EDITION D'OR

It is probably the first time that a book showing a collection in the Global Philatelic Network's “Edition d'Or” series of books has appeared for the second time with this Volume 60 in the book series. In 2011, with Volume 28, this collection of especially high quality had already been presented on 156 pages. Now there are 183 pages, on which the quantitative increase of almost 20 percent is far exceeded by the qualitative enrichment. For the well-known Greece specialist Andreadis has spared no effort or expense in the last ten years to add even more rarities to his collection, which at that time had already won several Large Gold awards. In 2018, it won the Grand Prix International in Jerusalem, another indication that this was truly an exceptional exhibit.

This is already made clear by the book cover and the first page of the collection, which now shows the essay by the French stamp engraver Albert Barre, who dedicated the design, derived from a French stamp of 1853, to Natalis Rondot, a legendary pioneer philatelist. The head of Ceres was replaced by the head of Hermes, which henceforth adorned the first Greek issues. Barre’s design for the Large Hermes Head issue exists only once in this form, although there are many other plate and print proofs as well as essays in the Andreadis collection, many of which are just as rare.

What does not exactly make collecting these first issues of Greece easier is the wide variety of printings that an expert can distinguish. It begins with the Paris printings (1861), followed by various provisional and finally the Athens printings (1862-1867). Printings from cleaned plates (1867-1869) followed, also Athens hard printings (1870) and then again printings from cleaned plates (1871-1872 as well as 1873). Prints on ‘meshed’ paper are known as well as new values from 1876, cream-coloured paper (1875-1880) and colour changes (1882). It is therefore not too easy for the collector to look through them all, also the control numbers on the reverse should also be mentioned, which are almost a special field in themselves. If you have not run out of steam yet, you can devote yourself to the rare mixed and combination frankings or to a legend in their own right: the “Solferinos”, the 40 Lepta misprint. This error of colour is one of the greatest rarities known to the philatelic world. Although there are 13 known examples, Andreadis’ collection contains the only one on cover. And even a pair!

Talking of pairs, Andreadis shows in his collection large and sometimes the largest known multiples of many values, some even on cover. And this in abundance and in excellent quality that captivates. Everything is described in detail in English and this therefore becomes a kind of handbook of Greek philately, providing the expert as well as the beginner with valuable knowledge about what exists, and also about what one might not own oneself.

The hardbound book is produced in the excellent quality usual for this book series, and so for 79 CHF plus postage the book is worthy of recommendation.

— Wolfgang Maaßen (AIJP)

size 25,5 x 34 cm, 192 pages, numerous color illustrations, hardcover with dust jacket, bilingual English/German, collection pages in English only.

The Brazilian Everaldo Santos has for decades been one of Brazil's top exhibitors, making a name for himself with Large Gold medals and Grand Prix awards. In this book series, which has been published by the Heinrich Koehler / Corinphila auction houses since 2006, Volume XXXVII has already documented Brazil's postal history from 1606 to 1877. Everaldo Santos followed this postal history approach, but expanded it to include the whole of South America, which was undoubtedly another challenge for him.
His original method and approach was that of a typical country collector. First he collected (as a seven year-old!) - like so many others - the stamps of his own country, modern issues, then he immersed himself in Brazil's stamps and specialised in them. Thus he came to the postmarks, the history of the country, the early issues, the pre-stamp era and postal history. Over the years he built up the largest and most comprehensive postmark archive of the country's imperial period. Only from 2000 did he concentrate on the country's entire postal history, for which his collection was awarded the FIP Grand Prix in Jakarta in 2012. He then gradually began to expand his interests to include certain other countries in South America, resulting in a new exhibit documented in this book, which was honoured in 2018 at exhibitions in Jerusalem, Prague and most recently at STOCKHOLMIA 2019, in each case with Large Gold (at Prague 2018 with an additional prize of honour).
Of course, Brazil is the country most strongly represented in this book, on about 70 pages. But on the other 160 pages there are selected covers from La Plata (Argentina), from the North Atlantic coast, Colombia, Venezuela, British Guiana, French Guiana, Trinidad, the Pacific coast, Panama, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. The fascinating covers are illustrated in each case; in addition the postmarks are often described separately and with their content relevant to postal history. Additional notes on the rarity of individual items make it easier for the reader to assess what is shown. The reviewer is not aware of a second exhibit that even comes close to this one in its content. Anyone who wants to take a closer look at this topic of South American ship mail will be unable to do without this book.
— Wolfgang Maassen (AIJP)
Large format, 248 pages, hardbound with dust jacket, in English and German

One can take quite literally the claim of this book series to document the "most important stamp collections of our time", because this new volume of the EDITION D'OR series provides further proof. A collector must have been truly bitten by the philatelic "bug" to collect such a difficult, and for many a completely impossible subject. Some individual areas of this subject, such as the issues of the Steam Navigation Company, seem feasible. But to claim to collect the stamp issues of all private shipping companies up to 1900 would seem to be an impossibility.

The reason is clear: many of the stamps of these shipping lines are rare, even in comparison with the "Post Office" Mauritius stamps. This narrows down the scope considerably, especially as one must be lucky enough to have any access to such stamps and covers. This requires patience, perseverance, vigilance and, in particular, a persistent quest for perfection.

All this is known to the Swedish collector Jan Berg (born 1959). Berg has two hobbies: his company – he owns a successful building automation company – and philately, since he was seven years old. He began his exhibiting career in 1975 with a thematic collection ("Elephants") and, after a long break, returned in 2001 with a fine Samoa collection which was awarded the Grand Prix at Singapore in 2015. In this 58th EDITION D'OR volume the portrait of the collector written by his friend and passionate philatelist Jonas Hällström is well worth reading. Hällström also emphasises the arrangement of this collection of rarities, which is unparalleled in its perfection and use of blank space. There is much to be learned from this alone.

Even more instructive, however, is the collection itself, which has been awarded seven Gold medals since 2010, and between 2015 and 2018 six Large Gold medals and two Grand Prix awards in Scandinavia. Berg undoubtedly deserves this flood of medals, as the 136 pages of his exhibit contain many names of private shipping lines that most readers are unlikely to have been familiar with to date. Berg divides the abundance of these lines into six chapters, from Intercontinental via the Caribbean and America to Europe, Australasia and Africa including the Suez Canal Company. He succeeds in representing each line with the rarest of their stamps, and also their usage on correspondence. In addition, he has included many proofs, essays and colour trials, as can be seen for example with the issues of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company.

— Wolfgang Maassen (AIJP)

176 pages, hardbound with dust jacket, in English and German

Thematic collectors sometimes have the opportunity to collect items that relate to their chosen collecting area not only on stamps, but also as originals – even in miniature format – whether it be cars, trains or ships, to name just a few examples. Animal lovers often breed or keep the animals that are the subject of their philatelic interests. This was exactly the case with Lutz König, a philatelist born at Nordhausen, in the Harz region, in 1952.

König not only knows a great deal about pigeon post (the title of his exhibit, which has received many Grand Prix and Large Gold medals since 2006), but also about pigeons themselves, which he bred until 1990. He won high awards with his pigeons at many shows in the former GDR. It was only his workload that led to him giving up this time-consuming pursuit so as to further his career, and he concentrated instead on the philatelically charming theme of the pigeon

The new Volume 57 in the well-known "EDITION D'OR" series of books not only gives a biography of this unusual collector, it also provides a highly readable introduction to König's collecting area. The preface deals with the ornithological view of pigeons and the carrying of news by pigeon post, also fine pigeon breeds and pigeons as high-performance "athletes", and describes the role of the dove as a well-known and worldwide symbol of peace.

Finally, this high award-winning collection is documented on almost 100 more pages. In four parts of the collection, it provides deep insights into the "biographies of pigeons in the wild", the evolution of "the development of today’s domestic pigeons from wild rock doves", as well as a historical reference to the development from "the path from bird of the gods in antiquity to religious symbol" and to aspects of the "doves are a source of inspiration – worldwide fame of a different kind".

What is most impressive is the meticulous development of this exhibit, which uses all kinds of philatelic items (stamps, postmarks, postal stationery, letters, franking marks and much more) to illustrate what is written. Present-day questions such as the protection of species and today's dangers to wild and domestic pigeons are not left out. When selecting the philatelic items shown, one can sense the expert who loves what is special: until 1990 Lutz König had collected GDR in a specialised way, that is, stamps with specialised features and varieties. Later he continued this far from easy approach in his pigeon post collection and chose special, sometimes even unique items in each case.

It is not only entertaining, but also educational in the truest sense of the word to read this book; it is a joy. One should have seen the collection - now everyone has the opportunity to do so comparatively easily.

— Wolfgang Maassen (AIJP)

128 pages, hardbound with dust jacket, in English and German

The biography in this new 56th volume in the EDITION D'OR series portrays the collector as a man committed to his dreams. This is actually his life's work - both professional and philatelic. Born in 1949 in Langadas near Thessaloniki, in the 1950s and 1960s Anestis Karagiannidis could see few prospects for his future in his native Greece, and so he emigrated to Canada in 1971, married his wife Artemis there in 1976 and hired himself out as a carpenter until 1981, when he finally remembered his roots: he opened the "Boulangerie Pâtisserie Afroditi" in Montreal. This exclusive patisserie for Greek and French pastries became so successful over the years that Karagiannidis and his youngest son now have more branches.

Nor did Karagiannidis give up the love of philately of his youth. On the contrary, his hobby developed more and more into a passion, so that since 1986 he has focused on the second period of classical Greek philately. These stamp issues are widely known as the "Small Hermes Heads". Specialists are aware that a collection of these issues is anything but easy to put together. Initially (1886-1888) they were produced in various printings in Belgium, then from 1889 to 1890 the stamps of the 'First Athens Printing' were produced, followed by those of the 'Second Athenian Printing' from 1890 to 1896 and finally those of the third printing from 1897 to 1901.

This still sounds manageable, but the variety of papers, colours, perforations and watermarks often presents a puzzle to the collector. Karagiannidis knows how to solve these puzzles in the truly unique collection documented in this book, which has been awarded six international Grand Prix Gold Medals and two additional Grand Prix Medals since 2013. He describes the occurrence of all the varieties very clearly and the excellent print quality of the stamp illustrations is extremely detailed and close to the original.

The exhibit is a traditional collection in the best and truest sense of the word. It is in the well-understood sense an "accumulations of rarities", and should "only one of three known examples" appear in the description, then one can hardly estimate their rarity factor in view of the countless unique specimens.

This book is a pleasure to read. It is a "must read" and a groundbreaking handbook for anyone interested in these issues.

— Wolfgang Maassen (AIJP)

164 pages, hardbound with dust jacket, in English and German

Among Brazil's most popular early stamps are the three issues of the so-called large Dom Pedro series of stamps, which appeared in 1866-1878. These issues replaced the previous so-called bull's-, goat's- and cat's-eye issues. The portrait of Emperor Dom Pedro was now the design that the American Bank Note Company produced by steel engraving in many different values. The issues are still among the most beautiful designs that Brazil has ever issued. They were collected by many enthusiasts in the past, especially as a wide variety of "dumb" and local postmarks of Brazil - which are quite affordable in good condition - could easily be collected on the stamps.

But anyone who hears the name of the collector Pablo Reim (b. 23 June 1955) of Buenos Aires knows that this well-known philatelist prefers and appreciates the special, the unusual. In addition to his home country of Argentina, he has several Brazil collections of outstanding quality. This specialised Dom Pedro collection is also an example of what competence, knowledge and many a lucky acquisition of rarities can bring about.

The collection, which is described throughout in English, is a traditional collection of its type. This means that it is dedicated in a specialised way to the stamps themselves, for which essays and proofs, then the stamps themselves, and finally their usage on cover are presented. As if this were a simple challenge, Reim has tried to put together for each value what was truly unusual: the largest known multiples and rarest letter frankings with some very unusual destinations and postage rates. He has succeeded in doing this very well and thus the reader finds many items of exquisite rarity and quality in pristine condition. The descriptions are kept short, but always provide the correct explanation for weight steps and postage for usages on cover. The collector of these issues will probably have his heart set on them, because he has probably never seen so many such things before. And if he has, then only in many auction catalogues of recent decades. In this book he gets such a comprehensive and concentrated view of these charming issues as is only rarely possible.

— Wolfgang Maassen (AIJP)

168 pages, hardbound with dust jacket, in English and German

When a philatelist with a collection of the semi-classical issues of a country achieves three Large Gold medals at exhibitions (in this case in 2010 in Buenos Aires, 2016 in Cordoba and 2018 at the FIP exhibition in Israel), then this collection must be something very special. It is clear that Pablo Reim, one of South America's leading philatelists, possesses such a collection. His other collections of the pre-philately of Argentina and Bolivia, of classical and semi-classical Brazilian issues, of Corrientes, etc. are also almost legendary.

Reim deals with the subject in ten "chapters", beginning with the "First Contract" up to the sixth printing order (1883 ff.). Included are the provisionals of 1877 and 1882, which became necessary because changes in postage rates resulted in a shortage of stamps and made it necessary to overprint stamps in the country. Reim follows this chronology in the traditional way of collecting that is typical of him. The stamps, their essays and/or proofs are at the beginning of each new issue. This is followed by the presentation of some of the largest known multiples in unused and used condition. Then follows a series of usages of the stamps of each value on cover - from single frankings to multiple- and mixed frankings. Postage rates and postage overviews are explained in each case. Even mixed frankings with other issues (such as with the preceding Rivadavia issue) and bisects are among the rarities that can be seen in this book in perfect condition and in large numbers. The variety seems inexhaustible, but notes such as "only three covers known" quickly make it clear to the reader that the material shown is anything but an everyday commodity.

The collection is perfect, an optical "delicacy" that can only be enjoyed. This book is only to be recommended to anyone interested in these issues, even if he cannot call comparable material his own.

— Wolfgang Maassen (AIJP)

188 pages, hardbound with dust jacket, in English and German

Just as the name Robson Lowe is associated with the promotion of postal history – the emphasis on rates, routes, origins and markings of postal covers – so the development of the analogous field of fiscal history – the focus on types, tax rates, origins, and historical and social aspects of revenue-stamped documents – has been the philatelic life’s work of Michael Mahler, whose panoramic exhibit of United States Civil War era fiscal history is presented herein.

Besides this signature exhibit, Dr. Mahler has garnered gold medals for a dozen different fiscal history displays, notably on California’s “Gold Rush” revenues; Civil War era use of Federal and State revenue stamps in Nevada; Oregon Insurance stamps; bonds of the Gilded Age showing New York’s Bond Taxes of 1911–20; legal and illegal usages of Proprietary, Playing Cards, and Private-Die stamps of the Civil War era; U.S. First Issue ultramarines; Florida in the Civil War era; whaling during the Civil War era; and the cotton industry during Reconstruction. Key items from all but the last of these are included herein.

He has been equally prolific as a researcher and writer. A Catalog of United States Revenue-Stamped Documents of the Civil War Era by Type and Tax Rate (American Revenue Association, 1999), awarded the 2000 U.S. Philatelic Classics Society Elliott Perry Cup, is arguably the most influential work on fiscal history published to date. The monograph How Were U.S. Civil War Documentary and Proprietary Revenues Made Available to the Public? (American Revenue Association, 1993) won the 1993 USPCS Carroll Chase Cup and 1994 American Philatelic Congress Colby award. He is the author of more than fifty articles on fiscal history, most often in The American Revenuer, also State Revenue News, Scripophily, Western Express, The American Philatelist and The Chronicle of the USPCS. Extensive online monographs on Nevada Territory stock certificates; Rebel Documents, Yankee Stamps (on federal stamp taxes in the states of the Confederacy); and California and Nevada State revenues all await publication in book form.

Readers will see herein not only examples of all document types taxed by the U.S. during the Civil War era, and virtually all rates, but in many cases the choicest – and in a few cases the only – examples extant. In the process, as expressed in the author’s overview, “These threads weave a tapestry that encompasses more than stamps, more than tax tables and rates; it transcends the normal bounds of fiscal history and reflects virtually all of life as it was during this tumultuous decade.” We take pride in making this the first U.S. exhibit to be enshrined in an EDITION D´OR, and look forward to fruitful collaboration with other U.S. exhibitors.

210 pages, of which 168 are full-colour plates showing pages from the collection, hardbound with dust jacket, in English

188 pages, of which 158 are full-colour plates showing pages from the collection, hardbound with dust jacket, in English and Spanish

160 pages, of which 128 are full-colour plates showing pages from the collection, hardbound with dust jacket, in English and Dutch