Week #2016.44 on SébPhilatélie

Monday 31 October: odd-centered cancels on Postcrossing mail.
When you receive a card through the Postcrossing's postcard blind-exchange, there is always something suprising: in the sender's message, the stamps chosen, of course the postcard illustration... or how it was cancel at the start.

If a Canadian postmen checked this card at the sorting office and didn't put out his pen: thank you.

Mid-October three successive cards amplified the problem: at first a nice Dutch round datestamp for three stamps..., then a neatly applied round datestamp with waves of Finland missing the upper right corner... and finally these Canadian stamps untouched by machine cancellation or a pen.

I get a summary of Canada history, nature and symbols, at correct postage, but with no postmark. Hopefully, I don't do uncancelled stamp contraband :)

Wednesday 2 November: cod and magpie at Philataipei 2016.
When you can't travel to an international stampshow, you're happy to find reports in philatelic magazines and testimonies on stamp forums, like Australian-based StampBoards.com members on Philataipei 2016.

The Atlantic Cod stamp and his three dimension aspect as shown by Posta (Posta website). 

One member of this forum proposed pictures of the exhibit by security printer Cartor (based in France, owned by a British group) to explain how it produced the Faroese issue on the Atlantic cod with actual cod skin stuck on the stamps.

A good way to discover the work of Icelandic company Atlantic Leather, that produces nice things with leathered fish skin.

Another member, not from Taiwan, explained how the stamp with value on-demand distributor works in the Republic of China. The machine doesn't give change back, but the value you ask for plus another stamp with the value of the change (need a 5 dollar postage, paid with a 10 dollar coin, equal two 5 dollar stamps).

Thursday 3 November 2016: why subscribing to a stamp club in Quebec.
On 25 Septembre 2015, TVCL, a community tv channel of the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, proposed a nice and educative talkshow on stamp collecting and the interest of stamp clubs by three members of local clubs.

In French, free view on demand there and on Vimeo.

Saturday 5 November 2016: From plane to optic fiber, Fiji at the center of the Pacific.
From an envelope bought in October, a little text on the central role of Fiji in airways and internet connections for the Pacific countries, including French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna.

The air and floral postage from Fiji to France in 1976.

Sunday 6 November 2016: The mysteries of Serua and Mary in Fiji.
Another Fiji cover from the same recipient in France and two topics.

A very touristic, though christian, postage from Fiji to France in 1983.

A touristic one with the definitive stamp on Serua island (and its mysterious poles in the sea) and a christian one by the 1982 Christmas stamp and the sender, St Mary's Convent - from the Marist Sisters arrived in Fiji in 1892?

Elsewhere in France: 
In the November 2016 issue of L'Écho de la timbrologie (available on printed or digital subscription) the Director of the French philatelic service announced there will be a second Paris-Philex in 2018. Yes in France the national stamp show is announced by the postal operator... Must be a question of artihmetics.

Week #2016.40 on SébPhilatélie

A light week again on the blog in French, but for a nice reading on Chinese culture and the exhibition at the Stamp Festival in my city.

Monday 3 October: Stanley Gibbons' problems numbered in low pounds.
A summary from a Guardian article of that same day. The situation is bad and my thoughts are with the employees of the catalogues and Gibbons Stamp Monthly whose excellent work is threatened by the stupid cupidity of golden boys.

Wednesday 5 October: Cultural exchange with China.
In the October issue of The London Philatelist, Huadong Zhang proposes a two-part article on the word "stamp" in English and in Chinese languages. Very interesting and that may inspired some review of your Chinese countries and territories collection to check the ideograms for the words "you piao" in Mandarin and "shidan" in Cantonese.

With the issue the list of the Royal Philatelic Society London reminds that both Republics of China and the Special Region of Hong Kong formed a combined group of sixty members, more than many European countries. The issue proposes a summary of the latest Chinese RPSL meeting in Xinjiang, including the local publication of a postal history.

Friday 7 October: Gibbons Stamp Monthly sent through Deutsche Post?
In the gloomy context described above, I was not surprised to see a Deutsche Post label over the plastic bag of the October issue of Gibbons Stamp Monthly, received late September.

Was the German way chosen by Gibbons to save money? Or is it a practice of the Royal Mail to save cost - since the 1st class indicia printed is still in its name? Who may know?

Saturday 8 October: Quiet Stamp Festival in Montpellier, or not if you look closely to open class.
This week-end, the French organised philately (nicknamed φl@télie on my blogs) is celebrating the Fête du timbre - the Stamp Festival.

The Guillaume de Nogaret municipal room, one of the traditional exhibit halls of the Association philatélique montpelliéraine (picture under Creative Commons licence by-nc-sa 3.0 fr).

Soon the article in French will be adapted in English because I met an interesting fellow collector who presented me yesterday how open class inspired many of them, despite the opinion of "serious" others.

For those who can not wait and have faith in Google Translate, the paper confronts the non competitive exhibition with the current evolutions of the closest faubourgs of Montpellier city center I walked past going to the event.

A reminder: Montpellier will host the French philatelic championship and federal congress in May-June 2019.

Week #2016.02 on SébPhilatélie

Low week on the English side of the week, let's look on the French side.

Monday January 11th: Green maritime landscape from Taiwan.

A beautiful change of scenery for a quarter rate than the French worldwide mail one!

Through a Postcrossing exchange came a beautiful Taiwanese landscape. It permitted me to discover Chungwha Post's Stamp Treasure: every stamps issued in China, following the Republic of China's version: Empire, Republic, then Republic in exile on Taiwan.

Tuesday January 12th: a strange Fijian Kiribati island.
How can we discover interesting territories to create a special postal history collection? Follow some geographers like Martin W. Lewis and his website GeoCurrents. Last November he wrote three articles (1, 2 and 3) on Pacific Ocean state, Kiribati.

In the first one, he told the story of Banaban, a former phosphate mining island, whose ancestral inhabitants relocated themselves in a Fijian island they bought, while keeping Kiribati passports. But now they struggled with the Kiribati government who needs all elevated grounds in case the sea level rises too much... The Banaban elders are thinking joining their island with Fiji, quite far South.

Wednesday January 13th: Happy New Year, Foula!
A small thiry inhabitant island at the edge of the Shetland islands, Scotland, celebrated New Year on Wednesday because they continue to follow the Julian calendar, despite the rest of the United Kingdom in 1752, with one day difference since 1900.

How philatelic? Contrary to other small British islands, Foula don't use a private system to send mail to mainland. They even kept their post office, even if it's a part-time job.

Thursday January 14th: Stamp Magazine's postal marking... A postal history.
Soon on SebPhilately, I will summarize the story on how the wrapping of Stamp Magazine, the British monthly, evolved these past years.

Saturday January 15th: The Arctic Expeditions joint issues of Greenland remembered.

An experimented engraver, a ice blue background, deep black lines... Beautiful.

Again a Postcrossing postcard received recently revived memories of the two joint issued Greenland created in 2007 with France and 2008 with Greenland, all stamps engraved by Norwegian artist Martin Mörck and printed by the Danish postal printer.

Chungwha Post is back

At the origins of this blog, the first article talked about the change of the Taiwanese postal administration's name: Chungwha Post became Taiwan Post, and about the consequence on stamps. On 28 February 2007, the country name became "TAIWAN" instead of "REPUBLIC OF CHINA" and, moreover, on a commemorative stamp full of historical sense concerning the relations between the different "peoples" of the island since 1949.

One of the four last stamps to bear the "Taiwan" name
(from the Taiwan... Chungwha Post website).

Last 20 May 2008, began Ma Ying-jeou presidency celebrated with four stamps bearing a new mention: "REPUBLIC OF CHINA - TAIWAN", foreshadowing the return of the idea that Taiwan is China... even if not the one that wishes the People's Republic.

Today, 4 August 2008, the People's Chinese official press agency reports political marketing news from Taiwan. In April, a committee of the Taiwanese Parliament let until October 2008 for the Taiwan Post to return to its older brand. The postal administration's ruling body agreed last Friday 1st of August, with a ceremonial official application this Monday.


One more time, the stamps concerned are full of symbols: the last to bear the "Taiwan" name figured the aborigenal culture of Taiwan, of the inhabitants who where underestimated by the incoming nationalist rulers from the continent.

From what I can decipher on the minisheet to be issued on the next 20 August, the new name will be "REPUBLIC OF CHINA - TAIWAN". The stamps will present the Yimin festival (I found the name of this festival on an Wikipedia in English article about Shen Dzu fattened pigs to be eaten... slurp).

Taiwan, name of country (2)

In the very first post on this blog, I took advantage of the news to write about the change of name on the stamps of the Republic of China, aka Taiwan; a change linked to the independentist politic of President Chen Shui-bian.

Back to where I started because today, 20 March 2008, the new President Ma Ying-jeou was inaugurated. He is one of the main member of the nationalist party Kuomintang. The event is marked with a four stamp issue portraying the President and his Vice-President. I show you the more conventional one:

Flag, the island's profile, black suit and tie (Taiwan Post website).

See the bottom left inscription: "REPUBLIC OF CHINA TAIWAN". Is it a change, a reasonable one: keep the new name and resurrect the former one supported by a party which made the island incarnated China versus the People's Republic?

(Taiwan Post website)

For the moment, mere hours after the new presidency began, this change has no meaning. The precedent and next issues are only saying "TAIWAN" like this 7 dollars "Streptopelia orientalis", an oriental turtle dove to be issued on 5 June.

Not interested in your money

Martin J. Frankevicz, editor of the Scott catalog specialized in new issues, found an intriguing topic for the first half of his editorial published in August 2007 Scott Stamp Monthly : it exists out there postal administrations that refuses to sell stamps to collectors !

The sentence is unbelievable : stamp, stamp included in a mini-sheet, in a booklet, on a stationery, pin's, magnet's, video games (... not that one... yet ?), etc.

Who is not trying to sell to honest-to-be pigeon collectors ?

Taiwan Post of the Republic of China in 2004 refused to honor orders from foreigners outside the island for the Harry Potter stamps. After some months, they used the service of Canada Posts.

Likewise, this series about singers on Hong Kong stamps in 2005.

And all this, not by honest sentiments, but by fear of judiciary followings : these posts just bought the rights to use these pictures inside the country... (I maliciously concluded that international mail franking with these stamps shouldn't left the country).

I obliged my Frenchfellow readers not to laugh, even less those who reproduct French stamps on their websites : by this text on a La Poste website,

« La Poste doesn't oppose itself to uploading pictures or photographs of its stamps. But each webmaster has to contact himself the authors, engravers and designers, or their inheritance, to obtain the rights of reproduction. »

This answer is the only one I heard people obtain from Phil@poste, whatever the stamps and its date issue. In France, you have to wait 70 years after the designer(s) died to see his art fall in public domain. Troubles for the future ?

New name on Taiwan stamps

This 28 February 2007 in Taiwan, a commemorative stamp confirms the State's denomination on the stamps after political events initiate by president Chen Shui-bian. Former denomination « Republic of China - 中華民國 » is replaced by « Taiwan - 臺灣 ».

One of the four last stamps out of a serie with the former denomination :

it represents the uniform of a military official of the Qing dynasty.

The first time with the new States's denomination.

Since the beginning of the year, President Chen has been asking national companies to modify their name to replace the word China by Taiwan. His Democratic Progressive Party wants the independence of Taiwan against the People's Republic of China (PRC), whereas the Kuomintang, ex-majoritary party, governed with the idea the Republic of China (ROC) lasts in Taiwan since 1949 proclamation of the PRC by Mao. The board of the taiwanese post accepted the change of name and the new brand appeared monday, February 12th. The Chungwha Post (post of China) has become Taiwan Post.

But, for philatelists, the subject of the first stamp issued with this name is strongly linked to this politic issue and the history between exiled government of China and the population already present in the island in 1949. The building on the stamp is becoming the 28 February the National 228 Memorial Museum, thank to the town of Taipei. It commemorates the 228 Incident : the 28 February 1947 began the bloodly repression of indigenes' demonstrations by the ROC army. Tens of thousands civilians died and these events divided longly the local population and the Kuomintang government (interdiction to speak about it, two decades of debate to the presidential excuses in 1995).

The issue of this simple stamp of 5 new taiwanese dollars (letter less then 20 grammes) is at the center of history and today's politic events of Taiwan.

Sources : Taiwan Post (up and right is a link to the version in english).

1st March 2007 : on the Stamp Collecting Round-Up, Don Schilling found an article of the Tapei Times about the competition between Taiwanese buyers in front of post offices for the new denominated stamp. Is there a proof of philatelic interest from them, or a political one ?