|
The Spanish-Philippine section of this
web site is based from a handbook I published in April 1995. The handbook
started out as a personal compilation of stamp issues for my own collecting
interests. As it has evolved and expanded over the years, I believe it
appropriate to share this with other collectors, who in turn, will hopefully
add more valuable data to enrich it's contents.
The primary purpose was to consolidate
the numerous articles and catalogues written about the various stamps issued
during the Spanish Occupation of the Philippine Islands, and to add
information about stamps not previously recorded and catalogued.
I do not, for one moment, wish to take
full credit for all the information here-in, as without the early works of
dedicated writers, and more recent research by fellow-collectors, majority of
the information contained in this handbook would not be available.
I would like to take this opportunity
to acknowledge and thank various people who over the years, both directly and
indirectly, have helped me piece this web site together.
- All
the original writers who provided such a solid basis to begin. Without
their works, it would be almost impossible to attempt to piece together
the events during the Spanish Regime.
- My
parents who always encouraged me to pursue the hobby; and my sister,
Tina, who "dumped" her stamp collection over to me one
Christmas many, many years ago.
- Special
thanks must go to Donald Peterson, who over the past few years, has assisted me with numerous queries. He has
unselfishly taken time out to proof read the original handbook, and
offer guidance as appropriate. Not only did Don provide me with direct
support, but his wealth of knowledge in his written works has
contributed significantly to the contents of this handbook.
- To
Linda and the late Frank Stanfield, for offering guidance to a very
young and eager collector. Memories of hours spent sorting through
numerous stamps will never fade.
- Peter
Harradine, who over the years has been an inspiration through his dedication
to philately. His encouragement early on in my
collecting years has never been forgotten, and his works have provided
valuable reference material to work off.
- The
International Philippine Philatelic Society, in particular the late Gene
Garrett, for assistance with promotion and distribution of the original
handbook. Many thanks also to Dan Ring and the IPPS Library, for support
in documentation on articles requested. I hope this effort can add to
the wealth of available literature currently in stock.
- The
Philippine Philatelic Society, Great
Britain, in particular Alan
Walder, for assistance with promotion and
distribution of the original handbook.
- The
Scott Catalogue Publishing Company, for their permission to utilise
their catalogue numbers in cross-referencing of the original handbook.
- To
the numbers of friends I have made over the years who
share the same passion and love for Philippine Philately.
- Most
importantly, special thanks is extended to Vel, whose support and encouragement over the years
has been more than generous. Through this time, her support has never
wavered for an "addiction" that I'm sure she finds hard at
times to understand.
The Spanish Reference Section has been
divided into ten main sections. Whenever possible, the stamp issues have been
listed in order of the date of issue, with the exception of Part Six, (The
Era of Surcharges), which has been listed in the order of the base or
original stamp value. Further sections will be created, and kept up to date,
detailing known Forgeries, Specimens, Printer's Waste, and Postal
Cancellations.
A more recent focus is to expand the
site to include a listing of known Philippine Republic Errors and Varieties.
This will be ongoing, hoping to make this the primary on-line list of known EFO's from 1946 to the most current issues.
I have included graphics of stamps
where available. Should any collector have copies of any stamps not featured,
I would be honoured, with your permission, to include these. Moreso,
please let me know of any stamps, surcharges, or varieties you may have in
your collections not currently listed.
I trust this site offers valuable
reading and reference to the collector and possibly historians. I would like
to think of this as a starting point to continually update and amend any
inaccuracies, and to one day, come up with an accurate detail of stamps
issued under the Spanish Regime. I look forward to hearing from you regarding
any matters herein, as all comments will be taken constructively.
Brief Biography … Nigel Gooding
Born in Manila in 1962 of British
parents, I spent my first 18-years in the Philippines. I attended Xavier School in San Juan where I graduated from High School in 1979. Growing up in the Philippines, and attending a 'local' school, was a great cultural and social
experience.
At the age of about five, I
'inherited' my elder sisters stamp collection and never looked back from that
point. Like most young collectors, I started to collect stamps from any
country as well as the different eras of Philippine stamps.
After graduation from High School, I
moved to South Australia to pursue University studies. During this time, I met my wife, Velda, and we were married in 1984. Amazingly, I left the
Philippines only to end up marrying an Ilocana in Australia !! We have one
daughter, Kira, who was born in 1994.
We have been fortunate over the past
few years in that we have been able to live in a number of different cities.
We moved from Adelaide (South Australia) to Sydney in 1996. I was then posted with work to California in 1999, where we
spent 18-months. From the US, we decided
to move to England where we now reside.
Stamps have always been a huge part of
my life, from the early days as a young collector attending local auctions in
Manila, to the more recent years of diving into research and writing. I
decided a while ago to concentrate on the Spanish Occupation period, disposing
of my American and Japanese collections - a decision I have never regretted.
I find the challenge of Spanish stamps immense, with a great opportunity to
conduct research and enter into the hunt for those elusive stamps. Stamp
collecting has enabled me to keep in touch with my birth country as well as
making a lot of good friends over the years.
I wish you all happy stamping ….
Nigel Gooding
Surrey, England
|