First Issues Display

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1840-49 - 1850-51 - 1852-54 - 1855-57 - 1858-60 - 1861-64 - Occupation I - 1865-67 - 1868-70 - 1871-76 - 1877-80 - 1881-85 - 1886-89 - China

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Guinness Book of Stamps

I started collecting stamps again, after a break of several decades, in 2003 and joined Bexley Philatelic Society later that year. Most of my collecting effort in the first few years was concentrated on First Issues. Every February, BPS have a competition which includes an 8-page thematic display and so in 2007 I entered my first competition.

I came a respectable fourth out of seven, which, given my idiosyncratic approach, was a decent result. I intended to enter three displays in 2007/08:

I managed the 1850-51 and came 2nd, but missed the target for February 2008, lacking some essential stamps for 1852-53 (but see 1852-54) and deciding that the 1937-45 pages needed a rethink.

I did not play much with First Issues for a few years, having bought most of the stamps I could find and afford, but in 2013 I looked back with pleasure and some pride at my album of the two displays I did manage and decided to pick it up again. I am working on further physical displays, rewriting the web pages showing the displays and did consider writing a book on the subject. I have backtracked in the idea of a book as this is all work in progress and there's never a good time to start: in addition, the web is a much better way to go because, (1) it allows links between entries, and (2) it allows additions and corrections.

The following pages show the displays as originally presented, with any later comments in square brackets.

My intention is, as the display develops, to continue my practice of only showing stamps which I actually own. My purpose in this collection, as in all my stamp collections, is to answer the question 'what does it [a particular stamp] look like?'. As noted in the Rules, “I am unexcited by differences I cannot see, thus when watermark, perforation, paper type, gum, or any other such differences affect the price, I'll buy the cheapest”. Lübeck provides a good example


1840-49 . . . . . . . 1850-51 . . . . . . . 1852-54 . . . . . . . 1855-57 . . . . . . . 1858-60 . . . . . . . 1861-64 . . . . . . . . Occ I . . . . . . . 1865-67 . . . . . . . 1868-70 . . . . . . 1871-76 . . . . . . . . 1877-80 . . . . . . 1881-85 . . . . . . . 1886-89 . . . . . . China . . . . . .
Other - Summaries - Thumbnails - Rules & References - Scores - Page Scores


original pages started March 2008
rewritten April 2013