Guinness Web Pages

[Nick]

Hi

As predicted, I have started an online version of the Guinness pages. This is very much work in progress, having begun this weekend, and it is going to take a month of Sundays to get the basic data in and do the detailed research, let alone getting hold of the stamps.

Before I get too far, I would appreciate any comments on the presentation so that I can work the best suggestions into the design.

The first page http://www.snap-dragon.com/first_issues_guinness.htm has an example of the detail; page 8 http://www.snap-dragon.com/fi_guinness_page_8.htm has an example of a full set - Egypt.

Thanks

Nick (36)

[Denikin]

Nice job, Nick !

[Jesper]

Cool!

[BobSyl]

Great project, Nick.  Keep up the good work.
Bob

[Tim_Balm]

Nick,

An extremely interesting presentation.  In a way, it shows an evolution of issued stamps for the country.

By the way, I loved the editorial footnote 14.2 for the 1933 airmail.  Personalizes the display nicely.  [You might want to double check the denomination/color for this stamp as it appears to have been copied down from the Sc#C1 stamp without revision.]

[Nick]

Well spotted, Tim. There's a correction on the way.
Cheers, Nick (36)

[Nick]

I have recently finished the first pass of the Guinness pages. http://www.snap-dragon.com/first_issues_guinness.htm

My approach has evolved over the year it has taken and there are several gaps and unfinished tangents, so I am immediately starting on a second pass.

One thing I would like to try is an illustrated "timelines" for all the stamp-issuing countries and other entities. Has this been done elsewhere already? I read recently that my hero James MacKay is working on a new Stamp Encyclopaedia covering every country, so maybe this wheel has already been invented.

Cheers

Nick

[Tim_Balm]

Nick,

I am not familiar with an illustrated timeline done by anyone.  Kenneth Wood's Post Dates probably comes closest, but it is not illustrated all that well.  How much text do you envision for each entry on the timeline?  Sounds like a HUGE project.  Good luck. 

Tim

[Nick]

Tim

That's a good question. My inclination is to minimise the text - just sufficient to explain the branches.

Taking the GB example, that would just be a Penny Black in 1840, then Eire splitting off in 1922, the Channel Islands and British Regionals (with Jersey and Guernsey starting with the Occupation issues). Each branch would have a note of explanation.

Does that make sense? How would USA look on that basis?

One of the early questions in my mind was how to treat Occupations, given that Gibbons lists them under the occupier and Scott under the occupied. I think Scott's approach is more sensible in this case.

I am only toying with the idea at the moment. Another question is how to acutually display this on the web. I'll get Wood's book first.

Cheers
Nick

[Tim_Balm]

Tim

[Nick]

You're right, Tim, geneology is probably a better description than timeline, but I'll stick with the latter.
Excellent news that you and Bob plan on doing the research for me - but I would be delighted to help.

Cheers, Nick

[Jesper]

Hmmmmm ....

The DANISH West Indies issued stamps when they belonged to DENMARK .... I'd say it would be more appropriate to show a US stamp used on the islands around the time they were sold to the US, if anything at all. After all, no stamps were issued specifically for the islands after 1917.

Just my two cents / bits worth

[Nick]

Hi Jesper

One of my early conclusions was that colonies do not necessarily have to appear with the colonising country, otherwise I'll never get the information to fit on reasonably sized pages. The Freanch colonies are a particular case in point. The key requirement is that all the (approx 1000) entities are fully tracked, and linked to the corresponding entries on the chronological pages. I suspect that the location of an entity is best determined by its current geographical status, so in the case of DWI, this would be on the US page, starting as DWI and linking into Virgin Islands. Tim's list of "Cuba #176, the 1898 Puerto Rico #200, and the 1899 Philippines #212" would sit with their parent countries but might all fit on the "US page".

I'll start mapping it out and see how far I get. I am still not sure how to get it on a web page.

Cheers
Nick

[Tim_Balm]

Hi Jesper

One of my early conclusions was that colonies do not necessarily have to appear with the colonising country, otherwise I'll never get the information to fit on reasonably sized pages. The Freanch colonies are a particular case in point. .... I suspect that the location of an entity is best determined by its current geographical status, so in the case of DWI, this would be on the US page, starting as DWI and linking into Virgin Islands. ....  I'll start mapping it out and see how far I get. I am still not sure how to get it on a web page.  Cheers  Nick

Nick,

A wise choice not "link" entities to the parent country.  I started that way and gave up almost immediately.  You could clearly color code entities into the major parent colonizing country (with a "white" color reserved for "other").  This was a thought that I had - at one time.  These are fairly well laid out in the front of the Scott catalogs (and may be in other catalogs also).  As an old professor used to say, "If it were an easy task, someone would have alrady done it."

Re the Virgin Islands...  As you are probably aware, the US Virgin Islands never issued their own stamps.  After 1917, they simply used the US stamps (as Jesper indicates) rather than DWI stamps.  It was the British Virgin Islands that issued their own stamps.  So... linking the Virgin Islands to the US may cause some confusion.  Since this is your project, I will quit with the advice -- other than to say "have fun" and "expand your learning".

Tim

[Nick]

Tim

I like the idea of colour coding. I have dug out my copy of the excellent Stamp Atlas by Rossiter and Flower. This should be a great help and I have ordered a couple of Wood's books. I have had a go at GB and USA. I'll try something difficult next. India could be worth a go with all those Convention and Feudatory States; Pakistan and Bangladesh; Aden gradually becoming Yemen.

Nick