Sociable Stamp Society

This is our blog for current stamp news and views of interest to the philatelist and beginner. Daily updates provide items on shows, new issues, events, what's selling, and timely facts.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

W/ Da Buzzz

Buzzzing StampUniverse

This is the day of the week known as hump-day and a time to look back and plan ahead. And ask the question "So, what's new?" And the answer, in the universe of stamps is "not much, and you?" because the stamp universe has defined and closed in on itself, like the world of antiques.

They don't make them like they used to anymore and they stopped making collectible stamps for all intents and purposes somewhere in the 1960's. New stamp issues themselves have ceased to be relevant. The 1869 US issues are still better than anything else in the last 40 years.

(There have been interesting oddities here and there since then, but they're spurious and singular, bearing little resemblance to the now-antiques that moved the world's thoughts and information in the heyday of stamps.)

Today, what's new in stamps can only be what's new with the people and techniques surrounding the stamps: not in the stamps themselves. Paper archival techniques. Discoveries and stamp archeology. New methods of presentations for collections. Re-configuring hobby communications for the Web. Publishing new handbooks or reprinting the old.

So, what's the buzzz?

To me, it's the Web's collecting boom. Online auctions are everywhere: the world is really for sale. And while this is great for all concerned with buying and selling, finding and acquiring, the boom from the stamp-info-explosion hasn't been quite as loud. To me, it seems as if philately is at a point in time such as when a few confused Europeans saw their first Chinese fireworks show.

And I'm looking for the stamper who takes the tools of the Web and sets about to make the first stamp-info-explosion. That's be really something. That'd be a big bang.

In the meantime, I'll keep watching the Web for hints of life in the StampUniverse, but if you've seen something you want to talk about, add it here by adding a COMMENT.

St. Rowlands School of Hinge Sticking
The answer to yesterday's stamp question:

Q: Who was Jean Sperati?

A: He was a master forger. He made imitation stamps of many 19th century classics. He mailed an expensive stamp from France to a collector in Portugal without paying customs. In order to avoid jail, Sperati confessed that the stamp was not genuine, but one of his own works and was valueless. Today some of his stamps are more valuable than the originals he forged. "The Work of Jean Sperati" exposes and tells how to identify his forgeries.

Today's New Stamp Question

Q: In an auction, what's a shill?

"Mediocrity requires aloofness to preserve its dignity." - Charles G. Dawes

1 Comments:

At 11:47 AM, Fran said...: Thanks for the column in GS 9/26 on 'Da Buzz'.

You bring up an interesting subject that is only beginning to be recognized in the philatelic community - the electronic version of philately.

It's more than only a static presence for a few stamp collectors or philatelic societies on the web. It's also appears to be beyond the willingness of many collectors to accept that philately can take any form other than paper.

Sharing dynamic social information on philately is what you do and it's still on the cutting edge. The ability to share philatelic research and information can and should also be extended to the web.

By looking at the subjects we collect and developing more dynamic and interactive literature references and online exhibits on those subjects using modern technologies, the availability of information to the general public will increase.

Digital exhibits, studies and references are being developed slowly and the non-collector's exposure to philately increases by doing so. This new method may bring in new collectors.

Other methods don't seem to be working as the membership roles decline in all areas. Giving this a shot can't be any less effective.

Support from the collecting community is 'deathly' slow in adapting to the new digital world surrounding us and perhaps the philatelic ice age is upon us. If so, extinction is right around the corner...

Thanks for listening.

- Fran Adams