Korea Stamp Society

The South Korean Stamp Scene (Part 3)

July 4, 2020May 31, 2020 Stewart Steres79Leave a Comment

What follows is an update on my article of 1996 about the investment potential of South Korean stamps. In 1972 (when stamps were touted as investments) Linn’s Weekly Stamp News and others started “Investment Suggestions” which is now called the “Tip of the Week”. In about 1980 Linn’s began a “Trends of Stamp Values” which […]

Korean Philately Vol. 56 No. 3 (Q3 2020) Published!

July 1, 2020June 8, 2020 Ivo Spanjersberg154Leave a Comment

The KSS has published a new edition of the KSS magazine, Korean Philately, the third KP of 2020. As a member you can download this edition of Korean Philately for free as a PDF. And again, just as was the case with issues no. 1 and no. 2 of this year, you can own a […]

Incheon local revenue stamps

June 27, 2020May 17, 2020 Matt Parkkinen1361 Comment

I made a state-side trip in September, to Seattle, and since my return have been too busy and also have not had an opportunity to add much in the way of information on Korean revenues, until just the other day. A few days ago I was in Pusan, and obtained some of the Inchon City […]

Reader’s Question: Name of designer of 1984 cosmonaut stamp?

June 17, 2020June 12, 2020 KSS Korea Philately Editor1814 Comments

(Editor: a question from reader Petr from the Czech Republic:) Do you know who is the stamp designer of the North Korean stamp 1984 year Scott Nr 2429-2431, Michel 2522-2524? The stamp with Tereskhova is important for me, that is with a value of 10. In my exhibit about Tereskhova, I have two original artworks […]

What is shown in this Korean picture post card?

June 12, 2020June 12, 2020 Ivo Spanjersberg2065 Comments

A question for the detectives among us. For some time I have had this image in my possession. It is the picture side of a Korean postal card. The card itself may not seem very interesting from a philatelic point of view and the seller didn’t ask much for it (I think 1500 won, just […]

Why Was the Seller of an Used 1953 Korean Postal Card Asking $2250?

June 10, 2020June 14, 2020 Robert Finder2436 Comments

On Ebay I noticed a seller was asking $2250 for a 1953 South Korean postal card (see Figures 1-2). I did not understand why it was so rare and want to put the question to the readers of the Korea Stamp Society website if anyone knows why it is so rare?

The South Korean Stamp Scene (Part 2)

June 6, 2020May 31, 2020 Stewart Steres1831 Comment

Reader’s Question: What are these items?

May 14, 2020May 12, 2020 KSS Korea Philately Editor2602 Comments

One of our members showed a series of pictures with all sorts of items. The question is: what are these items? Do you recognize them? Then please leave your ideas in the comments below the items. You can refer to them by the number given with the figures.

Korea 1964/66 definitives – colour varieties with 200, 300 and 500 won?

May 6, 2020April 23, 2020 Florian Eichhorn2435 Comments

Back in April 2019 I received an inquiry of the German MICHEL-catalog editor. He related a reader’s question on probably different printings of 1964/66 ROK definitives (KPC #218/236), commonly known as the 1st granite paper series.

The Pusan 8-Bar Cancels (1982)

April 29, 2020April 30, 2020 Robert Smith2331 Comment

Recently, in going over my Korean inflationary issues and presentation sheets, I was struck by a cancellation that is almost too perfect for a routine postal strike: neat, clean, sharp and almost printed-looking. Reviewing KOREAN PHILATELY, I found I am not alone in my suspicion – but its status is still indeterminate.

Botanic Latin names of 4 tree stamps issued in 2012?

April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 Ivo Spanjersberg2091 Comment

The KSS has an online form through which people (members and non-members alike) can ask questions with regards to Korea and philately. Often we answer these questions directly, but occasionally a question which might even have looked simple when we received it can lead to complete articles containing new information about previously unknown items.

The South Korean Stamp Scene (Part 1)

April 11, 2020May 30, 2020 Stewart Steres299Leave a Comment

What follows is an update on my article of 1996 about the investment potential of South Korean stamps. In 1972 (when stamps were touted as investments) Linn’s Weekly Stamp News began it’s “Investment Suggestions” which is now called the “Tip of the Week”. In about 1980 Linn’s began a “Trends of Stamp Values” which purported […]

Korean Philately Vol. 56 No. 2 (Q2 2020) Published!

April 1, 2020March 13, 2020 Ivo Spanjersberg392Leave a Comment

The KSS has published a new edition of the KSS magazine, Korean Philately, the second KP of 2020. Just as was the case with issue no. 1 of this year you can own a full-colour magazine-style printed hard-copy version of this KP! As a member you can download this edition of Korean Philately for free […]

The fake CORREE overprint

March 28, 2020February 24, 2020 Ivo Spanjersberg265Leave a Comment

In KP Vol. XXXIX No. 4 (November 1993) Don Vorhis, KSS president at the time, wrote the following: “From a recent sale abroad, 3 Japanese Kiku, one Tazawa, 5 revenues with “CORREE” stamped on them. All are used, so the creator had to work to avoid the cancels. One example shown here.” That was in […]

Reader’s Question: Was this a common type of advertising card at the time?

March 18, 2020March 15, 2020 Ivo Spanjersberg3023 Comments

Recently I bought at a Dutch stamp fair, Winterstamps, this item. It is not particularly valuable, but it did peak my interest because I had not seen this type of item before. Nowadays the Korea Stamp Corporation, the official state run North Korean stamp issuing organization, issues rather small new stamp issue leaflets/brochures.

Mr. Zip comes to Korea

March 16, 2020January 4, 2020 Glenn Goodrich224Leave a Comment

Yes, Mr. Zip has come to Korea. After starting out in 1959 in Great Britain, according to an announcement of the Korean Philatelic Center, he began working in Korea on July 1, 1970. Postal reform has been recognized as a need by many countries, a reform which is concerned primarily with reducing costs and improving […]

Varieties of 1955 Navy stamp

March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 KSS Korea Philately Editor3024 Comments

As I write these words (in 1956), Lt. Lee Chang Sung is leaving our shores for his native Korea after four months or so in our country, first at Great Lakes Ills., and the most of 8 weeks at San Diego. He has been a great help to us these past three months. Translating, explaining […]

Hubba-Hubba Cachets

February 19, 2020November 20, 2019 John Strout2691 Comment

One of the interesting subtopics for a collection of Korean War covers is that of “Hubba-Hubba” covers. These have hand-struck cachets from rubber stamps and usually, but not always, have “HUBBA-HUBBA” somewhere in the design. Covers with these markings represent a form of “patriotic envelope” which has derived from the elaborate, printed envelopes of the […]

Korean Eisenhower Material (1969): Part 2

February 15, 2020October 23, 2019 KSS Korea Philately Editor226Leave a Comment

The death of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) meant a surge of interest in Eisenhower related philatelic material. Eisenhower however had always been relatively popular in Korea, especially because of his support for South Korea during the Korean War and his visit to Korea in the 1950s.

Reader’s Question: History of Travelling Post Offices in Korea?

February 12, 2020September 22, 2019 Ivo Spanjersberg300Leave a Comment

Does anybody know more about the history of Travelling Post Offices (우편열차) in Korea? What I have found so far comes from two pictures showing two boards from the Stamp Museum in Cheonan (not Seoul) from an exhibit on TPO’s in Korea. This board lists for instance that the first mail transported by train […]