Stamp Magazine

13 Mar 2014

The History of Moldavian Bulls Classic Stamps

Moldavia is an independent European territory located in the Balkans, which was given the right to self rule in 1856 thanks to the Treaty of Paris. By 1857, the government officially released its first set of postal stamps. This nation of great tradition and interesting history of political and economic changes did not last long as an independent nation, and was later made a Principality of Romania in 1859.

Elusive Moldavian Bulls Stamps

In philately, there are ordinary stamps and there are classic stamps of substantial value and interest. Examples of classic items that are worthy of investment are the Moldavian Bulls of 1858, often compared and likened to the Mauritius Post Office stamp classics. Some of these items are now properly catalogued in many museums, and some... Read More

Stamp, Postal History

6 Mar 2014

Collecting Olympic Stamps

When you want to put a different spin into your stamp collection, start focusing on Olympics stamps. As the name suggests, these are the stamps that were inspired by the Olympic spirit.

A Brief Background of the Olympics and Olympic Stamps

The modern Olympics started in 1896 and to commemorate the event, the Greek Post Office released a set of classical stamps. This was later duplicated in time for the 10th Anniversary games that was hosted in Athens. These types of stamps reappeared once again in 1920. There were also some stamps that were released in 1948. But the deluge of stamps happened in time for the Melbourne Olympics. During the 1980s, a huge number of stamps were made thanks in part to Juan Antonio Samaranch, a stamp collector and President of the... Read More

Stamp, Olympic Stamps, Postal History

2 Mar 2014

Guide to Your Collection of Penny Black Stamps

The Penny Black holds a special place in philately – as one of the first adhesive postal stamps, it is one of the most prized items available. Due to its popularity, it is worthwhile to understand how to collect this 1d stamp. Here’s a short guide on how to collect this kind of stamp.

One thing to note is that the Penny Black stamps were printed from eleven different plates. In order for you to identify the correct plate, you need to match the position of the corner letters and pay attention to other attributes. There are different corner letters, and the variation is there to prevent forgeries. The letters will normally start from AA that starts from the top left of the stamp up to TL in the bottom part of the item. This means that the top is your A-row, and includes stamps... Read More

Stamp, Penny Black, British Postal History, Postal History

27 Feb 2014

Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak - The Face in Royalty Stamps

Sarawak is the largest Malaysian state, one of two states situated on the northwest part of the island of Borneo. Sarawak was ruled by the White Rajas for more than a century. One of the rulers was Charles Brookes, the second among the three successive rajahs of Sarawak. He was born Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke on June 3, 1829 in England. His parents were Emma Frances and The Rev. Francis Charles Johnson. He received his education from the Crewkeme Grammar School and soon enrolled at the Royal Navy. He immediately rose to the rank of lieutenant and soon changed his professional course when he joined the company of his uncle, then the Rajah of Sarawak.