Volume 3, Number 6

Irish Philatelic Newsletter

Volume 3, Number 6                                                                                                                                         June, 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
 
Gaybrook/Gainstown Post Office
Maurice Barrett
maurice.barrett@ie.pwcglobal.com

I understand that the Post Office at Gaybrook/Gainstown, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath (WEM 041) will be closing on 31 May 2001 following the retirement of the Postmistress, Mrs. Mary Nally.

Regards,

MAURICE BARRETT

Stanley Gibbons Website
Dave Brennan
BRENNAN704@aol.com

I just read in the June issue of Scott Stamp Monthly page 69 about a newly updated website. Stanley Gibbons has a new website to access their catalogue.  It is: http://www.allworldstamps.com.  You might want to check it out and see if
you can benefit by using it.  It sure is cheaper and lighter than their catalogue.

Best regards,

Dave

IMP Notes 

IMP 29 UN Volunteers
Maurice Barrett
maurice.barrett@ireland.com

A new slogan, numbered IMP 29, is now in use. It is worded UN International / Year of Volunteers / 2001 and has a small boxed upraised hand illustrated.

Dates noted are:

PMC 1 – 1 or 4 June 2001
PMC 2 – not seen

DMC 1 – 1 June 2001
DMC 2 – 3 June 2001
DMC 3 – 2 June 2001
DMC 4 – not seen
DMC 5 – 4 June 2001

the double printing of slogans continues and the inclusion of “ar2” after the time continues on DMC 1 and DMC 2.

Regards,

MAURICE BARRETT

Dublin gets IMP5!
John Lennon 
johnglennon@eircom.net

IMP number 5 has appeared in Dublin!  Machine number is 3996 and I have two examples for 22nd May  – 53000107 & 53000113.  It was used again on 24th (52903779 the only one I have)   AXA slogan on both occasions.

I haven’t seen IMP4 since its first run on 22nd April.

IMP3 is being used with AXA for a short while each day.

Regards to all

John

BELGICA 2001 � AN IRISH VIEW
Stan Challis 
challis@guernsey.net

BELGICA 2001 � AN IRISH VIEW

It is always pleasant when one is able to co-ordinate business with pleasure.  The chance of having to attend a Board Meeting in Amsterdam was a good enough excuse to over-weekend in Europe and spend two days at the Belgica Show.

In truth for Europe�s main event of the year it was sadly a non-Irish event.  The show was at the �Parc des Expositions� at Heysel to the north west of Brussels just twenty minutes from the centre of town by Tube/Metro/Subway –  call it what you will.  Admisssion was free, even on the first day – a big plus for attracting casual visitors and families.  Some 100 dealers were present, just one or two from North America, two from Argentina, nice to see them traveling so far � I hope it was worth their while, others from Britain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and of course a fair few locals � probably the most international mixture I have found.  Certainly I paid for one cover in a combination of German marks and French francs in an attempt to use up the European currencies before they go out of use next January.

Then there were the exhibits, but absolutely nothing Irish and no Irish Commissioner. What caught my eye?  There is simply not time to see them all, more thematic and more youth entries than one would see in the UK, naturally a lot of Belgian and Dutch, with fine collections of the first issues of both countries.  Amongst the postal history collections of New Caledonia and South Australia caught my eye and my wife enjoyed some early Chinese � I would not welcome a judge�s job.  But absolutely nothing Irish.

Perhaps there was something to buy???  In fairness several dealers had Irish stock and a couple of the British dealers had brought a lot with them, but I guess I had seen it all several times before.  In fact one of the joys of an overseas exhibition is to see stocks of dealers that one has not seen before and I did pick up a couple of nice postmark items from a German and a Belgian dealer respectively, but not cheaply.  Yes, I could have spent a couple of thousand pounds on an example of a Ship Letter mark, but I would sooner get more for my money.  At each show I go to, I always try to buy one cover that will seriously add to my collection but that was not to be and overall I came away with relatively little, such is life.

But we liked Brussels, in many ways more interesting than Amsterdam, two hours away by train, and for those that enjoy their ale, the beer is excellent if you look for it.  Where can we go to next and will there be some Irish to look at???

MILCOPEX Exhibits
Dave Brennan
BRENNAN704@aol.com

Attention ÉPA exhibitors,  we need your help.  I have applications if you need one. Dave
 ———————————————————————
The MILCOPEX committee is concerned because they received no Irish exhibits for the September show.  We realize that APS Stampshow is giving us competition since it is only three weeks earlier and some people may not
want to return to the Midwest so soon.

Any help you can give in getting exhibits will be much appreciated.  We need a good ÉPA showing for AGM this year.  The applications should be in by July 1, 2001.

To obtain an application, contact:

        Robert Henak
        MILCOPEX 2001 Exhibits
        P.O. Box 170832
        Milwaukee, WI 53217-0832

        (414) 351-1519
        henak@compuserve.com

ISSP Phos Printings – 35p, 40p and 50p Questa £3 Booklet
Brian Warren
brian.warren@ie.pwcglobal.com

All the above now available from the bureau in Dublin. Note 40p was not referred to in “Collectors News”. I have not seen 40p or 50p used as yet and failed to find 50p in any office in recent weeks. The 35p and 40p are effectively already replaced by the dual currency values referred to below.

Dual Currency – 30p, 32p, 35p, 40p, 45p, £1- all phos except £1 – all ISSP

In advance of the introduction of the Euro currency next January, six dual currency stamps have been issued with values both in pence and equivalent in euro cents (£1 = E1.27).

They were issued with fdc cover/cancel on 11 June.  The 35p and 40p are a change in designs (35p now Puffin, previously used on 44p;  40p is Wren, previously only in 30p sheetlet).  Some other values have had to have ÉIRE
and the value reset to fit in the new euro values.

No dual currency booklets or self-adhesives. I understand three new booklets will be issued in October and will probably will have letter designations for each value.  In addition the £1 booklet will probably become a 2 euro booklet in due course.

Covers Sent to Ireland
Chad Snee
csnee@linns.com

I wish to acquire covers sent to Ireland (and other points in Europe) bearing recent dollar-denominated United States stamps. I am particularly interested in the high-values from the Americana, Great Americans, 1992 Columbian and 1998 Trans-Mississippi series. I’ll entertain all reasonable offers. 

Write to: Chad Snee, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365-0029, or e-mail: csnee@linns.com

Cordially,
Chad Snee

New overprints?
James O’Brien
JJJOBrien@aol.com

Last weekend, I found a part-time dealer at a market in London with five sheets of British definitives (i.e. one sheet of each) with an overprint protesting against the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.  He claimed that he only had one sheet of each, so I took a chance and bought all 5 sheets.

There are five different stamps in all (1p, 2p, 4p, 5p and 8p) and each stamp is overprinted with the logo “No Guns, No Government” in a 4-line overprint.

This would appear to be related to the present crisis whereby David Trimble is threatening to resign and collapse the executive bodies if the IRA does not begin to hand over their weapons.

Do any of you know anything about these stamps ?  E.g. how many exist ?  Who (over)printed them ?

I have enquired in Dublin as to the origin of these stamps and no one (thus far) seems to know anything about  them.  I would very much appreciate it if you could circulate news of this “find” and help me find out more about
these unusual British stamps with an Irish connection.

Kind regards

James O’Brien, I.P.T.A.
The Collectors’ Shop
Blackrock Market
Co Dublin

Postal Auction 
Eoin F. Boyle
irelandstamps.com

I just thought that you would like to know about our latest postal bid auction which is now up on our website www.irelandstamps.com The closing date is midnight on the 6th of July 2001.

As usual, we are very late with our second auction of the year 2001  I hope you will agree that it was worth waiting for.  This time we have something a bit different.  For the first time we have coins and PNC material and unfortunately, due to pressure of time, very little Postal History.  As we are expecting a big collection in from the UK, more of the regular lots will follow in the Autumn.

As always, we would love your comments and if you don’t find something you want, let us know and we will try harder the next time.

Happy bidding!

Eoin F. Boyle, 
165 Rathgar Road, 
Dublin 6, Ireland 

Railway Stamps and Covers
Michael Connolly 
aranman@att.net 

For all you Railway fans there is an interesting listing of stamps and covers now available from Raven Stamps.

Some items I noted were:

Railway Letter Listings

Clogher Valley Tramway Co. 2d Green used example and scarce thus.   £40

Dublin & South Eastern Railway 4d on 3d on 2d Green mint example and scarce. £35

Great Southern & Western Railway 2d Green Type I used on piece with excellent strike of oval �Transferred Kingsbridge Parcels� 16/6/05 rarely seen.  £35

Midland Great Western Railway Market Basket Stamp 2-6d orange with side selvedge fine mint example and rarely found with selvedge.  £225

TPO & RSO Listing

1897 Cover with Penny Lilac tied Fermoy cds and bearing excellent strike on front of cover of �Belfast & Nthn Cties. R.P.O. 15/6/97.  £35

1935 Cover bearing 2d and ½d overprints (½d to pay Late Fee) each tied by fine strike �Dublin & Galway T.P.O. Down Night 19/1/35�.      £35

1958 Philatelic Cover bearing 5d Constitution tied by Dublin Galway TPO Down, Postage Due fee of 1d raised by �Posted without Late Fee� handstamp and charge collected by 1d E Due.  £15

1962 Cover addressed to Liverpool with on reverse 7d Railway stamp tied by CIE Rosslare circ. cancel, letter enclosed from Fred Dixon outlining the steps involved in obtaining service.   £25

1906 Postcard with excellent Augher RSO Co. Tyrone.  £9.75

1905 Postcard with fine Blarney RSO.    £8.00

Raven Stamps
12C Washington St. West,
Cork,  Ireland

Website:   irstamps.com
E Mail:      raven1@indigo.ie

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