Mahatma Gandhi Stamp/Philately Top 10 posts read in last 2 years.

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

I was going through stats of Gandhi Philately blog and I was surprised by interest in Gandhi Philately. From May 2009 - May 2011 there were 11600+ pages were viewed.!!! Out of this about 7000 are just only in 2011.!! Thanks to all readers for reading this blog.

I would like to share TOP 10 posts read on this blog.

1) THE STATE EMBLEM OF INDIA & GANDHI Postcards and Postmark Cancel.

2) My 1st year experience of collecting GANDHI philatelic material

3) Gandhi FDC with British Force Post Office (BFPO) Postmark Cancellation

4) How to create Gandhi Error stamps

5) Mahatma Gandhi and Indipex 2011.

6) Gandhi stamp value declining.!!

7) Gandhi 1969 Color Trials

8) Germany special Gandhi Postmark Cancel or Gandhi Rubber Stamp?

9) 1948 Gandhi FDC with 10 rupees stamps

10) 1971 - Panama's Gandhi Stamp, a Surprising Philatelic Rarity

Now you all can also see what Mahatma Gandhi Stamp Collectors are reading on this blog.



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

Thanks

Ketankumar Patel.
Shill Bidding on Gandhi Stamps

My First year experience in Gandhi Philately.

My 100th blog post.

Gandhi Stamp Collecting is SCAM. My 3 year experience tell me Yes!!

Nepal Indian Embassy Mahatma Gandhi 1948 Cover (FDC) with 1.5 Anna Gandhi stamp

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Today is 15th August which is Independence Day of India.  This day was not possible without  Mahatma Gandhi who sacrificed his life to achieve this for all Indians.

I am rewriting this blog post which I published on May 16, 2011 as this blog post is related to 15th August 1948.

(Gandhi Collectors who don't have this cover or New collectors DON'T BUY Nepal India Indian Embassy Mahatma Gandhi 1948 cover (FDC) with 1.5 Anna stamp UNTIL YOU have research in detail about each and everything about this cover. I don't question postmark cancel from embassy but I questioned about this covers with 1.5 Anna stamp )

Think how 1948 Gandhi stamp reach to Nepal Embassy on First Day of issue.? There are lot of other cities which did not received this stamps whose people are more in philatelic.!!! How many of us have seen any kind of First day CDS from AHMEDABAD or Baroda or Rajkot.!!



BTW: Looks like seller is making his living in Nepal on all of us (USA, Germany, Norway etc). NEPAL 2010 GDP is $562. This seller already made more than 2000 dollars in just 2 years by selling this dirty cover which looks like commericial used without receiving postmark cancel. This is all because of us who bought this cover including myself.

I am not sure what are we all trying to prove here.


Last month Nepal India Indian Embassy Gandhi 1948 commemorative small value 1.5 Anna stamp on cover from Indian Embassy (Nepal) with comet postmark 15 Aug 1948 was sold for $158. Unbeliveable price.!!




BUYER is :


Second Offer buyer is:


Both buyer paid $155+ are from India(If nothing is FAKE!! This is Gandhi Philately.!!). Looks like India is really booming.!!

In last 2 years I saw around 10-12 similar FDC sold on ebay by only one seller "himphinu" from Nepal.

I bought this for $81 (including shipping) in June 2009, So comparing this with selling price of $158 my purchase is appreciating by 90-100% in 2 years. Not bad at all in this kind of economy where nothing is certain except Gandhi Philately.!!




As you know I do research on Gandhi philatelic items so I bid on some of Gandhi items again and again and because of this I got two second offer from this seller.!!!

In March 2010 I got second chance offer for $39 & in April 2011 I got it for $106. What a difference!!!!!!





(Second Chance Offer on Gandhi Philatelic material is another interesting Research topic on which I am working on.!!)




Looks interesting.!! Reason for getting this second offer is that seller don't know that I bidded with different id.!! Yes I do have multipe id.!!

Following screenshot will show you who made seller super RICH by buying this cover/FDC at what price and you will see some great Gandhi collectors and some questionable collectors!!!

Also some feedbacks are missing both by sellers and buyer.!! Also looks like some buyers are questionable.!!






Some of the covers sold for 200+ dollars are for 3 covers with 3 different Gandhi 1948 stamps.

After all this research for 2+ years on this FDC I think I & other paid very high price for this cover without knowing indepth details about this cover. Also there is no place to look about this.!!

I need help in following questions to find more details about this cover. If you know please comments on this blog post.

1) How many total FDC was issued from Indian Embassy Nepal??
2) Why only one person has this in lot? (this is not private comet postmark so there should be more).
3) Do anyone has proof that this are GENUINE cover?
4) Any record from Indian Goverment or Indian Embassy about this cover or Hira Singh?
5) Do anyone has this cover with 10 Rupees Stamps as I never saw one? Why? (It's embassy so there will be rich collector even 1948.!!)
6) Anyone has seen this cover with shipping address to other countries with CDS in back side?
7) Anyone has seen this cover with receving postmark cancel (CDS) in back from Nepal(receiving cds) ?
8) Any Register cover?


I think it makes more sense to buy  Philatelic material from Collector who has his name & address on the philatelic material because his/her name is involved in that kind of special cover/postcard etc. If we know who is Hira Singh then we can have little proof about it and we can get in confidence.

I had seen commerically used cover to USA with multiple stamps and embassy cancellation. So no issue with embassy cancellation. Only issue is cover without CDS in back and mailed to other countries and who is the creator of this.!!

Gandhi Collectors who don't have this or New collectors DON'T BUY THIS UNTIL YOU GET SUFFICIENT INFORMATION OF ABOVE QUESTIONS.

If you still need this cover then let me know I will give my cover which I purchased from same person to you at reasonable price (no profit no loss) so I can get rid from my collection and have peace of mind.!!

Want to read more about Nepal Gandhi Stamp usage then click following link.

http://stampsofindia.com/readroom/b011.htm

Thanks
KP.

BTW: Similiar is the case of Pondicherry FDC so keep your EYES open and Paypal closed.!!!

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.

How are Mauritus Gandhi 1969 FDC sold.!!

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Recently I noticed that Mauritius 1969 Gandhi FDC with 6 stamps sold for $25.!! I was really surprised when I saw other FDC sold for $41 on same day.

Seller: tiptoppeter from UK
Buyer: Londoneye321 from UK.
Date Sold:- 3/16/2011
Price Paid:- $25





Seller:- asdaasdaasda from China (how come someone collects stamps of Gandhi Human Rights )
Buyer(Winner) :- nawab_shukla
Other next Bidder: Coolblue1955
Date Sold:-3/16/2011
Price Paid:- $41







Seller:- jfaulker7
Buyer:- isaramdoo
Date Sold:- 3/22/11
Price Paid:- $34





As per above screen shot of sold FDC price range (25-41$ & 34$) is very wide in a week!! and even same day(25$ & 41$)!!. My research indiciates that it all depends on who is the seller!!!. Look above screenshot and you will notice that.



Be careful when you buy Mauritius Gandhi philatelic material whether it is FDC or USED cover or just postmark(rubber stamp) register cancellation on paper. Also Beware on Register covers with Gandhi Sheet of 6 stamps plus ducks stamps on Mauritius covers as in past it was sold for under $2 and now it's bidding starts at $20!!

Thanks
Ketankumar Patel.

Mahatma Gandhi 1969 FDC from British Railway Post

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

In past I had seen Mahatma Gandhi FDC of UK from various post office cancellation, BFPO etc. but recently I got another rare Mahatma Gandhi FDC from United Kingdom which is very unique. It has following uniqueness from other FDC's.

1) FDC from Railway Post
2) CDS from Abolished County
3) Label used on FDC for special railway fees.(Cinderella stamps)


The United Kingdom pioneered the modern use of what it calls the Travelling Post Office (TPO), a railway service that operated for the first time in 1838. TPOs were removed from service by Royal Mail in early 2004.

In the UK road vehicles that provide postal services are known as Mobile Post Offices, to differentiate them from the (now obsolete) rail Travelling Post Offices (TPOs).

The Festiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park.

The railway is roughly 13+1⁄2 miles (21.7 km) long and runs from the harbour at Porthmadog to the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, travelling through forested and mountainous scenery.

The Festiniog Railway Letter Service is an officially authorised service within the United Kingdom railway system for posting and transmission of letters, and under certain circumstances also delivering the letters directly to intended recipients.



Above FDC is one of the rare cancelled at Penrhyndeudraeth village in Meridoth County. (The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974. Now it is Gwynedd County). It also has 2 Cinderella stamps(label) with 1d & 1/2s for Railway Fee is affiexed on the cover.

Until 1974, BR set the Railway Letter Fee (a complex fare structure) and this was often changed without warning or notice. The basic fee was thus increased with immediate effect from 1s. 2d. to 1s. 3d. on 26 May 1969 – just two days before the reintroduction of the service on the FR. Fortunately the FR had taken the trouble to provide themselves with 1d, 6d, 1/- and also 1s. 2d. stamps. Extra 1d and a new 1s. 3d. stamps were soon ordered from the printers.

In last 3 years I had never seen any Mahatma Gandhi 1969 FDC from UK Railway post. This is the first one I had seen on ebay, but there might be more.

If you have more information about this FDC than please write your comments so everyone knows about it.

Further Reading:
1) Festiniog Railway Letter Service

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!!
(My Son's blog http://usapostman.blogspot.com)

Click to see 50th Anniversary
Special Cancellation

Mahatma Gandhi Kazakhstan FDC price is declining. ( How I was introduce to Delcampe !!)

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

Kazakhstan is 9th largest country in the world & largest landlocked country, was last Soviet Union to declare independent country in 1991.

To celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 125th Birth Anniversary, on 2nd October 1995 Kazakhstan issued 2 very beautiful stamps in design and color.

Now let me come to the point.

On 2/9/2009 I bought Kazakhstan Mahatma Gandhi FDC for $20. This was my first purchase on delcampe from seller "Bullterrier". But more interesting is how I was introduce to delcampe.!

I was looking for Gandhi philatelic material on ebay as I was very novice Gandhi collector (just moving from stamps to FDC!!) and while browsing recently completed auction on ebay I found that Kazakhstan FDC was sold recently. I contacted that ebay seller "MAXWELLBRUSHSTICK" by ebay contact seller. He replied me back and ask my email id.!!! After I send him my email id he send me email directly(bye bye ebay contact.!!) to go to delcampe.com and type his item # and that's how I was introduce to delcampe. (Cheating starts here.!!).


Following is my purchase of Kazakhstan FDC from "Bullterrier" (ebay id "Maxwellbrushstick").



Yes, that's me. You can see this at delcampe by clicking following link.(still accessible after 2 years by using archiving link.!!).

My first purchase on delcampe.


On 5/4/2011, I saw similar FDC sold for $15. I lost 25% in 2 years.!!! plus my buying & selling expense if I want to sell it right now. So I think I lost 35-40% :)

Does this makes sense to you.?





Not sure why Gandhi Philatelic value is declining.!! Or I paid high price for this Kazakhstan 1995 Gandhi FDC.

I know Gandhi Topical Philatelic collection is very HOT right now, so all New Gandhi collectors BEWARE risk in Gandhi Philatelic Collection. I am not trying to demotivate you but don't just jump in. Think Think Think before you buy.!!

I would love to read your experience of first Gandhi purchase from delcampe so please write your comment so we all can be SAFE!!

BTW: I never bought again from "Bullterrier" or "Maxwellbrushstick".

Thanks

Ketankumar Patel.
Shill Bidding on Gandhi Stamps

My First year experience in Gandhi Philately.

My 100th blog post.

Gandhi Stamp Collecting is SCAM. My 3 year experience tell me Yes!!

Believe IT or NOT price of regular used 1969 Mahatma Gandhi Germany stamp is unbelievable.!!

Hello Gandhi Collectors,

I can't believe it & I think you will not also believe it. I was suprised when I saw price of USED Germany 1969 Gandhi Stamp on ebay which was sold on April 22,2011 for US $7.26 plus shipping.
Also this stamp is not IMPERF or SPECIMEN.

I am not sure why buyer wants to pay this much price. Either he might be new in Gandhi collection OR ????????


Not sure why, but there is something strange/weird things are going on in Gandhi Philatelic World.!!




Yes this is for SINGLE Germany Gandhi USED stamp.!!


According to me this stamp might cost 5-10 cents as it is used. Germany issued very large quantity of this Gandhi Stamp so it is not rare. Even FDC of this stamps & Full sheet of 100 stamps don't cost this much.!!  Check following 1969 stamp sheet of 50 stamps sold for 5 Euros.!! and ebay buyer "vinro99"  is paying 7$ for one stamp.!!

You can find Germany FDC easily at very low price. Check following Germany Gandhi FDC which was sold for $3 on April 30, 2011.




Believe IT or NOT!! (Single Used stamp for $7.26 where as FDC with 2 stamps for $3.)


Welcome to Mahatma Gandhi's Philatelic World.!!


Thanks
Ketankumar Patel.

BTW: Check price of Germany Gandhi stamps currently selling or recently sold on internet auction sites.

1) Germany Gandhi 1969 stamp currently available on Declampe for 4-10 cents only.!!

2) Germany Gandhi stamp recently sold on Delcampe for 8-10 cents & even FDC for 46 cents.!! YES 46 cents.!!

3) WAKE GUYS!!

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