The Jamaica stamp collector - As Jamaica celebrates its 50th year of Independence

As Jamaica celebrates its 50th year of Independence, Rhudal McFarlane from Garlands in south St James is revelling in his pre-Independence stamp collection from his childhood days.

"It was while I was going to primary school that I started stamp collecting as a child. It was just out of curiosity; the stamp collecting was just during my school days," said the 63-year-old stamp collection owner.

McFarlane, who was born to William and Lena McFarlane on July 13, 1948, and is one of 17 children for his father, said that he collected more than 300 stamps during his childhood. He recently found the book accidentally while doing some cleaning at home.
"I would take the stamps and paste them in my English book at the back. I could have collected ... 300 stamps, or more, but most of them got destroyed," said McFarlane.

"I was going through some of my old books from school days because from those days, I had bought myself a set of encyclopaedias in about 1970, and I have collections of several books. I have this passion for literature and reading, so I had these books, and I was taking a stock of them when I found the book with the stamps."

McFarlane - a former educator who served as principal of Cambridge High School in St James from 1983 until his retirement in April 2010 - noted that his stamp collection consisted of British-issued stamps with portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and King George VI.

'POUNDS, SHILLINGS, PENCE'

"In those days, it was the 'pounds, shillings and pence' days. You had the half-penny stamp, the penny stamp, and the two-pence stamp, and some of them had pictures of King George of England because all of our stamps had the King or the Queen on them. It was after Independence that we started to have our people on the stamps. So at the time, it was Queen Elizabeth and King George, her father," he recalled.

"Even though King George died after World War II, his picture was still on the stamp. Queen Elizabeth's pictures started coming on the stamps after she was crowned because she didn't get crowned immediately after her father died," he added.

"It was Winston Churchill who was running the country, because Elizabeth was still a young girl, until 1952, when she ascended the throne and was crowned in 1953."

The stamp collector said he preserved his collection for his four sons and grandchildren.
"They are very valuable to any stamp collector. I haven't got a clue how much they would cost, but I could part with some of them and keep a copy of one or two," he stated.

"Many people who lived in the days prior to Independence don't have anything to show from that time. These are some of the things that we should cherish and preserve, but we're not the kind of people who reflect on our history."

Photos by Christopher Thomas

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120714/western/western1.html

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Philatelic Expertisation - A new service from the Philatelic Traders’ Society

In response to sustained demand, the PTS can now offer full expertisation services for nearly all GB stamps, Queen Victoria to the present day, with the exception of some very specialised material. Following a successful 3-month trial, our services are now open to everyone, at home and abroad, trade and retail alike.

A flat fee* per item of £60.00 is payable (reduced to £50.00 for members of the PTS). No opinion = no fee.

The PTS settled on a flat fee structure, since the work involved in checking the status of a cheap stamp is fundamentally the same as for an expensive stamp. The PTS’ flat fee is slightly higher than the minimum rates charged by other committees, but should be considerably lower when opinion is sought on higher priced items, where a percentage of catalogue value – can be £100’s - is usually requested.

The aim is to provide an opinion within 30 days of receipt of the item. Opinion givers do not know the identity of opinion seekers. This way every item is judged strictly on its merits without influence from other criteria. PTS Expertising Limited has at its disposal the services of dozens of acknowledged experts in their fields, both dealers and collectors, plus free access to extensive reference collections.

Work which can be best done via scans and the internet (such as plating 1d blacks) will be done that way, whilst the more commercial aspects, such as repairing and regumming, will be adjudicated by professionals, usually PTS members, each expert in their own fields. Only when all those who have inspected the item can agree on the wording to go on the certificate, will the item be signed off and the certificate issued. High resolution scans of all items adjudicated will be kept on file for future reference.

We are confident that the PTS’s long-established international reputation for honesty and integrity, together with the high quality of the work we offer, will rapidly establish PTS Expertising Ltd’s certificates as having equal status with very best.

In closing, the PTS wishes to make it clear that, in common with all other philatelic expertisation services, it is charging for and providing a written statement of its opinion (only) and that it accepts no responsibility for any error or omission in that opinion. (Would-be submitters who find this condition unacceptable should seek alternative arrangements.)

Items for expertisation may now be sent to:

PTS Expertising Ltd

PO Box 204

Morpeth

Northumberland

NE61 9AA

However before doing so, we recommend you log onto our website http://www.philatelic-traders-society.co.uk/the-p.t.s.-expertising-ltd

for further details and full terms and conditions.

* exceptions may apply – see website

Stamp investment: The facts

The facts

In the midst of the economic downturn, investment-grade stamps continue to go from strength to strength

• The values of the finest rare stamps - the investment-grade specimens - have historically performed superbly: Up 9.5% pa in the past 50 years.

• The market has gathered pace in the past decade with more collectors and investors entering the market: The leading 30 Great Britain stamps are up 10.8% pa on average since 1998, according to the GB30 Rarities index.

• China is the fastest growing market: The world's fastest growing economy is producing vast numbers of high-net worth individuals keen to invest in stamps from their homeland. The China rare stamp index is up 51% pa since 2006.

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• Stamps offer tax-free investing: Up to £10,100 a year in the UK, or £20,200 with a compliant spouse!

• Stamps have better risk adjusted returns than more traditional investments: They comfortably beat the Dow Jones and gold, according to a recent comparison by Livemint.com - 50m serious collectors worldwide ensures volatility remains low.

Source: www.paulfrasercollectibles.com