DKPA : Review of Wonderland of Stamps

A multimedia CD which brings out the basics of philately. This CD is aimed at the beginner or novice collector. A little narration here and there, graphics and text make it an interesting CD for the beginner. The price is affordable and it is a good replacement any book on philately available in the market today.

CD Description

Navigating the CD is very easy. The CD starts with a Main Menu which has the "Origin" of stamps, "Technicality" about stamps, "Developing Collection" which describes how to start a collection, "Types of Collection", "Organized Philately", "Exhibitions" and "Credits".

There is an option to get a site map which gives the complete picture of the CD. You can click on any section and use the Next - Previous feature to navigate between pages. The description of the section is well supplemented by a collection of stamp images and exhibition album sheets.

The stamp images scroll through automatically or you can use the Next - Previous buttons. Once all the images of the section have been displayed, you can click on the stamp image to view the magnified image. This works most of the times. There are a few bugs however.

All the sections have been beautifully explained. The CD takes you through a tour of stamp origin, the making of a stamp, the various types of stamps, the printing processes, perforations etc.

The types of collection describes the various sections of philately today like the Traditional, Postal history, Postal Stationary, Aero Philately etc. The explanation is supplemented by album sheets for each section. Some images of old stamps like the 1911 First Airmail in India cover make it very interesting.

Maximaphilly, Mophila, Social Philately and Literature sections do not have any images.

Suggestions for the next edition

The postal department should bring out a second edition of the CD including a list of stamps issued till date with a short description. This list should be made search able. Some photographs of the stamps being printed in the Security Press Nasik with perhaps some video clippings would make a good presentation. Including a detailed glossary of stamp terms would be welcome feature. Also including the cost of philatelist's tools, a review of books on philately and a list of stamp clubs of India would make the CD worth possessing.