Dolls

Rare Red

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Queen, Prince Philip in rare visit to PM

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Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip paid a rare visit Tuesday to Prime Minister David Cameron's official residence for a lunch to celebrate the prince's 90th birthday.
Are Holden red Trading Stamps rare or valuable?

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The stamps I'm referring to are small red stamps printed with "Holden Trading Stamp - Co-Operative, Cash Value Half Mill."

Any idea if these are worth anything?

HOW TO REDEEM YOUR GOLD BOND,
MacDONALD PLAID, GOLD STRIKE,
BUCCANEER, RED SCISSORS, AND HOLDEN RED
STAMPS

As of 07/05, the following trading stamps are still redeemable: Gold Bond, Holden Red, MacDonald Plaid, Buccaneer, Red Scissors, and Gold Strike. The Gold Bond Stamps are redeemable for merchandise and all the others listed are redeemable for cash. The cash redemption is currently $0.01 per ten stamps, or $1.00 per thousand stamp points.
For more information on redeeming your stamps, or to request a current catalog, please call 1-800-625-1331. Do NOT contact me. This is a public service announcement and everything I know is here.

Their current mailing address is:
Gold Bond Stamp Co.
Attn: Mail Order Dept.
1405 Xenium Lane North
Plymouth, MN 55441

*Rare* Red Hot Chili Peppers - My Friends (OFFICIAL ALTERNATIVE VERSION Music Video)

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How to Identify Exotic or Rare Orchids

What makes an orchid rare anyway? Being hard to find makes an orchid rare. One of the reasons many orchids today are hard to find is because their natural habitat has been destroyed by humans. While they are adaptable, they do have certain basic needs. When the rainforest is destroyed, the orchids have nowhere to live. If the soil, air and water are polluted, orchids will die. It's interesting that those species that have become scarce because of the actions of man are the orchids most prized by man. If an orchid is only found in a very small area, a fire or a bulldozer can put an end to an entire species in a matter of minutes.

Color is often an indicator of an exotic orchid. The rarest species often have the most unusual coloration. The Phal Amboinensis flava, one of the rarest orchids on earth, is albino and has a very long stem and no pigmentation whatsoever. The rare Red Orchid, or Red Moon Orchid, or Phalaenopsis corningiana Is one of the rarest orchids in existence.  It is known for it's red striped flowers.

Ladyslipper orchids that grow wild in Great Britain are very rare today as due to over harvesting. Maxilliara Mombarchoenis and Epidendrum are only found on the Nicaraguan Mombacho mountaintops. Habeneria Psycodes is located in the Southern Applachians and is rarely seen. Bulbophyllum Hamelini is dying off due to the deforestation of Madagascar.The rare Ghost Orchid, grows only in the State of Florida. It is the subject of the book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean.

Orchid smuggling is also causing the loss of many species. National laws and international treaties today protect many varieties. The greatest protection comes from the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna Treaty. It was signed by over 120 nations and stipulates that any plant or animal that is endangered cannot be commercially traded.

Orchid smugglers can make lots of cash smuggling rare and endangered species. Growers are attracted to wild orchids as they seem to have an exotic aura that nursery grown orchids do not.  Smuggling raises an interesting question: if a rare and threatened species of orchid is in demand, does this mean that, no matter how rare it is, that someone will attempt to preserve it? Paradoxically, the illegal smuggling of the plant may help to encourage growers to propagate that species. However, there are many species that are further threatened by this desire of smugglers to make a buck by endangering the plants. It adds up to an interesting debate.

Don't think that all orchids are particularly beautiful, or that you would want to have them in your home? An article on msnbc.com proclaimed "Stinky New Orchid Species Discovered." In 2007 a botanist named Alison Colwell discovered an orchid that only seems to live in the wet meadows of Yosemite National Park. It is called Platanthera yosemitensis. What distinguishes it from other orchids? Its fragrance. If you can call it a "fragrance." Alison Colwell says it smells like sweaty feet.

 

About the Author

David E. Carlson is a longtime gardening & orchid enthusiast. For more information about identifying orchids visit Orchid-Flower-Care.com.