Volume 3, Number 10

Irish Philatelic Newsletter

Volume 3, Number 10                                                                                                                           October, 2001 

A periodic publication for the members of the Éire Philatelic Association, the Irish Airmail Society, the Irish Philatelic Circle and the Forschungs-und Arbeitsgemeinschaft Irland e.V. The newsletter will be e-mailed to all interested members.

Published and edited by Michael Connolly

 
Stamp Booklet Vending Machine
Michael McNamara
ei2cl@eircom.net

In early June 2001, Tony Finn reported that a stand-alone stamp booklet vending machine had been installed beside postbox #343 and meterpost box #11 in the IFSC – 1 Exchange Place, Dublin 1. The machine sold £1 and £3 booklets. I took a photo of the trio on 8 June. This message is to let you know, in case you don’t know already, that it was not there when I walked through the IFSC today.
STAMPA Website
Michael Connolly

STAMPA, the annual stamp show of the Irish National Stamp Exhibition, now has its own website,
http://www.STAMPA-Ireland.org.

Stampa 2001, The 30th Irish National Stamp Exhibition, will be held Friday, 9 November to Sunday, 11 November 2001 in Dublin, Ireland

STAMPA is Ireland’s premier philatelic event and it is attended by thousands of collectors from all over Ireland, as well as by visitors from the UK, USA and Western Europe.

The Irish National Stamp Exhibition is a non-profit company, limited by guarantee, run on a voluntary basis by an elected council. 

New Irish Stamp Web Site
Michael Connolly

Irish Stamps Online contains a fully illustrated online catalogue of Irish stamps, every commemorative stamp has its own page.  The URL is: http://www.irishstampsonline.com

This is intended to be a web site which anyone with an interest in Ireland and her peoples will find interesting, regardless of whether they are a stamp collector or not. Generally they use the term ‘Stamp Collecting’ in the web site rather than ‘Philately’ to illustrate the fact this is a general and not a specialist Stamp Web Site.

They intend to build up a complete portfolio of all Irish Stamps issued since independence. Each stamp is reproduced in detail along with background information about the stamp. In addition they feature all the latest news from An Post about future stamp issues. They hope you enjoy this web site and take time to further your knowledge of Ireland through its Stamps.

Coloured Postmarks
Stan Challis
challis@gtonline.net

Comment has been made in various articles from time to time with regard both to coloured town cancellations and also to coloured numeral cancellations in the period to about 1858 when it seems a black only rule was introduced (except for prepaid and official mail which was hereafter to be cancelled in red).

I hope to come up with some detailed research in due course with regard to the numeral cancellations which can be found struck in a variety of blues and greens – information on these is always welcome and indeed one of the great joys of the internet is that we can send each other coloured scans enabling us to compare shades and the like.                                                                                                  Figure 1

Little has been done with regard to coloured townstamps.  150 years later we cannot be sure what the original colours were and I suspect that many of the supposedly brown and yellow postmarks that are reported from time to time re in reality red and bright green ink that has oxidised over 150 years.  It is at times like this that I wish I was a chemist!

Red has been seen from about 1830 coming from a variety of towns.  All too often the red is oily and faded.  Greens are known from a little later; frequently the green is blue green or yellow green or has faded into an oily olive green but we cannot be sure what it looked like all those years ago.

Going through some covers, I recently came across the attached two items both from Nenagh to Dublin, the stamp in each case cancelled by a less then distinct <349> diamond. (see figure 3).  The interest in these two covers lies in their reverses.  That posted on  June 1855 shows a remarkably bright scarlet Nenagh postmark, the brightest ‘red’ I have seen, whilst by 18 August 1855 emerald green was the order of the day (figures 1 and 2 respectively).

                             Figure 2

The red is new to me, as bright as this, but emerald green is not rare and there is little doubt that the use of emerald both for backstamps and also for cancelling stamps represented a coordinated attempt to test different colours by, I assume, the Surveyor of the Southern District during the summer of 1855, extending into 1856.  Blue was, it seems, favoured  the surveyor of the Midland District.

There is a huge amount more research to be done.  For a simpleton like me, the coloured postmarks certainly make for more attractive covers!  Can some member send in scans of a selection of other coloured postmarks?                                          Figure 3

Best wishes
Stan Challis
Guernsey

Auction Action

FAI Auction 76 On The Net
Klaus Stange
StangeFAI@aol.com

As I am not a native English speaker it is not easy for me to express my thoughts and feelings on behalf of the terror attack against the American people and the whole civilisation. My deepest sympathies to all involved. Although I am living far away from NY my life over here in Germany came to a standstill for several days.

In the meantime DIE HARFE No. 76 is mailed from Ireland and auction No. 76 is on the net at http://members.aol.com/irlandphil/fai.htm.

Wishing you all the best,
Yours sincerely

Klaus Stange

(editor’s note: There are 207 lots in the auction)

Changes at Whyte’s
Michael Connolly

The rumor has been making the rounds that Whyte’s, the auction house, was going to discontinue the auctioning of stamps and postal history.

Now the word is out officially from Whyte’s.  In a recent newsletter on the subject of “Changes at Whyte’s”, they say:

“General sales of stamps and postal history will be held at MacDonnell Whyte Ltd., 102 Leinster Road, Dublin 6.  Tel: 01-4977 449.  Fax: 01-4977 440.  Callers by appointment only.

Whyte’s will organise occasional sales of important single owner important collections.”

They have also moved as of 17 August.  Their premises at 30 Marlbrough Street, Dublin, will close.  Their new location is 38 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2.

MacDonnell Whyte Auction
Michael Connolly

An auction is scheduled for October 27, 2001 at Jury’s Hotel, Dublin, Ireland, at 12:30 p.m.  There are 710 lots in the auction.

Unfortunately, you either have to be in Ireland or subscribing to David’s auction catalogs to see what is being offered.  There is no Internet access to the information.  There isn’t even an email address to make inquiries or submit bids.

Inquiries can be made to MacDonnell Whyte Ltd., 102 Lienster Road, Dublin 6, Ireland or tel: (+353-1)4977449.

Rescheduled ÉPA Annual General Meeting 
Michael Connolly

Following the cancellation of the meeting in Milwaukee at MILCOPEX, Joe Foley wrote to Kevin Drury, Chairman of STAMPA, to request the holding of the ÉPA AGM in Dublin, to which Kevin agreed.  It will now be held on Saturday 10th November @ STAMPA in the Concert Hall, Royal Dublin Society, Dublin 4 at 14.00 hours. 
IMP 30
Maurice Barrett
maurice.barrett@ie.pwcglobal.com

Shown here is IMP 30 used on PMC 1 on 17 September 2001, with the time printed.

Earliest dates seen for IMP 30 that I can report are:

DMC 1 – 22 August 2001, with time. This is the only date on which any slogan for machine 1 at the DMC 1 has been seen by me in the past month
DMC 2 – 22 August 2001
DMC 3 – 20 August 2001
DMC 4 – not seen
DMC 5 – 22 August 2001
PMC 1 – 28 August 2001 (with time)
PMC 2 – 22 August 2001 (with time)

Both the Portlaoise machine print the time in all the IMP 30 slogans seen by me. The DMC 1 slogan had the time printed also. None of the IMP 30 slogans seen by me from DMC 2, 3 and 5 have shown the time.

Regards,

MAURICE BARRETT

IMP 30 PMC 1
Brian Warren
brian.warren@ie.pwcglobal.com

I can add that my PMC 1 has earliest date of 22 August (with time) i.e. as per PMC 2

Brian Warren

Recent Show Awards

Milcopex
James Maher
westiejim@voyager.net

The show is over and here are the results.  There were five Irish exhibits that qualified for judging.

The ÉPA Medal, the best Irish Multiframe Exhibit, a Milcopex gold, the APS 1900-1940 Medal of Excellence, and the Milcopex Reserve Grand Award to James Maher for “Ireland, the Overprinted Stamps of Great Britain,
1922-1935”.

The first ÉPA Certificate, the APS Pre 1900 Medal of Excellence, and a Milcopex vermeil to Paul Wittreich for “Carrickmacross, a Reflection of Irish Postal History”.

The second ÉPA Certificate and a Milcopex silver to Paul Wittreich for ” Ireland Censored Mail During World War II”.

The Best Irish Single Frame exhibit and a MILCOPEX gold to Alfred F. Kugel for “British Forces in Ireland 1921-1922”. 

Jim

APS STAMPSHOW 2001
Michael Connolly

August 23-26, 2001, Rosemont, IL

“Ireland and Her Troubles”, Joseph E. Foley, Vermeil, Open Competition 

“The Atlantic Crossing: Irish-North American Shipping Links”, George Nicholson, Silver, Single Frame Competition 

“The Dublin Horse Show”, Charles J. G. Verge, Bronze, Single Frame Competition 

Postal News 
Maurice Barrett
maurice.barrett@ie.pwcglobal.com

Postal Order Makes Way for new Payment Product – 13 September 2001

The Postal Order – once the country’s most used fixed-value payment product – is to be retired by An Post after over 120 years. From October, 2001 Post offices will cease to issue postal orders which first went on sale in 1880.

Changes in personal financial management, especially the growth in the use of cheques, credit cards and debit cards has led directly to a drop of nearly sixty per cent in sales of postal orders over the last ten years.

Because of the decline in demand the postal order and the money order will be replaced by a new, more consumer friendly Postal Money Order (PMO) which will be available at post offices from early October.

Postal orders are used mainly by consumers to make small value payments. Eighty per cent of postal order sales are for amounts of less than £50 and nearly half of current sales are for amounts ranging between £5 and £20.

A small number of Irish and UK companies bulk buy small value postal orders to give refunds to customers. The new Postal Money Order will be available for use by those who rely on them for purchases, charitable donations and gifts.

�The postal order is now an antiquated, inflexible financial product which has changed little in the last 120 years. It is a pre-printed value stock item which over many years has served its function but has now been overtaken by more efficient point-of-sale based technologies�, a spokesman for An Post said.

The spokesman added that over several years they had considered revamping and updating the postal order product. The advent of the Euro had provided the needed impetus to make the change.

Because postal and money orders are currently pre-printed value stock items, the Euro changeover would have necessitated significant investment in new stock. It has been decided to combine the postal and money order products.

The new Postal Money Order (PMO) will be produced by ServicePlus counter technology for the precise value required. Non-automated offices will be provided with blank value pre-printed PMOs which can be denominated according to customer needs

The new instrument will have a simple fee structure – for PMOs up to £10, 60p; £11 to £20, £1.60; £20 to £100, £2.20; £101 to £500, £2.80.

Regards,

MAURICE BARRETT

Editorial statement:

In today’s cyber-age, its only fitting that we interact in cyberspace. I can’t see any reason why the members of our societies should not join in. More and more of our members are now accessing e-mail and the internet.

To subscribe to the Newsletter, send a request by e-mail to webmaster.  To remove yourself from receiving the Newsletter, send your request to the same e-mail address. 

Viewing of the newsletter is available online from the ÉPA web page. 

Past issues are archived and are available for online retrieval, again from the ÉPA web page.  E-mail requests for back issues are also accepted.

Members are encouraged to contribute articles or bits of news to the newsletter.  I believe that learned treatises belong in our society journals, where they can be shared with all members. I don’t feel that a newsletter should ever attempt to be a replacement for our journals.

“Newsy” bits would certainly interest me personally and would seem to be ideal for a newsletter such as this.

Requests for information and help with puzzling items can be submitted and, hopefully, some reader will have an answer.

Brief articles or informational pieces would also be welcome.

If you have e-mail access, you can send articles by e-mail to webmaster.

For those in the U.S.A., libraries providing access and free e-mail sites are proliferating.  Members could access the Web even without home or office access to cyberspace.

Input from members can even come via our beloved snail-mail.

Submitters should understand that any material published in the newsletter would, automatically, become available for publication in our journals.