We finally had a slow month in July. We didn’t mail a price list in July which contributed to that but I suspect also that many of you have been enjoying a bit of summer now that the pandemic is ebbing. I have had more time to enjoy my garden and yard. We have had perfect weather for growing things this year – lots of rain and much milder weather. We got our yard resodded with zoysia grass and that has really perked the yard appearance. I hope the zoysia and resist my cocker’s ability to kill grass.

We have experienced major changes in our sources for new issues in Austria and Germany. We had been getting new issues through dealer friend in both countries. Unfortunately their ability to acquire new issues for has has been severely limited by reduced accessibility of postal services in both countries. The result was that both dealers have ceased providing new issues. We are back to acquiring Austria new from the Austria Post and German issues from another German dealer more closely located to the main post office. The Austria Post seems to be much better organized now than in past years and we hope for the best. The German post was acquired by DHL which has greatly reduced the post office functions of their operations to include closing many post offices throughout German and reducing services to postal patrons. Believe it or not Germany patron of the postal syStem cannot buy commerative stamps at their local post offices – only from the main office in Bonn. That is why postally used German issues are so scarce.

This month we have updated our German states price list – part 2. We have lots of new items as usual.

Next month we will update our Austria list part 3 and our private post list part 2. We will also update our web site listings in these areas.

POSTAL SERVICE

Our USPS service has been about the same as everyone else’s – lousy. We get regular emails and phone calls asking us where orders are. We routinely mail orders the day after we receive them. Most mail is delivered in three to seven days within the US. Nevertheless a significant amount of mail has been delayed as much as 30 days to addressees. There seems to be no pattern in mail delays – we have mail delayed with Texas as well as all other states. The only good news is that 99.9% of the mail eventually actually gets delivered. We insre all orders over $50 so we can check the delivery status on line- the inevitable result is a response that the mail is in transit but will be delayed. Taking with other dealers we find that all of us are experiencing the same delays. Sadly – there is no forecast from the postal system that deliveries will improve – only that rates will go up!

Austria – Ferchenbauer Catalog

Ferchenbauer Handbook of Austria 1850-1918 – published in Austria
in 2008 is the most complete catalog in the world of Austrian philately for the years covered. This handbook/catalog is published in four hardbound volumes and totals well over 2000 pages of information. This catalog includes everything philatelic pertaining to Austria during the years 1850-1918. It includes images of stamps and covers in the most accurate colors of any philatelic publication. One can identify shades accurately by comparing stamps to the handbook’s images!
Although in German, the catalog listings are easy to use because of the detailed descriptions and the clear images. (The Austria Philatelic Society (US) has translated a good portion of this catalog already.) This catalog is for more advanced collectors who are acquiring covers and cards, or collect the many varieties that exist among the early stamp issues

The Handbook is available in the US only from our firm. The price is $380 Postpaid. (We just restocked again but have only a few sets on hand.)

R Schneider Stamps
PO Box 978
Iowa Park TX 76367

Office (618) 213 5004
Fax (618) 213 3596

Email:
Rschneiderstamps@gmail.com

Website:

RSchneiderstamps.com