Stamps on Music

I have been collecting and writing about these stamps for over 15 years. This catalogue/handbook brings together the results of my studies under one cover for the first time. The catalogue is based largely upon my own extensive collection of these stamps, plus I have been privileged to have had access to several other significant collections.

Printed in full colour, on 100gsm A4 paper with card covers, this 240-page book has been wiro-bound to ensure it lies flat for its primary usage as a catalogue. The stamp illustrations were all scanned at 600dpi and 150% for ease of reference. Throughout the listing, I have endeavoured to highlight important variances in type, perforation, shade, watermark and method of value - be that printed, handstamped, typewritten or manuscript. In all, close to 4,000 different stamps are listed!

Over 220 stamp issuers are listed, from Aberbach to Zonophone. Many well-known names are in here, including music publishers like Francis, Day & Hunter, Chappell & Co, J. Albert & Son, G. Ricordi and Boosey & Hawkes. Copyright collecting organisations are represented by BIEM, EDIFO, MCPS and their various precursors, among others. Record companies also issued copyright stamps, and so the majors like The Gramophone Co (HMV), Columbia and Victor are here, as well as many earlier labels such as Ariel, Beka and Scala. Some individual composers also issued these stamps including such famous names as Granville Bantock and C. Villiers Stanford in the UK and Jack O'Hagan in Australia. For completeness, the catalogue also covers Authors' copyright stamps from books (notably R.L. Stevenson), Inspection stamps and UK Purchase Tax stamps.

Most of the issuers are from the UK (just over 100), plus significant numbers from Australia (38), Italy (30) and France (16). A further 15 other countries are represented, including most European nations, but also represented are the USA, Argentina and New Zealand.

I have made this a priced catalogue, rather that using just rarity factors. As this is the foundation work in this field, it is likely that either method would be obsolete in time, but importantly the relative value of a stamp incorporating both scarcity and desirability is better reflected through a price, rather than a code such as RRR. A Pricing to Scarcity conversion is available here.

Sample pages

Cover (500Kb)

Catalogue Information (3.2Mb)

Catalogue listing sample chapter - F (430Kb)

References sample

Index

** 19 June - Awarded Large Vermeil in Literature Class at Sydney Stamp Show, 2007.
** 26 June - Awarded Large Vermeil in Literature Class as St. Petersburg, F.I.P., 2007
** 30 June - Awarded Silver Gold at 10th New Zealand Philatelic Literature Exhibition, Palmerston North, 2007
** 14 August - Awarded Gold at APS Stampshow 2008, Hartford, CT.

Purchasing Information

The book is priced at NZ$100, plus post and packing for 1kg as listed below. No GST is payable.
As at November 2009, NZ$100 equated to approximately USD72, GBP43, AUD78 and EUR48.

Within New Zealand, add $5.50 for Fast post, or $4.50 for Economy.
To Australia, add $15.00 for Air, or $13.00 for Economy.
To North America, add $28.00 for Air, or $24.00 for Economy.
To South America, add $34.00 for Air, or $29.00 for Economy.
To the UK and Europe, add $34.00 for Air, or $29.00 for Economy.
To Africa, add $3400 for Air, or $29.00 for Economy.

Air to International destinations is 4 to 10 working days, Economy is 10 to 25 working days.

Track & Trace is available on Air options only to some major destinations, but costs around double the above costs, plus $10!

For other destinations, or dealer discounts for purchases of 5 or more copies, please contact me as below.

Customs declarations will read "Philatelic Book" and will show the value at $100 per book.

Payment can be made by two means:

1. Bank Draft (or personal cheque on a New Zealand Bank), in New Zealand dollars only.

2. via Paypal at www.paypal.com

Please email me for the relevant payment contact details, and to confirm copies remain available, before remitting any funds.

Biographical notes

I am the immediate past-President and the Honorary Librarian for The Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand, and also a member of these other societies:

Cinderella Stamp Club (UK)

Cinderella Stamp Club of Australasia

The Revenue Society of Great Britain

The New Zealand Phonograph Society
The Wellington Philatelic Society

The City of London Phonograph & Gramophone Society

As well as numerous articles in philatelic and gramophone society journals, I have authored three other philatelic books:
Index to The New Zealand Stamp Collector 1919-1994 (1998),
its follow-up, Index to The New Zealand Stamp Collector 1995-2004 & The Newsletter 1947-1973 (2005),
and The RPSNZ Library: A List of Library Holdings, 2007 Edition.
All were published by The Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand Inc.

Adam Miller
Wellington
New Zealand
March 2007.