• Kirby Cane Old Post Office
    Old Norfolk Post Offices

    Kirby Cane, Norfolk

    August 25, 2018 - By 

    Kirby Cane is a village and civil parish situated two miles (3.2 km) north-west of Beccles in Norfolk. ~Wikipedia   This is still a recognisable scene despite some alterations to the buildings. What looks like a shingle driveway in the Google image is now known as ‘Old Post Office Lane’. The location is also shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Map which was surveyed between 1879 and 1886.   Kelly’s 1900 Directory of Norfolk shows that the postmaster at that time was a (John) Baker Flowers. He and his wife Mary appear in the 1891 Census, both aged 75. They…

  • Brancaster Post Office Early 1900s
    Old Norfolk Post Offices

    Brancaster, Norfolk

    August 25, 2018 - By 

    Brancaster is a village and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish of Brancaster comprises Brancaster itself, together with Brancaster Staithe and Burnham Deepdale. The three villages form a more or less continuous settlement along the A149 at the edge of the Brancaster Manor marshland and the Scolt Head Island National Nature Reserve. ~Wikipedia   As can be seen the buildings are still present, with a few alterations, but they are no longer serving as the town’s post office. A little further east up the road there is the ’71 Club’ which offers…

  • RAF Centenary Stamp Set
    General - Queen Elizabeth II

    Royal Mail : RAF Centenary 2018

    March 20, 2018 - By 

      The Royal Mail releases a new set of RAF centenary commemoratives today, along with a host of other related collectable items. Presentation Pack Written exclusively by RAF aficionado Graham Pitchfork. This wonderful collectible includes All six Special Stamps plus unique Red Arrows Miniature Sheet. Special feature on the RAF Aerobatic Team. An authentic Ministry of Defence security hologram and the official RAF100 logo. An overview of the RAF’s history from its inception in 1918 to the present.   There’s a lot more to chose from too including : RAF Centenary Stamp Set RAF Centenary Presentation Pack RAF Centenary Red…

  • Postal Museum and subterranean mail train
    Places

    London’s new Postal Museum and subterranean mail train

    August 24, 2017 - By 

      An article by The Guardian newspaper on the recently opened new attraction. For nearly a century, and unknown to many Londoners, a postal railway network operated 21 metres below the streets of the city, shuttling around the country’s correspondence. At its peak, Mail Rail ran for 6½ miles from Paddington to Whitechapel, carrying letters and facilitating communication across the capital. Continue reading by clicking here…   The museum’s official site invites you to… “Visit the museum’s galleries and take a journey through five centuries of world-class curiosities, providing a different, previously unseen view on some of the world’s most…

  • Queen Elizabeth II

    GB QEII 1990 Machin 150th Anniversary of the Penny Black : Photogravure & Lithography

    March 20, 2017 - By 

    Some years ago I bought a dustbin bag stuffed full of GB material and amongst it were hundreds of this issue. At the time I noticed there were some differences in the printings but put them to one side and left them for many years. Recently I spotted some booklets for sale on an auction site and I figured here is my chance to nail down those different printings. I’m focusing on the 20p Brownish Black (and Cream). Stanley Gibbons Concise GB lists three printings; Harrison & Sons using photogravure, Walsall using lithography and The House of Questa also using…

  • MM-300 MicroBrite Plus™
    Tools

    Carson MicroBrite Plus Review – LED Lit Microscope

    February 22, 2017 - By 

    This is a quick review of Carson’s 60-120x LED microscope (MM-300). I bought one of these little microscopes late last year and was again impressed with Carson’s handiwork as I had been with their USB microscope. The following images should give you an idea of size and build. It’s a tidy thing. It’s a good compact size and fits in the hand or a pocket. I have found it very useful to make quick inspections of paper types. There is a lever with a circular motion that controls the zoom from 60-120x. I find the 60x is most useful to…

  • Pricing Stamps
    General

    Stamp Collecting : Stamp Prices

    February 20, 2017 - By 

    How Collectors Price Their Stamps Stamp collecting is not exactly a new trend sweeping through the world; In fact, philately (or the study of stamps), and stamp collecting have been of interest to many enthusiasts for over a century. In fact, the American Philatelic Society (APS), which is the biggest congregation of philatelists and stamp enthusiasts in the world with over 40, 000 members, was established in the year 1886. However, the standards by which the marketability and collectable worth of stamps have more or less remained constant. Stamps, generally, are determined as worthy of being collected on the basis…

  • Aladdin Sane
    General

    Royal Mail To Honour David Bowie With A Set Of 10 Special Stamps

    February 8, 2017 - By 

    • Royal Mail will issue a set of 10 Special Stamps as a tribute to one of the most influential music and cultural figures of all time • This is the first time Royal Mail has dedicated an entire stamp issue to an individual music artist or cultural figure. • Six stamps will feature images of the album covers : Hunky Dory; Aladdin Sane; “Heroes”; Let’s Dance; Earthling and ★ • Completing the set, four additional stamps will show Bowie performing live on tours across four decades: The Ziggy Stardust Tour, 1973; The Stage Tour, 1978; The Serious Moonlight Tour,…

  • QCom15c Hooked 3
    Flaws - King George VI

    GB KGVI 1948 Olympic Games 3d Violet Flaws

    September 29, 2016 - By 

    I obtained some part sheets of this stamp recently and having also bought the Stanley Gibbons Specialised album for the Kings I found a few flaws were mentioned. And so I was pleased to find I have two of the listed three. These are the stamps in question… So there are three flaws listed in the Gibbons catalogue. The one I don’t have is the “Crown Flaw” (QCom15a) which looks like a white smudge on the front of the crown… Referring back to the first image of my stamps, the affected stamps are the two on the left. The green arrows…

  • Carson zPix 300 - MM-940
    Tools

    Carson zPix Handheld USB Microscope Review

    September 11, 2016 - By 

    zPix™ 300 – MM-940 I was asked for my appraisal of this microscope over on the Stampboards forum  so I thought I would post it here too. This is a USB handheld microscope that connects to your PC (I’m using Windows 10) or Mac and displays it’s images on your screen. First a couple of photos so you can see what it looks like and get an idea of the size. It has four bright white LEDs to light up the subject. It can also be attached to a little stand that holds things firmly, like for viewing slides…. The…

  • Old Norfolk Post Offices Cover
    Books - Old Norfolk Post Offices

    New Book : Old Norfolk Post Offices

    January 17, 2016 - By 

    Today I am pleased to announce the launch of my new book entitled “Old Norfolk Post Offices – A Picture Postcard Tour” by Roger A. Davie. Here’s the preface from the book and some further details… Over the past few years I have been collecting postcards of old Norfolk post offices and also hunting around to see if they still exist. But this was not on foot or by car, this was a virtual tour as I did this using Google Earth – the ambitious and sometimes controversial mapping program we have all no doubt heard of by now. Finding…