Famous people

One of his most important inventions was the AC power generator. The energy generated with alternating current made it possible to transport electricity over a longer distance with a much higher power than Thomas Edison’s conventional DC (direct current) power…

Animals, architecture, sport, famous people, flowers, transport ……… Which topic/theme is most popular among stamp collectors?

The next instalment of Great Britain’s Royal Mail Music Giants Special Stamp series – a tribute to David Bowie, one of the most influential music and cultural figures of all time – was released on 14 March 2017. Alongside the…

How many of us, at least once in our lives, have been advised to take one or more types of vitamin to help improve our health? And how many millions of people worldwide believe in the efficacy of taking vitamin…

Oscar de la Renta (seen above), who died in October 2014 aged 82, was one of the world’s leading fashion designers for more than 50 years. And his work has been commemorated by the United States Postal Service with a…

Do you recognise the young man above? He is someone who has already been recognised in the world of postage stamps for his achievements. Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, still only 26 years old, is a three-time World Champion of chess. He…

PostBeeld owner Rob Smit is constantly busy seeking out opportunities to add stamps to the enormously varied stock held at the four PostBeeld stores dotted around Holland. Always on the lookout to buy-in interesting collections at auction houses or directly…

In the late 1970s a fascinating series of articles written by Mr. K. Kouwenberg about the history of Stamp Collecting, appeared in the Dutch magazine Philatelie. This series has been the source of inspiration for PostBeeld owner Rob Smit to…

Well, 2016 has certainly provided surprises on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in the world of politics. First we had the referendum result in Great Britain to leave the European Union, and now the shock of a person with…

The first day of October 1969 saw the inauguration of two new stamp issuing authorities, represented at the Universal Postal Union by what was then known as the British Post Office. The British Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey had…

Was the title of a fascinating book published in 2010, written and illustrated by John Tingey, who started collecting stamps more than fifty years ago when his parents gave him his first stamp album and a 6d packet of stamps…

As loyal followers of Dutch model Doutzen Kroes on Instagram  we’ spotted a post on which she shows a Dutch stamp with her likeness. Is this a possibility??

Undoubtedly there will be some Queen fans today who commemorate singer Freddie Mercury today because he would have turned 70 this day. Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on 5 september 1946 in Stonetown in what was then Zanzibar.

The 50-stamp mint sheet we’re about to discuss, issued by the United States on February 23, 1976, includes the flag of each state on separate stamps. The flags are arranged in the order of the state’s admission to the union.…

Continuing the story of Giovanni (Jean) de Sperati, Italy-born master forger of postage stamps. In this second, and final, instalment we move forward to the third decade of the 20th Century. By 1930 Jean de Sperati was earning enough to…

Three times heavyweights world champion boxing Muhammad Ali died last week at age 74. With 56 winnings out of 61 matches, he is considered to be the greatest boxer of all time by many people. Ali was also famous for…