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 Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.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 1999

The Machin Design

Arnold Machin was an artist, and his cameo of Queen Elizabeth II is every one of the billions of British definitive stamps issued since 1967.  It's a classic design that Britain's Postmaster General said was "one of the greatest stamps of all time."  Thousands of collectors agree.

The Penny Black design of Queen Victoria was Machin's benchmark for the unique QEII cameo he sculpted.  The relief sculpture was then photographed  outside in a parking lot on a foggy day to capture that classic portrait of character in light and shadow.

On the 'Net the Machin Collectors Club is a wonderful gateway to the world of Machins with a mission to provide as much information as possible about the stamps and related topics.

Machin Collectors Club at
http://www.machins.mcmail.com/

For a quick and easy introduction there's The Machin FAQ, where you can read how to pronounce his name along with other facts and observations.  It's a plain, simply tool that does what it says.

GBStamps.com
http://www.gbstamps.com/machins/faq.html

If you'd like to try some specialization, here's a prime candidate.  Sadly, Arnold Machin, OBE, RA, died 9 March 1999 at age 87.

Who is Url?

If you're new to the 'Net, save this magazine.  These are some of the best online sources of 'Net information.  

"Net for Beginners" is the title and the best description for this Miningco site, hosted by Guide Gwen Schertel.  

The Miningco is a content-rich 'Net company with an emphasis on guidance, where each subject area has it's own address and it's own guide.  Guides write articles, assemble topic "guides" and maintain large link libraries of screened sites.  They also run chat rooms, bulletin boards and newsletters, and answer visitor email.

Surf, browse it and ask the NfB Guide your question.  Her motto is, "No Question Is A Stupid Question."  

Internet for Beginners
http://netforbeginners.miningco.com

ZDNet is another online resource.  It's big and has all the bells and whistles.  They are the publisher of many computer newsstand magazines.  The site is sort of like Wal-Mart: you come looking for one thing and walk out with seven others.

The offerings range from Win98, Win95, to graphics, WordPerfect, anti-virus
games cheats and demos.  There are tutorials on most topics and downloads of thousands of bits of shareware/freeware.

ZDnet at
http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/

"Beginner's Central" covers everything that a new Net user needs in a clear, straighforward manner.  If it were a book, it would come with every new PC or Mac.  Topics like E-Mail and FTP are laid out chapter by chapter so if you're slaving away trying to get those password dialog boxes to work, you can simply go there and read about it without all the click-click-click that some sites put you through.

Good ideas come from everywhere.  This one's from Northernwebs, a 'Net design shop, and though mentioned here before it bears repeating.

Beginner's Central
http://northernwebs.com/bc/

Wired is a big site, and Webmonkey is the Net equivalent of a backyard greasemonkey.  It's Wired's tech area, and their Internet Basics is a nuts and bolts department for newbies.  It's a simple content page lay out that leads to a glossary, email and news, and stuff on how all of it works.

Webmonkey Internet Basics at
http://www.hotwired.com/webmonkey/guides/

Spanish-Philippine Magnet Site

Nigel Gooding loves Spanish-Philippine stamps and created a reference site of the issues of the Spain's Philippine Island colony.  Gooding wrote a handbook on the stamps in '95 and hopes that his site will be a magnet for the widely dispersed materials and information about the stamps.

The main body of work covers the monarchs and governments of Spain from Queen Isabella II through King Alfonso XIII's time, provincial issues and surcharges up till Dewey in Manila a hundred years ago.  Among other things, the appendices cover specimen overprints and postal rates.

Anyone who's tried can tell you that producing a smooth web site involves some heavy lifting, time and experience.  Creating a reference site is double duty, and Gooding's Spanish-Philippine stamp site is a rare blend of form and content.

Spanish-Philippine Stamps at
http://www.users.bigpond.com/ngooding/