Stanley Gibbons debut in Brazil

While interest rates remain at low levels (considering the Brazilian standard rates), the stock market continues to follow the guidelines of bearish worldwide crisis the big Brazilian investors have sought allocations in their portfolios to ensure higher earnings as gold, real estate, art works, antiques, but now may invest in stamps!
The Stanley Gibbons has opened an office in Brazil a few days ago and is already having meetings with potential investors in major Brazilian cities.

Brazilian best stamps not issued and not circulated in 2012

In 2012 I read on the website of the Brazilian post offices that would be issued beautiful stamps on the passage of the Olympic and Paralympic flags of the British for the Brazilians. These are a pair of "Se-tenant" each composed of 3 stamps: one on the Olympic flag and another on the Paralympic. During months when I visited post offices, including the philatelic  post office, I not found such stamps. The Post online shop , which makes online sales also never provided these stamps... Actually nobody knows about these stamps and all philatelists I know also do not know and never saw them. Neither dealer has them. These seals are not on the official list of stamps issued in 2012, but interestingly, the post office is disclosing voting for best stamp issued in 2012 and such stamps are competing! ... so if you receive a letter with these stamps mint or find them: keep them, even if they do not have much value it is an interesting curiosity for your collection.

Directions of Philately - Part 2

Directions of Philately - Part 2

Currently I believe that new generations of philatelists in countries with philately tradition and especially in countries like Brazil, China, Russia, India and many in Latin America are more conscious about philately and start your own collections for their own convictions, less influenced by industry. The Internet has boosted the barter and ecommerce without intermediaries, and therefore there can be greater longevity of their collections without illusions of millionaires profits. Many people acquire without intentions of profiting. But caution is needed in ecommerce because there may be abuse and fraud when it comes to items of greater value. 

As for the collection types, the classical still persist and many contemporary collectors organize their collections by countries or periods. The thematic collections gain followers every day because they are, as the chosen theme, more affordable.

I myself am a fan of thematic collections, but a collection type may still exist: I do not know how to sort and do not know has already been classified but I thought about it when I read Helen's Blog "I Heart Post" and after Stamp Magazine Blog by Adrian Keppel: organize a stamp collection according with the design, whatever the country of origin, year or themes, in which the collector only cares if the stamps were designed in the style pop art, medieval, industrial design, computer design, childhood drawing, art of the Cold War, art Nouveau, etc..

A question about the future of philately is also the catalogs. With the advent of computers and the internet is easier for the collector follow emissions of most countries. Although the published catalogs are excellent, few collectors are willing or can purchase them. For new generations of collectors perhaps the next step is to create wiki stamp catalog. Something perfectly viable and realizable which would involve the collaboration of thousands of collectors in the world, although a wiki project today has limitations regarding the assignment of the value to each stamp. But perhaps the chance to register the true fair value between supply and demand. Only time will tell. One thing is certain: while there is philately, will always be necessary specialists  and researchers.

Directions of Philately - Part 1

Recently I read a very interesting post on Apfelbaum's Corner-John Apfelbaum's Blog on Philately. I made a comment that this motivated a post on my blog. I made a comment on this post, but reflecting a bit more on the subject I decided to publish a post on my blog.

Directions of Philately - Part 1

Philately is is going through  a transformation in all countries. The traditional philatelic commerce reached its height many years ago and has being reduced to a few retailers. Of course this situation may have eliminated many serious experts in the market, but a small market may hinder the entry of unscrupulous dealers. The traditional philatelic commerce is still a reference for many veterans and novice collectors, because there is no substitute for personal service and experience.  

I believe there are relatively fewer collectors in the countries of traditional philately (which had its boom in the early 1900s). In the past emerged a large number of collectors who were influenced by the propitious moment to be mass pastime: globalization, urbanization, literacy, free time that industrial society allowed for the people ... added to this, traders invested in advertising, and developed catalogs, publications and a variety of accessories. At this time the hobby hit the middle class, philatelic clubs and associations flourished in thousands of cities around the world.

Many governments recognized the need for increase the supply of stamps, not only to meet the large volume of correspondence resulting from economic and population growth, but also to meet the growing sophistication of philately, ordinary emissions began to share space with commemorative sets.

At this time philately was young and growing rapidly, allowing many opportunities for gains but also of abuse. The new collectors often were led to believe that their little collections could become great fortunes over the course of decades or find a treasure in the basement. Maybe they had some really valuable things in the basement, but not everyone really got high gains.

The philatelic industry profits were enormous, dealers and governments were successful. The problem is that the hobby, although grow, gaining new followers, was not continued by the majority, who left after a few years and when they tried to sell their collections received the news that was worth a few bucks. There has been much disappointment combined with the emergence of thousands of substitutes hobbies. Many collectors who really like and understand what is philately, persisted until the end of life or are still active.

To be continued ...

Stamp News: Bicentennial of Chinese Immigration in Brazil

2012 was the year of celebration of Chinese Immigration in Brazil. According to history the first Chinese who arrived in Brazilian land in 1812 at the port of Rio de Janeiro, by the ship "Vulcan", coming from Macau. The Brazil and Macau was then colonies of Portugal. The first Chinese immigrants came to plant green tea in Brazil. The post of Brazil did ​​a beautiful tribute to this historical fact with the issue of set 2 stamps, which deals also the year of the Dragon. These stamps have a postage expensive but are very nice.