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From L.A. to “London 2000” to Loch Ness!

   Apologies for being away from the office recently and leaving some paperwork unattended.  I made a VERY last moment decision to fly out to the UK and visit ’London 2000’,  May 22-28.  The show is held only once per decade,  and this one had huge financial support from Royal Mail.  Only in mid May did I decide to go - a few days before I flew out actually,  so a shame more material was not taken across,  and more client appointments were not possible etc.

   First up I needed to attend my sister’s 40th birthday party in Adelaide on May 20,  so journeyed down there,  and THEN,  at 6am on May 21,  flew from Adelaide to Melbourne,  then caught the direct 15 hour flight to Los Angeles,  arriving 7am the same day.  Flying from Australia to Scotland via the USA both ways is far longer than a round world ticket - well over a 28,000 mile (45,000+ km)  round trip.  Spent a day visiting Venice Beach,  home of all sorts of “body beautiful” wackos on roller blades and weird bikes, and pumping iron or indulging in some very strange full length body massages on the beach.  Just sitting observing at a sidewalk café there is an education! There are literally 15 or 20 tattoo and body piercing parlors along the beach. Welcome to California.

   Had been awake for 30 hours at that stage,  and THEN took the long flight LA - London via a bad connection in Washington D.C. which is another 14 hours, arriving at Heathrow’s infamous “Terminal # 3” at 5am.   A well known travel writer once said: “When I die, and if The Lord sends me to Hell, I just beg he does not make me go via Terminal 3 on the way out”.  Experiencing this lunatic asylum first hand makes that comment really mean something.  The place is like Dante’s Inferno.  Miles of needless walking,  chaos everywhere,  and delays.  “Terminal 3” (of the 4)  is used mainly by long haul USA and International carriers - but not Qantas or BA of course, who use the newer #1 and #4.  The arrivals section is like a Russian Zoo. What it is like on holidays or weekends is not worth thinking about.  Heathrow alone now handles some 425,000 flights a year - or 1,165 each day, every day.  There is now an Express train from the airport to Paddington station that costs £12 ($A33) each way.  Very nice and fast I must say - taking only 14 minutes exact, with TV news playing, phones etc.

   The downside is that Paddington is not usually ’central’ for whatever else you do,  or where you stay.  So another underground trip/s are usually needed. Take my advice - never, never, never, try that bright idea with suitcases at rush hour 8am in London on a working day - especially if you haven’t slept for a few days!  Finally got to Waterloo, and lugged the heavy bags up a million escalators,  to look for a cab to the hotel many of the Ozzie dealers were staying in.  At least 100 people in the cab line at Waterloo, and almost no cabs.  JUST perfect!  Since my last visit the traditional London “Black Cab” is basically extinct. They are now red, green orange, striped, checker board and/or covered on all sides by gaudy advertisements.  A rather sad break with a fine long tradition.

   Finally arrive at hotel after this mess, at 9am,  fully 4 hours after touching down.  All I wanted was a hot shower,  a change of clothes, and then to head off to visit “London 2000”.   Hotel clerk calmly intoned: “early check-in incurs a £25 (=$A68) penalty”.   I politely explained I’d been travelling for days, and did not want to hear about their $68  “sting” especially considering that their 3 star dive was already costing me more than a luxurious suite at the Sydney Sheraton. Unless I waited for the “official 2pm check-in time” they would not budge,  and worse still demanded full payment for the room IN ADVANCE!  Charming - welcome to London.  You could not even make phone calls from the hotel rooms.  I later discovered to add to these joys,  that this weirdo hotel was at least 30 minutes by tube from the exhibition, despite dozens of cheaper places existing adjoining the Earl’s Court Exhibition Hall.  The joys of travel!  Correction, it was at least 30 minutes IF you caught the correct Underground connections,  which no tourist ever does first up with so many different lines - so,  much frustration, 1½ hours and 5 quid of wrong fares later, finally made it to the venue.  What a long “day” it was turning out to be,  and yet sleep was another 14 hours away. 

  “London 2000” was a quite well run, large International stamp show,  but was in my opinion,  and that of many others dealers - both Ozzie and foreign I canvassed, certainly no better than say “Australia 99” - and was actually lacking in many important aspects over that great show.  Simon Dunkerley and I had a coffee with David Maiden,  the head of Australia Post Philatelic, and who effectively ran “Australia 99” and many had commented thus to all of us. The youth visitors in particular were ABSENT.  One of the organising committee admitted to me at a function that until the “eleventh hour” everyone basically assumed everyone else had liasied with the school authorities etc.  No-one had organised the cheerful armies of schoolkids so evident all around “Australia 99” on all weekdays.  When we desperately need new collectors,  this oversight was a tragedy, and a needless one. I must say the wonderful displays from all eras of the Royal Collection was mind boggling, from the imperf sheets of 1d blacks and 2d blues to all kinds of recent gems and proofs and artwork etc -  and that display was worth the trip alone.  Watching the 1d Blacks being printed by a master craftsman on an original Perkins Bacon hand press was fascinating too.

   The sheer number of Australasian dealers and leading collectors “walking the hall” really surprised me - scores of them. Only a few Ozzie dealers had stands, but those I spoke to - the Brothers Juzwin, Tony Shields,  Andrew Kimonides (Andex) and Michael Eastick were all doing very well.  And why not  - the £ was worth about $A2.70 - I saw some stock marked for £100 that I’d be REAL happy to take $A100 for, and do a few “one for one rate” sales like that and it is REAL profitable!  The show that night closed at 5pm,  and I attended a nice evening function hosted by industry veteran Ted Proud.  Two or three wrong Underground connections en-route, whilst guided by a London “local” who was accompanying me there (and at THAT stage, we were both sober!) proved that not only tourists get totally bamboozled by the London Underground maze.  Eventually back to the hotel via 30 minutes more trains by 11pm, after several weeks of not sleeping it seemed, and this intrepid world traveller went out like a light, I can assure you!

   The next day at “London 2000” I discovered that Australia Post had a “P Stamps” (personalised photo stamp) booth at the show. Only found it when Ian Pitt and I were wandering off to a remote corner of the vast hall whilst looking for a beer. Unofficially I gather Royal Mail (UK Post) were distinctly NOT excited by A.P. having “P Stamps” on sale,  as Royal Mail were premiering their first ever such items for the show,  and did not  want anyone else stealing their thunder.  Consequently the few times I visited the AP “P” booth (which was miles from their normal stamp booth) literally no-one was usually there buying the things. Quite a contrast to the lines of 100’s of people at all times at the “Australia 99” debut!! I therefore suspect VERY few official photo stamps were sold, and mostly 1 sheet at a time to be retained by show visitors,  thus the only ones available for sale actually produced there would come from someone like myself.

   Simon Dunkerley and I have both done amazingly well selling our “Australia 99” photo stamps as almost no other dealer had bothered standing in line for 90 minutes getting these large A4 size of 10 photo “P” stamps. Our final “A99” sheets we had both sold at prices of  $200 per sheet.  This Australia Post “P” booth required SIX shipping containers of hi-tech computer gear to be shipped to London, one of the staffers told me.  The sheets of 10 cost £8.75 each ($A24) and you needed to fly to London to get them IF  you ever found out about their booth!  And if you order now, all Ozzie buyers AVOID G.S.T. on the purchase!

   Anyway, I did not miss the opportunity to get 20 sheets of 10 done - each of course (as does the “proof sheet” you also get) has the full colour “London 2000” logo upon each sheet, with the “Penny Black” being central to the design.  I also scrounged 20 of the large Deluxe outer folders to house them in, and 20 of the special 6 page colour brochures about them, and also a heavyweight mylar storage folder that the sheets reside in for easy storage.  I also later added via my show contacts TWO unused and consecutively numbered “London 2000” entry tickets (£10 = $27) and even a 4 page A4 full colour official show program and dealer reference &c. So you have here a complete ’kit’ of what happened, and the entry tickets, and the A.P. photo stamps from the show of the decade. I bought back only 20 such kits, with my smiling face on each stamp - a photo of me in a suit and tie is a collectors item in itself!  I’ll sign and inscribe the sheet outer margins to you if you wish.  My initial price for the “A99” sheets was $50 and went up to $200, so the moral of the story is order QUICKLY!

   Finally, I wangled from the computer operator, for each folder the full A4 sized proof sheet  with the 10 stamp sized full colour photos of myself on each.  Also all with full colour “London 2000” logo - I understand these are usually not given to the purchaser, so they appear to be key collector items in themselves.  ‘The Entire Kaboodle’, all in the deluxe Royal Blue official AP folder is yours  for only $A65 (= about $US37 right now!) or $6½ a unit. Only TWENTY folders exist, remember that.  The train from Heathrow to Earl’s Court and admission cost more than $65, so grab these NOW!

   And do note. These are the ONLY photo stamps Australia Post has done at ANY exhibition since “Australia 99”.  It is the SECOND in what will clearly be a continuing, selective, and valuable and highly collectible series.  I still have 3 only such folders of my photo stamp sheetlets from “Australia 99” - these are $200 a sheet, and are of course the world’s FIRST  personalised stamps - the Deluxe folder they come in says just that.  Each also comes with a “proof sheet” A4 four page full colour photo montage of shots taken by me of the hugely successful “Australia 99” show,  showing dealers, stands, events. And if you missed out on these the first time around, I will sell BOTH folders for $A250, so you have a “complete set” to date,  but remember there are 3 sets only to sell.  My story of the debut issue made Linn’s Stamp News front page in colour in the USA -  http://www.linns.com/print/archives/19990322/news1.asp and for a complete review of  “Australia 99”  with commentary on the long lines for the Photo Stamps read all about it at: https://www.glenstephens.com/aust99.html   Remember that old and very TRUE philatelic axiom: ‘The first of ANYTHING is usually good’ - so these are truly ‘Stamps Of The Future’ - and at $A65 do NOT overlook them.

   Speaking about expensive, I went along and viewed some stamp lots at David Feldman’s official “London  2000” auction sale, along with Rodney Perry and Simon Dunkerley. This included the Gold Medal winning Victor Frankenstein “NSW”.  NEVER complain about my prices EVER again folks!  All estimates were in super strong £STG.  Buyer commission on top of that was 15% plus a very cheeky extra 3% commission to cover their ‘transport and handling expenses’ to London 2000.  PLUS a 5% “special rate” VAT to all who collected lots after the sale.  Rod Perry innocently asked if there was a fee to use the credit cards they listed as being “accepted” on their bid sheet  -  “of course” replied the smiling Managing Director Marcus Orsi, “but that costs you another 3% extra - we have to eat you know’. So that is 26% on TOP  of the huge Sterling prices the lots all sold for. The sale catalogue was a work of art.  HARD cover, 328 pages A4, weighing a huge 1½ kg or 3 lb. On archival gloss paper, nearly every page colour plates, with superb definition, and world rarities everywhere.  My pristine unmarked copy is yours for $A50 (=$US28) along with prices realised list - first one to ask can have it.  A brilliant reference, especially for NSW collectors.  Finally, I obtained a delightful w/centred £1 Brown and Blue Kangaroo in London. Totally MUH original gum,  and with the DARK colours (very seldom seen in MUH) and freshness you will NEVER see out here. Price from any other ozzie dealer is $5,500 -from me is only $A4,250: buy NOW.

   After “London 2000” I flew up to Glasgow to somewhere I always wanted to visit - LOCH NESS. Don’t ask me why, but it has been a dream for 30 years. However,  whenever I’ve been in the UK it is usually Winter,  and that is NOT the time to visit the Scottish Highlands!  So this time, being nearly summer was the perfect opportunity.  I arrived in rough, tough Glasgow on the eve of the 127th playing of the Scottish Cup soccer final. Now Scottish soccer fans are pretty legendary,  and when Glasgow are playing Aberdeen in Glasgow it was a WILD Friday night down in Sauchiehall Street, I am here to tell you!  Buses of Police in riot gear,  and heavy street foot patrols.  I saw punters being handcuffed and thrown into black vans in the main drag just for swearing - you get the picture.  Glasgow killed Aberdeen 4 - 0,  so I was glad I was not there on the SATURDAY night.  Instead I was then up in pretty  Inverness,  right up in the Highlands.  And “Highlands” it most certainly is.  Look it up on a map - Inverness is further north than Moscow, Edmonton, Denmark, or the Alaskan Peninsula.  At 11pm it was still quite light.  Loch Ness is far larger than I imagined,  being about  22 miles long,  a mile wide and apparently very deep.  Despite driving the length of it 3 times, the only sign of “Nessie” was a large fake model outside at the Visitor Centre!  But all very scenic, and well worth the journey up there.

   The Highlands is such a beautiful green totally unspoiled part of the world.  You can really cut the accents with a knife!  The Scots have always been fiercely proud of their country and their Heritage,  to a man,  and you really admire that. for a tiny country of only 5 million or so people. (Burundi or Malawi are more populous!)  Scots have certainly left their mark on the world.  They even issue their own banknotes - try cashing them in many places “Down South” though.

   Visited the cute Isle Of Skye and had lunch at a tiny pub consisting of Haggis, taties and neeps,  washed down with a warm pint of locally brewed dark beer. Also visited the smallest Malt Whisky distillery in Scotland - a fascinating process how they make the stuff, and fire it with peat etc.  Places like Loch Lomond, GlenCoe, Fort William and the cute Pitlochry are really fascinating.  I walked across the battlefield of Culloden, site of the last armed conflict on British soil (1746) and that is an eerie place to this day.  Also visited the superb old Eilean Donan castle, with stone walls many metres thick which is built on a rock island on a Loch. And the enormous grounds and buildings of Scone Palace near Perth - what a way to live but mowing those LAWNS, such a headache!

   Has been a few years since I visited Britain, and the costs of everything are now just terrifying.  Not just the hotels and meals etc for tourists -  simply on everything, for everyone.  From the Scottish Highlands to London it is all scary.  A cab ride, or a basic simple meal are mega bucks.  A beer at a tiny pub runs about $5,  and a 1 station trip on the Underground is $A4.  I guess that the nasty hidden 17½% VAT is a factor,  but boy,  I sure would hate to LIVE there, weather notwithstanding.  Don’t forget Britain wisely opted out of the “Euro” - unlike most EEC countries,  whose currencies are now forever linked to that turkey, and which has since fallen some 30% against the $US, therefore UK costs are much higher than Europe.  I saw lots of stamps at dealer stands marked in a £ STG number precisely what I’d happily ask in an $A number, so my material is almost ONE THIRD the UK price - certainly until our rotten GST hits the equation, so check out  the last ever Pacific Peso bargains NOW at:  https://www.glenstephens.com/lst.html

   Finally back in Oz early June from Glasgow on THE longest airline lunatic trip I’ve ever subjected myself to, and boy, THAT  is really saying something!  It must be about as far as you can fly without a hotel stay.  Glasgow - London - Washington DC - Los Angeles - Sydney :  the latter flight being 14½ hours alone.  As there were also a few pretty poor connections,  it was literally over 35 hours from waking up in Glasgow to arriving in Sydney. To make it even sillier,  I arrived home at 6am,  to the usual mountain of faxes,  letters phone messages and 260 e-mails,  so worked all that day to 9pm just to get on top of the “super urgent” stuff.  Did not see a bed for well over 48 hours and certainly slept well when I did!  The “joys” of being a one man business!

   Lastly, whilst in the UK I ordered three cartons of  the brand new John Barefoot ”British Commonwealth Revenues”  2000 catalogue, 6th Edition. This is a huge 270 large A4 sized page work, with 3 columns of photos and prices per page.  All stock sent to “London 2000”  totally sold out on first day of the show and was NOT replenished!  The Australasian and Malaysian areas have been heavily updated in this edition - some of it with my assistance.  The Canada and provinces is also very strong.  A huge book, and the ONLY book in the world that accurately prices and photographs and lists the Commonwealth (including the UK) revenues, fiscals, fees, stamp duties, court fees, hunting type issues, even Departure Tax stamps!  There are things in here cat £50-100, and readily saleable that you would otherwise leave in the back of a junk book .. let me tell you.  ONE even half decent item found in a junk lot will pay for this book - easily.  There are LOTS of boring looking things in here cat £100s each.  There are 1,000s of dirty old pen cancelled 19th Century court fees, duties, or revenues or fiscals you would not look twice at that are worth more than a fine used 10/- Kangaroo.  No matter WHAT you collect or sell, you NEED this superb catalogue in your library.   Price is:

 

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