Thanks For The Memories -- 2011

As this year draws to a close, I thought it would be nice to start a thread asking members to post an image of their favorite philatelic acquisition in 2011.

Here is mine, an 1867 3c rose Washington C grill (Scott 83) with blue cancel on cover from Louisville, Kentucky to West Auburn, Maine.

Mine is the cover sent to Carl Andresen whom, after research, I found out was a highly regarded early marine and winner of the brevet award.

Color me green with envy.

Started up with collecting again late this year, inspired by this forum; so far this is my favorite, from ebay, Turkey Scott #2, 1863, 1 piaster on thin paper.

Bog standard 20c stamp, that I waited 7 years for.
Gift courtesy of Philb.

Don, great cover. I think it adds much more meaning to the item when you can find background information on either the writer or the addressee. Here is a picture of Colonel Gamborg-Andresen:



741opamp, glad to hear you rekindled the collecting passion. That is a beautiful acquisition.

Rod, seven years is a long time to wait for the girl of your dreams -- glad Phil helped you find her!

This is one I have been chasing for 10 years. finally saved enough to get myself one. Now chasing Canada # 3...

This has been a year full of buying. But if I've to chose I'll go for this postmark of the "rural post office" of the Poble Espanyol de Barcelona used on the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition. This is because Barcelona's Postal History is my main collector interest and I was missing this... Like many others... But this one is already in the pocket!

Well lets not all get sniffling and hugging..but its been a lot of fun on the Forum this past year !

Hey Rod, if I have a stamp that means more to someone else than to me..its all good ..Happy New Year !

Congratulations Gilles. With luck you'll be posting that #3 next year!

Curiosity about the two denominations reflected on your stamp led me to this online resource -- a Project Gutenberg eBook The Stamps of Canada, by Bertram Poole.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2219.../22190-h.htm

Congratulations to you as well, Cursus. Next you'll have to find a cover with an exhibition poster stamp tied by that cancel.

Well, Poble Espanyol (Pueblo Español in the, then compulsory, Spanish)are very common even on whole sheets. Postmarks are pretty scarces and I've never seen a cinderella cancelled with the exhibion postmarks. I wonder if any has survived...

It's tough to narrow it down to just one item. I bought two U.S. revenue collections and several hundred individual items this year.

I thought about choosing the stamp my avatar depicts, but in terms of scarcity, I think the document below was the neatest acquisition of 2011. R83a is a rare stamp in its own right (SCV = $6,000), but finding one on a complete document is even tougher, and this one is aesthetically quite pleasing.

Of all the different things I bought this year from singles to collections , my most interesting and unknown at the time of purchase is this UK stampless Cover. I posted it here on SCF just for show and months later it was mostly deciphered and signature matched up to 2 time British Prime Minister John Russell. Sent alot of emails trying to find any potential value based on the signature to no avail. I know most stampless covers and fronts average $5-$20 but this has to have an importance value. Not that I want to part with this but it is a reminder that tresures are always being found and I believe I got this and several vics for under $5.