From our contributors |
July 2004 |
EUROPE by Albert Boerma
Belgian postal museum closed
THE Postal Museum in the beautiful Mallien mansion, in the centre of Brussels (Grote Zavel 40) will not be reopened. 'We are not reopening the museum', recently declared Piet van Speybroeck, spokesman of the Belgian De Post. 'This is not a task for the Post and we don't have experience of museums'. 'De Post' is looking for ways to preserve the collections: 'True philatelic material will be kept. The collections have been safely stored in a place that is safeguarded by an alarm system.' ...
Read the entire column in the Febuary 2006 Philatelic Exporter.
IN MY VIEW by Otto Hornung
Salamanca + Valencia = Malaga
WE can only envy Spanish philately. Please tell me, do you know of any other philatelic country that is capable of organising an international stamp exhibition every other year? Just look at the difficulties and problems British philately is facing to get the 2010 international going. The Spanish secret is very simple. They have the full support of Correos, the Spanish Post Office, and that means support in every respect from financial to physical, and Correos always make a profit ...Read the entire column in the Febuary 2006 Philatelic Exporter.
POSTCARD WORLD by Liz McKernan
Hall refurb forces Postcard Show date change
THE Royal Horticultural Hall is undergoing major refurbishment during the summer of this year which will include the installation of much needed air-conditioning. However, as the completion date of this work cannot be guaranteed the Postcard Traders Association has decided to change the dates originally planned for its annual Picture Postcard Show, which will now take place on October 11 to 14 ...Read the entire column in the Febuary 2006 Philatelic Exporter.
NEW BOOKS by David Rennie
[include the 10 pix of books on pp39/40/42/]
All reviewed in the Febuary 2006 Philatelic Exporter.
GREAT BRITAIN by James Skinner
Two tribes unite
JANUARY 1 2006 was a red letter day, not just because of the opening of postal markets to full competition, ending Royal Mail’s 375-year monopoly, but for another event particularly relevant to those with an interest in GB philately.
On that day, two of the biggest GB philatelic societies merged to form the Modern British Philatelic Circle, which is now believed to be the single largest study circle devoted to Elizabethan stamps.
What is more remarkable about this union is that over the years they could hardly have been called the best of friends. The societies in question are the BDSSC (British Decimal Stamp Study Circle) founded in 1973 with an emphasis, as its title suggests, on all matters GB since 1971, both commemorative and definitive, and the GBDSBSC (Great Britain Decimal Stamp Booklet Study Circle) which predictably focussed on booklets and panes and has been in existence for over 34 years ...
Read the entire column in the Febuary 2006 Philatelic Exporter.
USA by Les Winick
How does your customer see you? Or back to basics
HAVE you ever wondered how a potential customer sees you and/or your firm? As a customer of non-stamp related products, you form an opinion of the company where you want to spend your money. You consider some of these companies trustworthy and you don't give it a second thought. Yet, when buying from others, you ask for a receipt, and some sort of product guarantee. And you simply refuse to buy from some firms due to an opinion you have of their product or selling methods.
I have news for you. Your customers go through the same process when buying from you. Some will take your word for whatever you offer, others seem dubious, and still others want a written guarantee with a promise of money back if the product they buy is not as you advertised ...
Read the entire column in the Febuary 2006 Philatelic Exporter.
AUSTRALASIA by Glen Stephens
How to lose $3000
MANY collectors assume that placing scarce items into auction will always bring them the best price.
This is of course often true although many forget that they and the buyer both typically pay about 15% to 20% each in commissions and fees and taxes, and many do not take any of these into account!
The hammer price is nothing remotely like what you as the seller will eventually receive. Most sellers blissfully disregard this reality.
Place a scarce item at auction and attract several keen bidders and the fun certainly begins, and high prices often result.Place a big ticket stamp into an auction for which there is only one or two lukewarm bidders and the result can often be a financial disaster and huge disappointment. One such recent case I will outline here as a crystal clear example of why auctions are not always the best course of action.
A collector phoned me back in September asking would I be interested in buying a KGV Head 2d orange with inverted watermark.
This is a scarce stamp, and this copy was a new discovery. I asked what price he wanted and he said $12,000. The ACSC catalogue value is only $3500 for this stamp, but I knew it was a sought after error.
I contacted a client, who offered me a clear $1000 profit over my actual cost, and this was agreed between us as a firm sale. I always prefer a fast sale even at way under 10% profit, than no sale at all - the K-Mart trading mentality.
Read the entire column in the February 2006 Philatelic Exporter to find out how a collector lost $3000 on this stamp.
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