Trams and Buses on Stamps

In this, the fourth edition of the Transport Philately series the author looks at the treatment of transport using roads rather than rail or air. There have been some particularly attractive and colorful issues of stamps over the years ranging from a trio of beautifully presented illustrations of Israel’s early buses to the well-known issue of double-deck buses produced by the Royal Mail in 2001, and who incidentally have seen the commercial opportunity by accompanying many issues with other paraphernalia, including a gentleman’s tie featuring many of the bus illustrations. A well-known colleague in the Public Transport world still wears his! Buses certainly are not as popular in the world of stamps as possibly aviation or wild-life, and trolleybuses even less so but the author has succeeded in finding a few, some of which are illustrated. Tramways, on the other hand, are a blessing to any collector with selections many and varied, some featuring trams from the beginning of the 20th century for their heritage interest to others providing an outlet of national or local pride at the inauguration of today’s systems in developed and developing countries across the world. Never a year goes by without a new issue appearing somewhere in the world and the author likes to keep an eye on several sources of information including regular publications from the renowned Stanley Gibbons organisation, the fount of all knowledge concerning philately, as well as other equally valuable contemporary publishers. Then there are regular stamp fairs held throughout the UK and the world where dealers compete for your business, and at some of the bigger occasions – the postal authorities themselves. On your computer are the various internet sites and auction platforms where there can often be some real surprises and bargains to be found.