Recently, I enjoyed Alan and Diane Bauer’s philatelic presentation, “Taking Up the Gauntlet - Exploring Castles & Palaces of Eastern Europe” for the American Topical Association. Their presentation inspired me to look more closely for castles among the stamps of my Hungary collection. In the background for the stamp below, I discovered a modern castle... Continue Reading →
Millenary of the birth of Saint Stephen, first king of Hungary🇭🇺 Hungary, 3Ft | Scott #2033 | Issued August 19, 1970 There are those in our hobby who believe that stamp collectors merely accumulate and organize old postage stamps, whereas philatelists use stamps to better understand global history and cultures. Assuming that distinction has any... Continue Reading →
What is your hometown’s claim to fame? Most of us could name at least a couple interesting things about our towns: City of Brotherly Love, largest ball of twine, highest point in the state, sister city to Edinburgh, Scotland, the only town in the country named “Earth”, etc. Everywhere has a couple monikers and at... Continue Reading →
As a lover of fall vibes, monster movies, and all things spooky, it makes my little black heart happy to receive Halloween cards in the mail. But more often than not, they’re franked by a simple flag stamp. Where are all the spooky, Halloween-themed stamps? Let’s take a quick look at the numbers. And then,... Continue Reading →
Small cover sent from Hungary to U.S.; canceled in Vásárosnamény June 16, 1912; received in the U.S. on June 28, 1912🇭🇺 Hungary, 10f | Issued 1908–1913 Earlier this year, I purchased a small cover sent from Hungary with the express purpose of researching its postage due markings. At the time, I took little note of... Continue Reading →
It’s a perennial question for stamp collectors: What do you do with all your extra stamps? I enjoy the meditative action of sorting through kiloware with an audiobook playing in the other room. But I’m not a worldwide collector. So, what can I do with all my extra stamps? For now, they are all neatly... Continue Reading →
One of the things I love most about stamp collecting is how varied collector interests are. We are all stamp collectors, but one person may focus on the philatelic history of early airmail routes of Guatemala while another could collect Pokemon on stamps for the bright colors. To each their own! When I share that... Continue Reading →
Every year since 2017, my sister and I have taken a “sister trip” to one of America’s beautiful national parks. This spring, we visited a park in the Southeast that I’m sure many have never heard of, let alone visited: Congaree National Park. Located right outside of Columbia, South Carolina, it’s hard to imagine a... Continue Reading →
One of my lovely coworkers got married this month. And like any good stamp collector, I gifted her something that every newly married couple should have, but few ever receive: thank you stamps. So many wedding gifts were received! So many thank you notes to write in return! Wouldn’t any happy couple appreciate a small... Continue Reading →
Closeup of the sun’s corona, taken during the April 20, 2023 total solar eclipse from Exmouth, Australia. Photo by Phil Hart. America is once again rampant with eclipse fever! The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse will be drawing millions of eyes toward the sky. I won’t be as close to the path of totality... Continue Reading →
Armchair Philately 