Jamaica: Local Artist Comes to the Rescue

Jamaica’s 1932 pictorial definitives were issued to support the growth in tourism that was sweeping the Caribbean and bringing a much needed economic boost to the islands. The issue featured vignettes selected by the Government Printing Works who were unfamiliar with the stamp design process. Local artist, Stella Shaw, came to the rescue and delivered

Guide: First Impressions of Philatelic Social Media

OK, first things first, let’s be clear on one important caveat before I make a fool of myself … I am not a social media expert, I’m new to the world of online philately and my kids would be the first to point out that I’m far from cool! I know a little about Philately

British Guiana: Democratising the Philatelic Holy Grail

It’s the most famous philatelic artefact and the holy grail for philatelists – the British Guiana 1c Magenta (featured image courtesy of Wikipedia:Contents). Stamps from this former British colony in South America, now Guyana, are considered some of the rarest in the world. The 1c Magenta comes with quite a back story and that tale

Martinique: The First Distinctive Issue

Martinique is part of the Lesser Antilles island group of the Caribbean and was discovered by Columbus in June 1502 but not colonised until the French founded a settlement in 1635. The island lies directly north of Saint Lucia, northwest of Barbados and south of Dominica. Before 1886 Martinique used the French general stamp issues

Danish West Indies: Not to be Forgotten

Think of Denmark’s colonial past and you are most likely to cite the Viking heritage and associated former possessions in the North Atlantic such as Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. However, it’s later colonial power stretched across four continents including on the Gold Coast (Africa), eastern India (Asia) and in the Caribbean (America). The

Germany: Birth of an Empire

The German Empire was formally declared by Prussia on May 4, 1871 from the miscellany of states once ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs. A loose confederation of 39 states had emerged from the aftermath of the Napoleonic era and it was the powerful northern state of Prussia, under the leadership of the ‘Iron Chancellor’, Bismarck,

Barbados: Tale of Two Kings

Barbados, the most easterly island of the Caribbean group, is argued to have first been visited in the early 16th century by the Portuguese who named it ‘Los Barbados’ after its bearded fig trees. It was claimed in the name of King James I in 1625 by the captain of an English trading ship. It

Netherlands: Coming of Age

Queen Wilhelmina succeeded to the throne of the Netherlands in 1890. Her father, King Wilhelm III, had featuring on the first adhesive stamps of the Netherlands issued on New Years Day, 1852. On succession, Wilhelmina was just 10 years old and not of age to reign alone. Her mother and second wife of Wilhelm III,

St Lucia: A Case of Unfortunate Timing

The 1936 King George V definitive issue was to be the first St Lucia definitive set for more than 20 years, replacing the portrait illustrations that had dominated for half a century. It was an impressive pictorial set of 12 pictorial designs in values from ½d to 10/ and each featuring a portrait of the

Guide: Removing Self Adhesive Stamps from Covers

It’s been a mainstay activity of the philatelist since the dawn of the adhesive stamp … the removal of used postage stamps from covers. Many of us will have commandeered the kitchen sink to soak our on-paper stock before peeling off the stamps and leaving to dry on a neighbouring work surface. Traditionally, the gum