Some stamp societies invite collectors to submit one-page exhibits that are then displayed on their websites. These are noncompetitive...

Update: This post was published in First Days , July-August 2024, pp. 60-69. The layout by editor Martin Kent Miller is fantastic. The...

The cover shown in Figures 1 and 2 caught my attention when it was offered at auction in July 2023. I had heard of the recipient Edward...

On July 16, 1870, fearing the loss of its dominant position in continental Europe, France declared war on the North German Confederation...

To streamline the complex maze of postal services for international mail, 22 countries met in 1874 to establish the General Postal Union,...

In late 2022, I purchase a boxful of covers at a stamp auction. The covers were a fascinating lot dating from the mid-19th century to the...

Stamp collectors do not like stamps with imperfections, such as holes, but there is an exception and that is for stamps that purposefully...

At the same time that Great Britain issued the first ever adhesive postage stamp (the Penny Black - see this post: A Naturalist, A Prize...

This folded letter from 1840 Great Britain that I acquired in early 2022 for $250.00 was so interesting that I wrote a full-length that...