Monthly Archives: April 2021

The stamps of Newfoundland have always been a favorite with philatelists. The internal demand in Newfoundland itself is small because the population of that province is small but the philately of Newfoundland is interesting and has always attracted Canadian collectors, British Commonwealth collectors and US collectors. The stamps are interesting and well engraved. The first issues are very scarce and have some of the rarest stamps in philately although listing major catalog numbers based solely on paper and shade differences has always seemed silly to me. Stamps printed from the same plates and of the same denomination and color should generally be the same major catalog number and varieties of paper and shade should be minor "a" numbers. This is not the case with the first issues of Newfoundland and  collectors do not readily take to these stamps. The twentieth century issues are very well engraved and tastefully designed and have always been avidly collected. As Newfoundland was alway

The popularity of a country's stamps varies with the popularity of the government in power. Japanese stamps were very popular in the 1920's and fell off tremendously in the the 1930's and 1940's before renewing their popularity after World War II. The stamps of Iran were very popular until the last twenty years. They are among the world's most interesting. The classics are complex, hard to find and yet not very pricey. Called the Lions they have that primitive quality that makes the Nineteenth Century philately of many countries so alluring. There were many printings and considering how rarely they are offered for sale, prices are surprisingly modest. There are two reasons for the low prices. First is the political unpopularity of Iran in the world makes for few new collectors of this area. But more importantly the popularity of a country like Iran  (or China or India) is aided by a successful emigrant community that often seeks the stamps of the home country. Iran has been under international s