What’s New
There’s always something new on this site since I’m actively collecting stamps these days and regularly improving these web pages. I don’t always update this page, but try to do so when I can.
New Album
posted: feb 2026
My strategy for adding albums and sub-albums has been to do them one at a time. I would add the album and data on its stamps to my database. Then I’d design the album pages and the web pages for the album. I’d post them on this site, tweak the text in the table for each page, and write descriptions for each. I’d also add the stamps I have already and try to acquire as many as I’m missing. When the new album was completed or as near to completion as I could get it – some stamps are hard to find or expensive – I would then go on to the next album. That’s the strategy I’ve used for my Italian Colonies and Italian Occupations albums.
Now I’m adding pages for Italian Post Offices Abroad albums and sub-albums. I have very few of these stamps and they’re difficult to find – and some are expensive. However, each page is so similar – they have the same stamps with different overprinting – that it’s easier for me to create each sub-album shortly afterwards. So you’ll see many pages being added over the next couple of weeks with no stamps. I’ll add them later, the few I own.
Acquisitions
posted: aug 2025
Money is a little tight lately. I can’t buy as much as I’d like or as much as I was able to buy last year, but I can get a few items each month.
This Summer I bought three pre-unification Italian stamps: catalog number 11, located at the end of the third row of the Duchy of Modena page; number 24, which is now in the third position of the fourth row of the Papal States page – be sure to read the note on that page about it; and a replacement for 43, the red stamp on the fourth row of the Veneto & Mantova page. I also ordered another stamp for my Romagne page. It’s such a slow process getting all of the pre-state stamps – they’re not too abundant and they can be very expensive, depending on the quality of the printing.
From another Milan dealer, I bought some Libyan stamps – since I now have my album pages well organized. I bought a set of parcel post stamps (see Parcel Post) – they come in pairs. I also bought the one remaining Libyan private delivery stamp I was missing (see Private). And I bought two hefty, Libyan definitives: catalog numbers 60 and 61 near the top of the Legionnaires page.
At an auction in Milan, I bought a GNR stamps, catalog number 483 on the Natl. Republican Guard page – a priority page for me – and two GNR air mail stamps, numbers A117 and A120 (see Air Mail).
Completions
posted: jun 2025
My Jubaland album is almost finished. I acquired a few stamps last month that completed three pages. There are only two more stamps needed on one page in that album. They’re pretty expensive, though. I’ve been watching the local auctions; I’m hoping I can finisht that album soon.
My Cyrenaic album will be in a similar situation soon. There’s one set of stamps I need to find to finish off one page. Then there will be one last page to complete, requiring the purchase of an expensive stamp that difficult to find.