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| Dark blue & olive brown Ferdinando II, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1859 |
The king of hobbies or the 'Hobby of Kings', as one might say, stamp collecting is indeed an art by itself. ~ Saronyo Lal Mukherjee
For those inquiring about our nascent philatelic club, I’m sorry to say it is not an actual membership club with dues, insignia or bylaws. Like most of our cultural and social endeavors, it pretty much entails a handful of us getting together semi-regularly to partake in said activities. For peace of mind, our gatherings are usually limited to friends and trusted associates.
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Juan Donoso Cortés,
block of 4, Spain, 1965 |
Upon discovering that a few of us share similar interest in the “Hobby of Kings,” we thought it would be fun to meetup and show off our respective collections or attend stamp shows, auctions and exhibits together. Needless to say, the COVID lockdowns have thus far kept our group from meeting in person, but we still speak on the phone and share images virtually. However, like all art forms, it’s not the same as viewing them in person. Having said that, I’m still going to post some photos from my own modest collection as a courtesy to those who have asked.
For the record, none of us are experts or dealers, we are simply collectors and amateur enthusiasts. As of yet, I’ve never had any of my stamps appraised or graded and, for the most part, I don’t believe they are worth all that much. Due to finite capital, I chose mine based on themes (geography, history, culture) and aesthetics rather than their rarity or monetary value.
Still, the collection is invaluable to me because of the time and effort spent putting it together as well as the joy I have sharing it with friends and family. Unlike my small and equally insubstantial comic collection, which I have safely sealed and stored away, I find stamp collecting to be a more sociable pastime and thus more worthwhile. All I have to do is pull out an album and magnifying glass and the conversations begin.
~ Giovanni di Napoli, May 18th, Feast of St. Venantius of Camerino
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Maria Santissima Incaldana, Sanctuario di Mondragone, Italy, 2006
San Gennaro, detail of block of four, Italy, 2009 |
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| 32nd Anniversary of the Death of Salvo d'Acquisto, Italy, 1975 |
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| Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italy, 1963 & block of 4 Vincenzo Gemito, Italy, 1952 |
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| San Carlo Teatro with coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Italy, 1987 & Ponte Real Ferdinando (first iron suspension bridge in Italy) Italy, 2014 |
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| Coronation Mantle of Roger II of Sicily, Lichtenstein, 1975 |
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| Set of 2 Norman Art in Sicily, Italy, 1974 |
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| René D'Anjou, King of Naples, France, 2009 |
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| St. Pope Pius X, Vatican, 1954 |
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| Belgium-Spain joint issue single sheet commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the birth of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Spain, 2000 |
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| Emperor Charlemagne first day cover, France, 1966 |
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| King Charles III of Spain first day cover, Spain, 1977 |
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| (L) Emperor Carlo V, Vatican, 1946. (R) Page dedicated to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I with first day maxicard, Austria, 2017; King Arthur from the Emperor's tomb, Austria, 1974; set of two—stamp & blackprint—500th Anniversary of the death of Maximilian I, Austria, 2019; & Gothic Armor of the Emperor, Austria, 1969 |
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| St. Edith Stein, Germany, 1983 and St. Maximilian Kolbe, Germany, 1973 |
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| Detail of block of four 500th Anniversary of the death of John Hunyadi, Romania, 1956 and Vlad Tepes the Impaler (Dracula), Romania, 1976 |
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| Ernst Jünger, Germany, 1998 |
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| Afonso Henriques, Portugal, 1940 |
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| 400th Anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, Monaco, 1971 |
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| Gualdim Paes, Portugal, 1928 and Gonçalo Mendes da Maia, Portugal, 1927 |
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Recently acquired, possibly a cinderella stamp (still researching), Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen (the Red Baron) from Austria |
