Stamp Column Archives

Glassine Surfer April 2004

Reader feedback on February's column had me wondering if we hadn't already closed the doors to the outside world. It seemed as if we were all birds of a feather, and the outsiders had already given up on us, or don't use e-mail.

From what I read there seemed to be a universal consensus to cover new and improved stamp sites. Tips and tricks were for newbies. Software was important to some, and not to others. And an occasional oddball site and tangential material was okay.

Commercial dealer site reviews were OK, but only if site content was worthwhile, though as one person  pointed out, dealers are probably the most knowledgeable sources in their fields.

Jim Miller, a dealer in Canadian covers, put the notion in my head to parse the world of commercial sites using a simple query: collector friendly content on sites run by dealers. The caveat is to focus on the collector and not the buyer. I'm not sure if that was Jim's intent, but until and unless he renounces my heresy, I must give him credit.

Regarding negative notices, here's a sampling of opinions. "They do not have a place or value and are a waste for both the writer and reader, maybe better suited for chat room or word of mouth." "No need to waste space on the bad and ugly!" So, I'll reserve such for advisories and warnings.

As Jerry Hopson said, "Finally, with all the different types/aspects/topics that you report on, there must be something of each and everyone of us. It would be a shame to loose that diversity."

Stamp Sites

The American Stamp Club of Great Britain has an online presence that spans three interlinked web addresses. A single introductory homepage is over at the Virtual Stamp Club, and a bevy of club business and info pages is sited on a free internet server. Those, coupled with 12 articles from their journal archive on a third site, make up the club's site, and only the designs and graphics change as you click from one to the other.

The ASC-GB is primarily for Brits who collect USA, its territories, possessions, CSA, and UN. With about 400 members, it's a good source of advice and assistance with USA philately.

Topics among the articles cover forged newspaper stamps, the Mayflowers, as well as the 1901 Inverts. These are good reads and solid facts on classic US subjects with a UK point of view.

The ASC-GB put this incarnation of their web presence together in 2002 with John Edwards as secretary and de facto webmaster. Without any money, and using only the tools, resources, and skills available, he put their internet presence together. Plans call for it to morph as the club grows, with possibilities including a new issues check list, questions and answers, and perhaps an archive of rare and unusual United States postal history items.

ASC-GB homepage
http://www.virtualstampclub.com/apsascgb.html

ASC-GB Notice Board  
http://mysite.freeserve.com/ascnoticeboard

Clubs looking for an effective way to establish a presence on the Web should take a look at this one for some answers. The ASC-GB webmaster, John Edwards, also has a terrific article on putting a stamp club on the web that you can get. Get the webmaster's e-mail addy from the website and ask for "Create Your Own Website." Also check out the June '03 GS column, which covered the basics of building a club site.

In addition to club webbing, Edwards' new project is "Discovering the World Through Stamps, aimed at providing young stamp collectors with a series of stories based on stamps, such as the Concorde, teddy bears, and  Captain James Cook's voyages of discovery.

Stamps 4 Kids
http://mysite.freeserve.com/stamps4kids

The Anglo-Boer War Philatelic Society has a very interesting website devoted to the 2nd Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, containing an outline of the conflict copiously illustrated with postal history and the appropriate text, making for a great story well told.

The society is all about the postal history and usages of that time and place, but also tips its cap to the other memorabilia of the era, as it is of consequence to the members in their effort to better understand the nuances of the conflict and the times. Such items include silver, china, prisoners' artefacts, books, postcards, ephemera, and militaria.  I like the expanded realm and sense of context presented there.

Physically, the society is a London area club with global interest and reach with many overlapping areas of interest for the UK and Commonwealth. They print a quarterly journal, run auctions, and host an annual convention in the London area.