SGSC Logo Chairman's Notes
September/October 2010
by Melvyn Gallagher
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It is no surprise that during this centenary year of Guiding there have been many related stamps issued from many lands, although (as yet) not so many as those issued for the Scout centenary in 2007.  Generally speaking their designs follow the now usual format of four stamps, one representing each section, with perhaps a miniature sheet too.  National leaders feature and there is a great use of photographic images of groups and individuals.  One group of states have each issued similar stamps by the same designer - almost an "omnibus issue", with a set of four values, a similar sheetlet and a miniature sheet from Dominica, Palau, Grenada, Grenada Grenadines, Micronesia and Liberia.  My favourite issue to date is the colourful miniature sheet from Ascension Island (as shown on the back cover and referred to in Colin Walker's article) which as you can see show an historical display of Guiding printed ephemera as well as portraits on the stamps of B-P, Lady B-P and Agnes B-P.

The recent single Scouting" stamp from the U.S.A. is a strange design which I USA #4472 gather was a compromise as the US Post office now has a policy of not honouring single organisations any more (Perhaps our American members would like to confirm the story to our Editor).  The design features USA #4472 a figure in climbing gear atop a mountain peak be fore a silhouette of a figure looking through binoculars with the word SCOUTING.  To a layman this could mean army type scouting as there is no B.S.A. Emblem or uniform shown.  However, to prove it is a Boy Scout stamp, printed on the reverse is a credit to Scouting organizations and the work that they do.  This self adhesive issue was produced in sheetlets of twenty with saw tooth roulette perforations.

All members are invited to our next Club meeting at Philatex on November 6th.  There will be some rare and unusual displays shown and narrated by their proud owners, so you can learn a lot from them as well as adding to your own collections too from the many dealer's stands.


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