Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
The "art stamps" stand had some new material. This does not sell stamps as such, but rather artwork which uses stamps as a basis. A feature was the use of a single stamp as the starting point for a larger painting, the design of the stamp being extended beyond its frame, so that sometimes you don't notice where the stamp ends and the painting begins. This was particularly effective with outdoor scenes, such as on wildlife stamps.
Perhaps I was in the wrong mood, because this was really the only abiding memory (and I didn't buy anything there!). I picked up a couple of propaganda cards and a cover featuring a post-war Hitler obliteration with a somewhat ironic provenance, given recent news, and that was it. Maybe twice a year is getting a bit much for regular Stampex traders. Or indeed me.
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Sorry Guthrum, but I'm not following your "ironic provenance" comment. Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention to BBC. What are you referring to? The general worldwide uptick in nationalist racism that we've been witnessing? Or, something more specific?
NICE cover, by the way. Looks like a Genuine Postal Usage. What's "P.C. 4981"? And, THANKS for including an image in your posting. Many here should take note.
-Paul
PS, Speaking of nationalism, I'm reading a new book entitled Flashpoint Trieste. Exceptionally fascinating 20th century history of that general region, squashed between Italy, Yugoslavia, and Austria. The book's premise is that actions in and around Trieste near the end of WWII were the first pangs of the Cold War. I could see an incredible collection of Adversity Mail centered around that time and place...
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Something more specific. Chemnitz is where the pro-AfD demonstrations have taken place in the past few days. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45328477
I imagine 'P.C.' has to do with 'Post Chemnitz'.
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I have never been to Stampex in London, the cost of getting there would mean that I wouldn't be able to buy anything anyway so have never seen the point in going. In 52 years of collecting I have only been to 1 stamp fair and that was in Bournemouth many moons ago, it was held in the Littledown Centre and I picked up several Guyana stamps from a 5p each box a few of which are currently catalogued at about £15-20.
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I plan to be in London in late October for ten days. I doubt there will be any stamp fairs then and equally doubt my spouse would want me spending our limited time chasing one down. I will do well to drop into Stanley Gibbons for a visit.
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"I plan to be in London in late October for ten days. I doubt there will be any stamp fairs then and equally doubt my spouse would want me spending our limited time chasing one down. I will do well to drop into Stanley Gibbons for a visit.
"
You'd do better and have more fun dropping into the Charing Cross Collectors Market on a Saturday morning. 2 minutes walk from SG, you can even do both !!
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I too went to Stampex, and came away emptyhanded. But for a collector of stamps, not covers or postal history, and foreign, non-Commonwealth and non-GB stamps at that, this is perhaps unsurprising. What foreign material I did see was quite highly priced.
I think I'll stick to little local fairs when I can find them.
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Londonbus1 are there still other stamp shops in the lower Charing Cross (near Charing Cross Station) area? Many years ago there were quite a few dealers.
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No, only Gibbons along the Strand and the Stamp Centre opposite remain. Even the bustling dealers area just off the Station forecourt has gone. The space is still there, empty, and acts as a reminder of what once was.
Sad really, but inevitable.
Still, there is always the Charing X Market on Saturday mornings ! 
Londonbus1
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In central London there are also Argyll-Etkin on Wardour Street and Michael Chipperfield at the Silver Vaults on Chancery Lane, both with high-end material.
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Here's a harder question for British based members. If I were coming to Britain next Spring after a long period away which towns are worth a collector visiting. At the moment an itinerary could look something like this.
Flying in possibly through Stanstead or Southend, hiring a car and heading to Peterborough for a couple of days. Driving across to North Wales (Llangollen) for a couple of weeks and then heading south to Bristol for a short stay. Next stop would be Bournemouth for a couple of days and then Northwest Kent and London followed by an escape to warmer weather. I would try and fit Hay into the Welsh/Bristol route. I will also try and get either on the way in or way out a look at the Paris stamp markets;-)
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Sadly Bournemouth now has 0, zero, zilch, in the way of stamp shops. There were at least three when I started out way back in 1967, now nothing at all, I don't think Southampton has any now either. There is Rushstamps in Lyndhurst but I don't know if they are open to the public or just via the internet.
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Thanks Martyn
Sad about Bournemouth, but if it is open to the public, a search around Rushstamps would be interesting. It must be an Aladdin's cave in there;-)
Danny
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Danny,
Rushstamps is not open to the public. They do attend a monthly antique market close by and I will try to find out which one it is. (dates of visit will need to coincide of course).
But there are other opportunities, depending on the dates of your visit.
First and foremost before you set off from home check out the Stamp Fair Diary for fairs close to your destinations and/or route.
http://stampfairsdiary.co.uk/
Other options include:
The Enfield Stamp Centre, Enfield, North London. On the way to Peterborough if coming from Southend, but a small detour needed if coming from Stanstead. Nice Old fashioned shop.
https://www.enfieldstampcentre.com/
If you are near Bristol then it would be a pity to miss a visit to Bath, not too far away. A superb and very active Postal Museum plus a very nice Stamp Shop in town too.
https://www.bathstampandcoinshop-bath.co.uk/
https://bathpostalmuseum.org.uk/
I'll add a few more places of interest another time but at least you have some food-for-thought with the above.
I am a great fan of any and all Philatelic events and places and believe they should be attended whenever possible, no matter how small, quiet or out-of-the-way they are. If we don't support them they will die eventually. I encourage everyone to make an effort to attend fairs, museums, exhibitions and shops wherever you are. You never know what you may find. I have just returned from a 3-week trip to the UK, Catalonia and the South of France and I took in 12 'stamp' events which included meeting Online friends for the first time. A little effort by us all will make our hobby healthier and keep it alive longer. Have fun.
Danny Enjoy your trip.
Londonbus1......more to come.
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Dear Londonbus1
Thank you very much for all that information. I will start building it into my itinerary;-)
Best regards
Danny
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That sounds like a great itinerary, Danny. Llangollen is lovely - be sure to see the Pontcysllte aquaduct which is breath-taking. And Bala lake, a few miles down the A494. If you can venture further up the A5 into Snowdonia you'll come to Bettws-y-Coed, also lovely, and then hang a left at Capel Curig to Beddgelert.
I grew up in Chester, and we visited North Wales a lot when I was a child. I love the Welsh mountains, which was also where I did some rock climbing many years ago.
I'm getting jealous!
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Thanks Strider. Two of my daughters and four grandchildren live in Llangollen. I have never been there, my only visits to Wales were on the south coast. I knew about the canal aqueduct and I hope to visit it. My eldest grandson, 6 years old, has said he will take me on the heritage railway 
I suspect I will be driving through or close to Chester. The Hay book festival is on at the end of May so it could be early Summer rather than Spring when I arrive. It is probably not on the easiest route from Llangollen to Bristol, but it's in the right direction.
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To the Business Design Centre, Islington, for the Autumn Stampex. This seems to be dwindling as an event lately. The Royal Mail, which usually has plenty of material displayed and on offer, merely had a sales stand. The agency stands (new issues for places like Gibraltar or Jersey or the Isle of Man) no longer seem to turn up. Even Rushstamps was missing. There was plenty of unused space.
The "art stamps" stand had some new material. This does not sell stamps as such, but rather artwork which uses stamps as a basis. A feature was the use of a single stamp as the starting point for a larger painting, the design of the stamp being extended beyond its frame, so that sometimes you don't notice where the stamp ends and the painting begins. This was particularly effective with outdoor scenes, such as on wildlife stamps.
Perhaps I was in the wrong mood, because this was really the only abiding memory (and I didn't buy anything there!). I picked up a couple of propaganda cards and a cover featuring a post-war Hitler obliteration with a somewhat ironic provenance, given recent news, and that was it. Maybe twice a year is getting a bit much for regular Stampex traders. Or indeed me.
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07:12:13am
re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
Sorry Guthrum, but I'm not following your "ironic provenance" comment. Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention to BBC. What are you referring to? The general worldwide uptick in nationalist racism that we've been witnessing? Or, something more specific?
NICE cover, by the way. Looks like a Genuine Postal Usage. What's "P.C. 4981"? And, THANKS for including an image in your posting. Many here should take note.
-Paul
PS, Speaking of nationalism, I'm reading a new book entitled Flashpoint Trieste. Exceptionally fascinating 20th century history of that general region, squashed between Italy, Yugoslavia, and Austria. The book's premise is that actions in and around Trieste near the end of WWII were the first pangs of the Cold War. I could see an incredible collection of Adversity Mail centered around that time and place...
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
Something more specific. Chemnitz is where the pro-AfD demonstrations have taken place in the past few days. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45328477
I imagine 'P.C.' has to do with 'Post Chemnitz'.
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
I have never been to Stampex in London, the cost of getting there would mean that I wouldn't be able to buy anything anyway so have never seen the point in going. In 52 years of collecting I have only been to 1 stamp fair and that was in Bournemouth many moons ago, it was held in the Littledown Centre and I picked up several Guyana stamps from a 5p each box a few of which are currently catalogued at about £15-20.
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
I plan to be in London in late October for ten days. I doubt there will be any stamp fairs then and equally doubt my spouse would want me spending our limited time chasing one down. I will do well to drop into Stanley Gibbons for a visit.
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
"I plan to be in London in late October for ten days. I doubt there will be any stamp fairs then and equally doubt my spouse would want me spending our limited time chasing one down. I will do well to drop into Stanley Gibbons for a visit.
"
You'd do better and have more fun dropping into the Charing Cross Collectors Market on a Saturday morning. 2 minutes walk from SG, you can even do both !!
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
I too went to Stampex, and came away emptyhanded. But for a collector of stamps, not covers or postal history, and foreign, non-Commonwealth and non-GB stamps at that, this is perhaps unsurprising. What foreign material I did see was quite highly priced.
I think I'll stick to little local fairs when I can find them.
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
Londonbus1 are there still other stamp shops in the lower Charing Cross (near Charing Cross Station) area? Many years ago there were quite a few dealers.
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
No, only Gibbons along the Strand and the Stamp Centre opposite remain. Even the bustling dealers area just off the Station forecourt has gone. The space is still there, empty, and acts as a reminder of what once was.
Sad really, but inevitable.
Still, there is always the Charing X Market on Saturday mornings !
Londonbus1
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
In central London there are also Argyll-Etkin on Wardour Street and Michael Chipperfield at the Silver Vaults on Chancery Lane, both with high-end material.
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
Here's a harder question for British based members. If I were coming to Britain next Spring after a long period away which towns are worth a collector visiting. At the moment an itinerary could look something like this.
Flying in possibly through Stanstead or Southend, hiring a car and heading to Peterborough for a couple of days. Driving across to North Wales (Llangollen) for a couple of weeks and then heading south to Bristol for a short stay. Next stop would be Bournemouth for a couple of days and then Northwest Kent and London followed by an escape to warmer weather. I would try and fit Hay into the Welsh/Bristol route. I will also try and get either on the way in or way out a look at the Paris stamp markets;-)
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
Sadly Bournemouth now has 0, zero, zilch, in the way of stamp shops. There were at least three when I started out way back in 1967, now nothing at all, I don't think Southampton has any now either. There is Rushstamps in Lyndhurst but I don't know if they are open to the public or just via the internet.
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
Thanks Martyn
Sad about Bournemouth, but if it is open to the public, a search around Rushstamps would be interesting. It must be an Aladdin's cave in there;-)
Danny
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
Danny,
Rushstamps is not open to the public. They do attend a monthly antique market close by and I will try to find out which one it is. (dates of visit will need to coincide of course).
But there are other opportunities, depending on the dates of your visit.
First and foremost before you set off from home check out the Stamp Fair Diary for fairs close to your destinations and/or route.
http://stampfairsdiary.co.uk/
Other options include:
The Enfield Stamp Centre, Enfield, North London. On the way to Peterborough if coming from Southend, but a small detour needed if coming from Stanstead. Nice Old fashioned shop.
https://www.enfieldstampcentre.com/
If you are near Bristol then it would be a pity to miss a visit to Bath, not too far away. A superb and very active Postal Museum plus a very nice Stamp Shop in town too.
https://www.bathstampandcoinshop-bath.co.uk/
https://bathpostalmuseum.org.uk/
I'll add a few more places of interest another time but at least you have some food-for-thought with the above.
I am a great fan of any and all Philatelic events and places and believe they should be attended whenever possible, no matter how small, quiet or out-of-the-way they are. If we don't support them they will die eventually. I encourage everyone to make an effort to attend fairs, museums, exhibitions and shops wherever you are. You never know what you may find. I have just returned from a 3-week trip to the UK, Catalonia and the South of France and I took in 12 'stamp' events which included meeting Online friends for the first time. A little effort by us all will make our hobby healthier and keep it alive longer. Have fun.
Danny Enjoy your trip.
Londonbus1......more to come.
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
Dear Londonbus1
Thank you very much for all that information. I will start building it into my itinerary;-)
Best regards
Danny
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
That sounds like a great itinerary, Danny. Llangollen is lovely - be sure to see the Pontcysllte aquaduct which is breath-taking. And Bala lake, a few miles down the A494. If you can venture further up the A5 into Snowdonia you'll come to Bettws-y-Coed, also lovely, and then hang a left at Capel Curig to Beddgelert.
I grew up in Chester, and we visited North Wales a lot when I was a child. I love the Welsh mountains, which was also where I did some rock climbing many years ago.
I'm getting jealous!
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re: Autumn Stampex, London, September 2018
Thanks Strider. Two of my daughters and four grandchildren live in Llangollen. I have never been there, my only visits to Wales were on the south coast. I knew about the canal aqueduct and I hope to visit it. My eldest grandson, 6 years old, has said he will take me on the heritage railway I suspect I will be driving through or close to Chester. The Hay book festival is on at the end of May so it could be early Summer rather than Spring when I arrive. It is probably not on the easiest route from Llangollen to Bristol, but it's in the right direction.
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