Author: lasoksmith

The 1849 Epaulettes of Belgium

THE PHILATELIC REGISTER is owned, published and edited by Ian Lasok-Smith

Contact Address: 6 Hough Green, Chester, CH4 8JG.  Email: [email protected]

ThePhilatelicRegister.com has replaced the montly issue of The Philatelic Register. The change in format has been dictated by the need to have a format that is more sustainable with regards the time required to keep it updated. As was The Philatelic Register, this evolving resource is FREE, users just need to register (only name and email address required) on the site to gain full access to article content.  All articles may be downloaded and printed or saved to PC. The site has been constructed on a WordPress platform and as such  has afforded much more versatility and new opportunites compared with original format.

I hope that as it evolves this new format will make it easier to fulfill the “Mission Statement” that encompasses the inspiration behind the original idea.

REGISTRATION:  The registration process on this site has default email verification, this cannot be bypassed.  Please check your spam folder if not received. If not in spam folder please advise me on  [email protected] using the email address you used at registration. I will then manually validate your account ASAP.  Please allow at least 48 hours for manual registration before contacting again.

(you may see reference to your profile at times when logging in or out. This has no effective relevance as the only details that those registering are able to enter are their name and email address. I have intentionally kept personal details to the practical minimum)

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If it so happens that you do receive an “Access Denied” message you will need to wait 30 minutes or so before attempting to log in again.

If you receive such a message on your first attempted login during a session it is likely to reflect the number of others logging in around the same time.

There will be an option to post comments on selected postings. It is hoped that by requiring registration it will discourage the leaving of inappropriate comments and mitigate the need for moderation of posts prior to publication. This would delay the publication and potentially devalue the facility if a posting would benefit from an early response (at times the facility to moderate comments may be activated if it is likely I will not be able to monitor for a while). As administrator I reserve the right to remove any post without need to give reason. Those deemed to be “abusing” the facility will have their registration revoked.

The most important purpose of the site is to provide a varied and expanding repository of knowledge and in doing so also try to recognise and preserve the work of many dedicated philatelists over the years. There will be regular postings but not at any specified times. The most recent postings appearing in “Latest Postings” in the sidebar.

The content of the site will be fully searchable using the search engine on the site.

Ian Lasok-Smith.  Owner, Publisher and Editor “The Philatelic Register”

Philatelic Traders Society (Gold Membership)

The Life and Works of Samuel Allan Taylor

Samuel Allan Taylor, born in Scotland orphaned  and sent to  America by aged twelve years. Can justifiably lay claim to having produced and published the first philatelic journal ” The Stamp Collector’s Record” in 1864 but has also assumed the mantle of one of the most prolific and infamous philatelic forgers.

In a series of published in Stamp Collecting Weekly between 2nd December 1966 and January 13th 1967, Jan Kindler provides a detailed biography and colourfully describes his life and enterprises.

The full series can be downloaded from the link below

The Life and Works of Samuel Allan Taylor

The Pneumatic Mail of Vienna and Paris

Pneumatic post or pneumatic mail is a system to deliver letters through pressurized air tubes. It was invented by the Scottish engineer William Murdoch in the 19th century and was later developed by the London Pneumatic Despatch Company.

The use of Pneumatic Mail in Vienna and Paris was described in two articles published in Stamp Collecting Weekly issues of September 6th 1963 and September 11th 1964. The articles authored by P. Schoenmann.

The articles can be downloaded from the links below.

The Pneumatic Mail at Vienna

The Pneumatic Mail of Paris

An account of the London Pneumatic Despatch Company may be found on the link below

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Pneumatic_Despatch_Company

 

 

The “Queensman” Column

A regular feature in Stamp Collecting Weekly  through the decades since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II  was a column initially detailing varieties as they were found on GB and Commonwealth issues. From the early 1960s this became a column devoted just to Great Britain issues. In later years although still limited to Great Britain it discussed recent issues and related material more broadly. The column appeared under various titles over the years:

“Forum of Elizabethan Varieties”

“Current GB Flaws and Varieties”

“Looking at Current GB”

The title and style changing as authorship of the column changed hands. The one constant however throughout its time was the author always assumed the nom de plume  “Queensman”

Although many of the varieties listed in these columns found their way to the specialised catalogues sufficient did not to make it worth publishing the columns here. The “Queensman” columns are particularly useful for the decimal era as Gibbons stopped listing the minor constant flaws in the specilalised Vol.5, which itself is now out of print and was last published in 1998.

All “Queensman” columns reproduced will appear on this page and may be downloaded

The complete “Queensman” columns from 1964

The Victoria Falls Stamps of Southern Rhodesia

As did Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia also made the Victoria Falls a feature of its early commemorative issues. In a short article published in the August 10th issue of Stamp Collecting Weekly in 1972 J. V. Woolford provided background on the production of these stamps along with the notable characteristics of each stamp.

The article can be downloaded from the link below.

The Victoria Falls Stamps of Southern Rhodesia

The 1905 Rhodesian Victoria Falls Stamps

The first commemorative issue of Rhodsesia was issued to commemorate the opening of the Victoria Falls railway bridge.

In an article published in the 9th February issue of Stamp Collecting Weekly in 1978 C. W. R. Wheatley provides a concise history of the building of the bridge and follows this with a detailed description of the stamps and a record of significant characteristics of each value.

The complete article can be downloaded from the link below

The 1905 Rhodesian Victoria Falls Stamps

Waterfalls on Stamps

The first article published in Stamp Collecting Weekly on the theme of Waterfalls ” Fascinating Falls” was written by Ronald Ward and appeared in the March 15th issue of 1963. 

In 1980 a series of articles on the theme of waterfalls, with the “Ronseal” like title of “Waterfalls on Stamps” appeared over four issues between 15th May and the 5th June.  The author Jean Alexander took a much more academic and even forensic approach to the topic.

Both articles can be downloaded from the links below

Fascinating Falls

Waterfalls on Stamps

Table Water Duty Stamps

In order to help finance the war effort (1914-18) the government looked for ways in which revenue could be raised. In 1916 a tax on table water was introduced. As the extracts  from Hansard below illustrate concerns over the benefit of the tax when weighed against effects were frequently raised in Parliament

TABLE WATER DUTY.

HC Deb 07 June 1921 vol 142 cc1691-2

Colonel Sir A. HOLBROOK  asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue was received during the year ended 31st March, 1921, from the table water duty; and does the revenue compensate for the loss of Income Tax from the trade consequent on the reduction in the volume of business transacted?

Mr. YOUNG  The revenue derived from the table water duty in the year ended 31st March, 1921, was £1, 196,000. As regards the second part of the question I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Central Edinburgh on the 12th April last.

( with reference to the Bank of England inflation calculator, £1,196,000 in March 1921 has a value of £48,464783 in March 2024)

TABLE WATER DUTY.

HC Deb 21 March 1923 vol 161 cc2606-7W   Mr COOPER RAWSON asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that upwards of 600 firms engaged in the manufacture of mineral water have been compelled to close down owing to the existing table water duties, and that in consequence thousands of men engaged in this and allied industries have been rendered unemployed; and will he, in view of the comparatively insignificant revenue derived from this source, consider the desirability of remitting the existing taxes?

In an article published in the 22nd May 1980 issue of Stamp Collecting Weekly  J. H. Chandler provides a more detailed account of the Stamps produced to facilitate colection of the Table Water Duty.

The article can be downloaded from the link below.

Table Water Duty Stamps

Plating Early St. Helena Issues

Roger West, a devoted student of the Issues of St. Helena, wrote a detailed article published in Stamp Collecting Weekly 17th January 1980. The article described a method for plating the first stamps of St. Helena, a task much made more challenging than plating  e.g. early line engraved stamps of Great Britain due to  the lack of aids such as sheet markings and security letters.

The complete article can be downloaded from link below.

Plating Early St. Helena Issues

See also article below by Roger West.

The 1922-1927 Badge Issue of St. Helena