The Hiatus in Posts

I keep starting all my posts of late with the same apology, where I mention how few posts I have been writing along with a renewed commitment to post more often, one or two posts, and then nothing. This has weighed heavily on my mind since my last post. The truth is, I have been struggling with the issue of how to go about presenting the fascinating topic of Nigerian philately to all of you interested collectors. I have been trying to avoid going into the level of detail that excites me, largely because I am afraid that to do so, without first properly introducing my subject, would bore too many of you. So with that in mind I have tried to stick to introducing you to the many stamp issues that this fascinating country has to offer. There are still so many more though, and it will take me many posts to show them all to you.  I must point out that I am studying the stamps of this country one issue at a time, going into as much detail as I can before I get tired of it and move on to something else. So I think that I will be able to write more interesting posts and more frequent posts if I take you on the journey that I am on, as I go through it, sharing with you the knowledge that I acquire, as I discover it, or as I acquire it as the case may be.

As I had probably mentioned in an earlier post, I am a relatively new member of the West Africa Study Circle. They are meeting in London in November this year and I had signed up to give a presentation on one aspect of Nigerian Philately. Originally, I had committed to prepare a presentation on the 1973-1986 definitive issue. However, that has turned out to be a very complicated issue,I have not gotten very far in my research, and it is already July. So I have had to accept the fact that I am not going to be in a position to present on that topic by November. However, I will have enough time to present on a different topic – one with much less scope and rigour, and one that is more geared to fun.  A typical exhibit is between 60 and 120 pages. So, after much thought, I have decided to prepare a presentation on the postal history of the country, in which I select the 120 most interesting covers that are currently in my collection, and write a story about each one. With thousands of covers in my collection, clearly the most difficult part will be selecting the covers.

Over the coming months, I will be presenting one or two of the covers as often as time with my research permits. I may also post the occasional tidbit about some discovery I have made, but generally I expect that for the next several months, my posts will focus on the covers.

One exciting acquisition to my collection, that I will present, as soon as they arrive are the rare 5/- and 10/- first issues of Lagos. A few months ago, I had stated that my goal was to obtain these two stamps without the specimen overprint. I was fortunate a few weeks ago to acquire both stamps in used condition with certificates. Then a few weeks later, I was offered the same two stamps in mint condition! So my Lagos section is nearly complete, both mint and used, with only a few stamps missing.

I have noticed from my viewership statistics that many of my fellow West Africa Study Circle members have been visiting this blog. I welcome all of you and hope that you will offer comments on my posts and will enrich this blog with all of your collective knowledge on this fascinating subject.