The philosophy of philately....

A vast flat land of forests and lakes, book-ended by Sweden and Russia,Finland has throughout history been dominated by it neighbours. Originally Finnish stamps showed a strong Russian influence, but from 1917 and new-found independence, Finnish stamps showed a strong national character. See below for more....

FOCUS ON NORTH BORNEO
The race for colonies in distant tropical lands grew in the later 1800s. One adventurer, Alfred Dent, purchased leases in North Borneo in the 1870s from the Sultan of Brunei & Sulu and set up the North Borneo Chartered Company with a royal charter to develop the territory. Many collectors today may remember childhood days of being entranced by exotic scenes on stamps from North Borneo, which encouraged their hobby. For the story, click on "read more" below.

The purpose of SPECIMEN overprints is to remove postal validity from a stamp, but to retain it as an example in official records.
Some were kept by the printer as a record of true intended colour, to ensure future printings were colour accurate. Eventually archives were "leaked", or sold off when a major printer (e.g. De La Rue, or American Bank Note Co) ceased trading. Once neglected, these are now highly collectable, for various reasons - see the article below.

Pastures new are always tempting. The grass is greener on the other side, even in chilly Iceland. There comes a moment when every collector considers starting a new collection.

Infinity is a strange concept. Without end, boundless, larger than any number.
How does this relate to stamp collecting?

After the American Revolution, those who remained loyal to the British Crown were encouraged to resettle in Canada. "The Loyalists....were the very cream of the population of the Thirteen Colonies. They represented in very large measure the learning, the piety, the gentle birth, the wealth and good citizenship of the British race in America, as well as its devotion to law and order, British institutions, and the unity of the Empire." (Henry Coyne, writing in 1904).

Siberia in January can be very cold, it is true. A temperature of minus 153 degrees F was recorded in Oymyakon in 1933, not a good holiday destination then (Stalin's purges) or even now. However, Russia is definitely HOT in terms of demand for their stamps. Why? (see main article in "READ MORE")

It's not just about the increasing number of pages, a new binder in matching make or style can accommodate that problem. Easy!

It's more about what happens when the collection of basic stamps is approaching completion. Source of supply and affordability become more important problems for the last few gaps. This is actually an exciting time, because new possibilities emerge.....

In the old days, some collectors kept dealers at arm's length.

Well, times have changed. "No Man is an Island" (wrote John Donne).

Your best friend is a dealer. You are reading his web page. Consider this as an opening door. Step inside.....

Some collectors choose printed one-country albums, others develop personal layouts on plain pages. Does what they collect influence their choice of album type?

Duplicates are not just duplicates....

How many collections do you have? And why?

The urge to complete is hard-wired into the brains of men.

Covid has decimated tourism and travel. But, philately offers an alternative voyage, not only across continents, but back through the time of our parents and grandparents.

When is a shade not a shade, and what is a changeling?