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Flag

2008-08-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

United States, 2008
Flags 24/7

On April 18, 2008, the United States Postal Service issued a new set of definitive stamps featuring beautiful paintings of an American Flag flying in the breeze. The images, captured at different times of the day show the flag flying at sunrise, at midday, at sunset, and at night. The set is identified on the US Postal Service website as "Flags 24/7" and is available in coil form in either self-adhesive or water-activated ("lick 'em and stick 'em") variety.

The stamp series seems destined to become the workhorse patriotic stamp issue of the U.S. Postal Service, as the prior flag definitive American flag designs have yet to be re-released with the current postal rate of 42 cents (US). If this is the case, there will be millions of these stamps issued in the upcoming months and years. That is, unless the U.S. Postal Service corrects what appears to be an error on one of the stamps.

Close examination of the "evening" stamp, located in the lower-right quadrant of the official design featured on the U.S.P.S. website, reveals that the stamp apparently has one too many stripes.

"Evening" Flag Stamp

This stamp uses an image of an approximately half-full moon on a dark-blue sky as a way of denoting that the flag is visible in the evening.

A few collectors have pointed out that the flag does not appear to be illuminated, which is normal flag etiquette for nighttime display of the American flag. However, since the sky is dark blue and not black, others have argued that it is evening and not nighttime in the image. Regardless of this point of contention, a better point of discussion is whether the flag, as depicted, is an officially supported design.

Here is a little background for those who may be unfamiliar with the United States flag.

The American flag currently consists of a field of blue, called a canton, in which there are 50 white stars, each representing a state in the union. The remainder of the flag consists of 13 alternating red and white stripes, each representing the 13 original states ("colonies") that existed when the nation was born.

The design of the American flag is dynamic and its layout has changed several times since its introduction. Because the flag represents states in the union, every addition of a new state to the union required a new flag design. In the early days of the country, keeping the flag design up to date was not the top-most priority, so sometimes a few years elapsed before the flag was officially redesigned. However, in the last century, changes to the flag design are more in keeping with current events.

United States Flag Layout
per Executive Order 10834

Shortly after the addition of Hawaii as the nation's 50th and last state, the American flag design was changed from it's prior, and very short-lived, design with 49 stars, to include a 50th star. President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10834 on Aug. 21, 1959 to prescribe the new design of the flag that was to be required in public use by July 4, 1960, the subsequent Independence Day holiday for the United States.

Because a flag can exist in various physical sizes, Executive Order 10834 published a detailed drawing of the design and included a table of proportional sizes that were to be used to create the official flag. By following the ratios prescribed by the Order, a very precise flag layout can be created.

One of the key elements of the American flag's design revolves around the use of the red and white stripes, representing the founding colonies. For the past 190 years, the flag has always consisted of 13 red and white stripes in a specific pattern. There are 7 red stripes and 6 white stripes. Because of the odd number of red stripes, and the interleaving of the colors, red stripes appear on the top and bottom of the flag.

Enlargement of Lower-Left Quadrant
Notice stripe colors below blue field

The size of the blue canton is such that exactly 7 alternating stripes run to the left of the canton. Because the top stripe is always red, the seventh stripe, the bottom of which lines up with the bottom of the blue field, is also red. The next stripe down would then have to be white. This stripe has the distinction of being the first stripe (from the top), that spans the full width of the flag.

It is this stripe which provides the vital clue as to the design error. The blue field rests above this long white stripe. If you counted from the top, this first long white stripe, is stripe number 8.

In the magnified view of the stamp image, there are 6 more stripes visible, before the image is clipped off. The small area located in the lower-left corner of the design is clearly white. By counting the stripes below the blue canton, starting with the white stripe (number 8) it is very evident that there is a 14th stripe and it is white.

This raises an even further design issue ... if the flag was bounded by red stripes as the top-most and bottom-most stripes, which every flag issued by the United States since the founding of the country in 1776 has been, it would leave one to think that the flag on the stamp, if it followed the usual red stripe convention, would actually have had 15 stripes!

Will the United States Postal Service clear up this design error? It is likely that they will be forced to change it, once the general public is more aware of this error.

If the stamp design is changed, the current design, issued in a much smaller quantity than originally planned, may possibly increasing its value. Only time will tell.

test

2008-05-22T18:38:00.001-07:00

This chart represents a detailed analysis of stamps issued by Angola, as supported by the 2009 issue of Scott's Standard Postage Stamp Catalog.

Angola
Basic Philatelic Information
Date of first recognized stamp issue	1870
Date of last recognized stamp issue	Active
Previous Stamp Issuer	None
Subsequent Stamp Issuer (if a "dead country")	N/A
Sold canceled-to-order (CTO) stamps?	No
Regular Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 1297 Many souvenir sheets with multiple stamps are counted as a single stamp, as they were sold as one unit	Mint	Used
Catalog value of first listed stamp	$2.25	$1.40
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$0.20 (few)	$0.20 (few)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp (major Scott Numbers only)	$350.00 (Scott #223)	$350.00 (Scott #223)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$7000+	$4000+
Semi-Postal Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 2	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$1.10 (Scott #B1)	$1.10 (Scott #B1)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp (major Scott Numbers only)	$2.10 (Scott #B2)	$2.10 (Scott #B2)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$3.20	$3.20
Air Post Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 37	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$0.40 (few)	$0.20 (few)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp	$825.00 (Scott #C20)	$650.00 (Scott #C20)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$2230+	$1260+
Special Delivery Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None
Postage Due Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 42	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$0.20 (few)	$0.20 (few)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp	$12.50 (Scott #J9)	$7.50 (Scott #J9)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$72+	$50+
Official Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None
Newspaper Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 1	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$1.00 (Scott #P1)	$0.70 (Scott #P1)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp	$1.00 (Scott #P1)	$0.70 (Scott #P1)
Total catalog value of recognized issues	$1.00	$0.70
Parcel Post Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None
Postal Tax Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 30	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$0.20 (few)	$0.20 (few)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp	$9.00 (Scott #RA6)	$1.75 (Scott #RA4, #RA6)
Total catalog value of recognized issues	$33	$14
Postal Tax Due Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 3	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$1.10 (all)	$0.95 (all)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp	$1.10 (all)	$0.95 (all)
Total catalog value of recognized issues	$3.30	$2.85

Notes:

All stamp data is determined from analysis of the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalog, issued 2009. Other catalogs may have additional stamps, different costs, or different methodologies of labeling and identifying stamps.

All values are in U.S. Dollars.

All stamp valuations include major Scott numbered stamps, and exclude errors, variations, and stamps so rare as to be unattainable by all but the most advanced collectors.

Scott frequently uses a single catalog number for souvenir sheets or strips of stamps that were sold as a single unit. In these cases, the sheet is only counted as one unit and the component stamps are not counted individually.

2nd test

2008-05-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

test

2008-05-19T15:47:00.001-07:00

Take a good look at the approximately 3-second movie clip above. It is of the winning soccer goal scored by Andreas "Andi" Herzog for Austria in 1997. This goal provided a sense of strong national pride for Austria as their team defeated Sweden 1-0 in route to their 1998 World Cup appearance. The Austria postal administration has immortalized this television broadcast clip on a postage stamp in .

By using advancements in existing technology, Austria Post has managed to put the moving image of this goal onto a postage stamp. While the initial technology to do so has been around over 60 years, and has even been applied to stamps before, this is the first time that such a detailed moving image has been put on a stamp.

The technology used is called lenticular printing. This printing method relies on a special lens, called a lenticular lens, to produce its magic. First, a total of 48 snapshots, or frames, of the original television broadcast were printed such that tiny strips of the original image that were alternated (interlaced). When a lenticular lens is attached to this interlaced image, it allows only one set of the 48 image strips to be seen from each viewing angle. By subtly changing the viewing angle, different images are displayed; if the angle is moved steadily, the image appears to move.

Lenticular printing is not new. Most people can remember getting prizes out of Cracker Jack snacks that would change when viewed from different angles. Some American breakfast cereal manufacturers put lenticular baseball cards in their products as an enticement for youngsters to purchase their cereal. Even some simple 2-dimensional dolls and similar knick-knacks had eyes that would blink based on the viewing angle. All of these were early forms of the lenticular printing process.

Those early lenticular images were somewhat crude and the motion produced was very jerky. The technology at that time permitted only a few images interlaced together, usually 2 or 3, and because of this each image had to show a great range of motion. The human eye requires 16-24 images per second in order for it to be considered smooth movement.

This is by far the most complex lenticular image ever to appear on stamps. Other countries, such as Finland, Ireland, and Switzerland have produced lenticular images in the recent past, but those images are not as involved as the Austrian stamps.

The stamp is valid for postage, although I think it doubtful that people would use the stamp to mail something. I doubt that anyone would use such a novel stamp to mail something, preferring to hoard the stamp as a keepsake. Also, the stamp is of a large denomination, 5.45 Euros (about $8.50 US), that is would not be used for typical mail, but for packages or expedited services.

The stamp can be purchased from Austrian Post's online shop.

2008-05-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

Italy, 2008

In 2009, Italy will host the Italia 2009 International Philately Festival in Rome. The exhibit will be open for 5 days between October 21 and October 25 at the Congress Center (Palazzo dei Congressi).

The exhibit has been organized by Poste Italiane, Italy's postal authority, working with the Federation of the Italian Philatelic Societies (FSFI)and the Association of Italian Philatelic Traders (AFIP). Together these three groups are putting together the international exhibition and competition.

According to Poste Italiane's informative website, the competition is open to those from European and other Mediterranean countries, Canada, the United States, Argentina, South Africa, and Australia, i.e. "namely countries particularly close to Italy due to the large communities of Italian immigrants and their descendants."

Italy, 2008

Data Sheet - Andorra

2008-05-12T09:21:00.001-07:00

Here is a detailed analysis of stamps issued for The Principality of Andorra.

Andorra, Spanish Administration
Basic Philatelic Information
Date of first recognized stamp issue	1928
Date of last recognized stamp issue	Active
Previous Stamp Issuer	None
Subsequent Stamp Issuer (if a "dead country")	N/A
Sold canceled-to-order (CTO) stamps?	No
Regular Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 333+	Mint	Used
Catalog value of first listed stamp	$0.55	$0.55
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$0.20 (few)	$0.20 (several)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp (major Scott Numbers only)	$275.00 (Scott #12)	$275.00 (Scott #12)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$1500+	$1000+
Semi-Postal Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None
Air Post Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 4	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$0.30 (3 of 4 issues)	$0.20 (3 of 4 issues)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp	$30.00 (Scott #C1)	$4.25 (Scott #C1)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$31	$5
Special Delivery Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 5	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$5.75 (Scott #E5)	$4.50 (Scott #E5)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp	$100.00 (Scott #E1)	$95.00 (Scott #E1)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$200	$170
Postage Due Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None
Official Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None
Newspaper Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None
Parcel Post Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None

Andorra, French Administration
Basic Philatelic Information
Date of first recognized stamp issue	1931
Date of last recognized stamp issue	Active
Previous Stamp Issuer	None
Subsequent Stamp Issuer (if a "dead country")	N/A
Sold canceled-to-order (CTO) stamps?	No
Regular Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 625	Mint	Used
Catalog value of first listed stamp	$0.70	$0.70
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$0.20 (few)	$0.20 (few)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp (major Scott Numbers only)	$290.00 (Scott #22)	$325.00 (Scott #22)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$2500+	$1800+
Semi-Postal Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 1	Mint	Used
Total catalog value of recognized issues	$20.00	$20.00
Air Post Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 8	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$0.75 (Scott #C5)	$0.75 (Scott #C5)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp	$100.00 (Scott #C4)	$65.00 (Scott #C4)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$216.75	$145.20
Postage Due Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 62	Mint	Used
Catalog value of least expensive stamp	$0.20 (several)	$0.20 (several)
Catalog value of most expensive stamp	$160.00 (Scott #J14)	$160.00 (Scott #J14)
Estimated total catalog value of recognized issues	$720	$705
Official Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None
Newspaper Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = 1	Mint	Used
Total catalog value of recognized issues	$0.75	$0.75
Parcel Post Stamps
Number of Stamps in Catalog = None

Notes:

All values are in U.S. Dollars.

All stamp valuations include major Scott numbered stamps, and exclude errors, variations, and stamps so rare as to be unattainable by all but the most advanced collectors.

The Incredible Postal Workers Aboard RMS Titanic

2008-05-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is often cited as the motto for the U.S. Postal Service. It is not; while this saying is engraved above the Farley Post Office in New York City, it is not the official motto of the U.S. Postal Service nor any postal service for that matter. Yet it does represent the spirit of mail carriers throughout the world. And nowhere does this spirit seem more real than by the actions of the postal workers aboard the R.M.S. Titanic on the night of her demise.

The Royal Mail Ship (R.M.S.) Titanic, was conceived and built as mankind's efforts to tame the seas. She was called unsinkable by many and she represented the apex of what was thought to be man's domination over nature. She sailed in April, 1912, full of hope and promise and triumph as the greatest ship ever built.

As a Royal Mail Ship, Titanic had been commissioned to transport and handle mail from the United Kingdom's Royal Mail postal service. This type of service, called Sea Post, offered postal authorities an opportunity to process the mail during the transit time of the ship's passage, and it offered the ship's owners a reliable and predictable source of income. On board Titanic was a state of the art Sea Post Office where mail would be sorted and canceled in route to the ship's destination. Incredibly, over 3000 mailbags were ultimately loaded onto Titanic for her fateful journey.

On April 10th, Titanic left Southampton, England and set sail for its ultimate destination, New York City. Below decks, five Sea Post workers started their task of sorting the mail.

The five men represented some of the best postal workers of two nations. Americans John March, Oscar Woody, and William Gwinn worked alongside British clerks John Smith and James Williamson on the voyage.

The Accident and The Postal Workers

Late in the evening of April 14, 1912, the ship struck an iceberg and suffered irreparable damage. While the magnitude of the disaster was unknown at the time, the ship was doomed as compartment after compartment began flooding.

"I urged them to leave their work. They shook their heads and continued."

The postal workers rushed to the mail room to begin rescuing the mail. It has been estimated that the workers retrieved up to 200 sacks of registered mail and had carried them to the upper decks on the slim chance that it might get rescued. Even as water began to fill the post office, the men admirably answered the postal workers call of duty to save the mail from destruction. Their admirable efforts might have cost the men their lives; as they tried to get the mail above deck, their chances of getting aboard one of the precious few lifeboats, while slim at best, vanished completely as the chivalrous call for women and children first seized the day.

The men were claimed by the frigid Atlantic waters in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912. Ironically, it was postal worker Oscar Woody's 44th birthday.

The Aftermath

None of the mail was ever recovered. The icy Atlantic had doomed these five gallant men and claimed all of the mail. But two life-jacketed bodies were later recovered floating in the detritus of the shipwreck. Birthday celebrant Oscar Woody and fellow American John March were recovered. Woody, whose body had badly decomposed was quickly buried at sea after his effects were removed. The body of his fellow co-worker, John March, had fared better; it was able to be interred in a cemetery in New Jersey in the United States. The bodies of the other three men were never located.

Inside Oscar Woody's coat pockets were found facing slips. These pieces of paper were used by the postal workers to label sacks of mail that had been sorted. When attached to a mail sack they would indicate the delivery destination and the sorting clerk's name for tracking purposes. Apparently, Woody had stashed a handful of the facing slips in his pockets while he had been working.

"I saw them no more."

Also found on Woody's body was a chain with some of the ship's mailroom keys on it and the letter assigning Woody to service on the Titanic. These items are the only postal items recovered from the disaster.

So far, no mail has been recovered from salvaging operations. The debate remains unsettled as to whether any of the mail could even be intact after being underwater for such a long time. Ocean currents, tremendous pressures, biological elements, and even the rusting hulk of metal that was once a proud ship would all serve to harm any mail. It seems doubtful that nearly 100 years after the disaster that any mail would have survived.

Honoring the Postal Workers

As word began to spread about the last hours aboard the doomed ship, stories of heroes began to emerge. The incredible story of the postal worker's last actions did not go unnoticed.

Numerous memorials were offered by two grieving countries. Southampton, initial point on Titanic's maiden voyage was also home to most of the ship's crew. The town suffered an incredible loss of 549 lives.

A memorial to the five postal workers aboard Titanic was installed in the High Street Post Office. It was forged from a spare propeller donated by shipbuilder Harland and Wolff. The plaque reads:

This tablet is erected by the Postal and Telegraph Service to the honor and memory of John R. Jago Smith, James B. Williamson, British Sea Post officers, and their American colleagues William H. L. Gwinn, John S. March, [and] Oscar S. Woody who died on duty in the foundering of S. S. Titanic April 15, 1912
"Steadfast in Peril"

In April, 2008, the High Street Post Office was closed. A controversy arose since it was possible that the plaque that adorned the walls would be sold at auction like numerous other Titanic memorabilia. However, Southampton city council members have directed that the memorial be placed in Southampton's Civic Center, thus thwarting any plans to profit off of the disaster.

At the time of the disaster, U.S. Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock noted the "bravery exhibited by these men in their efforts to safeguard under such trying conditions the valuable mail intrusted [sic] to them should be a source of pride to the entire Postal Service."

Indeed.

Test Post

2008-05-02T16:08:00.001-07:00

This is my test post