Reading Stamp Collectors' Club

07/20/2023

Visit to Chatsworth House
This is the Grand Entrance built to impress guests
George 3rd and his wife stayed here

06/04/2019

DO YOU KNOW WHY WE ARE CALLED PHILATELISTS?

Don’t Like Taxes? Then You’re a “Philatelist”
by John F. Dunn

If you or someone you know collects stamps, then you may be among the few who know that “philatelist” is a fancy-sounding word for “stamp collector”. Stamp collectors who think they know more about stamp collecting than other stamp collectors like to call themselves “philatelists.” To truly qualify as a philatelist, you need to know what the word means. Most “philatelists” know this.

Many “stamp collectors” do not. ‘In the beginning’ “philately” had nothing to do with collecting stamps. “Philatélie” is a combination of the French “phil”—meaning “love” in English—and the Greek “ateleia”—meaning “tax exemption” in English. Literally, philately is the love of tax exemption, more commonly interpreted as “love of freedom from paying a tax”. At a time when tax avoidance and tax reduction is such a hot theme, it’s a wonder more people don’t realize they are “philatelists.”

“But how”, you ask, “do we get from ‘love of not wanting to pay taxes’
to ‘collecting stamps’?”

Here’s how: Before the creation of postage stamps, most mail was sent unpaid by the sender, with the postage to be paid by the recipient; and that postage was a fee, or tax, paid for the delivery of a letter.

When postage stamps and other forms of prepaying postage for a mailed letter were developed, the recipient was freed from paying for the letter, which can also be described as being exempt from the postage fee or tax. As you might expect, recipients just loved not having to pay the postage fee, or tax— thus, making them “philatelists”.

Then add in the fact that the recipient also could keep, save, and collect those stamps that freed them from paying for the postage and you know why philatelists, usually defined narrowly as stamp collectors also can be people who love not having to pay a tax.

OWN UP!

How many of you reading this article truly knew the origin of “Philatelist”?

01/21/2019

THE ROYAL PHILATELIC SOCIETY



In 2019, the Royal Philatelic Society London, the oldest philatelic Society in the world, established in 1869 as The Philatelic Society, London, celebrates its sesquicentenary.
The Royal Mail has issued the following “Stamp Classics” Mini Sheet


In addition, Buckingham Covers has issued covers that are actually rather nice (however they hit ”stamp on stamp” collector’s bank account) covering the sheet on one cover and then one for each reign an example (Queen Victoria) is below.

11/22/2018

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWS THE READING STAMP COLLECTORS' CLUB IN PA

10/28/2018

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

10/28/2018

READING STAMP COLLECTORS' CLUB

18th ANNUAL SHOW

LEESPORT FARMERS MARKET

(Off RT 61 North)

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

16 DEALERS

Great Food

Kids Table with free stamps for young collectors

Reading Stamp Collectors' Club meets on the 1st Tuesday (7 pm) of each month at Berkshire Commons off Rte 422 in Exeter PA.

Member presentations, group shared presentations, auctions and general stamp. Annual picnic (July) and Christmas Dinner (December)

08/15/2018

Here is an article that was in our latest newsletter

The Stamp That Almost Started a War
Click on picture at the bottom of this article


Don't be fooled by its size. A tiny little stamp can cause big trouble. Case in point: This stamp issued by Nicaragua in 1937. Not uncommonly, the stamp featured a map of the country, but it included a large section of land also claimed by neighboring Honduras. Ownership of the region had long been in dispute between the two countries and remained a source of great contention. In 1906, King Alfonso XIII of Spain decided the matter in favor of Honduras, but Nicaragua refused to acknowledge the decision. Tensions grew in the following years, so when Nicaragua released the stamp in 1937, Hondurans were outraged. Government officials, newspapers, and radio stations demanded the stamps be recalled and destroyed. Nicaraguan authorities, however, refused and insisted the map was correct. They also pointed out that they had the courtesy to label the area on the stamp as territorio en litigio. Regardless, in a matter of weeks, anti-Nicaraguan demonstrations erupted in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. Across the border, Nicaraguan radio announcers called for military action, demanding the national army be sent to guard the border region. The public even began a donation drive designed to fund more planes to build up the Nicaraguan Air Force.
At the last minute, the United States, Costa Rica, and Venezuela intervened to defuse the conflict before it escalated into war. Both countries agreed to withdraw their armed forces from the disputed area and stop mobilizing troops. And, naturally, the peace agreement called for withdrawing the offending stamps. They evidently remained in circulation, however, until supplies in private hands ran out. The example shown was postmarked in 1941—four years after their forced recall.

06/03/2018

06/03/2018

First U.S. Scratch-and-Sniff Stamps
The first-class forever stamps will add “the sweet scent of summer to letters of love, friendship, party invitations and other mailings” the USPS said in its release. A first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony, free and open to the public, will take place on June 20 at 6 p.m. local time the Thinkery Children’s Museum in Austin, Texas.

The stamps feature illustrations of frosty, colorful, icy pops on a stick. Today, Americans love cool, refreshing ice pops on a hot summer day. The tasty, sweet confections come in a variety of shapes and flavors.

Ice pops are made by large manufacturers, home cooks and artisanal shops. In recent years, frozen treats containing fresh fruit such as kiwi, watermelon, blueberries, oranges and strawberries have become more common. In addition, flavors such as chocolate, root beer and cola are also popular. Some frozen treats even have two sticks, making them perfect for sharing.

There are 10 designs – each showing two different treats – that will be sold in booklets of 20. The artwork showcases is from Margaret Berg, of Santa Monica, California, who depicted the whimsical illustrations in watercolors. The words “Forever” and “USA” appear along the bottom of each stamp. Art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, Virginia, designed the stamps with Leslie Badani of Alexandria, Virginia.

A Postal Service spokesman declined to say if the 10 stamps would have the same or a variety of aromas, noting that information will be released when the stamps are issued. He also noted that the technology used for the stamps will also be explained at that time.

The U.S. is a bit behind the world in scratch-and-sniff technology on postage stamps. Bhutan issued the world’s first such stamps in 1973 with stamps that smell like roses, according to an article published May 1, 2015 in Linn’s Stamp News.The American Topical Association lists 114 stamps on its check list of scented stamps. Roses remain a popular scent on the list along with such fragrances as chocolate, vanilla and coffee, according to the article in Linn’s. Other scents you can find on stamps include honey, cinnamon, pine, apple, lemon, sweet-and-sour pork and fire (burnt wood).

04/01/2018

Happy Easter to all RSCC members and Facebook followers