Showing posts with label miniaturesheet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miniaturesheet. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Gandhi Khadi Stamp FDC : I don't think this are rare F.D.C even though it's a private fdc

12/14/2011
By Ketankumar Patel.


Hello Gandhi Collectors,

You already know that there was no official FDC issued by Indian Postal Service with Gandhi Khadi stamp sheet (1,00,000 stamp sheets were printed) issued in February 2011 during Indipex Stamp Exhibition.

But I can see lot of different varities of privately made F.D.C with Gandhi Khadi Stamp sheet or just khadi stamp of 100 Rupees ($2 only).

Following is screenshot from ebay and none of the FDC were sold in last 15 days.!!!


I am not sure why it is not selling, but my guess is it is private fdc and price is too high or dealers are not interested to buy it and resell it or collectors knows that this will be available all the time as lot of collectors and  dealers made private FDC (my guess will be more than 5000!!)during Indipex Exhibition anticipating that value will go high and there will huge appreciation by investing 250 Rupees ($5-6).!!

Do you think 2011 Gandhi Khadi stamp sheet FDC will appreciate after 40+ years.?

Or it will have same appreciation like we see today in Ireland or Hungary 1969 Gandhi stamp FDC!!! which are selling under $1 even after 40+ years

Again thanks for reading and  Please share your thoughts in the comments section.


Friday, December 9, 2011

Grenada Gandhi Stamps : Which Gandhi Stamps you need to avoid.?

12/9/2011
By Ketankumar Patel.


Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Grenada is an island country consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.  

It is 203rd in world by size of  344 square kilometres (133 sq mi), with an estimated population of 110,000. Its capital is St. George's. 

In 1969 Grenada issued four color full Gandhi Stamps of 6 cents,15 cents, 25 cents and 1$ (East Caribbean dollar) in a miniature sheet. I think (not sure) this stamps are still valid as currency was never revalued or discontinued. 



This stamps and miniature sheet is widely available under $2. (US dollar).


In 1986, Grenada issued another Gandhi stamp along with MLK stamps to celebrate Disarmament week and International Year of Peace.

This stamp is also available under $2.!!


In 1998 Gandhi Miniature Sheets were issued. Don't know why this many stamps sheet from such a small country.


FDC of above miniature sheet are also available on internet public auction sites which are questionable. Needs to do more research before you buy it. To me it don't look like officially used FDC.

As miniature sheet having 4 Gandhi stamps did not fit on envelope so they affix it inverted.!!!




To me it looks that 1998 miniature sheet were just issued to make money like other Gandhi material available to collectors as popularity in Gandhi thematic collection increased after 1990 and printers and dealers never missed this chance.!!

This stamp sheet are available somewhere between 10-12$, but I don't think it will increasevalue of your collection. So now it's upto you what you need to do.


Again thanks for reading and  Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Venezuela Gandhi Stamps : One of the best Gandhi stamps printed.

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Venezuela issued Mahatma Gandhi stamp in 1972 and also miniature sheet to celebrate 50th Anniversary of  Independence of India in  1997 which has stamps of Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore and other achievements of India. I think 1997 miniature sheet is one of the best miniature sheet. 


1972
Also 1972 stamp is also one of the best designed stamp of Mahatma Gandhi.

Both of this stamps are discontinued because of currency devaluation.!!




Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959.


Hugo CHAVEZ, president since 1999, seeks to implement his "21st Century Socialism," which purports to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking capitalist globalization and existing democratic institutions. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.

1997
We have seen lot of foreign stamps of Rabindranath Tagore (Nobel Prize winner) & Jawaharlal Nehru, but I think this is the first stamp of Sardar Patel from foreign country.!! 

Vallabhbhai (Sardar) Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of India. He is known to be a social leader of India who played a major role in the country's struggle for independence and guided its integration into a united, independent nation.Therefore he is also regarded as "Bismark of India". He was known as the "Iron Man of India". In India and across the world, he was often addressed as Sardar which means Chief in many languages of India.

Read more about Sardar Patel at Wikipedia.



1972 stamp is available under $1 and Miniature sheet is available somewhere around $10. It's currently available from Venezuela ebay seller "sleimanshobby" on ebay for $9.50!! Click this link to see.

According to me you will not get cheated from issuing country seller as they have vast resource to get stamps and also they make money by turnaround of different stamps of their country.

Do you think Venezuela Gandhi stamps are one of the best Gandhi Stamps ever printed.?

Again thanks for reading and  Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Montserrat Gandhi Stamps : What is the real value of stamps?

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) long and 11 km (6.8 mi) wide, giving 40 km (25 mi) of coastline. 

On his second voyage to the New World in 1493, Christopher Columbus named the Caribbean island after the mountain of Montserrat located near the city of Barcelona, Spain. Montserrat is nicknamed the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean both for its resemblance to coastal Ireland and for the Irish ancestry of its inhabitants.


In 1998 Montserrat issued Mahatma Gandhi miniature sheet of 4 stamps. Looks like this stamp sheet has picture of Mahatma Gandhi visiting England during round table conference. Also color combination of this sheet is with copper base which also looks unique.

Recently this stamp sheet was sold somewhere between 4-5$.


So please make sure about pricing before you buy Gandhi MNH stamps or sheet. It's not that expensive and there is plenty of it.

Also you will see some SPECIMEN stamps which required more research.!!


Thanks

Belgium Gandhi Stamps : Can't believe the pricing of this 1999 stamp sheet of Gandhi with Kennedy, MLK, Nelson Mandela, Lenin, Guevara, Golda Meir, Jesse Owens, Football, Bicycling, Tim and Struppi stamps from Belgium.

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.

Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish (about 60%), and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons (about 40%), plus a small group of German-speakers. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region.

Belgium issued  first Gandhi stamps with Euro as it's currency.



In 1999 Belgium issued stamp sheet of 20 stamps each 0.42 euros. That means that it's price is 8.40 Euros.

Recently I saw above sheet sold under face value, for 6.50 Euros.!!!  This means that each stamp is 0.33 euros.!! So after 12+ years it's price has gone down instead of any appreciation even after keeping in safe storage.

This sheet has Gandhi stamp along with other 19 stamps  of Pope Johannes XXII., King Boudewijn., Willy Brandt., John F. Kennedy.,  Martin Luther King., Vladimir Lenin., Ernesto 'CHE' Guevara., Golda Meir., Nelson Mandela., Jesse Owens., Football., Bicycling Eddy Merckx., (female) singer Edith Piaf., Pop and Rock music the Beatles., film/movie Charley Chaplin., Tourism beach and holidays., Scouting., Comics., Tim  and Struppi von Hergé., philately stamp & magnifying-glass.


Following is the screen shot of selling price. Check it out 


After looking at this price Do you think stamp hobby is dead.!! This sheet is not even from very small countries who makes money on stamps like Aland, Sao Tome, Nevis etc and still value is going lower then it's original value.

Is it worth to collect Gandhi stamp sheet?

Now you decide what's going on Gandhi Philately.


Thanks
Ketankumar Patel.
My First year experience in Gandhi Philately.
My 100th blog post.
Gandhi Stamp Collecting is SCAM. My 3 year experience tell me Yes!!

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Central African Republic Gandhi stamps with other Human Rights and Nobel Prize winner Dalai Lama stamp, Martin Luther stamp, JFK stamp, Mother Teresa Stamp and Nelson Mandela stamps. Do you think stamps are for investment ??

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

The Central African Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west.  Bangui is the capital city. (Source: Wikipedia)



In 1997 Central Africa honored Mahatma Gandhi by issuing his stamp with other Human Rights leaders and Nobel Prize winners  MLK,  Mother Teresa, Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and JFK.


This sheet with all this leaders were only sold for 4 euros ($5.50). It's not amazing to see such a low price for this sheet even after almost 15 years.

So all new collectors please make sure about this pricing before you bid in future. This is for all stamps in the sheet not just Gandhi.!!

So don't think stamps are for Investment.!! like gold, stocks or house.!! All articles in newspaper and magazine will try to market stamps as one of the option for investment, but think how many people want this stamps  compare to other kind of stock or gold.!! 

So make sure you don't pay too much price for this kind of sheets or individual stamps of Gandhi or other leaders.

Thanks
Ketankumar Patel.
My First year experience in Gandhi Philately.
My 100th blog post.
Gandhi Stamp Collecting is SCAM. My 3 year experience tell me Yes!!

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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Guyana Gandhi Stamps : Guyana 1995 "Holidays of the World" stamp sheet of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas , Hanukkah , Easter , Carnival in Brazil, Bastille Day , Independence Day in India and St. Patrick's Day

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Today is Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to all readers.


Thanksgiving in North America originated from a mix of European and Native traditions. In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition traces its origins to a 1621 celebration at Plymouth Rock in present-day Massachusetts. 

The initial Thanksgiving observance at Virginia in 1619 was prompted by the colonists' leaders on the anniversary of the settlement. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest.

Initially, the Plymouth colony did not have enough food to feed half of the 102 colonists. The Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims by providing seeds and teaching them to fish. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival like this did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.


Thanksgiving in the United States was observed on various dates throughout history. It was not until December 26, 1941 that the unified date changed to the fourth Thursday in November—this time by federal legislation making Thanksgiving a national holiday. (Read more about Thanksgiving at Wikipedia)


In 1995 Guyana had issued a sheetlet of eight stamps as a philatelic tribute to some of the world's most popular holidays around the world. Following are holiday stamps depicted this sheet.

Thanksgiving Day in the United States
Christmas in Germany
Hanukkah in Israel
Easter in Spain
Carnival in Brazil
Bastille Day in France
Independence Day in India
St. Patrick's Day in Ireland .

Mahatma Gandhi's picture in  Independence Day in India stamp in this miniature sheet. 



This sheet is available somewhere between 7-8$ as Guyana makes lot of money by selling surplus stamps to dealers around the world.

Do you think for holiday of India they should used Diwali instead of Independence Day when comparing with Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter etc. in this miniature sheet.?

Again thanks for reading and  Please share your thoughts in the comments section.


Thanks
Ketankumar Patel.
My First year experience in Gandhi Philately.
My 100th blog post.
Gandhi Stamp Collecting is SCAM. My 3 year experience tell me Yes!!

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Following is brief description of other 7 holidays in miniature sheet.(Source : Wikipedia.)

Christmas is observed on December 25  to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The exact birthday of Jesus is not known, and historians place his year of birth some time between 7 BC and 2 BC. Narratives of his birth are included in two of the Canonical gospels in the New Testament of the Bible.

Hanukkah also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE.

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday. The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to have occurred between AD 26 and 36.

Carnival of Brazil  is an annual festival held forty-six days before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove meat." Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's death and resurrection.

Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) and commonly le quatorze juillet (the fourteenth of July). It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. Festivities and official ceremonies are held all over France.

Independence Day of India is celebrated on the fifteenth of August to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in attendance. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated within 6 months (30 January, 1948) after Independence of India, so he never enjoyed it.!!

Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.  Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early 17th century, and has gradually become a secular celebration of Irish culture in general.


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Ghana Gandhi Stamps - Does value of Gandhi FDC makes sense.!!

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.

The Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957 and the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana, which once extended throughout much of west Africa.



On December 24, 1998 Ghana issued 4 stamps(each 2000 Ghana Cedi) Miniature sheet  of Mahatma Gandhi with pictures of his famous Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha) and various age portrait. Also this sheet has quotes of Mahatma Gandhi.  (Not sure why they issued in  December instead of October 2nd !!). Also Ghana  issued another Miniature sheet of Mahatma Gandhi value 5500 Ghana Cedi. 

So total 5 stamps (2 Miniature sheet) were  issued in 1998 by Ghana.

In September 2011, FDC of this Miniature sheet was sold for only $1.29.!! 

Seller : stamp_bay (USA)
Buyer : adityamootha (India)
Date : Sep 3, 2011
Price Sold :- $ 1.29 (less than a $2!!)

To me all 1998 Gandhi FDC from African and South American countries looks like questionable (more than 10-15 countires.!!!!)

It's surprising to see this kind of price for Gandhi Philatelic material.

I am not sure how much catalog value of this FDC but I think $1.29 is under stamp catalog value.!!

But I am sure it is selling under face value, as in 1998 $1=2300C. So above miniature sheet, in 1998 was somewhere between $4-5 when it was sold in Ghana.!!





What a decline.!!

 The Ghana cedi was introduced on 3 July 2007 and is equal to 10,000 old cedis. It was the highest-valued currency unit issued by sovereign countries in Africa in 2007

1 US Dollar = 1.62689 Ghanaian New Cedi   (16000 Old Cedi)

Following is another miniature sheet. Not sure about current pricing but I will update in future.



So looking to all this, it seems to me that Gandhi Stamps are not for investment as $4 invested in 1998 is currently getting only $1.!! which is 300% decline in value.


Thanks


Thursday, May 12, 2011

Amazing price of 1995 Mahatma Gandhi India Souvenir Sheet.

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Recently I read that one seller listed his book to sell on amazon.com for 23 million dollar!! This was for sale by private seller (same like ebay). Read more about this by clicking following link from PC Magazine.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384102,00.asp



http://www.michaeleisen.org/blog/?p=358

I am seeing similiar pattern in Mahatma Gandhi stamp price selling on ebay, not because of any algorithm but by human brain. Here they are looking for some NEW International buyer(as all Indian collector will know price about this) who is not aware of real price or current value of that Mahatma Gandhi stamp and seller thinks that some one will buy it by mistake.!! & then regert their whole life when it is selling for much lower value.!

In 1995 India & South Africa jointly issued Mahatma Gandhi Souvenir Sheet of Indian Rupees 8 which is equivalent to 20-30 cents. (Yes 0.20 US cents). This Souvenir sheet design shows simplicity of Mahatma Gandhi with all his belongings and his famous Dandi March picture. I also think India post issued very large quantity of this Souvenir Sheet so this is not rare.

Currently this stamp is sold between 4-7 dollars which is also on very high price(it's more than 500% ROI in 16 years) and if this rate is continue then it will surpass value of 1948 Gandhi stamps even though there are more Gandhi collectors and dealers in India than it was in 1948.

I think because of low face value( 8 Indian Rupees or 20-30 cents) of this Souvenir Sheet, it was accumulated by certain group of people and because of them we are even paying 4-7 dollars. I don't think this will happen in 2011 Mahatma Gandhi Indipex Khadi Souvenir Sheet because of high face value of Rupees 250 (5-6$) so it will be hard for dealer to keep high priced item.

But I was more suprised when I saw same sheet selling price is $26. !!! All credit to goes to seller for making this possible.



Yes it is $26 + $5.50 = $31.50!!

Also if you see this listing description of the stamp is also incorrect. It is 1992 instead of 1995.

If this souvenir sheet is used with some special postcard or unique used cover to embassy or redcross or united nations etc. than price of $26 or more is justified but this is just stamp sheet which is only 16 years old.!!I would rather pay $20 for Mauritius Register cover (if it is GENUINE) with 6 stamps on it than buying this souvenir sheet as there is lot of work to make that used cover.

But in this case it is just large quantity printed souvenir sheet and seller wants to get profit without doing any work to make cover or postcard etc.


Another example of 1995 SS when it was UNSOLD for 22.22$.


I am not sure whether stamp sellers/dealer thinks that stamp collectors are stupid.!! They just pray that someone will fall in their trap.

But this is seller choice how much they want to sell their item for so no offsense without any alograthim like Amazon book price. It's good that seller is giving option of Buy It Now only instead of auction and then starts increasing price with his/her other ebay id.(Shill Bidding).



But Gandhi Collectors, Do you think this souvenir sheet is worth $26?

It's 8500% return on investment. (0.30 cents invested in 1995 & today's current value $26)



In future we all might see something similar to that amazon book price and this sheet might be on sale for 26 million dollar.!! (if no listing fees is on ebay).

Thanks
KP.


BTW: Because of Low initial value (Rupees 8) some one can afford to buy a very huge quantity and can sell them at high price. I think Indian Goverment Post notice this and issued 2011 Indipex Mahatma Gandhi Souvenir sheet at very high value (Rupees 250) so it will be easily available to collectors and reduce profit margin for some dealers and reseller. Because of this high initial facevalue it will not appreciate same way like 1995 SS.


Update 12/27/11 :

2 sheets were sold for $3.75.!! (but still huge return compare to original price of  20-30 cents (0.30 dollar) with face value of Rupees 10 in 1995.