Stamp Column Archives

The Glassine Surfer Column Archive

This column originally appeared in the American Philatelic Society's monthly magazine, "The American Philatelist." Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.

February 1999

In addition the site offers a free stamp inventory program, helping to make collecting easier.  StampTrac is a database that also lets users to swap want and have lists over the Net.  

The Stamp Finder site is helping to solve some of the mechanics of buying and selling on the Net.  

Stamp Finder at
http://www.stampfinder.com

Just the FAQ, Mam.

In last month's column I mentioned the Usenet news groups.  By custom each group collects information about its topic and writes a file called "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ), typically culled from posts and contributions.

Volunteer co-ordinator Tracy Barber has been minding the rec.collecting.stamps FAQ since '97, and it's a solid Net source for stamps and related topics.  The beauty of a FAQ is that it is always a work in progress, a changing record, updated as time, circumstances and advice dicate.  

Stamp Collecting FAQ at
http://members.global2000.net/~tracy/rcs-faq/title.html

Tannu Tuva: Virtually There

Stamps can take you everywhere, even Tannu Tuva, the Siberian land of yurts, yogurt and throat singing.  Tuva is a small, remote land of three hundred thousand people locked in the Tannu Mountains on Mongolia's border.  Not much happens in the capital city of Kyzyl, and the Dalai Lama's 1992 visit was only the second by a foreign head-of-state since Ghengis Khan dropped by with his Horde in 1207.  

Tuva's first stamps came out in 1927 and there were others in the mid-'30's.  During the Soviet breakup several issues of cinderellas, labels, provisionals and overprints appeared, some raising philatelic eyebrows.

A tall monument marks Tuva as the center of Asia, but it's far from being the hub.  Offically, Tuva's an Autonomous Russian Republic, but it's just what it's always been: a secluded enclave of a nomadic people.

If you check out the sites, you'll find a newsgroup and even a FAQ.

Usenet
alt.culture.tuva

Tannu Tuva Collectors Society
http://www.seflin.org/tuva/

The Postage Stamps of Tuva
http://www.si-usa.com/tuva/

Tuva or Bust!
http://www.feynman.com/tuva

Tuva Stamp Exhibit
http://www.mindspring.com/~albumman/Tuva/TuvaTop.htm

Favorite Links: Hotdogs

Navigating the Net is easy if you have the right tools, and one of the tools you should know about is Linkman, a bookmark/favorites manager by Thomas Reimann, especially if you have scads of links crowding your browser's menu.  

It's a small fast-loading bit of freeware that lets you load, save, convert and sort links.  It is easy to use and very user-configurable.  Tucows rated it 4.5 cows and Five Star Apps gave it 5 Stars.  The current version is 2.55 with 3.0 due in the spring.

Linkman at
http://members.xoom.com/ultimatum/

Clubs Sites: Club-Web

Stamp clubs have always reached their members with printed publications.  Some have illustrated research in their monthly bulletins. Others simply photocopy a reminder about the next business meeting, but now many local clubs are using web sites to attract and recruit area collectors.