Supporting Philatelists Since 1952
Currently KoreaPost offers “My own stamp” (나만의 우표) sheets with postage stamps only in the sheets, with the exception of one very large “seal” in these sheets. Three colourful examples of the possible configurations can be found on the ePost website. In these three sheets all the smaller stamps are actual postage stamps, but can […]
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(Reader’s question) I have a question for readers of the KSS website. Many, if not most, of the 1960’s souvenir sheets from South Korea have gum creases or folds that are especially prominent on the gum side of the sheets. With scans, you can see some of the folds on the face of the souvenir […]
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With the assistance of KSS members and referring to the “Brady-Tyler Handbook of Philatelic Forgeries Korean Empire 1962”, I will post, on a regular basis, examples of Korean Empire genuine stamps and forgeries of those stamps, along with images of the key elements for easy comparison.
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The Korean National Tuberculosis Association interviewed the illustrator who created this year’s Christmas seals, Ahn Sol (안솔). The seals show the Haenyeo (해녀) of Jeju island, the women who dive for seafood around the coast of the island. Ahn Sol created the artwork for the seals while staying for a couple of months on the […]
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As a member of the US Army Liaison Team accredited to the Soviet Army in North Korea, I made a number of trips between Seoul and Pyengyang by train. Usually I would buy North Korean stamps at the main Post Office in Pyengyang, manned by a few unenthusiastic Korean clerks. Sometimes I would put some […]
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(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 25 October 2019 KoreaPost issued a stamp titled “The 100th Anniversary of Korean Film”. The stamp integrates the colours of the national flag of the Republic of Korea, red and blue, with a classic film and the number 100.
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A philatelist has been described as a collector afflicted with an insatiable curiosity about postal material in general and postal history of one particular area or era. For some 20 years, the post office forms illustrated have been part of a Korea collection. They are nothing special: most collectors need not concern themselves with such […]
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In August 2016, I contacted my then contact person in Korea Stamp Corporation, the North Korean state stamp agency, KSC, Moscow branch. I knew him since the Nordia 2005 Stamp Expo in Gothenburg. We had already co-operated 4 times before, in 2008, 2010 and 2015, in issuing special North Korean stamps.
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The insured (declared value) system was introduced in Japan in 1900 for cash/bonds/securities. With the issuance of the special envelopes in 1901, the usage of ordinary envelopes for these valuables became forbidden. In 1910, non-official envelopes became readmitted for items larger than the official envelopes, like jewels, art etc. provided they were in previously unused […]
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The items shown here are “cut outs” according to Spink Auction. In their Spink China auction of May 2017 these five items were listed by Spink as “1884 First issue, set of five, colour die proof in white thick paper, toned spots.” They were sold for HK$20.000 (approx. 2300 EUR or 2550 USD).
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The DPRK issued a souvenir sheet of Pyongyang folk park in 2013. This souvenir sheet depicts a view of this theme park and its face-value is 60 (30+30) won. However, the park was closed in 2016 and this souvenir sheet was withdrawn, 3 years after issuance. This is probably one of the most well-known modern […]
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The new Christmas seals for Christmas 2019 have been released by the Korea National Tuberculosis Association. The stamps feature Jeju island and the famous local diving women, the “haenyeo”. The sheet is for sale online through the KNTA website and costs 3.000 won (approx. 2,50 dollars / 2,30 EUR).
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Many different types of philatelic products have been created over the years by many different organizations and individuals. In China the so-called “Non Postal Value Souvenir Sheets” are one specific example of a type of such a product. They were (and are?) created on a very large scale, but they are relatively unknown outside of […]
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(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On October 13th, Korea Stamp Corporation issued a stamp series on cactuses.
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On April 20, 1974 the South Korean Ministry of Communication released the third booklet of stamps in a smaller size than the two previous booklets (82x55mm). This was the first and only stapled panes booklet as the two others had the stamp panes stitched to the cover. This was also the last of the 30 […]
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As my Korean stamp collection grew, using commercially available quadrille blank sheets (Elbe, I think) and Showgard mounts, I arranged my mint stamps chronologically, but in simple rows and columns. Cancelled stamps, as there were many missing issues in my collection, were placed in a pre-printed album (probably from D.G. Phillips) using stamp hinges.
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The booklet was issued by the Ministry of Communications for the North Hamgyong Post Office, as part of the country-wide 10th anniversary of the Liberation commemoration, in August 1955. A set of commemorative stamps (all the stamps are perf 11), a postal stationery envelope and an extensive set of commemorative photographic postcards were produced for […]
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(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On October 6th, Korea Stamp Corporation issued a Souvenir Sheet and Stamp Booklet to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the DPRK and the PR China. The 70 won stamp features the national emblems of the DPRK and the PRC.
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It seems that as an afterthought, a commemorative stamp and souvenir sheet were issued on 20 May 1958 honoring “The 2nd Postal Week”, with no 1st Postal Week stamp issue in sight. The following year, 1959, in celebration of the 3rd Postal Week a new philatelic class of item was generated (on 20 May 1959); […]
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Like elsewhere in imperial Japan and its dependencies, machine cancellations for New Year were used for 1936, 1937, and 1938 (Showa 11, 12 and 13). Shown are postcards in my exhibit “Cancellations of Japanese Offices in Korea (1876-1945)” to JAPEX 2019, scheduled for November 15-17, 2019, in Tokyo. The ones for 1936 and 1937 are […]
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