"Stamp News" Turns 50 during 2004 - special Limited Edition

IMPORTANT! Every price on my lists is NETT, in AUSTRALIAN dollars!!
Check the low cost in YOUR currency by clicking here.

For a MUCH larger illustration of each miniature sheet, see at base of this page.

"Stamp News" Turned 50 years old - Special Limited Edition overprint sheets nearly totally sold out!

This was one of the smallest stamp issues post war from Australia. Read on if you wish to be part of this exciting issue!

VERY few stamp magazines in the world have been continuously published for Half A Century. To offer their readers a scarce souvenir to remember and celebrate their Golden Anniversary "Stamp News" overprinted just 1,500 pairs of Australia's scarcest Decimal issue.

I have had an incredibly close relationship with "Stamp News", having advertised in it heavily over the past 25 years or so. I was indeed their largest advertiser for very many years, taking 2 facing pages each and every month for years, and have written the Stamp tipster column there for years as well:

www.glenstephens.com/column.html

In fact I was on the verge of buying the magazine in recent years, and legal contracts had all been drawn up by the owners. The unforgiving monthly deadlines would have interfered impossibly with my frequent world travels. So my dealer friend Kevin Morgan proceeded in my place to complete the purchase, and is in my view doing a great job. For anyone reading this who is NOT subscribing let me know, and I'll come up with special 'Golden Anniversary' subscriber deal for you ... or a free sample magazine if you require one!

I ordered the largest dealer stock of these Mini Sheets, and UNTIL SOLD OUT can offer them at the original price. Details follow:

The 1999 Navigator mini sheet pair was issued IMPERFORATE in a small print run to allow hand perforating at "Australia 99". There were only about 15,000 pairs ever sold imperforate i.e. not hand perforated. This is confirmed in a July 29, 1999 official press release by David Maiden, Manager of Australia Post Philatelic (see link below) in response to speculation in the stamp magazines at the time:

www.glenstephens.com/letter.html

These Imperfs sell locally for up to $A40 a pair and US retail in Scott is $US32 a pair. 'Stamp News' via their contacts scoured the world market and secured about 10% of this tiny number and set them aside to create this special souvenir to celebrate their Golden Jubilee. Overprinted in GOLD (of course!) and professionally numbered in black (not Gold as shown in photo!) from 0001 to 1500.

This will literally be one of the smallest Australian stamp productions post war.

I am offering these sets CTO full gum with the popular railway "Puffing Billy" pictorial Train cancel.

The set numbered 0001 has been mailed to the Keeper Of The Royal Collection in London for inclusion in the Australian collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

I was by far the LARGEST dealer purchaser of these mini sheet sets. The supply I have is pretty much all there remains, as "Stamp News" are now totally sold out they advise me. And I understand most other large dealers were too late to secure wholesale stock. Phone around - I doubt you will find even one supplier can assist you.

For the time being I am selling at the SAME price as the magazine offered them for, as they insisted I do so, but I reserve the right to increase the price at any time when I get down to last handful.

Special Client Prices Are As Follows:

1. CTO pairs with full gum of both mini sheets on the Anniversary. - $A40 a set

2. As per Lot #1 but FIVE sets of such pairs - Save a whopping $150! $A150

3. As above but investor lot of TEN sets of lot #2 - i.e. 20 mini sheets! $A250

4. Reg'd Post $A5 anywhere in Australia, or $A10 Reg'd worldwide

5. Full marine transit insurance is $A2 per $A100 covered.

Order online at - http://www.glenstephens.com/order.html - and call order "Gold Mini Sheets" and simply note whether you require Lots #1 to #4 above or any combination thereof.

There were only 1,500 numbered sets of Mini Sheets available worldwide. To ensure as many readers as possible are able to secure copies I am restricting orders to no more than 10 sets of Lot #3 to any one order please - special price for that - for investors or re-sellers.

Being an official "Stamp News" connected items these will always have a strong secondary following, and I have little doubt will even be priced and/or noted in stamp catalogues, much like the "Anpex 70" Captain Cook M/Sheet was ... which had a comparatively "huge" number of 50,000 numbered copies sold privately, yet is still a $20 and popular item.

The fact one of the covers has a Captain James Cook pictorial theme has caused a surge of interest. I never realised "Cook" was such a strong topical, and someone in the Captain Cook Thematic/Topical Club or whatever, spread the word the Cook image was on one of the covers! (Thanks for the great worldwide plug, whomever you were!)

I phoned the Editor of the superb "Comprehensive" Australia Catalogue and asked as to what catalogue status these would have. They are an unusual project, being an overprint on an already scarce Mini Sheet. But being an official "Stamp News" overprint for 50 years of publishing I was told they were being recognised as a rather special and unusual emission and would likely be mentioned and priced after the 1999 mini sheets. The "Comprehensive" by the way has the "A99" perfin sheets of the same design already catalogued for $A100 per SET. (My retail is still $A70 a set for anyone requiring this, or 5 sets for $A250.) So this attractive 1999 issue continues to be super popular with collectors.

I repeat what I typed in my January column - http://www.glenstephens.com/snjanuary04.html - this "Comprehensive" is THE (only!) catalogue you need when buying or selling Australian and AAT stamps and FDC. In my view it is TEN times more useful and useable than the Seven Seas Stamps "ASC" catalogue - which is a very silly size, and the photos are nowhere near the stamps you are looking up.

This is a large, heavy, 'solid' feeling catalogue - it weighs over a kilogram (2.5lbs!) - with 262 FULL SIZE A-4 pages. The 23 ring ‘Wire-O-Bound’ version is a delight to use. Each page lays FLAT. I HATE using catalogues like ASC and SG and Scott that do not lie flat when I am at the desk looking up or pricing stamps. And LOTS of things are not catalogued or priced or listed in there that are in the "Comprehensive". Buy the huge new wiro-bound edition off me today for $A40 - see my detailed review in the link above. Best $40 you'll ever spend on a catalogue. A real bargain.

These 1500 Gold Overprint sets will sell fast, and orders will be allocated in strict order of receipt. All credit cards accepted at no fee of course.

Order online at - www.glenstephens.com/order.html - and call order "Gold Mini Sheets" and simply note whether you require Lots #1 to #3 above.


				Time and Temp in Sunny Sydney!