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Top Japanese collector Hiroyuki Kanai |
 Hiroyuki Kanai began collecting stamps almost from the moment he could talk. Born in 1925, the son of a wealthy Osaka industrialist, he spent most of his pocket money on a passion that has grown and evolved over three quarters of a century. ‘I started collecting stamps when I was five years old. 70 years have passed already. When I was 13, I was already a serious stamp collector. I founded two philatelic societies at university,’ he said.
After World War II, he left general collecting behind, concentrating on British Colonials and Japan Classics. He formed important collections of New Brunswick, Novas Scotia and Trinidad. But if Kanai is famous for one thing, it is his outstanding collection of early Mauritius, formed over a period of 40 years.
Kanai joins a long list of renowned philatelists who collected on the subject of Mauritius, from W.A.S. Westoby (1815-1899), through King George V, up to Louise Boyd Dale (1913-1967), who inherited a fine collection from her father Alfred Lichtenstein.
Greatest Mauritius collection
But Kanai arguably held the greatest collection of them all. He explained: ‘I was interested in how many Mauritius Post Office stamps I could collect among 27 pieces existing. I owned six Post Office stamps, and it is the greatest number ever to be owned held by one person in the world’.
These highly valuable stamps (1d reds and 2d blues) were printed in September 1847, on the instructions of the wife of the Governor of Mauritius Lady Gomm, who wanted stamps for envelopes containing invitations to her fancy dress ball. The words ‘Post Office’, rather than ‘Post Paid’, had erroneously been entered in the left tablet by engraver Joseph Osmond Barnard. With the date of the ball fast advancing, the order was given for the stamps to be printed, error and all.
His Mauritius collection was auctioned by David Feldman in 1993, much to the delight (and relief) of collectors around the world. Kanai recalled: ‘I sold my collection of Mauritius only to satisfy the collectors who are dreaming to own one of these beautiful stamps’.
Kanai is not only a collector, but also a scholar, having written books on classic issues of both Mauritius and Japan. His research on Classic Japan has been extensive: ‘It is natural that one collects one’s own country, with the difference that I decided to do it well, and go into deep studies of most issues’.
His favourite Japanese stamp design is the Cherry Blossom series, 6 Sen, on native paper, with the ‘syllabic 1’. This stamp was shown on cover in Kanai’s book Hosun-no-Miryoku. The same book tells the story of his most troublesome purchase: ‘The most difficult piece to acquire in my Classic Japan was the 20 Sen, native paper, syllabic 1, from the Caspary Collection. It was difficult to make remittance under the control of exchanging Yen into foreign currency, by the government after World War II’.
Elusive cover
While Kanai managed eventually to purchase this item, a precious cover bearing two pieces of Mauritius Post Office, eluded him. The one that got away was part of the Dale Lichtenstein Collection, offered in Harmers of New York in 1968. This purchase would clearly have been a cherry on the already rich Mauritius cake.
Considering his excellence as a collector and scholar, it is no surprise that Kanai has been awarded a list of honours, including the Blue Ribbon Medal of Honour from the Japanese Emperor in 1991. He has received a host of gold medals for his philately, and Grand Prix awards for collections of three different countries. But the achievement of which he is rightly most proud, is the National Grand Prix for his Finland Collection, awarded in Helsinki in 1988.
But the man who has become something of a legend in his own lifetime has not stopped there. He continues to make his detailed researches into Classic Japan and encourages others to do the same: ‘The philatelic culture of Japan is behind other countries. I hope Japanese philatelists make the culture of Japan advance further. I am endeavouring to do so through my life’. |
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Tales by Mail - Book 1, by Karen Cartier
 Tales by Mail is for children of all ages, perhaps up through 60 or so. It brings together stories literally from around the world ... from Botswana to Denmark, from New Zealand to the Faroes, from Saar to Israel.
The stories are short, each with a message, and each illustrated by a stamp issued by the country of the story's origin. Each who reads this book no doubt will develop a different favorite story, which is to be expected. Formatted simply, each story is preceded by a full-color illustration of the commemorative stamp that no only is impressive in its own right but also serves through its design to set the stage for the story that follows.
For those who wonder of the relationship between a stamp design and what is "behind" the design, this book serves as an excellent example.
Teddy Bears Celebrate 100th Anniversary
 Teddy bears, enormously popular symbols of human caring and loving, are being honored by the U.S. Postal Service with the issuance of the Teddy Bears commemorative stamps. The 2002 issuance of the stamps coincides with the 100th anniversary of teddy bears.
The Teddy Bears pane of 20 self-adhesive stamps depicts four lovable, cuddly teddy bears. Photos of the bears appear in the header; details of the photos appear on the stamps. The four stamp designs are repeated five times each on the pane. All four teddy bears were manufactured in the United States and are now owned by private collectors. The Ideal bear dates to circa 1905, the Bruin bear from circa 1907 and the Gund bear from circa 1948. The unlabeled "stick" bear dates from the 1920s. Mass- produced stick bears were characterized by their short arms, thin legs and upright posture. The Ideal bear, the Bruin bear and the stick bear belong to Paul and Rosemary Volpp of Carson City, Nev. The Gund bear belongs to Helen Sieverling of Pasadena, Calif.
The idea of the teddy bear was born in 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a captive bear during a hunting trip. Washington Post cartoonist Clifford Berryman depicted the incident on the front page of the newspaper, and soon toymakers began to manufacture the "teddy" bears associated with the president's name. People in all walks of life love teddy bears, and enthusiasts—known in the teddy bear world as arctophiles—pay top dollar for the collectibles.
Today there are teddy bear magazines, clubs, collector shows and programs, both educational and medical, that feature these little stuffed companions. Teddy bears have had endless books, songs and poem written about them. Widely viewed as symbols of security and comfort, teddy bears are often used by police officers and hospital staff to calm the young and old alike in traumatic situations
Second Set Of Penguin Stamps
 British Antarctic Territory has issued its second set of penguin stamps on a miniature sheet and in a booklet from the Port Lockroy Post Office.
The 12 airmail postcard values feature photographs of Chinstrap, Emperor, Adelie, Gentoo and Macaroni penguins, including juveniles.
All the photographs were taken by members of the British Antarctic Survey.
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