stamp insider insider/older pdfs/1401.pdf · commercial size (#10) covers, for here’s an allsyte...
TRANSCRIPT
Essential Reading for Philatelists January / February 2014
StampInsider
Mandela:A Lifetimeon Stamps
Journal of the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies
ALLSYTEBY WHITE ACEPHILATELY’SFIRST FAMILYOF COVERALBUMS
ALLSYTE GIVES YOU A GRAND SELECTION OF ALBUMSAND SIZES TO CHOOSE FROM …
Look how the Allsyte album family has grown. First there was the Standard, philately’s best-selling cover album for years. Now there are eight distinctive Allsytes to meet a variety of collecting needs. And all of them, be assured, have the same premium qualities that hobbyists have come to expect from every White Ace product.
For example, Allsyte clear plastic pockets eliminate mounting prob-lems: just slide in the covers, and your job is done … with every cover fully visible while totally protected. What more can you ask for? All seven Allsytes have sturdy binder assemblies covered in durable leatherette. When you open your album, it lies flat, and it closes without bulging (even when filled to capacity) for space-saving bookshelf storage.
It really makes good collecting sense to turn to Allsyte, philately’s first family of cover albums . . . by White Ace, of course.
BY THE MAKERS OF FAMOUS ARTCRAFT ENGRAVINGS
Ask for Allsyte Albums at your dealeror order online at: www.washpress.com
ON MAIL SHIPMENTS - Visa, MasterCard, Discover & AMEX Accepted Please add $6.50 for shipping (foreign, by weight)
STANDARDAs many as 100 of your standard-size covers can be displayed in this popular album. The black leatherette binder has gold titling on the cover and spine … a nice finishing touch. Accommodates covers to 3 3/4 x 6 5/8".
$54.50Black dustcase — $17.35
MONARCHAs stamps increase in size, so do first day cover envelopes. In recent years, the “monarch” size envelope, measur-ing approximately 4 x 7 1/2", has often been used. This Allsyte, with 100 cover capacity, was designed just for monarch size covers.
$59.50
JUMBONo problem displaying your extra-long commercial size (#10) covers, for here’s an Allsyte created expressly for them. There’s room in it for 50 of these big ones, fully protected under clear plastic. Accommodates covers to 4 5/16 x 9 5/8".
$50.75
POSTCARDSPicture postcards your specialty? Consider the Postcard Allsyte, made to hold as many as 100 of 3 1/2 x 5 1/2" collectibles; or the Jumbo Postcard Allsyte designed to hold up to 100 of the popular 4 x 6" cards.
Postcard Allsyte — $54.75Jumbo Postcard — $58.95
ISRAELIsraeli first days, special events, and first flights have a handsome home in this Allsyte produced by White Ace, who was a pioneer in albums for Israeli stamps. Its capacity is 100 covers. Accommo-dates covers to 4 1/8 x 71/16".
$55.50
UNITED NATIONSUnited Nations cover collector? Then choose this “U.N. Blue” Allsyte, which will hold up to 100 of your standard-size UN covers. The UN’s official emblem graces the cover and spine. Accommo-dates covers to 3 x 6 5/8".
$54.50Black dustcase — $17.35
CANADA OFFICIALCanada’s “Official” first day covers are a special size, so here’s a special Allsyte designed just for them. It has the same fine construction as the others; its size is distinctive. Accommodates covers to 4 9/16 x 7 5/8".
$58.75THE WASHINGTON PRESSFLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY 07932
TOLL FREE: 877-966-0001 FAX: 973-966-0888
Copyright, Advertising Rates, DeadlinesStamp Insider™ is published digitally six times per year by the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies, Inc., a non-profit organization, at 1105 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308-2805. Content ©2013 Federation of New York Philatelic Societies Inc.; Design ©2013 Albert W. Starkweather / Design on Demand. Stamp Insider and the magnifying glass logo are trademarks of the Federation. Any portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent, provided credit is given. Written expres-sion or opinions of the writers are their own and not necessarily those of the Stamp Insider or Federation. Some product names and images may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation, without intent to infringe. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy, but validity is not guaranteed. Articles by readers are encouraged. Manuscripts cannot be returned without a large SASE. Electronic submissions are preferred.
Dimensions (In inches) Per Insertion Contract Per Year Annual SavingsSmall Business Card (2 1/5 × 1) One-Year Contract Only $ 55.00 —Super Business Card (3 × 2 1/4) One-Year Contract Only $ 110.00 —Quarter Page (2 1/5 × 3 7/16) $ 28.00 $ 138.00 ($ 23.00) $ 30.00Half Page (4 1⁄2 × 3 7⁄16) $ 42.00 $ 222.00 ($ 37.00) $ 30.00Full Page (4 1⁄2 × 7 1⁄2) $ 57.00 $ 282.00 ($ 47.00) $ 60.00Full Outside Back Cover $100.00 $ 450.00 ($ 75.00) $150.00
Editorial & ad deadlines for the two months following are Feb. 15, April 15, June 15, Aug. 15, Oct. 15 & Dec. 15
January / February 2014Vol. 30 No. 3
StampInsider
www.stampinsider.orgEditor & Journal Webmaster
Albert W. Starkweather5668 Tranquility Oaks Dr., Unit 208Tampa, FL 33624-5849813-962-7964; [email protected] www.starkweatherdesign.com
Associate EditorHeather Sweeting
14329 Victory St., Sterling NY 13156-3172315-947-6761; [email protected]
Ad Manager & SubscriptionsGeorge McGowan
PO Box 482, East Schodack, NY 12063-0482518-479-4396; [email protected]
Federation WebmasterThomas M. Fortunato
28 Amberwood Place, Rochester, NY 14626-4166585-225-6822; [email protected]
Federation PresidentThomas Auletta
258 Ushers Road, Suite 203Clifton Park, NY 12065-1428518-877-3027; [email protected]
Federation SecretaryRonald K. Ratchford
1105 Union St.. Schenectady, NY 12308-2805518-374-3776 ; [email protected]
Fede
ration of New York
Ph
ilatelic Societies,
In
c. . .
ContentsPresident’s Page: Promoting Mainstream Philately .......... 4Editor’s Perspective: Happy New Year ....... 6Postal History Sketches: Twentieth Century Fancy Cancels .......... 8Seen at Auction: Titanic Cover Sinks Again ............................10Mail Bag: Mail by the Pail ..........................12Steve Swain: Mandela’s Life in Stamps ......14Tom Koch: Dallas Philatelists Honor JFK ....28Paul Grondahl: Colonial Letter Comes Home ................ 34Mark R. Saunders: A Christmas To Remember ...................... 38New Year Resolutions for Writers ...........392014 Vatican Stamp Program .....................39Ruth Sabo: Chasing Jenny Review ............. 42Ropex, Stepex Prospectuses Available ..... 44Stan Burdick’s Philateli-Calamity ...........45Stamp In-Sites: China Stamp Society ....... 46Deltiology: Panama Canal Turning 100 .... 47Youth & Philately: Afro-American Heritage Time Line ...... 48Fillmore the Filatelist: A President’s Son Takes Command ........ 49Stamp Shop Adventures: Bernie the Beret & Liquids Don’t Mix ... 50First Day Coverage: Creating FDCs from Press Sheets .......... 51Ephemera: The Old Dutch Church Post Office ......52Organization Pages ...............................53–76The Last Words: A Plethora of Anniversaries ...................77Shows & Bourses .....................................78–79Advertiser Index ............80
4 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
The President’s PageThomas Auletta
258 Ushers Road, Suite 203Clifton Park, NY 12065-1428
[email protected], 518-877-3027
Fede
ration of New York
Ph
ila te lic So cietie
s, In
c. . .
Promoting Mainstream Philately
Stamps probably began being collected soon after the first one was issued in 1840. Dur-ing these years, philately grew slowly, then entered a period of increased activity in the
early twentieth century. By the 1930s to 1960s, it probably reached a peak with several large philatelic organizations, many weekly and monthly periodicals, weekly stamp col-umns in newspapers, philatelic centers such as Manhattan’s Nassau Street, and stamp shows that regularly drew in hundreds or even thousands of enthusiastic collectors.
To many of us, this degree of interest appears to be in a steady and perhaps irreversible decline to its state today. Nassau Street and the like are gone, as are most stamp shops, many shows, and the newspaper columns. The APS survives, although with reduced membership, and we still have some stamp shows that we can visit, but it is certainly not what it used to be.
It is easy to be pessimistic about our hobby and to complain that it is in decline, that few youngsters are interested, etc., but I would like to make a case for us to be more optimistic about the future, especially if we understand that not all changes are necessarily detrimental. If we can better understand these changes and take steps to embrace some of them, and work within new systems, then we may be able to help our hobby to be more viable.
I have made several points about what I believe to be the current state of stamp collecting in previous columns. I think that there are many more collectors out there than we realize, that many of them like topical, new issues, gold foil covers, stamps of unusual shapes, composition, scents even — items that most traditional philatelists disfavor. However, once these collectors get involved, it is possible that many of them will expand their interests.
It is also apparent that the vast majority of these collectors pursue their hobby in dif-ferent ways than in the past, and use the internet to acquire material, engage with dealers and other collectors. They do not necessarily belong to philatelic societies or stamp clubs, and may not visit stamp shows. It is my belief that the main reason for this is a lack of awareness that these venues exist and that if they knew of them they would be eager par-ticipants. If we could access some of this large group of out of our loop collectors, then we could more accurately see the true state of philately today, and realize it is in much better shape than we thought it was.
The big question remains: How do we effectively let this large group of collectors, certain-ly in the millions, know about the advantages that mainstream organized philately offers for them? It is definitely not by doing nothing or by continuing our normal approaches to pub-licizing the hobby. We need new and more creative ways to ensure that stamp collecting will continue to be the great endeavor that it always has been. I will give you some of my ideas in future columns, and I welcome any suggestions that you may have. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 5
a.k.a. CoverCrazy 2
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World War II Club, 50 Conz Street. Exit 18 off I-91Rt. 5N, then left on Conz 1/4 mile from I-91. 10:30 A.M.–6 P.M. monthlyScott Catalogue Blowout! Shipping Available
Scott 2013 catalogues $69 each. Scott 2012 Classic $129Scott 2012 catalogues $49 each, 1–6 set $279; U.S. Specialized as low as $39
Scott 2011 including U.S. $39 each, 1–6 set $229 • Scott 2010 catalogues $19 each
Host: Harry Tong • 603-978-3459
6 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Editor’s PerspectiveAlbert W. Starkweather
5668 Tranquility Oaks Dr., Unit 208Tampa, FL 33624-5849
[email protected], 813-962-7964
Wishing You a Happy (and Simpler) New Year
I am taking my New Year’s toast from one used by Col-
onel Potter on “M*A*S*H” for an episode about New Year’s day in 1951: “Here’s to the New Year. May she be a damned sight better than the old one … .”
I wish the Stamp Insider’s readers, writers, and adver-tisers the happiest of New Years that is not fraught with needless stress brought on by modern living. I thank them all for their continued support of the journal.
Many of the complications I encountered in 2013 admittedly were of my own doing. How-ever, life’s unexpected twists and turns, such as having a computer monitor die days before the Stamp Insider was due to be put online, had me wishing for a simpler time. Or, as one colleague at a publishing house put it after her computer died: “Monks and scribes, that’s what we need.” Imagine the monks and scribes saying: “Cuneiform tablets, that’s what we need.”
It is my love–hate affair with electronics that often and sometimes needlessly compli-cate my life. In the past year, I have replaced my large flat panel television with an even larger one after the former developed a dark spot on its screen, replaced the flat panel monitor that died and am considering replacing my older auxiliary monitor, and treated myself to the new Apple iPad Air and associated toys, as well as upgrading my Verizon FiOS service to handle faster communication.
Yet, it is the same electronics addiction that allows me to manage several web sites, cre-ate print advertising, and produce two philatelic publications — the Stamp Insider and the American Ceremony Program Society’s quarterly journal, The Ceremonial, which I took over last September.
When I learned of Nelson Mandela’s death on December 5, 2013, I shelved the origi-nally planned cover article and decided to replace it with a stamp-based biography. Writer Steve Swain was able to research Mandela’s life, find appropriate stamp art, write, and transmit the finished article to me within a few days.
The same technology also keeps me in contact with friends and family worldwide. Maybe it is not such a bad thing after all. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 7
Stamps • Postcards • Covers • EphemeraSupplies • Small AntiquesFree Admission & Parking
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Big Box of Stuff
8 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Postal History SketchesElwyn Doubleday
PO Box 70Rindge, NH 03461
[email protected], 603-899-9085
Twentieth Century Fancy Cancels
In the 1920s, the Post Of-fice Department found
that registered mail was be-ing treated as regular mail because postmasters — mostly from smaller of-fices — were using their standard four-bar cancels. The POD issued an edict in 1927 banning use of regu-lar devices on the regis-tered mail. Fortunately for collectors it did not specify an alternative device.
Postmasters in fourth class offices were paid based on the amount of postage stamps can-celed, so pay was often very small. It is likely that some were stamp collectors and had seen the huge variety of fancy cancels used during the 1800s before the government began supplying hand cancels to all post offices. Perhaps the idea was that mail volume would increase if fancy postmarks to cancel registered mail appealed to stamp collectors. Within a short period of time this practice caught on and the craze of twentieth century fancy cancels was born.
Types of fancy cancels were almost limitless, containing stars, animals, fraternal sym-bols, and even an erupting volcano in Hawaii. Many were related to the town name, such as skulls from Death Valley, California, question marks from Riddle, Idaho, and sailboats from Boat, Kentucky. In 1928, the POD decided the rash of fancy cancels was not a good thing and in November the Postal Bulletin sent to all postmasters asked them to discon-tinue this practice. The postmasters either didn’t read their bulletins or chose to ignore the edict because the 1929 covers seem to have exceeded the previous year.
Fancy cancels continued to be used into the 1930s despite repeated POD attempts to ban them. Generally these are collected on registered covers which show a receipt cancel on the reverse, denoting they had gone through the mail. Some postmarks can be found on non-reg-istered mail, but these are generally considered to be handback items. In 1934 the POD issued a final warning that these cancels would not be tolerated and the craze was finally over, but not before thousands of covers were produced making many collectors and postmasters happy.
These covers have become quite popular, especially among topical collectors since they encompass such a wide variety of subjects. ◾
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10 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Seen at Auction Alfred Carroccia
152 Windmill Road West Seneca, NY 14218-3776
[email protected], 716-674-0302
Titanic Cover Sinks Again
Should you buy a cover solely on the markings that it bears? What if this
particular marking is significant and has its place in history? The story of the Ti-tanic has been thoroughly documented and well known.
It has even been covered in the pages of the Stamp Insider with a cover found by Thomas Fortunato at a stamp bourse for $10. Since then a debate has ensued as to the validity of these covers and, if genuine, whether they did “miss the boat” and were actually carried on other ships.
Interest and research has discovered fourteen covers that may or may not have been carried on the ill-fated liner. A cov-er census at www.titaniccovers.com shows similarities with markings and des-tinations raising the question of fakes. Sev-eral covers have appeared at auction with mixed results.
Cover 14 was offered in the November 24, 2013, Regency-Superior Auction #102 sale of foreign covers at Chicagopex on Novem-ber 23–24 as Lot 2366. This cover was a family heirloom and was discovered only recently. The lot description surmises that perhaps this cover is the finest of the existing covers based on the bold and crisp titanic marking. The lot was estimated at $5,000-$7,000.
Interestingly this same cover was in a 2012 Spink Auction with an estimate of $7,500-$10,000. This sale also focused on the marking and called it the finest of all the covers. The cover did not sell and the Regency-Superior estimate may have been lowered because of this.
Again the cover did not sell as it did not meet the reserve. The highest bid was $3,000.This cover is clean and may be the finest of all the Titanic covers, but with no proof it
was carried on the ship and suspect covers on the market it remains to be seen if it ever sells. Would you buy it for the marking alone? ◾
Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc.Philately — The Quiet Excitement!
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12 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
The Mail Bag George McGowan
PO Box 482East Schodack, NY 12063-0482
[email protected], 518-479-4396
Mail by the Pail at ZIP Code 48222
On June 17, 1895, the Post Office Department inaugurated a unique mail service that still operates. Great Lakes ship commerce is a vital part of the US and Canada economy.
Since the lakes are frozen part of the year, the times they are ice free are very busy. Most traf-fic, including the largest ore carriers, go round the clock, seven days a week. This gives the crew no time for things we take for granted, including sending and receiving mail.
Most traffic eventually passes through the Detroit River that connects to Lake Erie. Without slowing down, a passing freighter will lower a pail with outgoing mail and retrieves it with the days delivery. Other services, including laundry, have been handled the same way.
The Detroit River Station Post Office is privately owned and operated under contract with the USPS. It is the only floating post office in the world. With the introduction of the zip code system in 1963, the service was issued the code 48222. To send a letter, you write the recipient’s name, vessel’s name, Marine Post Office, Detroit, MI 48222. The service operates from April to December and is dictated by ice conditions.
There have been several boats in service. In order, they are: Florence B, C. F. Bielman, G. F. Becker, O. F. Mook, G. F. Becker (again), J. W. Westcott, and J. W. Westcott II. The Westcott II sank in 2001 with the loss of its captain and a crew member. It was raised and put back into service.
Since 1963, The Motor City Stamp and Cover Club has been the official cachet maker for the service and puts out a few covers each year for special events, such as “Ice Out,” last day of service, etc. (See a video of the Westcott in action on the Stamp Insider website) ◾
By River, Lake and Ocean Clockwise from upper left: Alexandria Bay & Clayton, Inlet & Old Forge, Wanakena & Cranberry Lake with boats below (mail boat Helen is at the left), Ti (Ticonderoga) & Lake George, N.Y. (New York) & Canal Zone, Geneva & Watkins, and Skaneateles Lake. Mail from resort areas in the early twentieth century was predominately post-al cards and postcards, the latter often depicting scenes of vacation locales. RMS in the killer bars stands for Railway Mail Service. One reason for domestic water routes was the lack of decent highways.
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14 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Nelson Mandela – A Philatelic Chronology and Tribute
By Steve Swain“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” – Nelson Mandela
Heralded as South Africa’s “greatest son,” the passing of Nelson Mandela on Decem-ber 5, 2013, marks the close to a remarkable story of a militant freedom fighter, a
prisoner-turned-president, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and the moral compass of South Africa who reconciled his nation after the end of apartheid. Mandela’s charisma, sense of humor and lack of bitterness explained his extraordinary global appeal.
Over the years, he received more than two-hundred South African and international awards including the Order of St. John from Queen Elizabeth II, the Presidential Medal of Free-dom from President George W. Bush, Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award, and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Songs were written about Madiba — Mandela’s traditional clan name — statues were erected in his honor everywhere from Johan-nesburg to London and more than fifty universities around the world awarded him degrees.
The many years of Mandela’s political struggles and achievements, as well as notable life events, have been chronicled and commemorated on stamps issued not only by his homeland, South Africa, and surrounding nations, but also worldwide, including Russia, Belgium, Neth-erlands, Marshall Islands, Antigua, Serbia, Micronesia, Maldives, and Palau.Humble BeginningsRolihlahla Mandela started his journey in the tiny village of Mvezo in Transkei, in the hills of the Eastern Cape, where he was born on July 18, 1918, one of thirteen children in a fam-ily with connections to Thembu royalty. The stamps at the right are a Transkei issue com-memorating the 1976 independence from South Africa and a 2013 Mali issue showing Mandela in traditional African clothing.
Continued on Page 16
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16 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Mandela — Continued from Page 14
When he began primary school in 1925, Mandela’s teacher named him Nelson, consis-tent with the custom at the time of giving English names to children. His father died when Mandela was nine years old and he was entrusted to Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the acting regent of the Thembu people, who took Mandela in and educated him.
As Mandela’s education progressed, he matriculated at the South Africa Native College of Fort Hare, the only residential center of higher learning for blacks in South Africa at the time. In 1940, he was elected to the Fort Hare student representative council, but was expelled after a student strike.
Mandela received a BA degree in 1942 from the Uni-versity of South Africa via correspondence. The stamps shown here are the 1973 is-sues commemorating the cen-tennial of the university.
In 1943, Mandela enrolled for an LLB at the University of the Witwatersrand but left in 1948 without graduating. This was possibly partly attributable to the significant time he devoted to activities with the African National Congress (ANC) that he joined in 1942 in order to become more ac-tively involved in the antiapartheid movement.
Mandela helped form the youth league of the ANC in 1944, hoping to transform the organization into a more radical movement. He was dissatisfied with the ANC and its old-guard politics. Thus began Mandela’s civil disobedi-ence and lifelong commitment to breaking the shackles of segregation in South Africa. Serbia issued a stamp in 2012 commemorating Mandela’s involvement with the ANC and the “100 years of selfless struggle” by the organization.Freedom FighterFor nearly twenty years, Mandela directed peaceful, nonviolent acts of defiance against the South African government and its racist policies, including the 1952 Defiance Cam-paign and the 1955 Congress of the People. A 1988 Russian issue (Scott No. 5693) and a 1978 Kenyan issue (Scott No. 135) show images of Mandela during these years.
In 1956, Mandela and 150 others were arrested and charged with treason for their political advocacy, but they were eventually acquitted.
Continued on Page 18
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 17
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18 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Mandela — Continued from Page 16
ImprisonmentFormerly committed to nonviolent protest, a turning point for Mandela was in 1961 when he began to believe that armed struggle was the only way to achieve change. He subsequently cofounded Umkhonto we Sizwe, an armed offshoot of the ANC dedi-cated to sabotage and guerilla war tactics to end apartheid. In 1961, Mandela orches-trated a three-day national workers’ strike. He was arrested for leading the strike the following year and sentenced to prison.
In 1963, Mandela was brought to trial again. He made his famous “I Am Pre-pared to Die” speech at the Rivonia Trial on April 20, a key event for the antiapart-heid movement. This time, he and 10 other ANC leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment for political offenses, including sabotage. On June 12, 1964 Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island where he would serve eighteen of his twenty-seven years in prison. The 2000 South African World Heritage Sites issue provides a glimpse of the remote, desolate Robben Island.
As best as he could, Mandela continued his fight against apartheid while in prison through communications with colleagues and the devising of strategies against the gov-ernment once he was released. A 1986 Senegal issue commemorates Mandela’s struggle against apartheid and his lengthy imprisonment.
Mandela and other ANC leaders were moved to Pollsmoor Prison in 1982, allegedly to enable contact between them and the South African government given increasing local pres-sure for Mandela’s release and years of international outcry led by Winnie Mandela, a social worker whom Mandela married in 1958. In 1985, President P. W. Botha offered Mandela’s release in exchange for his renouncing of armed struggle. Mandela flatly rejected the offer.
While imprisoned, the first Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was awarded joint-ly in 1988 to Mandela and Russian Anatoly Marchenko. The prize, named after Soviet
Continued on Page 20
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Mandela — Continued from Page 18
scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1988 by the Euro-pean Parliament as a means to honor individuals or organizations who have dedicated their lives to the defense of human rights and freedom of thought. These Guinea sheetlets commemorate Mandela’s receipt of the Sakharov prize.
In August of 1989, Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced by Frederik Wil-lem de Klerk. Mandela’s release was finally announced on February 11, 1990. Man-dela walked out of prison to thunderous applause, his clenched right fist raised above his head as is commemorated on a Tanzania issue. Other countries, such as Belgium, also commemorated Mandela’s release and his fight against illegal impris-onment as with this 1999 issue.Statesman YearsUpon his release from prison, Mandela wasted no time urging foreign powers not to ease their pressure on the South African government for constitutional reform. He visited Eu-rope, the United Kingdom, North America, and most African nations. He also attended an Organization of African Unity summit in Addis Ababa.
In 1991, Mandela was elected president of the African National Congress and continued to negotiate with President F. W. de Klerk toward the country’s first multiracial elections.
In 1993, Mandela and President de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work toward dis-mantling apartheid. Mandela’s Prize has been commemorated on stamps world-wide as with these issues from Mali, Gha-na, and the Republic of South Africa.
Negotiations between black and white South Africans prevailed and on April 27, 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the country’s first black president on May 10, 1994, at the age of 77, with de Klerk as his first deputy.
Nevis commemorated this alliance with a Millennium 2000 fifty-cent issue. A set of
Continued on Page 22
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22 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Mandela — Continued from Page 20
four stamps issued by South Africa immor-talized Mandela’s presidential inauguration in 1994 and remains one of South Africa’s best-selling limited edition stamps ever.
South Africa’s fight for reconciliation was epitomized at the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final in Johannesburg, when it played heav-ily favored New Zealand. As the dominant sport of white Afrikaners, rugby was reviled by blacks in South Africa. They often cheered for rivals playing their national team.
South Africa won the encounter by three points in its first Rugby World Cup Final. At the end of the match, Mandela, wearing a Springbok rugby shirt and cap, presented the Webb El-lis Cup to the South African captain François Pienaar. So-malia commemorated the ex-traordinary win with a 1999 sheetlet of nine stamps showing Mandela presenting the Cup to Pienaar at the top center. (Note: the sheetlet has been cropped to show only its top third.)
In celebration of the 900th anniversary of the Order of St. John, the South African Post Office issued a special miniature sheet and an official commemorative cover on June 23, 1999.
The miniature sheet has a R2 face value and features Mandela, who is a Knight of Grace of the Or-der, wearing the mantle of the Order. It also depicts Glenshiel, a stately mansion which has been the National Headquarters of the Order in South Africa since 1950.
Continued on Page 24
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24 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Mandela — Continued from Page 22
Post PresidencyMandela represented a new breed of African liberation leaders, breaking from oth-ers of his era by serving only one term. In June 1999, Thabo Mbeki succeeded Man-dela as president.
After leaving office, Mandela remained in the public eye, championing causes such as human rights, world peace and the fight against AIDS. He continued to meet with influential people, such as Pope John Paul II, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Bill Sutherland, the unofficial ambassador be-tween the peoples of Africa and the Americas for more than fifty years, England’s Princess Diana, and other notable political figures as has been commemorated on many stamps.
In 2003, the world celebrated Mandela’s 85th birthday with a party attended by celeb-rities from around the globe, as with Michael Jackson shown on this 2010 Mali issue. The fol-lowing year, 2004, Mandela announced his re-tirement from public life with the catchphrase
“Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” Various health con-cerns were surfacing and Mandela was advised to reduce his travels and daily agenda.
Mandela turned 90 in 2008 and on July 15 of that year he attended a gala event hosted by the South African Post Office and was officially presented with a new stamp series celebrating his birthday. The R2.05 postage stamp featuring a photograph of Mandela was taken by pho-tographer Halden Krog and was used for domestic mail. The R4.09 stamp featuring a painting of Mandela by Cyril Coetzee was to pay the postage for international mail. Mandela’s birthday was endorsed by the United Nations as International Mandela Day, on which people are encouraged to do good deeds for others.
Continued on Page 26
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 25
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Mandela — Continued from Page 24
Mandela last appeared in public at the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa. He con- tinued to be commemorated on worldwide stamps, includ-ing sheetlets from Central Af-rica in 2012 and Mali in 2013.
On March 27, 2013, Mandela was admitted to the hospital due to a recur-rence of a lung infection. He was discharged on April 6, but on June 8 was readmitted. On June 24 the South Afri-can presidency announced that Mandela’s condition was critical. On December 5, an official announcement was released that Nelson Mandela had died at the age of 95.
An outpouring of condolences and trib-utes were offered by world leaders and other notable figures. The philatelic community followed suit. On December 13 Inter-Govern-mental Philatelic Corporation (IGPC), a New Jersey-based philatelic agency, announced it was producing stamps commemorating Man-dela with issues from about thirty counties.
Undoubtedly, many stamps will be is-sued in the coming months commemorating the life and historic accomplishments of Nelson Mandela —freedom fighter, father figure, global ambassador, elder statesman, the iconic conscious of South Africa. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 27
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28 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Dallas Philatelists Honor JFK’s MemoryBy Tom Koch, The Texas Philatelist Editor
Fifty years ago on No-vember 22, 1963, peo-
ple across the world were stunned by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. It would create a stigma for the city that may have eased a bit over the years, but is still prevalent.
Some say the ensuing as-sassinations of Robert F. Ken-nedy in Los Angeles and Mar-tin Luther King in Memphis showed that murder loca-tions were not limited to a sin-gle “City of Hate.” Then came attempted assassinations of George Wallace in Maryland, Gerald Ford in Sacramento and San Francisco, and Ron-ald Reagan in Washington D.C. John Lennon was killed by an assassin in New York City.
Even so, Dallas was different. The city openly showed widespread disdain for liberals before JFK’s visit. Some say new Dallas Mayor Erik Jonsson’s “Goals for Dallas” mid 1960s program helped steer the city’s image into a “kinder and gentler” approach. Even the surging Dallas Cowboys football team of the 1960s was given credit by some in restoring a bit of tolerance toward Dallas and its citizens.
Over the years Dallas philatelic groups have issued cacheted covers in JFK’s memory. This year, on the fiftieth anniversary of Kennedy’s death, the North Texas Philatelic Fo-rum, in conjunction with the Collectors Club of Dallas, will issue another special cover that will bear a US Postal Service cancellation. Serviced covers are available by mail for $4 each with a self-addressed stamped envelope by mail at Kennedy 50, PO Box 29543, Dallas, Texas 75229-0543. Proper postage must be included. Make checks payable to the Collectors Club of Dallas.
Dallas commemorative JFK items began with an unofficial first day cover for the five-cent Kennedy Memorial issue with the Eternal Flame (Scott No. 1246) on what would have been his forty-seventh birthday — May 29, 1964. (Boston was the official first day city.) The black-and-white cachet by the Dallas Philatelic Society featured a portrait of
JFK Continued on Page 30
Fiftieth Anniversary CoverTo mark the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, the North Texas Philatelic Forum, in conjunction with the Collectors Club of Dal-las, produced a black-and-white cachet serviced with a USPS “50th Anniversary Station” cancellation. Covers are available for $4 each plus a sase at Kennedy 50, PO Box 29543, Dallas, Texas 75229-0543. Make checks payable to the Collectors Club of Dallas.
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30 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
JFK — Continued from Page 28Kennedy with an image of his signature. Atop the portrait are the words, “In Memo-riam, John Fitzgerald Ken-nedy, 1917–1963.” A quote below the portrait reads,
“and the flow (it should have read glow) from that fire can truly light the world.” The cover bears a machine cancellation.
On November 22, 1964, first anniversary of the as-sassination, the Dallas Philatelic Society used the Kennedy stamp on a similar cover design.
The image showed a bald eagle spreading its wings, with an image of Kennedy in the upper right. Below are the words,
“When Thou Seest An Eagle Thou Seest a Portion of Genius Lift Up Thy Head” from William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. The stamp bears a machine cancellation.
A similar cover design on November 22, 1964 fea-tures the same Blake quote and a spread-winged eagle atop a pedestal.
The next cover was produced by the Collectors Club of Dallas and serviced on the twentieth anniversary — November 22, 1983. It shows a portrait of JFK with the name,
“John Fitzgerald Kennedy” at the top and bears a handstamp four-bar killer and cds. Be-low is simply, “In Memory / November 22, 1983 / Dallas, Texas. The Collectors Club of Dallas logo is at bottom left. The franking features the 1964 Kennedy stamp, the 1967 Kennedy thirteen-cent brown stamp (Scott No. 1287) and the two-cent 1954 Jefferson from the Liberty Issue (Scott No. 1033). The thirteen-cent Kennedy issue debuted on his birthday, May 29. It is from the Prominent Americans Issue.
Continued on Page 32
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JFK — Continued from Page 30
In 1993 a black-and-white cachet showed the Kennedys, Governor John Connally, and his wife, Nel-lie, in a convertible during the fatal motorcade. The caption is, “honoring john f. kennedy, 35th u.s. presi-dent, 1917–1963 / post-marked in dallas, where our beloved late presi-dent spent his last day.”
Franking included the five-cent Kennedy issue and the twenty nine-cent flag issue fea-turing an image of the White House, with a Dallas cds .
The fortieth anniversary cover featured a red and blue drawing of JFK with the Presidential Seal and US flag. A thirty seven-cent flag issue was used for the pictorial postmark.
The American Topi-cal Association issues a catalogue of JFK-related stamps from across the world issued in his mem-ory. There are special can-cellations from towns far and wide, but Dallas is where the tragedy happened, and it is nice to see that the old
“City of Hate” can remember JFK fondly. ◾
About the AuthorBefore retirement Thomas M. Koch was Communications Coordinator,
Program Manager, Display Curator, and Photographer at the University of Texas at Dallas’ McDermott Library.
The Texas Philatelist is published by the Texas Philatelic Association (www.texasstamps.org).
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 33
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34 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Colonial-Era Letter Comes HomeMuseum Obtains Document Written After 1690 Massacre
By Paul Grondahl / Albany Times Union
A Colonial-era letter that described fears of ongo-
ing Indian attacks against set-tlers in Schenectady’s Stock-ade after a 1690 massacre has been returned to where it was written three centuries ago.
“It will be preserved and made available for use by scholars, educators and the general public for generations to come,” said Melissa Tacke, Schenectady County His-torical Society librarian and archivist. “A piece of the com-munity’s history would have been lost for those uses if it had stayed in private hands.”
The society paid $4,400, plus the auction house’s 25 percent buyer’s premium, a total of $5,500. The estimate had been $1,500–2,500 pri-or to the October 10, 2013, auction at Swann Galleries in New York City.
After a September 24 Times Union article and other media accounts said the letter, owned by an out-of-state private collector, would be sold at auction, eleven people con-tacted the historical society and made donations ranging from $100 to more than $1,000. This allowed the society to secure the letter with a maximum absentee telephone bid.
At first it was believed to have been written during King William’s War shortly after a February 8, 1690, attack by French Canadian soldiers aided by Sault and Algonquin Indians that killed sixty people — men, women, children, and slaves — and burned the Stockade to the ground. The author of the letter was unknown.
The few remaining survivors struggled to rebuild in the face of a continuous series of smaller raids over the next decade, while the ineffectual New York colonial government was unable to provide more fortifications and troops — the context for this heart-rending
Continued on Page 36
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36 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
King William’s War
King William’s War (1689–1697), North American extension of the War of the Grand Al-liance, waged by William III of Great Britain and the League of Augsburg against France
under Louis XIV. Canadian and New England colonists divided in support of their mother countries and, together with their respective Indian allies, assumed primary responsibility for their own defense. The British, led by Sir William Phips, captured Port Royal, Acadia (later Nova Scotia), but failed to take Quebec. The French and Indians under the Count de Frontenac carried out successful attacks on Schenectady, Salmon Falls (in present New Hampshire), and Casco Bay (in present Maine), but failed to take Boston, their main target. The protracted war ended with the Treaty of Rijswijk (1697). Because of the importance of Indian participation, it is also known as the first of the four French and Indian Wars. ◾
— Enclyclopædia Brittanica
Colonial Letter — Continued from Page 34
letter, which is an appeal for help extending over two densely written pages. It was ad-dressed to Maj. John Alexander Glen in nearby Scotia.
Additional research by Tacke and others at the historical society determined the letter prob-ably was written by the Rev. Cornelius Van Santvoord, a minister who came to Schenectady in 1740 and died in 1752. He was fluent in English, Dutch, and French.
The letter was written in unusually fluent and nuanced English, rare for that period, and had a short note in Dutch with the initials CVS. The letter also mentioned a fort held at Crown Point, but the French did not construct a wooden fort there until 1730, later replacing it with one made of stone.The Letter“The enemy doth surround us on every side, murdering some of our people in a most cruel & barbarous manner ... We are every moment in fear of our life. If we go on to plant our somer corn, so necessary to the sustaining as wel of our life, than of the life of our cattle, we are troubled walking to & from our plantations, in order to look after the fences of our fields, and even then do we run the same risque & danger of being killed or taken by surprize. … We can’t … entertain the correspondence with the city of Albany but march-ing out by whole troops of armed men. In the meanwhile our town must be missing suf-ficiency of men to be defended by in case of a sudden incursion of the enemy. Efforts to befriend rival Indians have shown promise: We prevailed so much upon ’em that now last week ago twenty of ’em went out in company of sixty men of ours to scout up and down, & we find ‘em true ’em but we are not capable to gain them wholly by sufficient supplies. We being abandoned & left to the mercy of the cruel enemy, we must abandon our houses and farms and our town & move to the lower parts of the province, to live in security, & should we & our families there be sustained? We heartily doubt. We being abandoned & left to the mercy of the cruel ennemy, we must abandon our houses and farms and our town & move to the lower parts of the province, to live in security. … We are ready scoffed at & despised by the Indians & they blame the government of neglecting us.” ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 37
When Stamps TalkedTwo postcards from the late Victorian era or short-lived Edwardian era depict how stamps have a language of their own when they are attached in unusual aspects. How-ever, the recipient might interpret the message far differently than the sending, de-pending on which card they used to decode it. Both cards were published by Alfred Stiebel & Co. as part of their “Alpha” series. Identical designs often were issued on several languages. Happy St. Valentine’s Day!
38 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
A Christmas To RememberBy Mark R. Saunders
Ask Art Van Riper of Sayre, Pennsylvania, where Santa lives and he will tell you it is
the Waverly, New York, post office where he got something to make it the best Christmas ever — one of the one-hundred uninverted Jenny miniature sheets that were randomly inserted among 2.2 million Inverted Jenny stamp sheets distributed nationwide.
He purchased forty-five sheets that in-cluded the rarity from Mrs. Claus, aka retail associate Betty Gable.
Van Riper is now part of an elite group of four purchasers of the uninverted sheets, which were distributed randomly in sealed envelopes. The first was bought on eBay by a Canadian. A Californian got his through the USPS. A Chicago resident’s copy was purchased in Georgia.
“I read about the Postal Service’s initiative to draw more people into stamp collecting and figured I’d make a trip to the post office,” Van Riper said. “I figured what the heck. If I don’t pick the right-side up Jenny, these will make for great stocking stuffers and be per-fect for mailing Christmas packages.”
Gable recounted her side of the story about that November day. “When he came in to purchase the stamps, he said he wanted five sheets. I told him our office had forty-five and he might as well buy them all I joked, as the last one will probably be the one. He did just that, and then called back to say the last one did contain the right-side up version. He was so excited. And for me, it was the most thrilling day of my twenty-year career.”
Included with the uninverted stamp sheets is a congratulatory note inside the wrap-ping asking the customer to phone a number to receive a certificate of acknowledgement signed by Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe.
“He came to the Post Office to pick up the certificate and showed it to us. We couldn’t believe it,” said Gable, “Yes Virginia,” said Van Riper. “There is a Santa Claus. Both he and his wife live at the Waverly Post Office. This has to be the best Christmas ever.” ◾
One of FourArt Van Riper is one of only four people worldwide to have found a sheet of cor-rected “inverted Jenny” stamp replicas, which he recently purchased at the Wa-verly Post Office. From left: Van Riper, Postmaster Zoe Ann Sheahan, and postal workers Betty Gable and Sarah Sperduto.
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 39
New Year Resolutions for WritersAssociate Editor Heather Sweeting has provided some invaluable
suggestions for New Year resolutions for our philatelic writ-ers. Many of our correspondents already follow these basics. ▶ Early submission is appreciated and your copy can be
corrected, proofed, and altered if necessary. Late copy may not make it into print or be cut to fit the page.
▶ Read your entire article before submitting it. You might find a duplicated word, wrong tense, and unnecessary words.
▶ Short and to the point is better than long-winded prose. ▶ Use a single space between sentences rather than double
spaces as taught in typing class, and never double space between paragraphs.
▶ It is much easier to place illustrations in articles when they are submitted separately. ▶ If you are stuck for column ideas, a little research can both be interesting and
rewarding. It may uncover things about your collection you didn’t know. Research an engraver, first day ceremony, small post office at your local historical society, names of a sender or receiver on a cover, etc. Think about the topics, ideas, and articles you like to read. What makes them interesting? What story does your item tell?
▶ Please do not submit articles on stone tablets. Computer tablets are fine. ▶ Most importantly: Enjoy your philatelic pursuits and continue to help us share
them with our collecting community. ◾
2014 Vatican City Stamp Program
In November, Ufficio Filatelico e Numismatico announced its 2014 program, ac-cording to James C. Hamilton, associate editor of Vatican Notes, who supplied the
following list:Easter of Resurrection, Pope Francis II Year — MMXIV, 25th anniversary, fall of
the Berlin Wall, Europa 2014—Instruments of National Music, Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II, Centenary of the death of St. Pius X, 400th anniversary of the death of El Greco, 500th anniversary of the death of Bramante, 450th anniversary of the death of Michelangelo, 1200th anniversary of the death of Charlemagne, 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss, 150th anniversary of the birth of Charlie Chaplin, The International journeys of Pope Francis in 2013, 400th anniversary of the death of St. Camillo de Lellis, 400th anniversary of the death of William Shake-speare, and Holy Christmas.
Other offerings will include a postcard set, aerogramme, 2014 philatelic cover (top-ics unspecified at press time), Philatelic/Numismatic Cover: 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, stamp and coin card—Canonization of John Paul II, and the yearbook Vaticano 2014. ◾
• Stamps are fully protected behind heavy, archival quality crystal clear polyester film strips
• Heavy Jet-Black acid-free card stock
• Sizes 1 thru 8 rows, 3 mixed rows
• Stores and displays singles, blocks, miniature sheets and covers, all in one album
• Sold in pkgs of 5 sheets per size
• 81/2x11” pages fit standard 3-Ring BindersSingle-Sided Starsheets ZGK-STSR____(Fill in Code) , SSS Price $6.70 ea. pkg.
10 or more pkgs. $6.29 ea. pkg.Double-Sided Starsheets ZGK-STDR____(Fill in Code) SSS Price $11.04 ea. pkg.
10 or more pkgs. $10.35 ea. pkg.
There
is No B
ette
r Sto
ckpage
4 Rows
48mm
5 Rows
39mm
6 Rows
30mm
3S
30mm
8 Rows
37mm
7 Rows
1 Pocket
258mm
2 Rows
128mm
84mm
3 Rows
G&K “Standard” Starsheets
63mm
SHIPPING CHARGESBy MAIL/UPS *: $7.50 Min. Orders over $54 ADD 12%, Over $100 ADD 10%,Over $250 ADD 8%
* Some Remote Areas Carry Higher Shipping charges.PA Residents: ADD 6% Sales Tax
ADD $5/$10 Per Parcel on high weight/low cost orders shipped to the 11 Western States & TXAsk for Shipping Charges to AK, HI, P.R., APO’s, FPO’s, Foreign
Phone: 1-800-221-9960 Fax: 1-888-221-99602121 Beale Ave, Altoona, Pa 16601
Email: [email protected] Phone: 814-946-1000 Fax: 814-946-9997
America’s (and the World’s) Largest Stamp Collecting Supply Company
Unbelievable Sale #3G&K Starsheet Album
A G&K Nassau binder in your choice of 4 beautiful colors, a matching dustcase –plus– your choice of any 6 packages (30 pages) of Starsheets. Colors: Blue, Black, Burgundy, Hunter Green
Single sided Starsheets ZGK-STSX3. . . . . $60
Double sided Starsheets ZGK-STDX3 . . . .$85
A Mini SpecialBinder #108 plus any 2 packages (20 pages) of Mini Starsheets. A $22.00 value only.
ZGK-STMX . . . . . $19.00
Page size 51/2x81/2”- same size as G&K sales sheet pages. The same Jet-Black card stock as noted on page 3. Sold in pkgs. of 10 pages. ZGK-STMR2 (Fill in Code)
SSS Price $7.34 ea.10 or more pkgs, SSS Price $6.89 ea.
Binder Colors: Blue, Black, Green, Red Binder Size: 7x9 ABN-108 $7.23, SSS Price $5.78 ea.
2 Rows
•
•
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98mm
120mm
G&K Mini Starsheets
42 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Review: Chasing JennyBy Ruth SaboChasing Jenny: A Philatelic Mystery by Jeff Stage. ©2013, 390 pages, $3.99 Kindle or Nook download, softbound $12 plus $4 US shipping. www.jeffstage.com.
This ebook is a fun read if you are at all interested in philat-ely or mysteries. If you are also from upstate New York, it
is triple the enjoyment. If you seek a book that is headed for a National Book Award or a Pulitzer you need to look elsewhere.
This historical-based novel centers on the infamous 1955 theft of a block of four of the twenty-four cent inverted Jenny stamps at a national stamp show in Richmond, Virginia.
The mystery centers on one of the stolen stamps origi-nally bought by William T. Robey in 1918 from his local post office and then sold to a wealthy collector. The post office pulled all the other inverted sheets right after the first sheet of 100 was sold. Most of the Jenny inverts are in the hands of museums and collectors, but two of the four sto-len at the Richmond show have not appeared.
After that bit of history, most of the action takes place in the present time when a young woman shows up at a local stamp show in Syracuse asserting that her elderly father has one of the missing stamps but she isn’t sure where it is. Plenty of action fol-lows, replete with fires, blizzards, murder, wartime battles, romance, and magic. All the action takes place in upstate New York, adding extra fun for all the New Yorkers reading the mystery.
Stage recently completed his thirty-fifth year at the Syracuse Post-Standard, where he worked as a reporter, columnist, and production and copy editor. He also wrote a column on stamp collecting for the Syracuse newspapers for eighteen years. Stage hints his first philatelic novel might be the inaugural book of a fun series based on a philatelic subject. ◾
Humor for Harry
Stamp dealer Harry Tong has been recovering from surgery for the past two months and is now about to begin two months of radiation and chemo. If you know Harry, you know
he loves puns, drawings, jokes, riddles, teasing, and is an avid show host and dealer, rarely a person who sits still. Despite his illness he has maintained his outstanding sense of humor.
Let’s see if those of us in the stamp community can encourage and support his recovery. If you have a minute or two in the next two months, please take a moment and send Harry a card or a silly drawing on a cover, a riddle, a joke, etc. They say laughter is the best medicine! His address is P. O. Box 423 , Milford, New Hampshire 03055. ◾
— Heather Sweeting
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 43
The Empire State Postal HistorySociety Wants You!
Join today and receive the biannual journal — EXCELSIOR! and the quarterly Bulletin
George McGowan, P. O. Box 482, East Schodack, NY 12063-0483www.esphs.us • APS Unit 28
AmericanTopical Association
SE
RV I N G T H E W
OR
LD
OF
T
HE
M A T I C P H I L A
TE
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One Word for the Future —
TOPICALS!for education, creativity, fun
American Topical AssociationP. O. 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008
[email protected] WWW.AMERICANTOPICALASSN.ORG
What can’t you live without?• U.S. STAMPS: Major stock of better pre-WW II
• REVENUES: Among the largest stocks in the U.S.A.
• POSSESSIONS: From Canal Zone to Puerto Rico
Request price list (specify which) or shop online at:
www.astampdealer4u.comFRANK BACHENHEIMER
P. O. Box 230Glenview, Illinois 60025-0230
E-mail: [email protected] • Fax 847-480-7461
Join the American First Day Cover Society• Get a unique perspective on stamp collecting• Learn about first day cover collecting• Enjoy FIRST DAYS magazine• Contact us today!
AFDCS, P.O. Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732-6277Phone 520-321-0880 • Website www.afdcs.org
Collect First Day Programs?The American Ceremony Program Society is the only
philatelic organization devoted to the collection, documentation and preservation of printed ceremony programs and allied items distributed in conjunction
with the launch and promotion of new postal releases.
Join Todaywww.stampceremony.org
44 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Ropex 2014 Prospectus Available
Rochester Philatelic Association’s Ropex 2014, an APS World Series of Philately show, will be May 16–18 at the Main Street Armory, 900 East Main Street. Downloads of the show
prospectus and exhibition form in pdf format are at www.rpastamps.org/ropex.html. The show has up to 150 frames of competitive exhibits in all classes. Costs remain at
$10 per frame for multiframe exhibits and $20 for a single frame. Dealer tables start at $275, with discounts for dollar dealer tables. The show typically has thirty dealers.
Ropex 2014 will host meetings of the Empire State Postal History Society, Art Cover Ex-change (ACE), and the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors on Saturday, May 17.
Youngsters in grades 3–12 from the US and Canada are invited to participate in the show’s annual Design-a-Stamp competition. Cash prizes in three age group categories are available to the winners. See the web site for details.
Tim Bartshe of Golden, Colorado, is chief judge. Rochester will be the last stop on his quest to judge at all thirty plus WSP national shows in the US and Canada. The other judges will be Liz Hisey, David McNamee, Ken Nilsestuen, Steve Reinhard, and appren-tice Regis Hoffman. An additional apprenticeship is available.
The Quality Inn Airport is the show hotel and can be called at 585-464-8800. The rate is $89 Thursday through Sunday. It includes free airport shuttle, full breakfast, wireless room internet access, and transportation to and from the venue. Ask for the special Ropex rate. Book early, as the weekend is a busy one with college graduations and the Lilac Festival taking place then. ◾
Stepex 2014 Prospectus, Entry Form Available
The information and entry form for Stepex 2014, the 39th annual stamp show on Octo-ber 17 and 18 at Big Flats American Legion Post, 45 South Olcott Road, Big Flats, is
available. The show is sponsored by the Elmira Stamp Club.The combined information sheet and entry form is available from Alan Parsons, 809 Holley
Road, Elmira, New York 14905; [email protected]; 607-732-0181 or 734-2271. Stepex (Southern Tier-Elmira Philatelic Exhibition) will include a 12-dealer bourse,
USPS, up to sixty frames of exhibits (maximum 960 pages), and a show cover and program remembering the continuing sesquicentennial of Elmira’s participation in the Civil War.
Exhibit frames are the same size as those used at APS World Series of Philately shows and hold sixteen vertical pages from 8!/™ × 11 to 9 × 11!/™ inches. Fees are $4 per frame (waived for Elmira Club members and junior exhibitors). Single-frame and single-page exhibits are welcome (minimum of four and maximum of eight single page exhibits).
Five frames is the limit for an exhibit, except that entries received before June 30 may be allowed up to ten frames if space is still available. No individual may enter more than two exhibits unless the frames have not been fully subscribed by October 10.
Best-in-show plus gold, silver, and bronze awards will be made for adult and junior ex-hibit. In addition, there will be awards in specialized categories such as New York postal history (ESPHS award) and first day covers (AFDCS award) if criteria are met. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 45
Philateli-Calamity By Stan Burdick0
1/14 © 20
13 Stan Bu
rdick
METROPOLITAN EXPOSITIONS
Beat the BLUES in JanuaryThese two great national shows are guaranteed to lift your spirits …
Metro Boston Stamp ShowJanuary 17–19, 2014, at Marlboro Holiday Inn
265 Lakeside Drive (Route 20, Exit 24 from I-495), Marlboro, Massachusetts
MetroExpo WashingtonJanuary 24–26, 2014, at Holiday Inn Washington Dulles 45425 Holiday Drive (Route 28 Exit 9B), Sterling, Virginia
Both Shows Hours: Friday 10–6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
www.metroexpos.com
Contact Richard E. Murphy, 941-794-0847 or 774-258-0135, [email protected]
46 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Stamp In-SitesSteve Swain
5 Meeting StreetRoswell, GA 30075-6620
[email protected], 770-649-8376
Meet the China Stamp Society (滿足中國郵學會)
As one of the four gold award winners of the 2013 APS Chapters & Affiliates Website Competition, the China Stamp Society’s site (www.chinastampsociety.org) is a
masterpiece of structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, and content. Col-lectors with even a passing interest in Chinese philately will enjoy its many features and content-rich links.My Rating of the Site (5=High, 1=Low)Content: 5; Structure & Navigation: 5; Visual Design: 4+; Functionality: 5; Interactivity: 5; Overall: 5
The society was formed in 1936 to promote Chinese philately, in-cluding Hong Kong, Macau, Manchukuo, Tibet, Shanghai and the Treaty Ports, Foreign Offices in China, and the Japanese Occupa-tion of China. It is the largest English speaking Chinese phila-telic organization in the world and the oldest affiliate of the American Philatelic Society.
Although there is no site map, the home page menu provides easy access to twenty major categories/pages with most providing quick intrasite jumps and external links to as-sociated content.
For both the novice and advanced collector, pages for New Issues, Exhibits, Arti-cles and Maps, and other categories provide a wealth of information and high-quality images. And, you can discuss all aspects of Chinese philately with other enthusiasts using the site’s chat room “Forum.”
As with most philatelic society’s sites, membership in The China Stamp Society grants an even wider, more extensive use of their site, such as translation services for Chinese characters and postmarks on stamps or covers. For auctions or sales of stamps and covers, you must be a Society member to bid, buy or sell.
However, you do not need to be a Society member to look. As such, the knowledge of Chinese philately a non-member can acquire from the auction and sales pages is invalu-able. Hundreds of images and descriptions of stamps from Imperial China, Hong Kong, liberated areas, People’s Republic of China, revenue stamps, etc., are a veritable catalog of Chinese philately.
A most interesting page that supports the site’s rich content character is the Gallery of Forgeries. Here you can view images of over 225 counterfeit stamps for liberated ar-eas, provisional neutrality and specimen sheets. The page has a keyword search feature, a rather significant tool for forgery aficionados. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 47
Exploring DeltiologyRuth L. Sabo51 Island View RoadCohoes, NY [email protected], 518-785-1330
Panama Canal Turning 100
A number of important anniversaries will be
marked in 2014, including the centennial of the opening of the Panama Canal. The first official crossing of the canal took place on August 15, 1914, by the steamship SS Ancon. Grand opening celebrations with global participation had been scheduled for August, but because of the outbreak of World War I the milestone was marked with a low key lo-cal celebration instead.
The canal was a technological marvel and a major economic, military and strategic asset to the United States. By removing the necessity of traveling the lengthy and hazard-ous route around Cape Horn, the canal saves a total of about 7,800 miles on a trip from New York to San Francisco. It proved its military significance during World War II when America used it to restore our devastated Pacific Fleet. Most of our largest shipbuilding centers were on the east coast and it was imperative to get our aircraft carriers and battle-ships to the Pacific as quickly as possible.
After construction, the canal and the Canal Zone were administered by the US. In 1977 President Jimmy Carter set in motion the process of handing over the canal to Panamanian control. Panama has had complete control since January 1, 2000. With the recent increased economic power of the Asian nations, traffic through the canal has increased substantially in the past decade. In 2007 the Panamanian government launched a major project to update and enlarge the canal. It is expected to double the capacity of the canal when it opens in 2015.
Happily, the original construction of the canal coincided with the height of the post-card era and many colorful and delightful cards were printed during this time. Two of my favorites depict the huge role the United States played in the project. Most cards of the canal opening sell for $10 to $40 in excellent condition. I would anticipate that with the centennial upon us demand for them and thus their value might be on the increase. ◾
48 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Youth & Philately Robert Finnegan10 O’Neill Drive
Oneonta, NY [email protected], 607-432-8141
Afro-American Heritage and the Time Line
All of us truly remember social studies classes throughout grade school and into high school. Very often we were asked to place various historical events onto a dated time
line to indicate our understanding when these events took place.Students as early as fourth grade still do the same thing whereby they have the oppor-
tunity to clearly demonstrate their understanding of the order in which events take place. This use of a time line can also help students understand when in time various individuals may have played a part in the historical perspective of the United States.
Using February as Black History Month in the US and the many issues of some great Afro Americans from the Black Heritage series produced by the USPS, a stamp advisor can quickly help students generate a time line indicating the period of time in which these great Americans played a significant part. This can be done as a group project whereby a time line from 1700–2000 could be produced.
Each collector could be given one–three different Black Heritage stamps; re-search the individual and find out what contribution that American made and when he was born and died. That collector would then be asked to place the stamp on the group’s time line.
Obviously, the collectors will have some stamps that will coincide with others. ◾
Afro-American Heritage Time Line
1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 49
Fillmore the FilatelistDavid A. KentPO Box 127New Britain, CT [email protected], 860-667-1400
A President’s Son Takes Command
In the last issue I discussed the history of the Brooklyn
Navy Yard, long a mainstay of the New York scene and now a civilian industrial park. Dur-ing its military career the yard produced not only many Navy ships, but also many covers for our collections as well.
Here is a good example — a cover noting the commissioning of a destroyer escort in 1944. The ship, the USS Ulvert M. Moore, was named for a pilot hero of the Battle of Midway (June 47, 1942). Its first commanding officer was none other than Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., the president’s son.
FDR Junior was born in 1914 and attended Harvard, graduating in 1937. He then attended the University of Virginia Law School. He had joined the Naval Reserve in 1937, and was called to active duty in March 1941. Like all of his brothers, he served actively in the military overseas rather than seeking a safe post back home. He earned a Silver Star and Purple Heart during the invasion of Italy in 1943, and received a promotion to commanding officer.
His new command was a destroyer escort, which defended fleets from submarine and air attack. After training in the Atlantic, the ship passed through the Panama Canal and spent the rest of the war in the Pacific. The ship took important parts in many battles, including the liberation of the Philippines and other western Pacific island groups. The Moore was supporting the invasion of Okinawa in April 1945 when word was received of the death of the commanding officer’s father, President Roosevelt.
The Moore returned to the US after the war and was mothballed in 1946. It was reacti-vated for the Korean War in 1951, and decommissioned for the last time in 1958.
FDR Junior joined the family law firm after the war and became involved in politics. He was not as successful in those endeavors as his father had been. He served in the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1955, and on a number of government commissions, and was a close friend of John F. Kennedy, However, despite several attempts he never became governor of New York. Like his brothers, he was involved in more than a few political con-troversies, a prominent figure in the rough and tumble of New York State politics.
Later in life he ran a small cattle farm and imported Fiat automobiles. He died at his home in Poughkeepsie in 1988. ◾
50 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Stamp Shop AdventuresThomas Auletta
258 Ushers Road, Suite 203Clifton Park, NY 12065-1428
[email protected], 518-877-3027
Bernie the Beret and Liquids Don’t Mix
Last time, I introduced you to Bernie the Beret, a long-time sacheleer who visited my Long Island store on a weekly basis for more than twenty years. Over this time,
he provided a useful service for us, as he brought fresh material for us to purchase and sell to our customers. He also became a source for many interesting stories, some more amusing than others.
Bernie did not have much luck with liquids when he visited, and two different stories come to mind — one involving a cup of coffee and one involving a cup of water. Bear in mind that we all know that moisture in any form is not something to be careless about when stamps are in the vicinity.
One of these stories illustrates how sometimes things just happen no matter how care-ful you are, and the other touches on Bernie’s lack of philatelic experience when examin-ing a valuable stamp. Neither of these instances resulted in a positive result for the valu-able stamps being examined.
We regularly offered a cup of coffee to our customers and guests when they arrived, and Bernie always accepted. He took a sip, placed the cup carefully down on the table, and proceeded to use his tongs to remove an early US mint NH stamp in order to show it to me. I reminded Bernie to be careful about the coffee because he was holding the stamp (which was valued at several hundred dollars) almost directly above the coffee cup.
He then moved the coffee over about a foot to his left, and extended the tongs holding the stamp towards me so that I could get a better view. Of course, the stamp slipped from the tongs, but instead of falling straight down to the table, it kind of fluttered down and before we could do anything about it, it plopped directly into the coffee! Bernie uttered a cry of anguish as he tried to retrieve the stamp, but it was pretty much a total loss.
The other instance involved Bernie trying to sell me another classic US stamp. This one was nicely centered and used with a light cancel. I liked it, but I was a bit concerned about a paper adhesion on the reverse as these can sometime be used to hide thins or other defects. “No problem,” he said. Bring me a cup of water and I’ll soak that adhesion off for you.”
When I brought the cup of water, he dropped the stamp in. After a few minutes, we both watched in dismay as the stamp separated into the four smaller pieces that the adhe-sion had held together!
It was experiences like these that helped me to try to always remember that you cannot be too careful in dealing with stamps, especially valuable ones. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 51
First Day CoverageGlenn A. EstusPO Box 451Westport, NY 12993-0451 [email protected], 518-962-4558
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE
Creating FDCs from Press Sheets
It’s not often that a new area of collecting comes along, but one such area of US first day covers has emerged in the last year and a half. Beginning in July 2012, the USPS began
selling press sheets without die cuts. In other words, stamps that we might call “imperfo-rate.” This term is technically incorrect as the stamps are not perforated but die cut.
The press sheets without die cuts usually have been printed in a quantity of 2,500 sheets consisting of multiple panes.
The USPS also sells uncacheted FDCs with both the regular and digital first day cancels. However, it does not sell FDCs with the imperforate stamps. This is the new collecting area — FDCs of the imperforate stamps.
Servicing the stamps with the regular B/W pictorial or FDOI cancels is the same as with all issues. You need to send your FDCs to the FD city postmaster and wait for their return.
Servicing the stamps with digital postmarks is a little more involved. You are only al-lowed to use envelopes made of paper rated as “laser safe” with no glue on the flap. Also, you must enclose two blank envelopes that the USPS can test them to see if your covers will successfully take the digital cancel. Finally, there is a service charge of fifty cents per envelope with a minimum of ten envelopes submitted.
The 2012 USS Constitution stamp was issued in press sheets of five panes while the 2013 Battle of Lake Erie stamp press sheets consisted of six panes. I have seen only one seller on eBay who has made digital FDCs with the non-die cut stamps. If you think this is a worthwhile collecting area, now is the time to start your collection while there are sup-plies still available. ◾C
ach
ets
by
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nn A
. Es
tus
52 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
EphemeraDiane DeBlois
PO Box 477West Sand Lake, NY 12196-0277
[email protected], 518-674-2979
The Old Dutch Church Post Office
New York City kept outgrowing its post office at mid 19th century. From 1845 to 1860, the Post Office Department leased the Old Dutch Church on Nassau Street, which im-
mediately was too small. A recent donation of an archive of the Reformed Dutch Church to the Butler Library at Columbia University sheds some interesting light on this period of tenancy.
The first lease was May 1, 1845, for $5,000, but there had been negotiations with the church before that and much discussion of the price. Over the next fifteen years, there were several petitions for improvements to the property. The most interesting of these (which was accomplished and can be seen in the 1850 letterhead, above right) was a wall and fence erected to prevent casual passersby urinating against the post office walls!
An August 1848 letter from a neighbor, abolitionist Lewis Tappan of the Amistad case fame (lower center), included a sketch (lower left) of what was proposed to abut the entrance from Cedar Street, with the notations: “It is proposed to allow the iron railing now erected to remain, putting a brick pier at each point where there is now a large iron post.”
On October 19, 1860, the Post Office Department purchased the property for $250,000 which was considered below its value, but which gave the Reformed Dutch congregation a welcome financial boost that they parlayed into quite a considerable real estate portfolio in the succeeding decades. The former church was expanded with wings that filled in the space contained by the fence of 1848, but it was cramped quarters until a new, much larger edifice was finished in 1877. The church was never again used for worship, but was leased to other businesses. It was razed in 1882. One Chase Manhattan Plaza now occupies the site. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 53
Glens Falls, New YorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday, except July, August,
at Crandall Library, City Park, 251 Glen St.
Tom Noonan, 10 Beechwood Dr., Burnt Hills, NY 12027-9739 [email protected], 518-399-9075
Adirondack Stamp, Post Card &
Ephemera Club
Club Celebrates the Holidays
We met twice in Decem-ber — a rare occur-
rence. We changed our annu-al holiday banquet from an evening dinner to a luncheon held on Saturday, December 7 (Pearl Harbor Day).
Fourteen members, spous-es, and guests met at the Log Jam Restaurant in Queens-bury for a couple of enjoyable hours and great fare.Single-Page NightOur December 11 meeting was single-page night. Mem-bers shared topics, including early transatlantic mail, Penny Black cover, Farley souvenir sheets, Russian helicopters, Equatorial Guinea, US covers, Pueblo Indian art, 1995 con-temporary Christmas stamps, a first day ceremony presen-tation folder signed by the stamps’ designers, and “It’s Only a Postage Stamp” article.Programs
January 8 — World’s Fairs by Thomas AulettaFebruary 12 — Pictorial Postmarks by Tom NoonanMarch 12 — TBA by Bill HartApril 9 — Airmail Covers by Paul Hartig May 14 — 1932 Lake Placid Olympics by Glenn A. EstusJune 10 — Spring / summer auction ◾
Party Goers: From left, top: Stan Burdick, Thelma Vanderzee, Rick Blanchard, and Tom Noonan. Clockwise below: Jim Bennett, Joe and Ruth Kopczak, Carol Elmer, and Marjorie Durling.
54 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Carterville, Illinois http://americantopicalassn.org
Vera Felts, American Topical Association Executive Director, PO Box 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008
[email protected], 618-985-5100
American Topical Association
SE
RV I N G T H E W
OR
LD
OF
T
HE
M A T I C P H I L AT
EL
Y
Lighthouse Stamp Society
For thousands of years lighthouses have guided mariners and their ships around hazards and to safety. Lighthouses
have become symbols of hope to many. Visiting and collect-ing lighthouse collectibles is popular, so it should come as no surprise that there are many collectors of lighthouse stamps.
The Lighthouse Study Unit was founded in 1973. While the study unit journal, The Pharos, was published continu-ously until 1987, there were no active study unit officers for many years and the last issue was published in 1992. Soon after the ATA charter was withdrawn.
The current Lighthouse Stamp Society was founded in 1992 and chartered by the ATA in 1994. Dalene Thomas has been the editor of The Philatelic Beacon since 1992. The Philatel-ic Beacon is a bimonthly journal containing new issue informa-tion, lighthouse cancellations and sometimes members share their travel experiences as they visit different lighthouses.
In addition to the journal, the Lighthouse Stamp Soci-ety also offers its members the opportunity to participate in a cover circuit as well as a postcard circuit.
Annual dues for regular mail delivery are $12 for US addresses, $15 for Canada and $20 to any other coun-try. The Lighthouse Stamp Society also offers electronic membership and will send The Philatelic Beacon to you as a pdf via email. Dues are US $10 for electronic membership.
Membership applications and more information about the Lighthouse Stamp Soci-ety can be found at the study unit website www.lighthousestampsociety.org or from Dalene Thomas, 8612 West Warren Lane, Lakewood, Colorado 80277-2352. ◾
— Jeffrey Hayward, ATA Director of Study Units
National Topical Stamp Show Dates Announced
The sixty-fifth annual ATA National Topical Stamp Show will be June 27–29 at the Renais-sance St. Louis Airport Hotel, 9801 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, Missouri, 63134; tele-
phone 314-429-1100. Additional contact information is at the top of this page. ◾
Issued June 14, 2013 as part of a set of four, this Bar-bados stamp depicts the South Point Lighthouse. It is the oldest lighthouse in Barbados and was brought to and reassembled on the island in 1852. The South Point Lighthouse is open to the public.
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 55
Buffalo, New Yorkwww.buffalostampclub.org
Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first & third Fridays, except June, July, and August, at VFW Leonard Post, 2450 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga
Alfred Carroccia, 152 Windmill Road, West Seneca, NY 14218-3776 [email protected], 716-674-0302
Another Successful Autumn Festival
As with prior bourses, the Autumn Stamp Festival on November 16 at the Leonard
Post was a huge success. A steady turnout kept the ten dealers and USPS busy.
The club again had a youth table with plenty of stamps and supplies. There was a pe-riod when there was a group of youngsters en-gaging in the hobby! There was a steady flow of traffic through the club hospitality table which was staffed by volunteers. We hope ev-eryone found what they were looking for.
Thanks to Bill Witschard, Alan Davis, Bob Meegan, Tim Carey, Casey Kielbasa, Dan Sherwood, and George Gates and all others who helped to make the festival a success.A Quiet December December is a quiet month for the club. Be-cause of holiday activities it met only once — holding its Holiday Social after the auction on December 6. There was a good turnout as members enjoyed pizza, wings, and other snacks with plenty of soft drinks. There was plenty of banter about the lots that got away and Christmas wish lists for those badly needed items. Thanks to president Alan Da-vis who organized the event.Exhibiting PresentationBob Meegan will give his presentation on exhibiting in January. The difficult part is coming up with a topic and then it gets easier.Preparing for BufpexAs we enter 2014 it is now time to think about exhibits for Bufpex on March 1–2. For more about the show, see the advertisement on page 25. ◾
Bourse ActivitiesFrom top: lan Davis with member/dealer Kevin Suckow, George Gates at the club table, and the USPS table.
56 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Hamilton, New YorkMeets at 7:45 p.m. on the first Monday March–December
at Hamilton Public Library on the Green, 13 Broad St.
Braden Houston, 2063 Spring St., Hamilton, NY 13346-2259 [email protected], 315-824-2237
Handling, Production Mishaps and FraudBy Frank Lee
I tend to look at postal mishaps from two dif-
ferent view points. First, there are errors in the handling of mailed postal items. Secondly, there are production errors.
Let’s take a look at some of the production errors that occur in printing of postal items. Probably the most famous error in U.S. stamp produc-tion occurred with the twenty-four-cent inverted Jenny of 1918. There are other stamps issued with inverted centers, notably the fifteen- and twenty-four-cent stamps of the 1869 Pictorial issue, and in some of the second issue of the revenue stamps of 1871.
In 1962, there was an error in printing the Dag Hammarskjöld stamp (Scott No. 1203) where the yellow color was inverted during the printing process. This caused quite a stir with collectors when the Post Office Department decided to intentionally reissue the stamp with the color inverted (Scott No. 1204). In recent times, the Legends of the West souvenir sheet was issued with the wrong picture of Bill Pickett and was recalled and reissued with the correct image. Some of the other types of production errors are color missing, missing or misalignment of perforations, tagging omitted and albino stamped envelopes and wrappers.
The errors in the handling of mail are numerous and varied. Probably one of the most common problems is items going through the mail stream and not being can-celled. This can result in the stamps being illegally used a second time to send mail. Another problem seen is items going through the mail system with no postage affixed and no postage due collected.
Items damaged in the processing or transportation process will receive an explanatory hand stamp or be placed in a body bag before delivery. Sometimes, facsimiles of stamps are attached to mail (with glue or adhesive tape) and mailed with no one catching the illegal item. Often the self-adhesive covers of booklets are used to deceive the USPS (shown above).
All of these and many more postal mishaps are fun and challenging to collect. What do you have in your collection? ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 57
New Haven, Connecticutwww.facebook.com/pages/Connecticut-Cover-Club/147211451982581
Meets at 9:30 a.m. on the third Sunday at the Super Stop and Shop, 112 Amity Road
Joseph Connolly, 571 Treat Lane, Orange, CT 06477-2739 [email protected], 203-795-3718
Connec
tic
ut Cove
r C
lub • F
ounded 20
0
6 • F
ounded 2
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06
JFK: Fifty Years LaterBy Joseph Connolly
I learned of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy at the beginning of the
Boston Symphony’s Friday afternoon con-cert on November 22, 1963. Music Director Erich Leinsdorf announced that the presi-dent had been shot. He then led the orches-tra in the funeral march from Beethoven’s Third Symphony (Eroica).
Little did I know that philatelists would get postmarked covers for the tragic event. Fifty years later club cachet director Andy Doback and I drove to two post offices in Connecticut towns having a connection to JFK.
Member Cliff Gilmond suggested the club design a cachet for the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination as JFK graduated from The Choate School in Wallingford. Doback and I also found that he attended eighth grade at the Canterbury School in New Milford, but had to withdraw in April 1931 for an appendectomy.
JFK spent his four high school years at Choate, graduating in 1935. He was known for his pranks, once exploding a toilet seat with a firecracker. The headmaster held the seat aloft while in chapel and called the perpetrators “muckers.” JFK then founded the Muckers Club. Doback designed two covers with cachets referring to Choate and one for Canterbury.
Doback, Gilmond, and I met at the Wallingford post office. We made arrangements in advance and were given a small office to apply the postmarks under supervision. Doback and I then drove to New Milford. We hadn’t made advance calls so we had lunch while the supervi-sor verified that handback service was acceptable. Again, we were able to apply our postmarks in an office under supervision. We left covers at each post office as a “thank you.” Rest assured, we drove onto each school campus, making the covers more collectible!.
A set of three covers is priced at $9 plus a No. 10 SASE and may be ordered from Ar-nold A. Agnoli, 70 Old Town Road, Unit 338, Vernon Rockville, CT 06066-6418. ◾
58 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Poughkeepsie, New YorkMeets at 7:30 p.m. on the first & third Mondays at the Friends Meeting House, corner of Hooker Avenue & Whittier Boulevard
Cliff Foley, 3 Short Court, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590-3515 [email protected], 845-297-1875
Honoring Buildings
While looking through my United States album recently, I began to wonder about what things we honor on US postage stamps. Obviously one of the largest groups, if
not the largest, is people. When we go back to the 1800s we see many famous Americans appearing on stamps. George Washington, the father of our country is at the lead. We also see Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and a host of others.
We later see other honorees such as events. The Columbian Exposition is a prominent one in 1892. As we get into the twentieth century I noticed some buildings begin to appear on our post-age. The 1922 regular issue put the United States Capitol on the $2 denomination (Scott No. 372). We see one of our Hudson Valley landmarks on the five cent issue for the greatest army and navy heroes. It features buildings at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
An airmail example (Scott No. C34) depicts the Pan American Union building.The 1954 definitive set has Andrew Jackson’s home, the Hermitage, on the four-and-a
half-cent issue (Scott No. 1037). There are also Mount Vernon (Scott No. 1032) and the Palace of Governors in Santa Fe (Scott No. 1031A) .
Later in 1979 we see a series of architecture stamps including four fifteen-cent stamps featuring Jefferson’s Rotunda at the University Virginia, the Boston State House, the Bal-timore Cathedral and the Philadelphia Exchange (Scott No. 1779–1782). Though these feature the image of buildings, they are really honoring the architects who designed them.
I wonder if anyone has taken the time to analyze and list all the types of topics on US stamps and where do buildings fit in. Hmmm, just wondering.
Happy New Year! — The Dutchess Philatelic Society wishes all our stamp collecting friends a philatelically successful 2014. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 59
Elmira Stamp Club
Elmira, New YorkMeets at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6) the third Tuesday
at Steele Memorial Library, 101 East Church St. Stamp Circuit Available
Alan Parsons, 809 Holley Road, Elmira, NY 14905-1212 [email protected], 607-732-0181
Club Elects Officers for 2014
Officers for 2014 are Mike Breed, president; Don Dolan, vice president, treasurer, and membership and board secretary. Directors are Sarah Halliday, 2014; Galer Perreault,
2015; Neal Walker, 2016; and Alan Parsons, APS representative and Stepex chair.The club has reserved the third Tuesday of each month for its meeting, subject to change if
the library needs the space for one of its programs. In the event of a change, members will be no-tified on handouts at meetings and in the Stamp Insider, Elmira Star Gazette and Corning Leader.
Elmira Post Office received numerous re-quests for the Stepex 2013 show cancel. Club member Gordon Stratton, at USPS’ request, did the job with help from his daughter, Vickie. They also serviced and sleeved the cover, which still can be purchased at club meetings or by mail for $2 and a sase from Neal Walker, 403 Herrick St., Elmira, New York 14904. Make checks payable to Elmira Stamp Club. The cov-er depicts the monument at Gettysburg to the 107th N.Y. volunteer infantry raised primarily in Steuben and Chemung Counties and mustered on August 13, 1862, with 1,016 officers and men. It is franked with one of the two 2013 Civil War Sesquicentennial commemoratives.
2014 Dues — Please bring your 2014 dues to the January meeting or mail to Don Dolan, 169 East Second Street, Corning, New York 14830. Make checks payable to Elmira Stamp Club. Programs
January 21 — Member auction; distribute ballots for February meeting.February 18 — Continuation of December program on doctoring of postage stamps;
balloting for Linn’s 2013 U.S. Stamp Popularity Poll.Meeting NotesNovember — 17 attended for annual Super Auction. Of the forty-seven lots, twenty-three sold for a total of $321.50. This included six club lots realizing $65, which, when added to the Club’s $14.15 commission on the non club lots, brought a total of $79.15 to the club treasury. Parsons reviewed Stepex 2013 results and declared the show a success.December — 15 attended. Members brought a fine variety of holiday treats and everyone en-joyed the food. The dates for Stepex 2014 were announced and Parsons pleaded for more exhib-its from the membership. The evening concluded with Wayne Nyre showing a DVD on “doctor-ing” of postage stamps and displaying his own collection of fake and doctored stamps. ◾
60 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
EMPIRE STATEPOSTAL HISTORY
SOCIETY1 9 6 7
F O U N D E D
E. S
. P. H . S.
APS Unit 28www.esphs.us
Meets twice annually
Membership info: George McGowan PO Box 482, E. Schodack, NY 12063-0482
[email protected], 518-479-4396
Letters to a StenographerBy Alfred Carroccia
An envelope containing covers franked with Cattaraugus County manuscript
and circle date cancels proved difficult to resist. At $1 a cover who knows what I was bound to find.
The covers were in the good to fine con-dition. The strikes were crisp and there were several covers from Napoli, a discon-tinued post office, and a nice manuscript cancel from Carrolton.
There were also the perfunctory single and double-barreled cancels from Little Valley and East Randolph. All the covers were addressed to William Henry Slocum.
William Henry Slocum was born in Gen-esee County at East Bethany on January 1, 1844. His family moved to Michigan but returned to Cattaraugus County after the death of his mother.
He attended school in Randolph and in 1868 graduated as a stenographer from Graham’s Shorthand Academy in New York City.
He was appointed official stenogra-pher in the Allegany District Court and the first official stenographer to the Supreme Court for the Eighth Judicial District of New York which covered Western New York. In 1873 he opened Slocum’s School of Shorthand in Buffalo, which he ran until his death in 1913.
Slocum’s position as a stenographer accounts for the abundance of covers in this lot. He would have had frequent contact with clients who would need a stenographer for sworn testimony and statements. These covers document not only the cancels of Catta-raugus County, but also the correspondence of Slocum. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 61
FIN
GER LAKE
S
STA M P C L U
B
Geneva, New YorkMeets at 8 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays at the
Sawdust Café, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, except for second Wednesdays only from November–February
James Darnell, 136 Lock St., Clyde, NY 14433-1117 [email protected], 315-923-7355
Shirley Stowell, above left, displays pages from her collection. Attending the Christmas party were, from left, front row: Bob LaBelle, Howard Sabin, Jim Darnell, Shirley Stow-ell, Virginia Bourke, Diane Darnell; back row: Bob Briggs, Don Grover, Carl Klapp, Jeff Huether, Dave Himes, Ken Schade, John Bourke.
Christmas To the Fore
In November, treasurer Shirley Stowell presented a program titled Collecting Christmas Stamps. She engaged members with an overview of the history of Christmas stamps
around the world and in the US, along with showing her growing collection.Our annual Christmas party meeting on December 11 was attended by fourteen members
who braved the snow and potentially slippery roads to enjoy a large array of refreshments and Christmas treats and a Secret Santa gift exchange after our business meeting.
Election — Reëlected officers for 2014 were Dave Himes, president; Bob Briggs, vice president; Shirley Stowell, treasurer; and Jim Darnell, secretary.
Long-time Member Dies — Dr. Roy P. Johnston, 85, of Canandaigua, who had been a club member for more than fifty-five years, died on December 13. He had been a clini-cal psychologist at the VA Medical Center in Canandaigua for thirty-one years and had au-thored or coauthored twenty-five published research papers in psychology and psychiatry.
Cover Plans — Our cover committee is planning to produce covers for the following 2014 stamp issues: Civil War (Battles of Petersburg and Mobile Bay), War of 1812 (Battle of Fort McHenry), Charlton Heston, and Christmas Plants. Programs
January 8 — Linn’s Stamp PollFebruary 12 — Germania Issues of 1900–21 by Don Grover ◾
62 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Albany, New YorkMeets at 7:30 p.m. on the second & fourth Tuesdays except
June–August at Bethany Reformed Church Community Center, 760 New Scotland Ave.
Maris Tirums, PO Box 5475, Albany NY 12205-0475 [email protected], 518-438-1657
Auction Highlights Fall Season
On November 12, the members assembled at our meeting location for the ever popular annual Fall Members Auction. This event always presents an opportunity for members
to sell excess material and for members and guests to buy new treasures. Auction manager Maris Tirums likes to have about 150 lots, and this auction did not disappoint him.
Auctioneer Tom Auletta (above left) kept the action moving with the help of Jim Kirby and others. The club takes a small percentage for sold items. However, this auction had many donation lots where the price realized went directly into the treasury.Butterfield and BeyondFor our second meeting in November, Charles Eson (above right) gave an talk on the history of the Butterfield Overland Express Company. What was so interesting is that he highlighted the local connections of the story. John W. Butterfield was born in 1801 in Berne, Albany County, New York. By age 19 he was a professional stagecoach driver running between Albany and Utica. His company eventually became American Express. Another connection was the famous Con-cord stagecoaches used by Butterfield, which were manufactured in Concord, New Hampshire.
The USPS issued a four-cent commemorative stamp on October 10, 1958, for the hun-dredth anniversary of the Overland Mail (Scott No. 1120).Holiday PartyTraditionally the club has only one meeting in December, and that gathering is the annual Holiday Party. This year 28 members and guests gathered to celebrate the season and enjoyed a wonderful dinner, organized by Kris Zimmer and her staff. Members supplied all the fixings and Joe Rudnick ran the kitchen. The finale of the evening was the gift ex-change which is always lots of fun. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 63
Rome, New YorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Thursday, except
January and February, at Rome Municipal Building, Second Floor
Fort Stanwix Stamp Club, PO Box 734, Rome, NY 13442-0374 Patricia A. Hash, 315-339-1019
STA
MPF
OR
T
CLUB
STANWIX
End of Year Event
On December 17, 2013, club members enjoyed a delicious end of year meal at Vescio’s Franklin Hotel. Our secretary–treasurer, Patricia Hash, did an outstanding job of
scheduling and coördinating the event. We had the best attendance ever.The next club meeting will be on March 27 following our January and February hiatus.We hope everyone had a joyous Christmas and are looking forward to a produc-
tive New Year and everyone’s philatelic Christmas wishes were fulfilled during the holiday season. ◾
64 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Good Buy or Goodbye?Both of these Cooperstown covers were offered on eBay in late December 2013 — the drop letter with a one cent Scott No. 112 for $60 buy it now or best offer and the advertising letter with Scott No. 26 at a starting bid of $100. The drop cover is listed as “just tied at top.” This can be seen only when the stamp and postmark are magnified. Scott lists the stamp on cov-er at $290. The advertising cover for the American Edu-cational Series textbooks is addressed to the Prim Young Ladies School in Laurens, just north of Oneonta. While the dull red stamp is not particu-larly valuable on cover, the clean “Cooperstown N.Y. / May / 10 / 1858 cds and fancy advertising make the piece particularly attractive.
Cooperstown, New YorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday, except January and February, at the Tillapaugh home, 28 Pioneer St.
Ellen Tillapaugh, 80 Beaver St., Cooperstown, NY 13326-1202 [email protected], 607-547-5646
LeatherÇockingStamp Club
of Cooperstown
Two Clubs Plan Another Bourse
Tri-County Stamp Club and our club are planning an show October. At the time of this writ-ing the date was unclear due to venue issues at the Oneonta Holiday Inn. Interested dealers
can contact Bob Finnegan whose contact informatin is listed on the Tri-County club page.Programs
March 6 — Modern Paper Varieties — US Stamps by Al KeckApril 3 — Air Mail Transports by Steve McCarthyMay 1 — Bilingual Stamps by Peter CraigJune 5 — 1939 Baseball Centennial by Ellen Tillapaugh ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 65
Olean, New YorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday
at Bethany Lutheran Church, 6 Leo Moss Drive
Ronald J. Yeager, PO Box 774, Bradford, PA 16701-0774 [email protected], 814-362-4471
O
LEAN AREA
STA
MP CLUB
Exploring a Civil War Patriotic Cover
A very attractive Civil War patriotic cover from
Olean was recently offered for sale at $115 by an internet dealer. The cover with a three cent Scott No. 65 was mailed on February 24, 1862, to the Flushing Institute on Long Is-land. The seller identified the cachet as “Weiss F-T-33.”
This identification refers to a designation in one of the definitive books on Civil War patriotic covers written and published by William R. Weiss, Jr. in 1995. The Catalog of Union Civil War Patriotic Covers illustrates more than 5,500 designs.
Weiss’ catalogue includes with a cross-reference to the Nutmeg Stamp Sales 2000 auction catalogue of The Collection of J. Bischel, a price guide, and a cross-reference to numbers in The George Walcott Collection Of Used Civil War Patriotic Covers auction catalogue published in 1934.
The Weiss catalogue retails at $110 retail. It is available on eBay and is listed as “out-of-stock” on Amazon. Weiss has written an informative article on patriotic covers on eBay at www.ebay.com/gds/collecting-civil-war-patriotic-covers-/10000000001923381/g.html about their history, usage, and the earlier reference materials used to create his manuscript. He also is an exhibitor, and APS and PSE certified expert.
Flushing Institute was in-corporated in 1827 and was a boys school for a decade. Then under the name of St. Ann’s Hall, it was a school for young women. It was again changed into a school for young men, closing in 1902. ◾
66 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Oswego, New YorkMeets at 6 p.m. on the fourth Monday, except July and August,
at Faith United Church, 12 Mark Fitzgibbons Drive
Leigh LeClair, 212 Murray St., Oswego, NY 13126-4032 [email protected], 315-342-5653
Siegel Sells Rare Oswego Postal History ItemsBy Heather Sweeting
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. sale 1063 on December 19, 2013, contained several Oswego-related postal history items. The most interesting item was lot 1020, estimated to
sell between $750–1,000, which sold for $375 — a bargain for such an intriguing item.The cover was unusual in that it originated from Fort Ontario and went to Canada dur-
ing the time the British occupied the fort. The dateline of May 20, 1795, makes it a very early piece, albeit one lacking any official postal markings. The letter, sent to Captain Hugh McDonell of the Royal Canadian Volunteers in Montreal, was carried outside of the mail, crossing the border from US territory. After the 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the Revolution-ary War, the British occupied Fort Ontario until 1796 after the signing of the Jay Treaty.
A cover (lot 1875) from Honolulu to Elizabeth Turrill in Oswego, estimated at $5,000–7,500 realized $6,000. The cover, with an April 20, 1859, San Francisco, California, circular date stamp has a very nice mixed franking of the 1857 five-cent Kamehameha III second printing (Scott No. 8) and a United States twelve-cent 1851 issue (Scott No. 17) is very attractive despite small tears. It also bears a marking in red; honolulu u.s. postage paid / mar. 14. Of note is the fact that the same cover sold as lot 1875 for $8,000 in Siegel’s sale 1009 in May 2011.
The cover was transported on the barque Adelaida, which departed Honolulu on March 16, 1859 (two mails date stamped March 14) and arrived on April 5 (date stamped April 20 at San Francisco). This leads one to surmise what the relationship between some-one in Oswego and someone in Hawaii was in 1859. A clue is that Joel Turrill, a Vermont native who moved to Oswego in 1819 after passing the bar exam, was appointed United States consul to the Kingdom of Hawaii 1845–1850. He died in Oswego on December 28, 1859, and is buried in Riverside cemetery. Miss Turrill was one of his four children.
Party Canceled — The club had to cancel its holiday party in December because of inclement weather. Oswego is known for its winters and winter had already arrived. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 67
Rochester, New Yorkwww.rpastamps.org
Meets at 7 p.m. on the second & fourth Thursdays, except July and August, at Brighton Reformed Church, 805 Blossom Road
Thomas M. Fortunato, 28 Amberwood Place, Rochester, NY 14626-4166 [email protected], 585-225-6822
RPA Electronic Presentations
We have been very fortunate to have had many RPA members step up and volunteer to give talks about their collections and/or philatelic specialties for our meetings.
Live presentations are always received well by attendees.We also have had a marked increase in live presentations augmented by either
PowerPoint or web pages that are afterwards posted on the club’s internet page for everyone to enjoy.
The index to our collection of these has now been put on a single web page at www.rpastamps.org/rpa-presentations.html, and we invite all collectors to check it out when they get a chance. Clubs can take advantage of this listing for use in their own meetings.
The index is divided into three sections — Presentations, Stamp Exhibits, and Society Promotional Exhibits.
Topics include a wide array of subjects, covering US, worldwide thematic, and hobby interests. They may be used for personal or club use, as long as the source is always referenced.
The web page also features US, worldwide, and thematic stamp exhibits than can be used for presentations as well.
The promotional exhibits section currently has links to pages by the International So-ciety of Worldwide Stamp Collectors and the Cover Collectors Circuit Club.
Does your club have presentations that can be shared with others? The APS is in the process of compiling these for everyone’s benefit. Contact Tom Fortunato at his email above if you can help in this project. Ropex UpdateRopex 2014 will be held May 16–18 at the Main Street Armory, 900 East Main Street, the same location as last year’s extravaganza. We anticipate thirty dealers and up to 150 frames of competitive exhibits. Interested dealers and exhibitors are encour-aged to find more info on the show’s web site and apply online, or email or write with questions.Programs
January 9 — Exhibiting Basics: Part 1 by Tom FortunatoJanuary 23 — My Little Town, 14207: Black Rock, NY by George FeketeFebruary 13 — Exhibiting Basics: Part 2 by Tom FortunatoFebruary 27 — Stamp Quiz by Fred Haynes ◾
68 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Schenectady, New YorkUnion Presbyterian Church venue sold — Future meeting location,
dates and times undetermined
Ronald K. Ratchford, 1105 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308-2805 [email protected], 518-374-3776
SC
HEN
ECTADY STAMP CLU
B
ORGANIZED 1930
SCHAU-NAUGH-TA-DA
Remembering Charles P. Steinmetz
Less than a half mile from my Union Street home was the site of a once-magnificent resi-dence and laboratory of Charles P. Steinmetz. Although that impressive Wendell Avenue
structure was demolished in the 1940s, an earlier and much more modest home of the electri-cal wizard still stands along Washington Avenue in the area of Schenectady’s Stockade Historic District not far from the Mohawk River. It is relatively close to the main plant of the General Electric Company by whom Dr. Steinmetz was employed for about three decades prior to his death at the age of 58 more than ninety years ago on October 26, 1923.
Steinmetz was an immigrant from the German Empire who became active in civic affairs in my hometown. He served both as the president of the Schenectady Board of Education and also as president of the Common Council of the city. Steinmetz was also a professor of electrical engineering at Union College which also is in my neighborhood, a short walking distance from my home.
On September 21, 1983, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Charles Steinmetz (Scott No. 2055). Although Washington, D.C., was the official first day of issue city for this stamp, I was successful in getting a pictorial postmark (depicting both Steinmetz and Thomas A. Edison) authorized for use in Schenectady on that same day of issue. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 69
Weston, Massachusettswww.spellman.org
Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History Curator George Norton Education Director Henry Lukas, 241 Wellesley St., Weston, MA 02493
[email protected], 781-768-8367
Museum Continues Anniversary Celebration
The museum continues to celebrate its fif-tieth anniversary with more special ex-
hibits and family days. January will see both a special exhibit celebrating Dr. Martin Lu-ther King, Jr.’s birthday and Black Heritage Month as well as a family day to celebrate the start of the 2013 Winter Olympics.
US and worldwide stamps featuring Olym-pics sports will be on display. Visiting children can create their own Winter Olympics stamp collection to take home. As always, they also receive a free packet of stamps and tips about how to start their own collection.
In February, our annual Happy Birthday Presidents Family Day will teach children and adults more about the presidents and first la-dies. Older collectors recall learning the order of the presidents by collecting the Prexies. An exhibit of these and other US and international stamps featuring presidents will be on display.
The Education Department continues to visit elementary classrooms and welcome classes to the museum. In addition, merit badge programs for the Boy Scouts and fun badge programs for the Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts are ongoing.
The curator is preparing items for the museum’s annual Stamp Bazaar on Saturday, March 1, from noon to 4 p.m. Members will be admitted an hour early. Sometimes called the largest stamp flea market in New England, it will offer full albums, boxes of stamps, special collections, and lots of philatelic literature. All of these items have been donated over the past year. The sale is an excellent way for collectors to fill empty spaces or start a new type of collection.
The museum continues to offer its monthly newsletter plus a monthly stamp almanac calendar that highlights an historic event each day plus an image of a stamp that com-memorates the event. Both may be requested at [email protected].
The museum is open Thursdays to Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment. Col-lectors wishing to see specific stamps in our vast collection should call 781-768-8367 for an appointment. For a nominal fee the museum also does stamp evaluations by appointment. ◾
Holiday Family DayA young collector makes her Christmas stamp collection at the Holiday Family Day.
70 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Staten IslandPhilatelic Society
Staten Island, New Yorkwww.sistamps.org
Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first & third Mondays, except July and August, at Messiah Lutheran Church, 195 Jefferson Blvd., Annadale
Charles R. Carlson, 30 Hopping Ave., Staten Island, NY 10307-1219 [email protected], 718-984-7880
Airport Delay Means No Party
The society meets twice a month, but I have missed a few meetings due to travel. They met last for our annual pizza affair at a local pizzeria, but I was in the immigration and customs
line at Newark Airport, not particularly having much fun. The crowds were severe, and the lines for even wheelchair persons, as I am when passing through airports, was enormous.
There were about thirty wheelchairs in the line, not moving since apparently an Alba-nian-only speaking woman, followed by a Bosnian-only speaking woman, were tying it up. Neither had filled out the immigration and customs form required from all arriving passengers and the immigration agents were stymied trying to explain how to do so. Even a multilingual Russian woman ahead of me could help neither of them, and so the time of the pizza party passed.
I was unhappy, since a faithful member who had been absent for some time called my house while I was in Germany to say he would be making a strenuous effort to attend. Natu-rally, I did not get the message until the next day, but maybe all of us who attend the SIPS meetings are making our own strenuous efforts twice a month to pursue our hobby.
I was able to visit one of my favorite dealers in Munich, but did not get much of inter-est. However, most German post offices seek to supply collectors with the most recent stamps, which is mystifyingly untrue here. I watched my daughter’s incoming mail for a week, and saw exactly one stamp, which I promptly seized. A German friend who mailed a letter to me at my daughter’s house used a nice commemorative, which he assured was nicely cancelled. All the rest of her mail was franked with indicia of one sort or another.
Perhaps stamps are fading to obscurity as post offices struggle to operate at a profit. I saw a piece in the New York Times that Canada Post soon would terminate home delivery and require people to pick up their mail at some Canadian equivalent of cluster boxes. With the current US effort to drive down cost, can we be far behind? With the upcoming rate hike, we will all be reminded of the cost of running the post office.
I have a good number of Forever stamps in my desk, but the penny or two saved for the upcoming hike will not make much of a difference in my life. I still have a huge pile of three- and four-cent commemoratives that became stuck together after a flooded base-ment a few years ago, and I separated to use on my mail. Can you imagine many envelopes big enough to make a significant dent in my pile? I assure you it is scarce to use many of them, and I am probably spending more on Elmer’s glue than I am saving in postal costs. Of course for collectors, the gaudily colored franking may be more fun than the current booklets of US Forever stamps. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 71
Syracuse, New Yorkwww.syracusestampclub.org
Meets at 7:30 p.m. the first & third Fridays at the Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Ave.
Lew Josephs, PO Box 593, East Syracuse NY 13057-0593 [email protected], (315) 427-5063
Organized 1919APS Chapter 50
Syrapex 2013 a Success
More than a dozen dealers participated and were pleased with the attendance and venue for Syrapex 2013 on November 9–10 at the Best Western Plus Hotel, Car-
rier Circle. Special thanks go to Ed Bailey, dealer bourse and exhibit chairman, and to president Richard Nuhn, for their hard work. Exhibits filled a total of 28 frames, with 13 competing exhibits and six non-competing.
Three winners will share prize money — First Place: Daniel A. Piazza, Dante Aligheri First Day Covers; Second Place: Vince Juchimek, Hawaii — Sun, Sand, Surf, and Not Syra-cuse; and Third Place: John Davis, Oops — Odd Marked US Covers.New Meeting Time — Because of Syracuse’s snowy winters, the club is trying a new start-ing time. Regular business meetings will start at 7:30 p.m., with mini-auctions to take place at 7:15. Third Friday auctions, when there is no business meeting, will also start at 7:30.New Officers — A new slate of officers has been elected or appointed for 2014. They are Jim Steele, president; Dan Kay, vice president; Lisa Steele, treasurer; and Lew Jo-sephs, secretary. The Board of Directors has three new members: Mike Ammann, Ralph Lind, and Keith Parish.Stamp ID Night — On Nov. 1 Jim Steele and Lew Josephs hosted the club’s second Stamp ID Night of the current year. Members brought in a large variety of hard-to-identify mystery stamps to challenge the two organizers, who in turn tried to guide the audience towards a correct identification. Several items truly stumped everybody, but we were able to pin down quite a few cinderellas, revenue stamps, and legitimate postal items.
One of our newer members who speaks and reads Arabic was especially helpful with items from the Middle East. A large number of German-related areas were also represented. With difficulty we finally identified a nice block of four from Molda-via–Walachia, which has a range of value depending on whether it is Romania Scott No. 18 or 21.Programs*
January 3 — Stampo with prizesJanuary 17 — Worldwide stamp quiz with prizesJanuary 31 — Fifth Friday auctionFebruary 7 — A Topical Collection Almost Lost by Joe CoppolaFebruary 21 — Auction
*Remember that the club auctions ten lots every meeting night. ◾
72 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Ticonderoga, New YorkMeets at noon on the fourth Wednesday, except January
& February at Best Western Plus, 260 Burgoyne Road
Stan Burdick, 129 The Portage, Ticonderoga, NY 12883-1414
[email protected], 518-585-7015
Members Introduced To Famous Americans
Member Glenn Estus spoke to the club at its December Christmas luncheon meeting about the Famous Americans Series of 1940. This series of thirty-five stamps was
issued over the space of ten months beginning in January 1940.As most of the members are new to collecting, it was an introduction to the series.
Estus explained that the one-cent stamps met the postcard rate; the two cent was for local delivery of letters; the three cent was the basic first class rate; and that five cents was the surface rate to foreign countries, excluding Canada and Mexico. The ten-cent value could be used for special delivery as well as on heavier letters and packages.
After passing around the set and enlargements for the members to see, a discussion ensued about the meanings of the symbols on the stamps. For instance, the set of five dedicated to artists has two set of symbols representing two major branches of art: The left symbol with the value represents painting, while the stonecutter’s maul and chisel at the right represents sculpture. Each series of five stamps has a common symbol, except for the scientist set which had different symbols representing each scientist’s field of study. The inventors’ symbol was a compilation of a cog wheel (power), wings (flight), and light-ning bolt (electricity).
There are three women, Louisa May Alcott, Frances E. Willard, and Jane Addams, pic-tured on the stamps. Francis Willard taught school in the early 1800s at nearby Middle-bury, Vermont. Jane Addams was the most recently deceased, having died in 1935. Four of the men were foreign born: John James Audubon (Haiti), Victor Herbert (Ireland), Au-gustus Saint-Gaudens (Ireland), and Alexander Graham Bell (Scotland).
The genesis of this discussion was an article in the May 2013 United States Stamp Spe-cialist written by Steven J. Rod. ◾
Clockwise from upper left: scientists — one through ten cents, inventor, artist, composer, educator, poet, and author.
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 73
CINCOPEX CoverThis cover commemmorat-ing the US bicentennial was issued on June 13, 1976, and cancelled in Sidney at the Cinopex Station.
Sidney, New YorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday, except January and February,
September–June at Sidney Civic Center, 21 Liberty St., and July–August at Sidney Memorial Public Library, 8 River St.
Robert Finnegan, 10 O’Neill Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820-1154 [email protected], 607-432-8141
Club on Winter Hiatus
The club will be on its annual winter hiatus with no meetings scheduled in January and February. The next regular meeting is scheduled for March 18 at the Sidney
Civic Center at 7 p.m. in Room 202. The program will be a surprise presentation by Spike Paranya.Two Clubs Planning Another BourseThe Tri-County Stamp Club in cosponsorship with the Leatherstocking Club of Cooperstown is initiating planning for an upcoming show in October. At the time of this writing the date was unclear due to some venue complications at the Holiday Inn in Oneonta. More news will be forthcoming in future Stamp Insider issues. Any dealers who may be interested can contact Bob Finnegan whose address, email, and telephone are listed at the top of this page. Dealer registra-tion forms will be going out as soon as an October date and venue are set.Dinner Date ChangedThe club has made a change in its annual dinner meeting. The date has been set for Thursday, June 13, at 5 p.m.. It should be noted that this is a change in date and time from past dinners.New Members SoughtThe club is still on the lookout for new members, as the club roster has fallen to only ten. We are looking for interested collectors from the Oneonta–Norwich areas. If interested please contact club president Spike Paranya at 6 Roberts Way, Oneonta, NY 13820.Exceptional ProgramsAn exceptional presentation by Jim Collins dealing with the American definitive series was provided to its membership in November and Steve McCarthy did a fine presentation on the transport series of the 1940s at the December meeting. ◾
74 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Utica, New Yorkhttp://greater-utica-stamp-club.kane-host-central.comMeets at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday, except January
and February, at New Hartford Town Library, 2 Library Lane
Jerome F. Wagner, 160 Proctor Blvd., Utica, NY 13501-6119 [email protected], 315-732-0219
S
TAMP CLUB
GR
EATER UTICA
Filming of TV Promotion Anticipated
One promotional activity which is coming to fruition is the public television event. The filming was expected to take place by the end of December or early January. The
date that the program is to be aired has not yet been determined. As the club has no meet-ings scheduled for the months of January and February, members thought it would be beneficial to air the program as close to a regularly scheduled meeting as possible.
Mohawk Valley Living (www.mohawkvalleyliving.com) has expressed an interest to Joseph Kalynycz about airing the program. Mohawk Valley Living is a weekly television show that explores the arts, entertainment, culture, and heritage of the greater Mohawk Valley region of New York State. It is broadcast on WFXV and on WUTR , both in Utica.Volunteer Found for Newspaper ArticleMike Isaac has volunteered to write an article on stamp collecting for the Utica Observer Dispatch. He will explore the possibility with the newspaper. ◾
Replacing the HorseAt the turn of the twentieth century, the USPOD encouraged Rural Free Delivery carriers to replace their horses and wagons with motor vehicles. Around 1910 this unidentified carrier painted his electric-motored vehicle in the same paint and identification scheme as the RFD wagons. He likely was only able to complete his rounds thanks to a plowed road. Automo-biles were not yet adequate replacements for horses, wagons, and sleds on rural roads. N
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January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 75
Vermont Philatelic Societywww.vermontps.org
Meets annually
Glenn A. Estus, PO Box 451, Westport, NY 12993-0451 [email protected], 518-962-4558
Stamps With a Vermont Connection
For a number of years, the Vermont Philatelic Society has compiled a listing of stamps with a connection to the state. The late dean of Vermont philately, Lloyd Hayward of Montpelier, a
former editor of The Vermont Philatelist, the VPS’ quarterly journal, began the listing in the 1950s. It was continued by John Lutz, my predecessor as TVP editor. Sometimes years pass without a US stamp being issued with a Vermont connection. However, the 2013 Hanukkah stamp pic-tures an iron menorah wrought by Steve Bronstein of Marshfield’s Blackthorne Forge.
The November 25 Rutland Herald online edition reported that the USPS informed him someone had purchased one of his menorahs at a Washington, D.C.,craft shop and that it would be on the stamp (www.rutlandherald.com/article/20131125/news03/711259967/0). Bronstein, a native New Yorker graduated from SUNY New Paltz and moved to Vermont in the 1970s to work at the University of Vermont. He shifted from biology to working as a blacksmith, designing lighting, vases, clocks, and menorahs.
Sometimes a Vermont connection will pop up unexpectedly. A few years ago I stopped at a Ferrisburg church to take some pictures and discovered a plaque honoring Frederick Douglass delivering a speech there in July 1843, one of the “100 Conventions” sponsored by the American Anti-Slavery Society. Of course, we remember that he is on a twenty-five-cent definitive stamp issued February 14, 1967 (Scott No. 1290) . Voilà, another stamp for our Vermont list.
The earliest stamp in our listing is the $1 Lincoln Memorial stamp of 1923 (Scott No. 571). The Memorial was built of Vermont marble. All the stamps can be viewed online at www.vermontps.org/connections/connectionshomepage.html. ◾Je
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76 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
W MP S
ORGANIZED FEB. 7, 1961APS 560-44599
Spencerport, New Yorkhttp://westernmonroephilatelicsociety.blogspot.com Meets from 6:30–9 p.m. on the second Tuesday
at Ogden Farmers’ Library, 269 Ogden Center Road
Gary Musante, 107 Sherwood Drive, Brockport, NY 14420-1451 [email protected], 585-637-9091
Hobby Brings Holiday Cheer, Great Memories
In recent years our December meeting has become a holiday party with treats pro-vided by our members and a secret Santa gift exchange of philatelic items. This year,
looking at the season of giving to others, we decided to make our last meeting of the year special for our senior citizens in area nursing homes by making placemats with some of our duplicate stamps.
Since stamps contain so much history, important causes and a wealth of interest-ing facts it is hoped that some of the stamps laminated to the mat may bring back a positive memory and a little happiness to the user.
On the back of each placemat was a sticker stating: “Made by the Members of the Western Monroe Philatelic Society.”
So many of these nursing homes have staff, family, and friends to visit these resi-dents that even if we get just one more new member it could help to continue build-ing our club.
If we only get a few smiles and no new club members, it was still worthwhile to do this simple act of kindness. Club members enjoyed doing this project and we are looking forward to doing similar projects in the future. ◾
First Day Cover Exhibiting on the Rise
Statistics show an increase in first day cover exhibiting over the past four years. According to Alan Warren, veteran gold-medal exhibitor and Judging Panel Li-
aison for Americover 2014, the number of FDC exhibits in 2013 at World Series of Philately shows plus AmeriStamp Expo was more than twice that of 2010 — sixty-two compared to thirty.
The figures did not include Americover 2013 or 2010, the American First Day Cover Society’s annual show, where virtually all the exhibits are of FDCs.
Warren also notes that there were more AFDCS Best FDC Exhibit awards presented in 2013 than in any of the previous years: eleven. “This shows that first day cover exhibiting is coming of age,” he said. “Many mainstream exhibitors are now exploring FDCs.”
Andrew McFarlane’s “The 1947 U.S. Postage Stamp Centenary” won the grand at Okpex in Oklahoma City in October 2013 and his “First Days of the 1929 George Rogers Clark Com-memorative” won the Reserve Grand at Minnesota Stamp Expo in July 2013.
For more information on the AFDCS, visit www.afdcs.org or write to the AFDCS, P. O. Box 16277 Tucson, Arizona 85732-6277, or via e-mail at [email protected]. ◾
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 77
The Last WordsHeather Sweeting, Associate Editor14329 Victory St.Sterling NY [email protected], 315-947-6761
A Plethora of Anniversaries
This year marks numerous anniversaries for stamp collectors and clubs to com-memorate with exhibits, cachets, or pictorial cancels. Some of the more obvious
are the centennials of the opening of the Panama Canal on August 15 and the begin-ning of World War 1.
Here are some of the other anniversaries that might inspire philatelic efforts:400 years ago: Pocahontas married colonist John Rolfe in Jamestown, Virginia, on April 5. 200 years ago: The British attacked Fort Ontario at Oswego, New York, on May 5 dur-
ing the war of 1812. On September 13 The Battle of Baltimore and the defense of Fort McHenry inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the poem which eventually was set to mu-sic and became the Star Spangled Banner.Those with a sweet tooth can celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of chocolate mag-
nate Henri Nestlé on August 10. Musicians and jazz fans can commemorate the birth of Adolphe Sax, Belgian instrument maker and inventor on November 6.175 years ago: On January 9 Louis Daguerre of France announced his invention of the da-
guerreotype (the first commercially successful form of photography) at the Academy of Sciences in Paris. French artist Paul Cézanne was born on January 19.
150 years ago: Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant commander in chief of all Union armies on March 9.
100 years ago: On February 2 Charlie Chaplin made his film debut in the comedy short Making a Living. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated on June 28. Babe Ruth made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox on July 11. Actor
Clayton Moore, known on screen as The Lone Ranger was born on September 14. Jonas Salk, American medical scientist/inventor of the polio vaccine was born on October 28.50 years ago: Plans to build the New York World Trade Center were announced on
January 18. On February 9 the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, their first live performance on American television. This began the British Invasion of American popular music. The first Ford Mustang rolled off the assembly line at Ford Motor Company on
March 9. Nelson Mandela made his “I Am Prepared to Die” speech at the Rivonia Trial on April 20, a key event for the anti-apartheid movement. On August 27 Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins premiered.25 years ago: American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe died on March 9. On March
30 the glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre museum opened in Paris.Email me with your favorite 2014 anniversaries. ◾
78 / Stamp Insider • January / February 2014
Shows & Bourses
Special NoticeHarry Tong’s bourses in Dedham and Northampton, Massachusetts, and Meriden, Connecticut, are continuing.
January5 — Dedham, MA
First Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Holiday Inn, 55 Ari-adane Road. 9–3:30. Bourse. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].
12— Meriden, CTSecond Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Comfort Inn, 900 East Main St. 9–3:30. Bourse. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].
17–19 — Toronto, ON15th Annual Unipex Coin & Stamp Show, Toronto Plaza Hotel, 1677 Wilson Ave.
Friday 11–6, Saturday 10–5, Sunday 10–4. Free admis-sion, free parking, [email protected]; Susan, 416-242-5900.
19 — TroyCapital District Third Sunday Stamp & Collect-ibles Show, Troy Elks Lodge, 134 N. Greenbush Road. 10–4. George Mc-Gowan, 518-479-4396.
21 — Northampton, MAThird Tuesday Stamp & Coin Show, World War II Veterans Association, 50 Conz St., 10:30–7. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].
24–26 — Marlboro, MAMetro Boston Stamp Show, Holiday Inn 265 Lakeside Drive (Route 20, Exit 24 from I-495). Friday 10–6, Saturday 10–5, Sunday 10–4. Bourse. Richard E. Murphy, 941-
794-0847 or 774-258-0135, [email protected].
19 — St. Catharines, ON St. Catharines Stamp Club 65th Cathex bourse, Grantham Lion’s Club, 732 Niagara St. 10–5. [email protected]; www. stcatharinesstampclub.ca.
26 — West SenecaStamp, Coin, Postcard & Collectibles Show, Harvey D. Morin VFW Post 2940, 965 Center Road. 10–4. Bourse. Victor Dra-jem, 716-656-8080.
26 — New Haven, CTFourth Sunday Stamp, Coin, and Collectible NHPS Show. YMA Annex Club, 554 Woodward Ave., I-95 exit 50. 10–3 Brian McGrath, 203-627-6874, www.nhps1914.org.
February2 — Dedham, MA
First Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Holiday Inn, 55 Ari-adane Road. 9–3:30. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].
9 — SyracuseSyracuse Stamp, Coin & Collectibles Show, Holiday Inn, Carrier Circle, Thruway exit 35. 10–5:30. Saturday, 10–4:30 Sunday. Ed Bailey, 315-452-0593.
9 — Meriden, CTSecond Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Comfort Inn, 900 East Main St. 9–3:30. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].
16 — TroyCapital District Third Sunday Stamp & Collect-ibles Show, Troy Elks Lodge, 134 N. Greenbush
B u y i n g a n d S e l l i n g
Postal History: stampless to 1945Quality First Day Covers
Postal stationery: WWii Patriotics, Naval Events, inaugurals Flights: Pioneer, Government, Historical
w w w. d o u g l a s w e i s z . c o m
P.O. Box 1458-S, McMurray, PA 15317 • 773.914.4332E-mail : [email protected]
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ss
s
s s
s D
OUGLAS s s
s
W E I S Z
Douglas WeiszU.s. Covers
January / February 2014 • Stamp Insider / 79
Lincoln Coin and Stamp Co., Inc.Complete Line of Coin
& Stamp SuppliesWe Buy Stamps, Coins,
Picture Post Cards, Old Envelopes,Pan American Expo MaterialCome In and Look AroundFree Parking
33 West Tupper St.at Pearl Street
Buffalo, NY 14202-1710
Phone 716-856-1884
Suburban Stamps, Coins & Collectibles
Always Buying315•452•0593
Open: Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.Saturday 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
120 Kreischer RoadNorth Syracuse, NY 13212-3251
Just off Taft Road 1⁄2 mile east of Rt. 81
Mark Szuba • Edward Bailey
Stamp, Coin, Postcard& Collectibles ShowSUNDAY Hours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
January 26 & February 23
√watch for:Yearly schedule in next issue!
Free Admission & Parking!Harvey D. Morin VFW Post 2940
965 Center Road, West Seneca, NYContact: Victor Drajem • phone: 716-656-8080
Road. 10–4. George Mc-Gowan, 518-479-4396.
18 — Northampton, MAThird Tuesday Stamp & Coin Show, World War II Veterans Association, 50 Conz St. 10:30–7. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].
23 — West SenecaStamp, Coin, Postcard & Collectibles Show, Harvey D. Morin VFW Post 2940, 965 Center Road. 10–4. Bourse. Victor Dra-jem, 716-656-8080.
23 — New Haven, CTFourth Sunday Stamp, Coin, and Collectible NHPS Show. YMA Annex Club, 554 Woodward Ave., I-95 exit 50. 10–3 Brian McGrath 203-627-6874, www.nhps1914.org. ◾
Add A ListingListings are free for shows within the Federation area.
Send your shows and bourses calendar listings to:[email protected]
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