What is a First Day Cover (FDC?)
What Is a First Day Cover and Why Is It Important? A first day cover (FDC) is an envelope, postcard, or similar item that features a newly issued postage stamp,…
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What are Green Shield Stamps?
Green Shield stamps were a British sales promotion scheme that rewarded shoppers with stamps that could be used to buy gifts from a catalogue or from any affiliated retailer. The…
Fungi on Stamps
Fungi are often overlooked in nature, but they play a vital role in ecosystems across the world. These unique organisms, which are neither plants nor animals, help break down organic…
Why Start Stamp Collecting?
Why Do People Collect Stamps? It’s funny, isn’t it? That a tiny piece of paper, the size of a finger, can hold so much, so much history, so much art,…
Penny Red Stamps
Stamp collecting is a journey through history, and one of the most intriguing stamps for collectors is the 1D Penny Red. Following the iconic 1D Penny Black, the 1D Penny…
How to Remove Stamps from Envelopes
Removing Stamps from Envelopes When removing stamps from envelopes, cut the stamps from the postcards or letters first. There are a few different methods you can use to remove stamps…
Machin Series Stamps
The Machin definitive series is Great Britain’s primary postage stamp series, in use from 1967 until 2022. Designed by Arnold Machin O.B.E., these stamps feature a simple, single-colour sculpted profile…
Glossary Of Philatelic Terms
The SSC Glossary of Philately terms is a great place for referencing common terms that might pop up on your stamp collecting journey. You will come across particular stamp collecting…
Lithography in Postage Stamp Printing
Lithography is a printing technique where an image is drawn on a flat, smooth surface (traditionally a limestone plate) using a greasy medium. The plate is then chemically treated so…
What Is Photogravure In The Context Of Philately?
Photogravure stands as one of the most significant printing methods in philatelic history. This detailed printing process, which utilises microscopic cells etched into copper, has been instrumental in producing high-quality…