"GONG XI FA CAI"
Happy Chinese New Year 2011 to all my dear friends. Wish all of you a prosperous new year and May God bless you and your family always.
Happy Chinese New Year 2011 to all my dear friends. Wish all of you a prosperous new year and May God bless you and your family always.
When I saw the newspaper today, I was rather shocked and disturbed by this picture:
Definitely a sad sad scenario in Malaysia. Isn't there any more appreciation for postal services? I truly hope this will never happen again. Though i have to agree that our postal services still needs improvement but this is NO WAY how we treat them.
Anyway, the person who took this picture was actually awarded RM50; what irony?
Christmas is here once again and what more to share if not a cover reflecting the spirit of Christmas. However, over the years I realized Christmas has become more of a commercial festive season rather than a day to remember that Christ came to the world and died for our sins. I would like to stress that Christmas is definitely not about Santa but its solely about Christ our Lord.
"For God so loved the world,
that He gave his only son
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish,
but have eternal life" John 3:16
A little something I came across and would like to share with all my friends:
Jesus is Better than Santa
Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS lives in you.
Santa rides in a sleigh
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year
JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies
JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited
JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. and then enters your heart.
You have to stand in line to see Santa
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly
JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO
JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry"
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.
Santa's little helpers make toys
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa may make you chuckle but
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree
JESUS became our gift and died on the cross.
It's obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in Christmas.
Jesus is still the reason for the season.
May the Lord Bless and Watch over you and your loved ones this Christmas 2010
And may He prosper and bless the work of your hands in the New Year.
Postmarks Collection is nothing new in philately especially for traditional philatelist. Basically postmarks consists of 4 major division:
1. Circular Dated Stamp (CDS)
2. First Day Postmark
3. Pictorial Postmark
4. Meter Postmark
I guess I need not elaborate on the above as most of us are well aware of the different type of postmarks and I'm sure there are many articles in the web which has elaborated explaination with regards to different types of postmarks. However, today I would like to share something that has been a crave for the new philaletist generation. Yes, it is Special Date Postmarks. What do I mean by Special Date Postmarks?
Special date postmarks are basically postmarks that reflects special dates such as 10-10-10 or 20-10-2010. Many have argued that this sort of collection is of no value but I disagree. Any collection is valuable if they are cherished by its owner. If a philatelist is commited to do extensive research and build a collection, I'm sure it will be something great in the future. Something eveyone will look up to. Take my word for it.
Though I dont have an extensive collection in this area, I do have some covers that I would love to share:
Taiwan Postmark dated 8th September 2010 at 11am
Birmingham,UK Postmark dated 10th October 2010
Dubai, UAE Postmark dated 10th October 2010
Belgium Meter Cancellation dated 10th October 2010
Interesting? I'm sure all of you would agree that this is definitely an area we all can participate and contribute to the growth of Special Date Philately. So, if you are interested, do keep me in the loop when special dates like this comes by. I'm always ready for friendly exchanges. LOL...
Looking closer to the Pahang Heritage issue, we tend to wonder if its a coincidence or another one of those famous blunder by POS Malaysia. If you are wondering what I'm talking about, please take a good look at the stamps.
I have to agree they surprisingly look good but a black border is definitely very disturbing. Black border stamps are often associated with "national bereavement" or more commonly called "mourning" stamps. OMG, this is definitely a big blunder if you ask me.
Although this is not a cast in stone rule, I truly believe POS Malaysia and the designer should have avoided this kinda controversies. It will definitely add to the bad rapport POS Malaysia is currently building. Agreed that Pahang's flag is black and white but I'm sure there are millions of ways to reflect them on a stamp; not neccessarily with a black border.
Samples of mourning stamps with Black borders:
The Greek 250-drachma-on-3d stamp (Scott 499) shown in the stamp above was issued as a memorial for King George II, who died on April 1, 1947. The stamp was surcharged with a new value and overprinted with black borders. Overprinting existing stamp stocks allowed a quick release of the mourning stamp, just 14 days later on April 15.
Those in mourning used letter paper and envelopes that were edged in black. Some sources say that the width of the borders varied from narrow to broad based upon the closeness of the relationship of the writer to the deceased, the amount of time that has passed, or the importance of the deceased. The cover above illustrates a mourning cover mailed from Chelsea, England, to Yonkers, N.Y., in 1937.
The use of black borders was not restricted to postage stamps. In 1935, Belgium used black borders on semipostal stamps depicting the lovely Queen Astrid. Astrid was a Swedish princess who married Belgium's Crown Prince Leopold in 1926. In 1934, he ascended the throne and Astrid became the queen consort. On Aug. 29, 1935, 29-year-old Queen Astrid died in an automobile accident in the Swiss Alps. Just two months later, on Oct. 31, Belgium issued the 70-centime+5c Queen Astrid semipostal stamp (Scott B174) shown in stamp above. It was the first of a set of eight black-bordered Queen Astrid semipostal stamps.
At the 71st FIP Congress the delegates of 88 countries elected a new president, Mr Tay Peng Hian from Singapore, as well as the Vice-President for Asia, Mr Surajit Gongvatana from Thailand and a new Director, Mr Bernie Beston from Australia. The best part is Mr Tay is also a lifetime member of the Philatelic Society of Malaysia (PSM). That's truly an honor for us too. Congratulation to Mr Tay and I'm sure FIP Congress will bring philately to the next level under the leadership of great leaders of the philatelic world.
The World Best MC Competition 2009 has finally been concluded at Portugal 2010 and below are the results:
1st Prize : Portugal
2nd Prize : Cyprus
3rd Prize : Russia
4th Prize : Spain
Simply a showcase of ART if you ask me. Maximaphily is truly getting to me but it aint going to be an easy journey. So much to learn and definitely a lot of effort is needed to create Maxicards but the fruit of the labor is definitely satisfying. You have my word for it...
Finally, the truth unveiled and yes, POS Malaysia did collaborate with Kaspersky to issue this special booklet. Checkout the article I got from theStar dated 8th December 2009.
Snapshot from theStar
I guess the image below speaks for itself.
From left) Director of TechLane Resources Sdn Bhd CH Tan, chief operating officer of PosNiaga Datuk Mearia Hamzah, Philatelic Society of Malaysia president VT Nathan and Cheung with the set of stamps.
Though its finally proven to be a collaboration between Kaspersky and POS Malaysia but there is definitely an uneasy feeling among Malaysian philatelist. The most intriguing thing here is that most PSM members are not aware of this issue. How can this be when our President Mr VT Nathan was there to launch the booklet. Something's wrong somewhere....
This booklet is still very ambiguous and there are just so many controversial matters surrounding this particular issue. However, I definitely believe with the right price, its a good item to have in a Malaysian Collection but for me, sorry; just not my type. Come on, using the same stamps with a different booklet? That's rather lame if you ask me.
I would love to know if this sort of scenarios do happen in your country. Appreciate comments and feedbacks.
While going through PSM's blog, I found something very interesting and would love to share it with my friends. I guess the images speaks for themselves...
Kaspersky Booklet
Trust me, I'm as surprise as all of you. Since when did Kaspersky (a reknown anti virus software) issued stamps in Malaysia? The funny thing here is that the stamps are obviously genuine and was taken from the One Malaysia collection issued on 31st August 2009.
One Malaysia Booklet
Please take note that anybody can come out with a private booklet with genuine stamps but the point here is whether POS Malaysiangave its authorization for the use of its name/logo. IMHO, I just fail to see the need for POS Malaysia to do this as the original issue comes with an official booklet. Seriously, something is not right here.
Another illegal issue? Yes, I used the word another solely because this has happened before. Around 1998-2000s, there were similar "private" booklets with blocks of genuine stamps for the Commanweath Games with the official POS logo which was later found to be unauthorized, hence making the booklet illegal.
Looking at this, it marks another black day for Malaysia Philately. Just imagine what will happen in the near future. Obviously, as a collector/philatelist, this provides us with another area to study but if you ask me, I definitely say this is rather unethical. How do we classify this in philately; forgery, cinderella, etc? or more percisely the work of some "Smart Alex" who is trying to make a fast buck.
Anyway, we will definitely need to know what is going on and the least POS Malaysia could do is to let us know what is happening. If this is an official issue, please explaing why it was not sold to the public; if not, please take the appropriate actions for the future of philately in Malaysia. Looking at things, I believe this will just end up another mystery like many other mystery issues in Malaysia. LOL...
Being a thematic collector, many have repeatly asked this particular question; How far do I go as a thematic collector?
Like all others, I went through the normal cycle; from world wide, to Birds, to specific birds and slowly to a more specialized area. I guess this is a normal cycle for all. When it comes to a thematic collector I guess we can have 2 major type of collector/philatelist:
1) one who is passionate about his/her thematic collection and gets everything that comes by; duplicates are never a problem
2) one who collects specific thematic material for his/her exhibit
IMHO, both collector/philatelist are as passionate and the only difference between them is their goal. One who love to have a complete and comprehensive collection of a specific theme while the second dreams of a GOLD medal. Hats off to both as a lot of passion and effort is put into their great work.
Then the another question pops up; which is more cost effective? As Ive mentioned numerous times, I really dont like to put a value on philatelic materials. For me they are small things in life that are priceless. However, if you insist on knowing the cost, IMHO both incur the same cost. As a exhibitor, he/she will first plan out his/her story board and moving forward, will only purchase relevant materials. Seems cheap enough but bear in mind, GOLD Medal means GOLD INVESTMENT!!! Specific materials like essays, errors, proofs, etc are priority whereas a thematic collector who collects everything tends to buy anything he/she could afford. Again seems cheaper, but when the bulk becomes bigger, you definitely will cross that very thin line again. Please take note that no matter how casual a collector/philatelist can be, there will be a time when the temptation of a more specialized collection becomes unbearable. HAHAHA, Im sure you will agree. I guess philately isn't cheap when you get really serious bout it.
As for the question; How far do I go as a thematic collector? I guess first you need to set a goal. As for the goal, please dont be influence by others. Give good thought to it and eventually you will know what u really want. If you asked me, there is a thin line between an exhibitor and a thematic collector, but an even thinner line between a thematic and a traditional philatelist. Ooops, dont shoot me please. I know its a taboo within the traditional community but IMHO, thematic philatelist/collectors tend to go abroad when they really committed.
After you know what are your goals, then its time to analyze whether your topic/theme is suitable. I have narrowed my collection from Birds to Birds of Prey and Pigeons as it is easier for me to focus on both. Moreover, its much cheaper when we talk about dollar and cents. I was rather comfortable with my decision as I can slowly build my collection and spend a little more on the more expensive issues. However, as time passes, the urge to be involved in exhibition becomes unbearable and this is when I realized being too specific on a theme for exhibit is never easy. Just imagine, how many postmarks where there for birds of prey or more importantly how many essays/proofs are there in the market? Unlike wider themes such as Birds or more abstract themes like Wind, Water, etc. materials are easier to hunt for but again not necessarily cheap. Please take note that with a specific theme, though the workload becomes bigger but the end results is most satisfying.
I guess in the end, its all about the decision we make. No one philatelist can dictate what is the limit. Please bear in mind there was never a limit in philately. Just use your imagination and dont never give up. No matter what the end result is, the most essential thing is that you had given your best. Im sure by then, all else doesnt really matter.
Again, all these are my humble thoughts and I would again be honoured to receive feedbacks from all my readers. Till the next post, take care and God bless.
Pos Malaysia will be issuing yet another personalized stamps with regards to celebration in Malaysia. This time around, its for Deepavali and Pos Malaysia will issue the full sheet on 14th October 2010 which is tomorrow. The full sheet cost RM19.00 which again I think its rather expensive when you consider the face value of the stamp which is only RM6.00
I guess this is an opportunity for collectors/philatelist to add this set to their personalized stamp collection. Moreover, an opportunity to have some private FDCs. That will be interesting. Though, its an interesting idea by Pos Malaysia, I do feel a sense of uneasiness when it comes to issues of this sort. How do we categorized them? They are personalized stamps which are officially issued by Pos Malaysia. I guess I better take this to my next post and I'm sure it will be a heated discussion as personalized stamps has always been a rather controversial thingy in philately.
Anyway, it will be great to have this stamps on a postal cover as this kinda cover can be scare in the future. Doubt many will buy these stamps to post their cards. LOL... To all my readers who are interested in this set, please drop me a message/comment as I will not be getting this set unless requested by friends.
Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my Hindu friends an advance HAPPY DEEPAVALI.
Snapshot from theStar
POS Malaysia is again in the news but sadly this time around its for the wrong reason. Its definitely a sad case and I'm really sad that POS Malaysia staff has done such a thing. IMHO, POS Malaysia should spend more time and effort to ensure top notch service rather than hiking up postage rates and issuing outrageously expensive stamps. e.g. POS Office issue that cost RM16.80 a set is definitely too expensive for students. I have to agree that the price is not too bad for the working class and serious philatelist but if philately is to gain popularity in Malaysia, POS Malaysia should seriously look into the matter.
For more details:
Over the years, My biggest concern is not about getting stamps but rather keeping them. Surprise? I guess not if you are living in a country with high humidity like Malaysia. It is definitely a BIG BIG challenge for me as its never easy to fight mother nature.
There are really two main reasons why collectors go to great lengths to keep their stamps in the best condition possible. The main reason is a fact we cannot deny; stamps are valued with regards to its condition. A toned stamp or a missing perf can drastically decrease the value of a stamp. Secondly, its never a good feeling to have an imperfect stamp in your collection. You can ask any philatelist or collector. we all feel the same. However, please take note that we cant always get the best possible condition when it comes to classics but mind you we will always try our best.
Keeping stamps in a tropical country isn't easy at all due to its high humidity. There are a few key points we need to adhere to ensure that our stamps remains in the highest of quality.
Stamp Tongs
1. Always use Stamp Tongs
As philatelist/collector, using Stamp Tongs has definitely become second nature but there are times when we need to use our hands. e.g. to separate a single stamp from a sheet. Human skin is coated with some oily residue and not even a good hand wash could reduce the oil. The biggest problem starts when the oil is transfered to our precious stamps; toning and spots start to appear. Definitely a nightmare.
Stamp mounts is truly a reliable yet proven way to keep stamps
2. Always use quality stock sheets/books/mounts
Renowned brands like lighthouse, hagner and prinz should be use to keep our stamps as they are non toxic and ensures the stamp stays fresh. Though expensive, they are worth the deal. As for me, stock sheets and books are rather hard to come by, hence I decided to use Prinz stamp mounts. I prefer the transparent mount over the black ones as it easier to check the gummed side of mnh stamps. Yes, I have to agree that black mounts look better.
Air tight boxes in various sizes
3. In humid countries, it is advisable to store stamps in air tight box
Yup, air tight box are essential. we can always use air tight tupperware with silica gel. Always ensure you use colour silica gel; pink means it needs to be change.
Glassine Envelopes
4. Glassine Envelopes - Another favorite
Glassine envelopes are definitely a favorite among philatelist/collectors but they have proven not to be too reliable over a very long period of time. So, be careful...
OPP Plastic
5. OPP plastic is a cheaper alternative
Another cheaper but proven alternative is to use OPP plastic. However, please make sure you get your OPP supply from the right place as other type of plastic can do much harm to your collection.
Dry Boxes for Cameras
6. Be creative with Dry Box
Another very reliable alternative would be to keep your stamps in a dry box. Dry box are rather expensive but its really reliable. Dry boxes are usually used for storing cameras but its a great for keeping stamps also. Fingers cross, hope to get at least one of those. LOL
7. Avoid exposing your stamps to sunlight and dust
Stamps and albums should always be kept out of direct sunlight and away from dust. Storing stamps in a cabinet with a door is one way to accomplish both of these goals. Special album slipcases are available from some album manufacturers to further protect the stamps inside. Sunlight often fade the colors of stamps and normally causes another heated argument on whether the stamp is genuinely has a faded color or its just mother nature's working. Guess I better bring this to yet another discussion. Should be an interesting one.
8. Controlled Room - The Ultimatum
This I would say is the ultimatum. A controlled room is a room dedicated to keep your stamps with 24/7 air conditioned environment. There is usually no windows and sophiscated machine that drys the humid air.
This are just a few ways to ensure our stamps stays in the best possible shape. I'm sure everyone will have their own unique way to protect their precious little jewels. I really hope to hear from all of you as this is certainly one of the most discussed topic in philately.
Dear friends, i guess the new trend in philately today is philatelic covers. Yes, I have to agree that philatelic covers do not stand as a strong case for traditional philatelist as many aspect of a philatelic covers are rather questionable. For instance, a philatelic cover will usually be franked with a complete set rather than with the correct postage. As for me, though i prefer postal covers that carries thematic value, I can't ignore the beauty of philatelic covers. Over the years, Ive made many friendly exchanges but realized that not many pays attention to the finer aspect of cover collection.
In this post, I would like to highlight some areas that we need to look into if we are to send and receive good philatelic covers. Among them are:
Where to frank the stamps?
According to the UPU regulations, postage stamps have to be on the front top right hand side of each letter. If you use more then one stamp, at least one has to be at the top right hand side.
All others may somewhere else but on the front side. However, there are many countries today who allows extra postage stamps to be franked at the back of the cover.
Do you know how to address the cover?
The UPU does allow to place the address of destination either on the lower right or left hand side. Please use hand writing whenever possible else you can use computers and type writers. Labels has taken up great interest from collectors over the years but please ensure that the labels are of the highest quality. Low quality labels will damage the covers over time and most of the time the address will just blur off.
What is the right size envelope?
If you asked me, it depends on what are you sending. However. the prefer size among cover collectors are C6 covers.
What is the best postmark?
Obviously, the preferred postmark is clear hand cancelled CDS. However, collectors will also appreciate meter cancels, pictorial cancels and machine cancels which are clear and relates to the stamps else a clear hand cancelled CDS is just great. In addition, before sending a cover, it is good to know what type of cancel your exchange partner prefers e.g. SON cancel, light cancel etc.
How to ensure the cover does not bend?
It is essential to include a stiffener into the cover. Make sure the stiffener fits the cover well to ensure the edges of the cover is not damaged along the way. You can always recycle boxes and cardboards into stiffener. no problem there.
Other details:
- Never use any sort of tape to seal the cover. This practice will damage the cover over the years as the cover will tone due to the sticky tape.
- Use one theme but this is essential only to thematic collectors. When I say one theme, I don't mean a bird cover but a cover with the same type of bird. This can be a very good exhibit material for a thematic philatelist
I'm sure that many of you have other criteria that you look into when creating a philatelic cover. Please comment as I'm sure all readers would love to learn more on how to make good philatelic covers.
Philately has definitely touch people from all walks of life mattering not who they are. Philately or stamp collecting has been the NO. 1 hobby for generations and it is definitely a favourite among kids. However, with time only a few actually continued and indulged in Philately. Some may argue that those who continued are people who have nothing much to do; how wrong can u be?
Famous philatelists from around the world
Prince Rainer III of Monaco
Prince Rainier’s philatelic collection also holds the most valuable postage stamp from the Principality of Monaco, the 5fr stamp of Charles III.
Ad Indusophon
Her Cape of Good Hope Triangular stamp collection won the International Grand Prix in Toronto in 1996.
Anatoly Karpov
Specializing in chess and Olympics-themed stamps. His famous stamp collection ranges from the commemorative stamps of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens up to the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.
Cyril Harmer
Assembled the finest collection of Newfoundland airmail stamps containing the notorious Newfoundland overprinted stamps. His well-known stamp collection sold for £803,000 on February 2002.
Dr. Arthur Woo
Unique topical stamp collection about classic birds featuring the Western Australia Swan, the Guatemalan quetzal, the Colombia Andean condor, and the American eagle. Definitely someone I look up to.
Hiroyuki Kanai
Notable postage stamp collector famed for possessing six of the 27 Mauritius error stamps. This is the greatest number ever to be owned by one person.
Pichai Buranasombati
His famous philatelic collection of the Malayan Straits Settlement stamps won the Singapore National Grand Prix in 1995. His notable Burmese stamps collection was hailed in the Indepex National Grand Prix in 1997.
Franklin Roosevelt
While serving his term as the president of the United States from 1882 to 1945, the renowned philatelist designed many USPS stamps. Roosevelt was enlisted in the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in 1945.
Carl Einar Pelander
Specializing on Scandinavian stamps. Pelander received the Fieandt Memorial medal in 1960 from the Finnish Philatelic Society for doing an intensive research on the stamps of Finland and for promoting Finnish philately.
Philip Ward Jr.
A world-famous philatelist celebrated for buying stamps that were rare and classic specimens and William Woodbury Hicks was a renowned American philatelist. He founded the Three cent 1851-1857 Unit of the American Philatelic Society.
William Woodbury Hicks
He founded the Three cent 1851-1857 Unit of the American Philatelic Society. He held the largest and most complete collection of U.S railroad stamp cancels from the 1830s to 1861.
Harry Weiss
Was an editor of the Weekly Philatelic Gossip in the 1930s and the most prominent philatelic columnist of his time. Weiss’ column tackles tips on how to collect postage stamps. He organized the Midwest Philatelic Laboratory in 1946 which caters to stamp appraisals and authentication of philatelic items.
George Ward Linn
A famous stamp collector, journalist, and stamp dealer who owns the George W. Linn Company and is famous for his Linn’s Weekly Stamp News. Some of his stamp rare specimens have exceedingly high postage stamp value.
Louise Boyd Dale
Considered to be the most distinguished stamp collector in America. She was the first woman to be appointed as judge for an international philatelic exhibition. She became the first American woman to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelist and was also appointed to the jury of the London International Stamp exhibition.
As philatelist, I guess the name mentioned above are rather a norm for us. We will always hear their names in the philatelic scenes. However, below is a list of people that will certainly shock some of us. They did shock me when I came about this info some time ago.
John Lennon
From the rock band The Beatles collected 550 specimens of used stamps during his youth. Lennon’s stamp album was bought by the Smithsonian Postal Museum for a sum of $ 53, 000.00 in 2005.
Freddie Mercury
The lead vocals of the band Queen started stamp collecting since he was 12 years old. When Mercury died of AIDS complication in 1991, his father sold his philatelic collection. In the winter of 1993, the Freddie Mercury stamp collection was purchased by the Royal Mail and the proceeds of the sale went to an AIDS charity.
Ronnie Wood
The lead guitarist of The Rolling Stones became a renowned stamp collector after his alcohol rehabilitation therapy. Wood collects rare stamps and often makes them his subjects in painting.
Maria Sharapova
Though she is more a tennis sensation than a well-known stamp collector, Sharapova has been collecting stamps since she was a little girl.
I was thinking abit on whether I should blog about this. I realized the people here are very very RICH; then comes the question, is philately only for the rich? I used to have that mentallity during my early years of trying to move towards a more specialized collector. It always seems so hard to compete during auctions. You always know what you need, where to source, yet budget tends to get in the way. LOL...
However, over the years, I came to understand that philately is not about having the rarest stamp or cover (though it will be still VERY VERY GOOD to own them). Its about the passion you have for philately. With time, all will come to play. A piece of very important advice I got from fellow philatelist is never to rush. A collection will be completed over time and how long must never be a question. Whats essential is you enjoy the journey.
Lets not envy the famous collectors but rather be honoured that the hobby I and you share is also the hobby of very very famous people. As the saying goes "STAMP COLLECTING IS The KING OF HOBBIES & HOBBY OF KINGS". So, next time when someone laughs at you when they came to know about your philately passion, just show them the list of people who are philatelist. I'm not sure about the rest but Maria Sharapova's name will definitely pop some eyes. LOL
MNH Set
Today is the 47th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia. Malaysia Day is held on every September 16 to commemorate the establishment of Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963. It marked the joining together of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo to form Malaysia. The formation of the new federation was planned to occur on June 1, 1963, but was later postponed to August 31, 1963, in order to coincide with the sixth Hari Merdeka (Independence Day). Several issues related to the Indonesian and the Filipino objection to the formation of Malaysia delayed the declaration to September 16 of the same year. The postponement was also done to allow the United Nations team time to conduct referendums in North Borneo (now known as Sabah) and Sarawak regarding the two states participation in a new federation.
To all Malaysians, I wish you HAPPY MALAYSIA DAY!
Its been 170 years since the world's first adhesive postage stamp, Penny Black was used in a public postal system. Philately has since seen numerous revolution over the years and more recently the addition of Maxiphily is evidence of the ever evolving hobby. Putting that aside, I would like to bring up a very disturbing reality; Philately among Youth.
Over the years, I always wondered if philately is dying among the youth? I have to admit the temptation of PS3, XBox 360, facebook,etc tends to be unbearable. Even my brother thinks Im crazy. He feels that I could spend my money on better gadgets than mere paper. LOL
Looking back for the past few years in Malaysia, it really seems that the young philatelist is moving towards extinction. Wait... can i consider myself young; being only 26? HAHAHA... I guess you cant ignore the fact that you see the same faces at all stamp fairs, post offices during new issues and more importantly during the crazy and tiring hunt for stamps at the dealers. OMG, Malaysian Philately world suddenly seems so small; I mean really SMALL.
However, I realized now that the youths are very tech-savvy. They rarely come to stamp fairs but they are very very active in online forums and ebay. I've met many along the way and trust me; some are very advanced philatelist. They believe the best way to learn is from the web itself. I have to agree as I've learn so much from forums, and stamp blogs from all over the world. My knowledge on stamps will not be only bounded towards my country but rather a wider study scope. I would have never imagine/dream of having interest on Third Reich Philately if not for the world wide web. However, trust me, no matter how much online philately can help, I still love to have frequent meet-ups, having a drink and chatting about philately, exchanging knowledge, and a little bit of showing off on your latest findings. LOL...
Over the years, I'm lucky to have very close friends like Holger, Vera and Xu Wei coming all the way to Malaysia to meet me. The experience was great and the memory is something I will cherish for life. In addition, PSM have weekly meet ups to keep up with the latest updates.
While browsing some philatelic blogs and forums, I realized that a few schools in Malaysia have been very actively involved in promoting Philately. where else to start if not schools itself? Hats off to Chung Ling High School and Sam Tet for your efforts.
So, I guess no matter what happen, philately was here and is here to STAY;whether its via online or the traditional way. You can argue that there are tones of temptation out there but nothing beats philately. Waiting anxiously for covers in your mail box. thats just out of this world.
So for the question; Is Philately A Dying Hobby among Youth? Definitely NOT... PHILATELY HAS EVOLVED WITH TECHNOLOGY!!! I'm really happy that philately is finally getting to where it should always be, "THE KING OF HOBBIES & THE HOBBY OF KINGS"
PS: I would like to hear from friends all over the world with regards to Philatelic Scene in your country.
First pre-printed personalized stamps of Malaysia
Happy Aidilfitri or 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri' to all my Muslim readers. Above is the first pre-printed personalized stamps of Malaysia specially printed for Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2010. Its sold at RM19 per sheet but if you ask me, its rather pricey; taking into account the face value is only RM6. Anyway, I guess I cannot be the judge of this. It all depends on the philatelist; if this is part of what you collect, I guess it doesn't matter if its RM19 or RM90. We will still be willing to pay for it. Its just the parts and parcels of philately. HAHAHA.
With this sheet, I believe we can look forward to more issues for Christmas, Deepavali and Chinese New Year. Indirectly, POS Malaysia has introduced another area to collect. Interesting but I'm not too keen. My Birds of Prey is already keeping me on my toes...
The Royal Mail has launched the world's first "intelligent" stamp. Viewing the stamp via a smartphone takes users to a related webpage. Also required is the Junaio image recognition application - versions of which have been made for iPhone and Android smartphones. The Royal Mail said intelligent stamps "mark the next step in the evolution of our stamps, bringing them firmly into the 21st Century."
'New world'
Those viewing the stamp, part of the Royal Mail's latest Great British Railways edition, via the Junaio app will be directed to a short film showing Bernard Cribbins reading Auden's famous poem The Night Mail.
"WH Auden wrote the Night Mail poem in 1936 for the Post Office's own blockbuster film of the same name, which has for years remained in the hearts and minds of many," said Mr Cribbins.
The application is another example of augmented reality in which real world scenes or situations are annotated and enhanced by pairing them with web-based data. One AR app for smartphones lets owners use the camera on the gadget to effectively see through buildings to find the nearest tube station.
The Royal Mail's Philip Parker said: "This is the first time a national postal service has used this kind of technology on their stamps and we're very excited to be bringing intelligent stamps to the nation's post."
The technology will also be made available on selected future special stamps.
Its been 53 years since we got our independence on 31st August 1957. This year, Bukit Jalil Stadium was selected as the venue to celebrate and commemorate this glorious day. Malaysia is definitely very unique especially with a diverse culture. Speaking on that, I guess I'm a living example of a true Malaysian... LOL. I'm blessed to be a Chindian; my dad is Chinese while my mum is Indian. HAHAHA
With regards to philately, POS Malaysia has issued numerous philatelic materials. However, one of the area that has gained a lot of interest over the years are the 1957 Merdeka First Day Cover Collection. Talking on this, I guess on the most memorable event was in 2007 when a philatelic exhibition was held in Penang in conjuction with the 50th Merdeka Anniversary. The historic stamps and covers, some from private collections, was exhibited for a month on the first floor of the double-storey museum.
This particular collection is very interesting as it consists of both official covers and private covers. More importantly, it gives great pride to the collector for having something that is close to the heart of all Malaysia; a piece of history itself.
Samples of Official FDCs
Sample of Private FDC
PS: I guess any collection can be great if you put your HEART to it. It does not always need a heavy investment to have a collection you can be proud of. Just enjoy the hobby and I'm sure with time, we will have a collection that stands out.
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