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The ‘Abnormals’ stamps |
 A few GB stamps from the reign of Queen Victoria were rare from the outset – these are known to collectors as ‘the Abnormals’ because they were printed from certain plates which were never put into regular use. These stamps were produced by De La Rue between 1862 and 1880 and they arose from the practice of De La Rue submitting to the Board of Inland Revenue the first six sheets of stamps produced from each plate. These stamps were imperforate, but gummed and watermarked. The Board retained one sheet as the Imprimatur (Latin for ‘let it be printed’) and the other five sheets were either destroyed or returned to De La Rue who then perforated them and put them into circulation in the usual manner.
Normally these five sheets would be exactly the same as all the others produced from the same plate, but sometimes plates were modified or scrapped, or a change was made in the colour used for the normal printing. The resultant stamps from the five sheets were therefore classified as ‘Abnormals’. Only a dozen types of Abrnormal have so far been recorded.
Maximum figure
Bear in mind that five sheets amounts to 1,200 stamps, but that would be a maximum figure, depending on how many sheets were actually put into circulation. Most of the Abnormals are expensive in used condition, though they regularly turn up at auction and fetch sums in the low thousands – mint examples are definitely rare. Some of these stamps have acquired epithets, like the 3d ‘with dots’ (£17,000) or the 9d bistre ‘hair-lines’ (£7,000). Incidentally, the 9d was once a highly favoured stamp, but in the past half century it has tended to slip down the league table compared with some of the others, which points to the existence of rather more mint examples than was originally thought.
Other high fliers in this group include the 1s deep green (SG 91) quoted at £12,000, the 1s green Plate 14 (SG 150) at £14,000 (only five used examples recorded), the 4d vermilion Plate 16 (SG 152) at £14,000 (only 11 used examples known), and the 10d pale red-brown on Rose watermark, Plate 2 (SG 113) at £15,000. The latter stamp, from Plate 1, gives rise to an error rather than an abnormal, for this stamp, printed on paper with the Emblems watermark by mistake is one of the truly great rarities. No example of this stamp has been recorded so far in unused condition, and of the 13 used specimens, no fewer than eight bear the ‘C’ obliterator – indicating that a part sheet at least had been despatched to the British post office in Constantinople. This rare stamp is currently catalogued at £15,000 in used condition only.
The Tyrian Plum
To the Abnormals may be added the celebrated 2d Tyrian Plum of May 1910. This stamp arose because of a desire to economise on stamp production, as a result of which denominations which had hitherto been printed in two colours were re-issued in monochrome. A new 2d stamp, printed in this distinctive purple shade instead of green and red, was in production at the time of King Edward VII’s death and although a few sheets had been printed by De La Rue it was decided not to proceed with it. A solitary example is known on cover, addressed to the new monarch, George V (a noted philatelist) on the very day of his accession, which just happened to be the 70th anniversary of the Penny Black, and this is still in the Royal Collection. A handful of mint specimens subsequently leaked out and appear in the saleroom from time to time, justifying their current catalogue price of £14,000. |
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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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