What Did You Do Philatelically: Today Or Recently?

Beginning all over in stamp collecting. I spent a lot of time organizing identifying my old stuff, and trying to figure out the new stuff like 'linerless coils'

How do you tell the difference if they are used?

I finished my Wales album pages so the GB regionals are done. The goal this year is to figure how to do the Machins in a chronological order than includes some minor varieties.

I have recently completed album pages for Canada Post's 2018 quarterly packs and custom pages for Welsh regional Machins. Catalogued some of my Painting on Stamps horde collection as well.

Busy sorting out and updating my Canada collection, incorporating a few that I've bought in the past few years.

I've finally got around to sorting out all the die I vs die II stuff in the George V issues, and all the shades of the Admirals etc.
Shades always seem easier when you build up a critical mass -- if there are 4 shades, its much easier to sort when you have 50 stamps than 6 or 7.

Still a couple of gaps in the rare coil and imperf. varieties.
And sadly no "cockeyed king" varieties on the 1932 coils.

Sorted through modest "collection" of Belgian precancel issues.
Made some pages. Very humbling (lots of unfilled spaces).

Sorted through 10-year plus "collection" of various philatelic publication
clippings, copies of articles, blog postings. Recycled ~80 percent. Made
country- or area-specific manila folders for the balance.

My Scott International Volume 1 is beginning to bulge a bit so yesterday, I removed the US pages from the front of it (I use Mystic Heirloom for my USA). I know I'm going to have to get another binder and soon - I have several blank Scott international pages to add.

I started and completed a new volume for Ireland 2020. It was an excellent way to spend the LockDown between Christmas and New Year.
Worked a little on my Collecting Blog.
Bought three items of "commercial mail" from Laos, Northern Cyprus and Dominica meaning that I now have mail from 187 nations. I recognise 199 entities (193 UN members, 5 non-members and the UN itself) so I am missing just 12 countries.

Made pages for Canada 1960-1969.

Duhh....Today I yet again forgot to send payment for two lots of stamps I got at the Universal Philatelic Auction no.80 no pay no stamps so I better get my act together.

I have been working on a cross reference between Scott and SG for Machins.

Today I am preparing 500+ Inauguration Day Covers for mailing to the fulfillment center for processing. I do this every Inauguration regardless of who gets in office.
[This is the first Inauguration that I couldn't attend since 1980, I didn't bother to watch on TV ether.]

Yesterday, I submitted a pictorial postmark for the annual George Washington Masonic Stamp Club's - Washington Birthday cover.

Later today I will be printing custom album pages for my 'tater stamps and Telegraph stamps.

Made pages for Canada 1970-1971. Nothing fancy just rectangles and numbers.

Still new to making my own album pages, my spacing is a bit off for the stamps up top, and I won't be using 4 corner mounts next time (seems unnecessary and potentially damaging to the cover to try to bend it fit in all 4).

But, learning experiences aside Im still happy with this page for now.

After downloading a free set of US album pages, I've printed some of them out and am transferring stamps to them from an old album of hand drawn pages that I made between the 1950s and 1970s. Some of the stamps are from my very first US collection from 1953, with hinge remnants and other defects, but it is a pleasant sentimental exercise to handle stamps that have been in my possession for nearly seventy years.

I added this Great Britain Foreign Bill revenue to my GB collection (Barefoot catalogue number 135.) I don't have a great many revenues, I just buy them occasionally when I find one for a decent price. I bought this one mainly for the high face value of 5 pounds. Like many collectors I've always been fascinated and tantalized by the iconic five pound orange Queen Victoria postage stamp issued in 1882, an enormous amount of money in those days, and there wasn't another 5 pound postage stamp issued for almost another hundred years, not until a Queen Elizabeth Machin 5 pounder in 1977. However, what probably isn't as well known is that there were quite a few revenues with a face value of 5 pounds issued in the intervening years and picturing all of the monarchs except King Edward VIII. There were even 20 pound stamps. Some of the governmental entities issuing 5 pound stamps included the Admiralty Court, Bankruptcy Court, Civil Service, Consular Service and many others. Since there were nearly a quarter of a million of the orange postage stamps printed, I think it's likely that some of these revenue stamps are a lot scarcer, but generally sell for far less.