Fundy Stamp Collectors Club P. O. Box 302 Moncton N.B. E1C 8L4 Since 1997

Some time sensitive material has been left out of this newsletter.

I would like to extend a special welcome to the readers of this newsletter, the second edition of what the Fundy Stamp Collectors Club hope to become a tri annual publication September, January, and April. The purpose of this newsletter is to promote and stimulate interest in philately, not only in Moncton, but also in the Maritimes.
Reaction to the first issue, published in May 2001 has been very favorable indeed. To those people who took the time to respond, I thank you very much for your comments. I sincerely hope in the near future to receive articles from members of other clubs in the Maritimes, as well as Club news, local shows and sales, and perhaps even a few more Classifieds, which would offset production and distribution costs.
A reminder that articles should range from 300 to 600 words, and Classifieds are restricted to 25 words, with a cost of $ 5.00 per issue.
The endeavor to put this newsletter together has been quite challenging to date, and I have to thank Ron Messenger, Harvey Terris, and Dr. Ralph Richardson for their invaluable contribu- tions. Again, ( would ask that the other Maritime stamp clubs distribute this Newsletter freely to their membership. Publication dates are planned for October 1, 2001 and January 1 and April 1, 2002. All articles or classifieds must be submitted at least 30 days before publication date.
Please submit any articles or comments to the E-mail address below (preferably in Word for- mat). Looking forward to hearing from you.

Don Mills (506) 384-5107

E-mail: donmillscanada@yahoo.com

Occasionally some countries have paid tribute to their indigenous people on postage stamps, but very few have named the individual chosen. One exception to this is Australia. The 1950 series had a design for the 8 1/2p and 2sh6p values, prepared by Frank Manley, and was based upon a photograph by Ray Dustan. The engraving was done by E.R.M. Jones, recess printed on De la Rue paper. The aborigine featured was a Central Australian native known as "One Pound Jimmy". He was so known because when asked how much he charged to perform a certain task, he invariably responded "One pound, boss". His tribal name was Gwoya Jungarai, and he died on March 28, 1965, while on a walkabout with his relatives on Narweitooma Cattle Station, 120 miles west of Alice Springs. His exact age was not known, but he was believed to be over 70 years old when he died. He was not a particularly handsome individual, but he was certainly representative of his people, and his image will live in infinity.

The 8 1/2p (Scott no. 226) was printed on Watermark 15 paper, in dark brown, and perforated 15 x 14. The 2sh6p variety (Scott no. 248) was larger in size (21 x 25.5 mm) in the same dark brown colour, on watermark 15 sideways paper. Both were issued in 1964. Supplies of the 2sh6p bird stamp ran out just before Christmas 1965, and as the photogravure press was in constant use preparing the new decimal series stamps, an emergency printing of two months supply (800,000 copies) of the 2sh6p Aborigine were prepared (Scott # 303). Two old electros from 1952 had to be used. These showed the authority imprint as used for the wa- termarked version, and as this was overlooked the imprint now appears on unwatermarked paper. The sepia colour used is distinctly different from issue no. 248. The 1965 printing was on white Harrison paper, whereas the earlier watermarked issue was on toned paper.

Logically, many people think that to remove a used stamp from an envelope, all you do is peel it off carefully. This results in lots and lots of thinned stamps, which are considered damaged and un-collectible.
The correct way to remove used stamps is to soak them off in water, and then to dry them on a flat dry surface (preferably a paper towel). There is too much to the art of soaking to tell you here, but much more can be found in any basic reference work on stamp collecting. Soaking stamps with the new "invisible" gum can be very difficult, however, because they tend to retain gum even after being soaked off original paper, and will stick fast to paper on which they are dried. One answer is to dry them face down, with nothing touching the backside, then flatten them out later if they curl. Most other types of gum just soak off in water, and present no problems.
Some stamps should not be soaked without consulting a more knowledgeable philatelist. Anything on an original cover that is more then 20 or 30 years old might be worth saving.Also, don't soak it if the cover looks philatelic somehow -- has a special fancy cancel or was postmarked for a special event, etc. When in doubt, wait before you soak because First Day Covers, envelopes with a special design of a stamp and postmarked on its issue date, can be worth many times the value of the stamp on it.

Next time: Using Hinges and Mounts