23/02/2018

PLAIN POSTCARD

(Foreign – Europe, possibly Czechoslovakia)

Used with

1946 issued 1k.50 red Air stamp

(SG 469)

Cancelled with special aeroplane hand stamp:

‘PRAHA 022 – PLZEN – PRAHA – BRNO – I POSTOVNI -LET – 6.X.1952’

(6^TH December 1952)

PRAHA is Prague in Czechoslovakia, this is the location for the special handstamp. Then you have three locations mentioned, the first is PLZEN which is Pilsen, another city in what is now, the Czech Republic. Then you have PRAHA again, which as mentioned is Prague. Then comes BRNO, YET ANOTHER Czech Republic city. So, I believe this is a special postmark which relates to a flight between these cities, possibly the anniversary of such a flight or the commencement of this flight. There is nothing else on this postcard, so it was used just to receive this 1952 dated special hand stamp.

23/02/2018

FLOORS CASTLE, KELSO

THE HOME OF THE DUKE OF ROXBURGHE

Published by

E.T.W. DENNIS & SONS. LTD

Ref: K.0101

“Built between 1721 and 1726 to the design of Sir John Vanbrugh, but has enlarged since”

(Text from reverse side of postcard)

This is pretty much a standard ‘Stately Home’ souvenir postcard. One which I suspect many visitors bought and saved as a memento of a visit. This would normally be a very cheap postcard, and one which dealers would probably not even bother to stock, but, this one has something interesting on the reverse side.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

This has a nice related special hand stamp applied: ‘NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR CANCER RELIEF DAY – FLOORS CASTLE – OPEN DAY – 1^ST SEP 1968 – KELSO, ROXBURGHSHIRE’. Someone went to a lot of trouble to obtain a postcard of Floors Castle upon which this special hand stamp could be applied. It is in good condition as well for something which is now, very nearly, fifty years old.

23/02/2018

PLAIN BLUE COLOURED POST CARD

With

‘RAF CENSOR 63’

Cachet Mark

and

FIELD POST OFFICE 632

Cancellation - dated

15^TH FEBRUARY 1943

“ON ACTIVE SERVICE”

World War II RAF personnel written post card which appears to have been written and posted on the 12^th February but would have needed to pass through the sender’s censor. This censor would have read the contents of the written message and then applied the censor mark – RAF CENSOR 63’. The post card would have passed through the Field Office where the double ring cancellation would have been applied. No stamp was required as the sender was on active service and serving staff received free postage. The sender looks to have been LAC Frank Brown 1502732, LAC I think means ‘Leading Aircraftman’. Unfortunately, I do not have access to any material which would help me locate where the RAF CENSOR 63 mark was in use, or the Field Post Office No 632 (although a Field Post Office 632 was in use in Italy towards the end of the war, but I believe this was an army field post office – just to confuse things). But, I like military mail and I have very little which relates to RAF staff so when I saw this in a £1 sale box it became mine. It needs some research work, but that is part of the fun of collecting.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

23/02/2018

“GAME OF THRONES”

ROYAL MAIL PHQ STAMP CARD SET

PHQ Set 438

(postcards that reproduce the Royal Mail’s stamp releases)

                  tamps issued – 23^RD January 2018

(As always, I have my copies used with the appropriate stamp applied to the front of the card and cancelled first day of issue with a special hand stamp)

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

As a television theme collector there will be no surprise to anyone that I really liked this set, but, having said this I can see why it has been greeted with less enthusiasm by many British stamp collectors. The complaints seem to be that Royal Mail have only issued this set to make money and that the subject has no real connection with the country. Whilst I suspect the first point may well have some foundation there can be little doubt that many of the actors portrayed are British and that the series has used many locations in Ireland and Scotland for filming. So, there is a connection. I have no doubt though, that Royal Mail had their eyes on the popularity of this television series when they decided to not any issue a stamp related set, but to also make it a very large stamp set. I, as already stated, really like these stamps, and the connected cards. These are nicely constructed, and I think are going to be very, very popular.

(TOP)

GAME OF THRONES

STANSA STARK

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (1) 1.18

(BOTTOM)

GAME OF THRONES

JON SNOW

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (2) 1.18

(TOP)

GAME OF THRONES

EDDARD STARK

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (3) 1.18

It was nice to see Eddard Stark included as (spoiler alert – although probably not) the character only appeared in the first series of the programme. Played by Sean Bean it was Eddard Stark that was the most interesting of the original characters.

(BOTTOM)

GAME OF THRONES

OLENNA TYRELL

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (4) 1.18

As played by Diana Rigg

(TOP)

GAME OF THRONES

TYWIN LANNISTER

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (5) 1.18

(BOTTOM)

GAME OF THRONES

TYRION LANNISTER

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (6) 1.18

GAME OF THRONES

CERSEI LANNISTER

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (7) 1.18

GAME OF THRONES

ARYA STARK

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (8) 1.18

GAME OF THRONES

JAIME LANNISTER

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (9) 1.18

GAME OF THRONES

DAENERYS TARGARYEN

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (10) 1.18

This is the last of the ten individual issued stamp designs. These are all depict a single character from the series, some who are still going but a few who have not survived. Alongside the stamp set there was also a stamp miniature sheet – see below – which featured the monsters and creatures from the series.

(TOP)

GAME OF THRONES

MINIATURE STAMP SHEET STAMP

THE NIGHT KING and WHITE WALKERS

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (11) 1.18

(BOTTOM)

GAME OF THRONES

MINIATURE STAMP SHEET STAMP

GIANTS

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (12) 1.18

(TOP)

GAME OF THRONES

MINIATURE STAMP SHEET STAMP

DIREWOLVES

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (14) 1.18

(BOTTOM)

GAME OF THRONES

MINIATURE STAMP SHEET STAMP

DRAGONS

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (13) 1.18

This is one of my favourite of the stamp designs from this set. Dragons have always been a popular creature of myth and legend and in old and modern literature (Harry Potter for example), and I suspect this will be a very popular stamp.

GAME OF THRONES

MINIATURE STAMP SHEET STAMP

IRON THRONE

1^st Class Stamp

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (15) 1.18

This is the odd one out from this stamp issue, but it is still a cracking design as it depicts the titular item from which the series gains its name – the Iron Throne. This stamp has also been issued as a definitive stamp and has been released in stamp booklets.

(TOP)

GAME OF THRONES

MINIATURE STAMP SHEET

MINIATURE SHEET (LEFT SIDE)

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (16) 1.18

Because of the size of the stamp sheet this is another example of two copies of the miniature sheet card being needed to have the entire sheet cancelled.

(BOTTOM)

GAME OF THRONES

MINIATURE STAMP SHEET

MINIATURE SHEET (RIGHT SIDE)

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 438 (16) 1.18

22/02/2018

MISS WINIFRED EMERY

BOOK – POST

By

GIESEN’S PANEL – CARDS

In the golden age of postcard collecting, the period from the start of the new century up until the commencement of World War I, postcard collecting was at its height and publishers were always looking for something different to catch the eye of these collectors. ‘Book – Post’ postcards, or ‘Bookmark Cards’ as they are also sometimes called, were one novelty idea which caught on and which ran for a while.

This one depicts Miss Winifred Emery (1/8/1861 – 15/7/1924) who was an English actress from the late 19^th and early 20^th century. She was born in Manchester and her parents were both well-known actors, so it was perhaps no surprise what route she took. Her first stage appearance was at the age of just eight.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE BOOK-POST CARD

This copy was posted on the last day of 1903, 31^st December.

22/02/2018

ROYAL MAIL STAMP CARDS

SALES PACK OF 12 PHQ STAMP CARDS

(Three sets of cards)

RSPB 1889 – 1989

PACKAGE FRONT COVER

This is an unusual item as it was the only time Royal Mail packaged PHQ Cards and sold them as a postcard pack. This pack contained three sets of the four-card set issued to coincide with the four-stamp set celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). I remember when this pack went on sale and I bought my copy at the time. I thought it was going to be a new sales item and further examples would be released, but it didn’t happen. I wondered later if it was because these packs did not sell well, despite containing one of the best designed sets of the year. This has caused this pack to be quite collectible and it something which all PHQ Card collectors should need to add to their collection

REVERSE SIDE OF PACKAGE

This depicts the four card images

PHQ STAMP CARDS

RSPB 1889 - 1989

PUFFIN

19p Stamp Design

Ref: PHQ 115(a) 1/89

AVOCET

27p Stamp Design

Ref: PHQ(b) 1/89

PHQ STAMP CARDS

RSPB 1889 – 1989

OYSTER-CATCHER

32p Stamp Design

Ref: PHQ( c) 1/89

GANNET

35p Stamp Design

Ref: PHQ(d) 1/89

22/02/2018

DUFEX POSTCARDS

Dufex postcards were extremely popular throughout the 1980’s and the 1990’s (and beyond). The word ‘DUFEX’ relates to the type of card these were printed on. This was a silver, shiny card which reflects the light and upon which the image was printed. The postcards themselves were published by a company called F. J. WARREN, originally located in Hitchin, Herts in the UK, but later cards show the company in Luton, Beds (if the card has this address for the company then it is a later issued card). The original cards were all printed in black on the silver surface of the card. Later some colour was added to designs, but the silver was still often the larger part of the design. Much later-on in the issue of these cards they moved over to all colour designs, but which maintained the shiny, glitter like effect.

 Depicted here are three tiger themed postcards from my collection which individually show the three different printing styles which I have mentioned above.

UNTITLED

Depicts a Tiger

By

W.G. ROSE

Published by

F. J. WARREN LIMITED

Ref: 500281

This is the simple black printing on silver surface style which this company made into such an iconic type of modern postcard.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Standard original DUFEX postcard reverse – this layout is from the earliest days of the DUFEX postcard issues.

SIBERIAN TIGER

By

WILLIAM FINCH

Published by

F. J. WARREN LIMITED

Ref: 501953

Here you can see the use of colour in the design, but still with the ‘majority’ of the design as the silver background. One of the differences here is that they have different styles of patterned silver strips behind and above the central tiger image.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

This was the newer style of reverse which made better use of the DUFEX logo which appears top centre. By now these cards were universally being referred to as ‘DUFEX CARDS’ by collectors, and there were quite a few of these by now, including myself. If the card has this type of reverse, then it is from the later printings.

TIGER & CUBS

By

MEIKLEJOHN GRAPHICS, LONDON, UK

(Meiklejohn Graphics Licensing (MGL))

Copyright year 2000

Published by

F. J. WARREN LIMITED

Ref: 501384

Unfortunately, scanning these all colour issues causes the colour to appear much more subdued than they really are. So, this scan is less impressive than the card looks for real. This is a good example of the full colour styled issues which came along later in the publishing line for these postcards. These were very popular with the ‘general public’, and with collectors, but it is the plain black on silver designs which collectors seek out as these are the older issues and the originators for these very interesting and, as previously stated iconic postcards.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

21/02/2018

UNTITLED

NOVELTY - “APPLIQUE” – POSTCARD

APPLIED REAL FEATHERS

COCKEREL POSTCARD

By

Anonymous Publisher  

Real feathers stuck down to postcards was a favourite novelty approach during the golden age of picture postcards. This is a ‘fairly’ simple one, but others were quite impressive. On the example here, they have used artificially coloured feathers for the tail, but natural feathers (from something like a quail, or similar) on the main body. This one only cost me £1.50, which I thought was a very reasonable price.

21/02/2018

WAX EFFIGY

CHARLES II

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Published by

VALENTINE’S

Ref: K. 777

After yesterdays large posting relating to the Charles I exhibition of artwork, much of which, as you would have seen, depicted paintings of Charles and his family, I came across this card in one of my boxes. It depicts Charles II, or at least a wax effigy of him located in Westminster Abbey. It just seemed to be an appropriate posting for tonight.

21/02/2018

GETARNTE PANZER

KRIEGSBERICHTER: HENSEL

“GARNISHED PANZER

WARRIORS: HENSEL”

Published by

ERICH GUTJAHR (BERLIN)

Ref: Bestell-Nr. 95

This World War II German published ‘Panzer’ art postcard was a recent STAMPEX find. These German military postcards can be quite expensive as there is a strong following for this type of material. This one was £15, but it is a nice example and I think this was a little cheap as well as I would have expected it to be a little higher. When I saw this, I knew I had to have it.

21/02/2018

SCHNEIDER TROPHY

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY

Published by

CAROUSEL

Ref: CAROUSEL POSTCARD No 27

Hand Numbered Limited Edition of 1000 copies

(copy number 646)

During the 1980’s Carousel issued a large number of artist drawn postcard designs which celebrated anniversaries and recent events. In many cases informative text was added to the front design, as is the case here. I have interest in the Schneider Trophy and have seen it where it is on display at the Science Museum in London.

21/02/2018

UNTITLED POSTCARD

By

UNKNOWN PRINTER / PUBLISHER

I assume the woman depicted here is shown with her daughter as I have no idea who they are. Their clothing is Edwardian in style, so we can place the image in that era, certainly pre-WW1. It is a family photograph which has been turned into a postcard for personal use. It was not unusual for people to do this and there are many hundreds of thousands of this type of postcard in family albums all over the country, and across Europe. I found this card in a box of cards on display on an antiques stand in a small antiques market area located in Angel, Islington, London. When I saw this card the appeal for me was the boarder pattern and rough way the edges had been cut, removing the white boarder down one side and along the bottom.

I am interested in the history of postcards and their production so items like this, which were normally produced by small local printers, are of interest to me. I like seeing the way they created what they believed would be interesting frames and boarders for people to chose from for their photographs. These normally stay in family albums so don’t appear as often as one would think, as they often also get thrown away by people further down family tree’s when they inherit old albums with no idea of who they are looking at. For me it is always the postcard history that I am looking at rather than any interest in who I am looking at, although what they are wearing can be of interest.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

A basic design, but in various languages for use across Europe

21/02/2018

MONTAGU MOTOR MUSEUM, BEAULIEU

1925 TYPE 30 BUGATTI

WITH LORD MONTAGU AT THE WHEEL

Published by

HARVEY BARTON

Ref: C.6197

One of many postcards which have been sold from this well-known UK Motor Museum. This is a particularly nice one as it also depicts Lord Montagu himself. The Bugatti was apparently still capable of doing 75 mph.

21/02/2018

2018 LUNAR NEW YEAR –

YEAR OF THE DOG

Published by

JERSEY POST

This postcard depicts the 49p Jersey Island ‘Year of the Dog’ stamp issued 5^th January 2018. The stamp was designed by Wang Huming. This is one of the new postcards I picked up on their stall at the Spring Stampex show.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

With additional STAMPEX cachet:

‘JERSEY POST – SPRING STAMPEX 2018’

The cachet was available free on their stand at the Stampex Show

21/02/2018

STAMPEX INTERNATIONAL

THE BRITISH NATIONAL STAMP EXHIBITION

“SPRING STAMPEX 2018”

Official Free Postcard

(given to each attendee upon entrance to the Exhibition)

Ref: No. 35 of a Series

Limited Edition of 5000

This is the free postcard everyone received at the recent (last week) Stampex show in London. Personally, I thought it was not one of their best, but for anyone who collects anything which relates to the Machin Queen’s Head design, then this would probably be worth seeking out.

20/02/2018

CHARLES I

KING AND COLLECTOR

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

2018 EXHIBITION

27 January – 15 April

EXHIBITION BROCHURE / GUIDE

Jo and I attended this exhibition last Friday, 16^th February, which is being held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. They have spent the last three years arranging for this exhibition to come together. They have gathered together paintings from all over the world, America, Spain and France and to these they have also placed a number of pieces loaned from the current royal collection.

The idea of the exhibition is to gather together again, for the first time since many were sold off after his execution, pieces of artwork from the King Charles I royal collection. King Charles was a famous art collector and his collection was prodigious.

ENTRANCE TICKET

This is my ticket for the exhibition

CHARLES I ON HORSEBACK WITH M. de ST ANTOINE

1633

ANTHONY VAN DYCK

(1599 – 1641)

Oil in canvas

A5 size Postcard

To coincide with the exhibition a range of postcards has been issued. Most of these are of the normal postcard size (see further down), but there are also three large A5 sized postcards as well. This is one of those. This is one of three massive Van Dyck Charles I portraits which the exhibition has hung in a room in the centre of the exhibition. These three paintings are almost worth the cost of entrance alone.

CHARLES I

KING AND COLLECTOR

POSTCARD PACKAGE

(Front of package folder)

Initially I was going to just buy a selection of the individual postcards which were on sale. I found that I wanted all those which depicted the King and his family. The individual postcards were priced at 75p each. The seven cards I wanted would have cost me £5.25, which I was happy to pay, but, then I saw this postcard package. It contains all seven of the cards I wanted, plus another nine postcards of other pieces of art from the display. This package was just £6.50, so, no contest really, I bought the package.    

POSTCARD PACKAGE

REVERSE SIDE AND TAB

This side depicts the 16 different postcards contained within this pack

All, of these postcards are depicted below

VENUS WITH MERCURY AND CUPID

(‘THE SCHOOL OF LOVE’)

c. 1525

CORREGGIO

(1489 – 1534)

THE TRIUMPH OF CAESAR: THE VASE BEARERS

c. 1485 – 1506

ANDREA MANTEGNA

(1430 -1506)

This is one of a number of large paintings from this collection. They are originally from Hampton Court Palace and were due to be sold after the death of Charles I, but they were withdrawn from sale and remained at the palace, which became the home of Oliver Cromwell.

When I was a kid we visited Hampton Court Palace. At the time I was only collecting wildlife and animal themed postcards. I found one which depicted the bottom right corner of this painting, the bit depicting the bull. I still have this postcard in my collection but now I also have this postcard which depicts the whole painting section.

THE SUPPER AT EMMAUS

c. 1534

TITIAN

(1488/90 – 1576)

PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN IN GREEN

c. 1530 – 32

AGNOLO BRONZINO

(1503 – 1572)

ROBERT CHESEMAN

1533

HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER

(c. 1497 – 1543)

LANDSCAPE WITH ST GEORGE AND THE DRAGON

1630 – 35

PETER PAUL RUBENS

(1577 – 1640)

It is hard to make out here on this postcard size image of this painting, but the painter has placed Charles I’s head on St George, in the centre of the painting.

CHARLES I IN THE HUNTING FIELD

c. 1636

ANTHONY VAN DYCK

(1599 – 1641)

The second of the three large Van Dyck’s which are depicted in one room in the centre of the exhibition. This is the one which is probably the one which is considered the greatest loss to the country after it was sold after Charles’s death. It is now one of the paintings usually on show in the Louvre in Paris, but they have loaned the picture to the RA for this exhibition. This is the first time this painting has been on display in the UK since 1650. This was the first time I have seen this painting as I have yet to visit the Louvre.

HENRIETTA MARIA WITH SIR JEFFREY HUDSON

1633

ANTHONY VAN DYCK

(1599 – 1641)

CHARLES I

c. 1632 – 36

ANTHONY VAN DYCK

(1599 – 1641)

CHARLES I IN THREE POSITIONS

1635 – 36

ANTHONY VAN DYCK

(1599 – 1641)

This was the painting I was most looking forward to seeing, and it is without a doubt my favourite painting from the exhibition. It also takes pride of place as the very first painting you see as you enter the first room of the exhibition. It is a famous painting and is thankfully still in the royal collection and was on loan to the exhibition by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This is also the picture which appears on the front of the postcard package (see above)

ANNE CRESACRE

c. 1526 – 27

HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER

(c. 1497 – 1543)

GEORGE VILLIERS, 2^nd DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM,

AND FRANCIS VILLIERS

1635

ANTHONY VAN DYCK

(1599 – 1641)

ST GEORGE AND THE DRAGON

1628

PETER OLIVER (1589 – 1647)

AFTER RAPHAEL (1483 – 1520)

I have a thing for St George and the Dragon postcards, so was pleased this was included in the postcard selection.

CHARLES I ON HORSEBACK

c. 1637 – 38

ANTHONY VAN DYCK

(1599 – 1641)

The third, and final of the three large Van Dyck paintings from the exhibition’s central room. This is also probably the most well known of these Van Dyck Charles I paintings. This one you can normally still see as this is from the National Gallery in London. It was the only one of the three portraits that I had seen before.

CHARLES I

1628

DANIEL MYTENS

(c. 1590 – 1647)

CHARLES I AND HENRIETTA MARIA

WITH PRINCE CHARLES AND PRINCESS MARY

(‘THE GREATE PEECE’ [sic])

1632

ANTHONY VAN DYCK

(1599 – 1641)

That is the last of the postcards from this exhibition postcard package. I can totally recommend this exhibition, especially if you have an interest in either the art of this period or royal history. If you do attend before the exhibition closes in April, then this postcard pack makes for a superb souvenir.