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 Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.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

NoteTab

NoteTab Software has an entire NoteTab family of text/html editors.  They're simple Notepad replacements or lickity-split html markup programs, depending on what you write.  There are Pro and Standard versions that you can download for free trials, or grab the freeware giveaway to keep.  These programs have a great look and feel and do their jobs exceedingly well.  If you're tinkering with a stamp web site, try out this program.

NoteTab
http://www.notetab.com/

Canadian Definitive Stamps

This site is run by the father-son team Brian and Robert Cannon, whose goal is "to provide the most extensive and detailed listings on the Internet."  Father Brian collects Canadian definitives with a passion, and the content is deep and wide.  Son Robert is the webmaster, and the site design is top-notch: loads fast and is easy-to-use.  A definitive must-see, of what the ought to be.

BRC Canadian Definitive Stamps
http://web.radiant.net/brc/main.htm

Machin Collectors Club

Arnold Machin's cameo of Queen Elizabeth II graces every one of the billions of British definitive stamps issued since 1967.  It's a classic design and one of the greatest of all time to which thousands agree.

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/

The French Marianne Issues

She is symbolic France, appears on most definitives and is the subject of David Mills' exhibition and study of design, proofs, etc. This exhibition won a Vermeil and special awards at the First International Exhibition of Philatelic Audio-Visual and Computer Systems Argentina.

Marianne on French stamps at
http://members.unlimited.net/~dmills/marianne/

Preservation and Care of Philatelic Material

This is a primer on how to care for your philatelic objects, stamps and covers.  If it doesn't answer your particular question, at least you will know what avenue to investigate.  You could file this site right next to your perf gauge in your tool box.

Preservation and Care of Philatelic Material at
http://www.west.net/~lmevans/apscom/pcpm.htm

SCV Stamp Identifier

This is an extensive listing of the inscriptions found on stamps.  Just click the beginning letter and go. It also shows the years that the inscription was used, and even how many issues bear the inscription.

SCV Stamp Identifier at
http://www.scvs.com/stamp/ident/

Here You Can...

The full title is its description:  "Here You Can Identify Your Weird Stamps And At The Same Time Help Other People Out." Anyone can upload an unknown stamp and anyone can send in answers. It's even more fun browsing the galleries to see the stamps and read the lineages.

Here You Can ...
http://www.raster.it/stefano/a/galleries.htm

Spanish-Philippine Stamps

Nigel Gooding wrote a handbook on these stamps, and now he has his reference site for the issues of Spain's Philippine Island colony.  He's hoping to locate more and more collectors and information through his site.  

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

Birds of the World on Postage Stamps.

The site caption reads, "The information on this site is for the enjoyment of other collectors and bird enthusiasts; no stamps are sold here." and the wealth and variety of this philatelic aviary is asounding.  It's a wonderfully browseable site, carefully arranged and packed with data on birds and stamps, along with great illustrations of each.

Birds of the World on Postage Stamps at
http://www.bird-stamps.org/