Korea Stamp Society

The special registration stamp and envelope (1961)

February 4, 2020January 21, 2020 Lyman Hale11671 Comment

The special registration envelope and stamp illustrated here are used to mail currency and valuables within Korea only. The white envelope, 5″ x 9″ has an inner envelope made of paper of the same type used to cover doors and windows. Money, bonds, jewelry, and other valuables can be mailed in this. Money is not […]

Buyer Beware: The 1948 Observatory Issue and 1951 Surcharge

January 29, 2020September 5, 2019 Robert (Bob) Finder13629 Comments

Another Korean issue that confuses collectors and dealer alike is the 1948 issue that pictures the Cheomseongdae Observatory, (Hangul: 첨성대) in Gyeongju, South Korea. The tower is said to be the oldest astronomical observatory in Asia, and maybe in the world, according to Wikipedia. It was built during the reign of Queen Seondeock of Silla, […]

Olympics on Korean stamps

September 23, 2019September 11, 2019 Victor Afanasiev14922 Comments

First of all, I believe, I should shortly introduce myself and describe my way here. I am Victor E. Afanasiev, a freelance translator from Minsk, Belarus. I started collecting stamps as a boy, in a small Belarusian town, and to my late 50s I have come through the stages of collecting Sports in general and […]

The Korean Laid Paper Issues of 1955-6

April 24, 2019August 21, 2019 Robert (Bob) Finder18225 Comments

In an earlier article on finding certain issues of Korea, it was mentioned that this author has been searching for a Korea 1956 Scott 212E on horizontal laid paper for many years. See Figure 1 for an example of 212E on vertical paper. The Scott catalogue makes a note under 212D-F, that all three exist […]

The Envelopes for Mailing Valuables

March 9, 2019January 21, 2019 Lyman Hale1068Leave a Comment

Although the title of this article might suggest that these postal envelopes could be used to mail anything of value, they essentially are almost exclusively used to mail money. Up to 1987, I have found 13 different types of these envelopes, and I welcome any possible additions to my list. Some differences are major, and […]

KSS in 2018: The year in articles

January 1, 2019January 1, 2019 Ivo Spanjersberg1645Leave a Comment

That was an exciting year! We went from a proposal to shut down the KSS for good in January/February to creating a completely new website and having new members (welcome!) plus a new KSS Board. In the meantime we have created an online library of all the issues of Korean Philately magazine, filled the website […]

Do These Korean Stamps Really Exist? Time for a Quick Update.

November 30, 2018January 13, 2019 Robert (Bob) Finder17282 Comments

Previously, in the forum, I had posted the comment/question highlighted below, about whether some of the Korean stamps I have been looking for to add to my collection, really exist. My research began in earnest when I began to help the KSS find the old missing Korean Philatelic (KP) magazines so that they can be […]

Post WWII and the use of Japanese Showa stamps in South Korea (part 2)

August 16, 2018February 22, 2021 Ken Clark15317 Comments

Following Part-1 of this article in the issue No. 169 of Kiku Shimbun, I have acquired a new and important item for my Showa period collection during my recent visit to Tokyo and the JAPEX’2016 exhibition, this being a Postal Charges Receipt form illustrating the usage of overprinted stamps issued for use in South Korea by […]

Usage of recently issued commemoratives?

August 4, 2018November 30, 2018 Ivo Spanjersberg1071Leave a Comment

Ever wondered whether all these commemoratives issued by postal services are really used postally? Of course you have, as a collector you simply can’t have missed all these (expensive!) series of commemoratives being offered from all over the world. Do places like Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Tuvalu or Vanuatu really need so many stamps? […]

Receipt for pre-paid mail (UPDATE)

June 21, 2018July 6, 2018 Ken Clark14052 Comments

The front cover of Kiku Shimbun 170 (December 2016) The front cover features a rare item of Japanese postal history from South Korea. Following the end of WWII and the Japanese Surrender, USA Forces moved into Seoul, Korea, whilst Soviet Forces move from Manchuria in the northern parts of Korea.

Receipt for unpaid or insufficiently paid mail

April 27, 2018April 29, 2018 Ken Clark1117Leave a Comment

The front cover of Kiku Shimbun 169 (August 2016) features a rare item of Japanese postal history from North Korea. Following the end of WWII and the Japanese Surrender, USA Forces moved into Seoul, Korea, whilst Soviet Forces move from Manchuria in the northern parts of Korea, both of these subjects and the eventual division […]

More on Sample Stamps of Korea

March 20, 2018August 21, 2019 Lyman Hale16521 Comment

In attending a human relations program some time in the past one of the instructors taught us that to assume (ass-u-me) is to make an “ass of you and me.” Unfortunately, there is much too much assuming in the world of philately, where the facts are not known and an assumption is made.

Color Change in Sc #479?

March 17, 2018August 21, 2019 Lyman Hale1445Leave a Comment

Joel Henderson (see Letters to the Editors in 50(2), p. 4) stimulated me to investigate my stock of Sc#479 or KPC #C255. Joel’s question on Scott #479 moved me to look over my stock of this stamp. I was in Korea when that stamp was issued and for years afterwards, and I did not run […]