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 Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.

June 2002

Canadian Re-entries.

Re-entries happen to engraved printing plates, where each stamp design is pressed into the soft plate from a hardened roller. Sometimes badly positioned impressions or other imperfections lead to the first impression being scraped from the plate to make way for a new one pressed into the plate or entered, making it a re-entry.

With re-entries seeing is believing, as the usual re-entry is a barely noticeable error that was too small for the crew at the printing plant to catch, and there's nothing like a clean scan to see what I mean.

Ralph E. Trimble's "Re-entry Pages" contain many enlarged scans of well-known Canadian re-entries that will help you see for yourself what the fuss is all about. In addition, Trimble explains in more detail what you need to know about fresh entry, re-entry and shifted transfer.

Ralph E. Trimble's "Re-entry Pages"
http://members.rogers.com/stamps

IPL's Birthday

The Internet Public Library is seven years old. This virtual library offers
exhibits, answers to reference questions, a Web directory and nearly 20,000 electronic texts for visitors to use.

The IPL started at the University of Michigan and is still a non-profit, educational center, rather than a commercial site. One of their most popular exhibits, which should be of interest to topicalists, is a large photo essay on the lighthouses of the US and Canadian Great Lakes.

Internet Public Library
http://www.ipl.org/

Tuva Grows

The Tannu Tuva Collectors Society web site was recently updated and expanded. Then it moved to new quarters, but the passion for Tuva and Kyzyl is still the same. The site carries details of the 1930's issues, as well as the so-called issues of recent years.

The stamps of Tuva are an enjoyable lot, and inspired the travel book "Tuva or Bust," by Richard Feynman. As a boy, he was fascinated with Tuva's stamps and later in life trekked into central Asia to find this unexplored country.

I was struck by a map of Tuva that showed more details about local game and wildlife than cities and roads, though I think it is for good reason.

Tannu Tuva Collectors' Society
http://www.geocities.com/ttcsinc/

Whackers

"Tschole briefmarken" worked for Dickson Preston of Seattle, WA, while Doug D'Avino of Mount Holly, NJ, whacked Google with "sideographer atlas." Kenji Nakano of Rye, NY, got a Googlewhack with "sepulcher" and "uvula," though I'm not sure what sort of Web page would have seen fit to include both on the same page.

Then Erik Johnson got two identical hits for "intransigent iroquoian," which may be a case of Google being twice whacked. Once for the couplet, and once for the repetition. Unfortunately, "intransigent sideographer" netted zero hits.

To try your hand at it, enter two common words into the Google search engine. If Google can only find one page with those two words, you win.

Part I :: Part II :: Part III