
<br />
Who is this Keller you newcomers may ask? To quote the mystery writing author: "And the time came when the combination of advancing age and declining interest led me to sell my stamps. Keller, my fictional hitman, still collects with undiminished enthusiasm, but he's younger than I am, and has quite a bit more in the way of discretionary income."<br />
<br />
The ebook and paperback (hardback to follow) are available from a variety of sources, including <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Generally-Speaking-columns-philatelic-Keller-ebook/dp/B083776LK7/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=generally+speaking&qid=1578354164&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. I'm looking forward to receiving my copy.<br />
<br />
You can read Mr. Block's witty promo for <i>Generally Speaking</i> as well as several of his other recent works by clicking <a href="http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/214607/5a8ddaa65b/1469558859/7486b07796/" target="_blank">here</a>. Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-69557922889656772962019-11-22T16:13:00.000-05:002019-11-22T16:14:29.938-05:00Les Classiques du Monde 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn1.yvert.com/I-Grande-166720-classiques-du-monde-1840-1940-edition-2020.net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://cdn1.yvert.com/I-Grande-166720-classiques-du-monde-1840-1940-edition-2020.net.jpg" width="239" height="320" data-original-width="448" data-original-height="600" /></a></div>GeoffHa on the Stamp Community discussion group alerts us that Yvert is publishing the third edition of its <i>Les Classiques du Monde 2020</i>. Cost is 89.00€. Dedicated classic era collectors will remember that Scott, Yvert, and Michel all have relevant catalogs, which suggests to me the continuing interest of collectors in this field.
I think Scott could take a cue from how Yvert ends their list of improvements in this edition: "Et bien d'autres surprises!"
You can find detailed spoilers on the Yvert <a href="https://www.yvert.com/A-238689-classiques-du-monde-1840-1940-edition-2020.aspx">website</a>.
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-61775392109816934172019-11-14T10:12:00.003-05:002019-11-14T15:41:46.932-05:00What's New in the 2020 Edition of the Scott Classic CatalogueEven though I rarely have anything useful to say these days, you can always count on me for at least two posts per year: April Fools and the release of the latest Scott Classics catalog.<br />
<br />
The publication of the latter has been delayed this year from early to mid-November 2019. Here is a summary of the notable changes for 2020 according to the <i>Linn's</i> website: <br />
<br />
There are new sections for perforated Official stamps from Switzerland and Venezuela. <br />
<br />
BOB listing for Switzerland have been expanded and reorganized by type and frame varieties. <br />
<br />
There are new listings for the Danube Steam Navigation Company which are found under Austrian Offices Abroad. <br />
<br />
Special attention has been made this year to helping collectors identify the 1892 Thailand surcharged high-denomination stamps with low denominations.<br />
<br />
Many minor varieties are included for the 1931-32 wet and dry printings of China.<br />
<br />
Notes and new varieties were added to Western Ukraine. <br />
<br />
According to the editors, "overall value changes in this year’s catalog reflect a mix of increases and decreases." Countries with many changes include stamps of India used in Aden, Austrian offices for Lombardy-Venetia, Heligoland, classic issues of Eritrea, and the Italian states of Modena and Parma, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, Fiume, Western Ukraine, Egypt, British Offices Abroad, Iraq, Madagascar, and Somaliland Protectorate, among others.
<br />
<br />
[If you want an overview of changes in all the editions since 1995, type
the words "classic catalogue" into the search field in the upper left
corner of the screen.]
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-20957237332803764752019-10-01T16:36:00.000-04:002019-10-03T09:55:23.191-04:00Scott Annual and Progressive AlbumsI've written about these albums several times. They were intended as supplements to the Brown Internationals between release of the latest bound volumes. For those interested, a recent thread on the Stamp Community Forum contains some interesting photos and scans.<br />
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As a reminder, the last volume of the Browns issued by Scott stops with issues from 1938/39. But the Vintage Reproductions edition of the Browns takes the albums through 1940. So how was Vintage Reproductions able to bring the Browns up to date? (I asked and "they" don't remember.) The possibilities would seem to be:<br />
<br />
1) there was an Annual Album published for 1939/1940 which has eluded the Internet (almost certainly not the case);<br />
<br />
2) an Annual Album for 1939/1940 was prepared but never published once Scott decided to discontinue the Browns--Vintage Reproductions somehow got hold of one;<br />
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3) Scott actually prepared the pages to bring the Browns up to 1940 but decided to cut their costs and remainder the existing set rather than releasing an album for the latest issues--again, Vintage Reproductions somehow got hold of one;<br />
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4) Vintage Reproductions used Scott Specialty albums to reconstruct 1939/1940.<br />
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I lean towards the latter explanation but honestly do not know. I wonder if someone had the Specialty Albums from this era whether they would faithfully match the Vintage Reproductions pages for these years?<br />
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Here is a link to the thread on <a href="https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=69630" target="_blank">Stamp Community Forum</a>.<br />
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To see my previous posts on these albums, type 'annual album' or 'progressive album' in the search engine box at the top left of this page.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-15525252140026977682019-06-09T11:16:00.001-04:002019-06-10T22:06:09.220-04:00Guest Post: On Completing a Big Blue Volume OneLast April Fools' Day, I did a silly post on completing a Big Blue Volume One. Long time reader Bud was inspired by my post to ponder more seriously the implications of just what <i>completion</i> means in the context of the Intentional. With his permission, I am posting his thoughts which I hope you will enjoy as much as I have.<br />
<br />
Congrats to the as yet unnamed 1000 collectors who this year completed a Scott International Volume One (Big Blue, or BB for short), and especially to Philip Tellick. It’s a milestone, and a cause for deep reflection. <br />
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Imagine 1000 completed BB V1s! Each would have to be housed in at least six binders, and the binders are exactly one foot long. That means, if the 1000 collectors were to lay their albums end to end. the blue streak would be over a mile long. What’s more, each album has 34,706 stamps (+ or -, depending on the edition) and the average size of a stamp is about 1.25 inches. So, if the stamps were laid end to end, they would stretch Montgomery AL to Baltimore MD. Still further, if the 1000 collectors have an average age of 70 (I guess they would probably be older), and if the years of their lives were in sequence or, so to speak, laid end to end, they would go back 70,000 years to the time of the Toba volcanic catastrophe when humans almost vanished from the earth. Maybe they had stamps back then, too, but all of those who collected them perished in the conflagration and their collections with them. Enough statistical nonsense.<br />
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Your news does, however, make me wonder under what conditions we can judge a Scott International Volume One as being “complete.” Did the album publishers give us the gold standard for what “complete” means? (Obviously not. You have repeatedly pointed out BB’s glitches and mistakes in your blog.) Does “complete” mean there is some stamp or other in every space provided? (That’s complete, yes, but not a very satisfying notion.) Does “complete” mean a collector, having done the best she can, is finished with collecting and declares that, in so far as she’s concerned, "it’s complete”? (Well. maybe. Many of the collections sold on ebay are said to be “complete” in this way.)<br />
<br />
What we need, before judging any particular album as being “complete”, is not some precisely given definition of completeness for all BBs, but is a notion of what constitutes sufficient grounds for judging any particular album as being complete. I’m helped in making such a claim by a new philosophy book I just finished reading. I’ve listed the book’s title at the end of this post in case you’re of a philosophical bent and want to burn some brain dust. It’s short, but may take you weeks to read.<br />
So then, what constitutes sufficient grounds for judging when a BB V1 becomes “complete”? Jim is providing the best notion of what this might look like in his blog (http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/). His sufficient grounds are uncomplicated, and in summary are (my wording):<br />
<br />
• Each stamp should be placed in the album space that corresponds to the Scott Catalog number for that stamp. The album provides color, value, and date clues for this task, but they’re not always reliable.<br />
• In many instances, multiple stamps are eligible candidates for single space. Any one of them will do. Likewise, both mint and used stamps will do.<br />
• Blank spaces should be filled, in so far as possible, with any stamps, of any value/variation, selected from the same series that do not already have a designated album space.<br />
• When the above guidelines cannot be followed because of album inconsistencies, select stamps that approximate the date specifications.<br />
• Damaged stamps qualify. Condition is not a consideration for determining completeness of the album.<br />
• Avoid fakes and forgeries.<br />
• Fill all spaces.<br />
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That’s about it. These are the sufficient grounds for judging an album as being “complete”. And there’s nothing more authoritative out there. The idea that Scott editors defined, once and for all, what makes the album “complete” is a myth. They didn’t do that, nor could they if they had tried.<br />
<br />
I’ve been putting the word “complete” in quotation marks because any particular album that conforms to the above criteria is still in many ways incomplete. The notion “completeness” has embedded within it the reality of incompleteness. Take my own album as an example (it’s being serialized in Jim’s blog). When I had filled all spaces, friends ask me what I was going to collect next. I said that I was going to continue completing my “completed” album. And that’s what I’m doing and will continue doing.<br />
<br />
If someday there actually are 1000 “complete” BBs, all qualifying on sufficient grounds as being “complete”, no two of them will be alike. That’s 1000 different definitions of what “complete” means. And they all -- at one and the same time -- are not perfectly final definitions and are final definitions that are perfectly good. That’s the charm of stamp albums. Confusing? Ask Sebastian.<br />
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The above-mentioned book: Sebastian Rödl, <i>Self-Consciousness and Objectivity: An Introduction to Absolute Idealism,</i> Harvard University Press, 2018. It’s not about judging album completeness, exactly. It’s about all judgments.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-48075490598246637462019-05-14T16:39:00.001-04:002019-05-14T16:42:30.813-04:00Everybody complains about the ...<div class="" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">...Browns but no one does anything about it. No wait, that can't be the case. I surely mean the Blue International Volume One that only houses a subset of stamps released between 1840 and 1940, with numerous missing common stamps and mistakes galore. The Browns, and more specifically the Vintage Reproduction reprints of the Browns, are legendary among serious worldwide collectors who surely have few if any complaints about coverage or editing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Just kidding. We have known in broad outline issues with the Browns for some years. But until now, no one has documented the depth of the problem, much less provided a solution. Enter Phil Pritchard who has painstakingly identified what needs to be done and is in the midst of a three year project to create additional or replacement pages for the Vintage Reproduction version that will rectify deficiencies in coverage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Mr. Pritchard will be going into great depth about his project in two articles that are slated to appear in<i> The Philatelic Literature Review</i> (American Philatelic Research Library). Because you need to read these, I won't go into details about even the basic categories of problems he is trying to address (many of which are similar to those plaguing the Blue Volume One). But to give you a flavor of the breadth of his project, here is an example of changes he proposes to the pages for Japan that are in Volume 5 of the Vintage Reproductions reprint:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Japan 171-252 – Vintage page 369, part 1; add #171 and #175a which are 1937 stamps although listed with the start of those designs in 1922; Scott lists the “a” stamps as minor varieties but they should be majors as they represent different dies and all designs appeared first in 1922 but you would see only 2 of these then going by what is a major number, add #247 which for some unknown reason Scott left off the page although it is a part of the 1937 set, rearrange the #239- 252 set by design, remove the coils that are repeated on Vintage page 312 for 1939-40 although 3 of them are 1938 and thus belong in volume 5 (see related pages).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you are interested in more information about this unique project, you may contact Mr. Pritchard at </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">philpritchard AT mindspring.com<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(to make this a working email address you will need to change the 'AT' to '@' and eliminate the extra spaces).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">LINKS</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">For some examples in this blog about problems with the Brown, see my 2015 post:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="" href="https://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2015/04/brown-versus-brown.html">https://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2015/04/brown-versus-brown.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">For a similar study prepared by Arthur Palmer done for the Blue, see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="" href="https://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2008/06/scott-international-volume-i-coverage.html">https://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2008/06/scott-international-volume-i-coverage.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you need an overview of the Browns, see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="" href="https://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2012/07/fifty-shades-of-blue-and-brown-part-2.html">https://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2012/07/fifty-shades-of-blue-and-brown-part-2.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you need a refresher on the various flavors of worldwide albums including the Browns and Blues, see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="" href="https://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2014/10/quick-overview-of-pros-and-cons-of.html">https://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2014/10/quick-overview-of-pros-and-cons-of.html</a></span></div>
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-24602259748972694542019-04-08T17:49:00.001-04:002019-04-13T17:49:35.060-04:00Interesting catalog announcement from MichelOn 5 April 2019 Michel published a new catalog titled <i>MICHEL Raritäten: Marken, die Sie kennen sollten!</i> Cost is around 30 Euros. To quote from their English prospectus:<br />
<br />
So you can join the debate: MICHEL introduces issues that are either world-famous, extremely pricey or extraordinary in other aspects.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
First edition!<br />
History, development of the value in the past decades and things worth knowing regarding significant stamps from around the world<br />
A “must-know“ for anyone interested in “social philately“: issues that have been well-known or famous for a long time as well as those that are currently “hot“<br />
All chapters are illustrated with high-resolution colour pictures, diagrammes and other graphs<br />
Extensive background stories and further details<br />
Perfect for collectors and everyone who wants to become a collector.</blockquote>
Presumably there will be few stamps in this catalog that are in the Big Blue (perhaps US #1 and 2) so why mention it here? Well, for one, I think it is an interesting concept which would, of course, be relevant to those working on the Brown Internationals.<br />
<br />
But, second, is the intriguing end of the prospectus:<br />
<br />
"The exciting launch of the new MICHEL Rarities series that focuses on highlights of philately. The second volume, featuring first issues worldwide, will follow in December [2019]." Now number ones of the world is surely a topic that would be interesting to many of us. Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-81423924321989380912019-04-01T12:58:00.000-04:002019-04-01T12:58:02.914-04:00April 1 Breaking News: Another (Yawn) Big Blue world record setPhillip Tellick was certified by Guinness World Records this morning as the 1000th person to complete a Scott International Volume One this year.<br /><br />As a consequence, Bob--proprietor of the moribund Filling Spaces blog--says that he may stop tracking completed Big Blues. He went on to explain: "Filling the album is obviously no longer a challenge. I wouldn't be surprised to find someone's pet wombat has accomplished the feat." (As Bob's own Big Blue is barely 70% full, it is possible that he is out searching for a stamp collecting wombat at this very moment.)<br /><br />[Coincidentally and this part is not made up, Guinness recently awarded a world record for largest stamp collection: 400 million. My guess is the organization isn't clear about the difference between collection and accumulation.]Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-64256757544760174772018-11-10T11:36:00.004-05:002019-05-14T17:02:19.147-04:00Czur Aura Book Scanner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.iggcdn.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_limit,f_auto,w_620/v1538991279/i550qcdtag8ysi0sx3hq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="620" height="218" src="https://c1.iggcdn.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_limit,f_auto,w_620/v1538991279/i550qcdtag8ysi0sx3hq.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
UPDATE: Numerous delays but the ship containing my unit will arrive in LA by the end of May and presumably I will have the scanner in early June 2019.<br />
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Although I no longer have the need I once did, I continue to be fascinated by inexpensive, non-destructive approaches to book scanning. On paper at least (no pun intended), the Czur Aura scanner looks like a viable solution. It is still a crowd funding project, but 50x the amount needed has been raised, and shipping is projected for December 2018.<br />
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According to the website, the scanner will:<br />
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* Digitize books without unbinding them;<br />
* Convert them to PDF, editable Word (2.5sec/page);<br />
* Scan a wide range of documents and objects up to A3 size (i.e., what the US calls tabloid);<br />
* Double as a versatile lamp with 4 light settings.<br />
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The company estimates that a 300 page book can be scanned in 30 minutes if saved as jpeg images. (There is foot operated button included for speeding up the process.)<br />
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You can buy the scanner at the moment for $179 (shipping extra). A battery powered version is $30 more for those wanting to take this portable device to libraries and other locations.<br />
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Lots of information can be found at <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/aura-speeds-simplifies-all-your-scanning-needs#/">https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/aura-speeds-simplifies-all-your-scanning-needs#/</a><br />
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I have ordered the scanner and will report back on the results of scanning pages in the Blue Volume One as well as other philatelic materials.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-4136984014666936672018-11-07T13:22:00.001-05:002018-11-07T13:24:09.846-05:002019 Scott Classic Catalogue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amosadvantage.com/Media/Default/Products/C19C-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="614" height="320" src="https://www.amosadvantage.com/Media/Default/Products/C19C-cover.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
Right on schedule is the November release of the <a href="https://www.amosadvantage.com/product/2019-scott-catalogue-classic-specialized-world-1840-1940" target="_blank">2019 <i>Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue Of Stamps And Covers 1840-1940</i>.</a> One new thing about the Amos Website is that they are finally showing some actual examples of pages and listings. Here is a summary of what Scott thinks are the most important aspects of the 2019 edition. This is an abbreviated version of what is given on the Amos website:<br />
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<i> Classic Germany received a complete review this year, resulting in more than 1,900 value changes, with a mix of increases and decreases. Increases are especially notable among never-hinged and on-cover values.<br /> Collectors of Portugal and its colonies should pay special attention to Mozambique Company. The listings from Scott 1 through 104 have been completely reorganized by the paper on which the stamps were printed, and by perforation gauge. More than 160 value changes were made<br /> Almost 1,200 value changes were made to the listings of the Colombian States of Antioquia, Bolivar, Boyaca, Cundinamarca, Santander, and Tolima.<br /> Significant value increases are found among the listings of Transvaal.<br /> A complete examination of Australia resulted in more than 700 value changes, with more decreases than increases<br /> New never-hinged listings have been added to Jordan, Kuwait, and Lebanon<br /> Almost 770 value changes were recorded for Italian Offices Abroad in Aegean Islands.</i><br />
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As a reminder, you can type "Classic catalogue" in the search box in the upper left hand corner of this page to see changes in earlier editions. I had access to the actual catalogs until recently, so my comments for many of these are rather more detailed. <br />
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<br />Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-43469008093740882922018-08-17T17:54:00.000-04:002018-08-18T12:22:30.768-04:00William H. Gross Collection CatalogRobert A. Siegel has just published their sumptuous auction catalog <i>United States Stamp Treasures: The William H. Gross Collection</i> which can be downloaded as a PDF. Although collectors will focus on the mouth watering items with their thorough documentation, I did want to mention the interesting introduction by Scott A. Trepel titled "The Sixth Wave."<br />
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Mr. Trepel divides formation of the greatest stamp collections into six waves. The first wave collections were largely worldwide and put together by the titans of philately, of which Ferrary was arguably the greatest. (I particularly like Trepel's observation that "... these [first wave] collectors had to collect in Ferrary’s world, which limited the availability of many outstanding items"). Many of these collections were dispersed around the First World War in turn making possible the Second wave. Caspary and Burrus are among this group. The Third wave dates from the 1950s and these collections are almost all specialized with Lilly being a notable exception. Trepel's remaining waves are seen through the lens of United States collections, with the sale of the Gross collection making possible a sixth.<br />
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For each of these waves, in addition to the collectors, there are also associated legendary dealers and auctioneers who were instrumental in their formation, such as the Weill Brothers. (Included in the catalog are thumbnail photos of some of the most famous collectors from each of these waves.)Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-50651797433644463522018-04-01T10:43:00.000-04:002018-04-02T15:27:44.443-04:00April 1st Breaking NewsIn a surprising move, Scott announced today that they are discontinuing the International stamp albums. According to the press release: "We have been producing the International album since 1914. And even though our expenses are negligible to sell an incomplete album with errors and omissions that have been there for decades, been there, done that."<br />
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Scott says it will concentrate on albums targeting Bitcoin collectors. But they promise to remain philatelically forward looking. "When someone issues Bitstamps, we will be ready."Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-54904545836146304332018-02-25T19:41:00.001-05:002018-02-25T19:41:11.259-05:00Large Big Blue on eBayI was not going to write about this album because I suspect anyone who reads this blog will already know about it from the Stamp Community forum. But as a matter of historical record, KReleya (Ken Stamps) recently picked up a very clean Scott International Volume One from Rasdale and is selling it on eBay. There are around 32,000 stamps and 168 complete countries.<br />
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Here is a link to the thread on the forum: <a href="https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=59366">https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=59366</a><br />
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The first lots are already on eBay. Try searching for Super Scott Intern Album.<br />
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<br />Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3749098825907573686.post-61352909261918161132018-02-01T14:48:00.001-05:002018-02-01T14:48:26.268-05:00APRL Stamp Album CollectionWhile I was aware that the American Philatelic Society's Library (APRL) has a collection of stamp albums, I was unaware of any details as these are not listed in their online catalog. Fortunately, a recent entry in the Philatelic Literature & Research Blog gives more information. The collection, which is growing, at the moment consists of over 80 albums housed on 24 shelves. According to the blog post, "albums can be viewed in person, borrowed or pages can be copied or scanned from them as requested."<br />
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You can view the blog entry <a href="http://blog.stamplibrary.org/2018/02/01/resource-of-the-month-stamp-albums/#more-4017" target="_blank">here</a> . For future reference, the entry by Scott Tiffney appeared on 1 February 2018 with the title "Resource of the Month – Stamp Albums."Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111329068221289436noreply@blogger.com4