Government puts Rizal's journey in cyberspace

MANILA, Philippines - Internet users may soon trace the journeys of national hero Jose Rizal, 150 years after his birth.

Chairman Ivan John Uy of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) said yesterday that in honor of Rizal’s birthday on June 19, they would come up with a “Google map” type of website showing the places he visited and the locations of statues and monuments erected in his honor in different countries.

Lawyer Ramoncita Reyes, a descendant of national hero Jose Rizal, stands next to a Rizal stamp exhibit launched by Philpost at the central post office in Manila yesterday

Once they have completed this project, people would become more familiar with Rizal, a national and international figure, Uy added.

Uy said with just a click of a computer mouse, visitors of the Google-type website would know the places that Rizal visited such as Germany, Spain, and Japan and the locations of his monuments and markers and the significance of these locations in the life of the national hero.

“Since the CICT is the technology arm of the government we’d like to bring Rizal to the 21st century mindset,” he said.

“To put him in virtual cyberspace… we have to capture the footprints that he left in the world by using technology.”

Uy spoke during yesterday’s launch of “Rizaliana Collection on Stamp Exhibit by Jorge Cuyugan and Philatelic Friends” at the Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost) in Manila.

The stamps, dating as far as 1906, are the personal collection of Cuyugan.

Uy said many Filipinos today have forgotten Rizal and the sacrifices he had made for freedom and the motherland.

“As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our national hero, we feel that we would bring him and the values that he represents to us, to create awareness, not just for our people, but worldwide on who Rizal was and what he fought for and what he symbolized,” he said.

“He is one of the very few national heroes who is recognized and honored in many parts of the world.”

The CICT would be working with the National Historic Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for the content of the website.

Uy said while Rizal’s 150th birthday is on June 19, the website will carry information not only for the one-day event.

It will contain activities that would be laid out by the different agencies of government during the yearlong celebration.

“It is supposed to be a yearlong celebration, not just a day celebration,” he said.

“So let us commemorate it for the whole year... We would coordinate with the NHCP, we would provide our technical support and expertise there.”

Uy said they would also entertain ideas on how they could maximize the use of technology to “further immortalize our immortal national hero.”

He is also contemplating initiating a tie-up with international search engines such as Google, he added.

Uy said Google occasionally creates doodles on their logo to commemorate personalities or events in history.

“Next week I’m going to Singapore and I’m going to meet regional head of Google in the Asia Pacific Region, they actually invited me to speak before them, and I will bring that up,” he said.

Uy said while the proposal for Google to feature Rizal might not happen on June 19, it is possible that their request will be granted within 12 months.

A coffee table book on Rizal should be released to mark the occasion, Uy said.

Meanwhile, Philpost yesterday morning launched the Rizal stamp exhibit, using the collection of philatelic Cuyugan.

Cuyugan said he lent more than 100 different Philippine-issued stamps on Rizal to the Philpost for the exhibit.

“I could say that I am one of the very few lucky persons of the last two decades who started collecting Philippine stamps when most of the issues were still available and affordable and because of this, I was able to assemble an almost complete collection of Philippine stamps from our Spanish period up to the present,” he said.

The oldest stamp issued on display was dated 1906, regarded as among the first Rizal stamps. It was printed as part of the United States’ first regular stamp issues for the Philippine Islands.

At that time, the Rizal stamp appeared on the lowest denomination of 2 cents and was the only Filipino portrait in the set that featured famous American heroes.

There were 51,125,010 pieces of 1906 Rizal stamps that were printed.

Cuyugan said it was 20 years ago when he developed an interest to collect Rizal items particularly stamps, postcards, coins, posters and banknotes.

He would like to encourage today’s young Filipinos to develop a “nationalist hobby” by collecting Rizal items that are not heavy on the pocket, like stamps or coins.

“Kids nowadays spend more time in front of a computer, they play computer games to relax,” he said.

“But collecting these Rizal items can also be relaxing and it would be a learning experience for them.” Cuyugan has all Rizal stamps released by the Philippines except for three or four

issues that are rare and expensive. “The ones that I have are actually cheap. Two of them are worth P2,000 apiece, but for most of my collection the price range was between P50 to P7,” he said.

“As for the 1906 issued stamp, I think I bought it at P50 to P100.” However, he does not know the market value of his collection. The stamps were purchased from dealers, auction houses, while others were given to him by friends.

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Otterly fine stamps by Edmund Chen

He is better known as an actor who has starred in many Chinese drama serials and even in Hollywood movie Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li.

Now, Edmund Chen Zhicai can add "stamp designer" to his credentials.

Chen, who has a flair for art, was approached by SingPost more than a year ago to design a stamp series featuring the Oriental Small-Clawed Otter, which is native to Singapore. The endangered mammal has been spotted at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, and on Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong.

In a SingPost event held at the Singapore Philatelic Museum yesterday, the actor told my paper that he spent about three months researching the mammal's habitats and behaviour before starting on the initial sketches. He spent a month sketching the otter, using pictures he found on the Internet as references. Those sketches were then vetted by experts.

Chen, who was appointed SingPost's first Official Stamp Ambassador, said he had to redo his sketches many times to get the details right and that left him "depressed".

Ms Patsie Tan, SingPost's assistant vice- president of corporate communications, said that the actor was commissioned to do the job because he "can help in the outreach to the young generation on the appreciation of the arts".

Chen said he started drawing when he was in primary school and contributed his works to a student magazine. He received more than one "prize" of $5 for his submissions and that helped him realise the "joy of drawing".

The Endangered Animal - Oriental Small-Clawed Otter stamp issue, which comes in a set of four stamps, will go on sale for $3.20 tomorrow.

In conjunction with the issue, a unique imperforated Collector's Sheet, which comes with a folder, will be released. The sketchings of the otters on the folder cover were done by Chen's 20-year-old son, Yixi. Of the 1,000 to be issued, 30 come with golden serialised numbers and will be sold for $168. The other 970 serialised sheets - which sell for $88 - are sold out, due to overwhelming response during the pre-order period.

All proceeds from the sale of the gold-numbered imperforated Collector's Sheet will go to SingPost's adopted charity, Food from the Heart.

The first-day cover will come stamped with a special Oriental Otter postmark designed by Chen's 11-year-old daughter, Yixin. All products in this stamp issue will go on sale tomorrow at all post offices and at the Singapore Philatelic Museum. Orders can also be made at SingPost's online portal, vPost.

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Josephite’s Vatican stamp collection one of world’s best

Josephite Father Edward J. Mullowney was just a young lad when in 1929 the Vatican became a sovereign city state through the Lateran Treaty made between Pope Piux XI and Italy’s Fascist prime minister, Benito Mussolini.

His father, an avid U.S. stamp collector, encouraged his young son to begin collecting stamps from the Vatican.

Josephite Father Edward J. Mullowney peruses his extensive stamp collection. (Special to The Review/Christopher Gaul)

“My father said, ‘it’s a new country, and you can start from the beginning,’” the retired Josephite Father recalled as he showed a visitor his large, remarkable and rare Vatican stamp collection that includes elaborately stamped envelopes (“covers” in philatelic terms) posted by the Vatican and flown all over the world on German zeppelins beginning in 1930 and later by early passenger aircraft.

Among them is a stamped letter from the Vatican to the U.S. carried by the Hindenburg a year to the day the huge Zeppelin burned and crashed in Lakehurst, N.J., on May 6, 1937 with the loss of 36 passengers and crew.

Under the Vatican’s 1929 concordat with Italy, Vatican airmail was dispatched from Rome’s Ciampino Airport. This gave the Vatican post office access to the zeppelin flights, and Vatican mail was serviced on German zeppelins between May 1930 and September 1939. Father Mullowney’s collection contains at least one flown “cover” (envelope) from every zeppelin flight that carried Vatican mail, including examples of Vatican City single, double, and triple franking markings, with the stamps of Italy and Germany.

Impressive as those particular collections are, Father Mullowney, now a resident and former rector of the Josephite’s St. Joseph Manor retirement home in Baltimore has much more. For example he has all the German stamps from the 1866 establishment of the North German Federation to the end of Hitler’s Third Reich in 1945. And then there are the many picturesque Egyptian postage stamps issued up until the death of King Farouk in 1965. And that’s not to mention all the stamps of the German colonies prior to World War I.

But, his pride and joy are the Vatican stamps. Yet, while they are popular with collectors, only an intrepid few have sought out their forerunners, the postal emissions of the so-called Roman States.

Father Mullowney is one of the few, and has amassed what is considered to be one of the finest such collections in the world. He noted that these 150-year-old stamps have been neglected for too long in this country and that they represent a brand new area of expansion for those interested in Vatican stamps or in religious themes.

Philatelist extraordinaire, Father Mullowney is not about to give up collecting. He is always on the lookout for a new addition to his collection, and when he spots something that piques his interest he contacts his auction agent who bids on it for him.

“It’s been more than a life-long hobby, it’s been and still is a passion,” said Father Mullowney, who is a past president of the Baltimore Philatelic Society and serves on the expertise committee for the American Philatelic Society.

“You know,” he said, “there has been more literature written about stamp collecting than any other hobby. That should tell you something.”

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The Smart Collector: Stamp collection proving a tough sell

Q: I want to find a good home for the stamp collection I started as a kid. I took it to a stamp show, but serious collectors didn't find it sophisticated enough for them. The guy at a local stamp retail shop suggested I use the stamps to mail bills.

Is stamp collecting no longer a popular hobby? Wouldn't a kid out there appreciate a boost to his collection?

A: Our reader adds that he'd like to "maybe make a few bucks" from selling.

With any collection, the truism is that as you build, tastes advance. Knowledge grows and wants escalate. The end result is that good enough is no longer enough. Something better is always out there. Of course, the items you crave are pricier and pricier. With stamps - as with coins, porcelains, dolls, watches and you name it - advanced collectors all chase after the same top, rare merchandise. That's why our reader can't get anywhere with his collection.

I do think the appeal of stamp collecting has faded for young collectors, for several reasons. For generations, the basic appeal was the romance of discovering faraway places through those little pieces of decorative paper. Each stamp told a story. But today's kids have the world available to them in so many electronic ways. Stamps seem fussy and abstract.

We polled a few young people to get their take on stamp collecting as a hobby. Admittedly, this is an unscientific sample. From an 11-year-old: "I, uh, would be interested a little bit." Already a collector of model cars, he is willing to learn about stamps.

A 14-year-old girl told us, "It sounds interesting, but stamps are not my thing. I was never really introduced to stamp collecting."

A 10-year-old was flat-out not interested. "It's just not my thing."

Adult stamp collectors have done a poor job of introducing the hobby to future collectors. Holding a show where established collectors all chase after high-level merchandise does not help the hobby.

Long ago, someone told me that the mean age of advanced collectors was "death." Any hobby peopled by an aging demographic with everyone chasing rare treasures can last only so long. The philatelic world is headed for trouble if it can't attract new blood.

Generally, beginning collectors start with less-rare stamps and move up as they learn more. Advanced collectors may sniff at the reader's collection, but it might make a great beginning for a youngster or neophyte.

Coin collectors have all sorts of press flaks and professional organizations that push their hobby. I don't see a lot of outreach in the stamp world. Bluntly put, stamp collecting today is just not sexy.

When we asked the youngsters in our poll if they'd look at a stamp collection provided their school had a display version, several were interested.

How about donating or lending the collection to a school or community library? I'll bet budding collectors would find it interesting. If sale is a must, there's always an online auction. Check eBay to see how similar collections are presented and priced.

Warning: There are sharks in any collecting area. Be smart about selling. Don't let buyers pick out the best and leave the rest - unless it benefits you to do so.

Q: My picture shows kissing salt and pepper shakers marked "Made in Occupied Japan." How do I find value?

A: To clue readers, "kissing" shakers nestle as a pair, so they appear to hug.

We found several varieties of your kissing cats in completed sales on eBay for $2 to $3. While vintage and relatively old, inexpensive ceramics made in Occupied Japan were poor quality when made. Produced by boatloads for export, they're still plentiful.

Perhaps your library has a price guide to OJ china or salt and pepper shakers.

Q: I've never seen anything like this bookcase. It's walnut and breaks down into pieces. Any info?

A: The large standing case with glass doors, four shelves and two drawers in the base is late Victorian and actually quite common. As seen in photos, this is a nicer example with open carving at the door tops.

It's called "brown furniture" by dealers, and most large pieces don't sell well at auction today. This better example could retail for $300 to $700.

AUCTION ACTION

Never before sold at auction, a 1932 original Mickey Mouse three-sheet poster brought $35,850 recently at Heritage Auctions. The poster, released by United Artists, dates from less than four years after Walt Disney created the cartoon mouse. Three-sheet movie posters are separate printed sheets that, when joined, form a 41-by-81-inch poster.

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With the stamp of authority

Renowned stamp dealer and postcard collector Charles Lilley, who had the world's largest collection of Maori postcards, has died.

Charles Harry William Lilley, 81, owned The Stamp Shop in New Plymouth after buying it with his late wife Ruby more than 35 years ago. He also ran an online business, selling philatelic products ranging from coins and cigarette cards to postal history products and stamps.

Charles Lilley at work with some of his thousands of early 20th century Maori postcards, the largest collection in the world

Born in South London in 1929, Mr Lilley began collecting stamps as a child in the 1930s while his postcard collecting began in the 1950s.

He came to New Zealand in 1952 and married Ruby who died in 2003. The couple had three children Bryan, Spencer and Tanya as well as nine grandchildren.

Tanya Toa-Wairere worked with her father in the Stamp Shop for more than 10 years and said Mr Lilley loved meeting new people. "He would talk to them for hours," she said.

Along with daughter Rowena, they took over management of the shop and the online business when Mr Lilley had two heart attacks on the same day last November. He died at Telford Resthome this week.

Mr Lilley's hobby became a career about 35 years ago when he gave up his job at McKechnie Aluminium in Bell Block, where he worked for 23 years. He bought The Stamp Shop, telling the Taranaki Daily News in an interview last year that the move was a gamble, telling his wife "we could lose everything".

The move, ultimately a successful one, saw him making countless trips overseas. He would take out a stand at different shows, many of them in Asia and he visited the UK every year for 25 years, Mrs Toa-Wairere said.

"He had two sisters over there he would visit but he also enjoyed going to different places and buying more things for the business."

Many of the items in his private collection of Maori postcards were cards British tourists had bought in NZ and sent home.

"A lot of them he bought back here," Mrs Toa-Wairere said.

Of his thousands of other postcards, more than half featured pictures of South London. In all, he had about 80,000 postcards and estimated his stamp collection numbered in the millions. His total collection was worth upwards of $750,000.

Longtime customer and friend Paul Peters said he had known Mr Lilley since 1968.

"When he became a stamp dealer in the mid 1970s he always seemed to have the most elusive and unusual, like rare and genuine certified Romanian overprints on Hungarian stamps used in Transylvania at the end of World War I.

"I also remember going into his shop one day in 1991 – on a trip back home – and saying I was trying to get a fine, used copy of the five shilling King Edward VII of the Orange River Colony. I said `I am sure you won't have that'. He replied, `have a look in there', pointing to an old album. There it was."

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