You'd think that stamp collecting was a pretty harmless occupation, I used to do a bit myself when quite young but grew out of it. I'd heard of Stanley Gibbons way back then but reading a recent article about how they went bust buying one stamp for over six million quid had me more than puzzled, and made me think in general about big business.
Some of our iconic brands are owned by companies abroad. Premier league football teams like Newcastle owned by Middle Eastern sheiks. It needs shaking up. Manchester City seem to me to be buying their way to get themselves success. Whilst their neighbours are bought by an English business man with billions, so everybody naturally approves despite his billions being made from oil.
Business seems to be about making a company 'valuable' not because of the sale of the widgets they make, that's lost sight of, despite the excellence is said widgets, it's all about the brand. But it's the success of the widgets that make it the brand. Shares are what become valuable, which I suppose is reflected in the quality of aforementioned widget. If you can have shares without a widget, like a football club, no widgets there, then so much the better. Or perhaps the players are the widgets?
Back to Stanley. The esteemed company has now been sold to someone not called Stanley, and they have swished a lot of money around to rescue the brand, which is Stanley Gibbons. And here's another oddity, they bought this tiny stamp and then tried to sell shares in it, to cover the insane amount of money it cost. Some suckers bought the shares but most people had by then seen through the non existent King's new clothes, leaving Stanley somewhat naked. New company comes in and supplies proper clothing and writes off the debt. I'd like to borrow 6 million quid and then get someone to write off the debt, when, after I've spent the 6 million on a heady lifestyle. I suspect the local branch of the Honk Kong and Shanghai Bank is unlikely to let me, no matter how much I say I shall buy a stamp with the money and they will be deemed to be fine upstanding company and will benefit from my brilliant idea.
A case of philately will get me nowhere.
Many words for corny joke, but a serious point.
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