My article triggered responses from a couple of other LPCS members, including Art C. of Alabama, who purchased an antique Rosback in 2004. As I learned during my own search for an antique perforator, these machines don’t turn up for sale every day, but when one does, it seems like there’s about a 50-50 chance that it will be a Rosback. In that respect, Art’s acquisition isn’t that unusual.
What I did find notable about Art’s story is that he had to go all the way to Canada to pick up the machine, and while his trip up went smoothly and he got the perforator loaded into the back of a rented SUV, getting the perforator back into the United States was more challenging than he expected due to a polite but suspicious customs official at the border crossing who had a few questions about the hulking machine in the back of the vehicle:
“At first she wanted to know what it was, and then what it was that it was supposed to perforate. Later we got on to what business I was involved in that would use such a thing. I kept trying to assure her it was not for any business but was for my hobby.
“I’m sure from her point of view this was the day she had been training for her entire career. Throughout this questioning, she was holding my passport and flipping through the pages. I had obtained the passport many years earlier but had never had an occasion to use it; there wasn’t a single mark on any of its pages.
“I guess she was wondering about many things during our conversation about the dark green device in the back of my vehicle but she eventually became satisfied that I was merely a ‘stamp collector’ and provided the first and only official stamp in my passport and wished me a pleasant trip.”
I can’t imagine too many antique perforators cross national borders when they’re sold, but Art’s account certainly does highlight something to keep in mind if you do want to buy a perforator that’s currently outside of your own country.
Art concludes his account with the following thoughts:
“My advice to anyone looking for a perforator would be to first find the one they really like, and then set about working out the details of getting it. I liked the fact that my Rosback had been in one place for many years, was well cared for, and was in perfect working order. The difficulty of getting it home was secondary to all that, and in fact resulted in a very memorable journey.”
My thanks to Art for giving me permission to share his story here.
The Punk Philatelist: an irreverent look at stamp collecting
A month or two ago, I somehow ran across a stamp collecting blog that I’d never seen before: The Punk Philatelist. The title itself struck me as curious since “punk” is not a word often associated with us stamp collectors. I think the word my wife used was more along the lines of “dork”—but that’s a story for another time.
The blogger behind The Punk Philatelist is a woman in Australia; beyond that, she offers no clues to her identity, though she does use some salty language in her posts. I personally don’t think that’s necessary at all, but it’s her blog; you’ve been warned.
What the Punk Philatelist does do that I think is worth noting is provide a youth-oriented (by which I mean under 40) look at the hobby in an often irreverent manner. For example, an October entry is titled “Watch a rich person pay $85,000 for something a rat peed on.” That’s not exactly the sort of headline you’ll see in The American Philatelist or Linn’s, but it certainly gets your attention!
The Punk Philatelist is not updated on a daily basis, but new material is posted somewhat regularly. If you can overlook the occasional foul language and don’t mind a fellow collector pointing out a few of philatelists’ foibles, you might find it worth a look.
Adanaland minisheet includes diamond-shaped anniversary stamps
This past March, I shared pictures of a couple of cinderella stamps created by Alan B. of England. A note I recently received from him contained evidence that he has been busy again.
Adanaland Anniversaries of 2015–16 minisheet
I commented previously that Alan does very nice letterpress printing, and these new diamond-shaped stamps are no exception. They commemorate four different events:
60th anniversary of “It’s a Small World”
40th anniversary of Alan’s Hedgehog Press
20th anniversary of Adanaland
15th anniversary of PSO Flatby (design appears to depict a sailboat, but I really don’t know exactly what this is; perhaps Alan will weigh in)
I know from operating my own perforating machine that getting perforations to line up just right is tricky enough, so I can only imagine how challenging it must have been to accomplish that on diamond-shaped stamps. Again, though, Alan has done a very nice job, and his work is the sort of thing I like to include in my collection.
10 years of free stamp album pages commemorated on new stamp from Philosateleian Post
On January 23, 2006, The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album was unveiled to the world. On January 4, 2016, Philosateleian Post will issue a special private local post stamp commemorating the free stamp album’s 10th anniversary.
Ten Years of Free Stamp Album Pages stamp
Since its launch, The Philosateleian has been downloaded thousands of times by stamp collectors around the world. The album includes nearly 800 pages with spaces for most United States postage stamps.
“The Philosateleian began as a personal project because I wasn’t satisfied with the commercial stamp albums that were on the market,” says Kevin Blackston, creator of The Philosateleian and proprietor of Philosateleian Post. “I’m glad I’ve been able to give back to the stamp collecting community in at least some small way by offering my pages for others to download for free.”
Format: sheets of 42 (6×7). Design size: 28×28 mm. Separation method: perforated 12. Adhesive: water-activated dry gum. Printing method: inkjet.
Philatelic Services
To receive a mint single of Philosateleian Post’s free stamp album pages stamp, or for first day cover service, send either $2 or a self-addressed stamped envelope and your request to:
Kevin Blackston
Philosateleian Post
PO Box 57622
Jacksonville FL 32241-7622
United States of America
About Philosateleian Post
Founded in 2004, Philosateleian Post transports mail only from the Philosateleian Embassy to the nearest mail receptacle or post office. This private local post exists solely for the enjoyment of its proprietor and does not compete with any official mail service. For more information, please visit http://www.philosateleia.com/post/
