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 Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.

September 2001

As always, our September column is a retrospective of the best of the Web sites we've covered since last October, and if there's a column you should tear out and stick under your keyboard, it's this one.  

We're fortunate that our favorite sites weren't on the dot-com map, and the business shake out hasn't affected stamp collectors on the Web.  We're just lucky to benefit from knowledgeable philatelists who enjoy learning as much as they love teaching, and it's these independent stamp site Webmasters who are spreading stamps around the WWW.

Post Office in Paradise

If there were Academy Awards for stamp collecting Websites, "Post Office in Paradise" would win seven Oscars and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

"Post Office in Paradise" covers Hawaiian stamps, postal cards and stationery, foreign mails and covers, locals and inter-island mail, postal markings, and news and notes.  And it covers these topics in depth.

"Post Office in Paradise" was set up by Fred Gregory who acts as host to online guests and collaborators.  He's has been collecting for more than 45 years and delving into Hawaiian issues for nearly 25.  He's a member of numerous clubs, the Royal Philatelic Society, CCNY, US Classics, Hawaiian Philatelic Society, US Possessions Society and APS among them.  

Design credits go to Andy Wang and Marketing Dynamics Associates, and if you collect Hawaiian stamps, you may want to sign up for the site's e-mail notification service and be alerted to spurrious Hawaiian issues appearing on the eBay boards.  

Post Office in Paradise
http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/

Encyclopedia

Sometimes auction catalogs are more important to collectors than many standard catalogues.  They even wind up for sale on eBay's stamp publications category.

The Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries conducts notable auctions and has a notable section on their Web site called the "Encyclopedia of Stamps," which contains a wide range of authoritative material on classic US stamps.

Some of the philatelic research you can read and educate yourself about are: the Brattleboro, Vermont Postmaster's Provisional; the Z Grill, 1c Blue, Z. Grill Census (Scott No. 85A); and the Confederate States.

Siegel also has census information on many of these classic issues, and you can plug in Scott numbers and get auction listings of past and present stamps for sale, along with scans and write-ups. There's a wealth of information here for the US and better foreign collector.

Encyclopedia of Stamps
http://www.siegelauctions.com/enc/enc.htm

PNC3

Plate Number Coil Collectors Club Web site has more than an application, byelaws and officers.  Though you'll find the club's auctions listed, along with club chat and a guestbook, there's also a wealth of PNC information.

If you need to know about plate number coils, this is the site to see first, which is as it shoudl be for, not only does this online data keep members current with new PNC's, but it allows non-PNC3 civilians a chance to delve right into this area of stamp collecting.

The site carries information on new plate numbers and varieties, and there's a master list and checklist, all of which are well designed and executed.  Though reference reading material is essential, the day-to-day quest of a collector is acquiring new stamps, and one of the most helpful things here are two simple URL's leading to the PNC lots for sale at the APS' StampStore and on eBay.

Needless to say getting casual stamp collecting visitors hooked on PNC's is a great way to recruit new members.  New members bring new ideas, new stamps and sources into the community, and everyone benefits.

Add to this a glossary and tid bits like how to get a precancel permit and other reference material, and you have a site that serves PNC3 collectors and the club, while teaching the rest of us about PNC's.

Plate Number Coil Collectors Club (PNC3)
http://www.pnc3.org

Princely States

The "Princely States Report" is an online journal of Indian States philately and history.  It's commercial-free and the brainchild of Ron Rice, a Website and software user interface designer, whose passion is the stamps of India and her states.

"Princely States Report" publishes new articles and material each quarter, like a
traditional magazine, and all articles can be found in an archive section.  A few features are "Rajasthan Fiscal Overprints Catalogue," "Care and Storage of Indian States Documents," and "Fake Alert," an ongoing series on forgers and forgeries.

There's also "Morley's Philatelic Journal," subtitled "A Monthly Paper for Collectors of Postage, Revenue, Telegraph and Railway Stamps" on site, along with a glossary of Indian States terms, philatelic and otherwise.