grade a stamp.....

something new for you all.. "Grade a Stamp"

I am guessing most of my readers are members of the IPDA... so what is your opinion of the grade of this stamp ..... this is "as shown" on an auction site..

it is listed as Scott 174, aka SG 401.. more about it later..

Look forward to hearing from you at michaelatipda@gmail.com

musingss of an IPDA Director

The IPDA will be having it's AGM in a few months.. and I was thinking about the fact that last year we did not get many members attend.. I know time is a challenge to us all and it can be difficult as we are all on different clocks around the world.. but I thought I'd mention it and say if you would like to join in and feel you cannot because of the time difference please send me an email to michaelatipda@gmail.com and I'll see if we can make the time most suitable for as many of us as possible. The other Directors and I do want to hear from membership and many of you do take time to write, so a thank you from me.

I still have packets of stamps sent to me for a round robin and for free packets to give away to new and young collectors. If you know of a young collector, or older new collector who would like a free starter pack then ask them to write to me and I'll get a packet off to them.

The IPDA got a nice little plug in the latest issue of the Philatelic Exporter magazine.. here it is in case you did not see it.

I mention this because we are trying to promote the hobby, as you all know, and we are doing this to promote the credibility and reputation of members. I know I go on about the quality of some of the material that I see on auctions but I hope we are getting the message across to collectors to be careful and to learn about what is used, good used, fine used, etc.. There is a stamp on eBay at the moment ..... described as good used.. not too expensive.. but it saddens me to think an inexperienced collector will buy this because it will fill one of the more difficult holes in his or her collection, yet they will be buying a poor used copy. If this seller was an IPDA member I doubt ( I hope) he / she would not write up the description in the wayit has been written up. I am not saying the current seller is unscrupulous, maybe they are poorly informed and maybe they are not as experienced as us, and it is more like us who we are courting as members of the IPDA. And as members please try to promote all this for us all.

It crossess my mind to think that many might not want to join the IPDA because they don't want to be following the values and standards we promote.

Comments???? Ideas??? please write to me at michaelatipda@gmail.com

Enjoy your stamps./.. Michael

Anyone yet to try this.. feed back to other member would be useful.. just email me at michaelatipda@gmail.com and I will publish for others to read..

Over the next few months, Ebay will be offering its PayPal users a new tool in the fight against phishers: a $5 security key.

The security key https://www.paypal.com/eBay/securitykey is actually a small electronic device, designed to clip on to a keychain, that calculates a new numeric password every 30 seconds.

PayPal users who sign up to use the device will need to enter their regular passwords as well as the number displayed on the key whenever they log in to the online payment service.

"The key is really going to give users one more layer of security for their accounts," said Sara Bettencourt, a PayPal spokeswoman.

Because the numeric password changes so frequently, even successful phishers will end up with obsolete numeric passwords and will be unable to empty PayPal accounts."

If you fall for a phishing scam and give away your user name and password... if you used the PayPal Security Key, a third party couldn't get to your account because they wouldn't have this dynamic digit," Bettencourt said.

The Security Key could be an important tool for PayPal, whose Web site is frequently spoofed http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,126151/article.html by phishers looking to steal user account information.

The PayPal Security Key is being tested by PayPal employees right now, and the test will be opened up to beta users in the U.S., Germany, and Australia "in the next month or so," Bettencourt said. Later this year, the company plans to begin promoting the devices to all PayPal users. News of the newPayPal system was first reported on http://auctionbytes.com.

PayPal users who want this extra level of security http://blogs.pcworld.com/techlog/archives/000795.html will be able to buy the devices for $5, but this fee will be waived for PayPal business accounts. PayPal's device is based on VeriSign's One-Time Password Token product, which is also being tested by Charles Schwab and U.S. Bancorp.

ETrade also uses a similar system, based on RSA Security's SecurID tokens. Over the past year, online financial companies have paid more attention to authentication technologies such as the VeriSign tokens, which add a second layer of authentication to online transactions. Adoption of these "two-factor"authentication techniques has been further boosted by new federal guidelines, which require stronger authentication for online transactions.Still, phishing attacks are becoming increasingly lucrative for criminals. Research company Gartner estimates that phishers cost U.S. financial institutionsabout $2.8 billion last year. The average loss per phishing attack was $1,244,up from $256 in 2005.

Michael ( with Thanks again to Roy for this reference)

Jeffrey Matthews Stamp designer

With many thanks to Machin Man - Roy Simpson - for this article.. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.. and if you want to read more about Machins you must visit Roy's blog at http://machinmania.blogspot.com/ and his excellent web site at http://www.gbmachins.co.uk/ Also, many apologies for not writing sooner.. will try to update more often... and if you have something you want to tell everyone please don't hesitate - or don't be modest - in writing to me..

The Royal Mail celebrated the Stamp Show 2000 on 22 May 2000. A miniature sheet was issued featuring eight stamps illustrating the colour palette of designer Jeffrey Matthews. The Jeffrey Matthews Colour Palette was started in 1984 in order to return stamps to the original concept of a light tone or the Queen's head on a solid background. This sheet comprises of eight stamps in colours from his palette: 4p, 5p, 6p, 10p, 31p, 39p, 64p, and £1.00 and two pictorial labels.

The upper pictorial label features the shield and crest of the Post Office while the lower is a visual pun of the Jeffrey Matthews palette showing the eight colours of the definitive stamps along with the JM-monogram. The miniature sheet is printed by De La Rue Security Print.

Jeffrey Matthews began his career in the late 1940s and is one of Britain's leading graphic designers. His earliest commission for the Post Office dates from 1959 and his first adopted design was issued in 1965 commemorating the 20th anniversary of the United Nations.

In conjunction with his wife who worked under the pseudonym Charity Boxhall, he has worked on a large range of philatelic products.

Apart from significant work on the Country's range of definitives he has made a particular contribution to the design of special stamps on royal and heraldic themes including, the 1984 'Heraldry' issue, and the 1998 'The Queen's Beasts'. One of his most important designs was for the Double Head Penny Black definitives of 1990, which celebrated the 150th anniversary of the world's first adhesive postage stamp.

Best wishes.. Michael