Author: lasoksmith

The Scroll (Hooded Circle) Cancellation.

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)

LOGIN:  This website has a default plugin to prevent malware or Distributed Denial of Service attacks. This security measure cannot be removed or deactivated. If subscribers make too many logins in a short period of time they may receive an “Access Denied” message. To try and mitigate subscribers inadvertently falling victim of this, I have set the inactivity logout at 60 minutes. Therefore if you need to leave the site for a short period of time you should likely not need to login again on your return.

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)

Standard Terms for the Condition of Stamps

Although what “the eye finds pleasing” with regards stamps and their condition is ultimately subjective, it has to be acknowledged that it is important that potential buyers can be confident in the description of items they are considering purchasing.

The following articles were published in issues of Stamp Collecting Weekly between September 11th 1975 and March 25th 1976.

It was the article by A. J. Dady in the September 11th issue that stimulated the discussion in the “Quoting You” columns and the important contributions from Kenneth R. Lake in his articles in January 1st and Febrary 12th issues 1976.

Even though the articles and comments were published nearly 50 years ago they are no less relevant even in this rapidly evolving age of technology and perhaps even more so. Many who sell predominantly through the numerous online selling platforms (eBay, Delcampe, HipStamp….) and even those who have associations with professional bodies would do well to consider the content and reflect.

The articles and comments can be downloaded from the links below.

Standard Terms for Condition of Stamps by  A.J. Dady

“What do you mean, superb used?” by Kenneth R. Lake

Comment 1.

Unmounted, Mint, Unused or Hinged? by Kenneth R. Lake

Comment 2.

B.W.I.- A League Table

A calculation of the average annual consumption of postage stamps for each of the colonies of the British West Indies in the 19th century was undertaken in the 1960s/70s.  The aim of the research seems to be to allow a reasonable assessment to be made as to the relative scarcity of the stamps from each colony today.

The “League Table” compiled by Simon Goldblatt and published in Stamp Collecting Weekly October 2nd 1975 can be dowloaded from the link below.

B.W.I. – A League Table

A (Brief) History and Geography of The British West Indies

The origins of the British West Indies lie in outposts established to support English pirates and privateers who were involved in raiding Spanish treasure fleets, and merchants interested in trade. Charles Leigh, an English merchant, established a short-lived settlement on the Wiapoco River in 1604 (now the Oyapock, which forms the border between French Guiana and Brazil). This was followed by failed attempts to established settlements in Saint Lucia in 1605 and Grenada in 1609. The first permanent settlement was established in St. Christopher (St. Kitts) by Thomas Warner.]This was followed by settlements in Barbados in 1627, Nevis in 1628, and Montserrat and Antigua in 1632. Providence Island was colonised by English Puritans in 1630, but the colony was destroyed by the Spanish in 1641.] The capture of Jamaica in 1655 expanded British control beyond these small islands in the Lesser Antilles.

The British West Indies (BWI) were colonised British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, British Guiana (now Guyana) and Trinidad and Tobago. Other territories included Bermuda, and the former British Honduras (now Belize).

The Kingdom of England first pursued the establishment of the colonies in its 16th-17th century competition with the Spanish Empire. Initially, financed by valuable extractive commodities such as sugar production, the colonies were also at the centre of the transatlantic slave trade, around 2.3 million slaves were brought to the British Caribbean. The colonies served as bases to project the power of the British Empire through the Royal Navy and the merchant marine, and to further and protect the empire’s trade. Before the decolonisation period in the later 1950s and 1960s, “British West Indies” was regularly used to include all British colonies in the region as part of the British Empire. Following the independence of most of the territories from the United Kingdom, the term Commonwealth Caribbean is now used.

In 1912, the British government divided their territories into different colonies: The Bahamas, Barbados, British Guiana, British Honduras, Jamaica (with its dependencies the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands), Trinidad and Tobago, the Windward Islands, and the Leeward Islands.[4] Between 1958 and 1962, all of the island territories except the British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda were organised into the West Indies Federation. It was hoped that the Federation would become independent as a single nation, but it had limited powers and faced many practical problems. Consequently, the West Indies Federation was dissolved in 1962.

The territories are now fully independent sovereign states, except for five – Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands – which remain British Overseas Territories, as does Bermuda. All remain within the Commonwealth of Nations.

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

Stamp On It

The Post Office received a Design Award from the Design Council for its 1972 issues of stamps. This award was not for philatelic interest but as recognition of their excellence as printed examples of industrial design and their role in the performance of one of the largest systems of package handling.

In a series of articles published in Stamp Collecting Weekly in January 1975, Stuart Rose, F.S.I.A, design adviser at Post Office, described and analysed the concept of the postage stamp as an object of industrial design.

Starting with the Penny Black and going up to the then present day he described the main influences affecting design and production and provided views on designs that had been more or less succesful in the role for which they were specifically designed.

The complete series of articles can be downloaded from the link below.

Stamp on It

The Pre-Federation Posts of Northern Rhodesia

The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation (CAF), was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia and the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. It existed between 1953 and 1963.

The Federation was established on 1 August 1953, with a Governor-General as the Queen’s representative at the centre. The constitutional status of the three territories – a self-governing Colony and two Protectorates – was not affected, though certain enactments applied to the Federation as a whole as if it were part of Her Majesty’s dominions and a Colony. A novel feature was the African Affairs Board, set up to safeguard the interests of Africans and endowed with statutory powers for that purpose, particularly in regard to discriminatory legislation. The economic advantages to the Federation were never seriously called into question, and the causes of the Federation’s failure were purely political: the strong and growing opposition of the African inhabitants.   The rulers of the new black African states were united in wanting to end colonialism in Africa. With most of the world moving away from colonialism during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the United Kingdom was subjected to pressure to de-colonise from both the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). These groups supported the aspirations of the black African nationalists and accepted their claims to speak on behalf of the people.

The federation officially ended on 31 December 1963. In 1964, shortly after the dissolution, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland became independent under the names Zambia and Malawi, respectively. In November 1965, Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom as the state of Rhodesia.

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

In a series of 11 articles published in Stamp Collecting Weekly between March 17th and August 18th 1961, W G Nodder provided a comprehensive account of the post offices, postmarks and frankings in use Pre-Federation.

The complete series of articles can be downloaded and saved or printed from the link below.

The Pre-Federation Posts of Northern Rhodesia

The “Castles” High Values

It was over 2 years after the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II that the first of the “Castles” series of high values appeared. They have become a “classic” issue  and with numerous different printers and watermarks being employed they have become a rich source for study. In 1979 a very comprehensive work on the issue by R.F. Allen was serialised in Stamp Collecting Weekly. At the time it was the most comprehensive review of the issue yet published. Covering everything from production (printers, papers, inks, perforation….) to errors and varieties, it is a work of interest and importance to any serious GB QEII specialist.

The full serialisation can be downloaded from attachment below.

The Castle High Values

Scots Who Made Their Mark……In The Armed Forces

                               

Throughout the centuries Scots men and women have made their mark on the world in every aspect of human endeavour from exploration, scientific achievement through to sporting excellence. I am indebted to  the late Jeff Dugdale for allowing me access to the resource from which the articles are taken. He himself has drawn upon resources made available to him to form the framework on which he has built.  Although I never met Jeff in person we corresponded a lot when I was just starting up The Philatelic Register.He came across as a humble and generous man. On passing me the information I believe the phrase he used (below) perfectly illustrates his character.

“I make no claim for originality in these articles. I’m sure each of the subjects referenced has been better treated by many other writers, but it gives me joy and a sense of pride and satisfaction to bring the stories of so many of our fellow countrymen and women together for your interest

Sir George Elliot

Thomas Cochrane, Earl of Dundonald

Recipients of The Victoria Cross

Douglas Haig, Earl Bemersyde

Hugh, Lord Dowding

Early Letter-Weighing Devices

With the Rowland Hill plan, letters were carried irrespective of distance in the British Isles for 1d / ½ ounce. There was therefore a need for some form of scales to enable the sender to weigh letters at will at home without the need to visit the Posting Office.

A very short article in “Stamp Collecting Weekly” April 8th 1950 by R. K. Wortley FRPSL describes early weighing machines and can be downloaded from attachment below.

Early Letter-Weighing Devices