Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
. They certainly aren't rare stamps, but are hard to find. In fact, I've only ever seen the ones I have on this cover. Anyway...
According to my old (1986!) Scott catalogue, the set of stamps "...commemorates the Astrophysics Congress and the inauguration of an observatory at Tonanzintla, Feb. 17, 1942."
The background is interesting — the politicians who succeeded in creating the observatory were seeking a way to keep alive the spirit of scientific research that had been so bloodied by the Second World War. Among the American scientists supporting them were physicist Albert Einstein and astronomer Harlow Shapley, who is credited with giving us our first more or less accurate understanding of the size and structure of our galaxy.
Now — talk about flyspecking! — I have discovered that Scott has a spelling error in its listings for both the regular postage stamps and the airmail stamps: The location of the observatory is given as Tonanzintla (in the State of Puebla, about 100 km west/southwest of Monterrey), but every internet reference I can about the observatory on the Internet, including articles written at the time of its dedication, says that it was located at Tonantzintla with a "t" at the end of the second syllable.
My question: Do recent editions of the Scott catalogue continue the error, Tonanzintla rather than Tonantzintla? If they do, I plan to write to Scott. We collectors can't do much to change the state of the world, but at least we can try to correct the historical record!
Bob Ingraham
P.S. The 20-centavo stamp is very appropriate for this issue: it shows the "Sombrero Galaxy"! ¡Ay, Chihuahua!
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Bob,
my 1998 scotts still has without the "t".
looks like they spell it the way it appears on the stamp.
774 is pictured in the catalogue,but no pics for the rest of the set.just discriptions.
TOM
Anyone got newer books?
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Bob:
With all due respect, I don't get it. Shouldn't your complaint be aimed at the agency that issued the stamps? Scott is just repeating the spelling as contained on the stamps.
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I've been researching a set of stamps that I've discussed here before, Scott Mexico 774-776/C123-125. I have the set on cover:
.
They certainly aren't rare stamps, but are hard to find. In fact, I've only ever seen the ones I have on this cover. Anyway...
According to my old (1986!) Scott catalogue, the set of stamps "...commemorates the Astrophysics Congress and the inauguration of an observatory at Tonanzintla, Feb. 17, 1942."
The background is interesting — the politicians who succeeded in creating the observatory were seeking a way to keep alive the spirit of scientific research that had been so bloodied by the Second World War. Among the American scientists supporting them were physicist Albert Einstein and astronomer Harlow Shapley, who is credited with giving us our first more or less accurate understanding of the size and structure of our galaxy.
Now — talk about flyspecking! — I have discovered that Scott has a spelling error in its listings for both the regular postage stamps and the airmail stamps: The location of the observatory is given as Tonanzintla (in the State of Puebla, about 100 km west/southwest of Monterrey), but every internet reference I can about the observatory on the Internet, including articles written at the time of its dedication, says that it was located at Tonantzintla with a "t" at the end of the second syllable.
My question: Do recent editions of the Scott catalogue continue the error, Tonanzintla rather than Tonantzintla? If they do, I plan to write to Scott. We collectors can't do much to change the state of the world, but at least we can try to correct the historical record!
Bob Ingraham
P.S. The 20-centavo stamp is very appropriate for this issue: it shows the "Sombrero Galaxy"! ¡Ay, Chihuahua!
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01:37:06am
re: Scott Mexico 774-776/C123-125
Bob,
my 1998 scotts still has without the "t".
looks like they spell it the way it appears on the stamp.
774 is pictured in the catalogue,but no pics for the rest of the set.just discriptions.
TOM
Anyone got newer books?
Login to Like
this post
07:55:59am
re: Scott Mexico 774-776/C123-125
Bob:
With all due respect, I don't get it. Shouldn't your complaint be aimed at the agency that issued the stamps? Scott is just repeating the spelling as contained on the stamps.
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