MURPHY'S LAW IN PHILATELY
- I am a stamp collector.
- Not a collector of expensive and rare stamps,
the ones only crazy people can afford and buy. I only collect
inexpensive, easy-to find stamps, which have one thing in common :
a stupid error in their design.
-
- It started more than 30 years ago : I was watching an old envelope,
when suddenly my attention was caught by the stamp on it. I could not
believe my eyes : THE MAN ON THE STAMP HAD SIX FINGERS ON HIS LEFT HAND
!
-
- If you do not believe such stamps exist, look at the one it all
started with !
-
Stamp issued by Monaco in 1947
Since that day, it has become a bad habit : each time
I look at a stamp, postcard or cover, I check it for errors. And in more
that 30 years, I have found and collected more than 3.500 philatelic items,
with at least one thing in common : "the crazier the error, the more
I like it".
In the next pages, I am proud to present you some examples
of my collection. In philately, more than anywhere else, Murphy's law
is applicable.
Murphy's law in Philately ...
1.
……DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS
1.1.
Living beings
1.1.1.
Anatomy of mankind and animals
1.1.2.
Wrong persons, animals or plants
1.2.
Letters and figures
1.2.1. Misspelt names of persons, animals or plants
1.2.2.
Language and grammatical errors
1.2.3.
Juggle with figures
1.2.4.
Singular and plural
1.2.5.
Miscellaneous printing gremlins
1.3.
Dates and events
1.3.1.
Wrong dates
1.3.2.
Wrong locations and commemorations
1.3.3.
Various anachronism
1.4.
From astronomy to geography
1.4.1.
Sky and earth
1.4.2.
Countries, maps and borders
1.4.3.
Errors in location names
1.4.4.
Flags
1.5.
Sports
1.5.1.
Olympic games
1.5.2.
Athletics
1.5.3.
Teamsports
1.5.4.
Watersports
1.5.5.
Wintersports
1.5.6.
Other sports
1.6.
Transportation
1.6.1.
On two or four wheels
1.6.2.
By railway
1.6.3.
On water
1.6.4.
In air or in space
1.7.
The magic world of music
1.8. Mirror and upside down
images
1.9. Fairy tales
1.10.
Various crazy errors
2.
……DURING THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
2.1. Paper problems
2.2. Struggling with
colours
2.3.
Various printing problems
2.4.
miscuts and
perforation errors
2.5.
Errors in or with overprints
3.
……WHEN STAMPS ARE USED
3.1. Errors in franking
3.2.
Problems with postmarks
3.3. Delivery problems
4.
ABUSES OR INTENTIONAL ERRORS
4.1. Hidden messages and signs
4.2. Fakes and forgeries
5.
CONCLUSION
