by catpaw | 23 Jan, 2019 | Catpaw's Picks, Espresso fueled mumblings, Stamps
Collectors of early Canadian (and British colonies) will recognise the phrase “Chalon head”. There is only one – the famous Queen Victoria Chalon depicting a very young QV. Vance Auctions has an intriguing ephemera offering in next week’s sale (Jan 30, 2019):
Queen Victoria Chalon head vignette (engraving)
7909 – Engraved b/w 19th Century vignette depicting the QUEEN VICTORIA CHALON HEAD oval portrait sunk directly on to card (60 x 78mm). VF, Scarce. Would make a perfect opening page item for an early Canada collection. Ex Highland …. Est 500.00+ from the Vance catalogue
It’s about 2.3” x 3” in size (for those who don’t speak metric) so, yea, it’d make a great faceplate for any Chalon collection. Usually, we see the image in a squished down format (Chalons aren’t terribly large) so it’s nice to see it in a (slightly) larger format.
The oval portrait appears on a number of early stamps from Canada, New Zealand, Tasmania, Bahamas, Queensland, Natal and Grenada, comprising some of the most collectable stamps I know of. I’ve met people who go gaga over them and dedicate a hefty portion of their collections to Chalons. They are alluring little beauties to chase. Although I’m more a Small Queens fan, I do appreciate the odd time a Chalon passes my desk, even if it’s a Jubilee edition.
1887 Queen Victoria Jubilee 1/2c stamp
I’ve had a few low quality Chalons in my collection but have to confess to swapping them years ago for some early airmail stamps. Push comes to shove, I’ll sacrifice my Queen for airmails. So about the only ones I have are the few Jubilees, which really aren’t Chalons in the strictest sense in my opinion.
The Chalon image is from an Alfred Edward Chalon painting, c 1837, of Queen Victoria in full robes shortly after she came to the throne. I tried to find out where the original painting hangs, but pretty much every article I read looped to Chalon stamps. It’ll take a trip to the library to find out, so next time I’m at the reference library, I’ll pop into the art section and see if I can find an answer. If you know, drop a note in the comments section.
Queen Victoria, portrait by Alfred Edward Chalon c 1837 | [Public domain]
An engraving of Victoria’s head from this portrait, by Samuel Cousins, was distributed to the public as souvenirs on coronation day. It was later the basis for the famous Chalon stamps.
So, back to the topic, the engraving, if your interested, wander over to Vance and check it out. It’s auction item #7909, listed under ephemera. http://www.vanceauctions.com/searchsetter.asp Don’t forget to search for Chalons stamps as well. There are a couple of bargains, including a New Zealand lot (#7381).
If you’re looking for a bit of fun, check out the mystery novel The Chalon Heads by Barry Maitland. I read it a few years ago and found it thoroughly enjoyable. I mean, how many murder mysteries are centred around stamp collecting? This one has it all – murder, forgery, Scotland Yard, stamp collecting, Chalon heads, what more do you want? Check out Good Reads.
A short bio on Alfred Chalon: Archives Canada
For information on engraver Samuel Cousins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Cousins
A kickass article on New Zealand Chalons can be found at Ashford Stamps Limited: http://www.stampsale.com/Chalons.html
by catpaw | 12 Nov, 2018 | Catpaw's Picks, Espresso fueled mumblings, Stamps
Revenue collectors have a new stamp to look for with the Canadian cannabis revenue stamp. The moment the Canadian government legalised marijuana, I knew there would be a stamp to collect. Keep your eyes open for the cannabis revenue stamp that is affixed to all government store sales.
Canadian cannabis revenue stamp from Ontario
And:
It’s a bit hard to grab a clean photo of the new cannabis revenue. The fraud prevention features play havoc with the lens. My eyes went a bit wobbly after taking a series of photos. Many weren’t aware the stamp would be issued (or didn’t care) so thousands have been trashed so it’ll be interesting to see what the catalogue price will be for the first issues.
I haven’t decided whether to keep it on the original box or carefully remove it. The box is a bit of a pain to store but I suspect I’ll leave it on. I’ve already started pestering friends to save any revenue stamps they get. Might be awhile given the pot shortage here in Canada.
Understanding the details
Note: Added May 26, 2021
The Canadian government has a site that shows the different parts of the cannabis tax stamp. EDN54 General Overview of the Cannabis Excise Stamps – Canada.ca
Be sure to look at the Jurisdiction of each stamp. Every province will have their initials on the stamps, so that means you need to source stamps from all provinces and territories.
Drop me a line in the comments if you’ve managed to scoop all of them.
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by catpaw | 4 Oct, 2018 | Airmail & Aviation, Catpaw's Picks, Espresso fueled mumblings, Stamps
Here’s a little something about the amazing Antoinette Flyer from my pioneer aviation collection. I was looking for … well, I can’t remember what I was actually looking for because I was sidetracked by the Antoinette..
About 7 years ago, I spotted a set of 1910 Wills Aviation cards on eBay. It’s one of those silly items I coveted for years so I threw in a modest bid and it turned out to be one of those days aviation and tobacco card collectors were asleep and I got the full set of 50.
1910 Wills’ Cigarette card The Antoinette Monoplane – from author’s collection
The cards are pretty cool and considering they are over 100 years old, in very good shape. They cover flight from early balloons to the most modern (as of 1910) aeroplanes, including my favourite – the Antoinette Flyer, designed and built by Léon Levavasseur.
The Antoinette Flyer, Levavasseur’s contribution to pioneer aviation
The Silver Dart comes close to the number 1 spot in my heart, but it’s always edged out by the Antoinette. I think primarily because the Antoinette’s design is so unusual. It looked like a canoe with wings and a pilot precariously plopped in the middle. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising, engineer and pioneer aviation designer, Léon Levavasseur started out designing boats and boat engines. The Flyer may have looked fragile, but it was an outstanding aeroplane that helped Hubert (sometimes erroneously listed as Herbert) Latham set a number of height and speed records in the early days of aviation, as well as perform in most of the major aviation events of the day.
Latham attempts an English Channel crossing (1909)
Latham was the first aviator to attempt the Daily Mail’s Channel Crossing challenge. At stake was a £1000 prize for the first flight across the38 km (21 miles) distance from Calais to Dover. His attempt, July 19, 1909, ended 13 km off the Calais coastline with Latham ditching in the water. He was uninjured, but the Antoinette was severely damaged.
Latham was seen as a good bet to win the prize. His two main rivals were Louis Blériot and his Blériot XI, who went on to win and Charles de Lambert flying a Wright Flyer. A second Antoinette was prepared by the 21st, but bad weather kept him grounded. Louis Blériot and his team arrived, after Latham’s crash, and prepared for crossing. Not far away, de Lambert setup his camp, but crashed or damaged both Flyers during practice flights. That left just Latham and Blériot.
On July 25, 1909, while Latham was still asleep, Blériot saw an opportunity. The weather turned favourable at dawn and he launched off the cliff in Calais and into history. Latham’s chance was gone.
Hubert Latham (left) and Leon Levavasseur (right) Calais 1909 for the English Channel
Page from a 1909 French aeronautic magazine showing 4 airplanes ready for the English Channel crossing
Latham in cockpit of Antoinette ready to try Channel crossing 1909 – image courtesy BNF/Gallica
Latham and the Antoinette Flyer – early aviation records
Despite the disappointing outcome of the Channel race, Latham went on to set air speed and distance records with the Antoinette flyer.
1909
- May – European non-stop flight record, flying for 1hr 07mins) (this was set prior to the Channel crossing attempt)
- August – Riems Airshow (Grande Semaine d’Aviation de la Champagne) world altitude record of 155 metres (509ft)
1910
- January 7 – Mourmelon-le-Grand, France, world altitude record of 1,100 metres (3,600 ft)
- April – Nice Air show world air speed record of 48.186 miles per hour (77.548 km/h)
- July – second Riems Airshow (Grande Semaine de l’Aviation de la Champagne), world altitude record of 1,384 m (4,541 ft)
Hubert Latham 1909 Airshow – La Revue aérienne / directeur Emile Mousset Author : Ligue nationale aérienne, Paris. Auteur du texte Publisher : [s.n.] (Paris) Publication date : 1909-09-10 Contributor: Mousset, Émile. Éditeur scientifique – image courtesy BNF/Galacia
I’ve looked around for postage stamps showing Latham, Levavasseur or the Antoinette and haven’t found a single one. Nor have I found Cinderellas commemorating them, although I’m pretty sure I’ll eventually stumble across at least a Cinderella. Air shows were very popular, and many poster stamps were created to promote them, like I said, one is bound to pop up.
The stamp below is a a sample of one of the poster stamps produced for events like the Aug 1909 Reim’s airshow. They are works of art in themselves and hard to find around here. They aren’t expensive, as a rule, and can be a good start to a pioneer aviation collection.
Reims Airshow 1909 poster stamp
In the meantime, enjoy the video below. It’s film footage of Levasseur and Latham preparing for the flight across the English Channel. It starts off in Calais, where fliers gathered to prepare for their attempts. It’s rare to find footage of the Antoinette in flight, but as you watch it, you’ll understand what I mean by “canoe with wings”.
The video shows the infamous dunking Latham took into the English Channel in July 1909. It was an improbable design but flew fast and true. Would I fly in it? HELL YES! How about you?
Think about subscribing & supporting Bitter Grounds. If you enjoy reading about stamps, you can help with a donation via the little coffee cup on the bottom left or PayPal. I’ll do the heavy lifting in getting the material sorted and you can sit back and enjoy.
Read more:
- Antoinette (Levavasseur) Aircraft Engines by By William Pearce
- A short bio on Latham can be found here Hubert Latham – The Aviator Who Never Made It Across The Channel | Mechtraveller
- This day in aviation
- Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace has a short page on the Antoinette. They have a reproduction of the flyer on display.
by catpaw | 11 Sep, 2018 | Catpaw's Picks, Espresso fueled mumblings, Stamps
I’m back lurking around Vance Auction’s October listings, this time looking at the airmails. Oh, and be still my beating heart! The first offerings in Canadian semi-postals knocked my socks off. Now is the time to dig up some extra cash and go wild. What has my pulse racing?
I’m always blown away by them when I see them. They are on my fantasy “one day I’ll own them” list. The first is an Aug 1918 CLP2 tete-beche pair. Vance describes them as VF, OG and well centred. Estimate on this is $1,500 (lot #6759). I went to a stamp show (quite a few years ago) and one of the sellers had a couple singles on display. That was the only time I’ve been able to get so close I could see all the detail. Great propaganda pieces.
Moving on through the list – 3 CPL3 AUG 25, 1919 Aeroclub Canada stamps, including a used with a good cachet estimated $900.
The cachet is strong and doesn’t look like it’s suffered any fading over time – ‘AERIAL MAIL AUG 25, 1919 TORONTO CANADA’. All three are worth checking out if you’re a semi-official collector. Check out lots 6760 to 6762.
Rounding out the list are two beautiful deep red Estevan – Winnipeg FF semis from Oct 1 1924.
If you have an eye for cachets, CLP5 and CLP5i are the ones to look at. Both have a little biplane stamped under the By Air Mail | First Flight, but CLP5i version is picture perfect and still strong 94 year later. Estimates $250 and $275.
Vance Auctions #333 Oct 11 catalogue is online now – http://www.vanceauctions.com. While over there don’t forget to check out their blog. They recently posted an interesting bit on the lathe work on Canadian Admirals.
by catpaw | 27 Jul, 2018 | Catpaw's Picks, Espresso fueled mumblings, Stamps
This damaged postal cover isn’t something you see every day:
A badly burned salvaged cover from the Hindenburg Zeppelin disaster
Have you figured out what it is? Here’s a hint: Think Zeppelin mail. This chance to own a piece of history is coming up at the next Vance sale Aug 22, 2018. (Auction item 687)
C54, Tied on part of a charred cover from the 6 May, 1937 HINDENBURG ZEPPELIN DISASTER. Addr to C. Ford in San Francisco with centrally struck red Zeppelin flight cachet. Wrapped in the original cellophane by the Post Office and with P.O. Department Officially Sealed label on reverse. Has 1993 Germany Philatelic Society Certificate and 1993 Dr J. Simon Certificate. A VERY RARE EXAMPLE OF A HINDENBURG CRASH COVER FROM THE MOST FAMOUS AIR DISASTER IN HISTORY
The cover, from one of the most famous air disasters in history, was one of only 372 salvaged from the 17,000 letters the Hindenburg carried on its last flight. Out of those 372, 176 suffered no damaged because they were being held in protective pouches. The rest (this one included) were pieced together afterwards by diligent US postal officials, sealed, and sent on to their destination. This one has an authentication certificate, which is mandatory given the high number of forgeries about. It’s unusual to see one come for auction and it’ll be interesting to see what the final price is.
If you look closely, you can just make out an address and post mark. The original US post Officially Sealed stamp is in place along with the salvage wrapping. It originally carried the C54 Swastika, Sun, Globe and Eagle German airmail stamp – 100pf, like the one below, but I couldn’t spot it. I think it’ll take a careful examination to see the remnants.
1934 German airmail stamp
Note: the number of covers that survived varies between 358 to 372. Zeppelin authority Dieter Leder from the Zeppelin Study Group pegs the number at 372, which is the one I use in the article.
Bibliography:
Hindenburg Crash Mail – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/found-letters-from-the-hindenburg-61380742/
Burned mail from Hindenburg crash to be auctioned (link no longer available. Looking for another one)
Zeppelin Post Journal is the one of the best magazines on the market for Zeppelin related information – http://www.ezep.de/zpj/zpj.html
