2023-08 American Philatelist

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MONTHLY JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY

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AMERICAN PHILATELIST THE

August 2023

PAGE

STAMPLESS CANADA

Table of Contents

VOLUME 137 • NO. 8 • WHOLE NO. 1,47

PAGE

698

BY ROB LEIGH The population in British North America’s Canadian regions was sparse and spread out in the 19th century. Stampless covers from the era are scarce. Our author offers a guide to interpreting these covers.

706

PAGE

711

CROSSING THE BORDER

THE STORY BEHIND THE PHILATELY

BY RUSSELL D. SAMPSON A pair of Canadian stamps with perforated initials – known popularly in our hobby as perfins – leads to a tale of science, academia and discovery with a sad conclusion.

BY DAVID D’ALESSANDRIS Interpreting early mail to and from the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia before mail treaties of 1851 might perplex a collector. Our author explains the sometimes complex rates and markings.

U.S. STAMPS OF THE 1950S

PAGE 732

MY COLLECTING JOURNEY

PAGE 724

BY CHARLES POSNER Our author continues his long-running series with a look at the Wildlife Conservation Whooping Crane stamp of 1957. Three locales hosted first-day ceremonies.

PAGE

715 A TRIPLE-CURRENCY COVER

BY GARFIELD PORTCH Dissecting the symbols and numbers on a transatlantic cover from 1836 yields a rarely seen item with postage reflecting in three currencies.

PAGE

728 COLLECTING COAST TO COAST

BY WAYNE YOUNGBLOOD A decades-long search finally yields some postal history from the tiny local of Keatskotoos, Nebraska. Thank you, internet.

BY BETHANY HUNTER Bethany Hunter, of the Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship Class of 2023, tells her collecting story in her first published article on the Author track.

HONORING GRETEL WEIL PAGE 741

BY STEPHEN BREITKOPF The author completes a journey begun in the February 2010 AP..

ON OUR COVER

Designed by Chad Cowder, the cover image is reminiscent of the U.S. Work Projects Administration National Parks posters, produced during the Great Depression. Collectors of new Canadian issues might also note some similarity to the June 2022 “Vintage Travel Posters” issues.

Stamps on cover are Canada’s first three issues, courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries.

752 746 759 718 688 762 692

APRL Notes Books & Catalogs Classified Ads Country's Oldest State Fair Editing Philately Index of Advertisers Letters to the Editor

682 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

754 750 770 774 690 686 685

Other Features

Membership Report My Stamp Story New U.S. Issues New World Issues Obituary - Janet Klug Our Story President’s Column

740 764 744 751 776

Road to Boston 2026 Show Time The Marketplace World Class Worldwide in a Nutshell

The Stamp Marketplace

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AMERICAN PHILATELIST THE

Since 1887 — The Longest Continuously-published Philatelic Magazine in the World EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF APS PUBLICATIONS Susanna Mills, ext. 207 • smills@stamps.org SENIOR EDITOR Jeff Stage, ext. 221 • jstage@stamps.org GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST Chad Cowder, ext. 223 • CCowder@stamps.org ADVERTISING SALES Steve Schwanz Fox Associates, Inc. 800-440-0231 x114 adinfo.theamericanphilatelist@foxrep.com

American Philatelic Society American Philatelic Research Library

Own Scarce Mint U.S. Wine Revenue Stamps

100 Match Factory Place • Bellefonte, PA 16823 814-933-3803 • 814-933-6128 (Fax) STAMPS.ORG • STAMPLIBRARY.ORG EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Scott English, ext. 219 • scott@stamps.org DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP Wendy Masorti, ext. 218 • wendy@stamps.org CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER Jeff Krantweiss, ext. 216 jkrantweiss@stamps.org

GENERAL INFORMATION apsinfo@stamps.org ADDRESS CHANGES & MEMBERSHIP INQUIRIES membership@stamps.org, ext. 201 DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION/ YOUTH/DIGITAL CONTENT Eric Spielvogel, ext. 239 eric@stamps.org DIRECTOR OF EXPERTIZING Ken Martin, ext. 205 kpmartin@stamps.org DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES Scott Tiffney, ext. 246 stiffney@stamps.org DIRECTOR OF SALES Carol Hoffman, ext. 270 stampstore@stamps.org EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT & DONATIONS Amy Larimer, ext 225 • amy@stamps.org SHOWS/EXHIBITIONS, ext. 209 stampshow@stamps.org

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Wine Revenues Have Quite a History...

In 1941, the US issued Wine Revenue stamps to help fund World War II. (And to help rebuild Europe after the war.) The stamps showed pre-payment of taxes on wine. Affixed to bottles, cases, and even tankers of wine, most were destroyed. So Wine Revenue stamps – some with seldom-seen fractional values – are scarce in any condition. Plus...

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U.S. Wine Revenue Stamps Are Missing from Most Collections Remember, the Series of 1941 Wine Revenue stamps are scarce in any condition.

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Wine Revenue Stamps – Save $40!

✔ Yes! Send me 7 Mint U.S. Wine Revenue Stamps. Enclosed is $9.95. Strict ❏ The American Philatelist (ISSN 0003-0473) is published monthly by the American Philatelic Society, Inc., 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823.

Periodicals postage paid at Bellefonte, PA 16823 and at additional mailing offices. Price per copy $6.95. Canadian Distribution Agreement Number 40030959.

Opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed by the society and/or the magazine. The American Philatelist cannot be responsible for the accuracy of any information printed herein.

Postmaster: Send address changes to: The American Philatelist 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823. ©2023, The American Philatelic Society, Inc. 684 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

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President’s Column

BY Cheryl Ganz President cherylganz@yahoo.com

Rediscover Your Family Tree

W

ith the approaching 250th anniversary of the founding of our country, many of us are reflecting on our ancestors and the history and heritage of our families. I am amazed when I chat with other stamp collectors that many also do genealogy.

Similar in ways to collecting stamps and postal history, the study of family history is collecting names and information.

The acquisition of a new find is a moment of joy. The research and sharing enriches the experience. Sometimes the unexpected happens when family history and philately overlap.

I have a friend who connected with her relatives in Ireland because she found an old, postmarked envelope in her deceased mother’s trunk. She traveled to the village on the postmark. Through the owner of the local pub, she received directions to the home of someone with the same last name.

After knocking on the door, a couple answered. They soon discovered that they were cousins descended from the same grandparents. They gave her a tour of the ancestral farm and introduced her to other relatives.

At a stamp show in Ohio, I bought an old picture postcard from my hometown. The writing was in pencil. A teen had written to her friend about meeting a nice young fellow. I recognized the sender’s first name as my grandmother’s nextdoor neighbor, whom I had often visited as a child. Now I was holding the card revealing when she first met the man she would marry. She was already deceased, so I gave the postcard to her daughter, who cried when she read it and said she did not own anything in her mother’s handwriting.

My ninth great-grandfather James Claypoole was a Quaker who left London to settle Philadelphia with William Penn in British America. After surviving London’s plague and Great Fire of 1666 by fleeing across the Thames River, he rebuilt his home. In 1681, he bought 5,000 acres in the Pennsylvania colony, which included a waterfront lot in Philadelphia, and later he added another 3,000 acres. On July 24, he boarded the ship Concord with his wife, family, and five servants to depart from Gravesend the next day.

Along with emigrants from Krefeld, Germany, they voyaged seven weeks without the sight of land.

James had sent his son to Philadelphia the year before to build a house at the south corner of Front and Walnut Streets. His property included 102 feet along the Delaware River. From there he would operate his fur trading business.

Naturally, James wrote and received many letters as a

trader. His manuscript letter book of transcribed correspondence, owned by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, has been published. This compilation of about a thousand letters dating 1681 to 1684 documents the business affairs of a merchant trader and his family. Although I have not yet found one of his letters in the philatelic marketplace, I have first day covers of the 1983 postage stamp of the ship Concord issued jointly with Germany.

It is always a thrill to look at the stamp and know my ancestors were aboard, crossing the Atlantic Ocean to begin a new life in North America. No doubt, many APS members also have family history plus philately stories to tell!

A published edition of James Claypoole’s book of letters.

Combination first day cover with stamps from the U.S. and Germany featuring the Concord.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 685

Our Story

BY Scott English Executive Director scott@stamps.org

IN

We’re All Rock Stars: Philately Says Farewell to a True Believer

June, we said farewell to a remarkable philatelist, researcher, writer, pioneer, and leader, former APS President Janet Klug. In this issue, we cover Janet’s extraordinary contributions to the hobby over the years. She was the first woman ever elected to serve as president, and though that was an accomplishment, she made her mark on every person she met.

I met Janet at my first APS stamp show in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2015. I had been executive director for less than two weeks and asked to speak at the first day ceremony for the World Stamp Show - NY 2016 Forever stamp with Janet and Wade Saadi, past president and chair of the 2016 international stamp show. After the ceremony, we signed programs and other items for those attending the show. Janet sat right next to me. To my surprise, people moved quickly past me to say hello to Janet, asking her to sign books, programs, and other items. They were excited to meet her, and she was just as happy to see them, taking time with each one to share their mutual love of stamp collecting.

Toward the end, I looked at her and commented, “Wow, I had no idea I was sitting next to a rock star.” She smiled and responded, “Honey, you’re with stamp collectors now; we’re all rock stars!”

Later at the same show, I asked her for some advice, as

David McNamee congratulates Janet Klug at Louisville Ameristamp Expo, 2013. (See obituary, Page 690) 686 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

someone who had been around the APS leadership and knew the history. We talked briefly, but what stuck with me the most was, “Scott, you know politics better than anyone in this hobby.

Politics got us here, but it won’t get us out. Get out there, meet the members; they’ll tell you everything you need to know.” So I hit the road, logging thousands of miles and joining stamp clubs around the country.

At the same show, Ken Martin, then-librarian Tara Murray, and then-editor Jay Bigalke shared the same birthday. I’d heard about Janet’s love of singing, so I invited her onstage during the awards banquet to lead the audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to Ken, Tara, and Jay. She was more than happy to oblige, and when she finished, she hugged me and said, “You’re part of the family now.”

Over the past few years, the pandemic and health issues kept her from visiting stamp shows until she finally closed her album for the last time. I joined Cheryl Ganz, the second woman to hold the position as president of the APS, to pay our final respects to Janet in Owensville, Ohio. I thanked her loving husband, Russ, for sharing Janet with us and patiently attending show after show. He shared that Janet spent her final months in her philatelic office in their home, where she’d written her columns and books over the years, connecting with collectors worldwide.

I have been the recipient of and witness to Janet’s warmth and friendship. She had a remarkable list of accomplishments but never become so important that she didn’t have time for an APS member. I hope I have honored Janet’s advice and will be forever thankful for the chance to know her.

At the APS Board meeting this month in Cleveland, I will present a proposal to honor her memory as part of the Campaign for Philately, the fundraising arm for the APS and APRL. Under Janet’s leadership, we created the Campaign for Philately to advance many great causes since then. I cannot think of a better way to honor her than permanently creating a legacy fund bearing her name to help build the bright future for the APS that she believed possible.

Eight years later, I can confirm she was right about stamp collectors. They are rock stars. Thank you, Janet, and farewell!

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Editing Philately

BY Susanna Mills Editor-in-Chief of APS Publications smills@stamps.org

H

Happy New Year (In a Sense)

appy holidays! For me, August feels like the end of the philatelic year. The Great American Stamp Show is like Christmas (for those who celebrate). It’s a chance to see my family and friends in the hobby whom I haven’t seen since last year, sequestered away in Bellefonte as I am. And not to be trite, but getting to spend time with you at the show is a true gift. (I pause now to offer my annual warning – if you talk to me at GASS, you accept the risk that I’ll ask you to write for the AP or PLR!) August is also like graduation – our outgoing Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship Class of 2023 will give their presentations at GASS and graduate the program, then spread their fledgling philatelic wings and fly. Congratulations to Silas Ernst, Trevor Bills, Bethany Hunter, and Victor Livesay, who graduate this month – Trevor and Victor are especially deserving, as they gamely shouldered through years of pandemic delays to come to this point.

As the cheery commotion and celebration of August and Great American Stamp Show thunders to a close, we can then look to the new year.

First, we’ll usher in the new YPLF Class of 2024. Congratulations to Theo Rosenberg and Naina Dhawan, who were chosen from a pool of applicants to join the YPLF program. They’ll start their year off at Great American Stamp Show, learning from the Class of 2023, soaking up knowledge from show attendees, and meeting their mentors.

On the APS staff side, the “new year” after GASS involves introspection. What worked well this year? Where are we going in 2024? It’s a time of planning.

I will be developing the editorial calendar for 2024. I welcome your input – which issues did you really like, or dislike? Are there topics you would love to learn about?

We’re also working on some new, rather exciting projects. I can’t wait to tell you more about them – watch this space.

In this issue

Back in September 2022, we published the ambitious issue, “Collecting the British Empire.” As we were putting together that issue, we knew there was a major, undeniable oversight: why wasn’t North America, specifically Canada, included? No fear – we’ll get to that later, we decided, and here we are.

This issue begins with Rob Leigh’s dip into colonial Canada’s early postal history, the stampless mail found before Canada’s first stamps were issued. Rates, routes and sparse post offices are the theme of this issue. Rob, as the vice president and webmaster of Postal History Society of Canada, shares resources from the Society and others that will enhance your understanding of this topic.

We then inch closer to modern day (as in the early 1900s) with an article by Russell Sampson, who last graced our pages [August 2021] with a treatise on astronomy’s connections as a scientific pursuit to philately, through a pedestrian perfined cover. Why mess with a good thing? Russell comes back with his scientific background to bring a tale of the early days of botanical and paleo-botanical pursuit – all spurred by his study of a simple cover from Montreal to Liverpool, mailed in 1910.

On a personal note, there’s little I enjoy more than the pairing of philately with different fields of study. To quote Russell, “Early botany was much like early philately, a vast collection of specimens in search of a systematic method of cataloging.” These parallels are exciting to discover and can add a lot of depth to our collecting.

688 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

APS Official Family

2022–2025

PRESIDENT Cheryl Ganz cherylganz@yahoo.com BOARD OF VICE PRESIDENTS Mark Banchik mebanchik@gmail.com Greg Galletti unstampz1@gmail.com Yamil Kouri yhkouri@gmail.com SECRETARY Peter P. McCann ppm103226706@aol.com TREASURER Kathryn (Kathy) Johnson kjj5217@gmail.com DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE Elizabeth Hisey lizhisey@comcast.net Michael Cortese mc@noblespirit.com Matthew Kewriga matt@kewriga.com Evan (Van) Siegling sieglinge@yahoo.com IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Robert Zeigler Ziggy_Travesty@yahoo.com STAMP THEFT COMMITTEE Nicholas A. Lombardi P.O. Box 1005 Mountainside, NJ 07092 stamptheft@stamps.org APS INSURANCE PLAN Hugh Wood Inc., 220 Match Factory Place Bellefonte, PA 16823 Toll Free: 888-APS-6494 Phone: 212-509-3777 Fax: 212-509-4906 aps@hughwood.com

ADDRESS CHANGES To change your address online visit stamps.org and log into your My APS account. Or mail your new address information to APS, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823 (Fax: 814-933-6128).

Please try to give us four weeks’ notice. You can also add an e-mail address or website to your APS record.

CONNECT ONLINE

Honoring Gretel Weil; see page 742 for more.

Our next article comes from David D’Alessandris of the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society. Back in the days before Canada’s Confederation in 1867, how did mail cross the border between Canada’s provinces and the United States? Several handy tables share postage rates and conversions that will help you determine the answer.

Garfield Portch is the president of the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation in Toronto. He also recently came down to Bellefonte to teach the highly anticipated Summer Seminar course using a VSC 8000. While there, Garfield promised to share an unusual early Canada cover with you. The resulting article is a quick look into a challenging 1836 letter.

course, by the gigantic surge of digitization making information more accessible than ever before. I was also tickled by the idea that Wayne was hired for this thoroughly non-philatelic job and found the philatelic connections anyway. I suspect many of you do the same!

Senior editor Jeff Stage shares a topic near and dear to his heart: the New York State Fair in his hometown of Syracuse. It’s dollars to doughnuts that this is the best state fair in the state! (Rodgers and Hammerstein, anyone?)

Charles Posner returns with his dive into the U.S. commemoratives of the 1950s with the Whooping Crane stamp, an ode to the burgeoning conservation and endangered species protection efforts of this era.

Earlier in this column, I introduced you to Bethany Hunter of the YPLF. Bethany is on the Author track, mentored by APS President Cheryl Ganz.

Bethany here tells her collecting story. In a future issue, she will complete the work she’s done on the Author track, authoring an original research article.

Finally, APS member Stephen Breitkopf reached out to me several months ago to share an update on a story he’d started many years ago. In February 2010, Stephen shared what he knew of the life of Gretel Weil, a Jewish victim of the Holocaust, research that he undertook after finding some letters given to him by a neighbor who knew her. In that 2010 article, Stephen expressed a wish to be able to do something more to remember Gretel. Now, 13 years later, Stephen was able to sponsor a memorial to Gretel in her hometown. I’m happy to share this update with you – it’s not every day that we can bring a story full circle in this way.

Also in this issue

And now, as we always do, we move away from the theme to explore different waters.

I’m excited as always to share Wayne Youngblood’s “Collecting Coast to Coast,” as he explores a mystery that he’s been carrying in the back of his mind for decades, ever since his first job right out of college. A mystery solved, of Please keep your feedback coming and share your views. Remember: if you wish to see an always-improving American Philatelist, you – our readers and APS members – must become a part of this exciting journey. Reach out with your questions, concerns, and suggestions. Write a letter to the editor (LetterToTheEditor@stamps. org.) More importantly, volunteer to participate.

This is your American Philatelist. My email is smills@stamps.org. Letters by regular mail are always welcome and will be responded to in kind.

CALL FOR WRITERS The American Philatelist depends on our members, who provide much of the content of this magazine. I’d like to encourage more members to join our roster of philatelic writers for The American Philatelist, Philatelic Literature Review, and stamps.org website.

We are glad to review article proposals and submissions. The editorial team considers articles on any philatelic topic, but is especially interested in topics on U.S. stamps and postal history. Send your proposal or submission by email to aparticle@stamps.org. For more information about APS writing guidelines, visit aps.buzz/writeap.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 689

Obituary In Memoriam: Janet R. Klug (1950-2023)

T

he American Philatelic Society is saddened to report the loss of former APS President Janet Klug. Janet, a lifelong collector from Pleasant Plain, Ohio, first joined the APS in 1978 and remained an active member until her passing on June 16, 2023 at the age of 72.

Janet first joined the APS Board of Directors in 1997, when she served as secretary until 2001. She served on the Board of Vice Presidents from 2001 to 2003 and became the first woman to serve as APS president from 2003 to 2007. Including her service as past president, Janet served on the APS board for 16 consecutive years.

“As the first woman president of APS, Janet provided a welcoming personality to the entire membership. Janet loved philately and the people in our hobby,” said longtime friend and APS President Cheryl Ganz, “She promoted philately everywhere she went.”

From 1999 to 2003, Janet served as chair of the APS Committee on Accreditation of National Exhibitions and Judges. Her leadership also led to the creation of the Campaign for Philately to increase contributions to the APS and American Philatelic Research Library.

Janet’s service extended beyond the APS to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, as a member and chair of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC), founder and editor of the Tonga & Tin Can Mail Study Circle, an officer of the American Philatelic Congress, president of her local stamp club, and as a prolific author and exhibitor.

Janet served as vice chair of the Council of Philatelists of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum from 2003 to 2007 and chair of the National Postal Museum’s New Initiatives Committee from 2009 to 2013.

In 2010, Janet was appointed to CSAC, the group established with the responsibility for recommending proposed subjects and designs for United States postage stamps. She served as chair of CSAC from 2014 until her retirement from the committee in 2019.

Klug’s philatelic recognitions include the Philadelphia National Stamp Exhibition Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), the APS Writers Unit Hall of Fame (2010), the St. Louis Stamp Expo’s Elizabeth C. Pope Award for Lifetime Contributions to Philately (2011), the Luff Award for Outstanding Service to the APS (2014) and the Smithsonian 690 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Philatelic Achievement Award (2019).

“Janet excelled at everything — always with a smile and song,” Ganz added. “Janet once said, ‘Collecting stamps and letters from bygone days is a way for me to connect on a very personal level with people and events from those times.

History is not just about famous people and events. It also encompasses ordinary people doing ordinary things, overcoming the challenges that happen in their lives, surviving, and thriving.’ ” Before retiring, Klug managed computer departments for several corporations. Condolences are extended to her long-time husband Russ, who, though not a collector himself, supported Janet in all her endeavors and accompanied Janet to many shows and philatelic events.

More about Janet Klug’s contributions to philately Klug’s Smithsonian Guide to Stamp Collecting was published in 2008 following the publication of 100 Greatest American Stamps, which she co-authored with Don Sundman in 2007. The Catalog of Tin Can Mail Cachets of the Tonga Islands was her first book-length philatelic publication in 1984.

Klug was also a prolific author of articles and columns, many of which were aimed at beginners. Her “Refresher Course” and “Stamp Excursions” columns began in Linn’s Stamp News in 2002. She wrote a “Down Under” column for Scott Stamp Monthly from 1999 to 2010 and the “Starting Point” column for The American Philatelist from 1998 to 2003.

Klug specialized in British Pacific and military postal history. Her more specialized philatelic articles included research on Tonga’s Queen Salote definitives published in the 1992 American Philatelic Congress Book and her paper, “Picking Up the Pieces: The Aftermath of Hiroshima,” included in the Winton M. Blount Postal History Symposia Select Papers, 2006-2009.

A nationally accredited judge since 1991, her specialized exhibits of Tonga, Samoa, Malaya, and Japan under Australian occupation, won a World Series of Philately show grand, a grand prix national in Australia, and an international one-frame gold. Notable exhibits included, “The De La Rue Engraved Definitives of Tonga, 1897-1953,” “Australian Occupation of Japan, 1946-1952” and “Terror in the Jungle: Counter-Insurgency during the Malaya Emergency 1948-1960.”

Letters to the Editor LetterToTheEditor@stamps.org

Collections can drive interests; hobby needs more promotion I would like to defend Mr. Iacovino’s argument [May Letters to the Editor] that there is too much postal history in The American Philatelist.

We collect for a variety of reasons. I doubt it is for an investment. There must be another attraction: art of miniatures, their beauty, or some of us, like the society’s new president, have a penchant for collecting! (Me, too!)

But collecting leads to much more and history and postal history are a big part of that. What is this event commemorated on this stamp? Who is this person!? Often we don’t know that there is a story behind the stamp. Learning that can make the stamp more interesting.

I once bought a postal card (UX15) just to fill out an order. It arrived, and had what I thought was Hebrew on the back. That entailed some very interesting sleuthing to reveal it was an overdue book notice in Yiddish! I learned that the Post Office had produced postal cards the size of library cards for just this purpose and that major city libraries at the turn of the 20th century had collections of books in the languages of their immigrant populations! Fascinating.

It is true that we need to attract younger members to our hobby. Many of us started collecting when we were children and we have to admit that there were far fewer diversions and hobbies than there are now. I would contend that stamp collecting is a good quiet time activity that one can do with your kids that is also educational and, of course, history is a large part of that education. While I didn’t really know it then, I have found that history is of interest to me and in my childhood stamp collecting, history and current events or even recently past current events were pointed at by stamps and caused me to dig further into what they were all about.

To some degree, The AP is for experienced collectors.

Perhaps we need something, not necessarily a printed magazine, aimed at new collectors. Is the target children, young adults, parents who want a good hobby with one or more of their kids? Something to think about.

John Day Foxboro, Massachusetts

American POWs in Korea had long, interesting lives The article, “Korean War POW Mail” by Tony Bard [June 2023], was very interesting but what really piqued my interest was the reference to Richard Fecteau and John Downey who were “captured on November 29, 1952, and held captive until 1971 and 1973, respectively.” Wondering about their story and what happened to them led me to a video on 692 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

YouTube, “Extraordinary Fidelity.” If you can, take the time to watch it.

Bonnie Leathers Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

Marketplace column could offer more I read the new Marketplace column with great anticipation. I was left with great disappointment; a lot of fluff.

First, my experience buying stamps on eBay was SO BAD that apart from a couple of decent dealers, I have all but abandoned eBay for stamps.

Recently, I tried a dealer who advertises sales with “make offer.” Make an offer and they will counter, dropping their asking price a dollar or if you’re lucky $2; a waste of time.

They can sit on the stamp for another year or two.

I bought from a dealer who sent me a stamp I did not buy. He informed me I really wanted the other stamp, I just didn’t know this.

Used to be a lot of these guys were in Florida. Retired there for the warmer weather. Can’t blame them. They were selling off their collections to make a few dollars for an afternoon in Margaritaville.

As for an 18-point Code of Ethics … seriously? That’s about the size of the vehicle code. It would be more difficult complying with this than buying an AR-15. This code, if it is indeed 18 points, is in serious need of simplification.

Anyway, buying and selling sight unseen is no fun and I do not recommend this. I save my “wants” and “needs” up for a quality show. I make one or two shows a year, have fun, chat with dealers and a buyer or two. Leave a happy stamper.

Gary Morris Scottsdale, Arizona [Editor’s note: I would argue that the Code of Ethics is an easy document with which to comply. Yes, it could be summarized concisely: “I agree to conduct myself honestly and in good faith.” Any member who acts in good faith should have no fear of accidentally breaking the Code of Ethics. But the APS would have a difficult time arbitrating disputes without the Code.

Second, the APS is currently taking quick action on the matter of buying and selling ethics. A few months ago, the APS Board appointed a new Dealer Advisory Council, tasked with revising the dealer member program to establish clear professional standards; improve dealer benefits; and recommend programs to train future experts. The Council will also identify best practices for the world of online buying and selling. We also urge you to watch this space and submit your questions to Marketplace columnist Matt Liebson. – Susanna Mills]

Author’s Inquiry If you are a philatelic author seeking assistance with your research, drop us an email (LetterToTheEditor@ stamps.org). Include “Author’s Inquiry” in the subject line. Please keep your message to under 100 words.

These will be published on a space-available basis and at the discretion of the editorial department.

Two interesting postcards Going through some postcards I have, I found two of particular interest, the messages on which I cannot fully make out, and I was wondering whether any of your readers might be able to help.

The exciting thing for me was that I found the second card months after finding the first and connected the two by noticing the name “Jeanne.”

The first is a multi-colored card illustrating the Exposition Universelle of Paris in 1900. At the bottom of the card are instructions in German and French. Translated they say “Cut through the connecting buildings and fold the top back” and “Cut through the adherences of the monuments and fold to form an easel.”

The card was sent from Rue Milton, Paris, on May 1, 1900, and arrived in Sydney, Australia on June 6. The message, on the front of the card, is written to “dear Papa” in a mixture of French and German, of which I can make out only a little. It is signed off in French “your little girl Jeanne.” It is addressed to J.J. Roth, 211 Clarence Street Sydney.

The second card is a black-and-white image of the Tower of London, sent by Papa from London on June 20, 1899, addressed to Misses Jeanne and Claire and Master Hans Roth, House Gredig, Davos Platz, Switzerland, and dated on arrival on the very next day (surely that cannot be correct?), written in French. Again, I would welcome help with reading the message.

I and my daughter-in-law Michelle have found that Papa was John James (Jean Jacques) (Swiss), married to Jeanne Fermina (French). Their three eldest children were Jeanne Anne, Claire Marie and Sydney Hans, and there were four others.

Incidentally, who would have thought the writing on the front of the card was that of an 11- or 12-year-old?

Michael D. Hirschhorn North Rocks, Australia

The same family is connected to two postcards: color postcard featuring an image of the Exposition Universelle of Paris and a black-and-white card showing the Tower of London. Can anyone interpret the messages?

694 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Software and diligence needed during digitization Dr. Douglas Quine’s letter regarding digitization in the June 2023 edition of The American Philatelist was well done and pointed out valid points about the pros and cons of what I will call hard copies vs. the use of digital data and storage. There are some points he made that need to be addressed, or perhaps examined from a different point of view.

Dr. Quine is correct that 5,000-year-old papyrus manuscripts have survived and can be read by a properly trained scholar. But what is not addressed are the lost papyri, scrolls, parchments, clay tablets, etc. that have not survived the devastations of time. Perhaps the most famous is the Library of Alexandria that held an estimated half million documents.

History points toward any material used for writing, even if durable, has a good chance of being lost not because it deteriorates but because of other capricious events. Fires, floods, earthquakes, wars, and ignorance all played a role in destroying information forever.

There is the persistent opinion that using digital technology is a dangerous or poor direction to proceed into the future because software becomes outdated, or storage media becomes corrupt.

Software is not a problem if diligence is practiced. Like Dr. Quine, I was around at the beginning of the personal computer age in the early 1980s. As an example, I will use spreadsheet software. I started with several systems before I changed over to Windows Excel after a Microsoft demonstration. That was about 1985. Since 1982, Excel has not been replaced with a superior spreadsheet program. I seriously doubt a move to a radically new Excel-unfriendly spreadsheet software will just “happen” one day and all previous data in Excel becomes unavailable the same day.

Storage is another subject of much debate, but as with software, is it really a problem that is trumped by keeping mountains of paper? (Different sizes of) floppy disks, hard drives, CDs, DVDs, flash drives, networks, and cloud storage are all out there. Many are ancient by today’s standards, but all can still be read with the proper drive. Media will deteriorate over time, but we have at least 50 years to make sure media is kept up to date. For large amounts of philatelic data, such as the APS library, it only makes sense to put as

much data into digital storage as possible and make it available to members. If we take the proper steps to back up data and tightly control distribution on the web/internet, there shouldn’t be major problems. Data should be stored on site and at a minimum of two remote sites.

If the APS provided a one-stop, permanent source for data, wouldn’t that preclude a need to access sites that could go away? It would take commitment, but philatelists that want podcasts, “Zoom” presentations, etc. properly preserved need to be cordially invited to have the data uploaded to the APS site.

Today, precious data can be backed up at sites around the world. I have all my data stored on a 49TB NAS drive at home. That drive is backed up daily (and automatically) in cloud storage at a US site and at a site in England. Three sites, two continents? I am pretty comfortable with yesterday’s work being saved continuously at three locations.

Digitization and electronic storage of such things as auction catalogs don’t need to be kept as space-eating hard copies. I have found that digital copies of auction catalogs are much easier to work with than trying to use two or more perfect-bound catalogs at the desk.

To conclude, I agree that there is a need to retain valuable artifacts and some associated paper, but I don’t think the perceived problems are as worrisome as we think.

Jerry Michels, professor emeritus Texas A&M University

2024 Scott catalogs disappointing I am very disappointed with the new 2024 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogs. Although a great many collectors are aging or are retired, publisher Amos Media chose to make all of the pictures of stamps in the new catalogs smaller than in previous Scott catalogs. They are now much more difficult to see!

How unnecessary as we collectors would have paid significantly more for catalogs, to be able clearly see the critical pictures of stamps. I have spoken with several retired collectors and all have the same negative response to the new catalogs. Very disappointing!

Ralph Fredenthal West Palm Beach, Florida

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Spicing up your stamp club meetings We recently had one of the best stamp club meetings in years. The majority of the business had been sorted out in the board meeting just before the general meeting. At the business meeting it was presented to the membership for any further discussion and approval.

Our educational presentation was “my favorite stamp.” Each member was given three to five minutes (they were timed) to show and talk about their favorite stamp, cover or postcard.

That also left a lot time after for members to A cover created by Herman Herst in 1934 used ticker tape to commemorate the talk to each other about stamps. anniversary of the Stock Market Crash of 1929; or, did it? (Image courtesy of Daniel I believe that making the focus more on Schibley.) stamps and less on business makes for a happier Don’t put much stock club. After all, it is a “stamp” club meeting. Yes, business needs to take priority at some meetings but most of in Herst’s ticker-tape covers the meetings can have a more philatelic focus.

I have just solved an 88-year-old mystery fabricated by After some brainstorming with several other members, the famous Herman Herst Jr. including my wife (who is also a member and collector), we In 1934, on the fifth anniversary of the stock market came up with some additional ideas for educational pro- crash of 1929, Herst pasted snippets of New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) paper ticker tape to commemorative philatelgrams. ic covers. He stamped them with his firm’s name and address, • A strange or unusual item from my stamp signed them, and carried them to Wall Street Station in New collection.

• What it shows: Pick a stamp on a topic (landscapes, York, near his office, where they were franked and mailed to collectors. people, rulers, instruments, animals, etc.) then tell As a professor of finance with a PhD from MIT, I have members about it. often been called upon for my forensic expertise in dating • Where I want to go: Pick a country or a stamp NYSE ticker tape snippets. It usually takes me less than 10 showing some country or place you want to visit. minutes to determine the date that any example was printed, • Where I’ve been: Show a place on stamps that you based upon the unique combination of stock ticker symbols have visited. and price stamps appearing (e.g., IBM 134 1/8, GM 38 1/4, • One of my favorite persons on a stamp. etc.). Herst’s NYSE ticker tape fragments, however, defeated • On my “bucket” list: A stamp showing an activity me for a full year. Many of his ticker tape snippets capture you would like to do. combinations of stock symbols and prices that do not cor• Talk about (and show) an item missing from my respond to any stock trading on or before the date that they collection. were mailed. They should not exist, and I could not figure • Talk about an item I would like to add to my out why. collection. This might help you find it with the In October 2022, however, a U.S. philatelist (Daniel networking between members.

These would all be just short talks; each member gets Schibley) showed me his Herst commemorative cover and three to five minutes. If you have a limited amount of time or a large membership who attends, you can break it into two or three meetings.

Also, put members’ names into a hat and draw about 10 names, which would result in a total presentation time of 30 to 50 minutes. Then, there could be 10 more for the next meeting, until everyone had a time slot. You can be certain that there will be questions and comments that will extend the presentation.

Bob and Cathy Marousky Ocean Springs, Mississippi 696 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Nieser Stamps & Coins PO BOX 8533 Houston, TX 77249 832-212-1285 www.kennieser.com kennieser@yahoo.com

asked me why the ticker symbols on his tape snippet spelled out an obvious word. I realized abruptly that the two examples I had seen before then also spell out words or word fragments, albeit less obviously, and that I had not seen the forest for the trees. I have since found several other clear examples. A half-dozen examples are now displayed at my website: http://www.foundationsforscientificinvesting.com/ ticker-tape-dating.htm.

Herst played a prank on his collectors in 1934. If he were still among the living, he would be 112 and laughing about this. Rather than use a telegraphic feed from the NYSE, he fed his own symbols and prices into his stock ticker machine to spell out hidden words or messages that are not the natural product of NYSE stock trading. No wonder they baffled me!

Some of his messages needed yet another decoding step by me, because they make sense only if you know which stock the leading ticker symbol represented in 1934.

Do your readers have other examples from Herst’s outburst of 1934 ticker tape prank messages? If so, I would love to receive scanned images to add to the gallery at my web site.

I am happy to further decode any hidden messages contained therein.

Timothy Falcon Crack Dunedin, New Zealand timcrack@alum.mit.edu

a First-Class Mail Service?” The author bemoans an increase in postage rate from 6 cents in January 1971 to 20 cents in July 1982. He cites the “soaring” cost and wonders how long it will be possible to economically mail a letter. In his story factors like bureaucratic meddling by Congress is the feared cost impact.

More recently, letter postage has increased from 50 cents to 66 cents (2 cents more) between January 2018 and July 2023, roughly half the time period covered in the old article.

As far as I know there has been little (additional) bureaucratic meddling from Congress recently, and our latest postmaster has reduced customer service on several fronts, ostensibly to reduce expenses.

So it seems the post office is trying hard to hold costs down. On the other hand China is flooding the U.S. market with counterfeit stamps. Is this the latest major reason for our current explosion in letter rates? Why is there no reaction heard from our elected officials if this is the case, and why is the postal inspection service letting this go on apparently unchecked? Should we stamp collectors make more of a fuss?

William J. Schultz Grayslake, Illinois

Is first class mail service still unaffordable?

Errata

My wife digs into old issues of Reader’s Digest while I work on my stamps. She recently showed me an article from the July 1982 issue by Trevor Armbrister titled “Can We Have

Page 554. Freight money letters were transported in the early part of the 19th century.

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JUNE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

We encourage readers to send their comments, questions and feedback to The American Philatelist.

Submission of a letter implies consent to publish, unless specifically prohibited by the sender. The decision of whether to publish is made by the editorial staff of The American Philatelist.

Generally, letters will be published unless determined to be offensive, disrespectful, libelous, or not chiefly related to the stamp hobby.

The opinions expressed in a Letter to the Editor are those of the author and not The American Philatelist.

We do not publish or accept requests for the publication of anonymous letters.

To allow more Letters to the Editor, you are respectfully requested to limit submissions to 500 words or less. If your submission is longer, the editorial team will ask you to resubmit a shorter version, or provide you a copy of an edited version to review prior to publication.

Submit your letters to letterstotheeditor@stamps. org or mail a typewritten copy to: Letter to the Editor The American Philatelist, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 697

Canada’s Stampless Era A Glimpse into Canada’s Early Postal History ROB LEIGH

F

ollowing American independence, a number of British colonies to the north persisted, including Upper and Lower Canada, as well as the eastern maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

Examples of mail used to or from these colonies prior to 1800 is quite scarce (Figure 1), and thus difficult to acquire for most collectors. Examples from the French period, prior to 1760, are even more rare. Compared to the United States, settlements in British North America were quite small, and really only started to take off well after the War of 1812.

Upper and Lower Canada were formed around 1792 and owe their names to their positioning with respect to the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River (see map).

Lower Canada consisted of what is now the southern part of the Canadian province of Quebec, while Upper Canada can be identified with southern Ontario. In Lower Canada, the most important towns formed around St. Lawrence ports at Quebec and Montreal.

The majority of British North American mail from the early 1800s was either sent within 698 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Figure 1. This letter, dated April 28, 1769, was sent from Montreal to Jacques Campeau, a businessman and a captain of the British regiment at Fort Detroit. The fort remained in British hands until July 1796. Detroit was an important part of the local community on either side of the Detroit River in early colonial times.

Figure 2. An example data record of an early Upper Canadian postmark on the PHSC website. The website can be accessed at https://postalhistorycanada.net/.

Geographical, Statistical, and Historical Map of Upper and Lower Canada, and the Other British Possessions in North America. Published by H.C. Carey & I. Lea, 1823. Courtesy York University Library.

the colonies or was sent to or from the mother country. Transatlantic mail typically went through Montreal or Quebec, via Halifax in Nova Scotia, or via American centers such as New York or Boston.

Prior to the 1830s, there were only a handful of operational post offices, mostly strung along the Great Lakes shores, other waterways or along settlement roads. Beginning in the late 1820s, as settlements throughout the colonies grew, additional post offices were established.

Postage stamps were not issued in the Canadas, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick until 1851 (see sidebar) and even later in Newfoundland (1857) and Prince Edward Island (1861), and even so were not required on letters until the early 1870s. This article focuses on the period prior to 1850 when stamps did not appear on mail (apart from the occasional U.S. or British adhesive in the 1840s). Collectors of this

Figure 3. A moneyletter from Lancaster (in eastern Upper Canada) to Toronto, rated at 3 shillings 6 pence currency, triple the single rate of 1sh2d for 301 to 400 miles, indicating that there were three sheets of paper in total.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 699

Figure 4. A Montreal type IV straight line marking on a cover from 1779 to Quebec.

era focus on the study of postal rates, routes through the colonies, and the markings used on mail.

A great deal is known about postal markings in this period. The Postal History Society of Canada (Figure 2) was formed in the early 1970s to study all aspects of Canadian postal history.

For more than a dozen years, these studies have involved the development and updating of databases that record available information. Other important philatelic societies include the British North American Philatelic Society and the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada.

Early British North America postal markings are, compared to U.S. markings, relatively easy to classify. This is the case because, apart from a few very early examples, the Canadian postal system was an arm of the British General Post Office and the vast majority of postal markings were ordered from British manufacturers. In many cases, these markings were quite similar to British counterparts.

Postal rates Figure 5. A two-line straight line marking from the border town of St. Andrews in New Brunswick, dated by manuscript in 1828.

While postal rates during the stampless era can be quite varied, most covers from this time can be deciphered with some knowledge and experience.

There are several publications available that describe typical rates used as well as ship sailing dates relevant for transatlantic mail.

During this period, a typical letter was rated based on the distance that it would travel. So, for example, letters traveling less than 60 miles were charged 4½ pence local currency, 7 pence for 61 to 100 miles, and so on.

In addition, a multiplier was applied based either on the number of sheets of paper enclosed or on the weight (in multiples of quarter ounces).

Such multipliers are often seen on moneyletters, which often, as the name Figure 6. An 1816 cover from Quebec to Montreal with two Quebec postal markings. On the front is a circular rate marking indicating the prepayment of 9d currency and on the back is a Quebec fleuron marking recording the date of mailing, August 20, 1816.

700 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

implies, contained currency notes (Figure 3). Security in the conveyance and delivery of mail was tight, and individual letters were recorded. The moneyletter system is often thought of as an early form of registration mail.

Early straightline and miscellaneous postal markings The earliest inked postal markings used in the colonies were straight line markings that were like those used in the United States and Europe. These were used at approximately 60 different sites; examples from towns like Montreal and Three Rivers are the most commonly seen and the most varied in terms of layout and dating. Examples are shown in Figures 4 and 5.

There were also quite a few miscellaneous markings used in the colonies, representative examples of that are illustrated. Some of these, such as the “fleuron” (Figure 6) and crown markings (Figure 7) were similar to those used at other British colony post offices, while others were unique creations (Figure 8).

Figure 7. A cover displaying two Quebec postal markings, a double broken circle, which records the date of mailing as July 18, 1849 and a PAID AT QUEBEC, L.C. crown marking along with a manuscript notation indicating the rate of 1 shilling, 1-1/2d currency. The crown rate markings were used at many British colonial post offices throughout the Empire.

Figure 8. The postal rates on early covers from British North America could really add up.

This example originated at Niagara, recorded by a unique oval marking dated June 11, 1818.

Weighing one half ounce, the letter was charged at twice the quarter ounce rate: the 3N marking indicates 3 shillings prepaid to Quebec. The letter was forwarded via Liverpool (indicated by the ship letter marking) and charged 1 shilling and 7 pence sterling for its travel to London.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 701

The first regular circular markings: the 1829 and 1831 orders

Figure 9. An example of an 1829 type circular postmark from Brantford Upper Canada used in 1835. Note the “free” rate marking; postmasters had free franking privilege.

Figure 10. A Bath Upper Canada 1829 type postmark with typeset date, January 14, 1835 on a moneyletter to Toronto. Although there are many examples of towns named after British counterparts, it is clear from context that this is a Canadian cover.

Figure 11. A transatlantic cover showing a Colchester Upper Canada postmark of the 1831 order used in 1840 in black. The Bridgewater postmark is very similar to a Canadian 1829 type postmark, but is a UK marking. This cover is an example of a freight money letter, indicating that prepayment via New York could be made at a Canadian post office, a service that was available for only a few years. Freight money letters are generally scarce, and this is in fact the only known example from Colchester.

702 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

According to an accounting performed by Deputy Postmaster General Daniel Sutherland in November 1827, there were 111 post offices throughout Upper and Lower Canada. This number was rapidly increasing; by 1832, there were some 240 offices.

A letter from 1828 survives recording an order for postal markings. The bulk of these were a common circular design showing the town name, two arcs at the bottom, without the province indicated (in almost all cases). We now know of 95 of these, and they are commonly known as the “1829 types” as they first appeared in use probably in June 1829 (Figure 9).

Depending on the office, these postmarks are known used in many different colors. They were usually dated by manuscript, although there are a few known examples in which type was used (Figure 10). With the exception of Sandwich, these tend to be very scarce.

A few additional postal markings were ordered in 1831 as a follow-up to the 1829 order. Twelve of these are known. They are similar to the 1829 types but differ by the addition of the provincial designation, U.C or L.C, at the base (Figure 11).

Double circle postmarks Another postmark design that was used at a great many offices is known as a double circle (Figures 12 and 13).

In this case, there does not appear to be any systematic ordering of these devices as they appeared intermittently and were in use, depending on the office, during the 1830s and 1840s for the most part.

Figure 12. A typical double circle postmark, in this case from St. Therese de Blainville, Lower Canada in 1843.

Figure 13. Double circle postmarks were also used in the maritime provinces. This example is from Woodstock New Brunswick, sent in 1842 to Fredericton.

Canada’s first stamps

BY JEFF STAGE In 1851, Canada – still considered a colony – received permission from Great Britain to issue its own postage stamps. That year, Canada released three stamps, the threepenny red Beaver on April 23; the 6-pence slate violet Prince Albert on May 17; and the 12-pence black Queen Victoria on June 14. All three are imperforate and were printed with gum on laid paper by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and Edison, the New York security printers, which soon became the American Bank Note Company.

At the time, the inland postal rate and to Nova Scotia, etc., was 3 pence per half ounce and 6 pence to much of the U.S. The 12-pence stamp covered several heavier weights and mail to Newfoundland, British West Indies and England.

Engineer and inventor Sandford Fleming (1827-1915), whose true fame lies in the development of railroads, designed the Beaver stamp. But why the beaver? First, the animal was integral to Canada’s important fur trade.

(Beaver pelts were so popular that the animal was overhunted and became endangered before early conserva-

Scott 1

Cont. on page 705.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 703

Broken double circle postmarks By the end of the 1830s, a common postmark design was settled upon.

These are known as double broken circles, as they all have a sequence of arcs as part of the design, being otherwise rimless (Figures 14 and 15). These were produced by the firm of Pritchard and Andrews.

Their existence was recorded by the company taking a “proof strike” before sending it to the respective post offices. During the first decades, these postmarks used a serif font, while a sans serif font became common later on.

The double broken circles were quite commonly used with typeset dates, particularly at larger offices.

The study and collecting of BNA postmarks makes for an interesting pastime. For the smaller towns, it can be quite challenging and while a great deal is known about these postmarks, there is undoubtedly much remaining to be discovered.

Figure 14. A Carleton Place U.C. double broken circle postmark on a letter sent in 1840 to Perth. The address is “Perth C.W.” The C.W. was short for Canada West, a later name for Upper Canada. Similarly, Lower Canada became Canada East.

Figure 15. An 1848 cover shows a variety of double broken circle postmarks, including a PAID rate marking from Fredericton, a smaller example with typeset date from Saint John, New Brunswick and a typeset example from Bend of Petitcodiac, NB (at modern day Moncton), as well as a circular datestamp from Fredericton.

References The author consulted many sources, including early Post Office publications, the 1842 Stayner report (in 1846 Sessional Papers of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada), etc. In some cases, these are available at Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/postal-heritagephilately/Pages/postal-heritage-philately.aspx). In particular, LAC Mikan #138193 contains much important early information.

Arnell, Jack. Atlantic mails: a history of the mail service between Great Britatin and Canada to 1889 (National Postal Museum, 1980).

Arnell, Jack. Handbook on transatlantic mail (British North America Philatelic 704 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Society, 1987).

Arnell, Jack. Steam and the North Atlantic Mails (Unitrade Press, 1986).

Arnell, Jack. Transatlantic mail to and from British North American from early days to UPU (British North American Philatelic Society, 1996).

Arnell, Jack. Transatlantic stampless mail to and from British North America (British North America Philatelic Society, 1989).

Hubbard, Walter & Richard F. Winter. North Atlantic Mail Sailings, 1840-75 (U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, 1988).

Jephcott, C.M., V.G. Greene, & John H.M. Young. The Postal History of Nova

tion efforts saved it.) Second, Fleming may have showed the beaver building a dam as a symbol of the people in the young colony of Canada building their towns, cities, and communities, according to stampsandcanada.com website.

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The Beaver stamp is considered unique in the history of British postage as it is the first to feature an animal, rather than a royal.

A portrait of Prince Albert, husband to the queen, was engraved by Alfred Jones based on a drawing by William Drummond.

The portrait of Queen Victoria was reproduced from a contemporary engraving of a full-length 1837 painting by Alfred Edward Chalon. On the occasion of Queen Victoria’s first visit to the House of Lords, she commissioned Chalon to paint this portrait as a gift to her mother, the Duchess of Kent. Alfred Jones engraved the stamp.

Rare versions of the black Queen Victoria stamp, also known as the Chalon Head, are among Canada’s iconic rarities. The most iconic, known as the Black Empress, sold for $425,000 in 2011. Its sister sold for $250,000 Canadian by Sparks Auctions earlier this year.

All three designs were repeated on later versions of 19th-century stamps. All stamp images shown here are courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries.

Scotia and Brunswick, 1754-1867 (Sissons Publications, 1964).

Montgomery, M.B. The Postage Rates of The North Atlantic Mails (1635-1950), self-published, 1991. (For transatlantic rates) Pullin, James. North Atlantic Packets: Departures and Arrivals, 1818-1840 (2009).

Steinhart, Allen L. and J.C. Arnell (editor). Postal rates and routes: Mails between British North America and Great Britain (J.C. Arnell, 1997-8).

Winter, Richard F. Freight Money Covers From Canada, International Postal History Fellowship, May 2007. (For censuses of freight money letters originating in Canada) Winter, Richard. Understanding Transatlantic Mail Volumes 1, 2 (American Philatelic Society, 2006, 2009).

Header image: “Montréal, vers 1853. Depuis lÎle SainteHélène,” James Duncan (c. 1853).

For Further LEARNING

Recommendations from the APRL research staff: The Allan L. Steinhart Collection of Prestamp and Stampless Covers to, from and through British North America 1685- 1865. (New York, NY: Harmers Auctions, 2005) [NS Steinhart, Allan L.] The Canada and Newfoundland Stampless Cover Catalog by Harry M. Konwiser and Frank W. Campbell.

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he Author

Rob Leigh is a scientist in Champaign, Illinois, who grew up in southwestern Ontario, Canada. His first foray into postal history concentrated on the early development of settlements near his home town. He is vice president and web developer of the Postal History Society of Canada, and has exhibited postal history collections on many occasions, winning grand awards at several Canadian national level shows, and subsequently exhibited at the APS Champion of Champions in Columbus (2018) and Omaha (2019).

(Verona, NJ: S. Rich, 1946). [G3401 .P857 K82c] Transatlantic Stampless Mail to and From British North America by J.C. Arnell. (Paget, Bermuda: J.C. Arnell, 1989. [HE6233 .A748t 1989] “Early Stampless Mail Required a Lot of Effort” by Jon C. Arnell. Stamp Collector, June 20, 1992.

“Pre-Stamp and Stampless Covers of Canada” by V.G. Greene. Popular Stamps, May 1942.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 705

The Botanist and a Common Perfin RUSSELL D. SAMPSON

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his is an article on philately, postal history and the history of science. It is also a biography, but above all, it is a story. To write proper philately and postal history, one must uncover a cover’s rate, route, and decipher its markings. To do proper history and biography, one must connect people with events by uncovering and citing original sources. But, to write a proper story, one must find the humanity.

Figure 1. The cover that originated in Canada is franked with stamps from two countries. First, a 2-cent Edward VII stamp from Canada (Scott 90); and two King Edward VII yellow-green halfpenny Our covers are not just artifacts stamps (Scott 143). The Liverpool handstamps show an early form of postal coding, “W.D.” of postal history, but potential touch- indicating “Western District.” The “9” is the number of the handstamp and may have been used to stones into someone’s life and occa- track the work of the postal employee applying the postmark. sionally … into their demise. Once It is addressed to a Mrs. D.P. Penhallow, c/o Arthur Piers, researched, the unassuming cover in Figure 1 unfolded into a Esq. C.P.R. Steamship Offices, Liverpool, England. The most tale that is both inspiring and macabre. likely route would have been Montreal to Liverpool onboard either the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Empress of Britain of the The philately Canadian Pacific Railway Steamship Lines, or the RMS Corsican of the Allan Lines, which was also owned by the The cover was initially franked in Montreal with a CPR. Both vessels were scheduled to sail from Montreal to Canadian 2-cent King Edward VII to pay the Empire Penny Liverpool on November 18. Their passage should have taken Post rate to England. It was mailed from the Secretary and six to eight days.

Bursar’s Office of McGill University. The Montreal machine cancel reads, (after “X-rayed”), Montreal Que Nov 16 6-PM Once in Liverpool, the cover was then redirected to 1910 (Figure 2).

Hazlemere [sic], Surrey with the addition of two common 706 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Figure 2. This “poor-person’s X-ray” from the author was produced by setting an Epson V550 Photo scanner to “Transparency, Negative” mode. Here the scanner’s light source shines through the cover, thus revealing hidden details within and underneath the stamp and the cover.

The “wavy-line” killer of the Montreal machine cancel is indicative of an International Rapid Cancelling machine with its “C” indicium, standing for “Collect” – mailed picked up at a mailbox.

The length of the wavy-line obliterator is 2.0-inches, indicating that it was produced by an electrically driven “Flier” model.

Great Britian, King Edward VII yellow-green halfpenny stamps.

According to the 1910 British Post Office Guide, the addition of the GB penny postage was required since the cover was redirected to someone other than Mrs. Penhallow.

The subsequent redirected UK postmark reads: Liverpool W.D. 9 3—PM NO 28 10 – nearly 12 days after its original posting from Montreal.

The two halfpenny stamps are perforated with the most common British version of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) perfins, the GB C6120.01M (per Roy Gault). This perfin originates from Liverpool and saw the longest usage of all the British CPR patterns – 60 years – from 1903 to 1963.

Stamps with perforated initials (i.e., perfins) were sanctioned by many postal administrations to dissuade unscrupulous employees from pilfering the company postage. Today, they have been made almost completely obsolete by the advent of such things as meter mail and permit mail.

The red-inked redirect is to Hindhead, Hazelmere [sic] (misspelled, referring to the town of Haselmere). The small village of Hindhead in Surrey, southeast England, was a famous pastoral sanctuary for intellectuals and attracted such luminaries as Irish physicist John Tyndall and poet Lord Tennyson.

Figure 3. Portrait of David Pearce

Penhallow, from the 1911 McGill University can royalty, as it yearbook. includes no less than three colonial governors or deputy governors: William Brenton, the second governor of the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations; William Leete, the governor of the colony of New Haven and ninth deputy governor of Connecticut; and Thomas Dudley, the third, seventh, 11th and 14th governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

However, it is her traveling companion that concerns much of the remainder of this story. As was the custom of the day, the wife adopted the full name of the husband when formal addressing was required. Mrs. Penhallow was married to David Pearce Penhallow (1854-1910), a renowned

The story Mrs. D.P. Penhallow’s (née Sarah “Sadie” Almira Dunlap, 1852-1942) was an early member of the New Hampshire chapter of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA).

According to the society’s records, her early American lineage reads like Ameri-

Figure 4. An 1879 image of Mrs. “Sadie” Penhallow (third from left) and her husband D.P. (center), along with other American academics who helped establish the Imperial College of Agriculture in Sapporo, Japan, now Hokkaido University.

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…early botany was much like early philately, a vast collection of specimens in search of a systematic method of cataloging

botanist and professor (Figure 3).

Born May 25, 1854 in the town of Kittery Point, Maine, Professor Penhallow was raised in neighboring New Hampshire. He graduated in 1873 as a researcher in the field of botany from Amherst College in Massachusetts. Afterwards, D.P. and Sadie sailed to Sapporo, Japan, where they lived from 1876 to 1880. There, Penhallow helped establish the Imperial College of Agriculture (Figure 4).

In 1883, Penhallow accepted a professorship at McGill University in Montreal. There, he was known for his early adoption of the then-revolutionary theory of Darwinian natural selection and applied its principles to the evolution and diversity of the plant kingdom. At this time, he also established a biological field station near the town of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where he would spend many of his summer vacations. As I am a retired professor I know what such a vacation actually means … research and writing.

The professor also broke new ground in the fledgling field of paleobotany – the study of fossilized plants.

In one of his early publications in 1878 he described a new species of brown algae, a kind of extinct seaweed, and proposed its Latin moniker: Haliserites lincatus (Figure 5). Its fossilized remnants were found in the Devonian deposits of Pennsylvania, which were laid-down between about 360 and 420 million years ago when much of the Keystone State was covered by a shallow sea.

When reading Penhallow’s detailed taxonomic descriptions of these fossilized species a philatelist may be reminded of the carefully cataloged minutiae of our own much-loved and hyper-delineated stamp varieties, such as the Canadian Admirals or the U.S. WashingtonFranklin issues. And so, life imitates philately.

Like all good scientists, Penhallow also was a student and promoter of the historical accomplishments of his field. His writings and his teachings included historical summaries of Canadian botany from the time of the early explorers to his own epoch.

In Penhallow’s summaries, it becomes apparent that early botany was much like early philately, a vast collection of specimens in search of a systematic method of cataloging. Modern sciences have now more-or-less settled upon their own cataloging systems: the periodic table for chemistry, the spectral classifications of stars for astrophysics, the Standard Model for particle physics; and the taxonomic ranking for biology. However, a devotee of these sciences will know that each started out as a hodgepodge of competing and confusing systems.

The early history of philately was no different. In the middle of the 19th century – at about the same time as Penhallow – much of philatelic debate and discusFigure 5. This image is from D.P. Penhallow’s 1878 paper in the Proceedings of the United States National Museum, a forerunner of the Smithsonian. sion was focused on the sometimes heated and someThe fossil at the bottom of this image is Haliserites lincatus, an apparently times friendly competition between the English and the new species of ancient brown algae (i.e., “seaweed”) first described by French as they fought for cataloging supremacy. The Penhallow. According to the scholarly website algaebase.org, after 144 years this species has yet to be fully verified.

French ultimately won.

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Figure 7. A postcard shows the Canadian Pacific Steamship S.S. Lake Manitoba. It is postmarked March 13, 1913.

Figure 6. Professor Carrie Mathilda Derick. This image is from the McGill University archive and was taken by the renowned Montreal photographic studio of William Notman.

However, Penhallow’s most important legacy may not have been his botanical discoveries, but his heroic and pioneering promotion of women in science. At that time, such bravery – even in institutions of higher learning – risked alienation from those less open-minded, less forwardthinking, but more powerful. His eventual triumph was highlighted by the mentorship of Carrie Matilda Derick (Figure 6), who became Canada’s first female professor and the eventual founder of the Genetics Department at McGill University.

Yet, Penhallow’s convictions, passions and work ethic may have driven him to illness or even madness. In 1909 he suffered a mental breakdown and in the following year took leave from his duties at McGill to seek the recuperative airs of England. Thus, it appears that Hindhead’s reputation as an intellectual sanctuary may have given the Penhallows hope of a cure through its bucolic atmospheres.

On October 18, 1910 from Montreal harbor, Sadie and D.P. boarded the S.S. Lake Manitoba, of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Line (Figure 7). They were bound for England.

Two days later, while pitching upon the high seas of the North Atlantic, Professor David Pearce Penhallow succumbed to his illness and died. He was 56 years old.

Thus, the cover’s tragic purpose is now revealed.

The Arthur Piers, Esq. on the address is none-other than the manager of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Lines, and his lofty rank underlines the delicacy of the matter. The fact that Penhallow died at sea and aboard his ship would have elevated the situation to the utmost sensitivity.

The cover’s return address and its timing leave little doubt that contained within its foldings were the final

Figure 8. Portrait of Professor John Cox from the 1910 McGill University yearbook.

financial matters from Penhallow’s employer. The fact that Arthur Piers has been instructed to re-address this correspondence to Professor Cox and not to Mrs. Penhallow further suggests that Mrs. Penhallow may have – quite understandably – been struggling to deal with the enormity of the situation.

Cox was the recently retired chair of the Physics Department at McGill University (Figure 8). As an active alumni of Trinity College of Cambridge University, he had moved back to mother England and thus may have been asked to assist with the closing matters regarding Penhallow’s employment.

A final, eerie and ironic twist to this tale materializes when one discovers the late professor’s rather dark academic pastime.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 709

Penhallow had a morbid fascination with what he called “epitaphal” inscriptions. These are the sometimes pithy, sometimes profound and often poetic inscriptions found on gravestones.

In a 12-page paper in the October 1892 issue of the Journal of American Folklore, Penhallow categorizes and transcribes tombstones with funereal jokes, multiverse poems, or lengthy biographies. And then, he ends his dire treatise with the following chillingly prophetic epitaph for one Margaret Hills, who perished in 1803 at the age of 28. Her headstone can be found at Kittery Point, Maine – where Penhallow was born – and it reads: I lost my life in the raging seas, A Sov’reign God does as he please, The Kittery friends they did appear, And my remains are buried here.

Figure 9. D.P. Penhallow’s gravestone in the Proprietors Burying Ground, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, across the river from his birthplace, Kittery Point, Maine.

An online search for D.P. Penhallow’s grave found his remains a mere stone’s-throw away from the last resting place of poor Miss Hills. Penhallow rests in peace just across the mouth of the Piscataquis River in neighboring Portsmouth, New Hampshire – within sight of his birthplace (Figure 9). Yet, his tombstone – his mortal marker – is ironically unadorned and simply states his name, his date of birth and the day he died – upon that raging sea.

Acknowledgments This article would be a much lesser thing if it were not for the assistance of Peter Dawes for sharing his great knowledge on Canadian steamships; Roy Gault, of the Perfin Society, for his assistance on the CPR perfins of Great Britain; and for Jon Johnson and his guidance in all matters philatelic. But above all, I thank my darling Sarah Ann Schuman for her persistent biographical research and her patience with my philatelic passions.

Resources Coutts, Cecil C. International Rapid Cancelling Machines, Volume 1 (British North American Philatelic Society, 2016).

Deane, Walter. “David Pearce Penhallow,” Rhodora (The Journal of the New England Botanical Club) 13, no. 145 (January 1911): 1.

Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/156422267/davidpearce-penhallow (accessed July 1, 2021).

Gault, Roy. A Catalogue of Great British Perfins (The Perfin Society, 2022).

Gault, Roy. “Great British Perfins of the Canadian Pacific Railway and its Subsidiaries in the United Kingdom” (Perfin Society of Great Britain, 2002). https://www.angelfire.com/pr/perfinsoc/ex/CPR.pdf (accessed July 1, 2021) Great Britain Philatelic Society, British Postal Guides: https://www.gbps.org.uk/information/sources/po-guides.php (accessed July 10, 2021).

“History of Scientific Women, Carrie Derick,” https://scientificwomen.net/ women/derick-carrie-134 (accessed July 7, 2021).

Penhallow, D.P. “Epitaphal Inscriptions,” The Journal of American Folklore 5, no. 19 (Oct.-Dec. 1892): 305-317.

Penhallow, D.P. “Notes on Erian (Devonian) Plants from New York and Pennsylvania,” Proceedings of the United States National Museum, Vol. XVI (1878): 105. (https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/proceedingsofuni161893unit).

Penhallow, D.P. “A Review of Canadian Botany from the First Settlement of New France to the Nineteenth Century,” Royal Society of Canada, Transactions IV (1887): 45 (www. biodiversitylibrary.org).

[Steamship sailing times], Montreal Gazette (November 8, 1910): 14.

T

Russell D. Sampson is a retired professor of physical sciences who specialized in atmospheric physics, astronomy and science outreach. Some of his philatelic interests include the perfins and postal history of Canada. He is also the treasurer and an active researcher for the Perfin Study Group of the British North American Philatelic Society (BNAPS). Other interests include the color measurement and color theory of intaglio stamps.

For Further LEARNING

Recommendations from the APRL research staff: Fines on Trans-Atlantic Mail Between Canada and the United Kingdom, 1859-1899 by Malcolm B. Montgomery. (Ottawa, ON: British North America Philatelic Society Ltd., 2012). [HE6233 .M787f 2012] Canadian Coastal and Inland Steam Vessels 1809-1930 by

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he Author.

John M. Mills. (Providence, RI: The Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc., 1979). [HE6233 .M657c 1979] Steam and the North Atlantic Mails by J.C. Arnell. (Toronto: Unitrade Press, 1986). [HE6233 .A748s] “The Canadian Ocean Mail Clerk, 1860-1887” by Kenneth S. Mackenzie. (Ottawa, ON: Canada National Postal Museum, 1974). [G3401 .S557 M157c 1974]

Across the Northern Border A primer on mail traveling to and from the U.S. with Canada and other provinces DAVID D’ALESSANDRIS

U.S. PHILATELIC CLASSICS SOCIETY Articles written by members of the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, an APS affiliate, appear periodically in The American Philatelist.

The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society is a non-profit association of people interested in the pre-1894 stamps and postal history of the United States.

Our goal is to encourage philatelic research and the exchange of information among our members and other philatelic organizations.

We welcome anyone interested in the classic era of United States philately to join. More information can be found on the society website at www.uspcs.org.

P

rior to Confederation in 1867, what is now Canada was a collection of independent British provinces, but with uniform postal rates established by the General Post Office in London.

This article explains the rates for letters sent by land to and from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia prior to postal treaties established in April and July 1851. Ship letters, and letters carried via Halifax, Nova Scotia by the Cunard Line are more complicated.

The same rates applied to letters to and from Canada; however, Canadian letters sometimes assess a “ferriage rate” of 2d (2 pence) or 3d (3 pence) as an additional charge for transit between exchange offices.

The key to understanding these covers is to determine the pair of exchange offices where the cover crossed the international border.

A map (Figure 1) illustrates some of the major exchange offices for the pre-treaty period. There were other exchange offices. Cross-border covers typically have transit markings from at least one of the exchange offices. Then, it is possible to determine the distance-based postage rates to and from the exchange offices.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 711

Figure 1. A map marked with some of the major exchange offices for the pre-treaty period between the U.S. and British North America.

United States Postage Rates

Table 1.

May 1, 1816 to June 30, 1845 (Rate per sheet) Less than 30 miles 6 cents 30 to 80 miles 10 cents 80 to 150 miles 12½ cents 150 to 400 miles 18¾ cents (18½ cents prior to May 1, 1825) More than 400 miles 25 cents July 1, 1845 to treaties of 1851 (Rate per ½ ounce) Less than 300 miles 5 cents More than 300 miles 10 cents To or from Pacific Coast 40 cents (beginning 1847)

Tables 1 and 2 contain the applicable postage rates. Letters from the U.S. to British North America (BNA) could be sent paid to the exchange office or entirely unpaid. Letters from BNA to the U.S. could be sent paid to the exchange office or paid to destination. If entirely unpaid, the U.S. postage due was converted to BNA currency and added to BNA postage. Examples of each of the four prepayment combinations follow.

British North America Postage Rates (in BNA currency) October 10, 1765 to treaties of 1851 (Rate per sheet prior to 1844 / per half ounce after) Up to 60 miles 4.5d 61 to 100 miles 7d 101 to 200 miles 9d 201 to 300 miles 11½ d 301 to 400 miles 1s 1½d 401 to 500 miles 1s 4d Each additional 100 miles 2½d 712 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Table 2.

Mail from the U.S. to British North America The letter shown (Figure 2) was sent from New Hartford, New York to Saint John, New Brunswick. It was mailed March 21, 1839. The faint blue St. Andrews, New Brunswick transit marking (just below the rate markings) demonstrates that the cover was exchanged between Robbinston, Maine and St. Andrews. New Hartford rated the letter 18¾ cents due, for the distance of 150 to 400 miles (see rate table 1) to Robbinston.

The St. Andrews postmaster converted 18¾ cents U.S. postage due to 11½ pence New Brunswick currency. This is shown in the top manuscript marking at top center of the letter as “Am[erican] P[ostage] 11½.”

The exchange rate was roughly 10 cents equal to 6d (pence), but the exchange rate varied over time and between provinces.

The St. Andrews postmaster rated the letter 9 pence due from St. Andrews to Saint John, and marked a total amount due of 1 shilling 8½ pence as “1N8½.”

The published distance from St. Andrews to Saint John was just 67 miles, thus the cover should have been rated 7 pence (see rate table 2); however, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia regularly charged rates in excess of the official rates prior to 1843.

The next piece (Figure 3) is a letter sent June 20, 1850 from Philadelphia to Wallace, Nova Scotia.

The cover is endorsed “paid to lines” (at top left), which means that the letter was prepaid to the exchange office.

The cover is additionally endorsed at bottom left “mail via Robbinston Maine,” designating the overland route, rather than a Cunard steamship from New York or Boston.

The 10-cent black 1847 issue stamp pays the 10-cent rate for a distance more than 300 miles from Philadelphia to Robbinston.

On the back, there is a June 24, 1850 transit marking from the St. Andrews exchange office, where the postmaster rated the cover 11½ pence due for a distance of 201 to 300 miles from St. Andrews to Wallace.

Mail from British North America to the U.S. The letter shown (Figure 4) was mailed March 21, 1850 in Amherst, Nova Scotia,

Figure 2. A letter mailed March 21, 1839 from New Hartford, New York to Saint John, New Brunswick. The faint blue St. Andrews transit marking (just below the rate markings) demonstrates that the cover was exchanged between Robbinston, Maine and St. Andrews.

Figure 3. A letter sent June 20, 1850 from Philadelphia to Wallace, Nova Scotia that is endorsed “paid to lines” at top left, which means that the letter was prepaid to the exchange office.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 713

Figure 4. A letter handled by the Robbinston postmaster to Collinsville, Connecticut. As seen in the excerpt (left), the Robbinston postmaster typically lined-out the BNA “paid” markings on letters paid to the lines, but did not do so on the cover shown above.

Figure 5. A letter mailed September 23, 1842 from Fredericton, New Brunswick, to Bangor prepaid with BNA and U.S. postage.

For Further LEARNING

Recommendations from the APRL research staff: “Canadian Postal Rates and Routes to North American Destinations, 1859-1914” by Victor L. Willson. (Bellevue, WA: British North America Philatelic Society Ltd., 1999). [G3401 .P8575 W742c 1999 Exhibit] “Newfoundland Postal History 1857-1899” by Colin D. Lewis. (Surrey, BC: British North America Philatelic Society Ltd., 2006). [G3436 .P856 L673nep 2006c Exhibit] Selected Canadian Postage Rates 1859-Present by Rob-

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with a prepayment indicated by the Amherst Crowned Circle Paid marking.

The letter is paid 11½ pence for the distance of 201 to 300 miles to the St. Andrews exchange office. There is a Robbinston March 24 transit marking, and the Robbinston postmaster rated the letter 10 cents due for a distance of more than 300 miles from Robbinston to Collinsville, Connecticut. The Robbinston postmaster typically lined-out BNA “paid” markings on letters paid to the lines, but did not do so on this letter.

Another letter (Figure 5) was mailed September 23, 1842 from Fredericton, New Brunswick, to Bangor.

The letter was prepaid with both BNA and American postage. Covers from the Maritimes to the U.S. with the American postage prepaid are quite scarce. Paid to destination uses from the Canadas are more common.

The Fredericton postmaster noted the prepayment of P[rovincial] P[ostage] 7d (at top right) for a distance of 61 to 100 miles from Fredericton to the Woodstock, New Brunswich exchange office and, just beneath it, “AP”, for American postage and “12½” [cents] for a distance of 80 to 150 miles from the Houlton, Maine exchange office to Bangor. The transit markings of Woodstock, N.B. dated September 24, 1842 and Houlton, ME on September 26 confirm this routing.

The postal treaties in 1851 reduced and simplified these rates with a uniform 10-cent / 6-pence rate to destinations for all letters traveling up to 3,000 miles from the exchange office. Letters to and from the West Coast of the United States were charged 15 cents / 9d. There was also a rarely used 2-cent / 1d rate between adjacent exchange offices.

ert C. Smith. (Ottawa, ON: R.C. Smith, 2000). [G3401 .P8575 S658s 2000] The Postal Rates of Canada: 1851-1868 by Charles G. Firby. (Southfield, MI: Charles G. Firby, 1984). [G3401 .P8575 F522pr pts.1-2 1984] “One Hundred Years Over the Waters: Mail by Ship in and Around Nova Scotia from Mid-18th to Mid-19th Century” by J.J. MacDonald. (Surrey, BC: British North America Philatelic Society Ltd., 2006). [G3421 .P856 M135on 2006c EXHIBIT] “Early Postal Service in North America” by C.J. Phillips.

Stamps (US), November 20, 1937.

An Unusual Three-Currency Franking GARFIELD PORTCH

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he folded letter illustrated here (left) displays a wonderful combination of interesting rates and

routes.

The quintuple-rated letter from Toronto, Upper Canada to London, England was posted May 27, 1836 and received in London on July 4, 1836. The routing would have been Toronto, Queenston, Lewiston, New York, Portsmouth and London.

Handstamps include the large red dispatch datestamp “CITY OF TORONTO / U.C. MY 27 1836” with a red “Too Late” indicating that the letter was received after the bag to the United States had been closed. There are no transit marks from the U.S., indicating that the letter was in a sealed bag to the U.K. A black handstamp “PORTSMOUTH SHIP LETTER” discloses the point of entry to the U.K., while a simple datestamp in red indicates the arrival in London as “4 JY 4 / 1836”.

The rating of the letter was the interesting challenge with the manuscript rates being shown in three different currencies.

The upper right corner indicates (in red) the prepayment of 3 shillings and 1 penny (Halifax currency) plus $1.25 U.S. currency. The upper middle indicates (in black) 6 shillings and 8 pence to be collected from the addressee.

The key to calculating the rates comes from a January 2, 1832 circular from the Post Office at Quebec that republished “the rules for rating letters and packets of letters as laid down by law.”

Single-, double- and triple-rated letters were charged one rate per sheet of paper and weighing less than 1 ounce.

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The Contents To the best of my ability, I’ve transcribed the contents of the cover shown here (Figure A). Readers with a keener eye may have more luck transcribing the missing words.

This is the real state of the case – Now I think it a rather doubtful matter as to who this Mr. [Kinee/Knill] is employed by whether he is one of God’s noblest works - either black or white man -but it seems very suspicious when he refuses to give any names. Some of these people say that they have heard there is a person that has been going about in London and other parts of England imposing on the public and collecting money and they say they have heard that about $10,000 had been collected – if so, not a farthing will ever be given those people I am persuaded.

Whether Mr. [Kinee/Knill] is the identical person I know not.

The commissioners have difficulties and troubles enough to contend with in this country on behalf of the Company’s Affairs but to be falsely and untruly represented by every Rascal that can write a letter to the Court of Directors without producing anything to confirm that complaint but their own story and their own side of the question adds much more to their troubles.

I have the honour to be Gentlemen Your obedient servant P.S. I find this [duPaul], whom the copy of my letter now encloses a Coloured Preacher - and who went home two years ago - and I believe the Court had some communications from the Colonial office a year or more ago – respecting some representations, He or others [made] about this [_____] statement as they call it.

How [lately] advances [__] [______] engage[d/s] in collecting money For the Black people Perhaps he has given This Mr. [Kinee/Knill] some Some Power or authority – However [__] the people whoever had Any [association] with us [____] to this [___] say [duPaul] has no Power or authority represents them.

716 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

A packet is composed of several pieces of paper weighing an ounce or more and is charged one rate per quarter ounce.

Thus, a letter of 1¼ ounces is charged five rates.

A manuscript notation in the upper left corner indicates a weight of 1¼ ounces. The rate calculation, therefore, is as follows: Toronto to Queenston (by land) is 7 pence times five equals 35 pence (Halifax currency).

Ferriage across the Niagara River is 2 pence, total 37 pence equals 3/1 (Halifax currency).

Lewiston to New York is 25 cents times five equals $1.25.

These rates were prepaid in Toronto thus 3/1 and 1.25.

At Portsmouth, there was a ship letter fee of 8 pence times 5 equals 40 pence (sterling).

Local rate, Portsmouth to London was 8 pence times five equals 40 pence.

U.K. be collected at destination was 40 pence See ourpostage FabuloustoUnited States website www.MALACK.com times two equals 80 pence = 6/8 (sterling).

FEDERAL DUCKS

Historical footnote The Canada Company RW1 F/VF OG NH, CERT RW1 VF/XF JUMBO, no RW1 XF-SUP OGwas LH, RW2incorporated F/VF OG VLH, RW2 VF/XF, Used,by the RW3 VF/XFBritish OG NH, $499 on gum! $195 27, 1825.

Select! $350 An organizational nice! $275 Choice! $199 meeting fresh $525 took Parliament July place before the actual founding of the company at the London Tavern in London, England. The names of the attendees were later used as the names of the townships in Huron County, Upper Canada (now Ontario).

RW3 VF/XF, Used, SUPER! $110

The aim of the company was to obtain land in Canada and promote its sale to prospective settlers. The company received nearly 2.5 million acres, of which 1.1 million acres comprised the Huron Tract, which became the Huron District in 1834. The remainder of the land, including the Halton and Wilmot blocks, were allotted Crown Reserves throughout the province.

In 1951 the company decided to close operations in Canada. Official business in Canada was terminated by December 24, 1951. The company ceased to exist in England by December 18, 1953.

Resource Steinhart, Allan. The Rates of Postage of Canada 1711 to 1900, Including Some Rules and Regulations Regarding Rating and Treating of the Mails (Postal History Society of Canada, 2011).

T

he Author

Garfield Portch lives in Toronto’s west end with his wife Leslie-Ann of 56 years. He collects the postal history of 19th century Toronto along with Canada’s Small Queen issue of 1870 to 1897. He is currently the president and board chairman of the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation and serves on the foundation’s Expertizing Committee. He served as an instructor at the APS 2023 Summer Seminar with a course dealing with technology and philatelic expertizing.

RW4 F/VF+ OG NH, RW5 F/VF OG NH, great RW5 F/VF OG VLH, very RW7 F/VF OG NH, nice RW7 VF OG NH, Super! mount glazed! $199 color $325 tiny thin $105 quacker $165 $189

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RW8 F/VF OG NH, Fresh RW8 SUPERB JUMBO, RW9 F/VF OG NH, fresh RW9 VF OG NH, FRESH! RW12 VF/XF OG NH, RW16 SUPERB OG NH, RW1 XF-SUP XF-SUP RW2 F/VF F/VF VLH, RW2 Used, RW3 VF/XF OG NH, NH, RW2 Used, RW3 VF/XF OG Color! $185 Used, GEM! $175 RW1 $180 OGOGLH,LH, RW2 $150OGOGVLH, SelVF/XF, eVF/XF, ct! $105 BRIfresh GHT!$525 $125 Select! $350 nice! $275 Choice! $199

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RW2 F/VF OG NH, Fresh! $488

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AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 717

Country's oldest Dollars Dollars to Doughnuts, Doughnuts, state fair the the New York State Fair Fair A philatelic look at the country’s oldest state fair

MY

JEFF STAGE

hometown of Syracuse, New York is not considered a travel destination, but it certainly has its notable benchmarks in business, history, education and personalities of all sorts.

The longest-running touchstone for Central New Yorkers is the New York State Fair (Figure 1). The Fair’s history and importance can be traced through philately, much of it on postcards, but also through advertising covers and special postal cancellations. Following, I offer some Fair history and its philately.

The Fair’s first sponsor was the New York State Agricultural Society, founded in 1832 by a group of farmers, state

legislators and others to promote agricultural improvement and local fairs.

Because Syracuse is near the center of the state – and had transportation links via the Erie Canal, coach roads and railroads – the society designated the then-village of 11,000 to host the nation’s first State Fair over two days in September 1841. Experts say as many as 15,000 visitors – many from the agricultural industries – from all of the state’s 59 counties visited. (Bronx, Nassau and Schuyler counties had not yet been established.)

From 1842, the fair rotated among 11 cities, including New York City, Albany and Rochester.

By 1849, the second time Syracuse hosted, the fair remained with a focus on agriculture, but was embracing wider offerings, including speakers, a formal ball, demonstrations of new technology and just plain fun. A couple of Erie Canal workers constructed a 50-foot-high big-wheel ride of oak and iron with wooden bucket cars that lifted thrilled fairgoers to a birds-eye view of the site. This was 44 years before Ferris erected his Chicago Wheel at the World’s Columbian Exposition.

Figure 1. A view of the New York State Fair in 1915.

Events included agricultural promotion and judging, speeches, races, entertainment and amusements, such as the big wheel.

Figure 2. Patrons line the street awaiting a parade along a lit up Salina Street in downtown Syracuse during the Ka-noo-no Karnival. The postcard is dated 1913.

718 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

The agricultural society felt financial strain from constantly moving the Fair and finally asked the state government to pitch in. The state in 1889 purchased 100 acres just outside the western edge Syracuse and the Fair settled in Syracuse permanently in 1890. Syracuse’s central location in the state again had much to do with the decision.

Despite the cost-savings measure of permanently locating the State Fair in Syracuse in 1900, financial strains remained. Organizers worried about failure. As the fairgrounds was not yet properly electrified, the Fair did not host nighttime events.

The solution was a group of outsiders – the Mystique Krewe – who not only likely saved the Fair but also created some of the event’s most intriguing philatelic items.

In brief, an Onondaga Historical Association article notes that “in 1903, the Fair was a daytime-only event and the predominant mode of transportation was horse and buggy, so it was a major effort to travel all the way to Syracuse just for the Fair. … Spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce, the community’s leaders determined that evening entertainments might draw people to Syracuse and keep them here to go to the Fair the next day.

They proposed three evenings of entertainment for 1904 and the Fair that year, for the first time, turned a profit.”

This led to the Mystique Krewe, which fashioned itself after Mardis Gras events in New Orleans, to offer 11 succeeding years (none

Figure 3. A 1910 cover promotes the Ka-noo-no Karnival on the front and back.

Figure 4. The Onondaga Litholite Co. used an advertising card to promote its business of creating stone pillars and other architectural stonework

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 719

Figure 5. A postcard from 1913 shows the Carriage Entrance. Ninety years ago in 1933 the New York State Fair was celebrating its 93rd year. Someone created covers that celebrate the fairgrounds’ iconic gate. The cachet was created in at least two colors, purple and green.

Figure 6. This postcard mailed in 1910 is titled “A Busy Day at Syracuse Fair.” The card was published by Ralph Finney, Times Square Station, who printed many postcards in the early 20th century.

720 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

in 1913 and 1914) of the Ka-Noo-No Karnival, which were electrified nighttime spectacles, mostly parades with floats, music and homages to historical events (Figure 2). Events often were meant to honor the local heritages of the Native Onondagas and the Iroquois Confederacy, whose members were said to be part of the Krewe. Beyond the Ka-Noo-No Karnivals, for as long as I can recall, the Fair’s Indian Village has been a popular gathering spot for tribal figures and visitors, who can enjoy daily presentations, including native dances on the Turtle Mound.

A 1910 cover (Figure 3) shows the image of a costumed indigenous individual at the left and the Erie Canal moving past City Hall on the right. On the back, there’s marketing hype for the event to present “Night Turned Into Day,” “Beautiful Costumes” and a “Parade of Historical Floats.”

The Ka-Noo-No Karnival ended after 1917, but at that point “the State Fair was doing well, and automobiles allowed people to come for the Fair and the evening show and still get home to sleep in their own beds,” the historical association story said.

Expansion and improvements in grounds and buildings over the decades spurred growth. In 1908, the first structure in a $2 million long-term building plan was erected. Many more followed in the next two decades.

The Syracuse-based Onondaga Litholite Co. printed an advertising card showing a contemporary construction scene in the early 20th century at the Fair (Figure 4 ). The company noted it created “all” of the stonework seen at the fairgrounds. A company book from 1925 noted its work at churches, schools, banks, cemeteries, public buildings and private residences across the Northeast.

An early gate to enter and exit the fairgrounds left an impression (Figure 5). The long-standing Carriage Entrance was meant to invoke a mood of entering a grand old European city, fair or park.

Someone in 1933 – perhaps the Syracuse Stamp Club – created covers in at least two colors showing the grand gate. That type of gate finally gave way to simple turnstiles within a simple structure for much of the last 60 years or so.

Whether you were a visitor a century ago or today, crowds could be reasonable or maddening (Figure 6). A card from 1910 labeled “A Busy Day at the Fair” shows a congested gathering of visitors. Another postcard I have was mailed September 11, 1913 to Pittston, Pennsylvania and was written by an unsigned patron who states, “Have spent a half a day at the Fair and have not seen much but people.”

Aside from the top-name entertainers who have performed at the Fair, the event has often attracted top state and national officials. Visitors have included Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, Bobby Kennedy, Bill and Hillary Clinton. Most state governors – including the likes of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Nelson Rockefeller – have visited the Fair on Governors Day (Figure 7).

Fair officials early on knew that a racetrack – one that accommodated horses, and then vehicles – would be an important draw to the fairgrounds.

The state legislature in 1900 appropriated $10,000 for the construction of the Syracuse Mile racetrack at the fairgrounds.

The track and its grandstand were shared by horses, racecars and entertainers – from the Beach Boys and Osmonds to Tina Turner and Reba McIntire, who in 1992 gave an inspired a capella performance after torrential rains prevented her band from playing.

The track was considered so good among the horse set (Figure 8) that the first Hambeltonian Stakes – the Kentucky Derby of harness racing (trotters) – was held there in 1926. Guy McKinney (that’s the horse) won and famed New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker came up to present the cup.

One of the most famous, and maybe the wealthiest, persons to ever visit the fair was Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877-1915), the great-grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Alfred Vanderbilt was an avid horseman who enjoyed fox hunts and driving coaches and carriages, often while perfectly coiffed in top hat and tails.

A postcard with a September 11, 1907 postmark (Figure 9 ) shows the “Vanderbilt Party leaving the New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse.” It appears Alfred holds the reins as a man at the rear bugles the arrival. I say “arrival” because with the pomp of this image and lack of buildings behind the gate I think the card manufac-

Figure 7. Charles Evans Hughes visited the New York State Fair during his term as governor, 1907-1910. Hughes went on to be 11th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1930-1941.

Figure 8. Harness racing was a popular activity for many decades at the New York State Fair. This handsome advertising cover from 1909 shows three sulkies racing down the Fair’s homestretch in front of the grandstand.

Figure 9. The Vanderbilt party arrives at the New York State Fair in the early 1900s.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 721

Figure 10. The author created this cover featuring the 1986 U.S. Black Bear stamp (Scott 2299) on a Guide to Hunting the Black Bear in Northern New York pamphlet in 1987 when the Syracuse Post Office placed its emergency trailer at the Fairgrounds. The 1988 special pictorial cancellation is similar to that from the previous year but includes an homage to New York state’s bicentennial.

turer got it wrong and the party is arriving at the fairgrounds.

So, is there any actual mail out there posted to or from the State Fair? After all, it’s been around since 1841, 21 years after Syracuse gained its first post office. And, in my lifetime I have seen mailboxes at the Fair, though anything inserted those likely just got picked up in the general course of business.

Figure 11. In 1990, the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies sponsored a stamp show which saw the formal release of the 5-cent Circus Wagon stamp. The show was I do recall that the main Syracuse Post Office placed a mobile postal unit (a trailer held at the same time as the New York State Fair, which prompted a nice opportunity to create a cover featuring the show, the stamp and the Fair. adapted to postal needs) at the Fair. The trailer demonstrated this temporary facility that could greater Syracuse, it’s only been a few years since I started be moved to locales that had suddenly lost its post office to faccollecting New York State Fair philately, but it’s a blast. I tors such as fire or bad weather. The visit to the Fair allowed me recommend anyone looking for a new collecting area to dig to create a couple of philatelic Fair items (Figure 10). into their own state fairs.

In 1990, the coincidental issuance of the first Circus Wagon stamp at the Empex Stamp Show in Syracuse allowed Resources me to obtain a joint Empex/Fair cover (Figure 11).

“History of the New York State Fair,” Classic New York History.com, https:// Today, even though the fairgrounds operates throughclassicnewyorkhistory.com/history-of-the-great-new-york-state-fair/. out the year, there are no mailboxes on site as all mail is “How the Mystique Krewe’s Ka-Noo-No Karnivals Kept the State Fair in delivered within a venue. Other than the trailers on site in Syracuse,” Onondaga Historical Association, https://www.cnyhistory. the 1980s, was there ever an actual post office on the fairorg/2016/08/ka-noo-no-karnivals/. grounds where mail was processed? That remains a mystery McAndrew, Mike. “You’re Not Going to Recognize the New York State Fair,” and allows me to continue the hunt.

Syracuse.com (June 22, 2016).

New York State Fair website, https://nysfair.ny.gov/about/.

The Fair started drawing more than a million visitors Onondaga Cut Cast Stone, Onondaga Litholite Co., Syracuse digitized to Inannually from 2016 to 2019, but, of course, was closed ternet Archive with funding from Columbia University Libraries - https:// (2020) and then curtailed (2021-2022) due to COVID-19. archive.org/details/onondagacutcasts00onon/page/6/mode/2up Officials expect a return to full operations in 2023. For many Rivette, Judith LaManna. State Fair Stories, The Days and People of the New Central New Yorkers, the fair has been a once-a-year funYork State Fair (Liverpool, NY: Oh, How Upstate Enterprises, 2005). filled traditional way to say goodbye to summer.

Schramm, Henry W. Empire Showcase, A History of the New York State Fair I admit that even though I have lived most of my life in (Utica, NY: North Country Books, Inc., 1985) 722 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

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email: info@southweststamps.com Serving collectors since 1977 Serving collectors since 1977

My Collecting Journey

BY BETHANY HUNTER

I

have been a stamp collector for 11 years.

I have a lot of hobbies, but stamp collecting has always been near the top. My interests have changed through time from any pretty stamp, all the way to my current interest in covers and letters.

Currently, I am spending a year focused on philately in the best way I know, as a member of the Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship, known in inner circles as the YPLF (Figure 1).

I learned about the YPLF through my brother, Ian. Six years ago, he stumbled upon the American Philatelic Society website, and found a link to the YPLF application page. He told our mom about it, and after she looked into it and confirmed that it was real and not a scam, he applied. A few weeks later, he got an email. He had been accepted.

Figure 1. Bethany Hunter and her brother, Ian, read a letter postmarked December 5, 1933.

Throughout the next year, I watched my brother go to shows, to Summer Seminar, and on a tour of the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. By the time he was done, I had made up my mind. I would apply as soon as I was old enough.

And now, as I write this, I am nearly done.

I don’t remember when I started collecting, but I believe I was 6 years old. I collected any stamp that came in the mail. Whenever my grandma visited, she would bring all the stamps that came in her mail and give them to me and my siblings. I was greatly influenced by my older siblings, Ian especially. I have a lot of siblings, so I mostly got the leftover stamps until we figured out a method of dividing the stamps evenly among us all.

As I stated before, I collected any stamp I could get my hands on. But one year, my aunt sent me a birthday card.

This was no ordinary card, as it contained a surprise. Nestled inside the card, was a small pile of foreign stamps. All of them were fairly modern stamps from Myanmar (Figure Figure 2. Stamps from Myanmar spilling out of a birthday card envelope.

2). They were beautiful, all bright and colorful, with the in724 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

I am currently working through my YPLF projects with my mentor, Cheryl Ganz. In August, I will graduate at the Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland. After that, I will be going to a local community college, studying to become a history teacher. And even in the thick of homework and exams, I will continue learning about history – my passion – through postage stamps and old covers.

The YPLF is the best way to live the life of a stamp collector as a young adult, and I am enjoying it thoroughly. I have learned so much since I started last August, and I look forward to learning more.

Editor’s note: Bethany Hunter and the other fellows in the Class of 2023 will graduate at Great American Stamp Show, August 1013. Many congratulations to the YPLF Class of 2023!

Figure 3. Album pages of stamps organized by nation, shape, topic, and color.

triguing detail of a different language. I was only 7, and I had never seen a different written language.

From that moment on, I was hooked. I was still interested in all the stamps in the mail, but now I was aware that there were stamps from all around the world. I have been primarily interested in foreign stamps ever since, especially those from countries that I don’t know much about. Now, I am also interested in covers. I love to find a cover that has a story to tell, all battered and worn, perhaps with a letter left inside.

My favorite part of collecting stamps is finding them. I love to go through a collection until one jumps out at me. Or when I go through a box of covers and find a whole string of correspondences between two people. I love to find a letter forgotten in a cover that contains a piece of history, especially when it is a detail that is often overlooked in the history books, and yet changed normal life in a small way.

Collecting stamps is more than just a hobby to me. It is a way for me to learn about history. I can discover everyday truths about life up to 200 years ago. I can see how people lived, and that life really hasn’t changed at all, only the ways we communicate with each other and how we see the world has changed.

Stamp collecting is also a way for me to express my artistic side. I find that collecting and organizing my stamp collection is a unique way for me to play with color combinations and designs. I organize my collection in several stages. First by nation, then I organize by shape, then topic, and finally, by color (Figure 3).

Organization can be time consuming, especially when I obtain a large number of stamps all at once, but it is satisfying to see the end product. I love to see things organized symmetrically, especially when there is a lot to look at.

Cape of Good Hope

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AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 725

Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions

World Re-nowned Public Auctions Since 1885 • Online Auctions • Many Personalized Services

At auction AUGUST 16th Sale 786

Michael “Mike” Dempski’s Collection of Canal Zone philatelic material Mike was a life long philatelist who began with a collection of United States stamps, but quickly began to specialize in the stamps and covers of the Canal Zone. A decades long member of the Canal Zone Study Group Mike shared his numerous finds and his knowledge with his fellow collectors via articles published in the Canal Zone Philatelist. He will be missed.

Mike had a passion for Canal Zone postally history and one of his specializations was postal stationery. In the sale one will find examples of each of the registry envelopes printed for the Canal Zone, postal envelope errors including frame and vignette only, mint and used examples of many of the early stationery issues. As well there are

large lots of his duplicate stationery material. There are 13 perforated “P” official covers in the sale including many one of a kind usages and unique examples of Frijoles and Toro Point cancellations. There is a wide variety of usages of stamps including over 30 first issue covers, third overprint covers, and a nice accumulation of US overprinted stamps. There are also a large number of cover lots including airmails to foreign destinations, first flights, modern postal history, SCADTA, and Panama overprinted issues. Whatever your collecting area is for Canal Zone there will be lots that will be of interest. This is one of the finest postal history collections to come up for sale in many years.

Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions

America’s Oldest Philatelic Auction House • Established 1885 Email: info@kelleherauctions.com 22 Shelter Rock Lane • Unit 53 • Danbury, CT 06810 Phone: +203.830.2500 • Toll Free 800.212.2830 • Fax: +203.297.6059

www.kelleherauctions.com

Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions

World Re-nowned Public Auctions Since 1885 • Online Auctions • Many Personalized Services

Commander’s Collection of Zeppelin Flights Sale 788 September 2023

Assembled over 6 decades and containing three Hindenburg Crash Covers.

Thousands of items including extensive Ephemera.

Not since the Gerhard Wolf Collection has such a property been offered at public auction sale in America.

View selected items and balances, at our Booth 602 at APS GASS August 10–13, 2023.

Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions

America’s Oldest Philatelic Auction House • Established 1885 Email: info@kelleherauctions.com 22 Shelter Rock Lane • Unit 53 • Danbury, CT 06810 Phone: +203.830.2500 • Toll Free 800.212.2830 • Fax: +203.297.6059

www.kelleherauctions.com

COLLECTING COAST TO COAST

BY WAYNE YOUNGBLOOD

Internet Resources Bring 40-Year Search Full Circle

S

hown in Figure 1 is a recently obtained November 7, 1879, cover from Keatskotoos, Nebraska, the first item of its kind I’ve seen in slightly more than 40 years of searching and only somewhat obsessing about same.

The cover, with contents (pretty mundane) was sent to Shelburne, Massachusetts, and the stamp (Scott 184) is tied by a target killer and features just the hint of a bottommargin imprint. It bears a clear November 7 postmark (1879, dated by contents) from Keatskotoos, Nebraska.

Aside from the unusual name, why would I have spent the past four decades, off and on, Figure 1. A recently discovered cover with an 1879 postmark from Keatskotoos, looking for information on this obscure post Nebraska, rumored to have been a Pawnee Indian Reservation Post Office. office, let alone an actual postmark? Because it seemed like an unsolvable mystery.

Fresh out of college, my first professional position was as executive director of the Adams County (Nebraska) Historical Society, housed within the Hastings Museum. Despite the fact I was quite young – and likely not fully qualified for the position – I headed into the job fully engaged and extremely enthusiastically, with my philatelic antennae extended.

One day, over casual conversation in the break room (shared with the museum), I learned the historical repository possessed an original post office cancellation device, something Figure 2. This postmarking device is similar to the one seen by the author while working in a I’d never before seen. museum.

728 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Figure 3. A beeswax impression of the Keatskotoos postmarking device taken by the author.

Figure 4. The first casting was made in plaster.

Figure 5. A latex replica of the Keatskotoos postmarking device was created and mounted on a dowel for use as a novelty.

Upon questioning, the museum personnel told me it was from Keatskotoos, Nebraska, the only Pawnee Indian reservation post office in the nation. They were unaware of any surviving postmarks from the post office (which I later learned existed from 1873 to 1882) and knew very little about the settlement or its exact location.

I was entranced by the century-old artifact, which looked much like the device shown in Figure 2, a wooden handle with a steel collar and steel town-named die, with a cavity in the center for movable date type.

Not long afterward, I accepted a research position with another Nebraska county historical society, a position that lasted only about a year.

I returned to the Hastings Museum as an exhibit preparer and wasted no time asking about the Keatskotoos cancellation device. It was still there.

Because the device was not on display, the staff had difficulty locating it and as there were no plans to show it any time soon (if ever), I asked permission to make a casting as a way to help preserve the existence of this fragile link to Nebraska postal history.

To accomplish this, I filled one of our then-ubiquitous baby food jar lids with melted beeswax and pressed the device into it, creating the recessed impression shown in Figure 3.

Initially, I made the Figure 4 plaster cast, but soon realized it was too fragile to stand up over time and opted for latex, which I then mounted on a 1½-inch diameter dowel. That device, shown in Figure 5, has traveled with me since.

Although I have not contacted the Hastings Museum, my fear is that the original device is now long gone. Not long after leaving the museum, its focus changed from primarily Nebraska history to a more general – and theatrical – focus, and thousands of items were deaccessioned and disposed of.

Because there were, to the best of my knowledge at the time, no known examples of the postmark (even after contacting William Rapp and other AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 729

Figure 6. This fabricated “rarity” features a strike of the replica Keatskotoos postmark tying a 1-cent 1861 (Scott 63) with an “inverted” vignette.

then-prominent Nebraska specialists), I figured my “device” (with no dater) was nothing more than a historical novelty. I even created my own fun “cover,” shown in Figure 6, with an inverted vignette of the 1-cent 1861, one of my many cut-andpaste “rarities,” for which I was known in the 1980s and ’90s.

As you can see by comparing the strike on this item to that on the genuine Figure 1 cover, there’s no mistaking an undated impression from a latex copy with a genuine impression from the original steel die. I’ve also canceled and given away a few stamps over the years (such as the one shown in Figure 7), with the express notation that it’s only a novelty item (most are marked on the back).

My fascination with the Keatskotoos Post Office and postmarking device never left me, and I’ve searched for covers and information off and on over the past four decades, mostly without success.

This brings us back to the original subject. Why is there so little known about this tiny Nebraska settlement, and why was I able to find so little about it for so many years?

The “town” is almost completely missing from most of the Nebraska history books that were published at the time, as well as from various philatelic resources. Richard Helbock’s United States Post Offices Volume II – The Great Plains, mentions Keatskotoos and gives it a rarity level of 7 (“truly rare”). The U.S. Post Office Department’s Postal Bulletin of May 12, 1880, states that the Keatskotoos Post Office was “re-established,” although I found no evidence it had been temporarily discontinued. In all likelihood, as you’ll see from the following information, Keatskotoos was probably a post office established at a farm to serve the surrounding rural neighbors, which may or may not have included the Pawnee.

The miracle of the internet and the many different research tools available have allowed me to find information I lacked for decades, without conducting an extensive and expensive search “on foot.” And, as it turns out, Keatskotoos is significant in its own way.

A general search for “Keatskotoos” still brings up very little, including no mention of the post office location. How730 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Figure 7. A socked-on-the-nose 2-cent green (Scott 213) with a magenta Keatskotoos replica “postmark.”

ever, I learned from a journal on one genealogy site that in 1878, a Mr. and Mrs. Swan Johnson moved to Nebraska, “into Nance County, locating temporarily near the Post office at Keatskotoos, just over the line in Platte County, where they rented a house from Lafayette Anderson about one and a half miles east of Genoa. Here they lived about eighteen months.”

Indeed! That mention led me to the Library of Congress, which has a number of maps and other goodies available online. Figure 8 shows an 1880 Union Pacific Railroad map of Nebraska. Using the description of the Swan’s relocation, I was able to find the specific location of Keatskotoos on the map! The general location in east-central Nebraska is circled in red. The relevant detail from this map is shown in Figure 9.

As you can see by the red arrow, Keatskotoos was located almost exactly on the county line between Nance and Platt (now Platte) counties, just about 1½ miles east of Genoa (in Nance County), now known as “the Pawnee Capital of the World,” and on the Loup River as it converged with Beaver Creek, not far before it joined the Platte River. What is now Nance County was – at the time Keatskotoos was a post office – a Pawnee reservation.

So, while the Keatskotoos Post Office was likely not actually located on the Pawnee reservation (as I was told), it was very close and probably served a village, for what little mail might have been sent. This could help explain the scarcity of the marking. One contemporaneous map (1878) even places “Keatskatoons” [sic] just barely into Nance County, which would have placed it on reservation grounds.

Here’s where a brief history lesson is in order that will help explain the significance of Keatskotoos.

From what we now know, the Skidi Pawnee settled the area prior to the 1600s. Although they were slightly nomadic, the Skidi did erect permanent earth lodges for winter, and cultivated various small crops, including beans, maize, squash and sunflowers.

In 1857, after a series of Sioux raids, the Pawnee signed the Table Creek Treaty, which ceded all their lands to the

Figure 8. An 1880 Union Pacific Railroad map of Nebraska revealed the location of the Keatskotoos Post Office (circled area). The detail is shown in Figure 9

government, except for what is now Nance County (with or without Keatskotoos). In exchange, the government was to build an agency for the Pawnee, complete with gristmill, sawmill, blacksmith, shops and a school, as well as provide protection from the Sioux. The same year, the Mormons established the town of Genoa as a way-station to help travelers along the Mormon Trail. The last of the Pawnee left the reservation for Oklahoma in 1875.

But what about the name “Keatskotoos”? Clearly, it is an Indian name. The November 20, 1903 edition of the Albion Weekly News contains a story about Mrs. Lester W. Platt, who moved with her husband to Nebraska during the 1840s and lived in what became Keatskotoos (likely established by them, judging by later property sales notices). The Platts were later asked to help with the “Pawnee mission station” located there.

Platt, who died in 1875, and his wife, Elvira Gaston Platt, served as a teacher, agriculturist and farmer, aiding the Pawnee.

The Platte River, a broad, shallow river that runs the length of the state, is located just south of Keatskotoos. It was named “La Platte” by the French. “When our Indian friends wished to give Mr. Platt a name and were told by the Whites that his name accorded with that of the Frenchman’s river,” according to the reminiscence, “they called him ‘Keats-kotoos’ (flat water) and the name lives in that region today.”

Indeed, the newspaper ad shown in Figure 10, from the Dec. 9, 1874, Columbus Journal (Nebraska), lists L.W. Platt, “alias Keatskotoos,” as having a business dealing in “Indian Curiosities.” This led to a final search, this time in the National Archives, where I found that Lester W. Platt was appointed postmaster of the newly created Keatskotoos post office on August 22, 1873.

Figure 9. A detailed blow-up of the Figure 8 map, showing the specific location of the Keatskotoos Post Office in relation to the town of Genoa.

Figure 10. This 1874 newspaper ad reveals the origin of the Keatskotoos Post Office name.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 731

1950s

Cataloging U.S. Stamps

BY CHARLES POSNER

3¢ Wildlife Conservation Issue: The Whooping Crane

IN

1956, after much hesitation and pressure from many sources, the United States Post Office Department finally accepted the long-standing proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior (USFWS) to issue what Belmont Faries saw as commemorative stamps “of a different type from the usual run of issues honoring individuals, organizations and historic events.”

The outcome of meetings and discussions was the first three stamps of a new series that Faries labeled the “Wildlife Conservation Series.” The ecologists and philatelists were also led to expect that a fourth stamp focusing on saving an endangered species would be issued the following year.

For both groups the wait was well worth it.

The 1957 Wildlife Conservation issue calling attention to the massive effort to save the whooping crane from extinction was immensely popular and universally praised both within the United States and abroad. It was a trailblazer in several other ways.

The Whooping Crane stamp (Figure 1) was the first to mention “conservation,” a term which, while used by professionals, had only recently entered the

Plate. No. 25855 25862 25863 25864 25867 25879 25884

Plate Number Report Impressions Printed not used master plate 89,896 October 26, 1957 89,896 October 26, 1957 233,062 November 4, 1957 233,063 November 4, 1957 167,698 November 25, 1957 167,698 November 25, 1957

732 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Figure 1. The 1957 stamp formally called the Wildlife Conservation Issue: The Whooping Crane.

Figure 2. The 1955 Canadian Whooping Crane stamp (Scott 353), designed by Dr. William Rowan.

vocabulary of the general public. It mustered support for preservation and conservation, themes that resonated and captured the public imagination due to Rachel Carson’s somber bestseller, The Sea Around Us, as well as the drawings, paintings and posters of wildlife painters, illustrators, and photographers.

For the philatelist and those interested in printing, the Whooping Crane stamp was also the first to take full advantage of the color range and potential of the new Giori press.

Moreover, it was the first Giori-printed stamp in which its three colors could be printed in one go-around rather than having to be passed twice through the press. This in itself was no mean achievement, yet Bureau of Engraving and Printing designers, engravers, technicians, and engineers were still on a learning curve. For them, the new stamp was just another step forward in the drive to get the best possible results in both artistic and financial terms.

If the now taken-for-granted term “conservation” entered the public parlance late in the day, the Post Office Department was also something of a Johnny-come-lately to conservation in general and to recognizing the importance of saving the whooping crane from extinction in particular.

Two years before the American stamp was on the drawing boards, Canada, where whooping cranes spend their summer and nest prior to their long autumnal flight to their winter refuge in the Gulf of Mexico, issued a 5-cent stamp (Scott 353) honoring the cranes on April 4, 1955 (Figure 2).

The Canadian commemorative, printed in blue, was part of an ambitious 10-stamp National Wildlife Series (195357). The prominent naturalist and ornithologist Dr. William Rowan (1891-1957) designed the vignette. Silas Robert Allen (1888-1956), who had been responsible for 46 stamps between 1928 and his death just a few months before the issue of the American stamp, engraved the Canadian stamp.

The Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd. was responsible for its printing, and the print run was 50.95 million.

With hindsight, one can perhaps say that it could well have been an occasion for a joint issue between the two countries, who by that time were already collaborating on measures to defend the cranes and save the species from oblivion.

The 1956 Wildlife series had celebrated successful

Figure 3. “Don’t Shoot!” (1954). Courtesy of International Crane Foundation.

Technical Information Date of issue: November 22, 1957 Scott Catalog number: 1098 Designer: Robert Warren Hines Modeler: Charles Ransome Chickering Vignette engraver: Richard M. Bower Frame engraver: Letter engraver: George Alton Payne Color: blue, ocher, green (Scott); blue, green and yellow (Post Office Department) Format: Electric eye plates of 200 divided into four post office panes of 50 by horizontal gutters; arranged 10 horizontally by 5 vertically Perforation: Gauge 11 using the L-perforator Paper: White woven paper with a vertical grain Size: 0.84 of an inch by 1.44 inches (21.34 mm by 36.58 mm) Printing: Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the Organization Giori press Anomalies: poor registry of colors, streaks, etc.

Quantity issued: 174,372,800 First day sites: Corpus Christi, Texas; New Orleans, New York City First day covers serviced: New York City 342,970 (two types) New Orleans 154,327 Corpus Christi, Texas 280,990 AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 733

Figure 5. The 1946-47 federal Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp (Duck Stamp) designed by Robert Hines.

Figure 4. Robert Hines at his desk.

efforts to protect species like the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), the pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra Americana), and the Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus). At first, the Post Office Department was uncertain whether the fourth stamp in the series would feature the whooping crane (Grus americana) or the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), the latter enjoying the status of the American national bird.

Both species were reckoned to be in decline, but ornithologists convinced the Post Office that the whooping crane was a more deserving case. Hence, a decision was taken to draw attention to the bird that was one of the tallest and most secretive of waterfowl and one of the only two crane species native to North America, the other being the much smaller sandhill crane.

In justifying the decision, Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield declared that the whooping crane was among the most important international symbols of conservationism.

Every year, American and Canadian newspapers charted the progress of the few cranes that survived their 2,400mile journey from their breeding grounds near the Great Slave Lake in Saskatchewan to the narrow salt marsh of the approximately 47,000 acres of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (originally the Aransas Migratory Waterfowl Refuge), located on the Blackjack Peninsula, just north of Rockport, Texas. Human incursion on its natural habitat and illegal hunting had reduced numbers from an estimated 10,000 before the arrival of Europeans to only 15 adults in 1938.

What after the event might appear to be both a logical and inevitable choice was a long campaign started in the early 1940s by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and its American counterpart, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 734 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Service. At that time, in addition to collaborative research, the two organizations ran a very successful public relations campaign built on the theme, “Don’t shoot – Whooping cranes are scarce!” (Figure 3). Their rallying cry, shared and encouraged by the Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, and the Defenders of Wildlife, struck a nerve in the American psyche. The Fish and Wildlife Service itself formed a special Whooping Cane Advisory Group.

The detailed and meticulous surveys undertaken by ornithologist and crane expert Lawrence Harvey Walkinshaw (1904-1993) carried weight. The Eisenhower administration also felt compelled to counter the bad publicity the government received when senators Everett McKinley Dirksen (1896-1969), John Fitzgerald Kennedy (19171963), Harry Flood Byrd (1887-1966), and Richard Russell Jr. (1897-1971) voted against an appropriation of $2 million that the Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club and the newly formed Whooping Crane Advisory Group felt was necessary.

Who could not support the Audubon Society when it insisted that “a bird which is in such extreme danger of extinction that two governments, ours and the Canadian, nature and ornithological societies, sportsmen, magazines, newspapers, an oil company, the strategic air command and ordinary people like you and me are bending extraordinary efforts to preserve this ‘noble bugler of the far off skies’” deserves massive support?

Of course, Summerfield, advised by his ever-alert public relations guru L. Rohe Walter, was not adverse to being in the limelight. At a time of economic recession, the White House wanted to be seen doing something positive. With the aim of achieving maximum impact, it was decided to synchronize the issuing of the stamp with the arrival in Texas of the surviving birds during the autumn in October and November.

Ordinarily for the first day of issue ceremony one would have expected the Post Office Department to select a site that was in close proximity to where the cranes overwintered. That site was Corpus Christi, Texas. However, the organizers of the American Stamp Dealers Association’s annual show held in New York City (hardly a nesting site

for the shy and withdrawn whooping crane), were anxious to have a first day ceremony as part of its offering to the public. Peter Keller, the group’s chief executive officer, convinced the postal officials that having the first day ceremony as part of a national show – whose theme he craftily called “conservation” – would be a publicity coup of the first order.

A third site was added to the list. Two rescued cranes, nicknamed Crip and Josephine, had successfully hatched two chicks at the Audubon Park Zoo in New Orleans, which was added to the list. However, it was a last minute decision. Only on the relatively late date of November 2 (20 days before the release) was New Orleans declared to be the third site that would host a first day of issue ceremony. Unfortunately, the announcement came too late for most stamp columnists to list New Orleans as one of the sites, and as a Figure 6. Robert Hines and his close friend and collaborator the ecological crusader result, fewer first day of issue covers bore the and author Rachel Carson.

New Orleans cancellation than those of New Carson’s first book, originally written in 1941, Under Sea York or Corpus Christi.

Wind, was republished with illustrations by Hines.

As in 1956, Robert Warren Hines (1912-1994), the pre“Ducks at a Distance,” a 1963 primer of waterfowl idenmier illustrator of fauna in the employ of the Fish and Wildlife tification with Hines’ illustrations, became a bestseller for Service, was the obvious choice to create the design (Figure the Government Printing Office, selling more than 2 mil4). Hence, as the division’s chief illustrator and its only official lion copies. The frontispiece of “Birds in Our Lives,” a 1966 artist-in-residence, he anticipated the call to duty. release, features Hines’ color painting of a bald eagle. The Hines had impeccable artistic and conservationist creimage gained popularity as a collector’s print titled “The dentials. He was largely self-taught, and his time with the Symbol of Our Nation” during the nation’s bicentennial forward-looking Ohio Division of Conservation and Natuyear, selling more than 100,000 copies. ral Resources during the Depression allowed him to perfect Commemorative stamp designs were new to him when his skills. Starting in 1947, he designed the Fish and Wildlife he designed the single-color 1956 Wildlife Conservation Service’s well-received posters and created the very successstamps (Scott 1077-1079), and he was glad to have a chance ful U.S. Department of the Interior Migratory Bird Hunting to again interact with the artists and engravers of the Bureau stamp – the Federal Duck Stamp – of 1946-47 (Figure 5). of Engraving and Printing who, in his view, “did a superlaFrom the early 1950s until his retirement in 1981 he coortive job of translating [his] designs into postage stamps.” dinated the selection of the designs for federal duck stamps.

The artist recalled that, “In the 1930s and ’40s there were He left us a rare step-by-step account of how the postage no great rewards for designing the Federal Duck Stamp — stamp developed. He would start, he recounted, by working no big publicity and certainly no huge financial rewards. It up a series of rough sketches (Figure 7) that were submitted to was just the honor of doing it.” He even had to pay a dollar the authorities of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Post Office to purchase one of his own duck stamps.

Department, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP).

“Mr. National Wildlife Artist,” as he became known, A selection was made, and Hines produced a detailed strove for an economy of strokes and as realistic a depiction wash drawing that was more fully developed than the of animals as possible. At his death in 1994 an inter-office initial sketches. The finished product was sent to the BEP Fish and Wildlife Service memorial stated that Hines’ “pracfor adaptation to the format of the postage stamp. In this ticed eye could see the incredible details in a sunset or the case, the modeler was veteran designer Charles Chickering. breast of a wild turkey.”

Chickering’s model respected Hines’ composition but made some small changes in order to make the printing task feaHis line manager was Rachel Carson (1907-1964), whose sible. He moved the two chicks’ nest to the bottom of the writings, in particular The Silent Spring (1962), was a source stamp to create space so that they would not blend into the of inspiration (as well as inspiring the modern environmencolor of the grass and he gave the vegetation a more bowltal movement, besides) (Figure 6). She and Hines formed a like form. Finally, he added “Wildlife Conservation” to the productive working partnership, and he was responsible for the artwork of her book, The Edge of the Sea (1955). In 1991, top of the stamp.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 735

Chickering’s final model was sent to the Post Office Department on October 3 and was approved the same day by the postmaster general. The die proof was approved on October 9.

The design itself The central subject of the vertically formatted stamp is a female whooping crane bending attentively over her two downy young with the male bird in the rear standing guard.

The two adults are predominantly white against a dark blue background. The chicks and the area beneath them are yellow, blending into green grass in the foreground. The scene pictures the combination of water and land areas sought by this rare species. The colors are blue, green and yellow.

Across the top is the text, “Wildlife Conservation” in modified white-faced Roman. Along the bottom is “U.S. Postage 3¢” in modified dark faced Roman. To the left of the central subjects is the wording “Whooping Cranes” arranged over two lines in white-faced Gothic.

The stamp was widely praised by conservationists and philatelists. The Linn’s Stamp News yearly poll named it the best-designed stamp of the year, alongside the American flag issue. The Rocky Mountain News of Denver, Colorado called it the stamp of the year. A British philatelic survey named it one of the world’s 10 best stamps for the year 1957.

Hence, it was not surprising that the initial order for 100 million stamps was increased twice by 10 million and finally by 40 million.

Figure 7. Robert Hines’ drawings of whooping cranes.

736 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Process of production The first two stamps produced by the new Organization Giori press, the U.S. Flag stamp (Scott 1094) and the Ramon Magsaysay stamp (Scott 1096), had been designed in such a way that they could not be printed in one pass through the press because of the likelihood of colors blending into each another.

Giori technology could not compensate for colors at close proximity. For that reason, if a designer did not have previous experience in developing the vignette of a postage stamp, an experienced BEP designer would model the composition so that it would be printable. Chickering, with the advantage of having qualified as an engraver before becoming an illustrator and designer, therefore reworked Hines’ initial submission with an eye to avoiding an excessive blending of colors.

In composing the design, Hines worked closely with BEP personnel, and as a result, as George Brett wrote, it was “planned carefully.” A display at the ASDA show in New York, where one of the first day of issue ceremonies was held, illustrated the step-by-step evolution of the design from initial drawing to finished product.

Consideration also had to be given about how to wipe the plate clean of excessive ink without causing unacceptable blending of colors. Given that the stamp had a vertical format it was decided that the wipe would pass from the bottom of the design to the top in an attempt to avoid pulling the blue ink onto the yellow chicks. While it avoided producing green chicks, in many instances they were sometimes muddy colored. But this was regarded as the lesser evil because a wipe in the other direction had greater risks.

In these early days of using the Giori presses, the technicians had not yet been able to fully manage the pressure and the angle of the wiping rollers to avoid ink streaks.

However, even with careful coordination and planning, the heads of the chicks were sometimes green, the water had a yellow tint, and the outside left and right frames were in many cases incomplete.

The BEP also encountered problems with the plates. Because plate number 25863 stretched during usage, it and its associated plate number 25862 were canceled after only 89,896 impressions (Figure 8), less than half the number printed by each of the other two plate pairs.

The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee artists and the BEP continued to experience difficulties in their relationship. A very determined Ervine Metzl had lit-

tle patience with the Giori Press and pressed ahead with his campaign to produce stamps printed by gravure and/or lithography.

However, the BEP was still not quite ready to move away from intaglio printing. It remained fully convinced that it would soon solve the technical problems that plagued the first stamps that were run off the Giori Press and be able to reproduce multi-colored designs that were vibrant and did not involve more than one press run.

The subject Figure 8. This first day cover carries a block of four showing plate 25862, which had much less The long-legged and long-necked use than subsequent plate numbers for the Whooping Crane stamp. whooping crane is one of a dozen members of the Gruidae family, two of which are found in North America, the other being the smaller and much more numerous sandhill crane. Standing about 5 feet tall when fully erect, the whooping crane is North America’s tallest bird. Its wingspan measures about 7 ½ feet. Its adult plumage is snowy white with black, red, and white face colorings and black-tipped wings. Whooping cranes are a longlived species; current estimates suggest a maximum longevity in the wild of 30 years.

The common name “whooping Figure 9. A first day cover carrying the special cancellation for the American Stamp Dealers crane” came from the loud, singleAssociation Show held in New York City, one of three first day locations for the Whooping note vocalization given repeatedly Cranes stamp. by the birds when they are alarmed.

Indeed, the whooping crane’s trumpetagainst intruding cranes. like call can be heard for several miles.

The story of the whooping crane is one of success. In Each family maintains a territory of about 400 acres.

1870, when a precipitous decline in numbers began because They nest in potholes dominated by bulrushes, cattails, of the destruction of habitat and hunting, it was estimated sedge, and musk grass. Pairs are monogamous and form at that the population was about 1,500. The population between 2 and 3 years old. They mate for life, choosing nestreached a low of 15 in the winter of 1938-39, but were not ing sites in the shallow water of marshes or lake margins. declared an endangered species until 1967, when, finally, The nest measures about 2 feet to 5 feet across and has a work began to protect their coastal marshes habitat. flat surface or shallow depression for the clutch of between The population then rose to 74 by 1978-79 and 138 by one and three eggs. The young hatch after between 29 and 1989-90. Today, there are more than 700 birds.

31 days covered with down and are able to walk and swim within a few hours. Both parents feed the young, who are First day ceremonies able to fly about three months after hatching.

New York City Whooping cranes are celebrated for their strong homing From the time the publicity-minded Peter G. Keller instinct and learn migration routes and nesting locationsbecame director of the American Stamp Dealers Assofrom other cranes. They migrate by day in family groups ciation, securing a first day of issue ceremony became a or small flocks. They travel along narrow corridors and priority for the annual show on those occasions when the make traditional stopovers. In winter, as they are territorial event would be staged in New York City. In 1952, the stamp birds, they tend to separate into family units, with each pair of adults defending a feeding territory of up to 400 acres honoring the Red Cross (Scott 1016) was launched at the AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 737

Figure 10. First day covers with the New York cancel from Cachet Craft, Fleetwood and Art Craft.

annual National Postage Stamp Show, and the following year the 300th anniversary of the founding of New York City had its debut as part of the proceedings.

Superficially, it might appear to be difficult to conjure up a reason why New York should be chosen to release a stamp associated with wildlife conservation and to honor a bird that never flew anywhere near that city. Yet, after several rounds of negotiations with the Department of the Interior, leaders of national conversation bodies, and zoological institutions, Keller almost magically was able to convince them of the necessity of holding a first day ceremony in New York.

The lure of major show whose theme was “The Wildlife of America,” and the fact that it would take place during National Stamp Week meant maximum publicity. Hence, the stamp was released on Friday, November 22, the opening day of the ninth annual National Postage Stamp show organized by the American Stamp Dealers Association (Figure 9).

Opening ceremonies began at 10:30 a.m. Peter Keller, of course, presided. First of the speakers was L. Rohe Walter, representing the postmaster general. Ross L. Leffler, (b.

1886) assistant secretary of Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior sounded the alarm, saying, “disregard and neglect of the whooping crane’s needs has prompted a final desperate effort to perpetuate the species….”

Ernest Fremont Swift (1897-1968), executive director of the National Wildlife Federation, spoke of measures proposed to save the whooping crane. Afterward, Walter presented the traditional leather-bound albums containing a sheet of stamps signed by the postmaster general to the distinguished invitees.

As usual, Keller pulled out all the stops. One of the attractions was Hines, who autographed first day covers 738 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

(Figure 10) and plate blocks at the sub-post office installed at the Armory. Another was an exhibition devoted to conservation. The Audubon Society produced a four-page leaflet and a “Crane card,” a postcard with the photograph of three cranes and a brief text. The National Wildlife Federation organized activities, and the representatives from Bureau of Engraving and Printing gave hourly lectures about its new press.

Official covers depicting cranes could be purchased at two venues in the show, both of which were run by the Washington Press. There were two designs.

Corpus Christi Corpus Christi was chosen as a first day site because the whooping cranes overwintered nearby.

Sea Gull Stamp Club president Alice Lee Erickson and Corpus Christi Postmaster Ameta McCloin, joined by wildlife officials, took a leading roll in organizing the ceremonies.

The stamp club organized a three-day philatelic exhibition starting at 10:30 a.m. on the day of the ceremony, at which sheets of the stamps were sold as well as special first-day covers (Figure 11). At 2 p.m., Dr. Clarence Cottam (1899-1974), director of the Welder Wildlife Refuge, presented a film at the Petroleum Club. The movie about whooping cranes was produced by ornithologist W.F. Kubi-

Figure 11. First day covers with the Corpus Christie cancel from Cachet Craft and Artmaster.

chek, of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

At 4 p.m., the first day ceremony took place at the Winter Plaza Hotel Deck, with Bert B. Barnes, first deputy assistant postmaster general, Bureau of Personnel, standing in for Ormonde Anton Kieb (1901-1982), assistant postmaster general for the Bureau of Facilities.

Members of the House Civil Service and Postal Affairs Committee attended the celebration. U.S. Rep. John Andrew Young (1916-2002) of the 14th Congressional District introduced his colleagues on the committee: U.S. Rep. Robert Witherspoon Hemphill (1915-1983), of South Carolina and Rep. Ralph James Scott (1905-1983), of North Carolina.

Thereafter, leather-bound albums containing sheets of stamps signed by the postmaster general were presented to Postmaster Cyrene Ameta Cook McGloin (1893-1981), Sea Gull Stamp Club President Alice Lee Erickson, and wildlife officials. At 6 p.m., guests attended a dinner hosted by the mayor of Corpus Christie, Farrell D. Smith. The highlight of the evening was a speech by Clarence Cottam (1899-1974), Ph.D., head of the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation and Refuge in Sinton, Texas, a prominent voice urging the protection of the cranes.

Because of an unseasonable cold snap the Corpus Christi Post Office opened its doors at 7 a.m., although the stamp was not on sale until two hours later.

New Orleans The ceremony in New Orleans (Figure 12) was the most muted of the three, having been organized much later. In fact, with a few exceptions most of the press did not list New Orleans as a first-day of issue site until a week before the hastily arranged ceremonies.

The event was so quickly arranged that proofreaders did not spot the fact that the time for the start of the ceremony was listed as 11:30 p.m. – a time when all good citizens and true were probably sauntering

down Bourbon Street – rather than the appropriate 11:30 a.m. It took place at Lafayette Square.

The Audubon Park Board of Commissioners and the New Orleans post office jointly sponsored the simple ceremony. Charles I. Denachaud Jr., vice president of the Audubon Park Commission, presided.

After an address of welcome by New Orleans Mayor deLesseps Story Morrison (1912-1964), distinguished guests were presented. These included senators Allen Joseph Ellender (1890-1972) and Russell Billiu Long (1918-2003); congressmen Thomas Hale Boggs (1914-1972), Felix Edward Hébert (1901-1979), and James Hobson Morrison (19082000); and United States Court of Appeals Judge John Minor Wisdom (1905-1999).

Postmaster A. Frank Farley (1899-1968) introduced the guest of honor, E. George Siedle (1889-1987), assistant postmaster general Bureau of Transportation, who then distributed the traditional leather-bound albums containing a sheet of the stamps signed by the postmaster general. Robert E. Elliott, president of the Audubon Park Commission, closed the proceedings with a speech of acceptance.

Figure 12. A first day cover from New Orleans with a Fluegel cachet.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 739

The Road to Boston 2026

Road to Boston 2026 YAMIL H. KOURI JR.

Introducing Team Boston 2026

T

hirty-three months and counting to the start of America’s next great international exhibition taking place May 23 to 30, 2026, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center!

It takes a lot of work and effort to make this once-adecade extravaganza possible and I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the numerous philatelists from around the country and abroad who are involved in the many aspects of the show. This has already been a nearly 10-year endeavor for some of them. Others became or will become active when their area of participation begins its planning stage. All are volunteers, sharing their time and talents to ensure a fun and worthwhile venture for participants and visitors alike.

Before I start, let me invite you to attend the Great American Stamp Show from August 10 to 13 in Cleveland, Ohio, and make plans to attend our annual Boston 2026 World Expo update meeting at 1 p.m. Friday, August 11 “front and center” on the show floor stage. We will unveil the third in our series of limited edition show labels created by stamp designer Chris Calle, provide a brief update of Boston 2026 activities and answer questions. Your comments, suggestions and input would be most welcome.

Many of the people listed below will attend and also help at the Boston 2026 welcome table throughout the show.

Our corporate officers have been at the forefront of planning and preparation. They include me (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) as president; secretary/clerk Christopher Brouady (Burlington, Mass.); Chief Financial Officer Michael Lawson (Concord, Mass.); Director Mark Schwartz (Philadelphia); Director Scott English (American Philatelic Society, ex officio); Director Cheryl R. Ganz (American Philatelic Society, ex officio); Resident Agent and Counsel George S. Norton, Esq. (Waltham, Mass.).

The executive director and the person who heads up day-to-day operations is Mark Butterline (Maynard, Mass.).

He also heads the Boston 2026 Organizing Committee, made up of the following people: Commissioner General Yamil H. Kouri Jr.; Show Treasurer Cass Rejent, CPA Emeritus (Marietta, Ga.); Assistant Legal Counsel Matt Liebson (Solon, Ohio); Dealer Bourse chair (USA/Canada) Mark Reasoner (Chicago); Dealer 740 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Bourse chair (International) Sandeep Jaiswal (Cranston, R.I.); Volunteer chair Steve Kennedy (Riviera Beach, Fla.); Society chair Mark Schwartz (Philadelphia); Court of Honor chair Douglas Clark (Marstons Mills, Mass.); Public Relations chair Tom Fortunato (Rochester, N.Y.); Social Media chairs Alison Sullivan and Alyssa Baumgardner (of H.R. Harmer); Also, Beginner chair Michael Bloom (Portland, Ore.); Youth chair Andrew Oleksiuk (Chicago); Museum Relations chair Daniel Piazza (National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution); Security Manager David Ball (Framingham, Mass.); Awards chair Alan Barasch (St. Louis); Frames chair Lawrence Norris (Hudson, Mass,); Art Director Carol Bommarito (New York City); Customs Broker liaison Colin Fraser (Woodstock, N.Y.); United States Postal Service liaison Chris Lazaroff (Simpsonville, S.C.); Development chair Suzanne Kouri (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.); and Government/NGO Outreach chair Dane S. Claussen, Ph.D. (Silver Spring, Md.).

Our advisory board consists of show organizers and experts. They include: Charles J. G. Verge (Toronto, Canada); Dana Guyer (American Stamp Dealers Association, ex-officio); Michael Dixon (Portland, Ore.); Ken Martin (Bellefonte, Pa.); President Emerita Nancy B. Clark (Marstons Mills, Mass.); and Graham Beck (YouTube channel “Exploring Stamps”).

Other assistants are Gabriel Helmlinger, dealer bourse (Lexington, Mass.); Chris Calle, label designer (Ridgefield, Conn.) and Dave DuBois, label fulfillment (East Falmouth, Mass.).

The Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) Consultant is Reinaldo Macedo (Valinhos, Brazil).

We continue to recognize in memoriam both Gordon Morison and Michael Mead for their advice and guidance.

While extensive, the listings above are far from complete. Many more volunteers will be recruited closer to show time, and that should include you! At least 500 people will be needed before, during and after the show to handle set-up, take down and much more during the eight-day show.

Can you give us a hand? We will ask for volunteers to come forward at the start of 2026, but it’s never too soon to start thinking of doing so.

Remembering Gretel Weil

A Journey that Ends With a Stumbling Block STEPHEN BREITKOPF

I

wrote an article for the February 2010 edition of The American Philatelist, “Follow the Postmarks, A Story of Nazi Germany.” It is a story about postmarks on a series of envelopes given to me by a neighbor when I was 10 years old. The envelopes were from a woman in Germany named Gretel Weil who was deported and murdered in Auschwitz by the Nazis.

I found them very interesting and decided to save them. I put them away and had not looked at them until 50 years later when the local middle school was having a Holocaust Memorial day and were requesting anything related to the Holocaust. At that time I researched the postmarks, the dates, the places they came from, and wrote the article that was published in The AP. An excerpt is below: The cover [Figure 1] was mailed from Brooklyn, New York to Miss Gretel Weil at Bruehlstrasse 1 in Gailengen, Germany. The letter was postmarked November 1, 1940.

It was received in Gailengen December 9, probably at the local post office. It was returned with a label on the front of the envelope in French and German that read: "Party not at that address." There were

Figure 1. Front and back of cover sent to Gretel Weil in Gailingen, Germany on November 1, 1940, returned as "Party not at that address." Gretel had been deported to Camp de Gurs in France on October 22, 1940. Opened by the Commandant of the Wehrmacht and resealed.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 741

Laying the Stolpersteine A German paper, Wochenblatt, published a brief story about the laying of the stolpersteine for Gretel. An excerpt follows (translated from German).

The history of the border town of Gailingen is shaped by its large Jewish community in the 19th century - and by its disappearance. Until the sad climax on October 22, 1940: On this day, the last 210 people of Jewish faith were deported. Among them was Gretel Weil, in whose memory the first stumbling block was laid on the sidewalk in front of Brühlstraße 1, the place where she lived for a long time, on Monday afternoon. The founder of the Stolpersteine ​​ project, Gunter Demnig, carried out the laying.

After the laying of stumbling blocks in the community was generally permitted, the first sponsor was found in Stephen Breitkopf. Since there is no association for [stolpersteine] in Gailingen, there is a lack of sponsorships, as Mayor Dr. Thomas Auer explained when asked by the WOCHENBLATT. But the culture of remembrance also plays an important role there: … according to the chairman of the Jewish association and former mayor Heinz Brennenstuhl, there are still close ties with the descendants of the Jewish community in Gailingen in Switzerland .

“With this first stumbling block here in Gailingen… the culture of remembrance in our community has achieved a new quality,” emphasizes Auer… With the small, golden plaque in the [ground], which has now been laid more than 90,000 times, a moment of remembrance is created that is “unobtrusive and insistent at the same time”, which the individual can encounter The founder of the Stolpersteine project, Gunter Demnig, every day. And in a place “where the peolays the solperstein for Gretel Weil. Courtesy Jüdisches ple live and where the victims who are to Museum Gailingen. be remembered lived.” The numbers in the concentration camps would become names and fates, bending down to take a closer look at the stumbling blocks, not least be a symbolic bow.

742 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Figure 2. The stolpersteine in memory of Gretel Weil in front of Bruhlstrasse in Gailingen. Courtesy Nikita Gudaev.

Nazi markings and the envelope had been opened. It arrived back in Brooklyn on February 5, 1941. … I contacted the Museum at Auschwitz. They replied that while many records had been destroyed by the camp authorities at the end of the war, they were able to find mention of Gretel Weil in the partial records that remained. The information they were able to supply, in addition to that which I already had, included the date her death was registered (December 5, 1942) and that she was born in Singen, Germany. Gretel was thirty-four years old at the time of her death. … Where do I go from here? I don’t know. What I do know is that I started on this amazing journey because of two envelopes with interesting stamps and postmarks that I had stashed away many years ago.

Although I did not know Gretel Weil, I believe she should be remembered. She was not a statistic. She was an individual. She was deprived of her civil rights, her human rights, and ultimately her life, because of the blind hatred and persecution of a ruthless political machine. She was one human being. There were six million just like her.

At the conclusion of that article, I asked myself “Where do I go from here?” Now, I can tell the story of where we are today, 13 years later, and how I was able to accomplish the goal of remembering Gretel.

In May of 2015, my companion Cessy Kurland and I were on a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, trav-

elling mostly on the Rhine River. We stopped at a number of cities. These included Cologne, Bamberg and Regensburg. In each of these cities, we were shown bronze plaques set into stones in front of houses and buildings.

Our guides explained these were “Stolpersteines,” literally stumble stones, memorial plaques in memory of persons who lived in the houses who had been murdered in the Holocaust. I inquired about the organization that sponsored these plaques and he gave me the name “Stolpersteine.” Cessy suggested that I consider sponsoring a Stolpersteine for Gretel Weil. I agreed and put the information in my file. Again, time passed.

In 2022 while going through my files, I rediscovered the information about Gretel Weil and decided to do something before it was too late. (I am 81 years old.)

I researched Stolpersteine on the internet and contacted Anna Warda at Stolpersteine Germany, who directed me to Sarah Schwab at the Jewish Museum in Gailingen. I offered to sponsor a Stolpersteine for Gretel Weil and pay all of the expenses for the plaque. I started this project in March of 2022. I worked with Sarah Schwab, who contacted the town council and the burgermeister, Dr. Thomas Auer. The project came to fruition on March 20, 2023, with the installation of the stolpersteine in front of the house in which Gretel lived on Bruhlstrasse. This is the first stolpersteine ever installed in the town of Gailingen.

This all came about because of the hobby I have had for over 70 years and in which I am still very active.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 743

The Marketplace

THE

MARKETPLACE

BY MATT LIEBSON

Catalog Listings - What's in a Value?

F

or most stamp collectors, catalogs and catalog values play a significant role. Catalogs specify what material exists, what material is available, and sets an order and format for the organization of stamp issues of a country or place.

Album listings and formats are in turn frequently based on catalog listings, so formats as listed or priced in a catalog become the de facto basis for most standard collections (unless and until a collector specializes, makes their own pages, or allows their own preferences to override a printed album). But what goes into a catalog, and in particular its pricing?

For most U.S. collectors, the starting point is the Scott family of catalogs, published by Amos Press, of Sidney, Ohio. For other specialists, other catalogs may provide more detail and coverage (Michel for Germany, Stanley Gibbons for British Commonwealth, Bale for Israel, and so on). My comments here are primarily directed to the Scott catalogs, but each catalog will have its own relationship to market pricing and practices (Figure 1).

It’s important to remember that stamp catalogs – starting in the 1860s – were originally retail price lists of dealers. Later on, most catalog publishers no longer sold material on their own and relied on price lists and advertising of other dealers, reported Figure 1. Choose a catalog that suits your collecting area best. Clockwise, auction sales, and review by experts. Today, online from top left, Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue; Bale Specialized marketplaces create a large volume of data showing Catalogue of Israel Stamps; Michel; Stanley Gibbons Stamps of the World. prices at which stamps are offered for sale (and prices cover or on document, there are additional pricing considat which material actually sells), and catalog publisherations in these more specialized areas that make reducing ers can take advantage of the data to the extent that they can a stamp on cover to a single catalog price difficult. collect and access it.

The stamp market is not commoditized, and as all colIt’s also important to keep condition in mind when conlectors know, not all stamps are created equal, even when sidering catalog values. Scott, for example, values material looking at a group of stamps that may have the same nomiin very fine condition except where there’s a note otherwise nal grade – collectors may have different preferences as to (Figure 2). Scott also separately prices certain U.S. stamps cancels, centering, color, and so on. in various other grades (grading and its market impact is a Moreover, the market is what an economist might subject for a future column). Other catalogs may have difcall “imperfect” or “asymmetric.” Pricing information and ferent condition standards, and it is always worth reading knowledge aren’t equally distributed, and not all market the front material in a catalog to understand the publisher’s participants have access to all corners of the market. rationale for condition and pricing more generally.

As the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Catalogs may also vary in how they price and value gum condition. Although catalogs may also price stamps on Stamps and Covers itself says in its introduction, “The actual 744 AMERICAN PHILATELIST /AUGUST 2023

Not sure which catalog is best for your specific area? The January 2022 AP – the Definitive Guide to Stamp Catalogs – offers resources chosen by experts for their specialties. price you pay for a stamp may be higher or lower than the catalogue value because of many different factors, including the amount of personal service a dealer offers, or increased or decreased interest in the country or topic represented by a stamp or set.” Different dealers price differently, and prices at shows may be different than prices in a retail store, at an auction, or at an online marketplace.

More generally, Scott continues to state that its catalog prices are retail prices – that is, an amount that you can expect to pay from a dealer for a stamp. That said, the price is only a guideline.

There is a long history in the stamp business at stamps trading at a discount from Scott values, and even today many dealers sell worldwide stamps at a percentage of current catalog value (and stamps can be online at an even lower percentage). That practice of discounting raised a significant controversy in the philatelic world in 1988, when the 1989 edition of the Scott catalog drastically cut prices of many stamps by up to 50 percent in an attempt to recapture “retail” pricing. Other catalogs likewise have developed their own relationship with discounting, but is fair to say that for much material a discount from the catalog value is the norm.

Of course, printed catalogs necessarily lag current market movements. It takes time to edit and publish a catalog, and even an electronically published catalog can only be current as the data and analysis that goes into it. Pricing is a factor of supply and demand, and prices move when either factor changes (for example, if several major collectors enter a field, or if a major collection is dispersed).

Ultimately, demand places a larger role in pricing: material available in quantity will continue to realize high prices if many collectors want it, whereas scarce material may be hard to find, but inexpensive, if there are few collectors who wish to purchase it at any price.

Catalog prices can also be subject to market bubbles (for example, in the run-up of China material in recent years, or the U.S. market bubble in the late 1970s) and dealer activities (such as the long run-up of prices in Europa thematic material, which eventually crashed but were based on sustained actual buy prices in the marketplace). More modern material pricing is subject to fluctuation due to currency issues (for many countries Scott values for recent issues are approximately double face value), the subsequent release of remainders, and other similar issues.

Figure 2. From Scott Specialized, the editors include notes on condition, as seen here.

Catalogs, like any published work, can contain mistakes and errors, and given the sheer volume of prices covered in a broad-scale catalog, not every price can necessarily be reviewed in every annual edition.

Less frequently, specialized catalogs can become obsolete for pricing purposes fairly quickly. For example, the Springer catalogs for tax-paid revenue stamps of the United States are decades out of print and stamps generally sell at multiples of the Springer value. For that reason, some singleedition catalogs or reference works use rarity factors instead of prices, in the hopes that the work may retain value for the foreseeable future.

In short, catalog prices are merely a guide, not gospel.

Collectors should understand that catalog prices fluctuate, are specific to condition, and that catalog pricing is subject to a variety of factors. While buying at a discount is typical, it may not always be an option for hard to find or in-demand material.

As always, collectors should study their areas of specialization and understand current market prices before purchasing expensive material, rather than mechanically rely on catalog values.

Got marketplace questions?

Ask Matt at paperhistory@att.net.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 745

Books & Catalogs Natural Disasters on Postage Stamps, a Guide for Collectors (2023) by Raymond J. Burby. 323 pages. $80, plus shipping, available from the author from nanandrayburby@earthlink.net.

One of the delights of the hobby of philately is the wide range of subjects available to the collector. Many focus on the postage stamps of a single country, others on different styles of material, such as postal stationery, aerophilately or on the opportunities to collected on a topical theme. The recently published Natural Disasters on Postage Stamps by Ray Burby falls firmly into this latter class.

Burby’s distinguished professional career was as an international authority on public policy to reduce losses from natural disasters, especially those linked to flooding.

It was a pleasure to work with him over several years on such studies. On retirement, his interests changed to a philatelically based study of natural disasters. The result is an excellently presented and illustrated monograph of some 320 pages. There are several hundred color illustrations of stamps and related philatelic material.

The natural disasters described result from cyclones, storms, drought/famine, earthquakes, tsunami and volcanic eruptions.

Disasters resulting from mechanical failure such as plane or train crashes or by human-induced events such as the Great Fire of London in 1666 are excluded.

The study commences with a chronological listing of stamps issued for each of the natural disasters. This gives details of country, location, date and a short summary of the event together with illustrations of stamps or picture post cards of the event.

Burby notes that of some 700 stamp-issuing authorities, only 56 have depicted natural disaster victims or damage on postage stamps. Many of these were to commemorate disasters of historic events.

This opening section provides the reader with sufficient background to consult the literature for more detail of specific events or for details of the stamps issued. Catalog numbers are omitted to avoid copyright problems. There is a separate index 746 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

that links countries to appropriate pages in the text.

The remaining six sections follow the concept of “the disaster management cycle” developed by emergency management professionals over many years. The headings are: Stamps & Hazard Assessment Stamps & Disaster Response International Aid on Stamps Postal Services & Disasters Postal Services & Relief Loss Reduction on Stamps Each section describes the major uses of philatelic material to illustrate the theme. For example, hazard assessment ranges from the simple rain gauge to satellite surveillance.

Response is dominantly concerned with rescue and the provision of food and shelter for the homeless. International aid includes United Nations agencies together with established international charities such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

The military frequently play a key role in rendering immediate aid using their capacity of airborne and naval transport. International aid often includes monies raised by the use of semipostal (charity) stamps, often indicated by overprinted surcharged postage stamps. The first use of semipostals was by Barbados to assist with relief for the Kingston, Jamaica earthquake of 1907.

Postal services are disrupted by natural disasters in many ways. These include direct damage to letters and parcels already in the postal system as well as the shortage or absence of postage stamps sometimes linked to the availability of free mail for the affected areas.

Postage stamps surcharged to fund disaster relief are classified and include semipostals created by overprints, using existing designs and with original designs.

A further class, termed postal tax stamps, were specifically issued to fund the rebuilding of post offices destroyed by earthquakes.

The final chapter deals with stamps associated with promoting measures to enhance loss reduction. These include planning regulations regarding the siting of new developments, the construction of dams to assist with flood control and changes to agricultural practice to lessen drought impacts.

A major United Nations initiative was the International

Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction, which commenced on January 1, 1990. In more recent years loss reduction is associated with philatelic material linked to the effects of human-induced climate change on a range of meteorological factors ranging from drought to floods.

By David Smith, Guest Contributor Large Hermes Heads, Printings and Shades. By Stavros Andreadis, Skordopoulos Printing Co., Thessaloniki, Greece, February 2023. Available from the E-shop at www.Karamitsos.com (select “collectible literature”) for 170 euros (approx. $186), plus shipping.

The first stamps of Greece are among the most attractive and fascinating of all classic-era issues. Known as the Large Hermes Heads, they were designed in Paris by Albert Barre, the son of Jean Jacques Barre, designer of the first French stamps.

Printing plates were manufactured in Paris in 1861 and shipped to Athens, where they were used to print stamps for 25 years.

A vast number of varieties of Large Hermes Heads were created: on different papers, in different print qualities, and in different shades of color. These varieties, together with errors and plate flaws, create a collecting area that can satisfy any level of specialization one may wish to pursue.

Yet many stamp collectors and dealers shy away from these stamps, because of the difficulty of identifying the different issues.

With a few controversial exceptions, the major numbers listed in the international catalogs (Scott, Michel, Stanley Gibbons, etc.) can be distinguished without too much trouble, if one knows what to look for. But without an adequate basis of knowledge or source of information, they can be very frustrating.

“I hate them,” a stamp dealer once told me. It takes patience to gain a mastery of these stamps, as with any complex series, such as the U.S. Washington-Franklins, or Great Britain’s Machin Heads. But the rewards of the effort are great, and each step in the learning process brings a sense of accomplishment.

The Large Hermes Heads are the subject of many studies and reference books. The latest addition to this literature, Large Hermes Heads, Printings and Shades (in Greek and English), by Stavros Andreadis, is not only one of the most beautifully produced of all these works, it is also one of the most

useful for the purpose of identifying the different issues.

A quick glance at the field will show why this is so. The older studies, such as Tryphon Constantinides’ A Study of the Stamps of Greece (Part 1) (1933, reissued in English translation in 1978), and Kohl’s Handbook (published in English translation in 1943), by Dr. Herbert Munk, contain a wealth of detailed information about the stamps and their varieties, but their small black-and-white illustrations are wholly inadequate.

The landmark work, Comparison of Hellenic Postal Stamps 1861-1923 (1992), by Orestes Vlastos, has beautiful illustrations, but is primarily concerned with distinguishing genuine stamps from forgeries. The same is true of a recent and more accessible book, Forgeries of Greek Stamps of the 19th Century (2010), by Bill Ure. Two more outstanding works have appeared in recent years.

Introduction to the Large Hermes Heads of Greece, 1861-1886 (2011), by Constantin Mattheos, covers the design, production and postal history of the stamps, and gives a very thorough introduction the subject.

The Stamps of the Large Hermes Head, 1861-1886 (2012), by Stephano A. Calliga, contains the most detailed of all descriptions of the printing methods employed during the early, experimental period of stamp production in Athens (November 1861 to May 1862).

The new volume by Andreadis has two advantages over all these other studies. The first is its large format (about 10 inches by 14 inches; 26 centimeter by 36 centimeters), which librarians call “folio size”), with high resolution scans of each stamp at 150 percent of actual size. This makes it possible to see the printing details more clearly than in any of the other books.

Secondly, the different printings and shades are illustrated, not by a single example, but usually by a group of five different stamps. This is important, because within each issue, as defined by a major catalog number, many slight variations occur. To properly classify the Large Hermes Heads, one must assign each stamp to a class of similar, though not identical stamps, based on criteria such as print quality, paper, relief (embossing of the paper), and shade of color. A simple “reference collection” consisting of one example of each issue is hardly sufficient for this. A group of five gives a much better idea of the slight variations within a single issue.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 747

The scan shows the fronts and backs of four examples each of two different shades of the 40 lepta stamp of 1971.

First the famous "Solferino" error of color (Scott 37a), then the salmon shade on greenish paper (Scott 37).

(The back of one of the Solferinos is not shown because it's on a cover.)

Of course, there is no substitute for study of the actual stamps, viewing them in natural light and under magnification. But if a collector, especially one not already familiar with these stamps, has a group of them, this book can be of great help in determining to which issue each one belongs.

The book is divided into sections corresponding to the issues (Paris Prints, Early Athens Prints, and so on), as listed in the authoritative Hellas stamp catalog, edited by A. Karamitsos.

All of the recognized shades of color are shown, including the famous “Solferino” error of color on the 40-lepta stamp of 1871, one of the world’s great rarities. In addition to the usual five examples of each color shade, additional varieties that are out of the normal range, such as those with “oxidized” ink or discolored paper, are illustrated.

I will not be surprised if specialists question some of the examples Andreadis has chosen to illustrate issues or shades.

In a field of such complexity and depth, there is room for occasional disagreement among experts, and advanced collectors will want to look into these controversies and form their 748 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

own opinions. It’s all part of the fun of studying these stamps.

The book does not pretend to cover everything a student of these stamps might want to know.

There is a brief introduction to the printing of the stamps and the reasons for their variability over the course of their production, and at the start of each section, there is a brief account of the criteria for identifying the stamps of each issue. For more detailed information about the subtle differences between the prints, including the control figures on the backs of the stamps, one must consult other sources.

Similarly, one must look elsewhere for information about proofs, errors, plate flaws, and forgeries.

What sets this book apart from all the others, and makes it so useful, is its outstanding illustrations.

“The book you are holding stems from my love for the Large Hermes Heads, this unique philatelic treasure recognized worldwide as one of the top, if not the top, of Classic Philately,” Andreadis writes in his preface. That this volume was a labor of love is apparent on every page.

By Allan D. Smith, Guest Contributor

My Stamp Story

Jeff Pigott

Support Makes All the Difference

L

ike most people, I had someone else get me started in the hobby. That would be my mom and dad. My mom was a frequent visitor to the post office. One fall afternoon in 1972 she brought home three stamps for me to collect and a small starter album from the USPS. The first stamp was the 8-cent Stamp Collecting stamp of 1972 (Scott 1474).

Little did I know that would be Jeff Pigott. the start to a collecting journey that has spanned 50 years. I started slow with the album from the post office, then three albums later I landed on the Scott Minuteman album still in use today.

There is always a stamp dealer who helps get you started in the hobby. In my case, it was A. Thomas Slemons of Bloomington, Indiana. It was again my parents who set me up with Mr. Slemons. They met him on a trip to Bloomington. They brought back a packet of 50 canceled stamps to add to my growing collection and Mr. Slemons’ business card. I soon purchased a price guide and developed a want list. Every birthday and Christmas, my gifts were stamps from my parents. That helped to methodically grow my collection.

In 1975, I joined the Boy Scouts. On my journey to becoming an Eagle Scout, the first merit badge I earned was, appropriately enough, for Stamp Collecting.

Mr. Slemons wasn’t local to me in Lima, Ohio or later in suburban Detroit. I met him only once in person, the summer of 1976. At the two-hour meeting in his store, I learned so much and he became a mentor to me. How much can you really mentor a 12 year old by mail after one meeting?

Apparently, a good deal, since I still remember his advice.

I never sought to be the collector that had a specialty. My goal was to fill in all the spaces in the album. Mr. Slemons’ advice was to have the stamps in your album in mint condition from Scott 537 – the purple Allied Victory stamp of 1919 – forward. Before that point, used condition would be reasonable.

My first big purchase from Mr. Slemons was U.S. Scott 834, the $5 Calvin Coolidge, the high value in the Presidential set of 1938. It wasn’t perfectly centered but was a special stamp in my collection because I had the joy of selecting it and paying for it.

As with all of us, life happens – a marriage, children, a shortage of money and a divorce put my collecting on hold for 15 years.

750 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Mr. Slemons and the author in July 1976.

A second marriage and a supportive wife got my collecting back on track in 2003. My wife, Kerri, pulled my stamp album out one night and said “This is really cool.” She asked me why Scott 1474, Stamp Collecting I stopped collecting. I came up with very lame excuses. The next thing I knew, we found a stamp show to attend in Knoxville, Tennessee. Both my wife and my mom attended and magically got me re-engaged with a hobby that I enjoy so much.

Since then, I met Mr. Slemons’ goal and got Scott 537 – the Allied Victory stamp – and The author’s U.S. Scott 1, a a lot more. I even obtained a 5-cent 1847 Franklin.

U.S. Scott No. 1. I view the personal nature of selecting and collecting stamps as a non-tech version of our smart phones today that are customized and uniquely us.

I wanted to learn about the history of our great nation and stamp collecting has enabled me to that.

If it wasn’t for my mom and dad, Mr. Slemons and my wife, Kerri, I would never have the collection I have today and been allowed to have the hours of enjoyment the hobby has provided to me.

WORLD CLASS

By Barry White

The Faux Philatelist

I

have collected stamps on and off for many years, and I have finally come to a realization: I will never be a philatelist. I like to think of myself as a reasonably knowledgeable collector with sizeable holdings, and someone who buys wisely. But a philatelist? No. The dictionary defines a philatelist as “someone who collects and studies stamps,” but this sells them short. A true philatelist will be quick to tell you that they don't simply “collect” stamps. They studies all aspects of the mail, relative to their area of expertise. They may add that they live and breathe stamps, spend an inordinate amount of time on their hobby, and have a large house primarily to hold their collecting interests. They are all things intellectual, and they are definitely not me.

The key word here is “study.” I never did much of it in high school (I flunked my way to college, as they say), and I sure don’t want to do it as part of my leisure time activities. This is not to say I do not admire philatelists.

They are, by any reckoning, the reason why stamp collecting is regarded as the King of Hobbies. Philatelists’ knowledge is astounding, and their contribution, via articles, columns, books, exhibits, seminars and the likes, is a tremendous boon to our hobby.

Generally speaking, philatelists are also extraordinarily interesting people to talk to, although a few can be, well, a little snobby. A friend of mine was back East not so long ago and took the opportunity to visit a local stamp club. She was introduced to the room, and when asked what she collects, she casually replied, “just pretty ones that I like.” The room immediately hushed, and the temperature dropped several degrees. She had, of course, happened upon a group of philatelists, rather than mere stamp collectors such as herself.

I would like to think that all philatelists can still remember their roots. You began as collectors and progressed … evolved … matured (take your pick) your way into more specialized areas of study. You should think of the rest of us as “unformed beings looking for guidance to the light,” and take us under your wing accordingly.

Australia Young Farmers’ Clubs stamp (Scott 262) of 1953.

The Ports and Harbors commemorative (Scott 460) of 1969.

I have a pretty good Australian collection that borders on the “specialist” label, but the fact that I am a selfconfessed “worldie” immediately rules me out of contention as a philatelist. Studying may not be for me, but I do enjoy learning fun facts about stamps. For instance, did you know that: Australia’s first bi-color commemorative was the 1953 Young Farmers’ Clubs stamp (Scott 262)?

If you turn Australia’s 1969 Ports and Harbors commemorative (Scott 460) on its side, and squint a bit, you will see an image of Santa Claus?

The term “philatelist” was first coined around 1865?

I find these little gems to be fascinating, and I wonder if someone out there has published a book on such stamp trivia. If so, you can bet he or she is not a philatelist!

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 751

APRL Notes

BY Scott Tiffney Librarian & Director of Information Services stiffney@stamps.org

Al Kugel Donation Grows APRL’s Military Holdings “When we donate books back to a library, we repay a legacy of knowledge that the library first gave to us.” – Anonymous

O

ne of the challenges that can sometimes face non-profit libraries is how best to grow the scope and size of the collection. Specifically, what are the avenues available in order to continue and maintain its growth? Here at the APRL, one of the truly remarkable avenues available to us is that of donations of philatelic Al Kugel. literature that come from authors, publishers, clubs, societies and individuals interested in passing along philatelic knowledge.

While giving library tours, we often say that roughly 90 percent of the materials in the collection are donated to us. The generosity of our members and the philatelic community is truly unique and humbling.

One of those occasions came earlier this year in February when Expertizing Director Ken Martin and I had the opportunity to travel to Hinsdale, Illinois to assess and pick up the extraordinary literature collection of longtime APS member and military postal historian Alfred “Al” Kugel, bequeathed to the APRL upon his passing.

Al was a military postal history expert and award-winning exhibitor with more than 100 single and multi-frame exhibits on military philately to his name.

Al also was an incredible researcher and author contributing to many of the leading philatelic journals of the day, such as the Military Postal History Society Bulletin, The American Philatelist, the Collectors Club Philatelist, the Postal History Society Journal, the German Postal Specialist, the American Philatelic Congress Book, and many more. In 2017, Al and co-author Ed Dubin received the United States Stamp Society’s Barbara Mueller award for the best article in The American Philatelist.

The donation included both Al’s philatelic library as well as his extensive exhibit collection and most of his philatelic 752 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Part of a page from Al Kugel’s exhibit, “The Prexies Go to War.”

Part of a page from Al Kugel’s exhibit of the U.S. Army and its postal service during World War II.

The start of a search in the David Straight Memorial Philatelic Union Catalog.

collection. It comprised more than 120 boxes of material that now take up nine pallets in the storage area of the library.

Upon receiving the material, the APRL was then contacted by the Military Postal History Society (MPHS) with the proposition of digitizing all of Al’s exhibits. The MPHS has already begun to digitize many of Al’s exhibits and has posted them on the MPHS website on the “Al Kugel Room” page (http://militaryphs.org/blog/home/the-al-kugel-room). By the end of the year we hope to complete the MPHS’ efforts and finish digitizing the remaining exhibits. They will be available on both the MPHS site and the APRL’s Robert A. Mason Digital Library (RMDL). Stay tuned.

RMDL, but are looking to add more than 200 exhibits to the database by the end of the year.

Another location to find digital exhibits is in the David Straight Memorial Philatelic Union Catalog. Go to the “Advanced Search” tab and click. On the Advanced Search page, search “APRL” as the “Library”; on the next line, select “Record Type” for your next search criteria and type “exhibit”; and then add another “Record Type” line search for “eresource.” This will search for all the exhibits in digital form in the APRL holdings.

Question about exhibits

For those who are going or thinking of going to the Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland (August 10-13) we are offering a chance for you to learn what’s been happening at the APRL. At 11 a.m. on Friday August 11 (room to be determined) I will give a presentation, “The American Philatelic Research Library: A Status Report.”

The session will include a look back on what was accomplished in the library this past year as well as a look ahead to the future. We’ll be sure to leave enough time for any questions or feedback, so if you have the chance to attend we look forward to seeing you there.

Speaking of exhibits – and to continue answering the questions that were asked during the online Ask-Me-Anything session back in March – a frequent question we receive in the library is “where can I find online exhibits at the APRL?” The answer is twofold.

The most obvious is the RMDL as mentioned above. After logging into the database, just click on the section titled “Exhibits” and then the red “Browse Exhibits” button on the next page and you will be taken to the digital exhibits we have uploaded so far. To date, we have 45 exhibits in the

See you at GASS

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 753

Membership Report No. 6, June 2023

NEW APPLICANTS The following applications were received during June 2023. If no objections are received by the Executive Director (814-933-3803) prior to August 31, 2023 these applicants will be admitted to membership and notice to this effect will appear in the October 2023 issue.

Abernathy, Tony A. Sr. (236812) Summersville, MO History; 75; Retired US Army Allen, Sarah D. (236774) Woodbridge, VA 19th Century-20th Century-Plate Blocks; 76 Anderman, Mark (236850) Santa Rosa, CA USPlate Blocks-Space Covers-Space-GermanyAustria-Canada-Japan Anderson, Joel A. (236789) Mountlake Terrace, WA 19th Century-20th Century-Air MailsBureau Issues-Classics-Commemoratives; 66; Painting Contractor Anella, Tom (236798) Langhorne, PA Commemoratives; 62; Civil Engineer Aykroyd, Douglas (236852) Hampton, NH Germany-US-Belgium-NetherlandsSwitzerland; 76; Retired Badr, Marie O. (236800) Quincy, IL Illinois-Lots & Collections-Advertising Covers-ClassicsErrors, Freaks, Oddities-First Day Covers; 75; Retired Bartholomew, Earl J. (236813) Marrero, LA US; 72; Retired Berger, Robert (236857) Concord, NC 19th Century-20th Century-German StatesGerman Colonies-Germany-US; 74 Berndt, Kathy (236817) Muskego, WI Used USUS-Back Of The Book Bizub, Eddie (236833) Kissimmee, FL Space Covers; 56 Bobrow, Samuel (236811) Woodbridge, CT First Day Covers-US-Israel Tabs-Israel; 80

754 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Brand, Eric D. (236777) Georgetown, TX Air Mails-Used US-Classics-CommemorativesPlate Blocks-Perfins; 55; Software Architect Bruns, Tom (236819) Bentonville, AR 19th Century-20th Century-Plate Blocks-First Day Covers; 69 Carlson, Robert P. (236872) Warren, PA US; 78; Retired Carpenter, Dorothy (236792) Westport, CT; 85 Carranza, Cesar (236818) South Gate, CA; 50; Business Owner Carreiro, Jerica C. (236775) East Freetown, MA World War II-Germany-Massachusetts-Russia/ USSR/Independent Republics-Medicine/ Drugs/Health-Used US; 34; Caspersen, Danny L. (236782) Ellendale, TN US; 70; Retired Chapman, Bill (236851) Selma, IN 20th Century19th Century-Air Mails-Blocks/Guidelines Blocks-Bureau Issues-Duck/Hunting/Fishing Stamps; 57 Claeys, Thomas (236794) Dallas, TX 19th Century-Europe; 67 Cochran, Derick S. (236795) Lafayette, IN Mauritius-Christmas Seals-Booklets/PanesClassics-Used Worldwide-Bulls Eye/SON Cancels; 43; Student Cook, Edna (236830) Henderson, NV Postal History-Ships-Airplanes; 72 Cooper, John F. (236848) Scottsdale, AZ; 84; Retired Cornforth, Janell (236860) Cool, CA Horses; 73; Retired Cottrill, Ronald (236867) Carbon, IN USCommemoratives-First Day Covers-Plate Blocks; 77; Retired Air Traffic Control Specialist Crane, Richard R. (236822) Tigerton, WI 18981947; Retired

NEW MEMBERS Applications 236545-236671 (less 236639 and 236571) as previously published have been accepted for membership by the Board of Vice Presidents..

SUMMARY Total Membership, May 31, 2023 .......................24,608 New Members 125 Reinstated 35 Deceased 17 Resignations 2 Total Membership, June 30, 2023 24,749 (Total Membership, June 30, 2022 was 25,785 a difference of -1,036).

Daniels, Richard L. (236834) Pocatello, ID First Day Covers; 80; Retired Davie, Roger A. (236869) Dereham, United Kingdom Great Britain-British Commonwealth-British Empire-Foreign Postal History; 52; Stamp Dealer Davis, Charles (236859) Carlisle, MA JapanJapanese Occupations-North Borneo/ Labuan-Plate Blocks-United Nations Dewey, Ryan (236776) Cleveland, OH Paquebots-Locals & Carriers-Arctic/AntarcticGeography-Autographed Covers/StampsCinderellas; Explorer Diak, Vincent D. (236778) Cape May, NJ 19th Century (US & Foreign)-Air Mails-Confederate States-Alaska-North America; 75; Retired Dotsey, Michael (236823) Clearfield, PA EuropeWorldwide Pre 1940; 77 Drayton, Nathalee V. (236835) Rincon, GA; 72; Retired

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Drew, Rebecca (236831) Randolph, VA FranceMonaco-Architecture-Cats-Flowers/PlantsBiblical Topics; 47 Duncan, Rojan D. (236810) Alameda, CA AfricaSouvenir Sheets-20th Century-Coins-Black Americans-Autographed Covers/Stamps; 52 Echevarria, Pablo O. (236814) Hialeah, FL; 76 Eldredge, Gary (236785) New Orleans, LA 19th Century-Classics-Confederate StatesLocals & Carriers-Philatelic/Numismatic Covers-Postage Dues; 76; Private Criminal Investigator Erdvig, Nancy (236799) Ocala, FL CancelsSheets/Small Panes-Errors, Freaks, OdditiesAir Mails-Postage Dues-Cuba Ferguson, Clayton (236797) Antioch, TN Commemoratives-Covers-First Day CoversUS-Plate Blocks-First Day Programs; 59 Fillbach, Ryan (236820) Boys Town, NE; NonProfit Forsyth, Jeffrey (236804) Fredericksburg, VA Canal Zone Foster, Randolph Nelson (236836) Mesa, AZ Early US Stamps & Covers; 77; Retired Research Scientist Gallegos, Natalie (236773) Albuquerque, NM; 64 Godin, Joseph M.A. (236853) Cincinnati, OH Dogs-Rabbits-Korea-British Empire-French Southeast Asia; 76 Grisoni, Attilio (236856) S. Lombardo, Italy Air Mails-Officials/Offical Mail-California-Plate Blocks-Postal Markings-Used US-World War II-Planes-Opera-Race Cars; 83; Manufacturer Hamel, Frederick R. (236837) Willits, CA PRE 1960; 77; Retired

Hayes, Jeff (236807) Sacramento, CA USCanada; 67; Dental Laboratory Owner Herrick, David (236781) Cary, NC Stamp Design/ Designers-US-Washington/Franklins-Graphic Arts; 63 Holderman, David (236824) Fostoria, OH USWorldwide; 74 Huffman, Henry H. (236861) Ellettsville, IN Confederate States-Hawaii-Antarctica-Polar Exploration-Stamps On Stamps; 68; Retired Ives, Richard J. (236854) Oshkosh, WI Postage Dues-Air Mails-German 3rd Reich-3 Cent Stamps; 68; Rural Letter Carrier Jenkins, Lee A. (236832) Greenwood, SC 20th Century-19th Century-Holocaust/ Concentration Camps-Confederate StatesWar Covers/Stamps-World War II Johnson, Allen (236873) Bellevue, WA Worldwide Jones, Donald R. (236803) Warren, OH US-Plate Blocks-Plate Number Coils-Booklets/PanesPress Sheets; 82; Retired Jones, Richard H. (236815) Coldwater, MI US Pre-WWII; 65; Retired Route Salesman Kalieta, Benjamin D. (236847) Blasdell, NY 20th Century-Commemoratives-Covers-First Day Covers-First Day Programs-US; 46 Kaliser, Jeffrey (236877) Fort Washington, PA Blocks/Guideline Blocks-Sheets/Small Panes; 72 Kestner, Crystal D. (236780) Suwanee, GA USDuck/Hunting/Fishing Stamps-Coil Line PairsAir Mails; Retired Kish, James (236788) Cape Coral, FL; 57 Koehne, Etta (236874) Sedalia, MO FlowersButterflies-Plants-Worldwide; 48; USPS Clerk

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756 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

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Monkton, Clifford B. (236840) Peterborough, NH US; 69; Retired Muntzenberger, Walter (236880) Village of Lakewood, IL Plate Number Coils-Plate Blocks-Souvenir Cards-First Day Covers-US; 65; Software Consultant Nystrom, Bill (236784) Woodstock, GA Oliver, Harlin (236883) Fontana, CA Foreign Souvenir Sheets-Blocks/Guideline Blocks-US; 62; Oropel, Majella (236882) Chatsworth, CA Commemoratives-Commemorative PanelsJapan-Flowers/Plants-Cancels-Austria; 62 Paul, Thomas W. (236868) Newark, NY US-United Nations-Churchill Phillips, Gerald M. (236841) Englewood, FL; 79; Retired Winemaker Richard, Kathleen (236870) Colorado Springs, CO Commemoratives-First Day CoversRevenues/Tax Paids (Federal)-History-World Fairs/Expositions-World War II Richard, Todd L. (236849) Denham Springs, LA 19th Century-20th Century-Classics-Air MailsPlate Blocks-Blocks/Guideline Blocks-US Coins & Currency; 60; Asset Protection Services Team Associate Riesterer, Becky A. (236862) Union Lake, MI; 72; Retired Professor Rosczyk, Leslie W. (236881) Pagosa Springs, CO Commemoratives-Classics-Air Mails-Coils Roth, Wayne R. (236863) Quakertown, PA; 78; Retired Schildgen, Thomas (236879) Andrews, NC Air Mails-Commemoratives-Revenues/Tax Paids (Federal) Schippers, Robert J. (236826) Newton, IA Worldwide; 76; Retired Seeks, Greg (236796) Greenfield, IN Air Mails19th Century-20th Century-First Day CoversCivil War Covers Sehati, Nouzhan (236790) Los Angeles, CA USIran; 49; Physician Sigler, Randy L. (236866) Wooster, OH CanadaAustralia-New Zealand-Great Britain-BirdsFish/Marine Life-African Animals; 64 Silvester, Andrew E. (236828) Fair Oaks, CA 20th Century-US Simon, Greg (236871) Hamilton, ON Smith, Gregory P. (236779) Eastman, GA 19th Century-Air Mails-Blocks/Guideline BlocksConfederate States-Classics; 68; NET Sordillo, Raffaele A. (236808) Winthrop, MA US Mint Singles & Plate Blocks; 57; Retired Carpenter Union Stevenson, Michael (236846) Seattle, WA US; 68 Sutton, Jennifer (236772) Frederick, MD; 45 Tomassi, Pietro (236842) Hot Springs, AR USVatican City; 83; Self-Employed Vaughn, Miracle D. (236829) Chattanooga, TN 19th Century-20th Century-Air Mails-Civil War Covers-Errors, Freaks, Oddities-US-Worldwide; 39; Hair Stylist Vega, Jorgie (236843) Santa Ana, CA ClassicsAustria-Spain-Flora-Art-Disney-Scandinavia; 25; Graduate Student Waltz, Carl (236827) Millersville, PA 19th Century-20th Century; 72 Waters, Scottie A. (236802) Owosso, MI CoilsWashington/Franklins-Confederate StatesLocals & Carriers-WF Control Perfins; 56; Sales Manager Wenger, Bruce (236791) Scottsdale, AZ; 73; Retired Weninger, Brian S. (236864) Greer, SC US-North America-Worldwide; 48; Business Owner/ Founder 758 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Williams, David (236786) Fishers, IN Czechoslovakia; 81; Retired Williamson, Richard (236884) Washington, UT Worldwide Pre-1970S; Retired Wink, Hannes (236805) Bad Zurzach, Switzerland Air Mails-Switzerland-Used USCanada; 58 Winokur, Scott (236809) Berkeley, CA; 77; Retired Winslow, Gary D. (236865) Rexburg, ID USForeign; 72; Retired Wood, Eric (236821) Greer, SC Classics; 50; IT Young, Donald (236844) Duluth, MN US; 70; Retired Young, Sam (236885) Inver Grove Heights, MN

DECEASED Anderson, Ann P. (087785), New Hudson, MI Bizub, Edward J. (129808), Clark, NJ Boubelik, Charles F. (1939-037342), Canon City, CO Conner, Donald H. (10656-199605), Sioux City, IA Drum, Michael J. (12074-064995), Clayton, CA Eldridge, Robert M. (10515-060843), Milford, CT Fitzgerald, Morgan (203885), Pinellas Park, FL Gauss, David (8124-168354), Haslett, MI Griesmer, Russell (225614), Stow, OH Hogate, Charles M. (122654), Hot Springs, AR Klug, Janet R. (101177), Pleasant Plain, OH Lapsa, John (195464), Hermitage, PA Lehavy, Yechiel M. (10351-071321), Glen Mills, PA Leidig, Louis (154696), Mount Joy, PA Moffat, Clifford W. (160550), FI-01260 Vantaa, Shipley, John L. (7567-052765), Portland, OR Wilson, Jeffrey L. (124418), Sarasota, FL

APPLICATION DENIED Weinschenker, Kris (#236424), Latrobe, PA.

Classified Ads UNITED STATES FREE 40-PAGE U.S. U.N. PRICELIST (412)-431-3800 or view online www.fortpittstamps.com Fort Pitt Philatelics PO Box 6009 Pittsburgh PA 15211 (1483) EARLY TO THE LATEST PLATE BLOCKS on approval. Positions filled. Send me your want list today John Robie, PO Box 2-A, Linden, CA 95236 (1472) FREE 83 PAGE PRICELIST.. Call, write or email. Includes 19th century to Forever issues, Air Mail, Ducks and other BOB. Or, visit my website and shop my online store. Enter www.thenorthwoodsstamps. com into your address bar at the top of the page. Major credit cards and paypal accepted. John Brown. Northwoods Stamps. PO Box 823 Rochester, MN 55903. brown55902@aol.com.( 507 ) 2525956 (1473) US MINT/USED 1840-1940 singles and plate blocks send on approval.

See it before you buy it. Philatelic Friends, PO Box 187, Carlisle, PA 17013 (1473) USED/MINT PNCs. Google Himes PNCs (1473) ebay.com/str/littlearttreasures (1476) BARNEY’S STAMPS has Mint & Used Commemoratives, Airmails, 20th Century, BOB, and much more.

Please visit at www.barneysstamps. com (1481) stampsforseriouscollectors.com (1488)

BRITISH COMMONWEALTH $150 CAT. BRITISH COMMONWEALTH MINT, NH mostly sets. $25. Srgo, Box 1196, Jackson, NJ 08527 (1472)

www.stamps.org/Classified-Ads

$150 CAT. BRITISH COMMONWEALTH SETS all different $20. Srgo, Box 1196, Jackson, NJ 08527 (1472) www.forpostalhistory.com British Commonwealth and Worldwide Postal Incidents (1479) LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for British Commonwealth!

We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@stamps.org (1488) stampsforcollectors.net (1481)

BALKANS

EASTERN EUROPE

www.StampsOfEasternEurope. com WANT LISTS FILLED. New issues. Year sets avail. HSE, POB 4028 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone - (888) 868-8293 (1481)

ThePhilately.com (1479) www.StampsOfEasternEurope. com WANT LISTS FILLED. New issues. Year sets avail. HSE, POB 4028 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone - (888) 868-8293 (1481)

BALTICS www.StampsOfEasternEurope. com WANT LISTS FILLED. New issues. Year sets avail. HSE, POB 4028 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone - (888) 868-8293 (1481)

EGYPT YEAR SETS 1957-2022 NH, also mint, used issues. A. Hafiz, 112B Ammar Bin Yasser St., Heliopolis, Cairo 11351, Egypt . Email : adhafez1311@gmail.com (1473)

BELGIUM

CANADA CLASSIC CANADA ON APPROVAL. See it before you buy it. Philatelic Friends, PO Box 187, Carlisle, PA 17013 (1473) ebay.com/str/littlearttreasures (1476) stampsforseriouscollectors.com (1481)

AFRICA stampsforseriouscollectors.com (1481) LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for Africa! We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@ stamps.org (1488)

ARMENIA www.StampsOfEasternEurope. com WANT LISTS FILLED. New Issues. Year Sets available. HSE POB 4028, Vineyard Haven, MA. 02568. Phone (888) 868-8293.

(1481)

AUSTRIA www.StampsAustria.com (1480)

www.StampsBelgium.com (1480)

FRANCE FrenchPhilately.com (1479)

CANAL ZONE JOIN: www.CanalZoneStudyGroup. com (1471)

www.StampsFrance.com (1480)

www.canalzonestamps.com (1482)

LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for France! We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@ stamps.org (1488)

CHINA

GERMANY

stampsforcollectors.net (1481)

BUY STAMPS at www.

ChinaStampSociety.org (1471)

GERMAN AREA ON APPROVAL. See it before you buy it. Philatelic Friends, PO Box 187, Carlisle, PA 17013 (1473)

CHINESE STAMP BUYER Pays top $ jon@chinesestampbuyer.com www.chinesestampbuyer.com (1478)

www.Stamps-Germany.com (1480)

LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for China! We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@ stamps.org (1488)

LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for Germany! We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@stamps.org (1488)

COLOMBIA

HUNGARY

JOIN: www.COPAPHIL.org (1471)

www.HungarianStamps.com WANT LISTS FILLED. New issues.

Year sets avail. HSE, POB 4028 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone (888) 868-8293 (1481)

CZECH www.StampsOfCzech.com WANT LISTS FILLED. New issues. Year sets avail. HSE, POB 4028 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone - (888) 868-8293 (1481)

ITALY www.StampsItaly.com (1480)

GET NOTICED WITH CLASSIFIED ADS Classified advertising in The American Philatelist is a cost-effective way to get the attention of over 27,000 American Philatelic Society members around the world. Call or email Chad today for more details (CCowder@stamps.org).

Payment in advance. No change of copy.

No refunds.

1 line 2 lines 3 lines 4 lines 5 lines 6 lines 7 lines 8 lines 9 lines 10 lines 11 lines

1 month $ 3.94 $ 7.88 $ 11.82 $ 15.76 $ 19.70 $ 23.64 $ 27.58 $ 31.52 $ 35.46 $ 39.40 $ 43.34

6 months $ 21.28 $ 42.55 $ 63.83 $ 85.10 $ 106.38 $ 127.66 $ 148.93 $ 170.21 $ 191.48 $ 212.76 $ 234.04

12 months $ 37.82 $ 75.65 $ 113.47 $ 151.30 $ 189.12 $ 226.94 $ 264.77 $ 302.59 $ 340.42 $ 378.24 $ 416.06

To calculate the number of lines for your ad, count all letters, numerals, punctuation and blank spaces between words. Divide the total by 34 and round up to the next whole number. Advertising is restricted to current APS members; please include your APS number.

All classified ads must be prepaid.

The best way to submit classified ads is online at www.stamps.org/ Classified-Ads. Classified ads are also

accepted via mail by sending your ad text and payment to AP Advertising, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823. When submitting your ad, please include your card number (VISA, MasterCard or Discover only) and expiration date. Checks must be drawn on a U.S. bank.

Renewal Notice: If (1472) appears after your ad, it expires after this issue. Deadline for the October 2023 issue is August 23.

Interested in display advertising in The American Philatelist or online with Stamps.org?

Contact Advertising Director Steve Schwanz for more information Fox Associates, Inc. 800-440-0231 • adinfo.theamericanphilatelist@foxrep.com AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 759

LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for Italy! We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@ stamps.org (1488)

JAPAN

www.StampsRussia.com (1480)

stampsforcollectors.net (1481)

www.StampsOfEasternEurope. com WANT LISTS FILLED. New issues. Year sets avail. HSE, POB 4028 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone - (888) 868-8293 (1481)

LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for Worldwide! We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@stamps.org (1488)

www.Stamps-Japan.com (1480)

MIDDLE EAST

SCANDINAVIA

stampsforseriouscollectors.com (1481)

LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for Scandinavia! We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@stamps.org (1488)

OTTOMAN AND TURKEY

SWITZERLAND

OTTOMAN & TURKEY: Extensive stamp & philatelic material collection for sale. 20 albums including 7 SAFE SKAI albums.

Maryland, USA. Request info at tugra1863@outlook.com (1471)

PANAMA JOIN: www.COPAPHIL.org (1471)

POLAND POLAND SPECIALIZED: Classics to New Issues, Year Sets, Back of Book. Lubelski Philatelic LLC 111 Helen Drive, Rossford, Ohio 43460 Ph: 419-410-9115, Web: www.

Lubelskistamps.com Email: Dan@ Lubelskistamps.com (1479) www.StampsOfEasternEurope. com WANT LISTS FILLED. New issues. Year sets avail. HSE, POB 4028 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone - (888) 868-8293 (1481)

PORTUGAL www.StampsPortugal.com (1480)

ROMANIA www.StampsOfEasternEurope. com WANT LISTS FILLED. New issues. Year sets avail. HSE, POB 4028 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone - (888) 868-8293 (1481)

RUSSIA RussianPhilately.com (1479)

LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for Switzerland! We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@stamps.org (1488)

UKRAINE www.StampsOfEasternEurope. com WANT LISTS FILLED. New issues. Year sets avail. HSE, POB 4028 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone - (888) 868-8293 (1481)

UNITED NATIONS U.N. PRICE LIST, Wm. Henry Stamps, POB 150010, Kew Gardens, NY 11415 www.allunstamps.com (1477)

WORLDWIDE YOU WILL LOVE MY PRICES AND SERVICE! Worldwide sets singles souv sheets mint/used approvals or from want list. Linehan P.O. Box 846, Neosho MO 64850 KJLinehan03@yahoo.com (1472) SELLER ID 534232: US, Polynesia (1475) stampsforseriouscollectors.com (1476) FREE NEW 200-PAGE WORLDWIDE PRICE LIST Find out why most collectors place orders when they receive our lists. We have the stamps you need at the prices you like. Martin Winter 800 W. Willis Rd., Apt.1045, Chandler, AZ 85286 E-mail:winter310@aol.com (1477)

ALBUMS MAC’S ALBUMS ON EBAY. Duck stamps 1934-2022. US 201821. Custom Topical. Details> crmcdona@indiana.edu (1471)

APPRAISALS WORLD WIDE STAMP APPRAISALS Valuation and written report provided. Sellers Agent Services info@hungarianstamps.com (888)868-8293 HSE POB 4028, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 (1481)

WORLDWIDE. GREAT PRICES BEGINNER TO ADVANCED. Sets and Singles. State interest. Larry Serenari, 766 Nestle Quarry Rd., Falling Waters, WV 25419 (1472) LOOK OVER OUR APPROVALS in your home before you buy. Send inquires to D.D. Doyen & Sons P.O. Box 580 Brick, NJ 08723 (1473) US AND WORLDWIDE. See it before you buy it. Philatelic Friends, PO Box 187, Carlisle, PA 17013 (1473) WORLDWIDE APPROVALS DISCOUNT 66 2/3% from Current Scott. Send APS# to Robert Ducharme, C.P. 592, St. Jerome, QC J7Z 5V3, Canada (1475)

AUCTIONS MAIL AUCTIONS with a difference.

US & foreign stamps, covers, revenues, documents, ephemera, contact us for next catalog; HJW Daugherty, Box 1146, Eastham MA, 02642, 508-255-7488 or online; hjwdonline.com, hjwdonline@ gmail.com (1482)

www.dickkeiser.com (1473)

www.autographs.onilne (1478)

DONATIONS MAKE A DIIFERENCE in children’s lives and send Boys Town your philatelic donations. Leon Myers Stamp Center PO Box 1 Boys Town, NE 68010 531-1143 Help.Kids@ boystown.org (1482)

APPROVALS

COVERS

Used ”SCOTT TWO POST” Album Covers Clean and undamaged 8 Standard size-Spine numbered I through VIII 7 Wide size XI - XIV - XV + 4 not numbered Standard $25.00 ea. + Economy shipping Wide $29.00 ea + Economy shipping Buy 3 or more assorted & pay $15.00 shipping Returns Accepted-Buyer pays postage.

NOT A DEALER - CHECKS ONLY PLEASE Please contact: MARTIN LACKNER Marlac2016@comcast.net (1473)

EXCHANGE EXCHANGE YOUR DUPLICATES at Scott catalog value, 10% in stamps.

Joe Thatcher, P.O. Box 38, Ironton, MN 56455 (1472)

INTERNET www.dickkeiser.com (1473)

LITERATURE www.pbbooks.com Leonard H. Hartmann (1477)

MAIL BID SALES FREE CATALOG. US, British, Europe, W/W. Many Starter Collections.

Various Sized Lots. No Buyers Fee. Jarema, 4247 NW 87th Ln, Gainesville, FL 32653 (1474)

NEW ISSUES FOREIGN NEW ISSUES. Becker, 4449 SW Wood Pkwy, Portland, OR 97219 (1472)

Free Illustrated Pricelists Custom Printed to Your Requirements What list may I send?

Stamps or Postal History

Stamps Plus PO Box 94822 Las Vegas, NV 89193

D & P Stamps

Specializing in France & Colonies, Portugal & Cols, Italy & Cols, Spain & Cols, British Cols & Latin, Central & South America.

We also carry a large variety of Middle East & Worldwide.

Please check out our new website where you can now shop at our online store!!

800-594-3837

Auctions Stamp Shows Retail Store Internet sterlingstamps.com auctions.sterlingstamps.com

www.dpstamps.com

Sterling Stamps• Mark Vervaeke 455 E Grand River, Suite 103 Brighton, MI 48116 810-220-6000

Please send us your Want List

mark@sterlingstamps.com

2220 Otay Lakes Rd Suite 502-411 Chula Vista, CA 91915 619-987-1019 • Pat@dpstamps.com APS ATA, ISPP, NSDA Members

760 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

APS Dealer, ATA, MSDA

Stamps, stationery, postal history, die proofs from around the World.

Send a note of your interests and we’ll advise you of suitable items we have.

If in London, please visit our offices and browse our stock.

Have you visited our DELCAMPE STORE?

1, Wardour Street London W1D 6PA Great Britain Phone: 011-44-20-7930-6100 Fax: 011-44-20-7494-2881 E-mail: philatelists@argyll-etkin.com Website: www.argyll-etkin.com

POSTAL HISTORY www.dickkeiser.com (1473) FOREIGN POSTAL STATIONERY. I can use almost anything in foreign postal stationery. Steve Schumann stephen.schumann@att.net, 510785-4794 (1473) www.forpostalhistory.com British Commonwealth and Worldwide Postal Incidents (1479)

REVENUES www.dickkeiser.com (1473)

WORLDWIDE REVENUES LIQUIDATION of collections, sets and singles. Everywhere from A-Z. also documents. Gordon Brooks. email Bizzia@sympatico.ca (1489)

STAMP SHOPS

Dealer in US & Worldwide Stamps focused on pre-1990 US, BCW and Europe

CHEVY CHASE COLLECTIBLES

including HUNTING & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STAMPS

THE CANADIAN REVENUE STAMP CATALOGUE

PO Box 151531 • Chevy Chase, MD 20825 Phone No: 240-235-0986 • info@chevychasecollectibles.com

NEW - 2022 Canadian Revenue Stamp Catalogue by ESJ van Dam 217 pages, 1300 color photos

by Air Mail to USA-US$35, Overseas-US$45 expected shipping at end of January 2022

E.S.J. van Dam Ltd

P.O. box 300-P, Bridgenorth, ON, Canada K0L 1H0 toll free phone 1-866-382-6326

www.canadarevenuestamps.com

Used $90.00 $150.00 $185.00 $470.00

www.DonSCal.com

Don S. Cal PO Box 1732 • Port Angeles, WA 98362

We Sell & Buy Stamps

CKstamps U.S. & Worldwide

1914-1918 GERMAN OCCUPATION OF BELGIUM. I am collecting the Belgian cancels on these Germania stamps. Want list available. Trades also welcome. falconrw@comcast. net (1472)

Stamps Auctions from $0.01 on eBay

ck stamps LLC

42-14 Union St. #2A Flushing, NY 11355 ckstampsLLC@yahoo.com

www.CKstamps.com

APS #216955

Mexico Call: 707-852-4022

New and Lower Prices www.greggnelsonstamps.com For One of the World's Most Complete U.S. Inventories, visit — www.millerstamps.com

(West) GERMANY YEAR SETS Mint NH $110.00 $285.00 $425.00 $725.00

CHINA XINJIANG. I need FDCs or covers with each of the Xinjiang handstamps on the 1949 UPU China stamp (NW94 and NW94a).

Please email scan with price.

JeffSiddiqui@msn.com (1471)

COLLECTOR WISHES TO PURCHASE Revenue Match & PHILATELIC SUPPLIES All major Medicine Stamps/COLLECTIONS CHINESE STAMP BUYER Pays top brands. B and G Sales $50+ order Muriel Rowan 17160 Kinzie St. $ jon@chinesestampbuyer.com gets free U.S. shipping. www.

Northridge, CA 91325 merkrow@ www.chinesestampbuyer.com bandgstamps.com or call 317-627AP-PLACEHOLDER-2023.qxp_USspecialist_FP 12/9/22 5242 (1478) aol.com (1471) (1478) 12:07 PM Page 1 www.dickkeiser.com (1473)

Also find us on HipStamp and Ebay

Years 1960–1969 1970–1979 1980–1989 1990–1999

WANTED

SUPPLIES

See our expanding inventory

2022

LIKE APPROVALS? Try APS Circuit Books for U.S. First Day Covers! We can build your collection. Email CircuitBooks@stamps.org (1488)

www.dickkeiser.com (1473)

www.chevychasecollectibles.com

by E. S. J. van Dam

US FIRST DAY COVERS

Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library

DARN! I should have bought my stamps from

MILLER'S STAMP CO.

— A name you can trust • Celebrating 50 years —

P.O. Box 1011, Niantic CT 06357-7011 860-908-6200 • E-mail: stamps@millerstamps.com

VATICAN CITY YEAR SETS

Stamp and Cover Auctions

Year Mint Year Mint 2019 Miller Celebrating 50 years 1-inch ad. 1indd.indd 10/7/2019 1 1:56:12 PM 2022 $93.00 2020 $90.00 2021 $99.00 2019 $100.00

Tel: 250-383-6211 • E-mail: dcal@victoriastamp.com Dealer member APS since 1985

Entire Vatican catalog is stock; 1929 to today Please add 3% postage & shipping minimum $1.00 FREE price list.

PENNY BLACK STAMP COMPANY P.O. Box 78, Dexter MI 48130-0078 Phone: (734) 424-3043

http://www.rmplauctions.org Next auction closes October 26t at noon, MST

No Buyer’s Premium

www.pennyblackstamp.com

INDIA

AUCTION . RETAIL . PRIVATE TREATY

www.stampbay.com PO Box 50848, Palo Alto, CA 94303

AUCTION GALLERIES, INC. PH 212-753-6421 SIEGELAUCTIONS.COM 21 WEST 38TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10036

Ph: (650) 387-3885 Email: info@stampbay.com

#5343a, Coil Pair, Die Cutting Omitted. $49.95

Suburban Stamp Inc.

P.O. Box 425, East Longmeadow, MA 01028 413-785-5348 E-mail: suburbanstamp@verizon.net

Remember the APS and APRL in your Will Call (814) 933-3803 for info on estate planning

United States Stamps Steve Crippe www.stevencrippe.com

214.980.2116 — scrippe@gmail.com

ALL

HAWAII

Vogt Stamps 1301 Broadway • Burlingame, CA 94010 650-344-3401 Full website www.vogtstamps.com AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 761

Index of Advertisers Amos Media — www.linns.com

Gary Posner, Inc.

— www.amosadvantage.com

755

Patricia A. Kaufmann

— www.garyposnerinc.com

765

Gregg Nelson Stamps

APS Estate Advice — www.stamps.org/Estate-Advice

761

— www.greggnelsonstamps.com

761

— www.stamps.org/publications

769

— www.hbphilatelics.com

Argyll Etkin Limited

760

Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc.

— www.pennyblackstamp.com

697

tongs-will-travel.asp

— www.hgitner.com

725

Rasdale Stamp Company

KG — www.auktionen-gaertner.de

HipStamp — www.hipstamp.com

683

— www.rasdalestamps.com

Chevy Chase Collectibles 761

— www.hughwood.com

CK Stamps — www.CKstamps.com

761

J.R. Mowbray, Ltd.

761

K.A.P. Stamps

Company — www.stamp-one.com

695

Kelleher & Rogers, Ltd.

D&P Stamps — www.dpstamps.com

760

— www.kelleherasia.com

Cornerstamp, Inc., Paradise Valley Stamp

760

Davidson’s Stamp Service — www.newstampissues.com

760

David Torre Co.

756 726-727, C4

767

Stampbay, Inc. — www.stampbay.com

761

Stamp Plus

760

Michael Eastick & Associates Pty. Ltd. 761 761

Mountainside Stamps, Coins & Currency — www.mountainsidestamps.com

— www.canadarevenuestamps.com

C2, 684

Nieser Stamp and Coin

— auctions.sterlingstamps.com

760

Steve Crippe

761

— www.malack.com

717

Suburban Stamp Inc.

761

Tropical Stamps, Inc. — www.tropicalstamps.com

— www.kennieser.com 761

Sterling Stamps

Steve Malack Stamps 697

Mystic Stamp Company — www.mysticstamp.com

696

— www.easternauctions.com

693

Palo Albums Inc.

Eric Jackson — www.ericjackson.com

756

— www.paloalbums.com

761 757

768

Universal Philatelic Auctions — upastampauctions.co.uk

On the Ridge Stamps — ontheridgestamps.com

Eastern Auctions

723

— www.sparks-auctions.com

Dr. Robert Friedman & Sons

766

— www.ebay.com/str/southweststamps

763

Downeast Stamps — www.destamps.com 695

— www.DutchCountryAuctions.com

761

Markest Stamps — www.markest.com

— www.millerstamps.com

E.S.J. van Dam, Ltd.

— www.shaulisstamps.com

Sparks Auctions

Miller’s Stamp Company

Dutch Country Auctions

725, 761

773

Don S. Cal — www.DonSCal.com

691

— http://rmplauctions.org

— www.littletoncoin.com

— https://waterfowlstampsandmore.com/ C3

— www.drbobfriedmanstamps.com

761

Southwest Stamps

— www.michaeleastick.com 761

— www.siegelauctions.com

Scott A. Shaulis

Littleton Coin Co. 726-727, C4

753

Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library

— www.kapstamps.com

Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions — www.kelleherauctions.com

749

— www.mowbrays.co.nz

— www.colonialstamps.com

687

Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.

Hugh Wood Inc. Insurance

— www.chevychasecollectibles.com Colonial Stamp Company

761

— www.randyschollstampcompany.com/have-

Auktionshaus Christoph Gärtner GmbH & Co. 717

768

Randy Scholl Stamp Co. Have Tongs Will Travel

HB Philatelics

APS Publications

— www.trishkaufmann.com Penny Black Stamp Company

681

Vance Auctions Ltd — www.vanceauctions.com

758

Vogt Stamps — www.vogtstamps.com

761

About the Index of Advertisers This index is included to help readers find advertisers included in this edition of The American Philatelist. The support of these dealers and services is very important to the APS and to The AP. Advertising is a privilege of membership and each business represented here is a member in good standing of the Society. Some postal organizations, like the U.S. Postal Service, are not directly members, but are afforded the opportunity to advertise because of their standing, reputation and impact on the hobby. Advertising is open to any member of the American Philatelic Society.

762 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

For any advertiser that maintains a website, that web address is listed with their information above. Additionally, the online version of the journal includes clickable links for each of these companies and individuals. These links make visiting the advertisers’ websites easy and avoids the possibility of mistyping the web address from these listings.

As you interact with these advertisers, please tell them you saw their ad in The American Philatelist and let them know that you appreciate their support of the journal and the hobby in general.

We Are Buying & Selling TODAY! British Commonwealth — Just One of Our Many Areas of Expertise. Always come to me when selling.

We span the globe when buying. If you’ve collected any country in the British Commonwealth—including England, itself—come here when selling. Why ever take a chance? Before you accept someone else’s offer, call me TOLL FREE today. It’s worth a phone call.

Call Today! We will pay YOU cash NOW!

Call 800-470-7708

Shop On the Go! Anywhere • Anytime

Visit Us Online!

Do You Collect Coins?

REMEMBER! We are major COIN & CURRENCY BUYERS!

www.markest.com

Your online destination for quality collectibles

See Us at the Great American Stamp Show • August 10-13 Looking for Quantities!

Singles • Booklets Panes • Sheets Check the website for our most current Buy Lists Order with confidence. Credit cards are welcome.

Shipping add $4.00 for orders under $100.00, over $100.00 shipping is free.

No minimum order. Payment by all the usual methods! New York residents please add sales tax.

MARKEST Stamp Co. Box 176 • Lynbrook, NY 11563 Phone: 800-470-7708 • Fax: 516-599-1180 Email: markeastzer@gmail.com

Mark Eastzer President

Show Time The “Show Time” Calendar features a list of upcoming shows and APS events. To obtain a listing, please submit a “Show Time”form, available online at www.stamps.org/Show-Calendar or by mail from APS headquarters. Information must be received 60 days before desired publication time.

The listings are free to World Series of Philately and other shows that are sponsored by an APS chapter or affiliate. Other shows/bourses may purchase listings for the month of the show/ bourse and the month prior only. The listing fee is $25 per show per issue. Shows designated *B* are bourse only.

Grand award winners from *WSP* shows are eligible for the annual APS World Series of Philately Champion of Champions competition.

Note that CofC eligibility may be affected if WSP criteria are not achieved for an individual show.

Visit aps.buzz/Calendar for a complete listing of shows and APS events.

Ohio

August 4-5

CINPEX 2023, Greater Cincinnati Philatelic Society, United Methodist Church, 3682 West Fork Road, Cincinnati. *B* Contact: Michael Coates Email: coatesmk1948@gmail.com

Arizona

August 5

New Jersey

August 5

First Saturday Stamp Show, Burgess Hall at the Scottsdale United Methodist Church, 4140 N. Miller Road, Scottsdale. *B* Contact: Steve Gross Email: gross.steve@gmail.com

MSC Monthly Bourse, Merchantville Stamp Club, Martin Luther Chapel School Gym, 4100 Terrace Ave, Pennsauken. *B* Contact: James Natale Email: jnatale3307@comcast.net Website: https://www.merchantvillestampclub. org/

Michigan

August 5

Allen Park Stamp Show, Sokol Cultural Center, 23600 W. Warren, Dearborn Heights. *B* Contact: Debra Detloff Email: debster0551@gmail.com

Pennsylvania

August 5

The Big Erie Stamp Show 2023, Erie Stamp Club, New Hope Presbyterian Church, 5440 Washington Ave, Erie. *B* Contact: Gary Diley Email: hingerem@gmail.com

Washington

August 5

stampshow@stamps.org

Society, Huntington Convention Center, 300 Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland. *WSP* Contact: Wendy Masorti Email: stampshow@stamps.org Website: http://www.stamps.org/GASS

Wyoming

August 12-13

Kansas

August 18-19

WYPEX 2023, Cheyenne Philatelic Society, Red Lion Hotel, 204 W. Fox Farm Road, Cheyenne.

Contact: Marc Anderson Email: wyostampguy@gmail.com

Wichita Show, The Wichita Stamp Club, Cessna Activity Center, 2744 George Washington Blvd, Wichita.

Contact: Ralph Lott Email: ralphlott@sbcglobal.net Website: http://www.wichitastampclub.org

New York

August 19

End of Summer Show, Buffalo Stamp Club, The Knights Hall, 2735 Union Road, Cheektowaga. *B* Contact: Alan Davis Email: ddavis504@roadrunner.com Website: https://buffalostampclub.org/

South Carolina

August 19-20

Columbia Summer 2023 Stamp and Postcard Show, Spring Valley High School, 120 Sparkleberry Lane, Columbia. *B* Contact: Mark Postmus Email: columbiastamppostcardshow@yahoo. com

Wisconsin

August 19-20

TOSAPEX 2023, Wauwatosa Philatelic Society, St. Francis Lions Community Center, 3476 East Howard Avenue, St. Francis. *B* Contact: Michael Mules Email: foxriverstamps@gmail.com

Georgia

August 25-26

North Atlanta Stamp Bourse, North Atlanta Stamp Club, Best Western Hotel, 907 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell. *B* Contact: David Flannery Email: sestampexpo@gmail.com Website: www.sefsc.org/nasc

Ohio

August 25-26

AIRPEX 2023, Dayton Stamp Club, IBEW Union Hall, 6550 Poe Ave. (at Space Dr), Dayton. *B* Contact: Mike Komiensky Email: daytonstampclub@gmail.com Website: http://daytonstampclub.com/

Connecticut

August 27

Strait Stamp Show, Strait Stamp Society, Guy Cole Event Center, 202 N. Blake Ave., Sequim.

Contact: Cathie Osborne Email: rickcath@wavecable.com Website: https://straitstamp.org/

Fourth Sunday Stamp Show, New Haven Philatelic Society, Annex Y.M.A Club, 554 Woodward Ave, New Haven.

Contact: Jesse Williams Email: redgyphon@gmail.com Website: http://nhps1914.com/

New York

Ohio

August 27

Arizona

September 2

August 6

Hilton Stamp/Coin Show and Philatelic Open House, Western Monroe Philatelic Society, Hilton Exempts Club, 137 South Ave, Hilton. *B* Contact: Dave Bombard Email: dbombar1@rochester.rr.com

Ohio

August 10-13

Great American Stamp Show, American Philatelic Society, American Topical Association, & American First Day Cover

764 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Montrose Stamp Bourse, Lincolnway Stamps, Holiday Inn, 4073 Medina Road, Akron. *B* Contact: Dave Pool Email: lincolnway@sssnet.com

First Saturday Stamp Show, Burgess Hall at the Scottsdale United Methodist Church, 4140 N. Miller Road, Scottsdale. *B* Contact: Steve Gross

Email: gross.steve@gmail.com

New Jersey

September 2

Maryland

September 2-4

New Jersey

September 9

Virginia

September 9

Illinois

September 9-10

Michigan

September 15-16

Texas

September 15-17

Iowa

September 16

Ohio

September 16

MSC Monthly Bourse, Merchantville Stamp Club, Martin Luther Chapel School Gym, 4100 Terrace Ave, Pennsauken. *B* Contact: James Natale Email: jnatale3307@comcast.net Website: https://www.merchantvillestampclub. org/ BALPEX 2023, Baltimore Philatelic Society, Baltimore Hunt Valley Inn, 245 Shawan Rd., I-83 Exit 20 East, Hunt Valley. *WSP* Contact: Carroll Browne Email: carrollbrowne@aol.com Website: http://www.balpex.org Clifton Fall 2023 Stamp Cover Postcard Collectables Show, Clifton Stamp Society, Clifton Community Recreation Center, 1232 Main Avenue @ Washington Avenue, Clifton. *B* Contact: Tom Stidl Email: stidl@verizon.net Website: http://www.clifton-stamp-society.org/ RoaPEx Fall Show, Big Lick Stamp Club, Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church, 707 E. Washington Ave, Vinton.

Contact: Ali Nazemi Email: profnazemi@gmail.com Website: biglickstampclub.org MSDA College of DuPage Stamp Show, Midwest Stamp Dealers Association, College of DuPage - Student Resource Center (SRC), 425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn. *B* Contact: Michael Mules Email: msdastampshow@gmail.com Website: www.msdastamp.com Birmpex, Birmingham Stamp Club, Sokol Cultural Center, 23600 W. Warren Ave, Dearborn Heights. *B* Contact: Fred Como Email: karate1dad@netscape.net Website: Birminghamstampclub.com

Greater Houston Stamp Show, GHSS Foundation and Houston Philatelic Society, Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway, Humble.

Contact: Ron Strawser Email: ghss@earthlink.net Website: https://houstonstampclub.org/ QUAPEX, Quad City Stamp Club, American Legion Post #26, 705 West 35th Street, Davenport. *B* Contact: Leen Int Veld Email: Imintveld@yahoo.com Website: www.qcstampclub.com

TUSCOPEX 2023, Tuscora Stamp Club, Tuscora Park Pavilion, 161 Tuscora Avenue NW, New Philadelphia.

Contact: Steven Worsham Email: slworsham@frontier.com

Wish Central

“Making Buying & Selling Wishes a Reality!”

Gary Posner

From Classics to Back-of-Book, please visit www.garyposnerinc.com where you will find to the right on our home page a “CLICK HERE” link to the many lots we have listed at Collectors Corner.

Another Great Resource: Our eBay Store: www.ebay.com/str/garyposner—with a Best Offer Option !

#137. 1870 6¢ Carmine, Mint, Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Lightly Hinged Original Gum, Clear “H” Grill Points, Very Pretty, 100% Sound with Philatelic Foundation Certificate #130597.

Our List Price $6,500 Ad Price $5,500

#263. 1894 $5 Dark Green, Mint, Hinged Original Gum, Deep Color, Full Perfs, Great Centering, Jumbo Margins with PF Certificate #531020 & PSE Certificate #1310436 Grading This Rarity XF-Sup 95J Mint OG H. SMQ $16,000 Our List Price $16,000 Ad Price $13,600

Bob Prager

#242. 1893 $2.00 Brown Red Columbian, Mint, Never Hinged, Fresh, Sharp Impression, Deep Color, Very FineExtremely Fine, with PF Certificate #313121 & PF Certificate #564137 Grading it VF-XF 85 NH. SMQ $7,750 Our List Price $8,250 Ad Price $7,000 #276, 276A. 1895 $1.00 Black Wide Top Margin with BEP Imprint & Plate No. 76 Combo Strip of 3, Mint, Never Hinged, Left Stamp Type I (276), Center and Right Stamps Type II (276A), Deep Color, ProofLike Impression, a Great Rarity, with PSE Certificate #1369183.

Estimated SCV $15,000 Our List Price $12,000 Ad Price $10,200

#175. 1875 24¢ Dull Purple Special Printing, Mint, No Gum As Issued, Very Fine, Scissors-Cut Perfs as Noted in the Scott Listings, Much Nicer Than Most, Wonderful Color, 100% Sound with PF Certificate #474156.

Scott $3,500 Our List Price $3,900 Ad Price $3,315

#292. 1898 $1.00 “Western Cattle in Storm” Trans-Mississippi Pair with Top Margin Imprint & No. 606, Mint, Lightly Hinged Original Gum, Fine to Very Fine, Deep Color and Proof-Like Impression.

Our List Price $3,000 Ad Price $2,550

#96. 1867 10¢ Yellow Green “F” Grill Block of Four, Mint, Previously Hinged Full Original Gum, Bright Color, Visible Grill Points, Very, Very Trivial Gum Stain, with PF Certificate #277866.

Scott $25,000 Our List Price $9,000 Ad Price $7,650 #288. 1898 5¢ Dull Blue TransMississippi, Mint, Never Hinged, nc Rich Color, Proof-Like Impression, Wide Margins, a Gem Beauty with PF Certificate #248264 & PF Certificate #463547 Grading It XF-S 95 XQ (for Extraordinary Quality) NH. Our List Price $3,000 Ad Price $2,550

Gary Posner, I .

They’re all here!

#453. 1914 2¢ Carmine Rose Line Pair, Mint Lightly Hinged Original Gum, Lush Color, Extraordinary Centering, with PF Certificate #387642 & PSE Certificate #1427839 Grading It XF 90 OG PH. SMQ $1,000 Our List Price $1,295 Ad Price $1,100

GARY POSNER, INC.

Please Visit Us at Great American 265 Sunrise Highway, Ste. 1-308, Rockville Centre, NY 11570 Stamp Show Cell: 917-538-8133 • Phone 800-323-4279 • Fax 516-599-2145 Booth 709 www.garyposnerinc.com • GaryPosnerInc@aol.com August 10-13 eBay Store: www.ebay.com/str/garyposner Cleveland, OH No. 61—Mint, Full OG (100% Sound)

No. 314A Used—Sound

No. 363 Never Hinged

No. 621 Mint Centerline Plate No. Block of 8—Sound

Have Similar?

Seek Similar?

It will pay you to call Bob Prager at 800-323-4279 to reach your goals.

Wisconsin

September 22-23

MILCOPEX 2023, Milwaukee Philatelic Society, Brookfield Conference Center, 325 South Moorland Road, Brookfield. *WSP* Contact: MaryAnn Bowman Email: maryann15b@mac.com Website: https://milcopex.org/

Mill Road, Middletown. *B* Contact: Mike Marino Email: mikelmarino923@gmail.com Website: https://lcps-stamps.org/capital-cityphilatelic-society

Tennessee

September 30-1

Massachusetts

September 23

Chelmpex 2023, Chelmsford Stamp Club, Trinity Lutheran Church, 170 Old Westford Road, Chelmsford.

Contact: Linda Gilmore Email: linda.gilmore47@gmail.com

Memphex Stamp & Postcard Show, Memphis Stamp Collectors Society, Bartlett Station Municipal Center Banquet Room, 5868 Stage Road, Bartlett.

Contact: Andy Burkman Email: andburk@usit.net Website: https://mscsstamps.org/

Connecticut

September 24

California

Fourth Sunday Stamp Show, New Haven Philatelic Society, Annex Y.M.A Club, 554 Woodward Ave, New Haven.

Contact: Jesse Williams Email: redgyphon@gmail.com Website: http://nhps1914.com/

Colorado

September 29-30

October 6-8

WINEPEX, Redwood Empire Collectors Club, Best Western Plus, 215 Alameda del Prado, Novato. *B* Contact: Kurt Schau Email: kurtschau@comcast.net Website: www.redwoodempirecollectorsclub.org

Indiana

October 6-8

Cherrelyn Stamp Show & Rocky Mountain Post Card Show, Cherrelyn Stamp Club, VFW, 15625 W. 10th Avenue, Golden. *B* Contact: Ken Luke Email: safetyluke@hotmail.com

INDYPEX ‘23, Indiana Stamp Club, Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds & Exhibition Center, 2003 Pleasant Street, Noblesville. *WSP* Contact: Kurt Streepy Email: ksstreepy@gmail.com Website: https://indianastampclub.org/

Michigan

New Jersey

October 6-8 October 7

September 29-30

Kalamazoo Stamp Club Fall Show, Kalamazoo Stamp Club, Kalamazoo Expo Center, 2900 Lake Street, Kalamazoo.

Contact: Paul Matyas Email: ltpali@aol.com

Pennsylvania

September 30

Capitol City Stamp Bourse, Capitol City Philatelic Society, Lower Swatara Firehouse, 1350 Fulling

Arizona

October 7

Missouri

October 7

New Jersey

October 7

First Saturday Stamp Show, Burgess Hall at the Scottsdale United Methodist Church, 4140 N. Miller Road, Scottsdale. *B* Contact: Steve Gross Email: gross.steve@gmail.com

Joplin Stamp Club Show, Joplin Stamp Club, Granny Shaffer’s Banquet Center, 2728 N. Rangeline Rd., Joplin. *B* Contact: John Olson Email: john13stamp@hotmail.com Website: https://www.thejoplinstampclub.com/ MSC Monthly Bourse, Merchantville Stamp Club, Martin Luther Chapel School Gym, 4100 Terrace Ave, Pennsauken. *B* Contact: James Natale Email: jnatale3307@comcast.net Website: https://www.merchantvillestampclub. org/

Michigan

October 13-14

NOJEX – BYE for 2023, show will not be held.

MOTOPEX 2023, Motor City Stamp and Cover Club, Sokol Cultural Center, 23600 W. Warren Avenue, Dearborn Heights.

Contact: Sue Cousino & Diane Gorney Email: scousino41@gmail.com Website: www.motorcitystampandcover.com/

Alabama

Delaware

October 14

Montgomery Area Stamp, Coin and Collectables Show, Montgomery Area Stamp Club, Doster Community Center, 424 S. Northington Street, Prattville. *B* Contact: Russell Gunton Email: russtoo@netzero.net

Southern Delaware Stamp Show, Dover & Sussex County Stamp Clubs, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 425 North DuPont Highway, Dover. *B* Contact: Woodrow W. Fairess Email: wwf709@aol.com

Dutch Country Auctions The Stamp Center

Serving the hobby worldwide since 1979

AUGUST FEATURED AUCTION LOTS

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AUCTIONS

Coin & Currency Sale #30 Philatelic Auction #348 Coin & Currency Sale #31 Philatelic Auction #349

August 17, 2023 September 12-14, 2023 October 12, 2023 November 14-16, 2023

Live Internet Bidding Via Stamp Auction Network

Contact us for a free appraisal or to consign to an upcoming auction

DutchcountryAuctions.com 302-478-8740 | AUCTIONS@DUTCHCOUNTRYAUCTIONS.COM 4115 CONCORD PIKE, 2ND FLOOR | WILMINGTON, DE 19803 RUSSELL EGGERT OWNER, APPRAISER, LICENSED & BONDED AUCTIONEER 766 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

Wisconsin

October 14

Washington

October 21

CENWISPEX 2023, Central Wisconsin Stamp Club, Elks Club, 1132 Clark Street, Stevens Point.

Contact: JD Manville Email: jadeco@charter.net

Roundup Stamp and Coin Show, Olympia Philatelic Society, Columbian Hall, 6794 Martin Way E, Lacey.

Contact: Dennis Gelvin Email: dnjgelvin@comcast.net

Ontario

California

October 14-16

October 21-22

CANPEX - Royal *2023* Royale, Royal Philatelic Soceity of Canada, The Hellenic Community Centre, 133 Southdale Rd. West, London. *WSP* Contact: John Sheffield Email: john@johnsheffield.com Website: https://www.canpex.ca/

East Bay Collectors Club Stamp Show, East Bay Collectors Club, Civic Park Community Center, 1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek.

Contact: Harry Henderson Email: harryhenderson51@gmail.com Website: https://www.eastbaystampclub.com/

New York

Fourth Sunday Stamp Show, New Haven Philatelic Society, Annex Y.M.A Club, 554 Woodward Ave, New Haven.

Contact: Jesse Williams Email: redgyphon@gmail.com Website: http://nhps1914.com/

October 15

Albany Fall Stamp & Postcard Show, Fort Orange Stamp Club, American Legion Hall, Joseph E. Zaloga Post 1520, 4 Everett Road. Ext., Albany. *B* Contact: Mike Krug Email: majkstamps@gmail.com Website: http://www.fortorangestampclub.org/

Minnesota

October 20-21

Connecticut

October 22

Florida

October 27-28

Metropex Stamp Show, Maplewood Stamp Club, Roseville Skating Center, Roseville. *B* Contact: Pete Boulay Email: happypebbl@hotmail.com Website: https://www.facebook.com/ maplewoodstampclub/

Citrus County Coin Club Stamp & Currency Show, Citrus County Coin Club, National Guard Armory, 8551 West Venable Street, Crystal River.

Contact: Bruce A. Schneider Email: sparky3bear1950@aol.com Website: https://citruscoinclub.org/

Pennsylvania

Arkansas

October 20-21

UNEXPO 2023, American Philatelic Center, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte.

Contact: Greg Galletti Email: unstampz1@gmail.com Website: http://www.unpi.com/

Michigan

New Mexico

1973-2023 fifty years of professional philately

Ohio

October 28-29

Cuy-LorPex 2023, Cuy-Lor Stamp Club, Rocky River Memorial Hall, 21016 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River.

Contact: Stan Fairchild Email: napoleon@voyager.net

October 28-29 7132 North University Drive Tamarac, FL 33321

celebrating fifty years of professional philately

First introduced to philately in 1965, Trish Kaufmann is now recognized as the First Lady of Confederate Philately. This year, Trish is celebrating 50 years of service as a professional philatelist. Whether you want to buy, sell or just enrich your knowledge, trust Trish for reliable expertise and award-winning resources.

Patricia A. Kaufmann

10194 N. Old State Road Lincoln, DE 19960-3644 Call: 302.422.2656 Email: trishkauf@comcast.net Full Stock Online at: www.TrishKaufmann.com

BUY O SELL O RESEARCH O SUBSCRIBE

www.TrishKaufmann.com 768 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

October 28-29

NewMexPex 2023 Stamp Show, Albuquerque Philatelic Society, Meadowlark Senior Center, 4330 Meadowlark Lane, SE, Rio Rancho.

Contact: Paul Morton Email: morton.paul@gmail.com Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ newmexpex-annual-stamp-show/

PINPEX 2023, Pinnacle Stamp Club of Arkansas, Jacksonville Community Center, #5 Municipal Drive, Jacksonville. *B* Contact: Ann Austen Email: anniephant@aol.com

this year, Trish celebrates

October 28-29

KENTPEX 2023, Kent Philatelic Society, American Legion Post #179, 2327 Wilson Ave SW, Walker.

Contact: William Sobotka Email: billsobotka@prodigy.net

U.S. Zeppelin and Airship Mail Flights

90000>

Cheryl R. Ganz

ISBN 978-0-578-90937-0

U.S. Zeppelin and Airship Mail Flights

Cheryl R. Ganz

9 780578 909370

Philatelic Publications Check out the latest releases as well as the 100+ book titles in the APS publication shop.

http://stamps.org/publications

North Atlantic Non-Contract Steamship Sailings 1838-1875 by Richard Winter and John Barwis.

336 pages. Member price $55 plus shipping.

A sequel to Winter's North Atlantic Mail Sailings 1840-1875, this reference work is essential for postal history research. Containing details of sailing schedules of 54 steamship companies, with illustrations and historical context.

Restocked due to demand.

New U.S. Issues

BY Jeff Stage

A Quiet Month for New Stamps

T

he month of June was an unusually quiet one for new releases from the U.S. Postal Service with only one new issue of postage stamps, an attractive pane of waterfalls on 12 stamps. There was, however, the release of the annual federal duck stamp, which is a popular collectible, plus I will offer a glimpse at this year’s only expected pre-stamped envelope, which was released in July.

Federal duck stamps – officially the migratory bird hunting and conservation stamps – are mandatory for hunters and have raised millions of dollars since 1934 for wetlands conservation. Anyone familiar with duck stamps is quite familiar with the name of the artist whose work appears on the new stamp.

Although the self-stick Waterfalls stamps were issued at the rate of 63 cents, the new postage rate went into effect July 9 and those stamps now cost 66 cents ($7.92 for the pane).

Waterfalls

by Nicole Nugent; Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls State Park, New York, photo by John Cancalosi; and Dark Hollow Falls, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, photo by Luong.

Third row: Grotto Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennesee, photo by Joe Miller; Sunbeam Falls, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, photo by Kevin Schafer; LaSalle Canyon Waterfall, Starved Rock State Park, Oglesby, Illinois, photo by David B. Vernon; and Upper Falls, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, photo by Tim Fitzharris.

Luong’s photos appear on three stamps; Keifer’s on two.

Framing the stamps is selvage that again features another angle of LaSalle Canyon by Vernon.

Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. of Williamsville, N.Y., printed

Pure water is clear, but when it flows with force, it can bubble and foam into a white, frothy appearance, which can certainly be dramatic. But throw in the trained eyes and talents of award-winning nature photographers who know how to capture colors cast by sunlight or reflections from surroundings such as moss, colored rocks or fall foliage, and you can have stunning images of nature.

Such is the case with the Waterfalls pane of 12 First Class domestic Forever stamps formally issued June 13 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Shown on the stamps are natural waterfalls in all shapes and sizes, from serene cascades to mighty cataracts.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps and pane with existing photographs from nine photographers focused on waterfalls found in 12 states.

Each stamp features a photograph with the name of the waterfall and state in which it is located beneath it. Images shown and the photographers on the stamps are, by row, from left: First row: Deer Creek Falls, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, photo

by Sandra Woods; Nevada Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, photo by Quang-Tuan Luong; Harrison Wright Falls, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania, photo by Kenneth Keifer; and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, photo by Keifer.

Second row: Waimoku Falls, Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii, photo byLuong; Stewart Falls, Mount Timpanogos Wilderness, Utah, photo The pane of Waterfalls stamps is available from https://aps.buzz/waterfalls23.

770 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

a total of 34,992,000 Waterfalls stamps that were finished into 2,916,000 panes of 12. Ashton Potter printed the stamps using offset lithography.

It’s impossible to review all of the photos and photographers in this short space, but I will offer the following about one of them, Quang-Tuan Luong, an innovative, awardwinning photographer born in 1964 of Vietnamese parents in Paris. A previous photo from Luong – that of the Little Missouri River winding through the badlands of North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park – is part of the 2016 stamps celebrating the National Park Service’s Centennial.

Luong, who in 2022 received the Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography from the Sierra Club, earned a Ph.D. in computer science in 1992 from the University of Paris-Sud in 1992. His thesis was in computer vision. In 2008, he shared the initial Koenderink Prize for fundamental contributions in computer vision with two colleagues.

Luong first became interested in photography during mountaineering outings, which included frozen waterfalls and a solo ascent of Denali.

“In the mid-1980s, my life was transformed by the wilderness of mountains,” Luong says on the website Terragalleria.com. “As a climber, and then a mountain guide, I was initially interested in photography as a means to communicate to people who weren’t there the wonders I had seen on the high peaks of the Alps.”

He took a job at University of California at Berkeley in 1993, learned to use large-format cameras and soon began photographing U.S. national parks.

In 2002, he photographed all the then-57 national parks.

“As I fell in love with the diversity of the national parks, I set out for a monumental nature photography project that had not been completed by anyone: photographing all of them on large format film,” said the photographer on Terragalleria. “I made my home in the San Francisco Bay area.

Years of outdoor adventuring experience proved useful when exploring the backcountry of many parks, occasionally hiking in trail-less terrain with a 70 pounds backpack and paddling kayaks or canoes during extended expeditions.”

In 2009, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan featured Luong as the only living artist in the film, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” and used his photograph, “Yosemite, Winter Sunset,” for the series’ cover.

In 2020, Luong received the Robin W. Winks Award For Enhancing Public Understanding of National Parks from the National Parks Conservation Association.

To celebrate the National Park Service Centennial in 2016, Luong released his signature book, Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey through America’s National Parks. It won 12 national and international awards. In 2021, Luong published the large-format photo-filled Our National Monuments: America’s Hidden Gems.

Duck Stamp The 2023-2024 federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp – known popularly as the duck stamp – has a very familiar name linked to it. That name is, you guessed it, Hautman.

For a sixth time, Joseph “Joe” Hautman, of Plymouth, Minnesota, won the annual open art contest that decides the artwork to appear on the stamp. Together with his brothers – Robert and James – the trio has won the contest 15 times; Joe and James now have six wins apiece while Robert has three.

A formal ceremony for the stamp was held June 23 at the Bass Pro Shops outdoor store in Memphis, Tennessee. The national junior duck stamp was issued the same day and also feted at the ceremony.

Joe Hautman’s acrylic painting of three tundra swans flying over a wetland was chosen during two days of voting last September.

Of 187 entries judged in this year’s competition, 54 entries made it to the second round of judging. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the contest and each year chooses five species of waterfowl for the contest. Eligible species for the 2023-2024 stamp were the tundra (whistling) swan, mottled duck, American green-winged teal, American wigeon and Barrow’s goldeneye.

The contest judges were Sean Murtha, artist; Richard Houk, philatelist and member of the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society; Marshall Johnson, conservation partner; Paul Schmidt, conservation partner; and Christopher Nicolai, waterfowl biologist and conservation partner.

The new $25 federal duck stamp, valid for waterfowl hunting from July 1 through June 20, 2024 can be purchased in a souvenir sheet of one or can be separated from a pane of 20.

Purchases of federal duck stamps fund habitat conservation and preservation of wetlands across the country and in U.S. territories. Since it was first established in 1934, sales of the Federal Duck Stamp to hunters, bird watchers, outdoor enthusiasts, and collectors have raised more than $1.1 billion to conserve over 6 million acres of habitat for birds and other wildlife and provide countless opportunities for wildlife-oriented recreation on our public lands.

This year’s junior duck stamp also was celebrated at the first day ceremony.

Artwork of a hooded merganser by Mila Linyue Tong, 15, of Virginia, graces the 2023-2024 junior duck stamp.

The Junior Duck Stamp Program began in 1989. The first national Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest was held in 1993.

A panel of five judges chose the winning entry, painted in acrylic, from among best-of-show entries. Students from all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and two U.S. territories participated in the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program. Purchases of junior duck stamps support conservation education for youth in kindergarten through 12th grade. The stamp costs $5.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 771

and public collections, including Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, Washington, D.C.; The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh; The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; and the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. Phillips says on her website that she takes inspiration from Albert Einstein’s statement: “Look deep The new federal duck stamp (left) and junior duck stamp are available from the USPS online store at https://aps.buzz/Duck23. into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

Neither stamp is valid for postage. They can be purchased “My drawings of birds, insects, through several outlets, though not every outlet has both forbotanicals, indeed all nature reflect that statement,” Phillips mats. The U.S. Postal Service online store sells them as do says on her website. “I am interested in capturing nature’s desome post offices (in single-stamp panes only) along with selected national wildlife refuges, sporting goods retailers and tails, the coolness of a hawk’s beak, the gnarled, warty skin of a pelican, and the fragility of a moth’s wings. These things, from Amplex Corp. whether rendered in watercolor paint, or metalpoint on paNorthern Cardinal (envelope) per only captures an illusion of the actual reality. I invite you A familiar bird – the bright red male northern cardinal to look closer at nature’s details with me.”

The northern cardinal has appeared on at least 10 U.S. perched on the branch of a pine tree – takes flight July 9, gracing this year’s only new prestamped envelopes from the stamps, most of them part of multistamp releases.

The cardinal appears six times on the 1982 State Birds U.S. Postal Service.

The nondenominated envelope will cover the new first- and Flowers pane of 50, representing Illinois, Indiana, Kenclass domestic rate of 66 cents, which takes place the day of tucky, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. issue. The envelope sells for 85 cents.

It also appears on single stamps in the Snowbirds in the No ceremony was scheduled and the official first day loSnow (2016), Birds in Winter (2018) and Winter Scenes cale is Bird City, Kansas (population 450). The community’s (2020) sets of four. website touts: “We’re a small town set in the rolling wheat The one time the cardinal got its own stamp was in 1991, fields of northwest Kansas, just three hours (200 miles, east with the upper part of the bird showing on a 30-cent stamp, of) Denver, but light years from the stress of modern life.”

The envelope is being sold in both pressure sensitive and which paid the postcard rate to Mexico. The National Postal water activated formats on the flap. The stamps were printed Museum points out, though, that the stamp may have been using offset, Flexographic and microprint processes by Ash- intended to meet a disallowed request for a 30-cent first class ton Potter USA. domestic rate. (The rate was raised just to 29 cents in 1991.)

Sizes for both formats are the No. 10 window envelope, the No. 9 regular security envelope and the No. 6 ¾ regular envelope.

Pressure sensitive formats also include the No. 9 window security and No. 6 ¾ window envelopes; the No. 10 regular envelope is only in water activated format.

Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamped envelope with Kandis Vermeer Phillips’ highly realistic illustration.

Phillips is an award-winning artist who studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and Texas Tech University.

Phillips, according to her website (https://kvermeerphillips.com/), has a lifelong interest in nature which she combines with her passion for Medieval Illumination and ReA prestamped envelope featuring the northern naissance metalpoint drawing. She has exhibited in local and cardinal in several formats went on sale July 9 national juried shows and her works are included in private at https://aps.buzz/Cardinal23.

772 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

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New World Issues

BY William Silvester

AUSTRALIA – Extinct Mammals

Using lithographs from John Gould’s work, The Mammals of Australia (1863), Australia Post issued three stamps to draw attention to Australia’s poor record of extinctions. Released on June 1, the $1.20 stamps depict pairs of three extinct mammals: the Tasmanian tiger, the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial; the Toolache wallaby, a target for over hunting due to its beautiful fur; and the long-tailed hopping mouse, extinct due to habitat alteration and introduced predator species. Set in their native habitat, they encompass “some of the key reasons for mammal extinctions since British colonisation, including hunting by humans, often encouraged by government bounties; introduced species; habitat destruction; and climate change.” These stamps and other products are available from https://aps.buzz/AusExtinct23.

AUSTRIA – Mariastein Castle

Rising on a mighty rock, the tower of Mariastein Castle is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Tyrol. Built in the 14th century, the castle dominates the small Lower Inn Valley village.

The original Gothic Upper Chapel of Grace contains a lime wood Virgin Mary made in 1450 at the top of a 138-foot high tower reached by more than 150 steps. The museum, formerly the Knight’s Hall, houses a scepter donated by Archduke Maximillian III. The €1,00 stamp was designed by Kirsten Lubach, printed by Joh. Enschedé Stamps B.V. and issued on June 23 in sheets of 50. To buy, visit https://aps.buzz/ Mariastein23.

CANADA –Royal Canadian Mounted Police

To mark the 150th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Canada Post issued a booklet of six Permanent domestic rate stamps on May 23. The stamp, designed by Réjean Myette, incorporates a collage of images representing the modern police force, including a member on horseback as part of the RCMP Musical Ride, an officer with binoculars, a fingerprint and civilian members at computers. The force was established as the North-West Mounted Police in 1873 and over the years “evolved into an internationally recognized police organization of more than 19,000 police officers, with the support of more than 11,000 civilian members and public servants.” The booklet is available from https://aps.buzz/CanadaMounted23.

GUERNSEY – 2023 Island Games

Originally called the Inter-Island Games, the sporting festival began in 1985 when the Isle of Man brought together athletes from 15 small islands from around the world to participate. The games soon became an annual event and has expanded to include 24 member islands. To mark the third time it has hosted the games, Guernsey issued a set of seven stamps on May 24. The stamps have four denominations by letter and depict assorted sports. Guernsey Post lists Alderney, Bermuda, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Jersey, St. Helena and Ynys Mon among the participating islands. The stamps are available from https://aps.buzz/GuernseyGames.

ISLE OF MAN - 150th Anniversary of the Steam Railway

On July 1, 1873, a railway line was opened from Douglas to Peel with huge crowds gathered to witness the “train clatter pass at speeds of up to 25 mph, speeds not seen on the Island before!” Isle of Man Post commemorated the event on May 25 with a set of eight stamps featuring Isle of Man Railway Company locomotives including values of 80p, £1.28, £1.51 and £2.31. Over the ensuing years, the railway expanded with a Port Erin line in 1874, a Foxdale Railway Company in 1882, and, in World War I, a line to the Knockaloe POW camp from Peel. Economic problems in 1965 and ensuing years eventually led to the government takeover in 1977. To buy the stamps, visit https://aps.buzz/IsleManRR150.

774 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

NETHERLANDS – 75th Anniversary of Solex

PostNL issued a sheet of 10 stamps in 10 designs good for 20-gram domestic mail items within the Netherlands. Designed by Jan van Mechelen from photographs by Hans Tak, Rotterdam, the stamps depict various Solex front-wheel drive mopeds. The top row of stamps shows the model year of the moped shown; the bottom row shows a closeup of the steering wheel and the engine of the same vehicle. The 75th anniversary of the first Solex was marked with the issuance on May 26 of a souvenir sheet showing a Solex from model years 1948, 1955. 1962, 1969 and 1980. The sheet is available from https://aps.buzz/DutchSolex.

NEW ZEALAND – Scenic Definitives

The 2023 Scenic definitives, a continuation of last year’s series of definitive stamps, showcase the Great Walks of Aotearoa New Zealand with six varieties issued on June 7 with four gummed and two self-adhesive stamps. Four gummed stamps in denominations from $3.30 to $5.30 show Emerald Lakes, Tongariro Crossing; Routeburn Track; Te Urewera, Lake Waikaremoana; and Abel Tasman National Park. The self-adhesives were released in a five-stamp booklet and repeat the Emerald Lakes design and also includes a stamp for Island Bay, Wellington. Several products are available from https://aps.buzz/NZWalks23.

POLAND –Polish Hunting Association

The King of Polish Forests is depicted in his natural habitat on this 3,90-zloty stamp issued May 10 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Polish Hunting Association. Known as the Red Deer, it is one of the largest deer species, with the male known as a stag or hart, and the female a hind. Once rare in parts of Europe, conservation efforts have resulted in an increase in population in Europe while the animals are declining in North Africa. The Polish Hunting Association is made up of hunters and hunting clubs with more than 126,000 members. The association “deals with hunting economy management in Poland, protection of the natural environment and preservation of biodiversity …” The single stamp can be purchased online from https://aps.buzz/PolandDeerHunt.

ROMANIA –Romfilatelia World Stamp Exhibition

The Romfilatelia World Stamp Exhibition opened at Essen Fair, Germany and ran from May 25 to 28. A single postage stamp denominated 11 lei features the official logo of the exhibition “together with the traditional graphics of stamps printed with metal plates made by engraving in the period after 1872.” A souvenir sheet issued at the same time includes four stamps and two labels. Graphic elements are identifiable under ultraviolet light. The stamps are available online at https://aps.buzz/RomaniaIBRA.

UNITED NATIONS – World Ocean Day - Coral Reefs

The focus for World Oceans Day in 2023 is Coral Reefs. Every year on June 8, the U.N. issues stamps “to celebrate the world’s shared ocean and our personal connection to the sea, as well as to raise global awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives…” The three U.N. offices (U.S., Switzerland, Austria) issued miniature sheets of six depicting coral reefs with the theme “Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing” with the warning that despite their importance some 25 percent to 50 percent of coral reefs have been destroyed and another 60 percent are under threat. The designs feature the Florida reefs in the United States (U.S. denominated at 63 cents); Tubbataha Reef, Philippines (Swiss denominated at CHF 1,10); and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia (Austria denominated at €1,00). The stamps are available from the UNPA at https://aps.buzz/UNCoral23.

• • • • • New worldwide stamps images are presented for information and are not necessarily shown at the correct scale. The quality of images available at the time of release varies widely and we resize to achieve the best possible reproduction. Links that begin aps.buzz are shortened and case sensitive. Please copy the capitalization precisely in order to access the link.

AUGUST 2023 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 775

Worldwide in a Nutshell

BY BOB LAMB • AP Columnist

JAMAICA Status: Parliamentary Democracy Population: 2,820,982 (2023 est.)

Area: 4244 sq. miles Currency: 100 cents = US$1

W

hen Columbus first sighted Jamaica in 1494, he described it as “the fairest isle that eyes have beheld.” Spanish settlement began in 1509; under the Spanish the island was valued chiefly as a base for food and hides. The native Arawaks (also known as the Tainos), residents of the island for 2,000 years, fell victim to European diseases and brutal treatment at the hands of the newcomers. By the beginning of the 17th century the island’s population was estimated at about 3,000.

To end the paralysis England had suffered in its civil war, in 1655 Oliver Cromwell sent a naval force to the Caribbean to bring the former king’s subjects to heel Jamaica 76.

Jamaica 13. and to rouse anti-Catholic feeling by enlisting the British colonists on Barbados in an attack on the important Spanish bastion of Hispaniola. This was beyond the capabilities of the untrained men and the force was routed. To save face and not wanting to come away empty-handed, they seized the weakly defended island of Jamaica, 160 miles to the south.

The Spanish were expelled by 1660 and in 1670, the Treaty of Madrid recognized British ownership of the island.

Nevertheless, the British had very little control over Jamaica and the island became a haven Jamaica 158. for pirates, including the brutal Henry Morgan. Morgan made the city of Port Royal immensely wealthy. He died in 1688; devastating earthquakes destroyed Port Royal in 1692 and 1703. Hurricanes wreaked further devastation. With the pirates gone, 18th century Jamaica became home to the world’s largest slave market, which propped up a booming agricultural sector of sugar, indigo and cocoa.

Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807 and slavery itself between 1833 and 1838. With the collapse of the plantation system came several decades of poverty, epidemics and unrest, culminating in the Morant Bay rebellion, brutally put down by Governor John Eyre. The British responded with social and political reforms, and the island became a Crown Colony in 1866. In 1944, a new constitution created a legislature selected by universal suffrage. Continued political dissention led to further steps toward independence, which was achieved on August 6, 1962.

On October 31, 1671, shortly after British title to the island was confirmed, Gabriel Martin was appointed as postmaster, which gives Jamaica claim to being the first British colony with a post office. Martin carried the mail by horse from Spanish Town, the capital and the port of Passage Fort. The service was soon discontinued. The need for post offices grew as the sugar trade grew.

Jamaica 133.

In 1754, Edward Dismore began his three-decade tenure as postmaster general. He set up a network of two dozen post offices on the island. British stamps were placed on sale in Kingston on May 8, 1858.

In 1860, responsibility for the postal services was transferred from London to the local authorities and on November 23, 1860, Jamaican stamps were issued. The first set was five values printed by De La Rue depicting Queen Victoria. In 1990, the Postal Corporation of Jamaica (Post Corp) was established to make Jamaica's postal service more profitable and Jamaica 823. efficient. The postal service operates 237 post offices and 164 postal agencies.

776 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / AUGUST 2023

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