China Had Philatelically Eventful 2011

China was in the stamp news in 2011, including breaking records for prices of classic China at auction, the rising of its stamps' catalog value, and influencing prices in general as the Chinese economy allowed collectors to go on buying sprees. The country's robust economy means there are more people with the means to put together stamp collections and while -- no surprise -- Chinese stamps are most popular, collectors smitten with British classics continued buying up copies of the Penny Black in numbers that sent its value up. In other news, China opened the first post office in space. So, thanks China for making our 2011 collecting days a bit more interesting.  But there was also plenty going on in the U.S. stamp collecting world in 2011.