May / June 2012 Protecting … Insider/Older PDFs/1205.pdf May / June 2012 Stamp Insider Journal of...

www.nystampclubs.org May/June2012

StampInsider

Journal of the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies

Protecting Stamps Posing as CoinsProtecting Stamps Posing as Coins

http://www.nystampclubs.org

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an IssueArtCraft first day covers are rec- ognized worldwide for the excel- lence of their artistic design, andfor the distinction of their fineengraving on rag contentenvelopes. For these qualities,collectors choose ArtCraft moreoften than any other brand.

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collecting first day covers without the frustrations. You’llget fresh unaddressed covers, shipped in a protective package,for as much as 12% less than our regularly advertised mail orderprices. (The member price for a single of a 44¢ issue is only $2.45).Shipments are sent approximately once a month, and covers arecharged against the balance you have on deposit. No more missedissues, no dues, no service charges, and no shipping fees. We’llenclose a statement of your account in each mailing showing all transactions since your last mailing and your new deposit balance. Whenyour balance runs low (and before you miss a mailing) you’ll beadvised that an additional deposit is necessary. If you wish, youcan authorize us to automatically charge your renewal to the Visa,MasterCard, or Discover card you specify. And, we can customize yourservice to match almost any collecting profile.

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The ArtCraft Cover SocietyFLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY 07932

Toll Free: (877) 966-0001 • Internet: www.washpress.com

Copyright,AdvertisingRates,DeadlinesStamp Insider™ is published digitally six times per year by the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies, Inc., a non-profit organi-zation, at 1105 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308-2805. Content ©2011 Federation of Central New York Philatelic Societies Inc.; Design ©2011 Albert W. Starkweather / Design on Demand. Stamp Insider and the magnifying glass logo are trademarks of the Federation. Any portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent, provided credit is given. Written expres-sion or opinions of the writers are their own and not necessarily those of the Stamp Insider or Federation. Some product names and images may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation, without intent to infringe. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy, but validity is not guaranteed. Articles by readers are encouraged. Manuscripts cannot be returned without a large SASE. Electronic submissions are preferred.

Dimensions (In inches) Per Insertion Contract Per Year Annual SavingsSmall Business Card (2 1/5 × 1) One-Year Contract Only $ 55.00 —Super Business Card (3 × 2 1/4) One-Year Contract Only $ 110.00 —Quarter Page (2 1/5 × 3 7/16) $ 28.00 $ 138.00 ($ 23.00) $ 30.00Half Page (4 1⁄2 × 3 7⁄16) $ 42.00 $ 222.00 ($ 37.00) $ 30.00Full Page (4 1⁄2 × 7 1⁄2) $ 57.00 $ 282.00 ($ 47.00) $ 60.00Full Page Inside Front or Back Cover $ 62.00 $ 312.00 ($ 52.00) $ 60.00Full Outside Back Cover $100.00 $ 450.00 ($ 75.00) $150.00Centerfold (two full pages) $122.00 $ 582.00 ($ 97.00) $210.00

Editorial & ad deadlines for the two months following are Feb. 15, April 15, June 15, Aug. 15, Oct. 15 & Dec. 15

May/June2012Vol.28No.5

StampInsider

www.stampinsider.org

Editor&JournalWebmasterAlbert W. Starkweather

5668 Tranquility Oaks Dr., Unit 208Tampa, FL 33624-5849813-962-7964; [email protected] www.starkweatherdesign.com

AssociateEditorHeather Sweeting

14329 Victory St., Sterling NY 13156-3172315-947-6761; [email protected]

AdManager&SubscriptionsGeorge McGowan

PO Box 482, East Schodack, NY 12063-0482518-479-4396; [email protected]

FederationWebmasterThomas M. Fortunato

28 Amberwood Place, Rochester, NY 14626-4166585-225-6822; [email protected]

FederationPresidentThomas Auletta

PO Box 745, Round Lake, NY 12151-0745518-899-3027; [email protected]

FederationSecretaryRonald K. Ratchford

1105 Union St.. Schenectady, NY 12308-2805518-374-3776 ; [email protected]

ContentsThe President’s Page: Seeking More Active Collectors Part 2 ...........4Editor’s Perspective: Reflecting on a Philatelic Mentor ......... 6Postal History Sketches: Fowl Covers Not for the Chicken ........... 8British North America: What Was The Wayzata? ...........................10Seen at Auction: ‘I don’t get no respect!’ ................................12Steve Swain: Protecting Stamps Posing as Coins ........16Rudy de Mordaigle: Revisiting the Liberty Bell .................... 24Albert W. Starkweather: How Kodak Assisted Police Searches .... 30Ronald K. Ratchford: Farewell To Alplaus Post Office .......... 34Jim Hannah: Stamps with Dirty Faces ..............................36All Welcome at Ropex 2012 ........................ 42Philatelic Potpourri: Seeking the Elusive Watermark ............. 43Deltiology: Wondrous 50 Cent Boxes ......44Youth & Philately: Google and Index Cards ..........................45Fillmore the Filatelist: Scott Listing Misses the Site .....................46First Day Coverage: More Revenue FDCs ... 47Communications: Remembering John Lange ........................ 48Club Pages ............................................... 49–74Philateli-Calamity.......................................75Shows & Bourses .....................................76–77The Last Words: Happy Bidding ................... 78AdvertiserIndex............ 75

Fede

ration of New York

Ph

ilatelic Societies,

In

c. . .


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www.starkweatherdesign.com

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4/StampInsider•May/June2012

ThePresident’sPageThomas Auletta

PO Box 745Round Lake, NY 12151-0745

518-899-3027; [email protected]

Fede

ration of New York

Ph

ila te lic So cietie

s, In

c. . .

SearchingforMoreActiveCollectors—Part2

Most networking philatelists, including club and APS members, show attendees, auction participants, store visitors, and Linn’s, Mekeel’s, and Stamp Insider readers,

readily agree that they form a relatively small part of the total number of stamp collectors in this country. I raised an interesting question in recent articles and echoed a concern of many whose opinions I respect when I asked how we can bring some of this large audience into organized philately and increase interest in stamp collecting in general.

Recently, some local club members, customers, and local dealers have talked about this situation, and came up with some interesting suggestions. Some possible approaches are:

• Appoint a committee of two or three club members to be in charge of publicity for the club and to suggest possible ways of recruiting new people;

• Have some club members staff a table at local and regional shows to answer questions about club benefits and to hand out promotional brochures. They can be on hand to distribute membership applications so that active sign-ups could take place immediately or in the near future;

• Through the publicity committee, programs could be set up at local libraries, schools, churches, scout meetings, and retirement communities. These programs could distribute free stamps, hinges, stock sheets, etc. to participants to encourage them to start stamp collecting and join a club. Topical stamps would be great for such an introduction;

• Club members could bring in recent stamp publications that they have read and no longer have a use for. An information sheet about the club and its activities could be stapled to these. They could be left in doctors’ and dentists’ waiting rooms, where they may be picked up and read by anyone with any interest in or curiosity about stamp collecting; and

• Club members can bring in surplus or duplicate stamps on or off paper to donate for any programs. A club activity could be to take a half hour at a meeting for members to sort and package these stamps in glassines or plastic bags so that they will be available for any programs.

These are just a few suggestions that a small number of people have come up with. If you have any other thoughts or ideas that would help raise awareness of stamp collecting or club activities, I would welcome them. Please give it some thought.

Next time, some thoughts on how to reach more of the casual or non APS collectors that we suspect are out there in tremendous numbers. ◾

mailto:azusacollectibles%40yahoo.com?subject=Stamp%20Insider%20Prexy%20Column

May/June2012•StampInsider/5

a.k.a. CoverCrazy 2

DOUBLEDAYPOSTAL HISTORY

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Editor’sPerspectiveAlbert W. Starkweather

5668 Tranquility Oaks Dr., Unit 208Tampa, FL 33624-5849


ReflectingonaPhilatelicMentor

Although I studied journalism and worked for several newspapers, I did

not gravitate naturally to philatelic writing and editing. I had never even considered it until exchanging brief letters with Frank H. Blumenthal, who died on December 28, 2011, at the age of 98.

After joining the American Air Mail So-ciety in the early 1970s, I became an avid reader of its journal, the Airpost Journal. After sending a letter to Blumenthal, who was editor at the time, I received a response inviting me to submit a brief item about the article I was questioning. I did so, not real-izing this would lead to a 15-year exchange of ideas and articles.

At first he suggested topics that might interest me and then began demanding written-to-order pieces. When he discovered that, like him, I was interested in foreign air mails (FAMs), he introduced me to the American Air Mail Catalogue editor, the late Perham C. Nahl, who had me revise and create new maps for the FAM section and submit a new section on supersonic transport (Concorde and Tupolev Tu-144) first flights.

Blumenthal had a nearly 100 percent hearing loss and we talked on the phone through his wife, Benita, who predeceased him. This led to an invitation for the first of many visits to their home in Northwest Washington, D.C. There were two conventions at table and af-ter dining. Guests were seated so he could read their lips and quickly correct any mistakes they made in pronunciation. On returning to the living room, they usually found a stack of galley proofs dumped into their laps for correcting.

Few of his readers knew that he received his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College in 1936 and graduate degree from Princeton University in 1941 before embarking on a long career with the National Labor Relations Board.

We lost touch after Blumenthal turned the journal’s reigns over to Jim Graue in the fall of 1989 after 18 years of never missing a deadline or a typo. He and his wife moved to Maryland soon after and we lost touch, which I still regret. ◾

Albert W. Starkweather and Frank H. Blu-menthal in 1983

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Stamps • Post Cards • Covers • EphemeraSupplies • Free Admission & Parking

The Capital District MonthlyStamp & Collectibles Show

Formerly John J. Nunes’ Capital District Stamp Show10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday, May 20 & June 17

Best Western Sovereign Hotel1228 Western Avenue, Albany, New York 12203

Adjacent to University at Albany, State University of New York

Contact Thomas Auletta at 518-899-3027or

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of all shapes & sizes, unsold and unclaimed eBay lots, items retired from our show

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geared for cover lovers and you won't find a lot of stamps inside. The mix ranges

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PostalHistorySketchesElwyn Doubleday

PO Box 119Alton, NH 03809-0119


FowlCoversNotfortheChicken

One of our customers, whose job was in the poultry field, collected fowl covers. He died a year or two ago and his collection of about 7,500 different chicken and fowl-

related covers was sold recently by a large philatelic auction firm.I bought about 1,000 of these and was startled by the depth of his collection and the

great variety of topics it contained. There were egg covers, veterinary medicine covers, and covers illustrating a huge variety of interesting and unusual breeds. In addition there were advertisements for incubators to hatch the eggs and covers from printers who spe-cialized in purely poultry-related advertising.

This sparked a trip to the computer to learn about this fowl matter. It seems in the days prior to good refrigeration and giant supermarkets that a huge number of people raised their own chickens. By the 1870s and 1880s poultry became not only a practical solution to having fresh eggs, but also became a hobby to many. Breeders developed new strains of chickens and even imported foreign birds to cross breed with American birds.

Poultry shows also became popular much as dog shows, rose shows or stamp shows are today. Exhibitors competed for medals and award prizes.

I’ve selected a group of interesting covers to illustrated a most unusual aspect of phi-lately. I’m sure an equally interesting collection could be made for dogs, cats (my wife collects these), or horses. ◾

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Specializing inItems for

Award-WinningCollections

WRITE FOR CURRENTLISTS AND BID SHEETS

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Sunday, June 3 — 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.Carrier Circle Hotel

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Contact Ed BaileyP. O. Box 2338, Syracuse, NY 13220-2338 • 315-452-0593

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BritishNorthAmericaGeorge McGowan

PO Box 482East Schodack, NY 12063-0482


WhatWasTheWayzata?

“In 1932 … Aerial World Tours Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn. proposed to the Newfoundland government that if they would supply 400,000 one-dollar air mail stamps, the corporation

would, at some future date … fly a passenger and air mail load across the Atlantic.”Winthrop Boggs, The Postage Stamps and Postal History of Newfoundland, Quarterman Publications, Lawrence, MA, 1975

The perforated 12 stamps were printed in sheets of twenty five by the Bureau of Engraving of Minneapolis under the supervision of the Northwestern National Bank of Minneapolis.

The company planned to fly a four-engine Sikorsky S-40 flying boat from Wayzata, Minne-sota, to Europe via Toronto, Montreal, St. Pierre, and St. John’s, Newfoundland. The S-40 was a mainstay of Pan American’s service from Miami to South America via the Caribbean.

The cash-strapped Aerial World Tours instead leased a much smaller Sikorsky S-38 twin-engine flying boat, the Newfoundlander. The S-40 carried 44 passengers, while the S-38 held only eight. The Newfoundlander landed on Lake Minnetonka’s Wayzata Bay on August 31, 1932. This is how the issue got its name.

In September 1932, the Newfoundland government, convinced that the flight would never take place, withdrew the contract, and ordered the destruction of the remaining 375,000 stamps. This ensured that the outstanding 25,000 stamps were invalid for post-age and only a philatelic curiosity.

After Confederation in 1949, Newfoundland stamps became valid throughout Canada. Many collectors created souvenirs and used up surplus stock. This might explain this special delivery and registered cover. Although it was handled by many clerks, their unfamiliarity with Newfoundland stamps might have been the reason it made it to its destination. The staining of the stamp appears to be mucilage attaching the stamp. ◾

S-40, topS-38, below

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Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc.Philately — The Quiet Excitement!

P.O. Box 3077 / 53 Highland Ave.Middletown, New York 10940-0800

www.hgitner.com e-mail [email protected]–800–947–8267 845–343–5151 Fax 845–343–0068

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Amex

Buy & Sell With ConfidenceWhether you’re looking to start a new collection, find

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Henry Gitner Philatelists offers three convenient ways to buy —

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Contact us today with your specific needs …

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You are always welcome to visit us, but please call first so that we

can devote our time to you. We have 6,500 square feet of stamps!

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SeenatAuction Alfred Carroccia

152 Windmill Road West Seneca, NY 14218-3776


‘IDon’tGetNoRespect!’

What do postal sta-tionery and the late

Rodney Dangerfield have in common? Neither gets any respect. Postal stationery is relegated to the back of the book. Most collectors, especially the young and in-experienced, stumble into it through cut squares. Most do not realize that old-time collectors cut the corners from each envelope to save room in their albums. Today the accepted practice is to save the entire envelope.

One interesting aspect of collecting postal stationery is the myriad of envelopes and dies used for each design. Hundreds of collectible varieties have been documented with several having only a few examples surviving. These items have significant catalogue val-ues and command high prices when they come on the market.

The first significant auction of such material took place on March 1 with the sale of the Wanamaker Collection of U.S. Postal Stationery by Matthew Bennett International. It has been years since a postal stationery auction of this magnitude has been offered with many nineteenth and twentieth century rarities, most being entire envelopes.

The jewel of this auction was an 1853, three-cent, die 4 full corner piece from a Plimp-ton envelope (Scott No. U7), one of the few cut squares offered. It was described as “being the only recorded mint die 4 cut square.” No mint entires are known and it is the key to a complete mint stationery collection. The Scott catalogue lists the value in italics at $5,500, meaning it is infrequently sold. This lot exceeded expectations, selling for $5,750 not in-cluding the 15 percent buyer’s premium.

Another cut square, also from a Plimpton envelope, was a used example of the two-cent Washington brown on blue (Scott No, U275). The commentary accompanying the description stated that only one entire and seven cut squares are known, all in used condition. It was de-scribed as one of the finest examples, with a Scott value of $20,000,but sold for only $10,500.

Other lots included late twentieth century envelopes with color omitted. They sold on av-erage at half the estimates; all were bright and fresh. Selling well were the balance lots which comprised of entires and cut squares from the different contract printers. This important sale put many significant postal stationery items back into the philatelic marketplace. ◾

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Stamp Packets at ANIMALS 200 9.20500 20.151000 38.502000 94.50ARTS 300 14.45ATHLETICS100 7.90200 24.10300 33.25ASTRONAUTS50 7.45200 15.35AUTOMOBILES200 11.40300 21.00600 54.25AVIATION 200 11.35300 17.10BALLOONS100 7.45200 24.50BASKETBALL25 5.2050 13.60BEARS 25 3.9550 9.65BICYCLES50 3.95100 13.15BIRDS 500 31.501,000 75.25BOXING 100 22.75BUTTERFLIES200 11.40300 18.40500 45.50CAMELS 25 4.4050 17.50CATS & DOGS200 11.40300 19.25500 45.50

100 cats only 5.70200 17.50300 45.50100 Dogs only 5.70200 15.75500 145.25COAT OF ARMS100 8.70200 15.35COSTUMES50 2.40100 5.25CHESS 50 4.85100 19.25DANCING 50 6.15100 15.75DISNEY No. Arabs incl.100 14.00200 31.50400 77.00DUCKS 25 3.8550 9.20FISH-SEA LIFE200 15.00500 49.90FLAGS 200 10.50500 36.75600 56.00FLORA/FAUNA500 13.60600 19.25FLOWERS300 12.70500 21.001,000 66.50FOOTBALL(Soccer) 200 9.65500 38.50600 70.001000 227.50

FRUITS 100 6.60HEADS OF STATE100 2.40200 *HORSES 100 4.65300 149.00500 43.75600 61.25HUNTING 50 13.15INSECTS 100 5.70200 17.10300 33.25KANGAROOS25 5.80LIGHTHOUSE25 8.35MAPS AND GLOBES100 5.70200 15.75MONKEYS & APES50 5.25100 19.20MOTORCYCLES50 4.85100 11.40MOVIE STARS & ENTETAINERS100 26.25Mint 100 22.40300 113.75MUSIC 50 2.90100 6.15200 12.70MUSHROOMS50 2.90100 8.35MUSICAL INSTRU-MENTS25 2.9050 *NAPOLEON100 10.45200 28.00

NAVIGATOR50 9.65100 26.25NUDES 200 23.65300 42.00400 50.75OLYMPICS300 12.25500 22.751,000 56.00ORCHIDS 50 5.20100 12.70200 42.00300 77.00PAINTINGS300 13.15500 21.001,000 56.002,000 119.00PARROTS50 6.95100 14.00PREHISTORIC ANIMALS100 7.90200 31.50PRINCESS DIANA100 36.75RED CROSS50 3.70RELIGION100 4.90200 13.15REPTILES100 8.40200 17.50ROSES 100 8.75200 21.00SAILING 100 5.70300 17.50SCULPTURES50 10.10100 24.50200 43.75

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White Ace Topical PagesColorful bordered pages highlighting each topic, with ample space to create your own layout. Standard 81/2x11” Page Size, 3-Ring Punch with Full Color Headings.Animals ...............A1RArt .......................A5RAutos ..................A2RBaseball ..............BB7RBirds&Insects......B3RBlack Heritage ....B8RChess .................C5RXmas ..................C7RCoins ..................C8RColumbus ........... CARCommunication... CBRFairy Tales .......... F1R

FDR .................... F9RFish ..................... F2RFlowers ............... F4RFootball ............... F6RFreemasonry ...... F8RGeo. Wash.......... G1RJ.F. Kennedy .... K2RLincoln .............. L1RLions Int. ........... L2RMedicine ........... M0RMusic ................ M5ROlympics ........... O1R

Railroad ............ R4RRed Cross......... R1RReligion............. R5RRowland Hill..... R7RScouts.............. S1RShips................ S3RSoccer ............. S4RSpace .............. S5RSports .............. S6R

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ZWAT-______ (fill in code)


From Pills To PostageSmall envelopes originally were used to hold prescription and patent medicine pills. At different times the Indian Root Pills were manufactured in Buffalo, Morristown, and New York City, as well as Brockville, Ontario. Canny businesses adopting the envelopes to contain stamps used the new-found space for advertising.

Protecting Stamps Posing as CoinsPrinters Respond to Civil War Hoarding

By Steve Swain

Of the many shortages of goods and services in the early years of the US Civil War, none was more interesting than the shortage of coins and the enterprising and cre-

ative solutions to remedy that shortage using postage stamps.In 1862, paper money was not backed by gold or silver and it was only a very tenuous

faith in the government that gave people any assurance that paper money had true value. Most people did not want to embrace that faith. That feeling combined with the uncertainty associated with the ultimate outcome of the war led to the hoarding of common gold, silver and copper coinage, the time-tested, universally accepted exchange medium.

This hoarding situation was worsened by clever financial traders who bought US silver coins with paper money and sold these to foreign markets in exchange for gold, a much more valuable commodity. By mid 1862, it was estimated that $25 million in coinage had disappeared from circulation in the United States.

However, people still needed to purchase a three-cent loaf of bread, a penny newspaper, a nickel quart of milk, and countless other goods that required coins. Vendors also had to make change when an item’s price was less than the amount tendered. How was this to be done?

In some cities, businesses gave customers IOUs, private companies created Civil War tokens resembling coinage and paper currency was cut into pieces to serve as partial dollars, but initially one of the most widely used substitutes for coins during the shortage was postage stamps.

Contnued on Page 18

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Stamp Envelopes — Continued from Page 16

This medium for payment of goods and services was not in the least sanctioned by the government, but vendors gladly accepted the stamps. “Postage Stamps Received for Goods and Given in Change” proclaimed signs on the windows of many shops. Some mer-chants even advertised to sell stamps, at a premium, of course.

The Post Office Department was barely able to satisfy the public’s demand for stamps. In New York City alone, daily stamp sales rose from $3,000 to $25,000.

There was an inherent problem with this solution as people carried quantities of stamps in purses and pockets and the same stamps were used repeatedly for daily transactions. All of this usage quickly resulted in damaged stamps with sometimes unrecognizable denominations. The local post offices would not exchange damaged stamps for new ones, so a remedy was needed. A few enterprising printers provided a solution.

Embracing an idea that Harnden’s Express, a package and correspondence delivery service, suggested in a New York Herald editorial, the solution was to create small enve-lopes that would contain stamps of various amounts and value. On the front of the enve-lopes would be printed “10 cents,” “25 cents,” or whatever the value of the stamps that the envelope contained. The enclosed stamps would then be protected from repeated handling. Editor’s note: It has been suggested that the concept first was employed by pharmacists who put their stamps into small, plain pill envelopes.

At 75 cents per thousand to produce, the printers and stationers soon found a ready market for their creation. The use of stamp envelopes was most prevalent in New York City, but Brooklyn, Albany, Jersey City, and Philadelphia also experienced a significant use of this solution to the coinage shortage. The envelopes provided a temporary solution to the coin shortage until enscased postage stamps began appearing in late 1862 along with government-issued postage currency.

The stamp envelopes produced by J. Leach, a printer and stationer at 86 Nassau Street in New York City, are by far the most plentiful of the existing items. These envelopes typi-cally measure 70 × 32 mm and were printed in various shades of blue and red.

Continued on Page 20

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A natural extension of the profit angle for the printers and stationers who produced the stamp envelopes was to print on the envelope’s front, back and/or flap customized, business-specific names and advertising. L. H. Embree, Stationer, at 130 Grand Street, New York, created an issue of stamp envelopes for the American Music Hall on 444 Broad-way, New York. A 50-cent valued envelope was commissioned and used by Lansingh’s Gent’s Furnishing Store, 558 Broadway, New York City.

A 50-cent stamp envelope produced by B. F. Corlies & Macy, 33 Nassau Street, New York, below, included an interesting line at the bottom of the envelope: postage stamps not furnished. This was a subtle reminder to businesses who purchased the envelopes that they were responsible for the postage stamp contents, not the printing company.

Some envelopes were printed without a specific value for the enclosed stamps. Instead, the vendor would write the amount on the face of the envelope as with this example used by M. Markowitz, a wholesale and retail segar (cigar) store on Fulton Street in New York City.

Other examples of stamp envelopes from New York are shown on page 22.All varieties of the stamp envelopes are scarce, while many are extremely rare and run as high

as $2,400. Stamp envelopes produced by J. Leach, if in very good condition, are valued at no less than $750, with many currently being sold for $1,000 or more. Prices for some less desirable envelopes that have simple printing are in the $400 to $750 range. As expected, envelopes with their stamps still inside are especially prized and command higher prices.


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Creative thinking by New York printers and stationers certainly provided a solution, at least temporarily, to the 1862 coin shortage. Additional information and cataloguing for stamp envelopes can be found in an 11-article series by Milton Friedberg published between 1993 and 1995 in Paper Money magazine issued by the Society of Paper Money Collectors (www.spmc.org). ◾

The AuthorSteve Swain has enjoyed all aspects of philately for 55 years. His articles have

appeared in the American Philatelist, Philatelic Communicator, Stamps, and other philatelic publications on topics ranging from the income tax consequences

of selling stamp collections to collecting first day covers.


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Revisiting the Liberty BellBy Rudy de Mordaigle

Just when you thought you had all the Liberty Bell issues, another new one would pop up. Sorting piles of them was a challenge. In self-defense, I cooked up the

following key that expands on information provided by Joseph Kalynycz in the July–August 2011 Stamp Insider.

It gives you the Scott number for any of the Liberty Bells, points out varieties that Scott chooses to ignore even though we collect them, and gives you the current Scott numbers, in a separate table, for stamps which had catalog number changes made by Scott. Work down the left column until you find a match for the stamp you have in hand, then confirm your ID with the additional clues in the right hand column.


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John wants to hear from serious sellers, and he’s willing to make house calls when he maps out his next buying trip. You might have just a box-load to sell, and you can obtain an authorization number & arrange to mail a box to John for an offer. Please do not send anything without prior authorization. Lots sent without an authorization number will be refused.

Sell to someone with the experience, know-how, and the connections.

Call TOLL FREE 1-877-COVER10 (1-877-268-3710)to discuss your material and potential sale

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Liberty Bell — Continued from Page 24


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Liberty Bell — Continued from Page 26

One tricky Ashton Potter ID:

The 2009 Ashton Potter ATM stamp, Scott 4126d, has the same die-cutting gauge as the booklet stamps, a departure from the typical ATM stamp that Avery Dennison die cuts around 8. Off paper, this variety is easy to spot, since the paper is thin and semi-transparent.

If you keep the new stamps on closely trimmed paper, the decidedly shiny surface of Ashton Potter’s ATM stamp will help you sort. Make a gauge with any 2009 copper date stamp by trimming horizontally through the yoke. Make two piles — wide yoke and narrow yoke. Then look in the wide yoke pile for that shiny surfaced ATM stamp. They are not common. ◾

The AuthorRudy de Mordaigle of Olancha, California, is “Modern U.S. Varieties” columnist

for U.S. Stamp News.

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How Kodak Assisted Police SearchesBy Albert W. Starkweather

Beginning in the late 19th century police departments and detective agencies relied on postal cards and postcards, often with pasted-on photographs, in their efforts to located missing

persons, run-aways, and criminals. In the early twentieth century, the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester simplified the process, allowing images to be printed directly on postcards.

Postal cards, introduced in 1873, could be mailed for one cent. Before July 1, 1898, postcards only could be mailed at the first-class letter rate; they were first authorized for use at a rate lower than the letter rate on July 1, 1898, according to the National Postal Museum.

An October 27, 1882, missing person postal card (above) from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Dav-enport, Iowa, had an image pasted to the reverse of a US postal card (Scott No. UX7) which had a two-cent banknote added to meet the letter rate (Scott No. 178 or 183). It is impossible to determine the paper type of the banknote as the card was laminated by a previous owner.

Kodak introduced Azo photographic paper in 1904. This was one of the popular papers used for producing real photo postcards. Azo was suitable for making contact prints for which the source of light would be much weaker, rather than enlargements. Azo double-weight cards had the words post card in outline sans serif type on the upper reverse and correspondence here and name and address here separated by a short vertical line below. Azo was available in a variety of sizes, up to 20 by 24 inches, for small to large format negatives.

Unused cards may be further identified by a place stamp here box at the upper right surrounded by the word azo on all four sides (below). These may be roughly dated by corner devices: four triangles pointing up from 1904–1918, diamonds from 1907–1909, two triangles up and two down from 1918–1930, no corner devices from 1922–1926, and square boxes from 1927–1940. Kodak discontinued Azo in 2005, but dropped the postcard paper years earlier.



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Photo Postcards — Continued from Page 30

The card depicting a farmhouse near Watertown, New York (above), would be from 1904 to 1918. The absence of utility lines suggests the earlier date. Although the area was not electrified until shortly before Charles A. Lindbergh’s 1927 flight to Paris, A photo-graph taken around 1918 of my father who lived on the same road clearly shows poles with telephone lines.

Postcards and postal cards were extremely popular around the turn of the twentieth century for both advertising and private use. It has been suggested that these were the e-mail of the day. The lower cost was one factor, although travelers and others soon fell in love with the picture postcard. Itinerant photographers often photographed rural farms and offered photo postcards to the owners.

A missing person card, supplied by Bob Bramwell of the Empire State Postal History Society, was mailed by Schenectady’s police chief on March 2, 1918. The two-cent postage was required during the World War I surcharge period from November 2, 1917, to June 30, 1919. It is interesting that Lloyd Vrooman’s description was typeset, while his name was rubber-stamped.

Cards of these types were commonly mailed to every police department within the area. It is unknown if either of the persons on the cards shown here were ever located.

Kodak also offered its Velox paper line, created for negatives taken by amateur photog-raphers. Defender Photo Supply, also of Rochester, New York, produced similar postcard paper. Defender was acquired by DuPont in 1945. Ansco of Binghamton had its own line of postcard paper. Ansco, later renamed GAF (General Aniline & Film), ceased operation in the early 1980s. Azo cards appear to be the most common. ◾

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Farewell To Alplaus Post Office


A Photo Essay by Ronald K. Ratchford

Residents of Alplaus, a Schenectady County, New York, hamlet, gathered on April 28 to bid farewell to their Community Post Office, which had been shut down by the USPS on January 8. Office manager Kathy Boyle said residents, particularly senior citizens, are tak-ing the USPS’ action very hard.

The boxes below the mural and other fittings had already been removed. Even the future of the building, which is owned by Alplaus Fire Company, is uncertain. Residents can get boxes at the Rexford Post Office about a mile away or put up a rural mailbox. ◾


Blue Collar Stamps with Dirty FacesThe Used Definitives

By Jim Hannah

Many collectors focus on the rare and the beau-

tiful, and rightly so. Stamps such as the US Columbians, the Graf Zeppelins, Cana-da’s Bluenose, and similar magnificent old stamps are a delight to the eye and well worth the effort and cost of collecting. The same holds true for stamps from the early or classic period.

Modern definitives, in contrast, are often over-looked as possible collection subjects. In comparison to the commemoratives, they are usually small and may carry simple, uninteresting designs. Definitives are printed in huge quantities. They are the grunts of our modern postal service issues. Their function is to show that the correct postage has been paid, and little else. Postal services do not expect to sell a significant percentage of definitives to col-lectors. You may have purchased some definitives recently. Chances are good that it was for postage and not for adding them to your collection.

So why collect used definitives? First of all, there’s a certain dignity that attaches to a stamp that has completed its mission. Its purpose may have been humble, but it did it and did it well. Its face may be dirtied by a cancel, but the marks are honest dirt. A used definitive is often a bit tattered around the edges, but it is a real stamp that served a real and useful purpose.

Used definitives are generally cheap. A great source is inexpensive kiloware. You are not look-ing for mixtures with many commemoratives so you do not have to buy the higher-priced as-sortments. Individual stamps you are seeking usually are common variations. It is not profitable for a dealer to pick them out of a mixture. They are buried in the mix, waiting for you to identify them. For the collector who wishes to keep the cost down while still enjoying the thrill of the chase, used definitives can provide an interesting alternative to their high-priced cousins.

Most used definitive stamps fall into the lowest price category. Because of this, for simple economic reasons, used definitive dealers are thin on the ground. There are a very



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Dirty Faces — Continued from Page 36few dealers who specialize in series such as the British Wildings or the Machins. Locating these dealers can be an interesting search in itself. Do not be surprised if a dealer carries only mint copies. There is little profit in maintaining stocks of stamps which retail in the 25-cent range.

Modern definitives may be issued in various formats, such as sheet, coil and booklet, increasing the number of separate, distinct collectable variations. In limiting a collection to used stamps, certain differences which distinguish subtypes of mint stamps can be dis-regarded. The first which falls by the wayside is gum. Paper types often can be ignored, especially those which are identified by surface sheen. This leaves face (design, including value), edge (perforated, imperforate, and cut), color, phosphor and, for some issues, wa-termark as the primary means of identifying a particular copy. Learning your way about a group of definitives can be relatively easy (the 15-cent US Oliver Wendell Holmes, Scott No. 1288) or it can lead to a study requiring years to master (the British Machins.)

So where is the challenge? There is learning about the variations of a particular stamp, of course. Definitives which were printed over a long period of time in different formats can provide a rich assortment of subtypes. In addition, it is not at all unusual to find that locating a particular used definitive stamp for a specialized collection is a harder task than finding any number of better-known, somewhat rare and expensive stamps. It is easy to locate deal-ers who stock the US Columbians and complete sets of the 1930 Graf Zeppelins. Copies of Canada’s Bluenose, while not a dime a dozen, are available from many sources. If, on the other hand, you try to locate used copies of the various face, edge, color and phosphor com-binations of some of the Machin definitives, your search will not be nearly as easy. Bagging a used 1989 issue ‘1st’ black Machin, lower right position from booklet DP129 isn’t exactly a piece of cake. And it is a cheap stamp — easy to identify and not at all rare.

You probably already have all the gear you need to get started. The basic equipment for identifying and collecting the sub-types of modern used definitives are a perforation gauge, a good magnifying glass, watermark detector or fluid and short- and long-wave UV lights and. (Note: Follow the safety instructions included with UV lights.) If you’re work-ing with stamps on paper, develop a simple soaking technique. Placing the soaked stamps face up on waxed paper and covering them with blotting stock is one way to go about it. Use whatever works for you. (See Oswego page on dealing with self adhesives.)

Generally speaking, there are no catalogue pages available which fit the needs of a used definitive collector. Remember, you’re defining the collection, not the album publisher.

A simple, free computer page program such as AlbumEasy will allow you to create excellent pages to show your collection to advantage. Usually, all of the stamps in a defini-tive collection will be identical in size. This makes page lay-out a relatively easy process.

When you complete a collection of used copies of a specific definitive or set of defini-tives, the vast majority of your stamps will be worth very little in terms of resale value. On the other hand, the collection will have cost far more time than money to put together and it will have rewarded you handsomely with many hours of collecting enjoyment. If you are so inclined, the commemoratives and duplicates you have accumulated in working with kiloware can be contributed to junior stamp clubs. ◾


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Ephemera & Covers Box 477, West Sand Lake NY 12196, 518-674-2979

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John B. Amberman IIIP. O. Box 4700

Clifton Park, NY 12065518-280-2125

[email protected]

mailto:geolotus2003%40nycap.rr.com?subject=Advertising%20Query

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Digger’s— Buying & Selling —

Antiques,Stamps &

CollectiblesLook for the church

Karl Dubshinski1312 State Route 10

Jefferson, NY [email protected]

607-201-8980— Call for Hours —

All Welcome at Ropex 2012Rochester Philatelic Association is sponsoring Ropex, central New York’s only na-

tional level show, on May 18–20 at the Sports Centre at Monroe Community College. Hours are 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–5p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday. Daily admission is $3, with youth under 18 free. The building is handi-capped accessible.

Ropex features 25 dealers from across the US and Canada selling and buying all types of stamps, covers, postcards, supplies and related material. The RPA invites the public to bring in stamp-related items for a free evaluation of their value and can recommend dealers on the show floor that might be interested in them. The USPS will have the latest issues.

Collectors from the U.S., Canada, the Philippines and Greece are planning to fill 125 frames of competitive exhibits, vying for bronze through gold awards and the opportunity to win the best in show Grand Award. Major show prizes this year feature an assortment of antique stamp boxes. The Grand winner will represent Rochester and Ropex in the World Series of Philately Champion of Champions competition in August in Sacramento, California.

The show plays host to several specialty societies holding regional meetings through-out the weekend. These include the Empire State Postal History Society, American Asso-ciation of Philatelic Exhibitors, and ACE (Art Cover Exchange). The American Philatelic Society will be present with a display table selling books and other collector items for

members and non-members alike.Two centennial anniversaries will be

commemorated at Ropex, the maiden voy-age of the Titanic and the founding of the RPA’s sister coin club, the Rochester Numis-matic Association. Special cacheted enve-lopes and cancels are available, including a special Titanic dual-cover.

A fully staffed youth area will be manned Saturday and Sunday introducing the hob-by to beginners and offering activities for more advanced youngsters. Kids of all ages can participate in stamp games and pick through free stamp bins.

Show details, including a schedule of events, list of participating dealers and exhibitors and much more can be found on the RPA web site at www.rpastamps.org. Questions may be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent to RPA, P, O. Box 10206 Brighton Station, Rochester, NY 14610-0206. ◾

mailto:diggerdub%40gmail.com?subject=Digger%27s%20Ad%20Query


PhilatelicPotpourriThomas Auletta3 Curry Road, PO Box 745Round Lake, NY 12151-0745 518-899-3027; [email protected]

SeekingtheElusiveWatermark

Watermarks have been an important factor for

collectors since the early days of philately. Although not ev-ery stamp has a watermark, it is an integral part of the manufacture of many of the papers from which stamps are printed. It is very impor-tant to identify a stamp by its watermark or lack thereof to establish its value.

While some watermarks are easily seen holding the stamp up to a light or by plac-ing it on a dark surface, most will require a watermark tray and a fast-evaporating detection fluid.

Modern trays are usually small black plastic items. The stamp is placed face down in the tray and a small amount of the detection fluid is applied. These include Carbona®, benzine, or any mixture of suitable aliphatic hydrocarbons. These must be handled care-fully and used only in small quantities in a well ventilated area.

Trays have not changed much since the early days of philately. They have been made of black cardboard, metal, glass, or plastic, and even combined with perf gauges, magnifiers, and the boxes hinges came in. The two metal boxes (1 and 2), probably dating from the 1930s, contain rectangular plastic watermark trays. Instructions for use are on the cover, and one has an advertisement for “New England Stamp Co.” of Boston.

The next two metal boxes (3 and 4) are probably from the same period and contained 1000 hinges. However, turn the box over and you have a handy metal watermark tray on the bottom. Next are two high quality black glass trays (5 and 6) that came in a plain black box with directions on the inside cover. Another detector from the 1940s (7) is also high quality glass and came in a box with watermark detector / a necessity for stamp col-lectors imprinted on the cover.

One of the most unusual watermark detectors that I have encountered is called the Roto-Gage (8). This multipurpose device is combination magnifier, ruler, perforation gauge, and watermark detctor. The tray is located at the front of the base. Even though it dates from the 1940s, I have a place for it on my desk and actively use it. ◾

mailto:azusacollectibles%40yahoo.com?subject=Philatelic%20Potpourri%20Query


ExploringDeltiologyRuth L. Sabo

51 Island View RoadCohoes, NY 12047-4929


ThoseWondrous50CentBoxes

In January–February I wrote about the excite-ment and pleasures of attending postcard

shows and finding those holy grail cards one has been seeking for years. While I was inten-sively searching dealers’ inventory in Pennsyl-vania and Florida for new treasures, my hus-band found some fabulous additions for his extensive World War II cover collection.

When he finished his cover search, he went to the post card tables and sat for hours perus-ing the 25- and 50-cent and $1 boxes. He pur-chased scores of cards that he knew I would enjoy — mostly newer (less than 50 years old) comic, political and social commentary cards that brought broad smiles to our faces.

A century after Margaret Sanger was ar-rested for handing out birth control informa-tion to women I thought readers would de-light in this reproduction of an early twentieth century advertising card for Wales-Goodyear Shoe Company’s rubbers. The men depicted are wearing their shiny rubbers over their shoes. The recent reproduction of the card by Vintage Images has some added touches. On the top front of the card there is a delightful subheading: “Practicing Safe Sex in Savannah, GA.” The back of the card reads: “An Ounce of Prevention. Due to excessive company loy-alty and exaggerated medical fears, most of the men wore them at all times.”

If that does not put a smile on your face, consider the next card, which is especially ap-propriate in this election year. The Curteichcolor card, posted in 1983 from Rapid City, South Dakota, and delivered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, depicts what I believe many Americans are feeling about now of some of those politicians from whom we cannot escape this year.

I am looking forward to meeting you at the next show! ◾

mailto:ruths115%40gmail.com?subject=Deltiology%20Column%20Query


Youth&Philately Robert Finnegan10 O’Neill DriveOneonta, NY 13820-1154607-432-8141; [email protected]

GoogleandIndexCards

As stated in so many columns that I have contributed to in the past, I love to con chil-dren into reinforcing their skill set with stamps as the backdrop. I have not used this

next activity with any of my club members presently or the past, but after conjuring up this activity it would easily further develop the concept of greater than and less than, a primary concept indeed.

In the old card game of War two competitors would simply place a playing card from their stack and see if it was greater than in value than the playing card placed on the table in front of them by the opposing player.

We can simply create our own deck of playing cards by utilizing a computer; 3 × 5-inch index cards and some glue stick. By going to Google and pressing the images link, one can type in postage stamps. You would then save the images of stamps you want to use in making the cards.

After you have created a multitude of cards let the fun begin. Share the cards among competitors, two or three at a table. The players lay out one card at a time on the table and the higher valuation (denomination) wins both cards to increase the size of the deck. I would allow that competitor with the higher valuation to also take a free stamp from a pile. The game ends when one player owns all the cards. The winner of the game could be awarded 25 additional free stamps from the pile.

During the course of the game both players will have earned additional stamps for their collections as well, and best yet, you had them further develop a fonder understand-ing of greater than and less than. To serve your older students have them place two cards out at a time and add their values and then the opposing player would do the same. The higher total valuation gets to keep all four cards. See below:

Making the cards is timely. I try to laminate such cards so that they can last from one year to the next. Try this quick and familiar game and obviously have lots of free stamps available for the contestants. ◾

mailto:rfinnegan%40stny.rr.com?subject=Youth%20Column%20Query


FillmoretheFilatelistDavid A. Kent

PO Box 127New Britain, CT 06050-0127


ScottListingMissestheSite

I have a bone to pick with the Scott Catalogue folks. They claim that the stamp for the bicentennial of the Battle of Oriskany (Scott No. 1722) was issued in Utica. I say the of-

ficial first day city was Herkimer, and I’ve got covers to prove it.New York was a key area during the American Revolution, lying between the rebellious

areas of New England to the east and Pennsylvania to the south. If the British could gain con-trol of New York, they could cut off contact between the other two areas. Several important battles were fought in the Mohawk and Hudson River valleys that were won by the revolu-tionaries, and helped shape the course of the war. One of these was the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777, where forces led by Nicholas Herkimer defeated the British in a particularly bloody battle. Herkimer was wounded in the battle and later died of his wounds.

What probably confuses Scott’s editors is that the stamp design is based on a painting by Frederick Yohn, now on display in the Utica Public Library, maybe a dozen miles away from Herkimer. Yohn made the painting in 1901, and got one historical detail wrong — Herkimer’s fatal wound was in his other leg.

Celebrating Bicentennial events was very popular in the 1970s among both collectors and others interested in history. It was especially convenient that August 6 fell on a Saturday, free-ing collectors to engage in philatelic activities. There was a stamp show in Rome called Cinco-pex, an annual event that rotated among several clubs in the area for years. My first day cover with this postmark is dual-canceled with the official first day postmark from Herkimer, and has an attractive cachet by Gamm Covers, the product of cachet maker Gerry Adlman.

Collectors also managed to arrange a pictorial postmark for the bicentennial of the battle, in the village of Oriskany. My cover with this postmark has an overall cachet of the Yohn paint-ing. The design extends to the back of the envelope, showing that it was printed on a larger sheet of paper and then cut and folded into an envelope. Sadly, it is not signed, so I do not know who made it. Cachet makers should be ordered to sign their work.

I’ll have to contact the people at Scott and advise them of this error. ◾

mailto:kentdave%40aol.com?subject=Fillmore%20Column%20Query


FirstDayCoverageGlenn A. EstusPO Box 451Westport, NY 12993-0451 [email protected], 518-962-4558

FIRST DAY OF ISSUE

MoreRevenueFDCs

Revenue specialist Bob Hohertz sent me a number of interesting first day usage

examples including the ones shown here. Hohertz wrote: “Here are first days of

the 1914 revenue stamps ( Scott No. RB33, 36, and 38) on a bottle of Massatta sachet powder. At least, I assume the stamps are single-line watermark, although I haven’t done the research to find out whether those came first or there wasn’t any known se-quential relationship between those and the double-line watermark stamps.

“Single-line is USPS rather than USIR, and was used intentionally first in 1914. It seems less likely that the first stamps issued were on USIR paper and then some were printed later on USPS stock than that USPS paper was used at first, until supplies of USIR paper could be obtained.”

In 1962 the Internal Revenue Service cel-ebrated its 100th anniversary. Documentary stamps were still needed on certain items and a commemorative ten-cent stamp (Scott No. R733) was issued. Although July 1 was the ac-tual anniversary date, it was a Sunday so the stamps were issued on Monday, July 2.

The cropped cover, right, is an illegal use of the revenue to pay postage. The cover should have had five cents in postage added. This is the only commemorative US govern-ment revenue stamp printed. In 1963 the stamp was issued with the wording “Estab-lished 1862” removed (Scott No. R734). Such stamps were not needed after 1967. ◾

mailto:gestus%40westelcom.com?subject=Firs%20Day%20Column%20Query


CommunicationsShare your opinions!

Send to: Albert W. Starkweather 5668 Tranquility Oaks Dr., Unit 208

Tampa, FL 33624-5849 813-962-7964; [email protected]

ATributetoJohnA.Lange,Jr.

I had learned that John A. Lange, Jr., a long-time member of the Schenectady Stamp Club, died on February 6. I had met him probably more than a half century ago. Although I

was a teenage collector of postage stamps, I came to know this older and much more ex-perienced philatelist as one who was both considerate and helpful to collectors of various ages and levels of experience.

One example of his helpfulness was his willingness to make purchases, probably back in the 1960s, on behalf of others at the Philatelic Sales Agency while on a personal visit to Washington, D.C., or perhaps to offer to pool orders for others with his own when making a mail order purchase.

I recall that John had meticulously prepared a wooden sign for the Schenectady Stamp Club. I remember the sign as having edges simulating the perforations of a giant postage stamp with the identity of the club boldly presented on the carefully routed surface. Un-fortunately, this magnificent piece of his woodworking talent was apparently taken from its place on the outside of the building which was used for the club’s meetings.

John’s interest in and knowledge of Saratoga County postal history might be described as legendary. He possessed a phenomenal collection the 1851–1857 three-cent imperfo-rate United States issue and was interested in US classics of the nineteenth century includ-ing proofs and essays.

— Ronald K. Ratchford, Federation Secretary and Schenectady Stamp Club Historian

SuggestionsfortheStampInsiderBecause the “pages” are standard not landscape I can see some might have trouble with

Insider. Here are some bullet points on how to improve presentation:• I have 20/15 vision so full screen mode makes the current font readable for me.• The average stamp collector is retired and needs a larger font. maybe 16 point?• Don’t limit ourselves by what we used to do.• Since no Real hard copies printed use landscape mode to make best use of 16:10 or

16:9 monitors.• At current much of screen is not used because even at double pages it is more the

old 4:3 ratio.• How about streaming video of shows, clubs, ads, and how about a “monthly”

demonstrations video (perfing, soaking, color guides, etc.)In general we can think outside the page that has boxed us in.

— John E. Traver by e-mail ◾

mailto:astarkweather%40nystampclubs.org?subject=Letters%20To%20the%20Editor


GlensFalls,NewYorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month

at Crandall Library, City Park, 251 Glen St.

Joseph Kopczak, 44 Surrey Fields Dr., Queensbury, NY 12804-8708 [email protected], 518-792-1659

Adirondack Stamp, Post Card &

Ephemera Club

SpeakersAddressaVarietyofTopics

Our March meeting featured a presenta-tion by member Bill Hart on the Great

Americans series. In addition to describing it in detail and the need for many values, he had sample covers of all 43 values. The series included many tagging varieties that Hart il-lustrated with a portable black light box.

George McGowan was our speaker in April. We appreciated his comments about the his-tory and status of the Federation, including many memories about experiences with late president John Nunes. McGowan also gave a history lesson on the War of 1812 with emphasis on Oliver Hazard Perry’s leadership. He also had many covers and cards illustrating the events related to the war and Perry’s involvement.

In May, member Gene Slavin will speak about the Great Britain omnibus issues. In June we will have another of our popular auctions.CataloguesforLibrary:We wanted to be sure Crandall Library had a reasonable col-lection of the Scott catalogues available. The members agreed to fund the purchase of new books, if necessary. We found out that it had a 2008 set available for circulation and a 2010 set plus a Scott 2006 Classic Specialized Catalogue: Stamps and Covers of the World Including U.S. 1840-1940 in the Reference Room — not for circulation. One of our dealer members will donate a 2010 Classic Specialized and 2010 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers to update the Reference Room set and add to the circulating set. The library should be in good shape to support collectors in the area for the next few years.TipstoSellers#3Be realistic in your expectations on the value of your collections. As a dealer, I see many esti-mates prepared by collectors to let their heirs know the value of their collections. These esti-mates are usually based on catalogue values and are very unrealistic. They fail to realize that a dealer is seldom able to find a customer willing to pay the full catalogue price. For older stamps that have higher catalog values, condition and demand for the stamps are very important. En-joy your stamps and don’t expect to make a significant profit on them unless you purchase high quality items at bargain prices and are able to keep them for many years. Many better stamps do appreciate but they are definitely in the minority. ◾

George McGowan has the attention of member Gene Slavin.

mailto:jkopczak%40roadrunner.com?subject=Adirondack%20Club%20Query


Carterville,Illinois http://americantopicalassn.org

American Topical Association Executive Director Vera Felts, PO Box 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008


American Topical Association

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ChristopherColumbusPhilatelicSociety

The Christopher Columbus Philatelic So-ciety (Sociedad Filatelica Colombina) is

a not-for-profit, educational organization for the study of philatelic and allied mate-rial related to the life and voyages of Chris-topher Columbus; its collecting sphere also includes those around Columbus and the World Columbian Exposition of 1893.

Ronald Maineri first proposed formation of the CCPS in 1981. It was founded in Puerto Rico a year later, on October 12, 1982, the 490th anniversary of Columbus’ landfall in the Americas, and today has an international membership of more than 100 philatelists.

The first issue of Discovery!, the soci-ety’s journal also appeared on October 12, 1982. Donald Ager became its editor in 1983, a position he still holds. Discovery! is now in its 29th volume.

The study unit was chartered by the American Topical Association on December 7, 1982. Maineri was president from 1983 until 1987 and again from 1991 to 1992. David E. Nye has served as president since 1993.

Nye also edited ATA handbook 121, Christopher Columbus in Philately, published in 1992. The handbook is still available from the ATA. The study unit held its first interna-tional seminar in the Dominican Republic in 1994.

Annual membership dues are $15 in the United States, and $20 elsewhere. Membership applications may be requested from the CCPS secretary, Leslie Seff, 3750 Hudson Manor, Terrace E, Bronx, NY 10463-1126. Back issues of Discovery! are available for $5 from the edi-tor, Donald R. Ager, P. O, Box 71, Hillsboro NH 03244-0071 USA. The cost per issue when ordering five or more is $4. The editor’s e-mail address is [email protected].

David Nye’s address is: P. O. Box 1492, Fennville MI 49408-1492. His e-mail address is [email protected].

— Bruce L. Johnson, ATA Director of Study Units ◾

http://www.americantopicalassn.org

mailto:americantopical%40msn.com?subject=ATA%20Query


Buffalo,NewYorkwww.buffalostampclub.org

Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first & third Fridays, except June, July, and August, at VFW Leonard Post, 2450 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga

Alfred Carroccia, 152 Windmill Road, West Seneca, NY 14218-3776 [email protected], 716-674-0302

BufpexPleasesDealersandCollectors

Bufpex 2012 on March 3 and 4 was another suc-

cessful show. The dealers re-ported steady activity on both days. The USPS table was also busy with collectors seeking new issues and postal statio-nery. Thanks to those who helped with setup and tear down and volunteered at the hospitality table and to Theresa Meegan for her ink drawing for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery pictorial postmark. For the second year the covers sold out before the show ended.

Ada Prill’s Star Cancels of Delaware County won the Founder’s Best in Show Award, Joseph Romito Award for the best cancellation exhibit, and the Bredl Cover Award for the best postal his-tory exhibit. Her Uh-Oh! Mistakes in U.S. Auxiliary Markings won the Dan Cunningham Award for the best US Exhibit and the single-frame award. George Gate’s Nyasaland Covers, 1945–1953 won the Best Foreign Exhibit Award, Walter Grotke Award for the best British Colonies exhibit, and the Emil Auer Award for best first-time exhibit by a club member. Theresa Meegan’s Foxes won the Topical Award and the Larry Manno Award for most popular exhibit.PostalHistoryPresentationAt the March 30 meeting Dave Przepiora gave a presentation on early Buffalo postal history. David began with the first post office at Buffalo Creek and progressed through the end of the 19th Century. He displayed examples of covers that include Buffalo manuscripts, first postmarks, War of 1812, Black Rock, Steamboat, independent carriers, circulars, Buffalo to foreign destina-tions, Millard Fillmore, machine cancels, and collection and distribution wagons.

Przepiora has an extensive Buffalo postal history collection and is an expert in this area. He also is president of the Empire State Postal History Society and maintains the Buffalo Stamp Club website.DirectorsToBeElectedElections for Board of Directors will be held prior to the auction on May 4. The club con-stitution mandates that four directors be elected each year to three year terms. Board members whose terms expire this year and are incumbents for reëlection are Alan Davis, Casey Kielbasa, Tim Carey, and Bennie Passantino. ◾

http://www.buffalostampclub.org

mailto:fuzzy9600%40verizon.net?subject=Buffalo%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Hamilton,NewYorkMeets at 7:45 p.m. on the first Monday March–December

at Hamilton Public Library on the Green, 13 Broad St.

Braden Houston, 2063 Spring St., Hamilton, NY 13346-2259 [email protected], 315-824-2237

MuseumDedicatedToBlackHistoryBy Braden Houston

During February, my wife and I visited friends in the delightful small city of

Thomasville, Georgia. While there, we took a tour of the recently established Black His-tory Museum where we were given a warm welcome and a private two-hour tour by the president and creator of the museum, James “Jack” Hadley.

The museum was established to educate individuals with regard to the history and culture of African Americans. Hadley has preserved more than 2,000 artifacts that commemorate the lives and accomplish-ments of Thomasville’s first black achievers, as well as state and national figures.

Among the fascinating exhibits are the Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen; Black Slavery and Africa; Blacks in the Military from the Spanish-American War to Desert Storm and Iraq Wars; African American Life on the Southern Hunting Plantations; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement; Black Women Achievers; and 1993 Heisman Award Win-ner, Charlie Ward, Jr., who grew up in the Thomasville area.

I very much appreciated the section on philately, with special attention given to the Black Heritage stamps, up to and including John H. Johnson, the 35th stamp in the series, which began with Harriet Tubman in 1978.

Hadley served in the US Air Force for 28 years and then was employed by the USPS as a city letter carrier for 12 years before retiring in April 1997. More information about him and the museum may be found at www.jackhadleyblackhistorymuseum.com. ◾

James “Jack” Hadley of the Black History Museum of Thomasville, Georgia, displays a poster depicting the USPS Black Heri-tage stamp series.

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mailto:bhouston%40mail.colgate.edu?subject=Chenango%20Valley%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


NewHaven,ConnecticutMeets at 9:30 a.m. on the third Sunday

at the Super Stop and Shop, 112 Amity Road

Joseph Connolly, 571 Treat Lane, Orange, CT 06477-2739 [email protected], 203-795-3718

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TheBestoftheBestBy Joseph Connolly

In the eighth grade I had to write a report about the Battle of Midway, a World War II

turning point, that sparked my interest. The Japanese wanted to occupy the atoll in the Pa-cific. We broke their code and surprised them. Our carriers Enterprise and Hornet survived, but the Yorktown was lost. Japan lost its four carriers. We held Midway.

Richard Halsey Best, a 1932 Naval Academy graduate, was a naval aviator was sent to the Enterprise, commanding Bombing Squadron Six which flew dive bombers. As an Enterprise Air Group member, he participated in raids against Japanese-held islands. The Enterprise served as escort for the Hornet for Lt. Col. James Doolittle’s April 18, 1942, air raid on Japan.

Best made two flights during Midway on June 4, 1942. The Enterprise Air Group si-multaneously arrived with the Yorktown Air Group over the Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu. He attacked the Akagi with the two other planes from his (1st) Division. The planes in his 2nd Division attacked the Kaga.

Best began his dive at about 15,000 feet. The Japanese did not have time to react. Akagi’s yel-low flight deck with its rising sun insignia got closer. At 3,500 feet he looked through his sights and saw a Zero taking off! At 2,000 feet he dropped his bomb which hit forward of the bridge and tore up the flight deck. The bombs from the two planes following him also struck the carrier. Best landed safely on the Enterprise, but only four of his 18 planes were operational afterwards.

That afternoon 24 dive bombers were launched from Enterprise against the carrier Hiryu. The Japanese now had their guard up. The planes were attacked by Zeroes. Best dropped his bomb but did not see if it hit, as he had to maneuver to avoid antiaircraft fire.

This was his last mission. During the morning flight a faulty canister in an oxygen line caused him to inhale toxic caustic soda which damaged his lungs. After his second flight, he returned to the Enterprise coughing up blood. This caused an unsuspected case of latent tuberculosis to reactivate. He took a disability retirement in 1944.

Best was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism. He was also awarded the Distin-guished Flying Cross for his exploits, inducted into the Naval Aviation Hall of Fame and was a guest at ceremonies at the Midway Memorial at his alma mater. After the war he worked at Douglas Aircraft and as a security manager for the Rand Corporation. He died in 2001 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. ◾

mailto:jccachet%40optonline.net?subject=Connecticut%20Cover%20Club%20Query


Poughkeepsie,NewYorkMeets at 7:30 p.m. on the first & third Mondays at the Friends Meeting House, corner of Hooker Avenue & Whittier Boulevard

Cliff Foley, 3 Short Court, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590-3515 [email protected], 845-297-1875

NationalParks:ACollectingIdea

The National Park Service (www.nps.gov) was established in 1916. Its mission is to “care for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our

heritage.” The NPA’s establishment had been championed by naturalist John Muir, who is depicted on the 1964 five-cent Scott No. 1245 and 32-cent No. 3182j of 1998.

The first national park was Yellowstone, established by Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. Its 100th anniversary was celebrated with the eight-cent Scott No. 1453. It appears on a cover (top left) with the five-cent Scott No. 744 which was part of the 1934 national parks set.

The other cover features a block of four five-cent Scott No. 1314. This marked the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service. The year 2016 will be the centennial of the NPS.

Each NPS unit, and there are about 400 of them, has a special handstamp that visitors can put in a passport book. Pictured are impressions from the Weir Farm National Historic Site near Ridgefield, Connecticut, and Yellowstone. The property belonged to American impres-sionist painter J. Alden Weir. These stamps are also available at other sites included in the Hud-son River Valley National Heritage Area (www.hudsonrivervalley.com) and the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor (www.eriecanalway.org).

As a collector visiting NPS sites, why not make up some special covers or pages that include the dated stamps from each historic venue you visit. It is an idea and would be a challenge to see how many of our treasures you could get to. ◾

mailto:cgfoley%40optonline.net?subject=Dutchess%20Philatelic%20Society%20Query


Elmira Stamp Club

Elmira,NewYorkMeets at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6) the third Tuesday

at Steele Memorial Library, 101 E. Church St. Stamp Circuit Available

Alan Parsons, 809 Holley Road, Elmira, NY 14905-1212 [email protected], 607-732-0181

ClubHavingAnnualOne-PageNight

The club will have its annual one-page exhibit night at the May meeting. Members are encouraged to bring a single page of stamps, covers, or other philatelic items to hang

on a line for viewing before the meeting starts. During the meeting they will have an op-portunity to speak briefly about their collecting interests.Showtheme: The theme for Stepex 2012, the club’s annual show October 19–20 at the Big Flats American Legion Post, will be Chemung County’s role in the Civil War. Elmira was chosen in 1861 as one of only three New York cities for mustering and training troops prior to departure for battle and, in 1864, as the site of a major prison camp for Confederate soldiers.Slide shows disappearing: In an effort to increase attendance at its non-auction meetings beginning October, the club will try a variety of programs instead of the APS slide shows it has used for many years. This was announced at the April meeting and members were urged to either present or suggest programs for future meetings.Programs

May 15 — One-page exhibits and auction nightMay 18–20 — Ropex 2012, RochesterJune 19 — APS slide program: Black Gold

MeetingNotesFebruary —10 attended. Alan Parsons reported on arrangements for the annual St. Patrick’s Day cover at Erin on March 17 and on Gordon Stratton’s recovery from his bad fall. The meeting concluded with the APS slide program: Postal Stationery of the Canadian Pacific Railway.March — 15 attended. Two new members were announced: Pete Durocher, a local collec-tor who attended the meeting, and Tim Carey of Clarence, who has committed to exhibit at Stepex 2012. The meeting featured a 23-lot auction, with 17 lots selling for $114.75. Eight were club lots bringing $55.75; sales of the non-club lots brought $59. The total on the club lots plus the commissions on the non-club lots and a donation of $2.20 enriched the club treasury by $63.85.April — 12 attended, including Gordon Stratton, recovered from his accident, and his daughter, Vickie. A 2012 first quarter financial statement for the club was distributed even though Don Dolan was unable to attend. Parsons urged those in attendance to bring one-page exhibits to the May meeting and to suggest meeting programs for non-auction nights beginning with the October meeting. The popular APS slide show Bird Boo-Boos, Ballyhoo and Balderdash: Design Errors on Bird Stamps closed the meeting. ◾

mailto:alatholleyrd%40aol.com?subject=Elmira%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


EMPIRE STATEPOSTAL HISTORY

SOCIETY1 9 6 7

F O U N D E D

E. S

. P. H . S.

APSUnit28www.esphs.us

Meets twice annually

Membership info: George McGowan PO Box 482, E. Schodack, NY 12063-0482

[email protected], 518-479-4396

NRAPropagandaonBusinessMailBy Maris Tirums

These covers mailed from New York post offices bear the National Recovery Administration blue eagle. NRA implemented the National Industrial Recovery Act adopted June 16, 1933.

Similar covers from large and small businesses in the early 1930s show use of mail to propagan-dize a government program. NIRA was passed during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first 100 days as president. The New Deal legislation included union collective bargaining rights expansion, fair competition industrial codes, and regulation of working standards and some commodities.

The NRA emblem has an eagle with outstretched wings. One claw holds lightning bolts while the other holds a cog representing business and industry. Above the eagle is nra member while we do our part is printed below. Businesses were encouraged to display the emblem as a sign of coöperation with the NRA and as a patriotic gesture. Commercial mail from 1933–1935 often includes the emblem as an adhesive label, printed on the envelope, or hand stamped.

The first cover is machine canceled buffalo, dec 13 1933, n.y. on a three-cent Washing-ton regular issue (Scott No. 720). The sender, Direct Sales Company, used a blue hand-stamp of the NRA eagle which appears under the circular date stamp.

The second cover, machine canceled andover, dec 19 1935, n.y. on a three-cent Michigan statehood centenary commemorative (Scott No. 775), was sent by the Dairymen’s League Co-Operative Association and has a printed NRA eagle below the mailer’s logo and address. The Supreme Court had declared NIRA unconstitutional on May 27, in a case brought by a New York City poultry company. This had little practical effect as NIRA would have expired in June without congressional reauthorization. By then, Congress was very unlikely to have done so.

The Post Office Department issued a stamp (Scott No. 732) publicizing NIRA. FDR drafted a sketch for its design. This chapter of US history can be studied through this issue and several other stamps with subjects associated with New Deal legislation and personalities. Likewise, postal history items paint an interesting picture of this chapter of our history. ◾

www.esphs.us

mailto:geolotus2003%40nycap.rr.com?subject=ESPSHS%20Query


FIN

GER LAKE

S

STA M P C L U

B

Geneva,NewYorkMeets at 8 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays at the

Sawdust Café, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, except for second Wednesdays only from November–February

James Darnell, 136 Lock St., Clyde, NY 14433-1117 [email protected], 315-923-7355

Member Shirley Stowell, left, applied the February 14 Town of Galen bicentennial pictorial postmark. Members look through a tableful of stamps at the April 11 Kiloware Scramble.

FingerLakes’YouthClubsGrowing

As a result of the continuing efforts by Jim Snow, our newly formed youth clubs in Seneca Falls, Waterloo, and Geneva have grown to 15 active members. In June each member

will be creating Independence Day-themed philatelic exhibits in their towns’ libraries.CoversAvailableWe already have created three first day covers this year — one for the April 24 Cherry Blossom Centennial stamps and two for each of the Civil War stamps issued exactly one month later. To order the Cherry Blossom cover at $2.50 and each Civil War cover at $2 each, send payment and an sase to James Darnell, 136 Lock St., Clyde, NY 14433. Programs

May 9 — APS program: Postal History of West Germany: U.S. & British OccupationMay 23 — annual banquet with program The Philatelic Sherlock Holmes by Joe CoppolaJune 13 — auctionJune 27 — U.S. Revenues by Jason Blowers ◾

mailto:jdarnell%40rochester.rr.com?subject=Finger%20Lakes%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Albany,NewYorkMeets at 7:30 p.m. on the second & fourth Tuesdays except

June–August at Bethany Reformed Church Community Center, 760 New Scotland Ave.

Maris Tirums, PO Box 5475, Albany NY 12205-0475 [email protected], 518-438-1657

MembersEnjoySpeakersandAnnualAuction

On February 28, member Elwyn Doubleday (above left) spoke on the long-time benefit of the franking privilege. Along with presidents, presidents’ wives, senators, mem-

bers of Congress, and other selected government officials, any mail to or from a postmas-ter also traveled with the free marking. He related several stories of abuse of this privilege and limiting the practice through postal reforms.

On March 13, member Jerry LaMastra (above right) presented a geographical and his-torical story of Romania before, during, and after World War I. He also outlined in detail the postal ramifications of the conflict.AuctionTwenty-five members and guests gathered for our annual club auction on April 10. Auction manager Maris Tirums assembled about 150 lots and donations. Auctioneer Joe Rudnick executed each lot with speedy efficiency. Just a few more than 50 percent of the lots sold and the club profited about $71 and change from the 10 percent com-mission and the donations.Programs

May 8 — Pink Cancels by Anne DoubledayMay 22 — Annual meeting and club banquet ◾ G

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Auction helpers: From left, Maris Tirums, Christine Zimmer, Joe Rudnick, Jim Kirby, and Tom Auletta

mailto:mxtirums%40hotmail.com?subject=Fort%20Orange%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Rome,NewYorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Thursday, except

January and February, at Rome Municipal Building, Second Floor

Fort Stanwix Stamp Club, PO Box 734, Rome, NY 13442-0374 Patricia A. Hash, 315-339-1019

STA

MPF

OR

T

CLUB

STANWIX

FindingaLong-SoughtSetBy Stephen Stawiarz

I found a set of stamps I had sought for 11 years in a 50 percent off box at a show in April. They were included with a Mint Stamps of the World, Peoples Republic of China, Fleetwood

album page that pictures the six stamps and souvenir sheet of mei (plum) blossoms issued in 1875 (Scott No. 1974–1980). The stamps were described on the back.

In 2000 a professor friend went to Taiwan and China to work on a student exchange program. I asked him to bring me some Chinese stamps if he had time. Besides a sheet of the new millennium stamps, he brought me a brochure (shown cropped beneath actual stamps) that included color photos and gold foil versions replicas of the release. I have always wanted to find the actual stamps. The brochure states only: “The Wintersweet of the marsh gold-plating stamp is made by modern chemical etched technology. It’s metal stamp, It’s outside is 24k gold-plating, the stamp is imitated 1:0.9 [reduced] according to real stamp.”

The Fleetwood page included the six stamps, souvenir sheet, and mounts in the plastic bind-er. I will frame everything. The gold stamps are as beautiful as the color stamps. ◾


Cooperstown,NewYorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday, except January and February, at the Tillapaugh home, 28 Pioneer St.

Ellen Tillapaugh, 80 Beaver St., Cooperstown, NY 13326-1202 [email protected], 607-547-5646

LeatherÇockingStamp Club

of Cooperstown

DealersRespondToShowInvitations

There has been a nice response to the mailing to the dealers. In mid April we were at five dealers who had reserved ten tables for the joint stamp bourse with the Tri-County

Stamp Club on October 13 at the Holiday Inn, Route 23. Oneonta Information was sent out to 20 different dealers.

Any dealers reading this who would like to claim a table or two can contact Rob-ert Finnegan of the Tri-County Stamp Club at [email protected] for an in-formation packet.MeetingsResumeAt our first meeting after the winter hiatus on March 1 we welcomed five members.

Tim Walker reported that two post offices in Otsego County are probably sched-uled for closure later this year. They are Milford Center and Portlandville. He will keep us posted.

We enjoyed a great program by Al Keck titled Steroid Hurdles with a nice assortment of the baseball covers he has created over the years.

Peter Craig provided the treasurer’s report. We have a balance of $659.35 which in-cludes $224.62 in Junior Club funds. Income has included dues payments and our only expense was $20 for the mixture purchase from Ashmead Collectible. This mixture will be sorted by members at our May meeting.TimeToPayDuesOur very reasonable dues of $3 for 2012 are due. Please bring your payment to the next meeting. Programs

May 3 — Stamp Purchase & Swap for members (club is purchasing a large mixture for fun and sorting pleasure}

June 7 — Vatican Philatelic Society by Bob HolsteadJuly 16 — joint meeting with Tri-County Stamp Club at Sidney Civic Center at 7 p.m. August 2 — host Tri-County Stamp Club in CooperstownSeptember 6 — TBAOctober 4 — Stamp Collecting Month — What do you Have? (public invited to attend

and bring their questions & stamp material)October 13 (Saturday) — joint Tri-County Stamp Club and Leatherstocking Stamp

Club bourse, Holiday Inn, Route 23, OneontaNovember 1 — TBA ◾


Plattsburgh,NewYorkMeets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday in the second floor

meeting room of Plattsburgh Public Library, 19 Oak St.

Glenn A. Estus, PO Box 451, Westport, NY 12993-0451 [email protected], 518-962-4558 N

orth

Cou

ntry

Stam

p C

lub

ClosingorNot?

Late last year the USPS, under pressure from Congress, placed a moratorium on clo-

sures until at least May 15.In mid April, it confirmed that the

Port Kent and Severance offices in Es-sex County and Schuyler Falls in Clinton County would close soon after May 15, leaving four other area offices, North Hudson, New Russia, Moriah Center, and Ellenburg, in limbo.

The Port Kent office (top) was authorized on May 27, 1826, with Elkanah Watson as post-master. He had organized the first county fair in the US at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1819 and actively promoted canal building in New York. The office has an officer-in-charge.

The Severance office (middle) was estab-lished on January 14, 1892. Box holders will receive their mail via rural delivery or at the nearby Schroon Lake Post Office. Severance has had an OIC since 2009 when the postmas-ter left to take over the North River post office in Warren County.

Schuyler Falls (bottom), a few miles out-side of Plattsburgh, began as a post office in 1833. The first postmaster was Hiram Ever-est. Schuyler Falls has been managed by a OIC since 2009.

The Postmaster Finder website shows that of the four other offices, only North Hudson has an OIC. The other three have tenured post-masters: New Russia (1979), Ellenburg (1992), and Moriah Center (1999). ◾G

lenn

A. Es

tus

pho

tos

mailto:gestus%40westelcom.com?subject=Plattsburgh%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Olean,NewYorkMeets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Monday

at Bethany Lutheran Church, 6 Leo Moss Drive

Ronald J. Yeager, PO Box 774, Bradford, PA 16701-0774 [email protected], 814-362-4471

O

LEAN AREA

STA

MP CLUB

ClubHoldingInformationalNight

The Olean Area Stamp Club is seeking beginners, intermediate, and advanced collec-tors who want to broaden their collecting experiences. Come join us at 7 p.m. on Mon-

day, May 14, as we highlight the club and its activities.The president and some members will be available to answer all your questions. If you

wish, please stay for our short business meeting and then join us in our program for the evening which will be our annual Spring Auction.

The club meets at the Bethany Lutheran Church which is located at 6 Leo Moss Drive in Olean,. Take Exit 25 from I-86 and proceed one block east.

For further information, contact President Ron Yeager at 814-362-4471. ◾

First Days Digital Archives AvailableA digital archive of the American First Day Cover Society’s First Days journal from the

first issue in 1955 through 2011 is available from the AFDCS in a searchable PDF for-mat. A postpaid copy on DVD is $79 or on a USB flash drive for $89.

Included are 34,736 pages of material from 395 issues, invaluable for researchers, authors, exhibitors, philatelic judges and just about anyone who enjoys collecting FDCs. Each page appears as it did when it was issued, but is searchable. Even if articles are scat-tered throughout the nearly 60 years the journal has been published, they all can be found in a matter of seconds.

For example, want to find all the articles on Dorothy Knapp? Just type “Dorothy Knapp” in the search box and you’ll receive a list of every article on her. Then click on the link to read the article.

With back issues provided by Foster Miller and Alan Warren, as well as his own library, project manager Todd Ronnei was able to scan all 57 years in about six months.

“The best part was finding information on cachet makers whose name I knew but about whom I knew almost nothing,” Ronnei said. “Dick Monty’s lengthy profiles of cachet mak-ers and others in the FDC hobby are pure gold.”

“We’re indebted to Todd Ronnei for making this valuable resource available,” said AFDCS President Lloyd de Vries. “We’ve already used this digital archive to settle a dispute.” The archive is also a time capsule of stamp collecting history,

The First Days digital archive is available from the AFDCS at P. O. Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732-6277 or online at the AFDCS website, www.afdcs.org. ◾

mailto:cry%40atlanticbb.net?subject=Olean%20Area%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Oswego,NewYorkMeets at 6 p.m. on the fourth Monday, except July and August,

at Faith United Church, 12 Mark Fitzgibbons Drive

Leigh LeClair, 212 Murray St., Oswego, NY 13126-4032 [email protected], 315-342-5653

ClubTreasurerMattRoyDies

Darryl Matthew Roy, 62, of Minetto, died on April 14. He was treasurer of

both the Oswego Stamp Club and Oswego County Numismatic Association.

Roy, a Fulton native, had been employed as a utility technician at the Constellation Nuclear Plant in Scriba until his retirement in August 2010. Roy served in the US Navy from 1968–1972 and was stationed on the USS Con-stellation during the Vietnam War.

Contributions may be made to the Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, NE 68410 or www.arborday.org.RemovingSelfAdhesivesMembers experimented with removing modern self-adhesive stamps from paper at the March meeting. Member Sewall Oertling demonstrated his success using methods discussed in the American Philatelist. We used Pure Citrus® orange air freshener spray to remove stamps from various backings.

The best method was to spray the back of the paper, wait a short time, and gently peel the stamp away. Spraying the front of an envelope or stamp smeared spray cancels. We found the spray works well on envelopes, took a big longer, on thin cardboard such as priority boxes, and did not work on bubble-lined mailers. It could not penetrate the latter even when the lining was removed, likely because an adhesive of some sort remained on the envelope’s interior.

Rubbing a bit of baby powder on the gum side easily removes any residue. Club members tried this on a variety of recent stamps starting with those with heavy du-plication and little value.

Long-term effects of using Pure Citrus on the stamps is unknown. As a postal history buff, I hope that people would leave modern examples on cover; if they do not, I believe many will continue to simply cut around the stamp, leaving it on paper. The topic pro-vided an interesting hands on topic for our meeting yielding surprisingly good results. Pure Citrus can be found in most stores that sell air freshening products. Sewall found it at a local Home Depot. I found the same product on sale at our local Walmart for $3.92.

— Heather Sweeting ◾

mailto:psleclair%40verizon.net?subject=Oswego%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Rochester,NewYorkwww.rpastamps.org

Meets at 7 p.m. on the second & fourth Thursdays except July and August at Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church, 1200 S. Winton Road

Thomas M. Fortunato, 28 Amberwood Place, Rochester, NY 14626-4166 [email protected], 585-225-6822

Ropex2012isHere

All Federation members are welcome at Ropex 2102 May 18–20 at the Sports Cen-

tre at MCC in Henrietta. Hours are 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday. We will have 25 dealers and 125 frames of competitive exhibits.NewLifeMembersRPA has two new life members. Jim Sands and Frank Tritto were honored at our annual banquet on March 8. Sands was still in Florida and received his plaque on his return in April. Banquet attendees are shown below.AllWelcometoOurAuctionWe can conduct our annual business meeting in about five minutes, leaving the rest of the night for a live auction. Lots can only be en-tered by RPA members, with a maximum of five lots each. Ten percent of the proceeds go to the club treasury. All collectors are welcome to attend and bid.

ProgramsMay 10 — Masonic Stamps and Envelopes by Don OsborneMay 24 — Great Britain’s Penny Reds by Larry RauschJune 14 — Annual business meeting and live auctionJune 28 — Season end Strawberry Festival ◾

New Life MemberRPA Vice President Ray Stone, left, pres-ents a life member plaque to Recording Secretary Frank Tritto.

www.rpastamps.org

mailto:stamptmf%40frontiernet.net?subject=RPA%20Query


Schenectady,NewYorkMeets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday in March–May,

October–December at Union Presbyterian Church, 1068 Park Ave.

Ronald K. Ratchford, 1105 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308-2805 [email protected], 518-374-3776

SC

HEN

ECTADY STAMP CLU

B

ORGANIZED 1930

SCHAU-NAUGH-TA-DA

Mohawk&HudsonSesquicentennial

I played a part in arranging for approximately 20 special postmarks over a period of about three decades — some related to the Schenectady Stamp Club, some related to

the Schenectady County Historical Society, and some related to my parish Church of Saint John the Evangelist.

Additionally, some pictorial postmarks pertained to some particular aspect or event of Sche-nectady history. One example of the later type was for the 150th anniversary of the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad (or perhaps more precisely Rail Road, using the spelling of the era).

On Sunday, August 9, 1981, there was a special commemoration of the sesquicenten-nial of the initial trial trip by rail from Albany to Schenectady.

The US Postal Service applied the special postmark to a substantial number of items at a site that approximated the western terminus of the 1831 trip. This was atop what once was known as Engine Hill along the current Crane Street in Schenectady. The original train would not have to traverse a relatively steep hill to get to the downtown portion of the city. For a similar reason the eastern terminus was located in what now might be known as the Pine Hills neighborhood of Albany — at a considerably higher altitude than the riverfront portion of the Capital City.

Regular service between Albany and Schenectady began on September 24, 1831. A circular postal marking was obtained in both cities on the 150th anniversary of that event. The cachet was printed on a small letter press in the basement of my home after my father set the type for me. Note also the use of an USIRS cigarette tax stamp depicting DeWitt Clinton, former governor of New York State and namesake of the 1831 locomotive.

— Ronald K. Ratchford, Club Historian

ProgramA single page night meeting of the club is planned for October 1. There will be no meetings during the summer. ◾

mailto:rratchford%40nystampclubs.org?subject=Schenectady%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Elkland,Pennsylvaniawww.stampcampusa.org

Conducts youth-oriented activities and adult leader workshops throughout the United States and Canada

Laurie A. Kring, 117 Court St., Suite A, Elkland, PA 16920-1447 [email protected], 814-258-5601

StampCampOffersPreschoolCurriculum

After months of develop-ing and testing a new

curriculum designed to introduce preschool chil-dren to the world of stamps, Stamp Camp USA has announced that the Chil-dren Learn Through Postage Stamps curriculum is being printed and orders are being taken. This is the only pre-school program based on philately to ever be offered.

The project was headed by Cheryl Edgcomb, former Stamp Camp CEO, and Gretchen Moody, APS Director of Education. Research was prepared to identify subjects in which preschoolers would gain the most benefit. Mathematics, science, physical/health, social studies, technology, and literacy were chosen. Test pilot programs found these skills were strengthened by using the curriculum. Positive feedback from preschool teachers and par-ents was appreciated and helped bring the project to fruition.

This has been a costly venture and could not have been accomplished without the aid of grants and donations. Dominion Gas Transmission Corporation was first on board with the project, followed by The Deerfield Charitable Trust, Ian Thom Foundation, Voic-es of the Blue Ridge, and many of our philatelic friends and educators.

We are profoundly grateful for this support to produce the first ever preschool stamp col-lecting curriculum. Orders for the curriculum are being accepted by contacting Stamp Camp. Further information will be available by visiting our www.stampcampusa.org.

Stamp Camp has been actively putting together camps with our local girl scouts, a nearby home school organization, and our local private school. All of the 3-D exhibits completed in the next month during these camps will be taken to Rochester where they will be on display at Ropex 2012 stamp show.

Stamp Camp will be in Denver for the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show on May 18–20 and in Washington D.C., from July 24–26 to host a congressional stamp camp. Stop by and see us if you will be attending either of these venues. ◾

This is one of the 40 Pennsylvania Head Start classes that were involved in testing the new curriculum.

www.stampcampusa.org

mailto:stampcampusa1%40verizon.net?subject=Stamp%20Camp%20Query


Staten IslandPhilatelic Society

StatenIsland,NewYorkwww.sistamps.org

Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first & third Monday, except July and August, at Messiah Lutheran Church, 195 Jefferson Blvd., Annadale

Charles R. Carlson, 30 Hopping Ave., Staten Island, NY 10307-1219 [email protected], 718-984-7880

TheGermanSA/SSStampsControversy

I have been studying the German,SA/SS stamps on cover, which are quite contro-

versial even after 67 years. I have been reading about them in recent Germany Philatelic Soci-ety journals.

There have been an ongoing series of articles about these, and the controversy surrounding them just does not seem to go away. The latest article seemed to hinge on the definition and translation of some bi-zarre and rare postal language found in the 1945 postal regulations as the Third Reich burned to its demise. The stamps apparently were issued primarily in Berlin, unlikely elsewhere, as the Russians surrounded the city.

It seems bizarre to me that anyone was interested in philately as their house burned and their family died. Was it even possible for these stamps to be used to send mail to any-one? Did anyone really send birthday greetings to Tante Emilie as your world was crashing to a pile of rubble? Or, even less likely, was anyone mailing in his party dues or paying an electric bill in late April 1945?

Apparently, some who think these covers are legitimate believe that indeed this hap-pened. Possibly some fanatical collectors wanted examples of these soon-to-be politically incorrect items with postal cancels, or possibly a stamp dealer in April 1945 wanted some of these postally used so he could sell them as rare items decades later, or possibly they are all contrived or forged which seems more likely.

I do not have any of them on cover or even used. I do have a single stamp, the Oldenburg issue, cancelled on May 5, 1945, in Enns, Austria, on the day that the US Third Army entered the city. It was a Sunday, but possibly someone wanted to send birthday greetings to a cousin or pay his party dues, his phone bill, or, more likely, a philatelic GI gave a postal clerk some cigarettes to provide a back dated philatelic souvenir of his entry into the city.

In any event, I have the sole certificate in my collection, based on a photo copy of the cancelled stamp, saying that as far as can be determined from a photo copy, the cancel is legitimate. Possibly. All I was asking was if the expert might provide an expertization of such a loose, off paper (no gum) stamp. ◾

www.sistamps.org

mailto:kccarlson%40aol.com?subject=Staten%20Island%20Philatelic%20Society%20Query


Syracuse,NewYorkwww.syracusestampclub.org

Meets at 8 p.m. the first & third Fridays at the Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Ave.

Allen Swift, PO Box 593, East Syracuse, NY 13057-0593 [email protected], 315-457-3201

Organized 1919APS Chapter 50

HonoringRichardNetzband

Richard Netzband joined the stamp club in February 1977. He was vice president in 1983–1984. He has prob-

ably attended more meetings than anyone in the last 35 years. Netzband has been our “facilities manager” and librarian since 1986 when club meetings were moved to the Reformed Church of Syracuse on Teall Avenue. He sets up the tables and chairs and makes all requested facilities available for meetings, presentations, etc., including fresh coffee. He has assisted set up and take down for most Syrapex shows.

Netzband started collecting stamps in 1937. He collects a variety of philatelic items but mainly stamps from the United States, Canada, Spain, Ireland, Australia, and Great Britain. He turned 84 last month, so wish him a happy birthday.RememberingLynnGoodfellow Lynn Goodfellow, 59, of North Syracuse died on March 1. He joined the club in 2000 and served as its president from 2002 to 2006. He was the committee chairman of Syrapex 2003 and 2005. Goodfellow has not been an active member the past few years due to his illness.

He retired from Nationwide Insurance in 2002 following 25 years of service as an un-derwriter. Contributions may be made to the Humane Association of CNY, 4915!/™ West Taft Road., Liverpool, NY 13088 PizzaRemember that in addition to obtaining more stamps for your collection and learning more about the hobby, you can also eat well. At the May 4 meeting we will be having a variety of pizzas and drinks. Come and join us.Programs*

May 4 — Topical Collecting by Dan Kay; pizza and drinksMay 18 — auctionJun 1 — British West Indies by John DavisJun 15 —Syracuse Covers by Mike AmmannJun 29 - auction; no business meetingJuly 6 — Swap and Shop

* Remember that the club auctions off ten lots every meeting night ◾

http://www.syracusestampclub.org

mailto:[email protected]


Ticonderoga,NewYorkMeets at noon on the fourth Wednesday

at Emerald’s Restaurant, Rt. 9N, Ti Country Club

Stan Burdick, 129 The Portage, Ticonderoga, NY 12883-1414


TheManBehindWillieandJoe

The most loved, most accomplished World War II editorial cartoonist, Bill Mauldin (1921–2003), created the famous pair, Willie and Joe. We find them first as depicted

in the World War II block of 10 stamps (Scott No. 2765h) and later shown with Mauldin himself on Scott No. 4445. His work appeared in Stars and Stripes and was syndicated in stateside newspapers.

Needless to say, the shenanigans, the hopes, the frustrations, the humor portrayed so fittingly by Mauldin’s pen-and-ink renderings during the war years brought immeasur-able joy and relief to battle-weary GIs in the trenches at the time.

On a personal note, I had the chance to meet Mauldin in his last years at a National Car-toonists Society (NCS) event in California, where hundreds of comic fans came to meet their hero and pay their respects. Alzheimer’s and complications soon shortened his life.

Mauldin has the distinction of winning a 1945 Pulitzer at the age of 23, In 1961 he was given the NCS Reuben, the highest award for cartoonists.

Stamps, comics and history make a good interest combination for me. How about you?ClubGoingStrongThe club is more than a year old and going strong. Evidence of this is an all-time good attendance at our holiday meeting of close to 20 people. The secret there was to invite friends and spouses. That worked so well we encourage friends and spouses to come to each meeting, and we average 12 to 15 monthly. Featured at meetings are speakers on stamps and history, lunch, auctions, show-and-tell, other club reports, business, and a nice door prize each time. ◾

mailto:cburdick5%40nycap.rr.com?subject=Ticonderoga%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Sidney,NewYorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday, except January and February,

September–June at Sidney Civic Center, 21 Liberty St., and July–August at Sidney Memorial Public Library, 8 River St.

Robert Finnegan, 10 O’Neill Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820-1154 [email protected], 607-432-8141

Working With StudentsJeanne Doelger (left) and a parent working with students, with Spike Paranya at a back table at the March meeting, when the club resumed meeting. Steven McCarthy and Bob Rightmire working with other students (right).

ClubHostsSchoolClubMembers

The Tri-County Stamp Club began its new calendar year by hosting the Sidney Elemen-tary School Stamp Club’s 16 members. Robert Finnegan got lots of help from the

membership in providing a high octane meeting whereby the budding philatelists had the opportunity to pursue four different activities during the two-hour affair.

Prior to the meeting with the children business included more preliminary plans for the upcoming October 13 stamp bourse being held at the Holiday Inn in Oneonta. Pres-ently we have five dealers who have reserved ten tables. We hope to contact additional dealers to participate.

The club will be busy this summer during the months of July and August in unison with the Leatherstocking Club of Cooperstown, but more of that in the July–August Stamp Insider.

The April meeting of the club met for another APS slide presentation, this one dealing with Irish Philately. The May meeting was to be developed by Steve McCarthy and the topic was to be The Use of Computers with Philately.ProgramIdeasSoughtThe Program Committee will be entertaining suggestions for next year’s program. Finnegan has put together a Power Point Presentation that needs some finishing touches on the topic titled Bastards and Philately. It is hoped that other members will step forward with sharing their expertise or interest with the rest of us. ◾ R

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mailto:rfinnegan%40stny.rr.com?subject=Tri-County%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Troy,NewYorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the first & third Wednesdays March–May and

September–November and the first Wednesday December–February at Holiday Inn Express, 400 Old Loudon Road, Latham

Terrill S. Miller, 604 Sand Creek Rd., Albany, NY 12205-2435 [email protected], 518-869-6872

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StampStoriesandtheLindberghBooklet

On March 21 guest Maris Tirums (left) recollected five unusual stamp stories. The first was the Dag Hammarskjöld invert. Following the unexpected death of the United

Nations Secretary-General on September 18, 1961, the US Post Office Department issued a commemorative stamp in his honor on October 23, 1962. After a sheet of a color invert was discovered, the POD, stating that it was not in the business of making people rich, reissued the stamp with all sheets having the same color inverted.

Next, Tirums detailed the recalled Legends of the West sheet, expanding on the reason for the recall, and the lottery involved in getting an example for one’s collection.

Following came the German debacle with the Audrey Hepburn stamp and its relation-ship to smoking, which easily merged into number four and the USPS’ move toward po-litical correctness and the absence of smoking on any US postage stamp.

Finally, the last story was the World War II 50th anniversary sheets and the one stamp depicting the atom bomb. After protests from many sectors, the stamp was changed to a scene with President Harry S. Truman on the stamp.AShortLifeAt the April 4 meeting, local aviation historian Jim Kirby (right) gave the history of Scott No. C10a, the ten-cent Lindbergh booklet stamp, which had a very short period of usage as the USPOD soon would lower the rate to five cents. Any of these on cover during the correct period are rare.

Kirby has been collecting this issue for a long time and displayed many fine ex-amples on and off cover. One of the highlights is a perfin stamp used on cover during the correct time period. ◾

mailto:unclesamty%40aol.com?subject=Uncle%20Sam%20Stamp%20Club%20Query


Utica,NewYorkMeets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday, except January

and February, at New Hartford Town Library, 2 Library Lane

Joseph F. Kalynycz, 7539 Rickmeyer Road, Rome, NY 13440-0454 315-338-0590, [email protected]

S

TAMP CLUB

GR

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ClubResumesMeetings

Spring has once again arrived and with it begins our annual meetings. Members are re-minded that the club has changed its meeting night from the first Tuesday to the second

Monday, except for the May meeting which will be on the third Tuesday, the 15th. VideoPresentationIn March we began the season with a video presentation titled American Stamps. This half-hour show that was shown on PBS depicted some of the US stamp designers and also the design process a stamp goes through from stamp suggestions by the American public to a final design.

An art director develops concepts for the stamps then chooses a designer who would best depict the image. Research for stamps was discussed and this included the Legends of the West error sheet.

The documentary’s producers have posted the video on YouTube. It is now embedded on the Stamp Insider home page. More information about the program may be found at www.pbs.org/americanstamps.CircuitBooksI missed our April meeting due to illness, but planned for the night’s program was a cir-cuit book sale. The American Philatelic Society provides circuit books for stamp sales and these are managed by our club’s Phil Kane and Steve McCarthy.

In the past I have been able to purchase some very nice Austrian and Bosnian-Hersecovinian stamps. Also, I received a good value on pre-1900 US stamps and one purchase of 107 used Celebrate the Century stamps out of the 150 in the complete set. Good values indeed. ◾

ShamelessPromotion—Newspaper publishers in the nineteenth and early twentieth century often of-fered a variety of services. In addition to daily and weekly papers, this Utica printer also offered book and job printing.

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 73

W MP S

ORGANIZED FEB. 7, 1961APS 560-44599

Spencerport, New Yorkhttp://westernmonroephilatelicsociety.blogspot.com Meets from 6:30–9 p.m. on the second Tuesday

at Ogden Farmers’ Library, 269 Ogden Center Road

Gary Musante, 107 Sherwood Drive, Brockport, NY 14420-1451 585-637-9091, [email protected]

Migratory Bird Hunting Stamps By Gary Musante

I gave a presentation on the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamps, more commonly

called duck stamps, at a recent meeting. I have a few in my collection but knew little about them. I was surprised on how much I learned in preparing my program.

First issued in 1934 and not valid for postage, mint and used copies are collected in many of the same ways as postage stamps. FDC covers and commemorative panels are available for recent issues.

Since 1949 the government has held an open design competition. A special relation-ship between collectors and designers has developed. It is popular to collect designers’ autographs on the stamps. Original artwork and reproduction prints are sold in many for-mats. Calendars, posters, coffee mugs, T-shirts, and other items can be found. An option is to obtain stamps which have received an artist’s remarque, which is an additional painting done directly on the printed stamps. Those by the stamp’s original designer are the most prized.

There is a single cover with the first issue (RW1) used as postage and sent on the Graf Zeppelin to Brazil in 1934. A more affordable collecting opportunity is to collect the duck stamps used on the various state hunting license forms. With the success of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamps many states and foreign countries now have programs of their own. In many cases the money raised is used to help protect various wildlife habitats and fund educational programs.

A comprehensive history and more information can be found on the government’s site (www.fws.gov/duckstamps), as well as on design contests and the Junior Duck Stamp pro-gram and design contests. Additional information about collecting duck stamps can be found on the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society site (http://ndscs.org) and the Smithson-ian Arago site http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=4&cmd=2&eid=369&slide=toc and http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=1&tid=2039670. ◾Im

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http://westernmonroephilatelicsociety.blogspot.com

mailto:gmusante%40yahoo.com?subject=Western%20Monroe%20Phil.%20Soc.%20Query


Fede

ration of New York

Ph

ilatelic Societies,

In

c. . .

Schenectady,NewYorkMeets biannually to conduct Federation business

Federation Secretary Ronald K. Ratchford, 1105 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308-2805


FreeOld-StyleFramesToaGoodHome

The Federation has eleven of the old style nine-page wooden exhibit frames available to any Federation organization who wants one or all. These include extra plate glass. Those inter-

ested may contact George McGowan at [email protected] or 518-479-4396. A monetary donation to the Federation is suggested. The frames were donated by the Newburgh Stamp Club to the Federation for the Stamp Expo 400 show in 2009.AnnualMeetingReminderThe 2012 annual meeting of the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies will have a new venue and later date this year. The business meeting will be conducted at the Northeast Postal History & Ephemera Show at 1 p.m. on August 4 at the Polish Community Center at 225 Washington Avenue Extension in Albany. The agenda will include discussion of ideas to promote growth of member organizations and revenue generation ideas.

For the past several years the meeting had been conducted at the Ropex show in Roch-ester. Dwindling attendance at that meeting prompted the change. See the advertise-ments on page 23.OtherFederationMemberClubs

FultonStampClubJohn A. Cali, P. O. Box 401, Fulton, NY 13069-0401, phone 315-592-4441 is the Fulton Club contact. Meetings are on the third Wednesdays, except July and August, at different locations.IthacaPhilatelicSocietyYoram B. Szekely, 104 Klinewoods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850-2229, [email protected], 607-257-5346 is the Ithaca club contact. Meetings are on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in Morrison Hall Room 384, Cornell University.PutnamPhilatelicSocietyDrew A. Nicholson, 18 Valley Drive, Pawling, NY 12564-1140, [email protected], is the Putnam club contact. Meetings are on the first and third Fridays at 7 p.m. in the third floor cafeteria of Guideposts, Seminary Hill in Carmel. ◾

❍

PUTN

AM PHILATELIC SOCIETY ❍

APS Chapter 1061

Founded1976

mailto:rratchford%40nystampclubs.org?subject=Federation%20/%20%20Stamp%20Insider

mailto:geolotus2003%40nycap.rr.com?subject=Stamp%20Insider

mailto:yszekely%40twcny.rr.com?subject=Ithaca%20Philatelic%20Society%20Query

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Philateli-Calamity ByStanBurdick

1847–1950 Mostly Stamps ............................... 5aGatherin’ ...................................................... 39John B. Amberman ......................................... 39American First Day Cover Society ..............37 American Topical Association ....................37Art Cover Exchange ......................................37Azusa Stamps and Collectibles ...................17Frank Bachenheimer .................................... 25Frank J. Buono ............................................... 27Capital District Monthly Show .................. 7 Champion Stamp Co. ......................................21Cover Connection .......................................... 7Digger’s Antiques, Stamps, Collectibles .....40Elwyn Doubleday ............................................ 5Empire State Postal History Society ..........37Federation of NY Philatelic Societies ...... 23Sidney Fenemore ............................................37Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc. ................... 11Journal of Antiques & Collectibles ............31John L. Leszak ................................................ 25Lincoln Coin and Stamp Co. .........................77Lindner–USA ..................... Inside Back CoverSteve Malack Stamps .....................................37

McCloud Stamps & Covers ..................... 31, 76E. Joseph McConnell, Inc. ............................. 9Mystic Stamp Company .......................... 40–41N.E. Postal History, Ephemera Show ........ 23Nassau Street Stamps & Collectibles .........13Nojex 2012 .......................................................19Ropex 2012 ......................................................29Stamp Insider Advertising .......................... 31Subway Stamp Shop, Inc. .......................... 14–15Suburban Stamps, Coins & Collectibles ......77Syracuse Stamps & Collectibles Show ......... 9Thousand Islands Show ............................... 76Harry Tong .....................................................19Vidiforms Company.......................Back CoverVirtual Stamp Club ........................................37Washington Press ...........Inside Front CoverDouglas Weisz U.S. Covers ......................... 76West Seneca Shows ........................................77

Clickonanadtovisitawebsiteorcontactanadvertiser.LetthemKnow

YouSawItintheStampInsider!

AdvertiserIndex

05/12 © 2011 Stan Burdick


Shows & Bourses

May4–6 — Boxborough, MA

Northeastern Federation of Stamp Clubs Philatelic Show 2011, Holiday Inn at Route 111, Exit 28 off I-495. 11–6 May 4, 10–5 May 5, 10–4 May 6. www.nefed.org.

6 — Dedham, MAFirst Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Holiday Inn, 55 Ari-adane Road. 9–3:30. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].

13 — Meriden, CTSecond Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Comfort Inn, 900 East Main St.. 9–3:30. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].

15 — Northampton, MAThird Tuesday Stamp & Coin Show, World War II Veterans Association, 50 Conz St. 10:30–7. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].

18–20 — RochesterRPA Ropex 2012, ESL Sports Centre, Monroe Com-munity College, 2700 Brighton–Henrietta Town Line Rd. 11–6 May 18, 10–5 May 19, 10–3 May 20. [email protected], www.rpastamps.org.

20 — AlbanyCapital District Monthly Stamp & Collectibles Show, Best Western Soveri-gn, 1228 Western Ave. 10–4. Thomas Auletta, 518-899-3027 or George McGowan, 518-479-4396.

27 — West SenecaStamp, Coin, Postcard & Collectibles Show, Harvey D. Morin VFW Post 2940, 965

Douglas Weisz U.S. CoversBuying & Selling

FDCs, Flights, Events,Postal History & Stationery

P.O. Box 1458-IMcMurray, PA 15317-4458

[email protected]

ROPEX Table 3

McCloudStamps & CoversCoins & Sports Memorabilia

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CALL for an APPOINTMENT orWE’LL TRAVEL TO YOU!

Call Today! 585.507.3533Rochester, New York

ROPEX Table 9

E-MAIL: gm

ingle07@gm

ail.com

34th ANNUAL1000 ISLANDS INTERNATIONAL COIN, STAMP, POSTCARD, GEM, MINERAL,PAPER, AND COLLECTIBLES SHOW

CLAYTON ARENAROUTE 12E

CLAYTON, NEW YORK 13624JULY 28–29, 2012

SATURDAY 9 A.M.–5 P.M.SUNDAY 9 A.M.–2 P.M.

SET UP NOON–7 P.M. JULY 27FOR BOURSE SPACE AND TABLE PRICES

CONTACT: GEORGE A. MINGLEBOX 4, CAPE VINCENT, NY 13618-0004

315–654–2370

www.nefed.org

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www.rpastamps.org

http://www.douglasweisz.com

mailto:jstoltz%40rochester.rr.com?subject=Inquiry%20from%20Stamp%20Insider%20Ad

mailto:gmingle07%40gmail.com?subject=1000%20Islands%20Show%20Query


Lincoln Coin and Stamp Co., Inc.Complete Line of Coin

& Stamp SuppliesWe Buy Stamps, Coins,

Picture Post Cards, Old Envelopes,Pan American Expo MaterialCome In and Look AroundFree Parking

33 West Tupper St.at Pearl Street

Buffalo, NY 14202-1710

Phone 716-856-1884

Stamp, Coin, Postcard& Collectibles ShowSUNDAY Hours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

May 27, June 24,September 23, October 28,November 25 & december 9

Free Admission & Parking!Harvey D. Morin VFW Post 2940

965 Center Road, West Seneca, NYContact: Victor Drajem • phone: 716-656-8080

Center Rd. 10–4. Bourse. Vic-tor Drajem, 716-656-8080.

June3 — Dedham, MA

First Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Holiday Inn, 55 Ari-adane Rd. 9–3:30. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].

3 — SyracuseSyracuse Stamp, Coin & Collectibles Show, Carrier Circle Hotel, Thruway exit 35. 10–4:30. Bourse. Ed Bailey, 315-452-0593.

10 — Meriden, CTSecond Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Comfort Inn, 900 East Main St. 9–3:30. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].

17 — AlbanyCapital District Monthly Stamp & Collectibles Show, Best Western Soveri-gn, 1228 Western Ave. 10–4. Thomas Auletta, 518-899-3027 or George McGowan, 518-479-4396.

19 — Northampton, MAThird Tuesday Stamp & CoinShow, World War II Veterans Assn., 50 Conz St. 10:30–7. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected].

23 — Quechee, VTVermont Philatelic Society & Upper Valley Stamp Club Vermont State Stamp Show, Mid Vermont Christian School, 399 W. Gilson Ave. 9–3. John Lutz, [email protected].

24 — West SenecaStamp, Coin, Postcard & Collectibles Show, Harvey D. Morin VFW Post 2940, 965 Center Rd. 10–4. Bourse. Vic-tor Drajem, 716-656-8080. ◾

Suburban Stamps, Coins & Collectibles

Always Buying315•452•0593

Open: Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.Saturday 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

120 Kreischer RoadNorth Syracuse, NY 13212-3251

Just off Taft Road 1⁄2 mile east of Rt. 81

Mark Szuba • Edward BaileyROPEX

Tab

le 1

4

mailto:hstamps%40jlc.net?subject=?subject%3DFirst%20Sunday%20Show

mailto:hstamps%40jlc.net?subject=Second%20Sunday%20Show

mailto:hstamp%40jlc.net?subject=Third%20Tuesday%20Show

mailto:jlutz%40gmail.com?subject=Vermont%20State%20Stamp%20Show%20Query


TheLastWordsHeather Sweeting, Associate Editor

14329 Victory St.Sterling NY 13156-3172


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Inserate2.indd 1 09.03.2009 15:30:30

TheSecretsToHappyBidding

Have you bid in an auction lately? They can be both fun and challenging. Think of the term BIDDING for some tips to use while participating in both online

and live auctions. B:Buyerbeware/Buyerpremiums. Most online dealers are extremely trustwor-thy, but there are many fakes and forgeries of high-value stamps. It may be better to buy high-priced items from a reputable auction house or dealer rather than from an unknown online seller. Magnify scans to twice the size, if necessary. If you are looking for jumbo margins and grading certificates, it may be better to preview the stamps in person. Live auctions have buyer premiums, which mean there will be an additional fee of 5–20 per-cent of the winning bid. There might be a discount for paying in cash.I:Investigatetheitems. This can mean reading descriptions, examining photos, compar-ing catalogue values to estimates in live auctions, digging through box lots, etc. For online auc-tions, check other sales and dealers for recent prices realized and rarity. Knowledge is key. It may be possible to get further information or scans via e-mail from a larger auction house. D:Determineyourhighestbid. Don’t bid excessively or get caught up in a bidding war. Bid the highest price you are willing to pay for the item. D:Don’tbidearly. Those who do often ending up bidding against themselves, driving up the final price. Put items you are interested in on a watch list. If possible, place your first bid in the last 30 seconds. Know that many sniping programs will jump in with bids in the last ten seconds. If you aren’t able to be at the computer at the end of the auction you might consider using a sniping program to place a bid in your absence. These are programs that will bid for you for a small fee. Don’t bid excessively. Patience is the key. You might place a small bid in the last 30 seconds, as a test to see if a previous bidder has bid higher. If you really want an item in an online auction, bid slightly more than you think you will need to in the last ten seconds.I:Inquireaboutshippingpolicies. If shipping and handling cost more than the item, it might not be worth buying. Does the seller offer a return policy if you aren’t satisfied?N--Negative feedback. Some online auctions have a way to rate sellers. Often buy-ers leave comments about their purchases, such as if the items arrived safely packaged, etc. You might not want to deal with a seller wo has a great deal of negative feedback. Check carefully though; a seller who has sold 20,000 items and has one to five unsatisfied customers, might still be worth dealing with. Read the negative comments, which might involve postal damage, delivery issues, etc. If a seller has only 20 feedbacks and five are negative, you might not want to bid. G–Goaheadandbid. You might get some great bargains for your collection! ◾

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Table 11

Stamp Collectors

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Transcript of May / June 2012 Protecting … Insider/Older PDFs/1205.pdf May / June 2012 Stamp Insider Journal of...