The Double Geneva is a rare Swiss stamp that was issued by the City of Geneva in 1843, making it the second-oldest stamp of the European continent after the Zurich.

The “Double Geneva,” consisted of a pair of stamps printed in black on yellow-green paper. Each stamp bared the city’s arms, and the inscription “Poste de Genéve” at the top and “Port local” at the bottom. An additional inscription, “10 PORT CANTONAL Cent” was printed on the top of each pair. Customers could cut out a single stamp to pay the intra-commune rate, or keep the pair together to pay the inter-commune rate.

Only 6,000 of these double issues were printed. In the late 70s this issue had a value of $45,000. Today, the issue would be worth considerably more.

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The Act of Congress of March 3, 1845, (effective July 1, 1845), established uniform (and reduced) postal rates throughout the nation, with a uniform rate of five cents for distances under 300 miles (500 km). However, Congress did not authorize the production of stamps until 1847, so postmasters made provisional issues. Prior to this time, rates were high and based, not on weight, but on the number of sheets in a letter. Any letter sent to a destination of 300 miles or less would cost 5¢ per half ounce. Any letter sent to a distance over 300 miles would cost 10¢ per half ounce. Letters for local delivery were charged 2¢.

While the Postmaster General was not authorized to issue postage stamps in the above-mentioned denominations, local postmasters issued their own stamps for use on outgoing mail. These early stamps and stamped envelopes are known as postmasters provisionals, and were valid only at the post office where they were issued. The 1845 Baltimore Postmaster Provisional was issued by James M. Buchanan, who issued both stamped envelopes and adhesive stamps. Buchanan placed his full signature on both the stamps and stamped envelopes he issued, and used both 5¢ and 10¢ denominations. This signed Buchanan Provisional on blued paper has a value, in today’s market, of between $60,000 to $100,000.

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The Alexandria Postmaster Provisional, known as the “Blue Boy”, was issued by postmaster Daniel Bryan in 1847. On November 24, 1847, James Wallace Hooff used this specimen to send a love letter to his forbidden lover and second cousin, Jannett H. Brown of Richmond Virginia. The two, who lived within blocks of each other, were looked down upon for their affairs. Hooff even wrote on the bottom of his letter, “Burn as usual,” an indication that they were writing in secrecy. The two eventually married and had three daughters. Their eldest daughter, Mary Fawcett, later found the envelope bearing the provisional in a sewing box in 1907, and sold it to a stamp dealer for US$3,000.

One of the rarest stamps in the world, the Blue Boy sold for $1 million in 1981 and is estimated to be worth many times that now.

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First Day Cavers (FDC as short form) are method of collecting stamps on envelopes that have been mailed with a cancellation showing clearly that the envelope was mailed on the day the stamp was first issued from the place of issue commemorating that stamp.

Each stamp printed for postal service is first placed on sale in the post office of whatever city is pertinent to the issue.  If it commemorates a famous person, as an example, the first day of issue would more than likely be the city in which that person was born. If the stamp is in commemoration of some historical or national event or landmark, the first day issue location would be the city nearest the place where the event occurred or the landmark was located.

While the new issue of stamps is sent to post offices all over the country, the postmasters are instructed to withhold the sale of them until the day after the day of issue.  This means that if the first day sale is on the first of the month, local post offices in other than the first day city cannot sell the stamps until the second of that month.

First day covers have become a big thing in stamp collecting, and several companies are now engaged in printing very elaborate envelopes for sale as first day covers.

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On the 15 fennigi stamp of the Republic of Poland in its last issue of 1919 appears the face of Paderewski, whose unusual career at once attracts attention and admiration of all.  It is probably the only instance in history where a noted musician has been honored with his picture on a postage stamp, although of course it was not his fame in that line which prompted his country to so honor him.

Paderewski was born in Podolia, Russian Poland, on November 6th 1860. He was nominated Professor of Music in the Warsaw Conservatory at the early age of eighteen.  He also held a Professorship at the conservatory at Strasburg but his favorite line of musical endeavor was that of a pianist.  As a pianist he made his debut in 1887, and his fame spread rapidly until the whole world soon paid him its homage as one of the greatest pianists who ever lived.

Probably every musical centre of the knows him as a musician, but during the troublous days of the World War he turned his talents to other laudable things, that of helping his distressed country to throw off the yoke of servitude imposed by Germany, Austria and Russia.  He toured the American Continent for funds to help the distressed people of his native land and to further their cause for liberty.  When the German army was heing cleared of Poland he returned there and it was probably more to his wisdom and skill in statecraft that the Republic was so successfully organized.  He served as its first Premier and held the ship of state at the most crucial period of its history and acquitted himself with a capability which shows him to be equally skilled in statesmanship as in the manipulation of the keys of a piano.

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Map of the World Stamp from Canada, a large one is too bulky for very general use, so it must be admitted that Canada has the distinction of issuing the only postage stamp which pictures at a glance the world.

This particular stamp was to mark the opening of the British Penny Postage scheme which was advocated from the days of Sir Rowland Hill.  New Zealand, Transvaal, etc., issued a special type and Canada did likewise. The designing of this stamp also had another meaning. The Ottawa Evening Journal has it in these lines: “When Postmaster General of Canada Sir William Mulock, was in Britain he as surprised to notice that the great mass of people (of Britain) did not appreciate the vastness of the British possessions abroad. This was especially true of Canada”. When it was time to prepare a suitable design for the 1898 issue, he suggested a map of the world showing the British possessions in a striking color.  He called for designs, but none suited. Then he drew a rough sketch and submitted it to an artist to finish.  The Journal also states that “Mr. Mulock is giving the public the cheapest map of the world ever made”.

The British possessions were in red while the countries of other powers are not so noticeable.

At the top the Crown is displayed and at the bottom the legende “We hold a vaster Empire than has been” appears.

The legende is taken from the Jubilee ode of Sir Lewis Morris, entitled “Song of the Empire”.

This remarkable stamp caused no end of criticism at home and abroad, not only because of its startling design, but (quoting C.A. Howe’s “Canada”) also because of the bombastic legende which appeared.

Before the section of Philately of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, John N. Luff, on February 24th 1899, mentioned this issue in a lecture delivered in the interests of the hobby.  He observes, “The motto is a trifle bombastic and suggests the Teutonic superlative “So bigger as never was”, and “Xmas 1898″ reads like the advertisement of a department store: “Gents pants for Xmas gifts”.

So great was the public demand for this stamp that it was put on sale the sixth day of December, although the intercolonial reduced postage did not become effective until Christmas Day. The value of the stamp was two cents and the colors, originally red and lavender, but within a short time copies appeared with Neptune’s realm in light green and Prussian blue.

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Investment in postage stamps should not really be called collecting since the real meaning of the word collecting is to obtain as many of a thing as you possibly can, and investment buying of stamps is something entirely different.  Actually, investment buying is something that only people who have a surplus of cash can do.

Unless you are so financially situated, investment buying is not for you.  The best you can do is to buy a few stamps now and then and hope for the best.  The real investment buyer follows every item of news in every periodical devoted to stamps.  He is up on world trends, politics in particular, since political changes in countries profoundly affect the value of its postage stamps.

Investment buying takes two forms.  One is the accumulation of stocks of current stamps, usually in full sheets, and in quantities of those sheets.  The other is buying rare and costly items, holding them until they rise higher, and then selling them at a profit.

Investment buying of postage stamps is a good hobby and a good way to make a buck if you are already rich.  It is a good way to lose your shirt if you are not rich enough to play with a lot of money, or if you don’t know all the ins and outs of philately.

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A plethora of articles have appeared in recent years on the performance of ‘collectibles,” as compared with conventional types of investments, on the relation of prices of collectibles to the state of the economy, the prevailing interest rates, to policies of the Federal Reserve. While informative and often on target, they deal with short term trends - a period of a few years, by and large. It is self evident that when interest rates soared to 20%, many so-called “investors” pulled out of the stamp market and put their funds in money market instruments, causing a drop in the prices of the type of issues these speculators had invested in. For these were speculators, not investors: buying and selling stamps for a relatively short holding period is pure speculation and, I might add, seldom pays off. True investment in collectibles must be for much longer holding periods, ideally 10 years or longer, because a long time span makes the short-term fluctuations in stamp prices caused by tight money, unemployment, political uncertainties, etc. negligible, compared with the long term trend, which is, as we’ll see, appreciation. I like to compare persons who buy stamps when the market is “depressed” and sell them when they are “fully priced’ with a minor league building contractor I once met, who bought houses in bad states of repair, moved his family in while he fixed them up, and then moved them out as soon as he could sell the houses at a profit with the leaky roof patched up, new carpeting, and a few other cosmetic alterations. He didn’t care about the house or the neighborhood; his only motive was fast bucks. It works for awhile but all-too-often foreclosure is just around the corner.

While money has been made by speculating in stamps over the short term, even by amateurs who knew nothing about the market forces which determine the prices, the writer thinks that this is a risky business. Gambling in Las Vegas gives you about the same chance for quick profit and there may even be a good floor show thrown in as a bonus. Investment in stamps is quite another matter. Besides a long term holding period, there are several other rules which must be observed. First and foremost, one should invest in quality, not in bargains. Stamps in premium condition, particularly if both scarce and popular, are markedly resistant to recession and can be sold quickly at any time, because there is always a buyer for top quality material, while the “pretty nice copy I got very cheaply” may go begging for a buyer when the time comes to liquidate a collection. But more of this later. Second, one must have either first-hand knowledge or advice from a knowledgeable dealer or investment counselor as to the relative scarcity of the issue and the demand for it in the marketplace. This includes some knowledge as to which country’s stamps are suitable for investment and which are strictly for collectors, with little prospect of major appreciation. Finally, one must learn how to keep stamps over long periods, to prevent deterioration, damage, and theft.

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Every stamp collector has a few basic skills to master before they begin. We would like to share ways to soak, sort, and mount stamps.

Soaking: Now that you have gathered some stamps from envelopes that came through the mail how are you going to get the stamps off the envelopes? First you should decide if you really want to remove the stamp. Perhaps there is a special cancel or image on the envelope that appeals to you — in this case put the entire envelope in your album. But if you want to remove the stamps from envelopes, the best way is to soak them. Soaking stamps is fast and easy. Here’s how:

* You first should go through and pull out any brightly covered envelopes (such as red or green) and lay these aside to soak separately as the color may bleed.

* Cut off the upper right-hand corner of the envelopes; be careful not to cut the stamps.

* Place them, stamp side up, in a few inches of lukewarm water in a shallow bowl (make sure the water is not HOT as it may damage the stamps). Don’t soak too many at one time, they should have room to float. And, if you are soaking a lot of stamps be sure to change your water after two or three batches.

* After a few minutes, you will notice the stamps begin to float free form the paper. Using stamp tongs, remove each stamp from the water. Be patient and do not try to pull the stamp free from the paper before it is ready as you may end up tearing it.

* Rinse the back of the stamp gently in fresh water to make sure all the glue is off. Then place the stamps between two paper towels and put a book on top of them to prevent curling. Leave the stamps to dry overnight.

* You’re ready to sort your stamps!

Sorting Stamps: Your stamps are soaked and dried, what is your next move? Before you mount them in your album you need to put them in some kind of order. Let’s sort:

* Depending on the type of collection you are putting together you may want to first sort your stamps by country or by topic. Or, you may decide to sort them by the service which the stamp was meant to provide such as airmail stamps, special delivery stamps, postage due, parcel post or revenue stamps.

* Now you may want to resort the piles by the stamp types meaning definitives, commemoratives, or special stamps like Christmas or Love stamps.

* You then can sort each pile further by their denomination. But be sure not to mix stamps of different categories when you group them according to denominations.

* During your sorting process remove any badly damaged stamps, unless of course it is valuable and may be hard to replace.

* If you have more than one copy of a particular stamp, select the best one (well centered and lightly canceled). The duplicates can be saved for trading.

* Sorting is a never-ending job as you will always be adding to your collection. And remember, there is no right or wrong way to collect. Your collection is just that — it’s yours. That’s what makes stamp collecting so much fun!

* It’s time to put your stamps in their new home — your album.

Mounting Stamps: Collectors often store stamps in albums. To attach the stamps to album pages, you may use peelable hinges or stamp mounts. Unlike tape or glue (which you should never use) hinges and mounts provide a way to remove the stamp from your album page without damaging it. So, should you hinge or mount? That’s another choice that is up to you.

Hinges are small, thin, folded pieces of translucent paper or plastic with special gum on the once side. To use a hinge, moisten the short end of the hinge lightly and press it to the back of the stamp, placing the fold about 1/8 inch from the top of the stamp. Then lightly moisten the larger portion of the hinge and attach it to your album page pressing down to secure it. Many collectors prefer to use mounts for mint stamps, as part of the gum will come off of the stamp if the hinge is removed.

Mounts are small, clear plastic sleeves that are open on both sides. To use a mount, you simply insert the entire stamp into the mount, lightly moisten the back of the mount, and attach them to your album pages. Mounts are a little more expensive than hinges, but they protect stamps from air, dirt, and moisture. Hinges and mounts can be purchased from local stamp dealers.

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With the birth of stamps came the birth of stamp collectors or philatelists as they have become known. Shortly after adhesive postage stamps were introduced by Great Britain in 1840, people began collecting them. In 1841, a women even placed an advertisement in the London Times in which she requested help in collecting stamps so that she could paper a bedroom wall.

The two terms philately and philatelist, which refer to the collection and study of postage stamps, were derived from the Greek word phileo, meaning “I love” and ateleia, meaning “free of charges”, in the sense that postage stamps replaced a cash postal charge. As people began to collect these interesting pieces of paper, no one realized how valuable stamps could become.

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