On July 1st, 1847, the United States Post Office Department
would issue their first postage stamps…but they were not the first. In
1837, Sir Rowland Hill of Great Britain proposed a new idea of
standardized prices for delivery of mail, or “postage”. This new idea
resulted in printed envelopes with pre-printed postage or adhesive
labels placed onto them. Not long after this discovery, the first stamp
was soon to be born.
On May 6, 1840 the British would pioneer the “Penny Black”,
a black stamp signifying that a patron has paid the proper postage
fee. This stamp received the nickname due to the fact that it was
black, and cost one cent. These stamps would cover any letter delivery
weighing a half-ounce or less within any of the British Isles.
Everyone knows that this stamp has long been credited as the “first
stamp.”
The United States had obstacles to overcome before the final creation
of their postage stamp, mainly the fact that postage costs in America
were not standardized yet. In 1845 US Lawmakers mandated the standardization of postage costs in America.
When this happened, New York City Postmaster Robert H Morris and some
of his associates formally produced special stamps and markings that
would officially signify that an individual had pre-paid for their
postage. Now these are known as Postmasters’ Provisionals; widely
collected for their rich heritage.
A man named Alexander M. Greig, owner of the New York City Despatch
Post; a private carrier within NYC produced the first adhesive stamps
starting February 1st, 1842. The US Government bought out
this business and continued Greig’s legacy with the idea of continuing
to use adhesive stamps to signify payment for postage.
Thus in 1847 on March 3rd, Congress authorized the first printed adhesive postage stamps. Again, the first of these stamps were available for purchase July 1st,
1847 in New York City. One stamp was five cents, depicting a picture
of Benjamin Franklin. The other—a ten-cent stamp that featured a
picture of George Washington. They were cut from printed adhesive
sheets with no perforations. In 1856, the USPS issued another five cent
stamp featuring Thomas Jefferson. Then, in 1863, a two-cent stamp with
Andrew Jackson appearing on it was created. To this day, George
Washington is the most-used face for American postage stamps.
All of these pre-20th century stamps are valued collectors’
items now. This is why it’s important that if you’re fortunate enough
to hold one of these pieces of history that you defend them properly. If
you’re wondering how, we have plenty of stamp collecting supplies for you to choose from.
Since then, stamps have evolved into pieces of artwork. They are
distributed and sold designed to commemorate public service officials as
well as honor national icons or celebrities. The USPS has featured
stationary, commemorative stamps, stamp booklets, non-denominated stamps
and more. With such a rich history full of character development and
artistic detail, it’s important that collectors use products
from companies such as SAFE® Collecting Supplies to preserve these
beautiful works of history and art. Check our selections today!
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Friday, October 17, 2014
Batman stamps.....really?!
No question this week, I had to tip my hat to the folks at Business Week this week. All stamp collectors read this and rejoice, at least we made the news cycle!
 |
| Batman Stamps - really?! |
Read the article below and you be the judge:
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-16/batman-stamps-collectors-say-despicable-usps-says-brilliant
Just remember, if you buy the Batman stamps, just make sure to put them in SAFE Stamp Album or Stockbook
Monday, October 6, 2014
Why Stamp and Coin Collecting Books are Assets to All Collectors
Adequate preparation is needed when beginning the exciting hobby of collecting stamps and coins. If you are new to the world of stamp or coin collecting, you will find that the best way to benefit from collecting is to always be prepared! What is the best way to prepare for a rewarding hobby in collecting? By reading and using stamp and coin collecting books!
By using coin and stamp collecting books, you will present yourself
as a well-informed and experienced collector. Having that special aura
surrounding yourself can be the difference between convincing another collector
to buy from you, or sell to you. As a collector or dealer, you will find
yourself learning more each day by reading stamp and coin collecting books and
using that information to your advantage to teach others about the rare coins
you have collected throughout the years.
Anyone interested in learning about coins will often
turn to the internet to find the information they need. Why keep turning to the
internet, if you have the books right at your fingertips! You can purchase
stamp and coin collecting books and pull them out whenever you need them! Owning the actual books
has many advantages because the books you buy have all the resources you need.
This helps you avid the headache of figuring out what exactly to search for on
the internet, which could take hours!
Benefits of Coin and Stamp Collecting Books:
- Find information on coins or stamps made in a particular year
- Find information on coins stamps made in a specific part of the world
- Buy pocket-sized books to carry with you and use at exhibits
- Buy books with sleeves built in, so you can store your coins or stamps
If you are willing to invest in coin or stamp collecting books,
contact us at SAFE Collecting Supplies today. Our website has much more
information on all coin and stamp collecting supplies needed for success!
Saturday, August 9, 2014
What happened to the color of my stamp??
From time to time I hear from collectors who have come across a stamp that has turned color from yellow or orange, to a disgusting brown or chestnut. What happened??
The collectors sometimes first think that their stamp album pages have plasticized PVC in them and that has caused the discoloration. The philatelic industry has almost universally mistakenly referred to this process as "oxidation" for many years. Thankfully in the case of SAFE Stamp Albums, we know that there is no plasticized PVC in any of the pages.
If your stamp is in archival stamp album pages, then the actual cause is environmental contaminants in the air, in which the correct term is actually "Sulphurization." Below, I have paraphrased some comments from a recent editorial in the American Phlatelist.
Sulphurization is an unintended and undesirable chemical process that alters the natural color of stamps printed with ink containing lead. Philatelists often assume that prolonged exposure to oxygen is the cause of this browning. It is actually the traces of sulfur in the air that combined with the metallic component of pigments to alter the surface of the ink coating and our perception of its color. A sulphurized stamp represents that progressive damage over a period of time.
Many also ask whether this sulphurization can be reversed? And the answer is yes, by oxidizing the stamp. For used stamps, a gentle bath in an over-the-counter hydrogen peroxide (a 3% solution), followed by a rinse in a clear water will usually restore the color in less than a minute. Peroxide in its pure form is a very strong oxidizer. Obviously mint cannot be immersed in hydrogen peroxide without destroying the gum, but with practice, they can be fumed. However, NEVER ATTEMPT this yourself without first practicing on some common examples.
Some philatelists argue strongly against the use of peroxide on sulphurized stamps, calling it a form of alteration such as re-gumming. However, I personally think it is more like restoration or conservation in bringing the stamp back to its former beauty. Either way the choice is yours. But remember to keep your stamps as safe as possible in SAFE stamp albums!
The collectors sometimes first think that their stamp album pages have plasticized PVC in them and that has caused the discoloration. The philatelic industry has almost universally mistakenly referred to this process as "oxidation" for many years. Thankfully in the case of SAFE Stamp Albums, we know that there is no plasticized PVC in any of the pages.
If your stamp is in archival stamp album pages, then the actual cause is environmental contaminants in the air, in which the correct term is actually "Sulphurization." Below, I have paraphrased some comments from a recent editorial in the American Phlatelist.
Sulphurization is an unintended and undesirable chemical process that alters the natural color of stamps printed with ink containing lead. Philatelists often assume that prolonged exposure to oxygen is the cause of this browning. It is actually the traces of sulfur in the air that combined with the metallic component of pigments to alter the surface of the ink coating and our perception of its color. A sulphurized stamp represents that progressive damage over a period of time.
Many also ask whether this sulphurization can be reversed? And the answer is yes, by oxidizing the stamp. For used stamps, a gentle bath in an over-the-counter hydrogen peroxide (a 3% solution), followed by a rinse in a clear water will usually restore the color in less than a minute. Peroxide in its pure form is a very strong oxidizer. Obviously mint cannot be immersed in hydrogen peroxide without destroying the gum, but with practice, they can be fumed. However, NEVER ATTEMPT this yourself without first practicing on some common examples.
Some philatelists argue strongly against the use of peroxide on sulphurized stamps, calling it a form of alteration such as re-gumming. However, I personally think it is more like restoration or conservation in bringing the stamp back to its former beauty. Either way the choice is yours. But remember to keep your stamps as safe as possible in SAFE stamp albums!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
So many different kinds of perforations...
A collector talked to me about perforation gauges the other day on the phone, after complaining about today's self-adhesive stamps. And it got us talking about the history of perforations. So I dug deep through the internet to provide our readers a little about the history of perforations.
The world’s first postage stamps, issued by Great Britain in 1840, were without means of self-separation. They are called imperforate or, abbreviated, “imperf.” Such stamps had to be cut apart with scissors or some other means. Hence it is unusual to find “imperfs” with nice margins on all four sides. Shortly after the first stamps were issued, the idea of separating each stamp from each by means of rows of small holes between the rows of stamps was introduced.
The story was told that a local had purchased some of England’s first stamps and, under the influence of a pint or two, sat on the curb where he produced a pin and began to poke pin holes between his stamps so that he could tear them apart. The idea worked so well that he took his stamps back to the Post Office and pointed out his great discovery. Later, it is related, the British Government provided this gentleman with a substantial sum of money for his invention.
The fact remains that for United States stamps, which have been perforated by machines producing various gauges of perforations, there is often an enormous difference in value running from a few cents to as much as several hundred dollars for what, to all intents and purposes, is the identical stamp except for the gauge of the perforation. The same situation applies to most foreign issues but until the advent of “The New World-Wide Postage Stamp Catalog” few collectors in the United States were aware of this fact. This catalog lists and gives values for practically all perforation varieties of all stamps of the world.
Likewise our printed hingeless stamp albums – provide spaces in which to place each stamp – with perforation varieties for the stamps of the United States and other countries. The matter is important, however, and especially so as one becomes advanced in his or her collecting interests.
COMB PERFORATIONS
Now let us take into consideration the various kinds of perforations and the methods by which they are applied to stamps. The original perforating machine, one that is still in common use for the stamps of some countries, is the “comb” perforator. As the name implies, this is an instrument shaped like a comb. The pins that do the perforating are arranged in a long row to fit the width of the sheet of stamps and the extensions of shorter rows of prongs are arranged so as to fall between each stamp, like this:
Stamps in sheets are
stacked in quantity and the comb is punched through the top row. Then
the comb is moved to the next row and so on. The comb does not always
line up exactly with the preceding row so that this style of perforation
can often be identified in any vertical pair of stamps. However, it has
never come to my attention that these variations in the placement of
the comb have received any important consideration among collectors.
Usually the punches, or prongs, that make the perforations are round in
shape. But there are also some that are oblong, or
lozenge, in shape or perhaps others. Collectors refer to these
odd shapes as “hyphen hole” perfs., or “Lozenge” perfs., and “square”
perfs.
Modern perforating machines, as used in the production of US stamps, are sprocket wheel punches which punch continuous rows of
holes between the stamps. When the stamps are produced on rotary
presses in a continuous strip, the sprockets are small wheels that make a
continuous row of perforations in one direction.
Then, a little further along on the machine, the sprockets are on a long shaft running the complete width of the sheet to produce the cross row of perforations at each turn of the wheel. Naturally this is a complicated device requiring careful coordination with the printed stamps so that the rows of holes will fall at exactly the correct place between the stamps. Nowadays this coordination is accomplished electrically by what collectors call the “electric eye” shown above.
This is what gave the idea of the electronic perforation gauge to the people at SAFE. And hence the Perfotronic was born. The Perfotronic uses an electric eye of sorts to measure the perforation in 1/4, 1/10 or 1/100 increments in a fraction of a second. We produced a short video of the Perfotronic so you can see how it works for yourself.
The world’s first postage stamps, issued by Great Britain in 1840, were without means of self-separation. They are called imperforate or, abbreviated, “imperf.” Such stamps had to be cut apart with scissors or some other means. Hence it is unusual to find “imperfs” with nice margins on all four sides. Shortly after the first stamps were issued, the idea of separating each stamp from each by means of rows of small holes between the rows of stamps was introduced.
The story was told that a local had purchased some of England’s first stamps and, under the influence of a pint or two, sat on the curb where he produced a pin and began to poke pin holes between his stamps so that he could tear them apart. The idea worked so well that he took his stamps back to the Post Office and pointed out his great discovery. Later, it is related, the British Government provided this gentleman with a substantial sum of money for his invention.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PERFORATIONS
There is, of course, a very apparent difference between a stamp without perforations – “imperf.” – and one with perforations – “perf.” – and one can readily understand why early collectors made such an important point of that difference. However, in this day of collecting it is somewhat difficult to understand why so much emphasis is placed on the different gauges of perforation.The fact remains that for United States stamps, which have been perforated by machines producing various gauges of perforations, there is often an enormous difference in value running from a few cents to as much as several hundred dollars for what, to all intents and purposes, is the identical stamp except for the gauge of the perforation. The same situation applies to most foreign issues but until the advent of “The New World-Wide Postage Stamp Catalog” few collectors in the United States were aware of this fact. This catalog lists and gives values for practically all perforation varieties of all stamps of the world.
Likewise our printed hingeless stamp albums – provide spaces in which to place each stamp – with perforation varieties for the stamps of the United States and other countries. The matter is important, however, and especially so as one becomes advanced in his or her collecting interests.
COMB PERFORATIONS
Now let us take into consideration the various kinds of perforations and the methods by which they are applied to stamps. The original perforating machine, one that is still in common use for the stamps of some countries, is the “comb” perforator. As the name implies, this is an instrument shaped like a comb. The pins that do the perforating are arranged in a long row to fit the width of the sheet of stamps and the extensions of shorter rows of prongs are arranged so as to fall between each stamp, like this:
 |
| Photo by Bureau of Engraving & Printing |
Then, a little further along on the machine, the sprockets are on a long shaft running the complete width of the sheet to produce the cross row of perforations at each turn of the wheel. Naturally this is a complicated device requiring careful coordination with the printed stamps so that the rows of holes will fall at exactly the correct place between the stamps. Nowadays this coordination is accomplished electrically by what collectors call the “electric eye” shown above.
This is what gave the idea of the electronic perforation gauge to the people at SAFE. And hence the Perfotronic was born. The Perfotronic uses an electric eye of sorts to measure the perforation in 1/4, 1/10 or 1/100 increments in a fraction of a second. We produced a short video of the Perfotronic so you can see how it works for yourself.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
How can I get a self adhesive stamp off an envelope?...
Every now and again I get a phone call asking if I know if there is any good way to remove a self-adhesive stamps from envelopes. Do you have any special stamp accessories that can help? Ironically we don't ... but your hardware store does!
While the self-adhesive stamps have been a boon for the post office, and users of stamps, gummed stamps were always so much simpler for collectors. Just soak them in water and they fell off the paper. But if you want to place a self adhesive stamp in a stamp album or a stamp stockbook, how can you get it off the envelope?!
After countless home remedies that people have tried, can you believe the answer is WD-40?! Yet another problem solved by WD-40 and it only takes 20 seconds. This is how it works - but don't come complaining if it didn't work for you :-)
1. With envelope in hand, cut the paper around the stamp leaving enough exposed to hold on to the edge of the stamp with stamp tongs.
2. Hold your stamp with the tongs, with the back of the stamp (blank paper facing you) so you can see the center of the stamp. (Use a light if necessary to assist)
3. Spray some WD-40 with spray nozzle on the center of the back of the stamp and within a few seconds the paper will look translucent. For thicker postcards allow the WD-40 a few more seconds to penetrate the thicker paper stock.
4. The stamp should now peel off very easily with your stamp tongs. If it doesn't wait just a little longer. Then try again. It doesn't fall off like the old days, it must be peeled with the stamp tongs.
5. Place your stamp face down into your stamp drying book or stamp drying press. Take a brush and sprinkle and brush a little baby powder on the adhesive. And let it dry!
While the self-adhesive stamps have been a boon for the post office, and users of stamps, gummed stamps were always so much simpler for collectors. Just soak them in water and they fell off the paper. But if you want to place a self adhesive stamp in a stamp album or a stamp stockbook, how can you get it off the envelope?!
After countless home remedies that people have tried, can you believe the answer is WD-40?! Yet another problem solved by WD-40 and it only takes 20 seconds. This is how it works - but don't come complaining if it didn't work for you :-)
1. With envelope in hand, cut the paper around the stamp leaving enough exposed to hold on to the edge of the stamp with stamp tongs.
2. Hold your stamp with the tongs, with the back of the stamp (blank paper facing you) so you can see the center of the stamp. (Use a light if necessary to assist)
3. Spray some WD-40 with spray nozzle on the center of the back of the stamp and within a few seconds the paper will look translucent. For thicker postcards allow the WD-40 a few more seconds to penetrate the thicker paper stock.
4. The stamp should now peel off very easily with your stamp tongs. If it doesn't wait just a little longer. Then try again. It doesn't fall off like the old days, it must be peeled with the stamp tongs.
5. Place your stamp face down into your stamp drying book or stamp drying press. Take a brush and sprinkle and brush a little baby powder on the adhesive. And let it dry!
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