Sharps ‘n Flats

the stamps

The Stamps of China are soaked in history — from the celebration of Communism to commemorating leaders like Mao Zedong. In any country with two opposing factions and an ever-changing landscape, there’s bound to be a lot of printing errors and recalls, which makes many rare China stamps worth a considerable amount of money. While it was a slow hobby to take shape, there are now over 18 million stamp collectors in China and some very fascinating stamps to obtain.

Overprints of China stamps were common during the early 1900s. An overprint is the addition of text after a stamp has already been printed (usually to raise the price in relation to inflation). Because of the ever-changing economy, some stamps from that time period — such as the Sun Yat-sen — rose in value up into the thousands of dollars.

In November 1952, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication released a set of four stamps to commemorate “the 35th Anniversary of the October Revolution.” The October Revolution (also known as The Bolshevik Revolution) was led by Vladimir Lenin’s Bolshevik party and the workers’ Soviets and eventually overthrew the government, making way for the USSR. The stamps were issued in celebration of the friendship between China and the Soviets. The first stamp had a picture of China’s Mao Zedong with Stalin on the Kremlin tower; the second stamp portrayed Lenin making a speech at the Second Representatives Conference of the Soviet Unions; the third stamp pictured a statue of Stalin standing at the Lenin Canal; the fourth showed Lenin making a speech. In 1997, a set of these stamps was sold at the Spring Auction of Jiade for $55,000 RMB.

One stamp issued from the collection “To Mark the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base by Chairman Mao” was recently sold at an auction in Shaghai for $1.5 Million RMB (or roughly $199,880 USD). There were originally four stamps issued, including: Chairman Mao and Lin Biao at Tian An Men, Chairman Mao and his party in Jing gang Shan, the quotation “The political power comes from guns,” and another verse by Chairman Mao. The Jianggangshan base become the birthplace of the Chinese Red Army and is often called “the cradle of the Chinese Revolution.”

In addition to the historical significance of these commemorative China stamps, the controversy surrounding the issuance caused an uproar. Production was canceled and specimens were called to be destroyed. Therefore, the Jinggangshan stamps never made it to circulation and only a very small number exist in the hands of private collectors. In September 1968, after the establishment of Cultural Revolution Revolutionary Committees, the Ministry of Posts issued the “All China Is Red” stamp.

The stamp pictured a red ocean, with workers, farmers and soldiers holding “the Quotations of Chairman Mao” and cheering; at the top, a red map of China with golden letters read “All China Is Red.” The stamps were issued in Beijing for half a day before the China Atlas Press discovered that the Xisha and Nansha archipelagoes were mistakenly missing from the map! Due to its extremely limited number, the “All China Is Red” is one of the most famous rare stamps in the world. Ten years ago, a post office sheet of 50 was displayed at the China Philatelic Expo in Guangzhou City and was considered a “national treasure,” valued at over 10,000,000 RMB.

While there is said to be about 18 million stamp collectors in China, there are millions of members in the Chinese Philatelic Society. The government is eager to begin trade with other stamp collectors, so the stamps are readily available worldwide. Ebay has a list of stamps from Asia and China stamps can also be found at the Chinese Philatelic Information site or ChineseStamps.org. Whether you’re looking for dragons or emperors, you’ll find it in China!

Another year, another Oscar ceremony. Most of the awards went according to plan. The British were the big winners on the night, with Slumdog Millionaire scooping, well, nearly everything, and Kate Winslett getting the Oscar at long last. For me though, the thing that disappointed me the most was that Mad Mickey Rourke missed out on the Best Actor Oscar, one he was expected to walk away with. For me though I was really looking forward to seeing Mickey Rourke crazy things up again with yet another slightly insane acceptance speech.

The award eventually went to Sean Penn for his brilliant portrayal of gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Look – I am not saying that Sean Penn wasn’t worthy of the accolade. Far from it – his role was as iconic as it was important. But am I the only one that just loves the crazyness that Mickey brings to the often staged and insincere PR stunt that is the Oscars?

So many of the celebrities on the red carpet turned up, as always, perfectly groomed in sponsored outfits and monotonous black tuxedos. Mickey Rourke, on the other hand, turned up in a messy looking white suit. Of course he also wore his trademark designer sunglasses which have become part of his image in the awards season. Nuttiest of all was Rourke’s “Loki the dead chihuahua” necklace in tribute to his recently deceased pet, which he pointed out to every invterviewer he spoke to!

We were due for another wacky and memorable acceptance speech if Mickey Rourke had got the award. Who knows what he would have come out with on the stage, chihuahua memorial necklace, sunglasses and all? I’ll never forget his previous antics at the Golden Globes awards. And more recently he brought the house down at the Independent Spirit awards the night before the Oscars – see the video above.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some political manouvering going on behind the scenes that prevented Rourke from winning. Mickey himself had predicted he woudldn’t win because he’s pissed off too many hollywood hotshots in the past. “I stupidly said acting wasn’t a job for a real man. I threatened producers, raged at directors, forgot my agent’s name. I really burned my bridges. And a lot of people have long memories,” was the eerily accurate prediction from Mickey Rourke before the awards.

You gotta give it up for the Pennster however, his speech was certainly an interesting one. To begin with his thank-you’s were directed at the Academy, whom he referred to as “commie, homo-loving sons of guns!” Penn then pulled out a small scribbled bit of paper, donned his prescription glasses, and after a few “thank you’s,” proceeded with an impassioned plea for equal rights for gays and against the ban on gay marriages. Not quite as entertaining as Mad Mickey would have been – but better than gushing and thanking his mother for bringing him into this wonderful world.

Meanwhile the Mickey Rourke comeback continues!

When you collect coins, you want to keep those coins in as mint condition as possible. Mint condition means that the coins don’t have any marks or nicks and that they look just as shiny as they did when they came off the mint. You won’t keep them in mint condition very long if you just keep them in a jar, or in a can beside or under your bed. Some people like to keep them in tiny plastic sleeves but these are hard to keep track of; especially if you have a lot of them. Instead, why not keep your coins in a coin collecting book instead of boxes? A coin book protects your coins by keeping it behind a plastic sheathe. What’s more, your coin collecting book will keep your coins together and the book is a great way to show your collection off to anyone who is curious.

Getting Started With Coin Collecting Book

Some banks sell books, especially when new coins are released. However, you can most likely get coin collecting books from the Franklin mint where the US coins are minted. There are also books sold at coin collecting shows where people love to show off their coin collections, where people love to trade and sell their coins and also love to sell coin collecting reference books where you can learn a lot about coins and coin collecting.

Coin Collecting Book: Types of Books

There are coin collecting books for just U.S. coins, there are coin collecting books for both U..S and international coins and then there are books for more historical coins, such as Roman Empire gold coins and such. There are in fact books for any type of coin you could ever think of. Don’t worry if you only have one or two coins, and not enough to fill an entire book, a book will often give you the incentive you need to get more coins so that you can fill one or even several books that will comprise your coin collection.

Coin collecting is extremely fun and it’s interesting to see the differences in the various coins used as money throughout history. Even if you only have a couple of current coins circulating today, put them in a coin collecting book and keep collecting. Soon, the book will be filled by a good number of coins to start with. Before you know it, you’ll have a collection most collectors would envy and they’ll be perfectly preserved and beautifully displayed in your various books.

The best way is to classify different sections in your book like bible coin collection, Obama coin collection or even valuable coins collection. If you are into foreign coin collecting then you can classify you coins as per country of their origin.

The economy being what it is, young couples in love are looking for ways to save money on their weddings. But that’s OK, there are plenty of resources available on the Web that will help you keep costs in line. Using the Internet will give you the confidence to know that your nuptials will be just as beautiful as a ceremony that costs a lot more.

One of your greatest resources will be the free clip art that can be sourced from the Internet. When the perfect images reveal themselves during your search, your wedding theme will begin to crystallize. Because the Web is a large place, a little help from your maid of honor or bridesmaids might be called for.

But what should you, your friends and family look for when searching for wedding clip-art? First, consider your own personal home decorating style. That should provide clues to what pleases you visually. What colors are the most prominent? Knowing what colors you like is a great place to start. Also, look at how complex or simple your decorating scheme is. Taking stock of the color and feel of your home will allow you to more easily settle on a wedding style.

Once your color scheme is nailed down to your satisfaction, you can go on the Internet and search for free vintage flowers. Why not something more along modern lines? The reason is that vintage clip art has a classic look that makes designing a wedding theme easy.

To create a look that’s completely timeless, look for free vintage roses. If you use these perennial favorites on your wedding invitations or favors, your friends and family will think you spent a fortune. These beautiful flowers come in many colors, so there’s bound to be an image or two that fits your color scheme.  And in the end, is that not exactly what you want anyway?  I know I sure do!

comic book series

While comic book series have been around since the 1930s, it wasn’t until the 1960s that something changed within the comic book industry, instigating widespread interest in comic book heroes and narratives. Some say it was Stan Lee’s re-envisioning of the industry, adding new psychological dimensions to his characters. Others say it was the teaming up of superhero teams and new plots that interested readers on another level. It could have also been the adaptation to television and movies that exposed comics to more people. Whatever the case, independent comic book stores popped up in the 1970s and 1980s, inspiring a new breed of ultimate fans: the comic collector.

A serious comic collector will need to be aware of what issues he or she has, as well as the condition of each piece. To keep track of large volumes, it’s recommended that you get comic book collection software to help you. These programs allow you to input new and existing comics into a personal database, quickly scan/search for certain criterion that buyers may be looking for, compile a wish list of items you want to include and determine the value of your collection. This can also help greatly when you’re listing your information on sites like www.ebay.com. New and bargain collectors can find free software to accomplish the basics at www.comiccollectorlive.com. For mid-level collectors, www.collectorz.com/comic offers improved ways of inputting new or existing comics and search capacity for $24.95 or $39.95 (pro version). For the hardcore collector, www.comicbase.com offers a variety of programs, ranging from $49.95 (express) to $299 (archive edition), allowing you the best ways to create wish lists and determine the value of your collection based on comic book industry standard criterion.

There are many places where a collector of comic books can buy or sell a comic book collection. Buyers can check comic book stores, the publishers’ websites (Marvel, DC Dark Horse, IDW), www.ebay.com, www.craigslist.org, www.milehighcomics.com, www.g-mart.com, www.comics-db.com, www.mycomicshop.com, www.amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. As can be expected, sellers can also unload their collections at many of these same places. At www.comicshoplocator.com, you can find a place to trade-in your old stash for quick cash, although this isn’t the way to make the best money. Auction houses are sometimes good, particularly if you have a full collection of a comic book series. You can find some at www.comics.heritageauctions.com, www.morphyauctions.com and www.christies.com. However, by far, the best way for a patient and savvy collector to sell is an internet auction like www.ebay.com, where top prices can be commanded.

A comic collector will naturally be curious about what old comic books are worth. Popular and respected guides include The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, Comics Buyer’s Guide magazine, Wizard Magazine, the Comics Buyer’s Guide Standard Catalog of Comic Books, and the Human Computing’s ComicBase software program. Online, comic collectors can also check out free resources like www.comicbookrealm.com, www.comicspriceguide.com or www.nostomania.com. At www.gpanalysis.com buyers can view price data gathered from online auction houses and private dealer sales, which are updated daily. Leveraging against several sources is usually the best way to determine an old comic’s true value.