Earlier this year, we celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the formation of what was then known as "The Scout Stamps Collectors Club".  Although a couple of informal meetings were held in the autumn of 1956, it was not until February 1957 that the first official meeting was held at the Headquarters of the Boy Scouts International Bureau, which at that time was in London.  I attended the 1957 World Jamboree as an Assistant Scoutmaster, and with the issue of the commemorative stamps for this event; I started to collect Scout stamps.  During the Jamboree, a meeting of SOSSI was held which I attended as a visitor, and met Roy Rhodes for the first time who informed me about the UK club.  Within two weeks I had joined the Club having paid my subscription of 5/- (25p) and given membership number 56, and so now have 60 years membership.

For those who look at eBay, you may have seen for sale as "buy it now" pairs of the 1957 World Jamboree 2½d stamps with double perforations at £9.75.  The heading does not mention that they are forged, but the seller, "Avion Thematics" description reads "Great Britain 1957 World Scout Jamboree 2½d unmounted mint vertical pair with perforations doubled (stamps are quartered) interesting forgery.  Note, the stamps are genuine but the additional perforations are a slightly different gauge and thus assumed to be forged".  No doubt the seller knows that they are forged and I guess has been busy making double perforations with maybe a sewing machine.  The genuine stamps have approximately 26 perforations along the bottom, while these fakes have only 20.  There are many blocks available and no doubt the seller has a sheet of this value which will bring him a good profit.  In my opinion a waste of money.

It is with sadness that I report the death of Zbigniew Bokiewicz in Warsaw on 21 October 2016 at the age of 93.  For many years he traded as the Continental Stamp Supplies in one of the Strand stamp arcades in London.  He was known by many of us as being one of the former Scouts in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, and his philatelic collection of this tragic event was shown at our club meeting at Baden-Powell House in June 1976.  His illustrated book "The Scout Field Post in the Warsaw Uprising" was published in September 1974, on the occasion of his collection being exhibited at the General Sikorski Museum in London.  Colin Walker and myself were honoured to spend some time with him in March 2013 when we visited him at his house in London.  Not only did we see his collection, a few weeks before he gave it to the Uprising Museum in Warsaw, but also his original Scout badge which he so proudly showed us, and which he holds in his hand.

Earlier this year on eBay was an example of the 1929 World Jamboree registered postmark which received nine bids.  Cut from a receipt, this item made £59.88 (US$ 78 Euro 71.00).  Another item that took my interest was a Goodwin Trade card issued between 1923-38.  This company were flour millers from Kidderminster and issued a set of 24 cards to advertise their Red Shield Self-Raising Flour.  Showing Boy Scout and Girl Guide badges, this Scout Cook card was sold by Loddon Auctions of Arborfield, Berkshire for £88.00, against an estimate of £40-£60.