December 2020 NEWS

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Anyway.....welcome to the first (at last) newsletter. I have been trying different ways to do one, but they have all been problematic and expensive. The obvious solution is of course to have a blog page, which, very stupidly, I never realised I could do on this website. Anywhere, here it is, he we are, boom, as they say.

PROBLEMS BUYING STOCK!
The recent and continuing events which we shall not name have not affected me very much, mainly, ironically, because my day, or rather night job is in the NHS. However when it comes to buying stock, the problems have been very real. The main one is that although auctions are still running they do so as de-facto postal auctions and there is no viewing. One enterprising auction house painstakingly uploaded videos but I still bid too low.  Whatever, videos or no videos  realisations in all auctions have been bewilderingly high. Why? I suspect that many bidders, used to being in the room, are bidding high to avoid not getting what they want. Will things return to normal when normality, if it ever, returns? I'd be delighted to know your views and experience.
Meanwhile, buying on Ebay has been a bit mixed. There are people who will tell you that everything they have bought on there has been a bargain while everything  they have sold has realised a top price. My experience is generally the opposite, and again I have seen some crazy realisations for mixed lots (by other sellers!) However I am not yet out of stock for the standard packets, (though some one-country selections have sold out rapidly)  and hope is at hand as one or two auctions who have the space, are allowing viewing, which is great, I'll just have to remember to bid up a bit!
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HEALTH ISSUES.
One or two or you may have had your orders delayed by my having a heart attack and spending two days in the hospital where I now work. Apologies.   I am making an excellent recovery as my heart is undamaged and I am back bimbling about in the countryside and will be back to work (damn!) in mid January. Bit of a non-event really, apart from the argument with the locum cardiologist, but you don't need to know about that.....!

AN INTERESTING STAMP.
"What do you mean interesting? It's a used Wilding!" Yes, well, point taken, but do have a look at the postmark. It's not the usual smudged machine effort but a barred numeral, 723 to be exact. 723 is  Southampton and according to the records I can find (Parmenter and Smith), this was last used in 1964, which makes it one of the latest uses of a barred numeral. According to the GB Philatelic Society website, they were used on surcharge and instructional markings. Beyond that I can find no more info.  Anybody know anything?

A QUICK PERSONAL REVIEW OF THE UK PHILATELIC MAGAZINES.
Print remains popular; the idea that print is for the old and out of touch is very much an idea that is itself, old and out of touch. Likewise, the moan about stamp collecting dying out along with the collectors is itself not looking very well:  there is a definite growth of interest in stamps by younger people, and by women. So, it should be no surprise that the UK stamp community supports 3 magazines which show no signs of going downhill.  These are of course Gibbons Stamp Monthly, Stamp Magazine and Stamp Collector Magazine. Let's have a quick look at each.

GSM is in my opinion the daddy on the block. If you want in depth, erudite stuff written by acknowledged experts there's not a publication on this earth to beat it. It's also packed, more words per penny than any other. I'd really be hard pushed to say anything against it. It is quite a lot of work to read all of it and not everything in there will be of general interest, so I tend not to buy it every month, which is shameful, really.

It's hard to find exactly what the circulation figures are for magazines, but I suspect that Stamp Magazine isn't as big as GSM and certainly doesn't have the international reach, though it seems very popular in the UK and whenever I advertise in it, a decent response is always forthcoming. It also has a good website, with an active forum. Content wise, the magazine is an easy, accessible read always with lots of general interest articles and it's nice to look at it.

Years ago there was a "magazine" called Stamp and Coin Mart. It wasn't great, but then was bought by Warners Group who renamed/revamped it, Over a long and consistent editorship, this magazine has really grown into something. The content is broad, easy to read, but does not skimp on detail or expertise. The graphic design is  excellent, the best of the 3 in my view. It also has a great  web presence.
The editor's grasp of how web and print can work together is key here. This mag just goes from strength to strength.

In short, they are all great in their different ways, but I have a particular liking and respect for Stamp Collector, there's a lot of time, thought and effort gone in to this and it just keeps getting better. Well, what do you think?

THAT'S IT FOR NOW, thanks for reading, do leave a comment.
Happy you know what and all the best for 2021 or is it going to be the year Zero?
Cheers
Jonathan