'The Philatelic Exporter' is the only independent magazine in the world for the international postage stamp trade, having been published every month since it first appeared in May 1945.

December 2008

All these News stories, and others, can be read in full in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter

Burns returns
Robert Burns, one of the world's greatest poets and Scotland's national bard, was born 250 years ago ... to celebrate this anniversary, on January 22 2009 Royal Mail is issuing a miniature sheet containing two new first-class stamps featuring the poet.

First 'Italia 2009' bulletin out

Now available is the first bulletin for 'Italia 2009' - Festival Internazionale della Filatelia - to be held in Rome on October 21 to 25 2009 ... www.italia2009.it

Gold Rush discounts
Issued towards the end of Rushstamps's golden anniversary year, is Rush Telegraph, a 32-page A3 listing offering an exceptional range of discounts which are valid until February 25 2009 ... enquiries@rushstamps.co.uk

Stamp artwork from the reign of George V digitised
The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) has released the first catalogues of stamp artwork and registration sheets from the reign of King George V ... www.postalheritage.org.uk

Also...

PTS Directory out
Christmas caution
Machin camera fails to sell
Lewis Hamilton on stamps?
Praga venue damaged by fire
Two new auctions in Australia
'Post' registered trademark in Germany
World Post Day address by Edouard Dayan
Royal Mail's compensation policy challenged

Special features this month

Michel Jahresinventur 2006: New issue output stabilises.
Philatex report: "Not a bad show, considering the credit crunch."
Scotex report: New format works a treat by Chad Neighbor.

Regulars:

About People

News about stamp people from around the world.
What’s happening in your life - tell the editor!

Around the Rooms

Auction action in the salerooms of Grosvenor, John Bull, Mowbray, Warwick & Warwick, and Stanley Gibbons.

Auction Diary

Public stamp auctions around the world in December 2008 and January 2009 are listed in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter.

Auction houses
If you would like your public stamp auctions included in the magazine please let the editor have your 2009 schedules.
For more publicity for your auctions why not advertise them in the 'Philatelic Exporter'? Contact our advertising department

Back Stamps

What was in The Philatelic Exporter this month in 1957, 1966, 1977, 1984, and 1998.

Crime Column

Bedford burglary ... Important CGH lost in transit ... Special non-Delivery ... Lytham loss

New Issues

Hundreds of new stamp issues from around the world are listed in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter.

Postal administrations and/or agents
If you do not already do so, send to the editor details of your new stamp issues for inclusion in the 'New Issues' listing.
For increased publicity, why not advertise your new issues?

Trade Diary

What's on in the UK and overseas - events in the UK in December 2008 and January 2009, and international events up to 2016, are listed in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter.

Event organisers
If you would like your stamp exhibitions or fairs included in these listings please let the editor have your 2009 schedules.
For more publicity for your events why not advertise them in the 'Philatelic Exporter'?

Your Letters

Have you got a view to express about any aspect of the stamp trade?
Fancy a moan, a gripe, or a groan?
Or a complaint or compliment, a bouquet or brickbat?
Want to get something off your chest?

Then contact the editor.

From our contributors:

Tony Buckingham - Cover to Cover

Olympic madness
Some days I wonder if I am a glutton for punishment. Other days, I know I am. It seemed a good idea on Sunday August 24: a cover collection of Team GB gold medal winners, which I thought would also be a gold winner. By the time Team GB had won its 19th gold medal we had just about sold out the collection. That was the good news. From then on it was downhill ...

Also:
End of an era - Queen Elizabeth II ... Folkestone Stamp Shop - end of another era ... Family affairs ... Concorde maiden flight ... Dollar depression ... So what will happen in 2009?

Michael Burzan - Europe

New 'European Marianne' on French definitives

La Poste in France has introduced a new design for its definitive series with the popular national symbol of 'Marianne' ...

Also:
Modern errors of Austria and Liechtenstein discovered ... Carl-Heinz Schulz editor of Philex ... Michel 2006 survey

Read the column in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter.

Liz McKernan - Postcard World

Positive prospect for postcards
This year sees the publication of the 29th edition of the Picture Postcard Annual ... The 2009 edition mentions that it is being written 'in a week where the world's financial structure looks the shakiest in most people's living memory' ... Nevertheless, publisher Brian Lund continues on a positive note mentioning that the attendance at this year's Postcard Show was well up on the previous year and that the hobby is actually expanding in Britain if the increased number of fairs is anything to go by ...

Also:
Display not for sale ... Postcards in the attic ... Googling ... Paris double-header ... Misleading! ... Fair diary.

Read the column in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter.

David Rennie - New Books

All reviewed in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter.

James Skinner - Great Britain

Royal Mail secures the future
... Royal Mail will be introducing definitives that have new two new security features - an iridescent overprint and four 'U'-shaped impressions die-cut into every stamp. When the stamp is peeled from its backing paper and placed onto the item of mail, these tabs remain intact. However, if you then try and remove it from the envelope, these sections stay stuck down, making it likely that the stamp will tear ...

Also:
Rise of the Electronic Postal Kiosk.

Read the column in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter.

Glen Stephens - Australasia

Knowledge is power - continued!
Continuing my last month’s theme, 'knowledge is power' has been my mantra for several decades, as anyone who reads my columns knows! ... Seldom do I see a new work that stands out from the pack. One such book hit my desk recently. In fact the only reason I chased it up was the number of auctions and lists that were quoting 'Pierron Hong Kong 558MCA Cat £750', etc, and I had no idea what was being referred to! ...

Also:

Blockbusters.

Read the column in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter.

Les Winick - USA

"Return to sender, address unknown"

As 'The King' sang all those years ago, returned mail can cause distress! Mail 'Undeliverable as Addressed' costs the United States Postal Service more than one billion dollars per year. Harry Stephens, president of Datamax, gave us this astounding figure in the Mailing Systems Technology bulletin for August 2008. I hate to think of what it costs the individual stamp dealer in lost customers, not simply the cost of postage ...

Also:
Online satisfaction falls ... Window displays ... Start local ... Where there's Hope.

Read the column in the December 2008 Philatelic Exporter.