I Muse...On Soaking Results

Several weeks ago I wrote a blog describing my successful win of two Tunisia 1953 airmail stamps. One of these two stamps, the 1,000f value was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris. The 500f value was designed and engraved by Rene Cottet. The catalogue value of these stamps was quite high, but I managed to win them for just a couple of dollars. You may recall that the condition of the stamps wasn't 100%. They both had quite a bit of toning, the 500f more so. Of course, this is my Albert Decaris blog so I will only deal with the 1,000f stamp here. The 500f I will deal with in my French Stamp Engravers! blog (when it is done I will insert a link to it here). 

The stamp arrived a couple of weeks ago, and the other day I finally got round to giving it a peroxide bath. I have already written a blog detailing the method I use for soaking stamps in peroxide. You can check it out HERE. This time round I had to give the stamp (both stamps actually) two longer soaks than normal. And even then not all of the toning was removed. But it did freshen the stamps up quite a bit, and of course, it killed any and all mould present. That being said, I am still very happy with the results. Below is a 'before and after' for you to judge for yourselves.

So what do you think?

Until next time...

I Muse...On Breaking News

We interrupt our regular blogging schedule to bring you this special report!

This news just in: it has been discovered  that the stamp collector who has been identified as Albert Decaris Stamps! has just managed to defy the odds and secure, through and stealth and a decent dose of luck, a great bargain. We have managed to secure an exclusive interview with the happy buyer!

All jokes aside, this morning when I woke up I got quite the surprise. It all started a little over a week ago when my Decaris catalogue by Bernard Gontier arrived (a review of said book will be coming soon). I noticed in it that Decaris had designed and engraved a 1,000f airmail stamp for Tunisia in 1953. This stamp has a rather hefty SG catalogue value of £47 mint and over double that for genuine used. A glance at eBay and Delcampe yielded rather expensive results. What a shock! But I did spot one item up for bid on eBay that was still on the minimum bid of $0.99. The stamp was not alone it came with the 500f value stamp. Both have some toning, the 500f more so. But I thought that if on the off chance I could get them cheap, the toning could be reduced, if not completely removed by a good peroxide bath. Taking all this into account, I threw on a cheap snipe bid. Pretty certain I'd have no chance. But hey, gotta be in it to win it.

Then... Lo and behold I did win it! And for just $2.28 Aust.

So I guess now we are at that point where I show you what I got. The images ain't that great, but it gives you an idea of the toning levels. In honesty, the 500f stamp may be a ride-off, but that doesn't bother me. It's the 1,000f on the right that I'm most interested n. As you can see, the toning is considerably less on this stamp.

When they arrive I'll give them the peroxide treatment and post up the results!

Now back to our regular blogging schedule!

Until next time...

France 1953 - Tour de France

What famous race began as a result of a rivalry between two newspapers? If your answer is the Tour de France, then you are absolutely right! It all started on 20 November 1902 at a crisis meeting at the offices of the  French newspaper L'Auto. The newspaper had been struggling with stagnating sales, and all the while their rival newspaper Le Vélo was dominating the news stands. Naturally the backers of L'Auto were rather unhappy with the situation. Something had to be done...

Enter one  Géo Lefèvre, the 26 year old chief cycling journalist for the paper. He had a radical idea based on the knowledge that cycling races sell lots of papers. That being the case, why not host a cycle race, a race larger than anyone had ever seen? If this audacious idea should work, then perhaps L'Auto may just match its rival in newspaper sales, or even better, put its rival totally out of business! After more excited meetings L'Auto announced the race on 19 January 1903. After much debate, a format for the race was finally agreed upon. The race was to be run over 19 days, commencing on 1 July. 

On 1 July some 80 competitors lined up outside the Café Reveil-Matin in the village of Montgeron for the very first Tour de France. The race commenced at 3:16 pm on 1 July 1903. It goes without saying that L'Auto featured the race on its front page that day. After a gruelling race where only 24 of the 80 entrants finished, the title of winner went to Maurice Garin (pictured below). 

And it should be noted that sales for the newspaper L'Auto doubled due to the race. So it was a cracking success. Not only that, its continued popularity has ensured its longevity. The race still runs annually with competitors from all over he world vying for a place on the winner's podium.

***

On 25 July 1953 France issued a stamp celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Tour de France. The stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

The design of this stamp is fantastic. In the centre of the stamp we see a map of France with the course for the Tour de France plotted out. The space within the roughly circuitous route has been used for the title of the stamp. Flanking the map of France are two cyclists. The cyclist on the left is wearing clothes consistent with the early years of the race. Perhaps this is the winner of the first race, Maurice Garin. The cyclist on the right is a 'modern' rider from the 50's. 

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!