Not Bad For A Buck !

We went to the stamp show in Troy Sunday and met up with Will Battles at a dollar cover dealer !! I saw this folder with Mozart on it and looked inside...there were 8 stamps I did not recognize so I took a chance and paid a dollar...when I got home I saw that they did indeed fill 8 spaces in my Austria....the set catalogs 21.65 used !

nice catch

Nice find Phil! I would have snagged that. There were some many good items in those boxes one would really have to go through them slowly if there was more time. I'll be there in June.

I haven't scanned any of my finds yet, but I did look at some closer today and there were some nicer than I thought finds. It really does pay to look at the contents. I pulled a 1937 U.S.S. Lexington ship cover which was not in the best condition, but it had what I thought was a large handwritten letter inside and there was a letter PLUS one of the ship's newsletter, "The Observer"! The ship was sunk at the Battle of Coral Sea in 1942. Also many stampless letters turned out to be very nice including a 1837 cover that turned out to be from Turino of modern day Italy. I also picked up a German 1939 slogan meter cover from a cigarette manufacturer with a typed letter with a company header. Lots of good stuff to be had and still more present I'm sure. That box of ship covers wasn't even touched at the show.

That is a fantastic set. As you know, but for the benefit of others who may not know, that set of eight was issued by Austria in 1948 for the rebuilding of the cathedral in Salzburg, which was damaged in World War II.

Those should soak off nicely...

I'd suggest leaving the stamps on piece to preserve the cancellation which celebrates the 1948 season of the Salzburg Festival. This is one of the most (if not the most) prestigious music and drama festivals in the world. In 1948 the famous Wilhelm Furtwangler was still Music Director, but another soon-to-be world famous conductor made his operatic debut at Salzburg that summer, Herbert von Karajan. The latter was one of the most famous conductors in the history of one of the world's greatest orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic.

I was lucky enough to obtain tickets to three concerts at the Festival last summer although I had to wait three months to get them. I expect the piece above is not uncommon but it is a nice exhibition piece for any collection.

I was only kidding about soaking them...

If it was my piece, I think I'd mount it right over the spaces set aside for the set, or if that wasn't enough space, then perhaps on the facing page (the back side of the page before it, assuming single-sided album pages).

philb, what's the plan?

Well, You guys have me thinking now..My Central Europe (Austria) album is not one of my top priorities..i may leave Mr. Mozart in one piece !! My wife wants to go to Holland in a Month or so..her siblings are not getting any younger..and we hope to find a trip East...i have been to Holland and Italy a number of times..it might be nice to see Vienna,Prague and Budapest !

My wife and I went to all three cities last September as well as Salzburg. Prague is the crown jewel of Europe (better even than Amsterdam) and I would love an excuse to return for a few days. We travelled between cities by train using Vienna as the hub - really good way to get around if you don't want the stress of driving. Watch the cab drivers in both Prague and Budapest - we got ripped off in both cities, the only flaw in an otherwise trip-to-remember for life. Found nice street front stamp dealers in both Salzburg and Vienna.

If you're in that general vicinity, and have the time, sneak a peak at Bratislava. It's only an hour away from Vienna and I found it to be a hidden gem. :)

Hello Tinus, We hope to be able to pick up a tour for Vienna etc: while in Holland !!