"War Canoe"
Bud's Big BlueBud's Observations
Headhunters -- angry warriors aboard ornamented war canoes
-- ethnic upheavals! Yikes!
Oh well. That was a hundred years ago. Today the only war
canoes are in museums or on postage stamps. And headhunters have long been
suppressed by the British and friendly Melanesians. Skull Island, where victims
used to be entombed, has become a tourist attraction. After all, these are the
people who rescued a shipwrecked Jack Kennedy. So maybe it’s now the West
Pacific’s Shangri-La.
Before I order plane tickets, I’d better check the UK
website on Solomon Island safety and security. Hummmm. It reports “robberies
involving violence, handbag snatching, pick-pocketing, distraction thefts and
harassment…. Civil unrest and drunken behaviour can occur. Foreigners and
expatriates may be attractive targets for violence. Salt water crocodiles…. Big
sharks….” Yikes!
It also says “Most
visits to Solomon Islands are trouble-free.” (Italics mine).
Collecting Solomon Islands stamps is mostly trouble-free,
too. A common mistake found in feeder albums, though, is among the 1913-1931
series where BB sometimes wants “postage -- postage” inscribed and other times
asks for “postage -- revenue.”
Census: 34 in BB spaces, four tipped in.
Jim's Observations
There is a bit of a puzzler in Big Blue's stamp space layout that might confuse. The 1913 King George V issue is inscribed "postage-postage" and is wmk 3. No problem there. Then Big Blue presents the 1914-31 King George V issue inscribed "postage-revenue", wmk 4. But take a look at Scott 23 1/1/2p scarlet: yes it is wmk 4, BUT it is inscribed "postage-postage". There is no alert in Big Blue that the "postage-revenue" design for the spaces DOES include the 1 1/2p scarlet "postage-postage" stamp. Now you know.
Solomon Islands Blog Post and Checklist
Page 1 (Click and enlarge for examination)
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Page 2
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Have a comment?
Jim, I had a revelation while reading your article - many relics of the past are found today on postage stamps, so we can talk about them as miniature museums. ;) Bud's observations on your articles are always an inexhaustible source of information for me. Keep the good work! Catalin
ReplyDeleteThanks Catalin. It's good to know you're reading and enjoying. The point you make about miniature museums is a good one. With scans and spread sheets getting easier to make, the whole range of virtual specializations (virtual miniature museums) becomes more and more appealing. For instance, I've started a virtual cancellation calendar. The stamps are still in the album in their ordinary places, but I have scans rearranged by date on the computer. Eventually I might set them up so the proper cancel pops up on my home page every day. Dunno yet.
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