Managed Hosting and an Overview of Gallery Eight
I am back from my annual Halloween hiatus and eager to get back to work. Before I introduce Gallery Eight I would like to take some time to explain a recent major upgrade to the website. One of the comments that we have repeatedly encountered is that while everyone enjoys the high resolution scans, they are sometimes slow to load. We want you to know that we get it and want this website to be as enjoyable as possible – now and in the future.
Bandwidth is increasing and computers and modems are getting faster every year. While we are anticipating these changes as we develop the website, we want to work with you to ensure the best experience now. In only six months the site has grown to over 20 GB. In addition, two of the other sites in our shared group at GoDaddy also experienced tremendous growth. As a result, our server was sometimes overwhelmed and this exacerbated the slow downloads and sometimes created error signals as the server timed out.
This past week we decided the time had come to move Waterfowl Stamps and More to a new managed host that partners with Amazon to distribute the website around the world. Although the feedback we are now getting is very gratifying, we would like to make you aware of something else you can do on your end to enhance this experience.
For those of you with high speed cable internet, our tech support team recommends a specific modem to maximize download speeds – the Arris SURFboard. These can be found online and at Best Buy. There are several different models to choose from. It is recommended to bypass the lower end model and get one of the models that supports downstream data streams of 300 Mbps or more ($100-150.00).
Even though your cable provider will advise you that gains above 120 Mbps are unlikely – most of the people we have spoken to have experienced a 50% increase to roughly 180 Mbps with the SURFboard. With our new host and a SURFboard modem, you will find the high resolution scans load very quickly – without waiting for the future!
Gallery Eight
Gallery Eight is now up. Highlighted by 128 images of small game stamps issued by North Dakota (see Figure 1), it can be reached by clicking on Galleries beneath the Home page banner, then clicking on Gallery Eight.
Figure 1. Unused 1973 North Dakota Small Game stamp, ex Vanderford.
Once there, you will find a short introduction for each series. After reading the introductions, click on the images to enter the individual galleries. Once inside the individual galleries, you have several options for viewing.
If you click on a thumbnail the image will expand in size. From there, you can navigate through the galleries using the forward and back arrows located at the right and left sides of your screen; you may also choose to click on the slide show symbol located at the lower right of the image (it looks like a triangle facing right). Once the slide show is running, the symbol turns into a pause button.
You may also choose to go full screen by clicking the symbol located at the upper left of the image (looks like arrows extending in four different directions). To get back to the thumbs, click the “x” symbol at the upper right of the image or click on the page outside of the image.
Also found in Gallery Eight, are the Alaska Sport Fishing stamps. This is one of the classic fish and game series and a favorite of pioneer collectors and dealers. With this in mind, we have included images of stamps issued to two Fish and Game Hall of Famers, Frank Applegate and Joseph Janousek (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Type I 1955-56 Alaska Non Resident Sport Fishing stamp issued to Frank Applegate.
Next we have the Nebraska pictorial hunting and fishing licenses that are always so popular with collectors. You will notice similarities to the early California pictorial licenses. This is because one of the officials at California Department of Fish and Game transferred jobs to Nebraska and simply brought the idea with him (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Nebraska 1912 License to Fish and Hunt.
Another idea that was essentially copied from California Department of Fish and Game was the early Idaho fishing stamps. In this case, Idaho officials asked their counterparts at California DFG for advice on how to print and distribute their new stamps (see Figure 4).
Figure 4. Undated (1964) Idaho Non Resident Additional One Day fishing stamp.
In Gallery Seven we have the Tennessee Big Game stamp Proofs and Essays. In Gallery Eight we now have the regularly issued stamps. Designed by Worth B. Carnahan, these attractive, oversized stamps have been popular with collectors since their inception (see Figure 5).
Figure 5. Type II 1957-58 Tennessee Big Game stamp, just in time for Thanksgiving.
As a collector and dealer, David Curtis was an important contributor to the development of the fish and game hobby. He was, for many years, also a close personal friend. David’s biggest interest was trout stamps and he built a remarkable collection, including most of the great rarities. In this Gallery we have chosen to feature a part of his collection that is not so much rare but simply beautiful – the engraved Michigan trout stamps in complete sheets (see Figure 6).
Figure 6. 1948 Michigan Trout stamp complete pane.
The South Dakota non resident waterfowl stamps are (for the most part) both very affordable and interesting. The stamps were overprinted annually with numerals and units to indicate which areas of the state they were valid in. This is is an area where new discoveries are made on a frequent basis. Please drop us an email with scans of any items not included in this Gallery (see Figure 7).
Figure 7. 1973 South Dakota Non Resident Waterfowl stamp overprinted “4”, used on license with Non Resident Small Game.
The California hunting and fishing stamps that were overprinted “NO FEE” are favorites of advanced collectors. In Gallery Seven we have the hunting stamps and Gallery eight we now have the fishing stamps (see Figure 8). For more in-depth information on these fascinating stamps, see The No Fee Fish and Game Stamps of California, found in Articles beneath the Home page banner.
Figure 8. Pair of 1958 California Inland Fishing stamps overprinted “INDIAN”.
Finally we have the 1975 – 1978 Fort Peck Indian Reservation bird and fishing stamps. Although short-lived, this series is loaded with interesting varieties and some great rarities (see Figure 9). It also is the subject of one of the great mysteries in our hobby.
Figure 9. 1976 Fort Peck Bird stamp with double impression.
The earliest recorded stamps from Fort peck are dated 1975. However, I am fairly certain some collector out there has stamps from 1973 in their collection – perhaps without even knowing the significance of what they have. You see, back in the 1980s pioneer revenue collector and dealer Bert Hubbard showed me carbon copies from both a 1973 bird and fishing stamp but could not locate the actual stamps themselves.
As Bert was famous for sending collectors unsolicited packages of approvals that were truly in the “grab-bag” vain – containing a mixture of common junk to extreme rarities at random, I strongly believe Bert put the original 1973 Fort Peck stamps in an approval packet and some collector snagged them for probably very little money.
I have never been able to locate these important stamps. If anyone knows the whereabouts of these stamps today, I would love to hear from them. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy Gallery Eight and as always, your comments and any questions are always welcome.