Time to Get Out the Soaking Tray

I just bought a large assortment of stamps on paper, and will be sorting and soaking them in the next few weeks. As I do, I hope to talk about them, and about the joys of stamp "dumpster-diving" - buying bulk lots for the adventure of searching and finding treasures among the trash.

This box is a good one, and there's quite a bit of material in it that I need for my collection. There are also about 30 different items that represent what the Spanish use in place of Framas. In fact, the Spanish have the best and most varied printed vendor postage of any nation right now. Here's just an example of the ones I found in this box.









There's no reason to try to collect these by value, as that's a matter of choice by the individual. I collect by design, although I am looking for designs that were used with both the old currency (Pesetas) and the new Euro currency.

There was also an interesting discovery in this box - a frama issued by the Spanish Postal Authority in Andorra!









Portugal is also represented in the material I received. There were two different designs, one self-adhesive, the other probably gummed. The gummed stamp features a flamingo, while the self-adhesive depicts a postal stage.









I don't know how many other people collect these, but I find them fun and interesting. I also have several designs of the original German framas, as well as some from Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Isle of Man, and Singapore. If anyone is interested in scans of these other issues, or have other information to share about Framas, please let me know in the comments.