Four countries claim territory in the Antarctic and issue stamps for
their territories. They are: Australia (Australian Antarctic Territory),
Great Britain (British Antarctic Territory), New Zealand (the Ross
Dependency), and France (the French Southern and Antarctic Territories).
Of these, the French territory, also known as French Antarctic and
abbreviated as F.S.A.T. or T.A.A.F., is of most interest to
philatelists, because most of the F.S.A.T. stamps were issued in modest
quantities and many are beautifully engraved. Most stamps issued for the
various Antarctic territories are sold to collectors, as only a few
hundred scientists reside in research facilities in the Antarctic.
In 1968, the F.S.A.T. issued a stamp honoring
Human Rights Year, which was instituted by the U.N. General Assembly (Scott #32). 39,000 were issued, and Scott '14 prices the unused stamp at $60.- .
Demand for stamps of the French Antarctic is strong in France and among
collectors of French Colonies/Area as well as collectors of Polar Topicals, and the Human Rights Year stamp has additional appeal as a U.N. topical.
I continue to like the U.N. as a topic, long-term. The market for
U.N.-related topicals should grow over the very long haul as
institutions of world government develop in order to take on serious
(and possibly existential) problems which can only be coped with
globally. Despite the present inadequacy, corruption, and
ineffectiveness of the U.N., I view its reform and gradual strengthening
as a gradual but irresistible trend.
The Stamp Auction Bidders and Consignors Union (SABACU) is a forum
for discussing stamp auctions, and represents the interests of stamp
auction bidders and consignors in their dealings with stamp auctioneers.
All stamp collectors and dealers are welcome to join.
No comments:
Post a Comment