Welcome.

This is the Official Website and Blog of Ryan Scott McCullar. I am a Professional Graphic Designer, Writer, and Visual Artist currently working for the State of Illinois. Previously, I was an adjunct college art professor for 20 years who also worked in marketing and communications. 

Outside of my day job, I am the creator-owner of THRILL SEEKER COMICS ANTHOLOGY Pulp Action & Adventure Series featuring The Yellow Jacket: Man of Mystery™ that I write and illustrate under my independent publishing banner named Bandito Entertainment™. I also currently write and illustrate the brand-new comic strip series SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ featuring the public-domain character POPEYE. 
Visit www.thrillseekercomics.com and www.seashantyfunnies.com for more information on the comics.

Topics of Interest Covered: Comic Books. Music and Vinyl Record Collecting. Films. Books. Action Figures. Philately (Stamp Collecting). Karate. Politics. Blogging and Life.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are my own. This is my personal account and does not reflect my employer.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2025

PHILATELY: Great Britain Stamps of King Edward VIII and his brother King George VI

Not everyone knows this, but I am a Philatelist... a person who collects and studies postage stamps and postal history. I started collecting stamps when I was a child at the age of six when my father would take me to his local hobby shop where he collected coins. I needed something to do and stamp collecting seemed the logical thing to keep me occupied I guess?

From about age six to twelve, I continued collecting stamps and was even in a stamp collecting club in middle school. As I entered my teenage years, I walked away from the hobby, but over the next 30 years I would still squirrel away stamps and put them in a folder if I came across a "cool" looking one. 

During lockdown with the pandemic in 2020, I found my old childhood stamp album and it reignited my passion for stamp collecting where I have taken it on with full enthusiasm. My wife Jennifer calls it my "old man hobby" that I will now be able to do in my retirement years. I now have more stamp albums than I can count as I dive into philately. In my studies, I discovered that President F.D.R. was a stamp collector and tried to take a few hours every Sunday afternoon to work on his collection. I try to do the same thing.

From time to time, I will post certain pages from my stamp collection and share.


 

This page is a full page of British stamps featuring Kind Edward VIII (top four stamps on this page) who abdicated his thrown to marry a divorced American socialite named Wallis Simpson in 1936. That was the same year he became King of England after his father King George V had passed away. 

King Edward VIII abdicated his throne to his brother who became King George VI (and father to Queen Elizabeth II). 

All of these stamps are in mint condition and were never cancelled marked. I acquired these from a stamp shop in England that mailed them to me. I really love the colors and royal look of them.

One thing about stamp collecting -- it appeals to those who have an interest in art, history, sociology, and geography.

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