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 Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.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

But one of the more intriguing pieces to the site I found to be the "Idea Bin," in which users suggest things they'd like to see on the PSR site.  What better way is there for a Web publisher to know what his users want to read about next.

"Princely States" is one of a handful of Web sites even non-states collectors should experience if only to see what can be done by someone who knows his stamps and who knows the Web.

Princely States Report
http://princelystates.com

In the Oscar race, let's give "Princely States" a armful of statuettes and the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award for consistent quality production.

Stamp Listopedia

Jeff Lee's Listopedia is a handmade link directory of selected sites that are grouped and classified like a library.  Though other sites boast thousands of sites, they're not as helpful as Lee's.

Listopedia is like a well-organized public library, and the URL to go to find what's readily available on a certain stamp topic.  Start here when you start hunting for stamp sites.

The design is plain and simple, and it's easy to pick and click the many options to get to what you're looking for.  In Jeff's own words, "Listopedia is a word I made up.  It means a bunch of lists of images, information and links intended to teach, entertain and encourage further exploration of a subject."

Stamp Listopedia
http://www.filbert.com/StampListopedia/default.htm

If after you've exhausted the usual sources, try searching Google, which can ferret out some obscure and non-philatelic sources that sometimes are surprising.

Google
http://www.google.com

Curtis Collection

U.S. Revenue collectors are fortunate to have The Curtis Collection, a census of U.S. Revenue multiples online, maintained by Dan Curtis.

It's an update of the Turner Census and lists the multiples by Scott number, along with the source of the information, what auction catalog it was gleaned from, the date of the sale, along with the source collection.  Scans are provided when possible.

It's an extensive list from R1 through R170 and with each issue having several entries, but it's not a static list.  The site is looking to funnel more information into the site, and each individual listing has a link if you'd like to provide more information about entries shown.  

If you'd like to see how a large stamp project can be hosted on the Web, then you can just visit the site at your leisure and enjoy the experience.

The Curtis Collection
http://www.thecurtiscollection.com/default2.asp

Polar Philately

Michael de Jong's "Polar Philately Mailing List" Web site covers both North and South Pole polar philately.  There are featured articles covering various aspects of polar philately, such as "The 1931 Polar Flight of the Graf Zeppelin" and  "North of Sixty - The Northwest Territories of Canada: A Philatelic Perspective," and the site is well stocked with links to polar stamp sites.

But the site is really a jumping off point to the mailing list and other sites with the emphasis on collectors on the site's mailing list.

De Jong's a member of the American Society of Polar Philatelists, the Polar Postal History Society of Great Britain and the Polarpost-Sammlervereins Bielefeld.  He started the site in August of 1999 and now the associated mailing list has over 120 members.

As de Jong says, "Polar philately is the ideal way to learn about and document the polar regions, its history of exploration, its geography, and the adventures and activities of the men and women that go there."

Polar Philately Mailing List
http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~madejong/polaris.htm

Ephemeral Treasures

"Ephemeral Treasures" is Bob Ingraham's personal stamp and postal history site.  It's a broad-ranging website with stories told through stamps and covers.  Ingraham was a journalist and an educator, who learned html about two years ago, and has used those tools to publish and share his growing research.

The site doesn't cover a country or a topic, but stories that are related to philately or uncovered by a trail of covers and stamps.  Under "Stamps & Covers of the World Wars" you'll find several online articles dealing with stamps and the war, notable among them is "Joe Hicks and the Battle for Europe."

This study follows the tragically brief career of a bombardier in the Royal Canadian Air Force through postal history that came to Ingraham's attention from a post card found in an antique shop.

The "Propliner Postcard" section covers vintage commercial air travel with a section on the Lockheed L-188 Electra II and the Douglas Sleeper Transport.

This site is just a lot of fun and a good read.  

Ephemeral Treasures
http://www.ingraham.ca/bob/