Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Regards,
Arron.
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For basic identification, you should try one of the online catalogues - I use either Colnect or Stampworld. They will give you images of the stamps of the country arranged by year, but watermark and shade differences not so much. There may well be a website devoted solely to Irish stamps.
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Thank you snowy12 and Guthrum. I only recently started collecting seriously; it can be daunting to say the least. I really appreciate your input.
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Stampworld does have list watermark differences - just click on the WM link at the top of the stamp description - they are relatively crude drawings, but they work.
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Thank you doomboy, I'll make sure to look at that soon.
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It might be worth checking to see if your local library (especially a larger branch or the main library) has a copy of a stamp catalogue.
Sometimes only the most recent ones are in the reference section, with older copies in the general stacks that can be checked out.
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Thank you for your suggestion Philatarium. I've been considering it for a while, as the catalogues are so expensive to buy.
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You're in good company, believe me! And I've found that the libraries are delighted to learn that people are using the catalogs. It confirms for them that there's still demand for these items.
If it turns out that no stamp catalogs are available at the library, you may well be able to find an older copy on eBay for an affordable price. If your purposes are mostly for identification, rather than the very latest prices, then it can be a good reference.
Since you're in Ireland, I would imagine the standard reference is going to be one of the Stanley Gibbons catalogs, and their numbering system is probably going to be the most common if you were ever to go to a dealer or a stamp show, or even buy online from someone in your neck of the woods.
There is also a Hibernian stamp catalog, which also gets good reviews (and my guess is it would be the most specialized, but I don't know this field very well), but, according to what I've read, the SG numbers would be the most commonly used there.
Hopefully someone who knows Irish philately can chime in here soon to offer fuller guidance.
Good luck! Take your time, and enjoy the hobby!
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When i used to visit my Dad in Bradenton Florida the scott catalogs were in the reference section and could not be checked out..but other folks in other locations tell me they can check the catalogs out ! At my age i probably have purchased my last complete set of catalogs..gone are the days i could buy them a couple of years old for 8.00 apiece.
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Thanks everyone.you've all been very helpful. I don't feel as lost as I did before asking the question.
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There is also an additional sword of light stamp with e watermark issued in 1966 which is slightly smaller and printed on very white chalk-surfaced paper. As this was the normal letter rate at the time, while the earlier stamps were for high(er)postal rates, the chances are that your stamps are this one.
If you have any doubt the earlier sets included a map of Ireland, the arms of Ireland and a celtic cross, and the paper of the latest sword of life stamp compared with these shows the paper difference very well. There is also a 3d stamp on the same white paper.
Without a decent catalogue you cannot tell these apart, and I have to tell you that the Stanley Gibbons "Simplified" catalogue doesn't seperate these.
It is important to know the difference between different apparently identical stamps. The differences in the SG Commonwealth catalogue for 1992 are
se watermark £9,00,s watermark 0.10,chalky paper 0.15.
You can write a book on catalogue prices, and the vagaries thereof ( note not values ) but many prices of low value stamps never change after original publication.For what it is worth I would consider that the chalky paper is probably the most common in bulk accumulations today, while the "normal" s watermark is the most common in existing established collections.
Ireland has a history of using different papers on modern definitive stamps, and the comparative scarcity can be quite startling.
Malcolm
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04:12:18am
You might find a stamp club nearby or a stamp shop. In fact, one of our members "Charlie Something" has a stamp business in Tralee I think. I recall getting some won lots from him last year. He might be a convenient source of both information as well as used SG catalogs.
"Tralee Stamp Store ???" comes to mind.
My forgetter is getting better every day, but someone here should be able to direct you to him.
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Thank you very much guys. I have a lot of things to follow up on.
I was initially going to trade my Irish stamps for others that I'm interested in, but I have grown to like them (either that or I've become a hoarder).
I like the sword of light, Cross of Cong, Four provinces and Architecture stamps; I'm still not very fond of the 'dog' stamps though.
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11:38:56pm
Hey everyone, I recently bought a large accumulation of old Irish stamps,the trouble is I am unable to figure out exactly how old most of them are. I do not have any catalogues and find it almost impossible to distinguish earlier and later issues. I have a large number of 5d Sword of light stamps, but I don't know what year they are. Can anyone help me with this? Unfortunately I'm finding it difficult to upload images, I am trying ( I'm just not very technologically advanced) my apologies.
Regards,
Arron.
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re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
For basic identification, you should try one of the online catalogues - I use either Colnect or Stampworld. They will give you images of the stamps of the country arranged by year, but watermark and shade differences not so much. There may well be a website devoted solely to Irish stamps.
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07:12:46am
re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
Thank you snowy12 and Guthrum. I only recently started collecting seriously; it can be daunting to say the least. I really appreciate your input.
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re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
Stampworld does have list watermark differences - just click on the WM link at the top of the stamp description - they are relatively crude drawings, but they work.
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09:44:25am
re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
Thank you doomboy, I'll make sure to look at that soon.
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re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
It might be worth checking to see if your local library (especially a larger branch or the main library) has a copy of a stamp catalogue.
Sometimes only the most recent ones are in the reference section, with older copies in the general stacks that can be checked out.
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02:46:10pm
re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
Thank you for your suggestion Philatarium. I've been considering it for a while, as the catalogues are so expensive to buy.
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re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
You're in good company, believe me! And I've found that the libraries are delighted to learn that people are using the catalogs. It confirms for them that there's still demand for these items.
If it turns out that no stamp catalogs are available at the library, you may well be able to find an older copy on eBay for an affordable price. If your purposes are mostly for identification, rather than the very latest prices, then it can be a good reference.
Since you're in Ireland, I would imagine the standard reference is going to be one of the Stanley Gibbons catalogs, and their numbering system is probably going to be the most common if you were ever to go to a dealer or a stamp show, or even buy online from someone in your neck of the woods.
There is also a Hibernian stamp catalog, which also gets good reviews (and my guess is it would be the most specialized, but I don't know this field very well), but, according to what I've read, the SG numbers would be the most commonly used there.
Hopefully someone who knows Irish philately can chime in here soon to offer fuller guidance.
Good luck! Take your time, and enjoy the hobby!
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re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
When i used to visit my Dad in Bradenton Florida the scott catalogs were in the reference section and could not be checked out..but other folks in other locations tell me they can check the catalogs out ! At my age i probably have purchased my last complete set of catalogs..gone are the days i could buy them a couple of years old for 8.00 apiece.
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08:31:50am
re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
Thanks everyone.you've all been very helpful. I don't feel as lost as I did before asking the question.
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12:56:07pm
re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
There is also an additional sword of light stamp with e watermark issued in 1966 which is slightly smaller and printed on very white chalk-surfaced paper. As this was the normal letter rate at the time, while the earlier stamps were for high(er)postal rates, the chances are that your stamps are this one.
If you have any doubt the earlier sets included a map of Ireland, the arms of Ireland and a celtic cross, and the paper of the latest sword of life stamp compared with these shows the paper difference very well. There is also a 3d stamp on the same white paper.
Without a decent catalogue you cannot tell these apart, and I have to tell you that the Stanley Gibbons "Simplified" catalogue doesn't seperate these.
It is important to know the difference between different apparently identical stamps. The differences in the SG Commonwealth catalogue for 1992 are
se watermark £9,00,s watermark 0.10,chalky paper 0.15.
You can write a book on catalogue prices, and the vagaries thereof ( note not values ) but many prices of low value stamps never change after original publication.For what it is worth I would consider that the chalky paper is probably the most common in bulk accumulations today, while the "normal" s watermark is the most common in existing established collections.
Ireland has a history of using different papers on modern definitive stamps, and the comparative scarcity can be quite startling.
Malcolm
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
02 Dec 2016
04:12:18am
re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
You might find a stamp club nearby or a stamp shop. In fact, one of our members "Charlie Something" has a stamp business in Tralee I think. I recall getting some won lots from him last year. He might be a convenient source of both information as well as used SG catalogs.
"Tralee Stamp Store ???" comes to mind.
My forgetter is getting better every day, but someone here should be able to direct you to him.
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07:07:14pm
re: Irish 5d Sword of light stamp
Thank you very much guys. I have a lot of things to follow up on.
I was initially going to trade my Irish stamps for others that I'm interested in, but I have grown to like them (either that or I've become a hoarder).
I like the sword of light, Cross of Cong, Four provinces and Architecture stamps; I'm still not very fond of the 'dog' stamps though.
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