Love Stamp/Booklet/Year of the Rabbit
The pictorial first day postmark for the Love stamp ex. sheets featured a Puppy as illustrated in the promotional material. However, the postmark used for the booklet panes and the Year of the Rabbit sheet featured a Rabbit.

Emigration Issue
Collectors in the U.S.A. will be aware that there was an unannounced special Cobh pictorial first day cancel as this was used on covers sold by the USPS. This matched the Dublin bureau cancel.  All first day covers ex. the Dublin bureau have a very weak impression of the Cobh cancel.

Ships/Titanic
Two different first day cancels were available from the bureau – the single set of four stamps featured a cancel incorporating an Anchor . A special Cobh first day cancel was also available for this set – again it matched the Dublin bureau design and incorporated an Anchor. This cancel was also used on the two Irish miniature sheets featuring the Titanic.

The second type of cancel was for the Polly Woodside miniature sheet and featured a line drawing of the boat. Covers with this joint issue miniature sheet only bear the Dublin cancel (on the Irish stamp). I await an order from the Australian bureau to see if they applied their own postmark or both on their covers. It should also be noted that the Australian design was issued as a single stamp (and maximum card) within a set of four stamps by Australia Post. This was not sold by An Post (except as part of the Celebration of the Seas Pack). A similar cancel inscribed “Melbourne” was available in connection with the international exhibition held there. I was surprised that there was no special Melbourne cancel for the o/p Titanic m/s except for the general cachet referred to below.

Exhibition Cachets – Overseas
Cachets were available for Stamp ’99 in London (15-18 April), Australia 99 in Melbourne (19-24 March) and IBRA in Nurenberg, Germany (27 April - May). The Melbourne cachet is in addition to the first day cancel referred to above and features a koala bear.

Exhibition Cancels – Ireland
Cancels were available for the local shows at Limerick (7 March), Dublin (17/18 April) and Cork (22 May). The same Dublin cancel was used on both days.

St Patrick’s Day Cancels
You will be well aware of the annual first day cancel in green and incorpoarting shamrocks which is used for the St. Pat’s Day cards. However, last week I was surprised to be shown a pair of covers (with 45p Emigration stamp) with similar cancels (in green) which incorporated the wording “Happy St. Patrick’s Day”. My enquiries at the bureau as to why they were produced have drawn a blank so far, except that they believe it was USA related – perhaps because An Post participated in the New York parade. Can anybody on that side of the pond help out on this one and e mail me.

Mentioning the St. Pats Day cards first day cancel, I noted whilst visiting the Limerick stamp show that they had a cancel for the cards for the first time this year inscribed “Limerick”. The design matched the Dublin bureau first day cancel. As far I’m aware this is the first time that this cancel was available outside Dublin. Presumably Cork and Galway were also supplied with the cancel. Can anybody confirm ?

More recently the 45p phosphor regular sheet definitive has been re-issued without advance notice on 18 May printed by ISSP. A first day pictorial postmark was provided (but no special cover – just plain envelope). Initial printing of  all the sheet issues was by Walsall. The Walsall issue was perf 14 x 14 whereas the ISSP stamp has the usual 14 x 14¾ perf. The phosphor frame on this new 45p which is on CCP1 paper is much paler as compared to the Walsall printing or the ISSP sheetlet printing of 15 x 30p stamps. The other 5 Walsall phosphor stamps will be reprinted by ISSPP in due course.

The first £1 phosphor booklet issued on 16 February (CDS facilities only) was printed by ISSP and has an unusual phosphor format. The make-up is as before (3 x 30p Goldcrest plus 2 x 5p Woodpigeon). However whereas the 30p stamps are phosphor, the 5p stamps are non-phosphor. The format of the phosphor on the 30p booklet stamps differs from the normal sheet stamps. The 30p booklet stamps have an all over phosphor box except for a narrow strip to the left and right of each stamp; this presumably is to ensure no “spill over” to the 5p stamps. This suggests that An Post do not (thankfully) envisage printing all values with phosphor only the main stream values. Time will tell.

Silver Centennial Stamp – 4c – Issued June 8th, 1959

In a copy extract of The Revealer (circa  1959 – my photocopied extract pages do not bear a date) a Daniel J. Luby (EPA 156) writes that the Irish miners played an important part in the development of the “Silver State” of Nevada. The stamp shows Henry Comstock (standing) at the Mount Davidson site of the rich silver deposit discovered by Patrick McLaughlin and Peter O’Reilly (seated) on June 8th, 1859. The inference is that the person(s) depicted are Irish. Presumably McLaughlin and O’Reilly are Irish ?  But does anybody know more ?  Were they born in Ireland – presumably yes ? Can anybody help.

I also understand that a similar 33c stamp is due out shortly to commemorate the California Goldrush of 1849 – any Irish connection ? I note the stamp shows four miners panning for gold.

August Saint-Gaudens and Lincoln Memorial Chicago
In the same issue, there is a reference to the sculptor August Saint-Gaudens who was born in Dublin. A 3c stamp of 1940 in the Famous Americans series shows the artist. One of his works was the “Seated Lincoln” at the Memorial in Grant Park, Chicago which is depicted on a 2c stamp of 1909. 

Lincoln has of course appeared on many a U.S. stamp. The question is – does this particular “Seated Lincoln” appear on any other issue ?  Finally I note that a stamped envelope is due out in June bearing a Lincoln stamp – Would this be of the “Seated Lincoln” ? There is no information or illustration in the latest USPS stocklist/brochure.