Some people devote a lifetime to the study of and the collecting of stamps, not me, I've had them thrust upon me. Inheritance tax! I don't know about that but i do know i've inherited one hell of a taxing task. Until a few weeks ago, the only thing i knew about stamps was that they changed them about december to brighten up the millions of Christmas cards that people feel compelled to send to everyone they've ever heard off. Unlike the hundreds of thousands of tacky and twee cards with their snowmen, robins and three kings, I did notice that the stamps changed each year ... and I'm not just talking about the price either. Oh yea, and I seem to remember my mum had a good collection of 'green sheild' ones and 'co-op' that we swapped for groceries or sherry every now and again. So, enter Jane, with a box full of these First Day Cover thingies that her uncle Frank left her. First thought, "tenner for the lot at a car boot sale" that will get us a few groceries and a bottle of sherry. So, I started to wade through these envelopes covered with the appropriate stamps thinking I could put them in some sort of order; perhaps by date, subject or even the number of stamps on each. It was only once i'd been at it for a couple of hours that one of them really got my interest. The reason for this was the one i was holding was of the 'Forth Road Bridge' and i noticed the postmark 'North Queensferry' What a coincidence (what a novice!) North Queensferry is at the end of the Forth Road Bridge; pretty nifty, me thinks. So, I come across another,'Shakespeares something or other' lo and behold the postmark is Stratford upon Avon. Okay, so i do have an above average IQ and now i was thinking out of the box. So out of the 'car-boot box' comes the rest of the FDC (see, i even know the abbreviation now) Not for one minute was I thinking that i might get such a huge interest in these that i might actually start to catalogue them or, heaven forbib, buy some more! No Instead of a few snacks and some Fortified Vino, I might as well go for the 42" plasma digital Tv with surround sound. With that new goal, I spent the next couple of weeks searching the internet for the easy answers to what i had stumbled upon. I have to admit I didn't really find it easy at all. Yeh, I found similar FDC to what i have here, but i still had no understanding of the values connected. Search more, take a break, search more, take a break, search more, take them to the 'car-boot' S L O W D O W N K I P P E R. I've taken 50,  researched them until I actually know what I am holding. I've sought for and accepted advice from Phil Slatterists or experts and now I'm happy that I have been able to confidently post my first batch on to EBAY.

Have a look, user; scarletkipper and tell me if there is any chance that i might be watching that TV by Christmas or will I be left with a Turkey!
I'll post a progress report soon.

Kipper.