Stamp Investment Tip: French Southern and Antarctic Territories 1968 Space Exploration (Scott #C16a)

   Of the seven countries which claim territories in the Antarctic, four issue  stamps for them. They are: Great Britain (British Antarctic Territory), Australia (Australian 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 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 there.

In 1968, the F.S.A.T. issued a set of two stamps honoring France's Dragon Rockets (Scott #C15-16), which should be bought as a triptych (Scott #C16a). 45,000 sets were issued, and Scott '14 prices the unused triptych at $40.- .

Demand for stamps of the French Antarctic is strong in France and among collectors of French Colonies/Area and Polar Topicals worldwide, and the triptych  has obvious appeal as a Space Exploration and Transportation topical. 

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Stamp Investment Tip: French Southern and Antarctic Territories 1968 Human Rights Year (Scott #32)

   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.

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Stamp Investment Tip: U.S. 1935 3c Byrd Antarctic Imperf., Cross Gutter Block (Scott #768)

   In 1933, the U.S. issued a 3c stamp honoring Admiral Richard E. Byrd's Antarctic Expedition (Scott #733). The stamp is notable in that it's design is based on a sketch by America's most famous Philatelist-President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The design was replicated in two later issues, an imperforate souvenir sheet of 6 issued at the National Stamp Exhibition of 1934 (Scott #735), and as an ungummed imperforate stamp - one of the notorious "Farley Issues" of 1935 (Scott #768).

    The Farley Issues are interesting because they can be collected as positional pieces, the most popular of which is the cross gutter block. The Farley version of the Byrd Antarctic Stamp (Sc.#768) was issued in panes of 25 sheets of 6, and each pane contained 16 gutter blocks. 267,200 of #768 were issued, so about 28,500 blocks were possible. 

   As these stamps were not gummed, it is likely that most were collected unused, rather than used and discarded, but it's also likely that many of the panes of 150 were broken up and collected as sheets of 6, mimicking the format of the earlier souvenir sheet. Scott '13 values the cross-gutter block unused at $20.00, which seems cheap to me, even if all of the original 28,500 survive.

    Furthermore, the issue has appeal as a Polar/Antarctic topical and as a Map topical.

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Stamp Investment Tip: Russia 1931 North Pole Issue (Scott #C26-29, C30-33)

In 1931, the U.S.S.R. issued two sets of stamps intended for use on Zeppelin mail, and honoring Arctic exploration (Scott #C26-29 and C30-33). 50,000 of the first, perforated set was issued, along with 30,000 of the imperforate set, and Scott '13 prices the unused sets at $100.00  and $200.00, respectively.

Zeppelin stamps and covers are extremely popular among "Zepp" collectors and Aviation topicalists, especially in Europe. Those issued by destination-countries which are likely prospects for rapid economic development represent compelling investments.

In addition to their being  Zepps, the sets also picture the Russian Icebreaker "Malygin" and a Polar Bear, and therefore have multiple topical appeal to Ship, Animal and Polar topicalists.

The market for better Russian stamps from the Czarist through the Stalin periods is very hot right now. With 142 million people, Russia is the 8th or 9th largest economy in the world, with vast reserves of natural resources and a highly educated population. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has experienced several major economic crises in its transition to capitalism, although annual GDP growth has been strong over the last 5 years, at around 7%. The country is still plagued by corruption and organized crime, making it somewhat reminiscent of America during its "Wild West" and Robber-Baron periods. Nevertheless, the middle class has grown from just 8 million people in 2000 to 55 million in 2006.

I favor all better items of Russia, as I believe it likely that both its economy and stamp collecting population will grow substantially over the next decades.

Those interested in becoming part of an international community of stamp collectors, dealers, and investors are welcome to join the "Stampselectors" group and organization page at Facebook. The group and page host lively discussions concerning stamp investment and practical aspects of collecting, and provide a useful venue for those who wish to buy, sell, or trade stamps.