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THE<br />
JANUARY 2021 $6.95<br />
THE WIDE WORLD of<br />
STamp Collecting<br />
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[This is part of a series of lessons I have learned over the years in how to<br />
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of their stamp and/or coin holdings.]<br />
BE PREPARED TO HELP THE SELLER, IF NEEDED, BETTER UNDERSTAND THE<br />
MARKET AS IT PERTAINS TO HIS/HER HOLDINGS. One of the essential things<br />
we do is stay closely abreast of the values of worldwide stamps and coins in the<br />
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an authentic and educated offer.<br />
Mark Eastzer<br />
176 • Lynbrook, NY 11563<br />
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THE<br />
AMERICAN PHILATELIST<br />
January 2021<br />
VOLUME 135 • NO. 1 • WHOLE NO. 1,440<br />
Table of Contents<br />
PAGE<br />
20<br />
A PHILATELIC QUEST FOR<br />
EVERYWHERE<br />
BY JOHN SEIDL<br />
When presented the challenge of a “one<br />
from everywhere” collection, John Seidl<br />
stepped up to the plate – and now he has<br />
some words of advice for other collectors<br />
who wish to try their hand at such a<br />
worldwide collection.<br />
PAGE<br />
24<br />
LIECHTENSTEIN: A TALE<br />
OF ERRORS, FREAKS AND<br />
ODDITIES… AND POLITICS<br />
BY JOHN R. SHOTLIFF<br />
John Shotliff’s philatelic journey may have<br />
begun with Liechtenstein Michel 11-16,<br />
but he quickly realized that the story of<br />
this tiny country’s early issues is anything<br />
but tiny. Follow along as Shotliff takes us<br />
through WWI and post-war Liechtenstein,<br />
its early independent stamp issues, and<br />
the amazing errors and oddities that<br />
resulted in some of the most interesting<br />
stamps in philately.<br />
PAGE<br />
34<br />
THE ALLURE OF AMG<br />
COLLECTING<br />
BY RICHARD PEDERSON<br />
Just a few short years, just a few countries<br />
and military zones… yet Allied Military<br />
Government (AMG) collecting has<br />
something to appeal to any collector (not<br />
to mention history buffs).<br />
PAYING A TAX OR TAX EXEMPT<br />
BY RON LESHER<br />
Continuing his introduction to the wide world of<br />
U.S. revenues, Ron Lesher explains the first purpose<br />
of revenues: to show that a tax has been paid or<br />
that it is exempt from taxation. Worthy of special<br />
note are revenue stamps for certificates and luxury<br />
goods, not to mention special tax stamps that<br />
measure over 36 square inches!<br />
PAGE<br />
52<br />
3¢ OKLAHOMA STATEHOOD<br />
(SCOTT 1092)<br />
BY CHARLES POSNER<br />
Continuing his long-running column “U.S.<br />
Commemoratives of the 1950s,” Charles Posner dives<br />
into Scott 1092, the 50-year commemorative of<br />
Oklahoma’s statehood and one of the<br />
PAGE<br />
least-popular stamp designs of 1957.<br />
Other Features<br />
60<br />
FROM HUBBLE TO HALE-BOPP<br />
AND OTHER STORIES<br />
BY KATRIN RAYNOR-EVANS<br />
One year after her debut article in the<br />
AP, Katrin Raynor-Evans is back with a<br />
astrophilatelic sequel, inspired in part<br />
by the contributions of other generous<br />
readers.<br />
PAGE<br />
44<br />
66 Adventures in Expertizing<br />
72 APRL Notes<br />
91 Books & Catalogs<br />
75 Bridges<br />
70 Buy and Sell<br />
81 Classified Ads<br />
6 Editing Philately<br />
74 In Touch<br />
12 Letters to the Editor<br />
77 Membership Report<br />
68 My Stamp Story<br />
94 New World Issues<br />
18 Our Story<br />
4 President’s Column<br />
89 Show Time<br />
96 Worldwide in a Nutshell<br />
2 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
THE<br />
AMERICAN<br />
P HILATELIST<br />
Since 1887 — The Premier<br />
Philatelic Magazine in the Nation<br />
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF APS PUBLICATIONS<br />
Gary Wayne Loew, ext. 221 • Gary@stamps.org<br />
ASSOCIATE EDITOR<br />
Susanna Mills, ext. 207 • smills@stamps.org<br />
GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST<br />
Chad Cowder, ext. 223 • CCowder@stamps.org<br />
ADVERTISING SALES<br />
Steve Schwanz<br />
Fox Associates, Inc. 800-440-0231<br />
adinfo.theamericanphilatelist@foxrep.com<br />
American Philatelic Society<br />
American Philatelic Research Library<br />
100 Match Factory Place • Bellefonte, PA 16823<br />
814-933-3803 • 814-933-6128 (Fax)<br />
STAMPS.ORG • STAMPLIBRARY.ORG<br />
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR<br />
Scott English, ext. 219 • scott@stamps.org<br />
DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP<br />
Wendy Masorti, ext 218 • wendy@stamps.org<br />
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER<br />
Jeff Krantweiss, ext. 216<br />
jkrantweiss@stamps.org<br />
GENERAL INFORMATION apsinfo@stamps.org<br />
ADDRESS CHANGES & MEMBERSHIP INQUIRIES<br />
requests@stamps.org, ext. 201<br />
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION/YOUTH<br />
Cathy Brachbill, ext. 239<br />
cbrachbill@stamps.org<br />
DIRECTOR OF EXPERTIZING Ken Martin, ext. 205<br />
kpmartin@stamps.org<br />
DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES<br />
Scott Tiffney, ext. 246<br />
stiffney@stamps.org<br />
DIRECTOR OF SALES<br />
Carol Hoffman, ext. 270<br />
stampstore@stamps.org<br />
COMMUNITY-GRASSROOTS SPECIALIST<br />
Heidi Lauckhardt-Rhoades, ext. 222<br />
heidi@stamps.org<br />
SHOWS/EXHIBITIONS Morgan Stinson, ext. 217<br />
stampshow@stamps.org<br />
SHOW TIME LISTINGS<br />
showtime@stamps.org<br />
The American Philatelist (ISSN 0003-0473) is published<br />
monthly by the American Philatelic Society, Inc., 100<br />
Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823.<br />
Periodicals postage paid at Bellefonte, PA 16823 and at<br />
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Distribution Agreement Number 40030959.<br />
Opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are those<br />
of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed by the society<br />
and/or the magazine. The American Philatelist cannot<br />
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printed herein.<br />
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©2020, The American Philatelic Society, Inc.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 3
President’s Column<br />
BY Robert Zeigler<br />
President<br />
RZeigler@zcklaw.com<br />
Don’t Resist the Urge to Specialize<br />
Some brave collectors still try to collect the world –<br />
and as you’ll see in this issue, the definition of “collecting<br />
the world” can vary depending on who you<br />
talk to. But if your goal is a complete<br />
world collection, you’ve probably<br />
found that the volume and cost of new<br />
issues is such that a very high budget<br />
is needed just to keep up. The temptation<br />
is extremely strong to draw<br />
the line somewhere, whether in time<br />
(1940 is a popular stopping point)<br />
or by singling out a continent (easy<br />
enough if you choose “Antarctica”!),<br />
or, more likely, a country. If you decide<br />
on a country, well – it is very likely<br />
that you will become a specialist.<br />
Often, you arrive at specialization<br />
in easy stages.<br />
You try at the beginning to<br />
collect every stamp that happens<br />
to fall into your hands.<br />
But then – the urge to complete<br />
arises, and you begin to<br />
appreciate the inherent conflict<br />
between the breadth of what you<br />
have desired to collect and the<br />
limits imposed by time and expense.<br />
Specialization represents a<br />
compromise; you narrow your<br />
Switzerland 333<br />
focus to what you think you<br />
can handle. But as you focus on<br />
something less broad, the true depths of collecting any<br />
major country becomes ever more apparent. Even the<br />
“narrowed” focus is just the tip of the iceberg.<br />
4 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021<br />
Switzerland Scott B11<br />
In my own case, I started by collecting United States<br />
and Europe. As time went by, I passed through ever more<br />
narrow phases, dropping the pursuit of one country after<br />
another. The United States was an early casualty as I realized<br />
that I could not possibly do justice to my native land<br />
because it is so vast and varied, and also because so many<br />
of our American collectors are such experts in the area.<br />
I could spend the rest of my life, not<br />
to mention my money, trying to catch<br />
up. True, if I had been a little more discerning,<br />
I could have been careful to<br />
select some more limited area within<br />
the United States, maybe a single state,<br />
a city or a county.<br />
Instead, after passing through an<br />
intermediate phase that included Scandinavia<br />
and Australia, I decided to<br />
pursue Switzerland. Why? It is fairly<br />
small, has a rich history, has three major<br />
languages (German, French and<br />
Italian), plus a minor language derived<br />
from Latin and only spoken in a small<br />
portion of the country, and has a<br />
great stamp-issuing heritage and<br />
an enthusiastic following of collectors,<br />
both at home and elsewhere.<br />
I found it especially interesting<br />
because of its neutrality<br />
during the two great wars of the<br />
twentieth century.<br />
So I ended up with one country,<br />
and a rather small one at<br />
that! But I have not regretted my<br />
choice. So went my journey into<br />
specialization. Everyone has a<br />
different journey – and there is<br />
no harm in choosing to remain<br />
a worldwide collector! There is a mutual respect among<br />
collectors no matter what they have chosen, because everyone<br />
is affected by the urge to collect, no matter how<br />
differently that urge might strike. The drive to collect and<br />
bring order to your collection is a hallmark of an inquiring<br />
mind.<br />
Happy New Year and happy collecting!
Keeeher & Rogee, Ltd.<br />
Fine Asian Auctions<br />
presents<br />
Two Special and Profoundly Serious China Auctions<br />
at our Danbury, CT Galleries in February 2021<br />
Every now and again, a truly special collection from<br />
long-ago resurfaces to capture the imagination and<br />
rekindle the collecting passions of days gone by.<br />
Such is the case of the remarkable “Legend of the Dragon”<br />
collection.<br />
As the name would suggest, the overriding emphasis<br />
of this stellar collection is based around the iconic Large<br />
Dragon issues of the Ching Dynasty. The collection, which<br />
has not seen the light of day in well over a generation, begins<br />
with a splendid array of the Large Dragon first issues proper,<br />
featuring sheets and blocks of the 1878 thin paper issues—in<br />
addition to a multitude of select quality mint sets for the<br />
1878 issue, as well as representation of the 1882 Wide Margin<br />
and 1883 thick paper printings.<br />
Not to be outdone, the 1885 and 1888 Second Customs<br />
Small Dragon Issues feature wonderful coverage, include<br />
panes, dual panes, a superb showing of mint blocks of 4, rare<br />
imperforate proofs, in addition to lovely Small Dragon surcharges,<br />
which feature numerous sets of blocks of the Small<br />
Figure issues, in addition to a lovely and rare set of blocks of<br />
4 of the Large Figure surcharges.<br />
Perhaps the most fascinating portion of the ample Small<br />
Dragon section are the nearly dozen lots of the elusive<br />
“Taiwan Postage Stamp” or “Formosa” issues, which feature<br />
Laurence Gibson started in<br />
the stamp business<br />
multiples, varieties etc.<br />
professionally in the early<br />
1980s with Earl P.L.<br />
Apfelbaum. Laurence<br />
became Far Eastern<br />
specialist, and heavily<br />
involved in the Asian<br />
Philatelic market. Laurence<br />
oversaw many important<br />
“One Owner” sales and<br />
brokered the famous “Sun”<br />
collection of Red Revenues<br />
for $2.5 million to a collector. Other notable single owner<br />
collections that Gibson has worked with include The Lois Evans<br />
Exhibition Collection, The “Knight” Sale of Select Rarities from<br />
China, The Fred Freilicher Collection of Hong Kong, The<br />
Michael Eugene Ruggiero Collection of Classic Japan, The<br />
Bruce Lee Memorabilia Collection, The Lee Yuen Wong<br />
Collection of China and The Dr. Steven J. Berlin Collection of<br />
Karl Lewis Covers. His experience and knowledge in the<br />
industry sets him apart in the philatelic market place.<br />
Following the Customs Issues is a specialized section of<br />
the 1894-1897 Empress Dowager Issues including a rare,<br />
complete set of First Printing Large Mother Die Proofs<br />
in addition to outstanding Black Second print proofs of<br />
re-drawn designs, exquisite “cigarette” paper proofs, Second<br />
print proofs on white paper etc. A wonderful study of the<br />
9ca tete-beche pairs are noted, including a lovely block of 4,<br />
Buy • Sell • Consign<br />
stamps@kelleherasia.com • www.kelleherasia.com<br />
USA Office: Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions<br />
22 Shelter Rock Ln., Unit 53,<br />
Danbury CT 06810<br />
T: +1.203.830.2500 F: 203.297.6059<br />
as well as examples of all six types. Impressive surcharges also.<br />
A powerful section of the 1897 Red Revenue issue is<br />
included, highlighted by select quality examples of the Small<br />
4c surcharge as well as the $5 value.<br />
Perhaps the most extraordinary portion of this legendary<br />
collection lies in the remarkable assembly dedicated to the<br />
incomparably diverse and wide ranging 1897-1914 postal<br />
history of the Coiling Dragon issues. Within the approximately<br />
110 individual lots, we will find some of the finest<br />
sections of Large & Small Dollar Chops, Pa-kua cancels, Sun<br />
& Moon chops, Tomb stone cancels and Railway postmarks<br />
ever offered in one place. The usages and varieties of this<br />
issue, in addition to the enormous range of postmarks, designate<br />
these issues as some of the most significant in Chinese<br />
postal history.<br />
The second portion of the Kelleher & Rogers lineup<br />
features issues of the Peoples Republic of China formed by<br />
a lady presently residing in New York City. In addition to<br />
a fine offering of scarce issues, we often find duplicated offerings<br />
of the ever-popular miniature sheets, along with full<br />
sheets of select issues etc.<br />
The collection was formed contemporaneously to the<br />
time of issue, and includes five positional blocks of four of<br />
the 1981 Monkey New Year issue, imperforate, marginal<br />
Buy • Sell • Consign<br />
In 1996, David Coogle<br />
co-founded, with Andrew<br />
Levitt, the Nutmeg Stamp<br />
Sales mail auction firm. In<br />
2004, Greg Manning<br />
purchased the Nutmeg bran<br />
and later merged the H.R.<br />
Harmer and Nutmeg<br />
companies, positioning Dav<br />
as President. During this<br />
period, John Bull Stamp<br />
Auctions (amongst other<br />
firms) were acquired by the<br />
Manning firm and under the<br />
Philatelic Divisions Management Team which included<br />
David. He began calling auctions in Hong Kong for the<br />
newly founded Dynasty Auctions Company, Ltd., with<br />
his friend and business Partner Laurence Gibson as<br />
co-owners and enjoys being an owner Director and<br />
Auctioneer at Kelleher & Rogers, Ltd.<br />
Mei Lan-tang issues, and a choice block of 4 of the second<br />
Military Stamp issue.<br />
Without any doubt, this K&R fabulous February Public<br />
Auction is of such pre-eminent importance that it will clearly<br />
set the pace for China philately in 2021. Send for your free<br />
catalog today.<br />
All inquiries for these two sales should be directed to<br />
Laurence Gibson at Kelleher’s Danbury offices.
Editing Philately<br />
BY Gary Wayne Loew<br />
Editor-in-Chief of APS Publications<br />
gary@stamps.org<br />
A Journey Around-the-Philatelic-World<br />
More, more, and still more…<br />
Since I began writing this column several months ago, I have ended by reminding APS<br />
members that this is your American Philatelist. I’ve encouraged you to write and let us know<br />
what you like and don’t like about the AP. And many of you have done just that.<br />
I learned that you want more articles about stamps and more articles about postal history.<br />
You want more articles about U.S. stamps and more articles about foreign stamps. You want<br />
more in-depth articles and more articles for beginners. The ambitious full-year editorial calendar<br />
we introduced was well received by all who wrote. About half of the members liked the idea<br />
of the special issues and half did not like the idea.<br />
So this month, you are all going to get what you wanted! Welcome to January’s “Wide World<br />
of Stamp Collecting: a potpourri of collecting topics.” To achieve that, we start with an article<br />
on collecting the world. We will be visiting the United States, of course, examining a single<br />
commemorative stamp of the 1950s and an entire genre of stamps (revenues). We will visit the<br />
Principality of Liechtenstein and explore collecting Allied Military Government stamps. And,<br />
because planet Earth is not big enough for stamp collectors, we will visit the Hubble Space Telescope,<br />
Hale-Bopp and (almost) to the universe and beyond – philatelically speaking, that is.<br />
In this issue<br />
Many of us began collecting with an enormous scope – perhaps you were given a worldwide<br />
stamp album as a child, or perhaps you began by collecting every stamp that fell into your<br />
hands. No matter where you take your collection next, this issue is<br />
proof that there is no wrong way to collect. APS President Bob Zeigler<br />
gives some advice for the collector who prefers to specialize, but we<br />
also find that “collecting the world” can be very rewarding. John Seidl<br />
offers his thoughts on different ways to specialize in worldwide stamp<br />
collecting. John has been participating in and giving back to the hobby<br />
for many years. One of the ways that he gives back is by serving as<br />
the president of the International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors<br />
(www.iswsc.org). Check out their interesting <strong>web</strong>site.<br />
From collecting the world, we shift focus to the opposite extreme.<br />
Liechtenstein is the sixth-smallest independent nation in<br />
the world, but its philately will support as deep a dive as any specialist<br />
could wish for. To prove that, author John R. Shotliff tells “A Tale of<br />
Errors, Freaks and Oddities… and Politics.”<br />
CALL FOR WRITERS<br />
The American Philatelist depends on our members, who provide much of the<br />
content of this magazine. I’d like to encourage more members to join our roster of<br />
philatelic writers. If you have an idea, please send your article idea, an outline and<br />
a brief description of what would make it interesting to our audience. Send your<br />
proposal by email to aparticle@stamps.org or mail to The American Philatelist, c/o<br />
Article Submission, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823.<br />
APS Official Family<br />
2019–2022<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
Robert Zeigler<br />
rzeigler@zcklaw.com<br />
BOARD OF VICE PRESIDENTS<br />
Cheryl Ganz<br />
cherylganz@yahoo.com<br />
Patricia (Trish) Kaufmann<br />
trishkauf@comcast.net<br />
Jeff Shapiro<br />
dirtyoldcovers@aol.com<br />
SECRETARY<br />
Stephen Schumann<br />
stephen.schumann@att.net<br />
TREASURER<br />
Bruce Marsden<br />
mail@brucemarsden.com<br />
DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE<br />
Michael Bloom<br />
mbloom@sinotech.com<br />
Rich Drews<br />
richbear427@hotmail.com<br />
Peter P. McCann<br />
ppm103226706@aol.com<br />
Mark Schwartz<br />
mark.schwartz1@verizon.net<br />
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT<br />
Stephen Reinhard<br />
sreinhard1@optonline.net<br />
STAMP THEFT COMMITTEE<br />
Nicholas A. Lombardi<br />
P.O. Box 1005<br />
Mountainside, NJ 07092<br />
stamptheft@stamps.org<br />
APS INSURANCE PLAN<br />
Hugh Wood Inc.,<br />
220 Match Factory Place<br />
Bellefonte, PA 16823<br />
Toll Free: 888-APS-6494<br />
Phone: 212-509-3777<br />
Fax: 212-509-4906<br />
aps@hughwood.com<br />
ADDRESS CHANGES<br />
To change your address online<br />
visit stamps.org and log into your<br />
My APS account. Or mail your<br />
new address information to<br />
APS, 100 Match Factory Place,<br />
Bellefonte, PA 16823<br />
(Fax: 814-933-6128).<br />
Please try to give us four weeks’<br />
notice. You can also add an<br />
e-mail address or <strong>web</strong>site to<br />
your APS record.<br />
CONNECT ONLINE<br />
6 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
APS-7.qxp_APS 06.05.20 14:30 Seite 1<br />
If you have interests that transcend national boundaries,<br />
there are many ways to philatelically satisfy those<br />
interests. For example, let me quote from Richard Pederson’s<br />
intriguing article, “The Allure of AMG Collecting”:<br />
“The Allied Military Government (AMG) specialty…<br />
has something for everyone, spanning multiple<br />
geographic and political states, several languages,<br />
changes in government and administration, and a<br />
rich historical situation – over the course of just a<br />
few years.”<br />
Pederson is editor of the A.M.G. Courier, the<br />
journal of The Allied Military Government Collectors’ Club (www.<br />
AMGcollectors.org).<br />
If going cross-border or collecting the whole world isn’t expansive enough<br />
for you, then perhaps the realm of astrophilately will slake your philatelic questing.<br />
When Katrin Raynor-Evans appeared in these pages exactly one year ago (“A<br />
Stamp on the Universe”) her article resonated with APS members. Many sent her<br />
astrophilatelic artifacts that they thought she might enjoy. In this issue, she shares<br />
her adventures in learning about new off-planet philatelic subjects. This is yet another<br />
rocket-propelled article from Katrin. I am sure you will enjoy the ride.<br />
Ron Lesher returns with the second installment in his column “The Collector<br />
of Revenue.” “Paying a Tax or Tax Exempt” shows us how a revenue stamp<br />
might verify that a tax has been paid or might confirm that no tax is due. The<br />
world of revenue stamps tells us so much about how governments achieved their<br />
fiscal requirements through diverse means of taxation. The subject may appear<br />
specialized, but it broaches vast swathes<br />
of society.<br />
Longtime contributor Charles<br />
Posner resumes his journey through<br />
the meaningful commemoratives of<br />
the 1950s. This time he settles on<br />
the year 1957 and the stamp commemorating<br />
the 50th anniversary<br />
of Oklahoma Statehood. This is a<br />
tale of postage, politics, and design<br />
planning. There is a lot to be<br />
learned about the creation of this<br />
3¢ stamp.<br />
Your areas<br />
of interest can be<br />
saved, and you<br />
receive notifications<br />
for newly listed<br />
items.<br />
Helping APS members to learn more<br />
One thing that all collectors appear to have in common is an endless quest to<br />
learn more about the stamps they collect or are considering collecting. We – and<br />
the APRL staff – frequently get inquiries about the topics that appeared in the<br />
prior month’s AP. So, beginning this month, many of the articles will end with a<br />
new feature, a sidebar titled “For Further Reading.” The talented researchers on the<br />
APRL staff will recommend books, articles, <strong>web</strong>sites, presentations from the APS<br />
YouTube channel, and perhaps courses available on our C3a educational archive.<br />
APS members can borrow books and obtain copies of articles, as well as sign up<br />
for C3a courses.<br />
Helping APS members find stamp dealers<br />
One observation that I made earlier struck a favorable note with many readers.<br />
You appreciate our new attention to balanced focus between content to help<br />
you be better collectors while simultaneously enabling you to more readily locate<br />
www. philasearch.com<br />
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JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 7
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January 2021:<br />
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February 2021:<br />
Aero-Philatelists and Astro-Philatelists alike will be pleased<br />
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TH<br />
stamp dealers who can match your individual collecting<br />
needs. Coming in the March issue, we will be introducing a<br />
sidebar accompanying many of our articles: “Where To Buy.”<br />
At the end of these articles, we will list the AP advertisers<br />
that offer philatelic material related to the contents of the article.<br />
These brief citations will key to dealers’ <strong>web</strong>sites as well<br />
as their display ads throughout the AP. We want to make<br />
it easy to grow from knowledgeable collectors to informed<br />
buyers.<br />
More, More, And Still More (Redux)<br />
The messages you sent to us all had one thing in common:<br />
AP readers want more. More articles. More access to<br />
the right dealers for you. When you contact a stamp dealer<br />
or philatelic auction house, please tell them that you saw<br />
their ad in The American Philatelist.<br />
* * *<br />
I have said this before: if you wish to see a perpetuallyimproving<br />
American Philatelist, you – our readers and APS<br />
members – must become a part of this exciting journey.<br />
Reach out to me with your questions, concerns, and suggestions.<br />
Contact us to write for the AP. More importantly, volunteer<br />
to participate. This is your American Philatelist. My<br />
email is Gary@stamps.org.<br />
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BATTLE OF BRITAIN<br />
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BATTLE OF BRITAIN<br />
A N N I V E R S A R Y<br />
The Battle of Britain took place<br />
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This emotive issue comes with an<br />
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80 TH<br />
80<br />
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TH<br />
10 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Letters to the Editor<br />
lettertotheeditor@stamps.org<br />
Oh Pongal<br />
I was both surprised and delighted to<br />
read Dhatri Iyer’s article “Oh Pongal: Celebrate<br />
the Pongal Festival With Us” in<br />
the December AP. I really enjoyed reading<br />
about this festival and love Dhatri’s enthusiasm and<br />
willingness to share her culture and traditions. And to think,<br />
she was inspired by an FDC! The future of philately is in<br />
young people like Dhatri. I am a huge fan of Indian food<br />
and Indian festivities, having studied Indian cuisines and<br />
cultures for over 30 years. I am fortunate to live in a town<br />
with a large Indian population and excellent markets so I<br />
will be putting the Pongal dates on my calendar and preparing<br />
some traditional, festive foods. I am very inspired by<br />
Dhatri’s article and enjoyed seeing the FDC. I sincerely hope<br />
to see more articles from this enthusiastic young lady. Vanakkamm<br />
Dhatri!<br />
I also hope to see articles about other cultures and their<br />
traditions as seen on stamps and philatelic items. Such a fun<br />
way to learn about our friends and neighbors.<br />
(P.S. Vanakkam is a Tamil word used in greeting as a sign<br />
of respect - similar to Namaste in Hindi.)<br />
Marion Rollings, PhD<br />
Hillsborough, NJ<br />
Practical applications of<br />
stamp collecting<br />
My father bought me a small paperback<br />
album when I was around 10 years old and<br />
this began a lifetime learning experience.<br />
I was working on a degree in Criminal Justice and needed<br />
to take an elective. Friends suggested that I take a course<br />
called “The Economic Development of the People’s Republic<br />
of China.” Taught by an Emeritus Professor, the course<br />
was used as a learning process using China’s economy as the<br />
subject.<br />
There were 13 of us taking the course, 12 of which were<br />
MBA candidates. Made me feel out of place. During the<br />
first class the professor began talking about Sri Lanka. After<br />
about five minutes it became obvious that none of the<br />
other students had any idea what or where Sri Lanka was.<br />
He asked if anyone knew anything about this country. I was<br />
the only one to raise a hand. I told him about the island, its<br />
name change from Ceylon, its location and its products. I<br />
talked for about five minutes and got a lot of nasty stares<br />
form my fellow students.<br />
During the first break I was grilled by the others who<br />
were annoyed that an outsider had shown them up. The reason<br />
I remembered Sri Lanka was because one of the first sets<br />
of stamps my father gave me was a set of florals from this<br />
country. How could I ever forget the beauty of the stamps<br />
and how could I forget that each stamp was printed twice?<br />
– once in their native language and then in English. These<br />
stamps still have an honored place in my collection.<br />
I prefer stamps that were purchased by someone, put<br />
on an envelope or package, and mailed. The person who received<br />
the stamp saved it and passed it on. One can only<br />
imagine the journey each stamp has taken. It has a history<br />
that can only be imagined.<br />
By the way, I was one of the few students in the class to<br />
get an “A” at the end of the semester.<br />
David L. Shoemaker<br />
Fogelsville, PA<br />
Santa to the rescue<br />
I grew up in the suburbs of Washington<br />
DC, in the 1940s and 50s and even though<br />
I have long ago become a Texan, I still have<br />
a lot of family and friends on the East Coast. Some<br />
years ago, I was visiting the area when I picked up a copy of<br />
the Washington Post newspaper. While idly reading, I noticed<br />
a full page listing of people with unclaimed property in<br />
the State of Maryland. As one is wont to do, I skimmed the<br />
list for my name, not really expecting to see it.<br />
But there it was - “TERMINI, BENEDICT, WEST VIR-<br />
GINIA AVE.” - my name and the street I had lived on when<br />
I was a child in Bethesda, Maryland. I had not lived at that<br />
address since the early 1950s when our rapidly growing family<br />
had moved to a larger house. I could not believe that there<br />
was unclaimed property in my name, now held by the State of<br />
Maryland, dating from my childhood, over half a century ago.<br />
12 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
I called the telephone<br />
number listed<br />
in the notice and spoke<br />
with an employee of<br />
the State Comptroller’s<br />
office. She said there<br />
was indeed a nice sum<br />
of money (over $400)<br />
in their unclaimed<br />
property fund with my<br />
name on it, although she did not have any idea where it came from. She said all I<br />
had to do was go online, download the appropriate form from their <strong>web</strong>site and<br />
send it in with a copy of my driver’s license. I did so.<br />
But I had not reckoned with the obstacles of government bureaucracy. Six<br />
weeks later I received a response stating that in order for them to send me a check<br />
I would have to document that I had lived at the specified address on West Virginia<br />
Avenue.<br />
This was easier said than done. My parents were deceased, and I had only lived<br />
at that address as a small child. How do you go about proving where you lived<br />
when you were five years old? After a thorough search I located some of my report<br />
cards from grade school. Alas, they only listed my name and age, and helpful comments<br />
like, “Could do much better.”<br />
But while searching for my report cards, I came across a letter to Santa Claus<br />
that I had written, with the help of my father, in 1947. At the age of four, I sat on my<br />
father’s knee while he carefully wrote out my letter to Santa, listing all the presents<br />
I wanted for Christmas – a sail boat, toy trucks, a bag of candy, and others. I have<br />
no idea how the pair of size 11 slippers got on the list. I found the letter with my<br />
father’s papers after his death - he had saved it all his life. And yes - it did give an<br />
address, on West Virginia Avenue, for Santa to deliver my presents. It even had a<br />
couple of torn 1947 Christmas seals at the top.<br />
I copied the letter and sent it to the State Comptroller’s office with an explanation<br />
and the comment that, “If you can’t trust Santa Claus, who can you trust.”<br />
Three weeks later I received my check.<br />
Benedict (Benny) Termini<br />
Fort Worth, TX<br />
Fancy cancels and fancy revenue stamps<br />
I have thoroughly enjoyed every issue of The American Philatelist<br />
since re-joining the APS a number of years ago, but the November 2020<br />
issue was spectacular in my humble opinion! I especially want to thank<br />
you, and Nick Kirke, for the very educational article on “New York Foreign<br />
Mail Cancels on the Large Bank Note Issues, 1870-75.” I had run across “foreign<br />
mail cancels” terminology before and had made a mental note to do some research<br />
on exactly what that entailed, so this article, in all its detail and examples, was extremely<br />
interesting and informative. Very useful is the “Further Reading” section<br />
at the end. I can’t wait for Mr. Kirke’s Part Two!<br />
The next article that impressed me was the very next article, “Revenues and<br />
Who Authorized Them,” part of a new “The Collector of Revenue” series, by Ron<br />
Lesher. A relatively new area of collecting for me, so there was much new info in<br />
the article. I especially appreciate the portion dealing with the plethora of nonpaper<br />
revenue materials. Who knew? Certainly not me! Very much looking forward<br />
to this series!<br />
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JANAURY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 13
Thank you, again, and keep up the excellent work!<br />
Vincent Cox<br />
Greensboro, GA<br />
Pandemic philately<br />
The cover shown depicts a new German<br />
cancel on the topic of the coronavirus,<br />
from Briefzentrum 30 (Postal Center<br />
30), which serves the Hannover area. It<br />
reads: “Gemeinsam gegen Corona” (together against<br />
corona) and “sich selbst und andere schutzen” (protect yourselves<br />
and others) with a heart formed by two arms hugging-<br />
-from a distance. The stamp is a 110 Eurocent value from the<br />
flower series and pays the standard letter rate to the US from<br />
Germany. It is an interesting postal sign of the times.<br />
Ken Gilbert<br />
Columbus, OH<br />
(Editor’s note: Many nations have issued stamps or cancellations<br />
about the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Philatelist<br />
will be publishing information on this philatelic topic<br />
in coming months.)<br />
Memories for the tongs…<br />
After reading the spate of letters in the<br />
December issue of The American Philatelist<br />
commenting on FDR’s lack of tongs when<br />
handling a stamp, particularly that of Mr. Fred<br />
Korr, I recalled an event that I was lucky to observe. I had<br />
an occasion to be in New York on a day in April in the early<br />
1980s. I had a morning to kill so I decided to visit the offices<br />
of the Philatelic Foundation whose expertizing services<br />
I had used several times. While I was scanning their<br />
bookshelves, Mortimer Neinken (Chairman of the Foundation<br />
at the time, I believe) strode in. He announced that he<br />
was there to look at a stamp that had been submitted for<br />
expertizing. It was not too many minutes later when Mr.<br />
Herb Bloch (lot describer for the H. R. Harmer auction of<br />
FDR’s stamp collection) arrived for the same reason. After<br />
some casual banter, Mr. Neinken retrieved the patient and<br />
began to huddle with Mr. Bloch. Call me “nosy” but I sidled<br />
as close as I dared to where they began their investigation – I<br />
wanted to know how two Doctors of Philately went about<br />
diagnosing a patient.<br />
As I watched, Mortimer picked up the stamp in his fingers<br />
– no tongs – and placed it on the bottom of an overturned<br />
black-glass ashtray that happened to be handy. He<br />
then poured some watermark-detecting fluid over the stamp.<br />
At that point the real analyzing began. Sad to say, thirty-plus<br />
years later, I don’t remember the stamp or what the prognosis<br />
was.<br />
I suppose Mr. Neinken washed his hands before coming<br />
into the offices – I know he didn’t do so while I was there.<br />
At first I was appalled, remembering the things I was taught<br />
along the same lines as Mr. Korr’s Dad taught him. But I later<br />
became more philosophical about it and accepted that Mortimer<br />
and Herb had a lot more experience in these matters<br />
than I and for them it was “no big deal.” But I have not abandoned<br />
my lessons and, while on very rare occasions I will handle<br />
a stamp with my fingers, my tongs are a part of my hands.<br />
Michael A. Rainer<br />
Huntington Beach, CA<br />
The challenges of publishing a<br />
stamp magazine<br />
Today, November 16, 2020, my wife<br />
came in with the mail and said “you<br />
got another stamp magazine.” I could not<br />
figure out which one it would be because none were due.<br />
Much to my surprise, it turns out it was the October issue<br />
of The American Philatelist. It was a little rumpled but other<br />
than that it was ok.<br />
A comment on the November issue. Two long main articles<br />
on esoteric subjects did not catch my attention. The<br />
magazine needs more variety and shorter articles to serve<br />
a larger audience. The same thing seems to be happening<br />
to the American Stamp Dealers Association magazine. The<br />
last one had two long articles on CSA material. Not my cup<br />
of tea.<br />
Bob Marousky<br />
Ocean Springs, MS<br />
Do not throw away stamps<br />
Recently a widow whose husband had<br />
recently passed contacted me to tell me<br />
to remove his name from my mailing list.<br />
When I asked her about her husband’s specialty<br />
stamp collection, she told me a dealer had come by,<br />
purchased the other stamps and told her the specialty collection<br />
was worthless and to throw those stamps away. This she<br />
had done. Thirty years ago, he had shown me a small portion<br />
of his specialty collection and I would have gladly paid her<br />
$300 just for that portion.<br />
Please do not tell someone a collection is worthless.<br />
Please do not throw stamps away just because they are of<br />
no interest to you. If you do not want them, donate them. A<br />
good place which I recommend is “Stamps for the Wound-<br />
14 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
ed” P.O. Box 297 Dunn Landing, VA 22027. This is part of<br />
the Stamps for Wounded Veterans program whose mailings<br />
most of us have received.<br />
David W. Smith<br />
Trumansburg, NY<br />
Crypto confusion<br />
The “New World Issues” column on<br />
page 1138 (Dec 2020) noted the June 2020<br />
“Crypto” issue from the Austrian Post Office.<br />
The United Nations (Nov. 24, 2020)<br />
also released a set of Crypto currency postage stamps. You<br />
can read details at the UN <strong>web</strong>site: https://crypto.unstamps.<br />
org/<br />
Likely, most APS members are not familiar with crypto<br />
currency issues, yet alone what “Blockchain” means or how it<br />
works. When I copied the text “cryptocurrency” and “blockchain”<br />
from the UN <strong>web</strong>site’s description of the stamps, Microsoft’s<br />
hotmail email service rejected that email, which I<br />
sent 3 times to 3 different email addresses of friends with<br />
whom I regularly correspond. Clearly there must be something<br />
problematic about those words, although the Yahoo.<br />
com email system does not block emails with these “darned,<br />
problematic” words.<br />
I have no computer expertise, but one of the purposes<br />
of encryption programs, especially as it relates to allowing<br />
secure transmission of information from banks, is to allow<br />
the consumer to do ATM transactions. The use of 27 digit<br />
random-number generators, which are not kept or tracked,<br />
allows such secure transactions. Similarly, the “attraction” of<br />
Bitcoin transactions is that they are secure and not traceable.<br />
Can someone kindly explain WHY (or how) this crypto<br />
postage is of any value to anybody, especially if there is no<br />
way to track it – and thus confirm delivery of, for example,<br />
money sent?<br />
Fred Korr<br />
Oakland, CA<br />
A message of mutual support<br />
Many years ago, forty or more, my wife and I began to<br />
save stamps from the mail we received. During that same<br />
time, we were raising our four teenage children. We had a<br />
couple of starter stamp albums, but they were not generally<br />
Errata<br />
NOVEMBER<br />
Page 1048. The heading for the “Taiwan Can Help” stamp<br />
should be “Republic of China (Taiwan).”<br />
DECEMBER<br />
Page 1091. The correct date in the Figure 4 caption is 1919.<br />
Page 1104. The image described as the reverse of the Figure<br />
17 cover is incorrect.<br />
Page 1134. The 2020 Kwanzaa stamp is the 14th Kwanzaa<br />
stamp to be issued and the eighth unique design.<br />
used. But we kept the<br />
stamps, and in fact my<br />
wife found a couple of<br />
world stamp albums<br />
at a local place that<br />
bought and sold articles<br />
from estates. She<br />
also found envelopes<br />
with stamps from<br />
countries around the<br />
world.<br />
In March 2020, when we were told to stay home because<br />
of the pandemic and COVID-19, I decided it was time to explore<br />
stamp collecting again, this time in earnest. I purchased<br />
Mystic’s 3 Volume American Heirloom Album, and began to<br />
educate myself about the many aspects of stamp collecting.<br />
I went online, discovered the American Philatelic Society,<br />
and promptly joined when I discovered they have a wealth of<br />
educational information for stamp collecting. I also quickly<br />
learned how helpful Mystic’s Guide to Stamp Collecting, particularly<br />
“Stamp Collecting Thoughts from Don Sundman”<br />
which states:<br />
“Stamps, like tiny mirrors, reflect what we as Americans<br />
feel is important. The people, places, and events that have<br />
shaped us and our society, as well as those of the world beyond<br />
our borders, and highlighted on postage stamps.”<br />
Here are some of my favorite United States stamps that I<br />
discovered and which I believe reflect what was once important,<br />
and still is important today:<br />
1956 Children’s Stamp (Scott 1085) - Friendship - the<br />
Key to World Peace.<br />
1960 World Refugee Year (Scott 1149) - Family Walking<br />
Towards New Life<br />
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR<br />
We encourage readers to send their comments, questions<br />
and feedback to The American Philatelist.<br />
Submission of a letter implies consent to publish, unless<br />
specifically prohibited by the sender. The decision of<br />
whether to publish is made by the editorial staff of The<br />
American Philatelist.<br />
Generally, letters will be published unless determined<br />
to be offensive, disrespectful, libelous, slanderous or not<br />
chiefly related to the stamp hobby.<br />
The opinions expressed in a Letter to the Editor are<br />
those of the author and not The American Philatelist. We<br />
do not publish or accept requests for the publication of<br />
anonymous letters.<br />
To allow more Letters to the Editor, you are respectfully<br />
requested to limit submissions to 500 words or less.<br />
If your submission is longer, the editorial team will ask you<br />
to resubmit a shorter version, or provide you a copy of an<br />
edited version to review prior to publication.<br />
Submit your letters to letterstotheeditor@stamps.org<br />
or mail a typewritten copy to: Letter to the Editor,<br />
The American Philatelist,<br />
100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823.<br />
JANAURY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 15
1962 World<br />
United Against<br />
Malaria (Scott<br />
1194) – This stamp<br />
publicized the Malaria<br />
eradication<br />
drive of the World<br />
Health Organization.<br />
1993 AIDS<br />
Awareness (Scott 2806) reflects compassion for those suffering<br />
from complications caused by AIDS.<br />
These four are an exceedingly small sample of the many<br />
wonderful stamps that reflect positive important themes reflected<br />
on stamps. In this fast paced world we live in, with<br />
cell phones, e-mail and social media it seems that some of<br />
the more important and simple messages from stamps get<br />
lost.<br />
The past months have been a learning experience for me.<br />
Now I am starting to delve into the stamps from around the<br />
world that we have collected over the years. Having begun<br />
with United States stamps and having the benefit of Mystic’s<br />
2020 U.S. Stamp Catalog, I thought collecting and placing<br />
world stamps would be straight forward. I subsequently<br />
learned that there is no similar free catalog for world stamps.<br />
And I also discovered<br />
that my world<br />
stamp albums do<br />
not, could not,<br />
have pictures and<br />
places for all the<br />
stamps from each<br />
country. I’m still<br />
learning.<br />
People from all around the world are going through<br />
this terrible time dealing with COVID-19. Can we all share<br />
a message of mutual support, respect, and love for all our<br />
sisters and brothers regardless of race, creed or color? That<br />
is what I believe is most important! For example, would it<br />
be possible for a new stamp to be designed<br />
for the World United Against<br />
COVID-19 with a picture of a person<br />
wearing a face mask? Or a stamp that<br />
says, “Stay strong, we’ll get through<br />
this together!”<br />
Happy Collecting!<br />
Deacon Alfred R. Manzella<br />
Slingerlands, NY<br />
Find the rare gem<br />
among more than<br />
80 million collectibles!<br />
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479 VF/XF, bold 479 479 VF/XF, F/VF bold OG NH, 479 F/VF OG 479 NH, F/VF 479 OG F/VF NH, OG NH,<br />
480 F-VF OG NH, NH, 480 F/VF 480 OG F/VF NH, OG NH, 480 VF OG NH, 480 VF 480 OG VF/XF NH, OG NH, 480 VF/XF OG NH,<br />
color, Nice! $85 color, bold Nice! color! $85 $349 bold color! Super $349 Nice! Super Nice! $359 $359<br />
Nice! $245<br />
super super color! $335 color! $335 CHOICE! $375 CHOICE! Choice! $375$450<br />
Choice! $450<br />
479 VF/XF, bold<br />
color, Nice! $85<br />
479 VF/XF, bold<br />
479 F/VF OG NH,<br />
bold color! $349<br />
479 F/VF OG NH,<br />
479 F/VF OG NH,<br />
Super Nice! $359<br />
479 F/VF OG NH,<br />
480 F-VF OG NH,<br />
Nice! $245<br />
480 F-VF OG NH,<br />
480 F/VF OG NH,<br />
super color! $335<br />
480 F/VF OG NH,<br />
480 VF OG NH,<br />
CHOICE! $375<br />
480 VF OG NH,<br />
480 VF/XF OG NH,<br />
Choice! $450<br />
480 VF/XF OG NH,<br />
color, Nice! $85 bold color! $349 Super Nice! $359 Nice! $245 super color! $335 CHOICE! $375 Choice! $450<br />
480 SUPERB OG 480 SUPERB OG<br />
NH, CERT $790 NH, CERT $790<br />
480 SUPERB OG<br />
NH, CERT $790<br />
523 VF, lovely 523 VF, lovely 523 VF JUMBO 523 VF JUMBO face face<br />
523 VF/XF OG OG Hr, Hr, 523 VF/XF 523 OG VF/XF LH, OG 523 LH, F/VF OG 523 NH, F/VF OG NH,<br />
cancel, NICE! $245 free cancel free cancel $275 $275<br />
terrific color! $385 $385 Nice! $675 fresh color! $715<br />
cancel, NICE! $245<br />
523 VF, lovely<br />
cancel, NICE! $245<br />
523 VF JUMBO face<br />
free cancel $275<br />
Nice! $675<br />
523 VF/XF OG Hr,<br />
terrific color! $385<br />
fresh color! $715<br />
523 VF/XF OG LH,<br />
Nice! $675<br />
523 F/VF OG NH,<br />
Super Color! $825<br />
523 F/VF OG NH,<br />
fresh color! $715<br />
523 F/VF OG NH,<br />
Super Color! $825<br />
523 F/VF OG NH,<br />
Super Color! $825<br />
480 SUPERB OG 523 VF, lovely 523 VF JUMBO face 523 VF/XF OG Hr, 523 VF/XF OG LH, 523 F/VF OG NH, 523 F/VF OG NH,<br />
NH, CERT $790 cancel, NICE! $245 free cancel $275 terrific color! $385 Nice! $675 fresh color! $715 Super Color! $825<br />
523 F/VF OG NH, 523 524 F/VF OG XF-SUPERB,<br />
NH, 524 XF-SUPERB, 524 F/VF 524 OG F/VF VLH, OG VLH, 524 524 VF VF OG LH, super super 524 F/VF 524 OG F/VF VLH, OG VLH, 524 F/VF OG 524 NH, F/VF 524 VF OG OG NH, nice 524 VF OG NH, nice<br />
strong color $910523 strong F/VF large color OG margins! $910 NH, large $65 524 margins! XF-SUPERB, nice $65 color nice $125 color 524 $125 F/VF OG VLH, centering! 524 $145<br />
VF OG fresh LH, fresh color super $150 color 524 $150 deep F/VF color! OG VLH, $299 deep color! 524 $305 F/VF $299OG NH, 524 $305 VF OG NH, nice<br />
strong color $910 large margins! $65 nice color $125 centering! $145 fresh color $150 deep color! $299 $305<br />
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523 F/VF OG NH, 524 XF-SUPERB, 524 F/VF OG VLH, 524 VF OG LH, super 524 F/VF OG VLH, 524 F/VF OG NH, 524 VF OG NH, nice<br />
524 VF OG NH, nice strong 524<br />
524<br />
VF color VF 524 OG<br />
OG<br />
NH, VF/XF NH, $910 nice<br />
nice OG large 524 NH, 524<br />
VF/XF margins! VF/XF<br />
OG 524 NH,<br />
OG VF/XF $65 NH,<br />
524 OG VF/XF<br />
524 nice NH, OG<br />
VF/XF color NH,<br />
OG $125 547<br />
NH,<br />
F/VF OG 547<br />
LH, centering! LH, F/VF<br />
547<br />
OG $145 VF+ 547 LH,<br />
OG VF+ H, fresh OG 547<br />
547 H, VF+ color VF<br />
OG<br />
OG $150 VLH,<br />
H, 547 VF OG 547 deep 547 VLH, SUPERB<br />
VF color! OG VLH, $299547 SUPERB 547 SUPERB $305<br />
color! $315 color! color! Fresh! $315 $315 $410Fresh! Fresh! $410 GRD $410 85 GRD CERT 85 GRD $510 CERT 85 $510 CERT $510<br />
Fresh! $99<br />
Fresh! Fresh! $99Fresh! $110 $110 Fresh! bold color! $110 $120 bold color! JUMBO, bold $120 color! Used! $135 $120 JUMBO, JUMBO, Used! Used! $135 $135<br />
547 XF OG H, bold 547 547 XF 547a XF OG OG H, H, F/VF bold OG 547a VLH, 547a F/VF F/VF OG 547 VLH, OG Fine+ VLH, 547 OG Fine+ 547 NH, OG Fine+ NH, OG 572 NH,<br />
F/VF OG 572 NH, NH, F/VF 572 OG XF 572 OG NH, XF NH, OG GRD 572 NH, 572 XF GRD XF-SUP OG NH, 572 OG GRD NH, XF-SUP 573 572 VF XF-SUP OG NH, gum OG 573 NH, VF 573 OG VF NH, OG gum NH, gum<br />
color, fresh $135 524 color, VF color, OG fresh fresh NH, Nice! $135 nice $145524 Nice! Nice! VF/XF $145 SUPER $145 OG NH, NICE! SUPER SUPER 524 NICE! $165 VF/XF $165 NICE! OG $165<br />
NH, nice! $130<br />
547 nice! F/VF 90 $130 OG CERT 90 LH, CERT $225 90 $225 547 GRD95 CERT VF+ CERT $225 OG GRD95 $425 H, CERT GRD95 bend 547 $425 $185 VF CERT OG $425 VLH, bend bend $185 547 SUPERB $185<br />
color! $315 Fresh! $410 GRD 85 CERT $510 Fresh! $99 Fresh! $110 bold color! $120 JUMBO, Used! $135<br />
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573 F/VF+ OG NH, 573 VF OG NH, 573 VF/XF OG NH, 573 XF OG NH, GRD 573a F/VF+ OG NH, 573 XF-SUP OG NH, 573 XF-SUP OG NH<br />
573 F/VF+ OG NH, 573 nice! F/VF+ 573 $199 OG VF NH, OG NH, terrific 573 VF OG color! 573 NH, VF/XF $225 573 OG VF/XF GRD NH, OG 85 NH, CERT 573 573 $235<br />
XF OG NH, 90 GRD GRD CERT 573a $295 573a F/VF+ OG F/VF+ NH, car OG 573 lake! NH, XF-SUP $299 573 OG NH, XF-SUP 573 XF-SUP GEM! OG NH, OG $325 NH 573 XF-SUP GRD95 OG CERT NH $499<br />
nice! $199 nice! terrific $199 color! terrific $225color! GRD $22585 GRD CERT 85 $235 CERT $235 90 90 CERT $295<br />
car lake! car $299 lake! $299GEM! $325 GEM! GRD95 $325 CERT $499 GRD95 CERT $499<br />
ASK 547 US XF ABOUT OG H, bold OUR 547a NO F/VF INTEREST OG VLH, 547 PAYMENT Fine+ OG NH, PLAN!<br />
ASK US ABOUT Terms: ASK color, OUR Payment US fresh ABOUT NO $135 with INTEREST OUR order NO Nice! (Check, INTEREST $145<br />
MO, VISA, PAYMENT SUPER MC NICE! or PLAN! DIS). $165P&H add<br />
Terms: Payment with $1.50. Terms: order Payment 10-day (Check, with Guarantee! order MO, (Check, VISA, SASE MO, MC for VISA, or complete MC DIS). or DIS). P&H U.S. P&H pricelist! add<br />
$1.50. 10-day wE Guarantee! $1.50. BUY 10-day / SASE Guarantee! SELL for complete SASE StAMPS for complete U.S. U.S. and pricelist! CoINS P.o. Box P.o.<br />
607-862-9441 5628, Box Endicott, 5628,<br />
(Ph/Fax) NY Endicott, 13763 • STEVE@MALACK.COM<br />
NY 13763<br />
wE BUY / wE SELL BUY StAMPS / SELL StAMPS and and CoINS<br />
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• STEVE@MALACK.COM<br />
572 F/VF OG NH, 572 XF OG NH, GRD 572 XF-SUP OG NH, 573 VF OG NH, gum<br />
nice! $130 STEVE 90 CERT $225 GRD95 MALACK<br />
CERT $425 bend $185<br />
STEVE P.o. MALACK<br />
Box 5628, Endicott, NY 13763<br />
PUB_EN_A4_AmericanPhilatelist_185.67x254_2020_NEWText.indd 6 23-10-20 15:06:37<br />
16 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021<br />
573 F/VF+ OG NH,<br />
nice! $199<br />
573 VF OG NH,<br />
terrific color! $225<br />
573 VF/XF OG NH,<br />
GRD 85 CERT $235<br />
573 XF OG NH, GRD<br />
90 CERT $295<br />
573a F/VF+ OG NH,<br />
car lake! $299<br />
573 XF-SUP OG NH,<br />
GEM! $325<br />
573 XF-SUP OG NH<br />
GRD95 CERT $499
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SG - Auctions - AMS US A4 - 25.11.20.indd 1 25/11/2020 15:24:55
Our Story<br />
BY Scott English<br />
Executive Director<br />
scott@stamps.org<br />
A Remarkable Step for Civil War Philately<br />
IN<br />
November, the Confederate Stamp Alliance’s<br />
membership voted overwhelmingly to change<br />
its name to the Civil War Philatelic Society.<br />
With 365 total votes cast, 310 supported the move while 55<br />
members opposed it. Beginning in 2021, the quarterly journal<br />
for the Society will become the Civil War Philatelist.<br />
When the CWPS Board proposed the name change, they<br />
recognized the reality of where we are today. Among the<br />
reasons were national efforts to remove Confederate statues,<br />
collections losing value, a loss of advertisers for the journal,<br />
and even difficulty booking hotels. It rightly noted the word<br />
Confederate “equates to pro-slavery and<br />
racism to most citizens.”<br />
For full disclosure, I’ve been a member<br />
of the Society since 2017, and I voted<br />
in favor of the name change. Though<br />
I’m hardly a high-level philatelist in any<br />
subject, I am a historian. In college, I focused<br />
on the landscape of the Civil War<br />
and Reconstruction through every lens<br />
possible. It is an important subject to understand,<br />
given the nation continues to<br />
struggle with the War and its aftermath.<br />
We cannot deny the Confederacy’s<br />
cause has been hijacked by those who<br />
want hate to keep the nation as divided<br />
as it was then. We should not deny what<br />
the Confederacy represents to many fellow<br />
Americans.<br />
When I joined the South Carolina Governor’s staff in<br />
2003, the State had just voted to remove the Confederate flag<br />
from flying over the Capitol Dome. The flag was relocated to<br />
the State House grounds by the Confederate Veterans Memorial.<br />
Throughout my time in the Governor’s Office, different<br />
groups lobbied to remove the flag altogether, while others<br />
wanted to restore it to the Dome. Though I had hoped we<br />
could restart the discussion of full removal, but other crises<br />
got in the way. I learned to regret that we didn’t at least try.<br />
On June 17, 2015, a young white man walked into a bible<br />
study at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston,<br />
SC. He sat through the study before murdering nine people,<br />
including the minister and state senator Clementa Pinckney,<br />
whom I’d come to know as a friend. We would learn<br />
18 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021<br />
Scott 77 15¢ Abraham Lincoln<br />
this young man, fueled by anger and brandishing the Confederate<br />
flag as a symbol of pride, believed he would start a<br />
race war, 150 years after the end of the Civil War. The South<br />
Carolina legislature voted to remove the flag from the State<br />
House grounds later that year.<br />
It was then the first effort to change the name of the Society<br />
began and failed. APS Vice President Trish Kaufmann,<br />
who has served the Society in various capacities, including<br />
President and editor of the journal, was one of the outspoken<br />
leaders to the change. Over time, she’s remained an advocate,<br />
and in November, her efforts and those of countless<br />
others accomplished that goal.<br />
For me, I didn’t support the change<br />
because of hotel reservations, advertising,<br />
or even my dear friend, Clem, but<br />
rather because I thought it was the right<br />
thing to do. History needs perspective<br />
and focusing on one aspect of the Civil<br />
War, rather than the whole story, fails to<br />
teach. Stamp collectors are some of the<br />
most important historians because we<br />
preserve the direct connections between<br />
people and tell their stories. By transitioning<br />
to the CWPS, the Society opens<br />
the door to collectors of Union philatelic<br />
material and postal history from<br />
the same era. We know the War divided<br />
families, but in some ways, the country<br />
remained intertwined.<br />
We also know that philately should be apolitical. Though<br />
politics invade too many corners of our world today, philately<br />
is a welcome escape for most of us. In time, politics<br />
would have found its way to the CWPS, gradually eroding<br />
its membership and relevance. We do not need to celebrate<br />
the Confederacy’s cause, but we need to understand it and<br />
hand those lessons to the next generation and on. As George<br />
Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are<br />
condemned to repeat it.”<br />
On the occasion of his second inaugural address to the<br />
nation, our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, offered these<br />
words:<br />
“With malice toward none, with charity for all,<br />
with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the
ight, let us strive on to finish the work we are<br />
in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for<br />
him who shall have borne the battle and for<br />
his widow and his orphan, to do all which<br />
may achieve and cherish a just and lasting<br />
peace among ourselves and with all nations.”<br />
Lincoln delivered those words on March 4, 1865.<br />
The timing of his comments is remarkable. In February,<br />
he had signed the Joint Resolution to send<br />
to the states the 13th amendment for ratification,<br />
which outlawed slavery in the U.S. Constitution. In<br />
April, he was assassinated, and in May, the War ended.<br />
When he said those words, the question was no<br />
longer whether the Union would prevail, but when.<br />
Given that, he wanted to frame what peace had to<br />
look like for a nation in need of healing. After all this<br />
time, the work is still not done, but if philately can<br />
lead by example, it should.<br />
Thank you to the CWPS Board, Trish Kaufmann,<br />
and countless others, and the members of the Society<br />
for taking this critical step in the hobby. I look<br />
forward to seeing the organization chart this new<br />
course.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 19
A Philatelic Quest<br />
for Everywhere<br />
JOHN SEIDL<br />
Like many stamp collectors, I started out with worldwide<br />
packets as a young boy. Unlike most stamp collectors,<br />
50+ years later I still avidly collect worldwide: all years,<br />
all countries, all issues. While this may in fact be a bit crazed,<br />
there is a challenge that I know you will find much harder than<br />
you’d first think: Collect one issue from every stamp issuing entity<br />
that has put forth stamps to move the mails.<br />
I first climbed this mountain many years ago, both as an<br />
exercise in philatelic exploration but also as a way to give<br />
myself something to look for at stamp shows. I have several<br />
specialist country and topical collections but after some time<br />
and money have been invested, it becomes difficult to find new<br />
material without converting to postal history. So I took on the<br />
“everywhere hunt” as a new way to engage with our hobby.<br />
20 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Where is everywhere? Defining the scope of your<br />
quest is the first problem. What do you want to include<br />
or exclude? For my personal definition, I decided on the<br />
following: existing countries, dead countries, military occupations,<br />
government agencies, and international organizations.<br />
I chose to exclude philatelic fantasies, cinderellas,<br />
micronations or political entities that tried to create credibility<br />
though issuing postage stamps such as Mantanzas or<br />
the Republic of South Moluccas. One of the great aspects of<br />
stamp collecting is each stamp collector is free to make their<br />
own decisions about what to include in their collection and<br />
that certainly applies here.<br />
Now that you have your categories, you must determine<br />
which entities actually qualify to be included in each. There<br />
are many sources to follow and even a few albums have been<br />
published that seek to answer this question. You can create<br />
“the list” by consulting any of the following:<br />
• Entities included in your favorite catalog (Scott,<br />
Michel, Unificado, Yvert, Gibbons, etc.)<br />
• Included on your favorite online resource (Stampworld,<br />
APS StampStore, Stamp Atlas, eBay, Wikipedia,<br />
etc.)<br />
• UPU membership<br />
• Published specialized albums (see below)<br />
You will find yourself in a personal debate as you define<br />
your own criteria for which entities should make your list<br />
or not. As an example, I chose to exclude some recent “puppet”<br />
states like Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria,<br />
but I suspect some of the people in what most consider to<br />
be Georgia or Moldova would not agree with me.<br />
I am aware of two specialized “one-from-everywhere”<br />
albums that have been published. The Single Specimen<br />
World Gazetteer Stamp Album published by Cliff Brown<br />
(Terra Nova Publishing) in the early 1990s is now long out<br />
of print and would fail to include some recent global changes<br />
like South Sudan, Kosovo or Timor-Leste. More recently<br />
in 2013, the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum <strong>web</strong>site<br />
published an electronic album titled A Stamp for Every<br />
Country Album (Figure 1).<br />
The Smithsonian album was inspired by the William H.<br />
Gross Stamp Gallery exhibit of “A Stamp for Every Country.”<br />
While no longer directly available from the Smithsonian’s<br />
<strong>web</strong>site, you can download a copy from the APS <strong>web</strong><br />
site: https://aps.buzz/EveryCountryPDF.<br />
Both albums had spaces for about 800 stamps. While<br />
the Gazetteer is alphabetical for “active” and “dead” countries,<br />
the NPM album is sorted by geographic region and<br />
does a better job of showing the lineage of a region. Here is<br />
a sample page from each (Figures 2 and 3).<br />
I am also aware of one enterprising philatelist who created<br />
his own album. Mark Jochim’s work from 2015 is a<br />
thing of beauty, with each stamp-issuing entity getting two<br />
full pages of background information, a map of the country<br />
and even an illustration of their flag along with room for the<br />
example stamp (Figure 4). The point is that this is a creative<br />
Figure 1. A Stamp For Every Country album, published by the<br />
Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum.<br />
Figure 2. From<br />
the “M” section of<br />
the alphabetized<br />
Gazetteer album.<br />
Note the maps<br />
and brief historical<br />
details.<br />
Figure 3. Page 94 of the Smithsonian album - Malaysia. The album is<br />
sorted alphabetically within regions, includes precedent countries<br />
and other subcategories with dates, and is cross-referenced where<br />
necessary.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 21
Figure 4. Jochim’s two-page spread includes impressive detail to<br />
give the collector the proper context of each stamp-issuing entity.<br />
exercise as well as a quest to find the stamps themselves.<br />
It took me 10 years to fill in my copy of the Gazetteer,<br />
and I’m just beginning to fill in the NPM version. I am sure<br />
that will take just as long. The experience was far more<br />
difficult than I anticipated but more rewarding as well. I<br />
learned a few facts about each country on my list as I added<br />
to the collection and increased my knowledge of history and<br />
geography. To complete my collection I used a combination<br />
of stamp shows, the APS StampStore, and online auction<br />
sites. I was willing to utilize mint or used stamps and tried<br />
to limit my expenditure to under $10, with most costing less<br />
than $1. None of this represents a serious financial outlay<br />
– just a massive investment in fun philatelic time to decide<br />
what to pursue, the actual pursuit, and of course the display.<br />
I take my completed album when I teach the Boy Scout<br />
Stamp Collecting Merit Badge program and every time the<br />
Scouts are amazed by the history of our world and how it<br />
has evolved – and how that story can be told via stamps.<br />
The Internet will make the quest easier this time around<br />
– or perhaps not, if the list of included entities also expands.<br />
The greatest part of our hobby is that we can each seek out<br />
what we enjoy. I hope you will consider joining me on this<br />
journey.<br />
Images in the header include: Canada Scott E3, Brazil<br />
Scott C67 Rotary, Russia Scott C38, and Democratic Republic<br />
of the Congo Scott 429.<br />
T<br />
he Author<br />
John Seidl is the president of the International<br />
Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors (www.iswsc.org).<br />
The International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors<br />
serves the interests of all worldwide collectors. It<br />
strives to promote the fun and fascination of worldwide<br />
stamp collecting to young and old alike, and has an active<br />
outreach program serving youth, their leaders and<br />
stamp collectors of all ages and experience levels. John<br />
is also the president of the British Caribbean Philatelic<br />
Study Group. He is a member of dozens of other philatelic<br />
societies including the APS, the New York Collector’s<br />
Club and the Royal Philatelic Society. He can be reached at<br />
john.seidl@gmail.com.<br />
22 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
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Liechtenstein<br />
A Tale of Errors, Freaks and<br />
Oddities… and Politics<br />
JOHN R. SHOTLIFF<br />
Introduction<br />
The Principality of Liechtenstein is one of six European<br />
microstates known for its beautiful stamps. Indeed, a select<br />
few stamps issued each year still employ line engraving.<br />
Approximately the size of Staten Island, a borough of New<br />
York City, Liechtenstein’s neighbor to the west and south is<br />
Switzerland, and to the east and north is Austria. Its western<br />
border with Switzerland is the Rhine River, and its eastern<br />
border with Austria is the Austrian Alps. Liechtenstein is a<br />
panoramic valley paradise nestled on the northern border of<br />
the Swiss/Austrian Alpine mountain range.<br />
The subject of this article was initially Michel catalog<br />
numbers MI 11-16 (Scott 11-16), a set that has what I<br />
believe is a most unique oddity in philately. However, as<br />
I researched MI 11-16, I became fascinated by the events<br />
surrounding the issuance of this set and concluded the<br />
evolution of Liechtenstein’s postal system and the resulting<br />
impact upon the Liechtenstein philatelic community pivoted<br />
upon post WWI events of late 1917 through early 1924.<br />
For collectors new to Liechtenstein philately, the story surrounding<br />
this issue provides an overview of the transition<br />
from Austrian to Swiss administration of Liechtenstein’s<br />
postal system and the resultant breadth of stamps available.<br />
Likewise, collectors of errors, freaks and oddities (EFOs)<br />
will seldom see a more diverse range of errors produced by<br />
a printer and released to the public.<br />
Calm before the Storm<br />
Prior to the end of World War I<br />
Postal Administration. On September 1, 1817, the first<br />
post (messenger) office was opened by Austria in the village<br />
of Balzers, Liechtenstein, and was subsequently closed<br />
on August 31, 1819, due to a lack of profitability. Almost a<br />
decade later, on January 1, 1827, the Balzers office reopened<br />
followed by a second in Vaduz, Liechtenstein’s capital, on<br />
March 1, 1845. During this period, Liechtenstein’s fledgling<br />
postal system was unofficially administered by the Austrian<br />
government due to its legacy ties to Austria.<br />
In 1852, Liechtenstein executed a customs treaty with<br />
Austria. Among other things, the 1852 treaty officially<br />
integrated Liechtenstein’s postal system under Austrian<br />
administration. The Principality’s postal system began to<br />
flourish, and additional post offices were opened, as listed<br />
in Liechtenstein Briefmarken Katalog (LBK): Nendeln on<br />
October 1, 1864, closed February 29, 1912, and reopened<br />
February 1, 1960; Schaan on October 15, 1872; Triesen on<br />
July 1, 1890; and Eschen on March 1, 1912.<br />
Postage Stamps. In 1850, Austria issued its first postage<br />
stamps (MI 1-9) which were distributed for sale in Liechtenstein<br />
post offices (Figure 1).<br />
24 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Figure 1. Austria MI 4<br />
(Scott 4), distributed for<br />
use in Liechtenstein.<br />
Figure 2. Liechtenstein MI 1-3 (Scott 1-3).<br />
In philatelic parlance, the Austrian stamps used in<br />
Liechtenstein post offices during this period 1850 to 1912,<br />
MI 1-177, are referred to as “Vorlaufers” or “Forerunners”<br />
to Liechtenstein’s own stamps to follow.<br />
In October 1911, the customs treaty was amended, and<br />
an important milestone was achieved for the Principality.<br />
It was now allowed to have its own stamps (Note 1). On<br />
February 1, 1912, the first set of stamps specifically for sale<br />
in Liechtenstein was issued, MI 1-3 (Figure 2).<br />
This set depicted the image of Prince Johann II with<br />
the annotation “K.K. OESTERR POST im Fürstentum<br />
Liechtenstein” indicating the set was printed by the Austrian<br />
State Printing Office, Österreichische Staatdruckerei,<br />
in Vienna under the auspices of the Austrian Department of<br />
Commerce. As part of the 1911 agreement, the Principality<br />
recognized the resulting net income (or loss) from the sale<br />
of its stamps. For the duration of this agreement, Austrian<br />
stamps, MI 178-315, were used concurrently with Liechtenstein<br />
stamps MI 1-60. These Austrian stamps are referred to<br />
as “Mitlaufers” or “Followers.” I prefer to call them “Transition”<br />
stamps as it is more descriptive of the period.<br />
Currency. As per the 1852 treaty, Liechtenstein formally<br />
adopted Austria’s currency (Gulden = 60 Kreuzer) which<br />
underwent two subsequent changes during the period prior<br />
to WWI: decimalization circa 1857 (Gulden = 100 Kreuzer)<br />
and then adoption of a new Krone (Crown) currency<br />
(Krone = 100 Heller) on January 1, 1900.<br />
Everything went well until the assassinations of the<br />
Archduke of Austria and his wife on June 28, 1914. The<br />
“thunderheads” began to build on the horizon… World<br />
War I.<br />
The Perfect Storm<br />
Post WWI, 1917 through 1922<br />
The “storm” was World War I. The war’s aftermath certainly<br />
took its toll on the citizens of Liechtenstein. Liechtensteiners<br />
experienced political and economic isolation due to<br />
its association with the Austro-Hungarian Empire (formed<br />
in 1867), and the resultant devaluation of Austrian currency.<br />
However, from a philatelic perspective, the majority<br />
of the “storm” about to unfold was self-inflicted.<br />
Postal Administration continued under the 1852 treaty...<br />
for a while. As WWI came to a close and the Austro-Hungarian<br />
coalition began to unravel, Liechtenstein looked to<br />
the west, across the Rhine River to Switzerland for assistance.<br />
On April 22, 1919, Liechtenstein commenced treaty<br />
discussions with Switzerland to replace the 1852 treaty with<br />
Austria. The Principality was anxious to terminate the customs<br />
treaty with Austria as customs revenue had fallen dramatically.<br />
Furthermore, the Austrian government no longer<br />
wanted the responsibility of administering Liechtenstein’s<br />
postal system (Note 2). On August 2, 1919, Liechtenstein<br />
moved to terminate the 1852 treaty with Austria, to which<br />
Austria agreed on August 30. On May 1, 1920, the existing<br />
(October 1911) postal agreement was terminated, and<br />
Liechtenstein was now free to issue its own stamps.<br />
Currency and Postal Rates. Since the Austrian currency<br />
had been severely devalued, Liechtensteiners unofficially<br />
began using Swiss currency (Franc = 100 Centime or<br />
Rappen) for daily transactions circa 1917. The Liechtenstein<br />
government unofficially followed suit in 1920 for its<br />
national accounts, for example, taxes (Note 3). The postal<br />
rates established September 1, 1918, were 20 and 25 Heller<br />
for domestic and international mail, respectively.<br />
Censorship<br />
Liechtenstein remained neutral during WWI, albeit<br />
tenuously. The Allies were suspicious, believing Liechtenstein<br />
was aiding and abetting the Austro-Hungarian cause,<br />
and restricted commerce crossing the Swiss border into<br />
Figure 3. At right: Jam jar label.<br />
Bottom left: Gemeinde-Boten-<br />
Post Vaduz-Sevelen MI 1, and<br />
right: MI 1a with error – “Pest” not<br />
Post. Certified: Marxer 95B082.<br />
The stamp was expertized and<br />
authenticated by Peter Marxer,<br />
the late expert on Liechtenstein<br />
stamps.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 25
Liechtenstein (Note 2). The Austro-Hungarian coalition<br />
was cautious too. Internationally bound mail originating<br />
in Liechtenstein was subject to censorship, which, in turn,<br />
greatly delayed delivery to its intended destination as well as<br />
the subsequent responses.<br />
In mid-1918, a group of Liechtenstein businessmen and<br />
Vaduz authorities convened to address the issue. A mechanism<br />
to identify internationally bound mail and a process to<br />
circumvent censorship were established.<br />
First, the mechanism to identify international mail<br />
was to overprint an existing label sold in village stores and<br />
used by housewives to label their “jam jars,” among other<br />
things. The label assumed its clandestine role when it was<br />
overprinted by J. Kuhns Erben in Buchs, Switzerland, with<br />
“Schweizer Post/Vaduz” (Swiss Post, Vaduz). The resulting<br />
“stamp” is today known as a “Gemeinde-Botenpost” or<br />
community messenger (Figure 3).<br />
Next, the process:<br />
1. The sender affixed the necessary Swiss postage to<br />
any letter bound for an international destination.<br />
2. The sender purchased the “Botenpost stamp,” for 10<br />
Heller and affixed it to the letter, and deposited the<br />
letter in a mailbox installed in Vaduz specifically for<br />
this purpose.<br />
3. A member of the Vaduz village government collected<br />
the mail once or twice a week and passed the<br />
mail along to a “community messenger” who had<br />
the proper identification to pass Swiss authorities<br />
without risk.<br />
4. The mail was transported across the Rhine River by<br />
the messenger and deposited at the Sevelen post office.<br />
This solution, which was used for only a few months, was<br />
not endorsed by either the Swiss or Liechtenstein governments.<br />
Indeed, the Principality had to “look the other way”<br />
as it was a violation of the 1852 customs treaty with Austria.<br />
Even this little “stamp” was not without controversy.<br />
First, was the “stamp” truly necessary at the time to facilitate<br />
uninterrupted mail service and thus a postal necessity,<br />
or unnecessary and thus just a philatelic curiosity? In favor<br />
of the former, all six perforation variations and the error<br />
shown above are included in the Liechtenstein Briefmarken<br />
Katalog (LBK). Additionally, letters with the Gemeinde-<br />
Botenpost stamp affixed and postmarked in late 1918 are very<br />
rare, and the “stamp” has sufficient collector cachet to attract<br />
counterfeiters due to its simple design: caveat emptor.<br />
Secondly, was the assigned cost of 10 Heller a fee for<br />
the messenger service, or a revenue tax for the village of<br />
Vaduz? Why the use of this stamp was limited to Vaduz is<br />
not addressed in the literature. There were five other post<br />
offices open at that time, and the mail did not seem to be<br />
impeded crossing the Swiss border, just the Austrian border<br />
to Feldkirch. Were the village elders being opportunistic?<br />
Rise of the Consortium<br />
Postage Stamps. In October 1919, a group of Liechtenstein<br />
and Austrian men, collectively called the “Consortium,”<br />
petitioned the Liechtenstein government to assume responsibility<br />
for the design, production and domestic distribution<br />
of Liechtenstein stamps as well as worldwide sales. The<br />
political objective was the provision of stamps “for Liechtenstein<br />
by Liechtenstein.” The more important, practical<br />
objective was to generate badly needed revenue for the Principality…<br />
and, of course, for the Consortium. After more<br />
than three months of negotiations, the terms and conditions<br />
of the contract were established, including: the duration of<br />
the contract; revenue guaranteed to the Principality; the<br />
percentage of the revenue due the Consortium; and the<br />
amount of funds to be held in escrow in the event of a shortfall<br />
in expected revenue for the Principality. In addition, the<br />
contract specified certain quality control requirements. The<br />
contract between the Principality and the Consortium was<br />
finally executed January 31, 1920.<br />
Murphy’s Law (“anything that can go wrong will go<br />
wrong”) prevailed. It took longer than expected to design,<br />
develop, print, and distribute the first set of stamps, MI<br />
11-16, to be issued by the Consortium. As a result, Liechtenstein<br />
had to strike an informal agreement with Austria<br />
extending the use of Austrian stamps, Mitlaufers, to fulfill<br />
the need for postage stamps in its post offices (Note 4).<br />
Postal Rates. To compensate for inflation during this<br />
period, the postal rates were raised to 40 Heller for domestic<br />
mail and 100 Heller for international mail, effective January<br />
15, 1920, and a second time to 80 and 200 Heller for domestic<br />
and international mail, respectively, on April 15, 1920.<br />
Finally, on March 3, 1920, the Consortium issued MI<br />
Table 1. First Set Issued for the Principality, March 3, 1920<br />
MI No.<br />
1917<br />
Scott No<br />
1917.<br />
Original<br />
Value<br />
Overprint<br />
New<br />
Value<br />
MI No.<br />
1920<br />
Scott No.<br />
1920<br />
5 5 5 Arabesque 5 11 11<br />
6 6 10 Arabesque 10 12 12<br />
9 9 25 Arabesque 25 13 13<br />
4 4 3 “40” 40 14 14<br />
7 7 15 “1 KRONE” 1 K 15 15<br />
8 8 20 “2½ KRONEN” 2½ K 16 16<br />
26 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
11-16. The selected approach was to overprint an earlier<br />
set of six stamps depicting Prince Johann II, issued in 1917,<br />
MI 4-9.<br />
Overprinting was probably selected to minimize the<br />
“time to market” as well as the design and development<br />
(pre-production) costs. The Consortium may have also<br />
selected overprinting in order to re-tool the stamps more<br />
quickly and cheaply if further increases in postal rates<br />
demanded changes in stamp values. Or perhaps they simply<br />
wished to increase their profit.<br />
Paulussen & Co. in Vienna was contracted for the development<br />
of the letterpress plates and production of this set<br />
of six stamps. The 5, 10 and 25 Heller values of MI 4-9 were<br />
preserved, and the new issue was simply denoted by an arabesque<br />
overprint. The remaining three values from 1917,<br />
the 3, 15 and 20 Heller, were repurposed by overprinting<br />
them with the values of 40 Heller, 1 Krone and 2½ Kronen,<br />
respectively. To avoid possible confusion, the overprints of<br />
the top three values were designed to obscure the original<br />
values of the 1917 set. The “mapping” from the original set<br />
(MI 4-9) to the new overprinted set (MI 11-16) is summarized<br />
in the following chart and shown in the subsequent<br />
figures (Table 1 and Figure 4).<br />
MI 11-16 Errors<br />
Several errors were produced, much to the dismay of<br />
many in the Liechtenstein government and the general<br />
public. Some error types were noted as early as Sieger’s<br />
1943 catalog, Liechtenstein Handbook and Catalog, but did<br />
not receive recognition in other catalogs until much later.<br />
The errors include:<br />
• inverted overprints (Figure 5);<br />
• double overprints (Figure 6);<br />
• interchanged overprints (Figure 7);<br />
• inverted overprint at the bottom (Figure 8);<br />
• overprinted twice with top one inverted (Figure 9);<br />
• “strongly” offset overprints (Figure 10); (The description,<br />
“strongly,” is subjective and not clarified in LBK.<br />
For my collecting purposes, I consider the overprint<br />
strongly or severely offset when it impinges upon the<br />
vertical perforations, i.e. horizontal offset. A severe<br />
vertical offset would reveal the original values of MI<br />
Inverted Overprints<br />
Figure 4. From left: Liechtenstein MI 11, MI 12, MI 13, MI 14, MI<br />
15, and MI 16, denoted by overprint on MI 4-9.<br />
Double Overprints<br />
Figure 5. Inverted overprint errors can be found on MI 11-16. From<br />
left: MI 11 KI, MI 12 KI, MI 13 KI, MI 14 KI, MI 15 KI, and MI 16 KI.<br />
Interchanged<br />
Overprints at Bottom<br />
Figure 7. Interchanged<br />
overprints at bottom.<br />
Note that the left and<br />
right stamps should<br />
have the opposite<br />
overprints. Left: MI 12 I.<br />
Right: MI 15 I.<br />
Figure 6. Double overprint error. From left: MI 11 DD, MI 12 DD,<br />
and MI 13 DD.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 27
Inverted<br />
Overprint at Bottom<br />
Figure 8. Inverted<br />
overprint at<br />
bottom, MI K II.<br />
Double Overprints<br />
with Top Inverted<br />
Strongly Offset Overprints<br />
Figure 10. A “strongly” offset overprint error on MI 11-16. From left: MI<br />
11 II, MI 12 II, MI 13 II, MI 14 II, MI 15 II, and MI 16 II.<br />
Damaged Overprints<br />
Figure 9.<br />
Double<br />
overprint error.<br />
MI 11 DK.<br />
Figure 11. The overprints have noticeable breaks in the letterpress<br />
plates. From left: MI 14 III and two MI 16 III.<br />
4, 7 and 8, or impinge upon the bottom horizontal<br />
perforations.)<br />
• Broken/damaged (letterpress plates) overprints (Figure<br />
11).<br />
• Drying error - occurs when sheets of stamps are stacked<br />
before ink has dried. The result is a mirror image of the<br />
overprint from the sheet below appearing on the gum<br />
(side) of the sheet above it, resulting in a setoff (Figure 12).<br />
• Printer’s waste (Figure 13).<br />
Oddities - Chads<br />
This is probably one of the most unique oddities in the<br />
philatelic realm. The definition of a chad is a small paper<br />
disk or rectangle, formed when a hole is punched in paper<br />
tape or punch card, respectively. Therefore, the by-product<br />
of the perforation process is a chad. I worked with both<br />
punch cards and paper tape early in my career as a computer<br />
engineer and I can attest to the mess they can make.<br />
The following images (Figure 14) show examples of the<br />
random patterns of chads that can be found on each of the<br />
six stamps in the 1920 set. The air at Paulussen & Co. must<br />
have been thick with chads as many stamps can be found<br />
with multiple chad “patterns.” Or, maybe, was it deliberate?<br />
Curiously, by examining photographs on eBay and auction<br />
<strong>web</strong>sites, I have noticed some patterns re-occur, i.e., the<br />
chad remained in place (glue from the stamp adhesive?) for<br />
more than one printing.<br />
The chads were noted in Sieger’s 1943 catalog: “due to<br />
perforations falling on the printing plate, black dots have<br />
formed at all possible places during printing…” I do not<br />
know if Sieger visited Paulussen to witness the chad issue<br />
during production, but his notes certainly make sense.<br />
The diameter of the chad print closely matches that of the<br />
perforation, ~0.98 mm measured with a Dino-Lite model<br />
AM4515ZT USB microscope.<br />
A note to collectors: Given the number of stamps with<br />
chad imprints and their randomness which defies cataloging,<br />
stamps with chad imprints have no incremental<br />
market value. However, they are relevant to this discussion<br />
as they represent a symptom of the Consortium’s performance<br />
vis-à-vis quality control…<br />
Quality Control<br />
At this time, it may be appropriate to take a moment<br />
to review the impact of quality control, or the lack thereof,<br />
on this unfolding drama. Prior to the existence of the<br />
Consortium, Österreichische Staatsdruckerei had been<br />
printing stamps for Austria since 1850. By contrast, the<br />
only reference I have found pertaining to Paulussen &<br />
Co., other than LBK, is in the online list of (Austrian)<br />
printers with the notation that Paulussen was in existence<br />
for only one year, 1920 (Note 5).<br />
So why the selection of Paulussen & Co. over<br />
Österreichische Staatsdruckerei? A few points for consideration<br />
(Note 6):<br />
28 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
1. The Consortium was endorsed by stamp collectors/dealers who<br />
influenced the Principality to pursue a contract with the Consortium.<br />
2. The Consortium had a “great deal of latitude” concerning the<br />
design, production, and distribution of stamps during the term of<br />
their contract with the Principality.<br />
3. The contract with the Consortium included terms and conditions<br />
pertaining to Quality Control.<br />
4. The Consortium argued the Austrian State Printing house (PTT)<br />
did not offer “precise control.”<br />
The result was the Consortium “produced in violation of the contract<br />
numerous misprints and varieties in large quantities.”<br />
Therefore, I conclude that Paulussen was selected because the Consortium<br />
could manipulate the release of stamp errors and varieties while<br />
Österreichische Staatdruckerei would not be willing to compromise its reputation.<br />
Who knows, maybe Paulussen was not actually selected but established<br />
specifically to print the Consortium’s stamps, and the owners of Paulussen<br />
were either members of the Consortium, or were related to members.<br />
Postage Stamps. Besides MI 11-16, Austrian “Mitlaufers” continued to<br />
be used until January 31, 1921, at which time Swiss “Mitlaufers” (some of<br />
MI 95-213, see LBK) became available in some Liechtenstein post offices<br />
to augment the supply of stamps available for postage.<br />
Concerning Liechtenstein stamps, how does one describe what followed<br />
MI 11-16? Continuing the stormy weather metaphor, I think it<br />
would be the squall that hit when the following sets were released in<br />
rapid succession:<br />
Drying Errors<br />
Figure 12. Reverse of MI 11, MI 13 – a drying<br />
problem resulting in setoffs appearing on the<br />
reverse.<br />
Printer's Waste<br />
Figure 13. Printer’s<br />
waste on MI 11.<br />
MI 11-16 Error<br />
Identification Quiz.<br />
Examine this letter dated<br />
April 21, 1920. How many<br />
of the stamps have errors,<br />
and how many unique errors<br />
are there? Answer key is on<br />
page 33.<br />
On the reverse of the<br />
envelope, there are five more<br />
stamps, for a total franking<br />
of 200 Heller. On the front,<br />
you can see the sender’s<br />
post office was Schaan, and<br />
the recipient’s was Mauren,<br />
a distance of approximately<br />
five miles as the crow flies.<br />
The postal rate for domestic<br />
mail at the time was 80<br />
Heller, so the additional 120<br />
Heller (revenue for the Principality)<br />
was for the registered<br />
mail delivery service.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 29
Figure 14. The chads on the Paulussen & Co.-printed stamps are<br />
a by-product of the perforation process, but indicative of the<br />
company’s quality control of MI 11-16. From left: MI 11-16, and<br />
below, overprint errors with the chad oddity, MI 13 KI, MI 11<br />
DD, and MI 12 DD.<br />
All but MI 43-44 were printed by Paulussen & Co. MI<br />
43-44 were printed, at the direction of the Consortium, by<br />
Fa. Capri, a printing house for which I have not found any<br />
references other than LBK.<br />
MI 17-60 are a bonanza for EFO collectors as there are<br />
numerous examples that can be found, including, but not<br />
limited to, depending upon the set:<br />
• “Primary” plate errors - my term for those listed in LBK;<br />
• “Secondary” plate errors – my term for those identified<br />
in Hughes’ Liechtenstein the 1920 Issue (or in Ring der<br />
Liechtenstein Sammler (RLS) – published by the Liechtenstein<br />
Collectors Club) but not in LBK;<br />
• Color proofs;<br />
• Black & white proofs;<br />
• Perforation variations, i.e. perf count;<br />
• Perforation varieties - I have examples of MI 21 & 24<br />
rouletted 7½;<br />
• Perforation errors including:<br />
• Missing horizontal or vertical;<br />
• Double horizontal or vertical;<br />
• Mis-registered perforations;<br />
• “Crazy” perforations due to paper folds;<br />
• Overprint errors (MI 43-4);<br />
• Other production errors, e.g. paper creases and folds;<br />
• Paper varieties;<br />
• And gum varieties.<br />
LBK covers MI 17- 60 in nine pages, including the “primary”<br />
plate errors. In the quarterly publication by the Ring<br />
der Liechtenstein Sammler, it was reported that coverage<br />
of these sets and all the errors, varieties, etc., required 103<br />
pages. In my collection, I have allocated 169 pages - two<br />
Lighthouse binders - which allows ample spacing for presentation.<br />
To date, I have found approximately 50% of the<br />
“secondary” plate errors.<br />
Postal Administration. As mentioned earlier, in April of<br />
1919, Liechtenstein and Switzerland began discussions to<br />
replace the Treaty with Austria. The Swiss Treaty commenced<br />
February 1, 1921, amidst this deluge of Consortium<br />
stamps that were released.<br />
Demise of the Consortium<br />
On February 16, 1921, the Liechtenstein government<br />
commenced an investigation of the Consortium and a<br />
response was requested within three days. The underlying<br />
issues of the complaint against the Consortium included:<br />
• Failing to meet its contractual revenue goals.<br />
• The deliberate distribution of stamps to collectors and<br />
possibly speculators (in Salzburg).<br />
• Resulting in an inadequate supply of stamps at the Post<br />
Offices which, in turn, required the use of Austrian and<br />
Swiss “Mitlaufers” which diminished the revenue recognized<br />
by the Principality.<br />
• Inadequate supply of high value stamps to satisfy the<br />
increasing postal rates.<br />
• The number of errors, freaks and oddities (EFOs)<br />
released, that is, poor quality control.<br />
• The release of varieties including proofs, etc.<br />
• The continued production and distribution of stamps,<br />
MI 43-60, after the Swiss Treaty was in effect February<br />
1, 1921, to the dismay of the Principality.<br />
• And, the “bottom line,” damage to the reputation of<br />
Liechtenstein stamps.<br />
To add further fuel to the fire, on February 26, 1921, 800<br />
citizens demonstrated in the capital. The two political parties<br />
of that time were involved: the in-power Citizens’ party and<br />
the opposing People’s party. The People’s party was represented<br />
by approximately 200 citizens protesting the Consortium’s<br />
performance. The Citizens’ party was concerned about<br />
the possibility of more nefarious objectives of the demonstrators<br />
for the People’s party, and rallied 600 citizens in their<br />
support (see Note 1). Regardless, this is probably the first<br />
and only time philatelic activities sparked civil unrest. After<br />
a lengthy investigation, the Consortium’s contract was finally<br />
30 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
terminated on April 25, 1922, and the remaining Consortium<br />
stamps were supposedly destroyed (Note 8).<br />
Calm Seas and Fair Winds<br />
After 1922<br />
Postal Administration. The Treaty with Switzerland went<br />
into effect on February 1, 1921. Switzerland assumed<br />
the responsibilities of its predecessor, Austria, including<br />
administration of Liechtenstein’s postal system, which<br />
continued to grow, adding six additional post offices: Triesenberg<br />
on February 1, 1921; Mauren on July 1, 1925; Ruggell<br />
on January 1, 1926; Schellenberg on August 10, 1946;<br />
Gamprin-Bendern on February 1, 1960; and Schaanwald on<br />
April 30, 1970 (LBK).<br />
Currency. On May 26, 1924, Liechtenstein officially adopted<br />
Swiss currency.<br />
Epilogue. The political climate remained tense during the<br />
period between World War I and II. Since World War II,<br />
the microstate of Liechtenstein has enjoyed a period of<br />
stability, growth and tranquility. From my perspective,<br />
Liechtenstein has avoided much of the turmoil in Europe<br />
due possibly to its relatively isolated location, but more<br />
likely due to the excellent stewardship of its Princes: Prince<br />
Johann II until February 11, 1929; Prince Franz I until July<br />
25, 1938; Prince Joseph II until November 13, 1989; and<br />
currently, Prince Hans Adam.<br />
Notes.<br />
1. Liechtenstein’s postal contracts prior to WWI are described in Marxer’s<br />
“Postal Contract” and Agreement Concerning the Management… (1911).<br />
2. As narrated by David Beattie in Liechtenstein, A Modern History.<br />
3. As described to the author by Liechtenstein National Museum Head of Collections<br />
and Research Donat Buchel in July 2020.<br />
4. As explained in the RLS catalog, Adams’ 50 Years Liechtenstein Post, and<br />
Marxer’s “Postal Contract.”<br />
5. A reference to Paulussen & Co. can be found in Morgan’s “Stamp Printers<br />
By Country: Austria” article online.<br />
6. Details of the printing agreement with Liechtenstein can be found in Adams’<br />
50 Years Liechtenstein Postal Material (1962), Hassler’s “Philately,” and<br />
Gabriel von Werner’s Principality of Liechtenstein History of the Postal<br />
System… (1937). Quotes are from Adams.<br />
7. More information is available on the supposed destruction of MI 11-16 in<br />
Liechtenstein Handbuch (RLS).<br />
Acknowledgments<br />
Thanks to Cynthia Shotliff Tanta-Nanta, Professor<br />
Heinz Rennenberg (Chairman, RLS) and Donat Buchel<br />
(Curator, Liechtenstein National Museum).<br />
References<br />
Adams, Bertrand (ed.). 50 Years of Liechtenstein Postal Material, 1912-1962<br />
(Vaduz: Liechtenstein Government; 1962): 102 – 105.<br />
Agreement Concerning the Management of the Postal, Telegraph and Telephone<br />
Service in the Principality of Liechtenstein, Article IV (October 4, 1911): 2.<br />
Beattie, David. Liechtenstein, A Modern History. (van Eck Publishers; 2004):<br />
26, 50-7, 381-2.<br />
Benedikt Zäch. “Money,” Historisches Lexicon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein<br />
online. (Published December 31, 2011). https://historisches-lexikon.li/Geld<br />
Dittrich, Dr. Gerhard. Lexikon zur Liechtenstein-Philatelie (Reutlingen: Ring<br />
der Liechtensteinsammler; [1970]).<br />
Hassler, Hermann. “Philately,” Historisches Lexicon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein<br />
online (Published December 31, 2011). https://historisches-lexikon.li/<br />
Philatelie<br />
Hughes, H.S. Liechtenstein: the 1920 Issue (Birmingham: Hughes, H.S.; 1962).<br />
LBK MICHEL Liechtenstein-Spezial 2018/2019 (Michel / Schwaneberger<br />
Verlag GmbH).<br />
Liechtenstein Handbuch (Ring der Liechtensteinsammler e. V. (RLS); February<br />
1995): 8-10.<br />
Marxer, Roland. “Postal Contract,” Historisches Lexicon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein<br />
online. https://historisches-lexikon.li/Postvertrag<br />
Morgan, Glenn H. “Stamp Printers By Country: Austria,” Stamp Printers Info<br />
(Updated 2016). https://www.stampprinters.info/SPI_country_austria.<br />
htm#AUSTRIA<br />
Otto, Rudolf. Gemeinde-Botenpost Vaduz-Sevelen 1918 (RLS Booklet: Ring der<br />
Liechtensteinsammler; 1966).<br />
Quaderer, Rupert and Lenherr, Stefan (interviewer). “For Liechtenstein, its<br />
very existence was at stake,” Liechtenstein. https://www.liechtenstein.li/en/<br />
economy/foreign-trade/interview-ruper-quaderer/<br />
Quaderer, Rupert. “Museum Stamp Affair,” Historisches Lexicon des Fürstentums<br />
Liechtenstein online (Published December 31, 2011). https://historisches-lexikon.li/Briefmarkenaff%C3%A4re<br />
Ray, Michael. “Timeline of World War I,” Britannica. https://www.britannica.<br />
com/list/timeline-of-world-war-i<br />
Sieger, Hermann E. Liechtenstein Handbook and Catalog 1943 (Lorch/Wurttemberg:<br />
Sieger-Verlag; 1953): 52-3.<br />
Sluszkiewicz, Anna and Tom. “World Paper Money Catalog and Austrian<br />
Currency History,” ATS Notes. http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes/<br />
austria.html<br />
“The postal stamps and postal history of Liechtenstein,” Postal Museum.<br />
https://stamps.postmuseum.li/history<br />
Voss, Werner. Principality of Liechtenstein: History of the Postal System with<br />
Especial Consideration to the Stamps (Book Printer of Fr. Kaiser): 28-37<br />
Table II. The "Squall that Hit" - Liechtenstein's rapid stamp issues.<br />
MI No. Scott No Issue Date Design<br />
17-24 18-25 May 5, 1920 National Coat of Arms & Castle (Imperforate)<br />
25-39 32-46 June 1920 National Coat of Arms, Castles and Prince<br />
1 – 12 J1-J12 June 1920 Postage Due<br />
40 – 42 47-49 Oct. 5, 1920 Madonna, Birthday of Prince Johann II<br />
43 51 Feb. 1, 1921 National Coat of Arms<br />
44 52 Feb. 27, 1921 National Coat of Arms<br />
45 – 52 54-61 Feb. - April, 1921 National Coat of Arms & Cherubs<br />
53 – 60 62-69 Feb. – Nov. 1921 Castles & Princes<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 31
The Author<br />
In summer of 1965, John Shotliff was hosted by<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Wagner of Stuttgart, Germany. Their son,<br />
Thomas, and John were both stamp collectors. During<br />
their return from a week in Locarno, Switzerland, they<br />
stopped at the post office in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein.<br />
John was intrigued by Liechtenstein’s stamps,<br />
and bought every stamp for sale at the time. (Needless<br />
to say, he had to borrow a few Marks from Dr. Wagner.)<br />
He has been collecting and studying Liechtenstein<br />
stamps ever since with special interests in Errors, Freaks<br />
and Oddities (EFO), and the artifacts of the design,<br />
development on production processes. He is a member<br />
of the America Philatelic Society (APS), (European)<br />
Liechtenstein Collectors Club (RLS), Error, Freaks and<br />
Oddities Collectors Club (EFOCC) and the Institute for<br />
Analytical Philately (IAP).<br />
MI 11 KII MI 11 KII MI 11 KII MI 11 KII MI 14 II<br />
MI 13 DD<br />
MI 12 DD<br />
MI 12 DD<br />
Answer sheet. Answer: 8 and 4,<br />
respectively: 2 each of MI 12 DD;<br />
4 each of MI 11 KII; MI 14 II; MI<br />
13 DD<br />
For Further Reading<br />
Recommendations from the APRL research staff:<br />
Katalogue des Timbres Suisses: Suisse, Liechtenstein, ONU<br />
Geneve, Campione by Verband des Schweizerischen<br />
Briefmarken-Handels (VSBH); Association suisse de<br />
negociants en philatelie (ASNP). (Basel : VSBH/ASNP<br />
(Multipress Verlag AG), 1998. G6040 .A1 V476s 1998<br />
Katalog uber die Maschinenstempel 1911-1969 Schweiz,<br />
Liechtenstein by Max Ziesel and Verein Schweizerischer<br />
Maschinenstempelsammler (VSM). (Aarau: VSM),<br />
1970. G6041 .M149 V489k<br />
Handbuch der Werbedatumstempel Schweiz: Liechtenstein<br />
by Schweizerischer Verein der Poststempelsammler,<br />
Association suisse des collectionneurs<br />
d’empreintes postales, and G. Balimann. (Olten: SVP<br />
and ASCEP), 1993. G6041 .P857 S413h 1993<br />
Faroe Islands Stamps<br />
New September 2020 Stamp Issues<br />
<br />
<br />
FØROYAR 12KR<br />
<br />
<br />
FØROYAR 27KR<br />
FØROYAR<br />
26KR<br />
Ludwig van Beethoven 250 Yrs<br />
The Faroese artist, Heiðrik á Heygum<br />
has designed the mini-sheet. He has<br />
dressed the great composer up in the<br />
Faroese national costume, placed him in<br />
quintessential Faroese surroundings. Also<br />
available as a poster - A3.<br />
Buy Faroese Stamps at www.stamps.fo<br />
Posta Faroe Islands - one of the smallest Postal Services in the world, yet known for its<br />
unique, beautiful and creative stamps, which have gained worldwide recognition since 1976.<br />
Posta Stamps, Óðinshædd 2<br />
FO-100 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands<br />
Tel. +298 346200<br />
stamps@posta.fo<br />
Faroese Chess Traditions<br />
In the Faroe Islands, the chess tradition<br />
also gained its local characteristics and<br />
these stamps describe two of them: the<br />
“Rook” and “Four-Player-Chess”. Design:<br />
Ole Wich.<br />
125 Years of Motion Pictures<br />
2020 marks the 125th anniversary<br />
of the first public motion picture<br />
screening. The stamps display 2<br />
movies by a Faroese film director,<br />
Bye Bye Blue Bird and Ludo.<br />
Our agent in the US: Nordica Inc./ David Bein<br />
E-mail: nordicad@optonline.net<br />
32 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Carriers and<br />
Locals Society<br />
The Society’s mission is to<br />
encourage the collecting<br />
and study of United<br />
States carriers and locals.<br />
THE NEXT SOCIETY<br />
AUCTION WILL BE<br />
HELD FEBRUARY 2021<br />
ON OUR WEBSITE.<br />
Its principal areas of interest are:<br />
• U.S. official and semi-official Carrier services<br />
• U.S. Independent Mail Companies<br />
• U.S. Local Posts of the 19th century<br />
• U.S. Eastern Expresses of the 19th century<br />
• Fakes and forgeries of U.S. Carriers and Locals<br />
• U.S. and Canadian fantasy stamps of the 19th<br />
century<br />
Benefits of membership include the C&LS’s award winning journal,<br />
its auctions and on line access to back issues of The Penny Post.<br />
To join, or renew your membership, visit<br />
our <strong>web</strong>site at www.pennypost.org.
The Allure of<br />
AMG<br />
Collecting<br />
RICHARD PEDERSON<br />
There are many reasons why a stamp or postal history<br />
collector might select a specific area on which to focus.<br />
The Allied Military Government (AMG) specialty,<br />
more than most collecting areas, has something for<br />
everyone, spanning multiple geographic and political states,<br />
several languages, changes in government and administration,<br />
and a rich historical situation – over the course of just<br />
a few years. The AMG either issued or sanctioned the issuing<br />
of stamps in Italy, the Free Territory of Trieste (FTT),<br />
Venezia Giulia (VG), Austria, France, Germany, Korea, and<br />
the Ryukyu Islands. Figure 1 pictures stamps issued or sanctioned<br />
by the AMG for use in each of the areas that were<br />
under AMG administration – just a few of the numerous<br />
stamps and postal stationery items issued under AMG authority<br />
between 1945 and 1972. Before discussing those areas,<br />
some background on what the AMG was and the role it<br />
played during and following World War II (WWII) is necessary.<br />
During the latter part of WWII, as the Allied forces<br />
liberated territory that was previously held by the Axis powers,<br />
military representatives from the Allied forces filled a<br />
temporary vacuum by providing administrative functions<br />
normally supplied by local and national governments until<br />
newly constituted governments could be established. The<br />
term AMG refers to the representatives from one or more of<br />
the Allied military forces supplying administrative services<br />
until those local and national governments were able to<br />
resume normal services under new leadership. Among the<br />
services provided were law enforcement, taxation, judicial<br />
services, and postal services. Postage stamps were issued<br />
to allow people to communicate with those within and<br />
outside liberated areas and revenue stamps were created to<br />
Figure 1. Examples of AMG issues for Italy<br />
(pictured from left to right and top to bottom)<br />
Italy (Scott 1N10, 20 Centesimi, 1943), Austria<br />
(Scott 4N1, 1 Groschen, 1945), France (Scott<br />
476H, 10 Francs, 1944), VG (Italy Scott 1LN10,<br />
20 Lire, 1946), FTT (Italy Trieste Scott 9, 10 Lire,<br />
1947), Germany (Scott 3N6a, 8 Pfennigs, 1945),<br />
Korea (Scott 56, 5 Cheun on Japan 14 Sen,<br />
1946), and the Ryukyu Islands (Scott 3, 20 Sen,<br />
1949).<br />
34 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Map 2. Map showing U.S., British, French, and Soviet zones in Austria.<br />
Map 3. Map showing<br />
U.S., British, French,<br />
and Soviet zones in<br />
Germany.<br />
Map 1. Map of the FTT (from VFW, September 1991)<br />
showing areas under AMG control (Zone A) and<br />
Yugoslavian control (Zone B).<br />
facilitate payment of taxes and fees collected on business<br />
transactions, licenses and permits. Those postal and revenue<br />
stamps were issued under the authority of the AMG<br />
in liberated areas administered by the AMG.<br />
The AMG administered various areas in Europe and<br />
Asia following the liberation of Sicily in 1943 and the defeat<br />
of Japan in 1945. The administered areas, dates of administration,<br />
and AMG forces responsible for administration<br />
are shown in Table 1. The area of VG, which included the<br />
city of Trieste, was jointly administered by U.S. and British<br />
forces until the creation of the FTT in 1947. The FTT (see<br />
Map 1) was split into two parts, Zones A and B. Zone A was<br />
governed by the U.S. and British militaries (the AMG) and<br />
Zone B by the Yugoslav forces. In October 1954, the FTT<br />
was divided between Italy and Yugoslavia in the London<br />
Memorandum, which was signed by the U.S., Britain, Italy,<br />
control, the two countries and the German city state of<br />
Berlin were broken into areas administered by the U.S.,<br />
British, French, and Soviet military forces (see Maps 2, 3,<br />
and 4). The areas administered by the U.S., Britain, and<br />
and Yugoslavia. Most of FTT Table 1. AMG-administered areas.<br />
Zone A, which included the city<br />
Administered Area AMG Administrator(s) Dates of Administration<br />
of Trieste, went to Italy and Zone<br />
Austria U.S., Britain, France, USSR 4/27/1945 - 7/27/1955<br />
B, along with a small portion of<br />
Zone A, went to Yugoslavia. The<br />
1975 Treaty of Osimo formally<br />
ended all disputes regarding the<br />
France<br />
Free Territory of Trieste (FTT)<br />
Germany<br />
Free French Forces<br />
U.S., Britain, Yugoslavia<br />
U.S., Britain, France, USSR<br />
1944 - 1945<br />
9/15/1947 - 10/5/1954<br />
1945 - 1949<br />
areas around Trieste by legally Italy, including Sicily U.S., Britain 8/17/1943 - 1945<br />
ceding the previously divided<br />
Korea U.S. 9/8/1945 - 8/15/1948<br />
areas to Italy and Yugoslavia.<br />
Ryukyu Islands U.S. 1945 - 5/14/1972<br />
In 1945, once Austria and<br />
Germany came under Allied Venezia Giulia (VG) U.S., Britain 6/1945 - 9/14/1947<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 35
Map 4. Map showing U.S., British, French, and Soviet sectors in<br />
Berlin.<br />
France were then unified as the Federal Republic of Germany<br />
(West Germany) in 1949. The area administered by<br />
the Soviets became the German Democratic Republic (East<br />
Germany) and remained under Soviet influence until October<br />
3, 1990, when the German Democratic Republic became<br />
part of the Federal Republic of Germany. The four Allied<br />
forces remained in Austria until it was given full independence<br />
in 1955, after assurances that it would remain neutral<br />
in political conflicts between the communist Soviet Union<br />
and the three democratic powers.<br />
When the AMG collecting area first evolved shortly<br />
after the conclusion of WWII, many of those attracted to it<br />
were people who served in the Armed Forces or supported<br />
the war effort during the war. In the U.S., the collecting of<br />
AMG stamps and postal history was primarily driven by the<br />
efforts of a single individual, Joseph V. Bush, who founded<br />
the Joseph V. Bush Co. while recovering from injuries sustained<br />
when stationed in Britain during WWII. Many of<br />
his early customers had a direct personal connection to the<br />
AMG postage and revenue stamps as, in some instances,<br />
they served or worked in the liberated areas and used or<br />
Figure 2. Italy Scott 1N1, 15<br />
Centesimi, released by the<br />
AMG in August 1943 for use<br />
in Sicily.<br />
Figure 3. Italy Scott 1N11,<br />
35 Centesimi, overprinted<br />
“GOVERNO MILITARE ALLEATO”<br />
on Italy Scott 217 in December<br />
1943 for use in Naples.<br />
received the AMG stamps on mailings. Although most of<br />
those directly involved in the conflict are no longer with<br />
us, there are still many who had parents and grandparents<br />
or other relatives that fought in World War II. Since many<br />
of those relatives were involved in the conquest and/or<br />
occupation of lands previously held by the Axis Forces, it<br />
is only natural for their descendants to have an interest in<br />
the stamps and postal history associated with those efforts,<br />
an interest that might be increased if those descendants also<br />
had family roots in the occupied areas.<br />
The very first stamps issued by the AMG (Figure 2,<br />
Italy Scott 1N1) were designed and printed by the Bureau<br />
of Engraving and Printing (BEP) and released in Sicily on<br />
August 24, 1943, after the island was fully secured by Allied<br />
military forces. Although those stamps were valid for use in<br />
any liberated areas of Italy, very few were ever used outside<br />
of Sicily. Once an armistice was agreed upon with the provisional<br />
Italian government<br />
on September 8,<br />
1943, the AMG did not<br />
think it appropriate to<br />
issue the Sicily stamps<br />
on the mainland as that<br />
was the responsibility of<br />
the provisional government<br />
with the sanctioning<br />
of the AMG. For<br />
example, stamps from<br />
the Italian Royalist issue<br />
of 1929-1942 (Figure 3,<br />
Italy Scott 1N11) were<br />
overprinted “GOVERNO<br />
MILITARE ALLEATO”<br />
Figure 4. Italy Scott 439,<br />
watermarked 50 Centesimi Bari<br />
Wolf issue, authorized by the<br />
AMG in 1944 for use in liberated<br />
areas of Italy.<br />
(ALLIED MILITARY<br />
GOVERNMENT) for use<br />
in Naples under the authority of the AMG. The provisional<br />
government also issued stamps sanctioned by the AMG,<br />
picturing the Bari Wolf (Figure 4, Italy Scott 439), for use in<br />
other liberated areas of Italy.<br />
Many of the earlier issues for use in Europe have a significant<br />
tie to the U.S. as they were designed and/or printed<br />
by the U.S. BEP in Washington, D.C., including the Italian/<br />
Sicilian, French, German AM Post (i.e., Allied Military<br />
Post), and the Austrian issues. Figure 5 shows examples of<br />
stamps from each basic set produced by the U.S. BEP. Later<br />
printings of the AM Post issues were printed in London,<br />
England, and Brunswick, Germany. The London printings<br />
used the same designs and the Brunswick printings used<br />
slightly altered variations of the BEP designs. Many AMG<br />
collectors believe that the BEP-designed stamps should<br />
be included in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United<br />
States Stamps & Covers since it is the reference used by<br />
most advanced U.S. collectors. Unfortunately, there is currently<br />
no good single source of information for those issues,<br />
forcing collectors who require in-depth information to use<br />
36 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Figure 5. Examples from each set of stamps designed and produced by the U.S. BEP (from left<br />
to right), issues for Italy (Scott 1N7, 2 Lire, 1943), France (Scott 476C, 1 Franc, 1944), Germany<br />
(Scott 3N5a, 6 Pfennig, 1945), and Austria (Scott 4N10, 20 Groschen, 1945).<br />
Figure 6. Examples of (from left to right) inverted overprint (Italy<br />
Scott 1LN1, 10 Centesimi, 1945), doubled overprint (Italy Scott 1LN8,<br />
60 Centesimi, 1945), and closed “G” errors (Italy Scott 1LN12, 50 Lire,<br />
1946) on AMG VG stamps.<br />
multiple catalogs, including those produced by Scott, the<br />
German publisher Michel, the French publisher Yvert et<br />
Tellier, and Italian publisher Sassone.<br />
For those who enjoy collecting errors, freaks, and oddities,<br />
there is an abundance of AMG material that fits within<br />
this collecting area, particularly the many overprint errors<br />
and varieties on the stamps issued by the AMG for use in<br />
VG and the FTT. Many of the stamps for those areas were<br />
created by overprinting Italian stamps. VG errors include<br />
inverted overprints, doubled overprints, overprints printed<br />
on the reverse side of the stamp, and overprints with a<br />
closed “G”. Varieties include horizontally and vertically<br />
misplaced overprints, printing offsets on the reverse, and<br />
overprints with broken or malformed letters. The stamp<br />
on the left in Figure 6 (Italy Scott 1LN1) has an inverted<br />
overprint, the middle stamp (Italy Scott 1LN8) has a double<br />
overprint, and the right stamp (Italy Scott 1LN12) has a<br />
closed “G”. Figure 7 pictures several overprint varieties with<br />
the pair of stamps on the left (Italy Scott 1LN14) containing<br />
a horizontally displaced overprint, the center stamp (Italy<br />
Scott 1LN5) has a vertically displaced overprint, and the<br />
stamp on the right exhibits an offset of an overprint on the<br />
reverse. Many of these errors and varieties have the benefit<br />
of being affordable for the average collector.<br />
Back-of-book (BoB) stamps and postal stationery are<br />
popular with many collectors and there is an abundance<br />
of AMG BoB material. In particular, the FTT offers a wide<br />
variety of BoB items as it was governed by the AMG for over<br />
seven years and a broad range of BoB items were needed<br />
to finance a full range of government services. AMG BoB<br />
items include airmail, special delivery, postage due, parcel<br />
post, authorized delivery, semi-postal, Christmas seals,<br />
and revenue stamps, plus letter sheets, air letter sheets, and<br />
postal cards. A few of those BoB AMG issues are shown in<br />
Figure 7. Examples of (from left to right) horizontally displaced overprint (Italy Scott 1LN14, 25<br />
Centesimi, 1947), vertically displaced overprint (Italy Scott 1LN5, 2 Lire, 1945), and overprint offset<br />
varieties on AMG VG stamps.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 37
Figure 8a. AMG Austria postage due (Scott<br />
J200 , 60 Groschen, 1946), VG special<br />
delivery (Italy Scott 1LNE1, 10 Lire, 1946),<br />
FTT airmail (Italy Trieste Scott C20, 10 Lire,<br />
1949), and FTT air letter sheet.<br />
Figure 8a anf 8b. For those desiring<br />
to start an AMG BoB collection, the<br />
easiest place to start is with some of<br />
the more basic issues such as airmail,<br />
special delivery, postage due, and<br />
parcel post, since most are listed in<br />
the Scott catalogs. When those areas<br />
are exhausted, the collector can turn<br />
to postal stationery and the wide<br />
range of revenue and fiscal issues,<br />
which will require access to specialized<br />
catalogs, many of which are not<br />
available in English.<br />
Revenue stamps were issued in<br />
abundance in the AMG-administered<br />
areas of VG and the FTT. At the left in<br />
Figure 9 are the left and right sides of<br />
used 100 Lira Industrial-Commercial<br />
tax stamps (Bush AMG-VG IC11)<br />
and at the right is an intact mint<br />
5 Lira FTT stock transfer se-tenant<br />
stamp (Bush AMG FTT ST24). Both<br />
Industrial-Commercial and Stock<br />
Transfer stamps were printed as setenant<br />
pairs. For both the Industrial-<br />
Commercial tax stamps and the Stock<br />
Transfer stamps, the left side of the<br />
pair was attached to the portion of<br />
the invoice retained by the seller and<br />
the right side of the pair was attached<br />
to the piece of the invoice given to<br />
the purchaser. Some AMG collectors<br />
have spent decades building specialized<br />
collections of the revenue issues.<br />
A particular challenge is finding many<br />
of the revenue issues properly used<br />
on-document. Only a limited number<br />
have survived, as the stamps were<br />
Figure 8b. FTT air letter sheet.<br />
Figure 9. AMG VG Industrial Commercial tax stamps (Bush AMG-VG IC11, 100 Lire) and FTT<br />
Stock Transfer stamps (Bush AMG FTT ST24, 5 Lire).<br />
Figure 10. Scott Trieste 166 with “FTT”<br />
overprint on Italy Scott 622 issued to<br />
commemorate the 1953 running of the<br />
annual Mille Miglia (1,000 mile) motorsport<br />
endurance race which was won by drivers<br />
Giannino Marzotto and Marco Crosara in a<br />
Ferrari 340 MM Spyder Magnale.<br />
38 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Figure 11. The 3 Franc value of the second AMG issue for France picturing the Arc de<br />
Triomphe (France Scott 523J, 3 Francs, 1945), Austrian AMG Post Horn issue (Scott 4N2,<br />
3 Groschen, 1945), and the Italian AMG Bari Wolf issue (Scott 440, 50 Centesimi, 1944,<br />
unwatermarked).<br />
Figure 12. Censored, registered letter to Vienna, Austria with a 12 Groschen (Scott 4N8) and a<br />
30 Groschen (Scott 4N12) paying the domestic surface rate and registration fee.<br />
either removed from the documents or the documents<br />
were destroyed after they were no longer of use. For those<br />
interested in the emissions for Korea, there are also numerous<br />
provisional and local issues, although many are quite<br />
expensive.<br />
Another popular collecting area involves issues with a<br />
topical or thematic interest. Many of the AMG issues have<br />
simple, practical designs, such as those created for use in<br />
Italy/Sicily and Germany, and do not lend themselves to<br />
topical or thematic collecting. Despite that, there is still<br />
plenty of material for the topical collector to pursue. The<br />
regular, commemorative, and BoB issues for the FTT and<br />
VG, along with many Ryukyu Islands stamps, fit nicely<br />
in topical or thematic collections. Figure 10 shows a 1953<br />
FTT stamp (Trieste Scott 166) picturing racing cars, which<br />
according to the Scott catalog was issued in commemoration<br />
of the 20th annual Mille Miglia (1,000 mile) auto race.<br />
Figure 11 pictures examples from the French issue depicting<br />
the Arc de Triomphe (France Scott 523J is pictured),<br />
Austrian issue picturing a post horn (Austria Scott 4N2 is<br />
pictured), and Italian Bari Wolf issue (Italy Scott 439 is pictured),<br />
which all have a place in topical collections.<br />
Postal historians wishing to specialize in the AMG area<br />
have a wide variety of AMG issues to focus on. Finding the<br />
many varieties of the AM Post issues for Germany on cover<br />
could keep you occupied for many years, especially if you<br />
want examples where the stamps are used to pay fees such<br />
as registration, special delivery, insurance, and postage due.<br />
Although some AMG issues are not hard to locate on cover,<br />
such as many AM Post and FTT Zone A issues, there are<br />
others that are quite challenging. Finding on-cover Korean<br />
stamps issued during the relatively short period of U.S. military<br />
administration from 1945 to 1948 is not easy, as there<br />
were only 26 different stamps issued and it is likely that<br />
most of those used were removed from the envelope or the<br />
envelope containing them was thrown away. Many revenue<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 39
Figure 13. Domestic surface letter to Eschenbach, Germany with three 8 Pfennig AM Post<br />
stamps (Scott 3N6a, 1945) paying the 24 Pfennig domestic surface rate.<br />
Figure 14a. Ryukyu Islands classic opera<br />
issue (Scott 196, 3 Cents, 1970).<br />
Figure 14b. FTT Festival of the Mountain<br />
issue (Scott Italy Trieste 181 with “FTT”<br />
overprint on Italy Scott 634, 25 Lire, 1953)<br />
FDCs.<br />
40 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
issues for VG and FTT Zone A are also quite hard to find<br />
used on-document as many of those documents were not<br />
retained after the need to show payment of the tax or fee<br />
had passed. Figure 12 pictures a cover mailed from Villach<br />
to Vienna in Austria and censored by the British military<br />
censor. The cover, which has 30 Groschen (Scott 4N12) and<br />
12 Groschen (Scott 4N8) AMG stamps paying the domestic<br />
surface rate and registration fee, was mailed on October 18,<br />
1945, and received on October 20, 1945, in Vienna. Covers<br />
showing payment of postal fees, such as registration,<br />
are much harder to find than those just paying the basic<br />
domestic rate. Figure 13 shows a typical AM Post cover<br />
with three 8 Pfennig Washington-printed stamps (Germany<br />
Scott 3N6a, 1945) paying the 24 Pfennig domestic surface<br />
rate for a letter sent on March 22, 1946, from Auerbach to<br />
Eschenbach, Germany, both within the U.S. occupied zone.<br />
First day cover (FDC) collectors will not feel left out,<br />
as there are FDCs available for many AMG regular issues,<br />
commemoratives, and some BoB issues. There are both<br />
addressed and unaddressed FDCs, with and without cachets.<br />
In many instances, there are multiple cachets for a single<br />
issue and cachet artists/creators who designed cachets for<br />
a wide range of issues. Thus, it is possible to develop a collection<br />
that is focused on either a single AMG issue or a<br />
cachet designer. FDCs are easiest to locate for the issues of<br />
the FTT and Ryukyu Islands, as those areas issued stamps<br />
over a longer time frame than any other AMG-administered<br />
areas.Figures 14a and b show FDCs for the 1953 FTT 25 Lire<br />
mountain festival issue and the 1970 Ryukyu Islands 3 Cent<br />
classic opera issue (Scott 196).<br />
Since AMG stamps and postal history cover such a<br />
broad range of collecting interests, it is only natural that<br />
many different types of collectors are drawn to AMG collecting.<br />
Despite the breadth of the AMG collecting area, a<br />
basic AMG collection containing one of each face-different<br />
AMG-issued stamp, although a challenge, is possible to<br />
complete, unlike a worldwide collection or even many<br />
country collections. An AMG collection also offers the<br />
opportunity to specialize, whether it be in the issues and<br />
postal history for a given country (e.g., Italy, Germany) or<br />
in a specific type of stamps (e.g., all revenue issues). Since<br />
my goal is to introduce readers to AMG collecting, I have<br />
only touched on a few of the possible ways to collect AMG<br />
stamps. Once you have started down the AMG collecting<br />
path, many other options will present themselves.<br />
If you’re having trouble finding affordable new material<br />
for your current collecting area(s) or you are looking for<br />
an interesting new challenge, AMG collecting may be the<br />
solution. There is a group dedicated to the study of AMG<br />
collecting, the AMG Collectors’ Club (AMGCC), which is<br />
also an APS chapter. Dues in the AMGCC are only $20 a<br />
year and it publishes the A.M.G. Courier, a quarterly awardwinning<br />
journal (Large Silver at 2017 APS StampShow and<br />
Vermeil at 2020 Chicagopex). The AMGCC <strong>web</strong>site (www.<br />
amgcollectors.org) also has an abundance of reference<br />
material, including album pages and back copies of the<br />
journal, available for download by members. Do yourself<br />
a favor and become an AMG collector today. You will not<br />
regret the decision.<br />
For information on joining the AMGCC, either go to<br />
the club <strong>web</strong>site or contact the club Secretary/Treasurer,<br />
David Arking, via email at arkmail@comcast.net or mail at<br />
223 Williamsburg Rd., Lansing, MI 48917.<br />
Comments about this article or general question regarding<br />
the AMGCC or AMG collecting area may be sent to me<br />
via email at rich@pedersonstamps.com or by mail at PO<br />
Box 662, Clemson, SC 29633.<br />
The photo negative in the header is of Catania, Sicily,<br />
in 1943, by photographer Nick Parrino. The Allied military<br />
government supplied flour for the towns hardest hit by the<br />
war after all local sources had been exhausted. Courtesy of<br />
Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information<br />
photograph collection (Library of Congress).<br />
References<br />
Wilcke, Harry W., M.D. (ed.). Bush A.M.G. Catalog – Handbook (Joseph V.<br />
Bush, Inc.; 1993).<br />
Cass, Harry, and Bush, Joseph (eds.). Bush – Cass Catalog of AMG Revenue<br />
Stamps (Joseph Bush; 1956).<br />
Houseman, Donna (ed.). Scott 2018 Specialized Catalogue of United States<br />
Stamps & Covers (Amos Media Co.).<br />
Snee, Charles (ed.). Scott 2015 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, volumes 1-4<br />
(Scott Publishing Co.)<br />
The Author<br />
Richard Pederson is editor of the A. M. G. Courier,<br />
<strong>web</strong>master for the AMGCC, the club’s APS representative,<br />
and a past president and vice president of the AMGCC.<br />
For Further Reading<br />
Recommendations from the APRL research staff:<br />
A.M.G. Catalog-Handbook by Harry Cass. (Bonita, CA:<br />
Joseph V. Bush, 1958. G5700 .A1 C343am<br />
The AMG Story: The Philatelic Story of the Allied Military<br />
Government in Europe at the Close of World War II by<br />
Harry Wilcke. (Columbus, OH: United States Possessions<br />
Philatelic Society, 1994. G5701 .O15 W667a<br />
1994<br />
A.M.G. Courier: The Journal of the AMG Collectors' Club by<br />
AMG Collectors' Club. (Clemson, SC: AMG Collectors'<br />
Club, 2015-Present). JOURNAL AMG Courier<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 41
From Hubble to<br />
Hale-Bopp and<br />
Other Stories<br />
KATRIN RAYNOR-EVANS<br />
Figure 1. Visions of the Universe, designed by Robert Ball and issued in February 2020 by Royal Mail.<br />
44 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
A<br />
year ago, my article “A<br />
Stamp on the Universe”<br />
appeared in the January<br />
2020 issue of The American<br />
Philatelist. Many readers have<br />
sent me parcels of their astronomy-<br />
and space-related philatelic<br />
material. I decided to write about<br />
some of the covers, and stamps<br />
that I have received.<br />
These gifts form an incredible<br />
historical timeline of achievements<br />
in space and have<br />
encouraged me to read deeply<br />
into the history of U.S. space<br />
research, comets, astronauts<br />
and Apollo missions, many of<br />
which are subjects I knew little<br />
about before now. I have also<br />
included a recent set of astronomy<br />
and space stamps issued on<br />
my side of the pond, which will<br />
allow me to kick off this article<br />
with a rather lovely set of colorful<br />
astronomy stamps issued at the<br />
beginning of 2020 in the United<br />
Kingdom.<br />
The Bicentenary of the<br />
Royal Astronomical Society<br />
On February 11, 2020, the Royal Mail issued a set of<br />
stamps to commemorate the bicentenary of the Royal<br />
Astronomical Society (RAS). Formed on January 12, 1820,<br />
at a tavern in London, the society has now grown to 4,000<br />
members and is one of the most eminent societies in the<br />
world, promoting astronomy and geophysics.<br />
The issue, called Visions of the Universe, has eight stamps<br />
in total illustrating astronomical phenomena: Comet 67P,<br />
the Cats Eye Nebula, geysers on Enceladus, pulsars, Jupiter’s<br />
auroras, the galaxy Cygnus, gravitational lensing and black<br />
holes (Figure 1). Each stamp includes one simple line of<br />
text that describes phenomena which have been discovered<br />
or investigated by British astronomers and astrophysicists.<br />
For example, the 1st class Black Hole stamp displays the text<br />
“Black holes are super-dense regions of space” and is a nod<br />
to the English natural philosopher John Michell who first<br />
suggested their existence in 1783 and the famous late British<br />
professor and theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, who<br />
made predictions about their behaviour.<br />
Illustrated by London-based artist Robert Ball, the<br />
stamps are colorful in hues of blues and red and bring to<br />
life these amazing phenomena in a way that photographs<br />
certainly could not. In particular, the Black Hole stamp is<br />
based on the work of Dr. Ziri Younsi of University College<br />
London, who was part of the Event Horizon Telescope<br />
team that captured the ground-breaking first image of a<br />
black hole in 2019. Younsi shared computer models of his<br />
work on black holes with Robert Ball to inform the illustrated<br />
design. These stamps are a fitting celebration for the<br />
bicentennial of a prestigious society and the contributions<br />
of British scientists to research in this field.<br />
Figure 2. The Black Hole pictorial cancellation used here<br />
pays homage to Stephen Hawking’s work in the study of<br />
black holes.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 45
Figure 3. The 1981 Space Achievement issues (Scott 1912-9) include<br />
one premature stamp depicting the Hubble Space Telescope (Scott<br />
1919), which would not be launched until nine years after the issue.<br />
Companies such as Benham and The Westminster Collection,<br />
and private organizations that produce their own<br />
official first day covers, can sponsor their own special handstamps<br />
or pictorial handstamps. These sponsored astronomy-themed<br />
handstamps have been used to cancel the<br />
stamps on certain Visions of the Universe covers and add<br />
to the delightful theme of the stamps. To obtain a special<br />
handstamp, the collector must affix the stamps to a cover and<br />
send it to special handstamp centers located throughout the<br />
UK, where it is stamped and returned to sender.<br />
For this issue, special handstamps include the original<br />
logo of the RAS – Herschel’s 40-foot telescope (the RAS<br />
unveiled a new, updated logo in January for its bicentenary)<br />
– an image of a black hole, and an illustration of the solar<br />
system (Figure 2).<br />
Figure 4. Three custom covers canceled on important dates in<br />
the Hubble Space Telescope’s history: April 24, 1990, the date of<br />
Discovery’s launch; April 25, 1990, the date of the Hubble Space<br />
Telescope’s deployment; and April 29, 1990, the date that Discovery<br />
touched back down to Earth.<br />
Figure 5. This combo cover marks<br />
three additional dates in Hubble Space<br />
Telescope’s history: May 21, 1981, the date<br />
of issue of the Comprehending the Universe<br />
stamp depicting the HST; April 24, 1990, the<br />
date of Discovery’s launch; and December 2,<br />
1993, the date of Endeavor’s launch with the<br />
servicing team.<br />
46 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Hubble Space Telescope<br />
On May 21, 1981, eight stamps were issued by the USPS<br />
at the Kennedy Space Center to commemorate the nation’s<br />
achievements in space (Scott 1912-9). One of the stamps<br />
depicts the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which was set<br />
to be launched in October 1986; however, the Challenger<br />
disaster halted all space shuttle programs until a full investigation<br />
of why the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after<br />
launch had been carried out. Hubble was finally launched<br />
on April 24, 1990. The 18¢ stamp displays the text “Comprehending<br />
the Universe” (Figure 3).<br />
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) celebrated its 30th<br />
anniversary on April 24, 2020. In 1990, the telescope launched<br />
from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the orbiter<br />
Discovery. The telescope’s launch was the 35th mission of<br />
the space shuttle program and massively transformed our<br />
understanding of the universe and our place within it. Orbiting<br />
340 miles above the Earth, the telescope has discovered<br />
moons orbiting Pluto, collected data about galaxies and even<br />
contributed data for research on black holes.<br />
In the past months I’ve received postmarks and signatures<br />
on covers that tell the story of Hubble to an extent.<br />
What follows are three custom covers depicting printed<br />
Figure 6. These autographed covers were a gift to the<br />
author from collector John Macco. The four covers, all date<br />
stamped February 11, 1997, were signed by four Mission<br />
Specialists who were aboard Discovery. Macco sent the<br />
covers individually to the Astronaut Office at the Johnson<br />
Space Center with a request for signatures.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 47
Figure 7. A full sheet of the Apollo 11 airmail stamps (Scott C76), issued September 9, 1969.<br />
cachets of the HST and date stamped with three key dates of<br />
the mission: April 24, 1990, the date of Discovery’s launch;<br />
April 25, 1990, the date that the telescope was deployed; and<br />
April 29, 1990, the date that Discovery touched back down<br />
to Earth (Figure 4). Each postmark is at Greenbelt, Maryland,<br />
which is home to the Goddard Space Flight centre, the<br />
control center for the HST.<br />
The custom covers are printed with an image of the<br />
HST orbiting the Earth. The mission number is printed<br />
below the image - Space Transportation System STS-31/<br />
Space Shuttle Discovery, the shuttle that launched the HST<br />
into orbit. Two of the covers are embellished with a stamp<br />
that was issued for the 20th Universal Postal Congress on<br />
November 27, 1989, and depicts a shuttle involved in a midspace<br />
mail transfer. This stamp was issued as a set of four<br />
with each stamp illustrating what postal delivery may look<br />
like in the future.<br />
The stamp affixed to the cover dated April 25, 1990, has<br />
an interesting history. It is a self-adhesive stamp depicting<br />
an Eagle and Shield (Scott 2431). Costing 25 cents, this selfadhesive<br />
imperforate stamp was unveiled on November 19,<br />
1989, at the annual VAPEX stamp show in Virginia after a<br />
15-year hiatus in the production of self-adhesive stamps.<br />
“Why the hiatus?” you may ask. One of the first selfadhesive<br />
stamps (Scott 1552), issued in 1974 and depicting<br />
a dove weathervane on the top of George Washington’s<br />
home, Mount Vernon, was deemed a failure due to the<br />
expense of production, the gum bleeding through onto the<br />
stamp paper and ease of re-using the stamps. Production<br />
was halted until 1989, when the USPS decided to try again,<br />
48 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
this time using an acrylic-based adhesive. The Eagle and<br />
Shield was available to only fifteen cities in Virginia and<br />
deemed another failure because of the higher premium that<br />
customers had to pay for the stamp booklets. The USPS<br />
finally issued its first nationally distributed self-adhesive<br />
stamp, the 29¢ Eagle and Shield stamp, in 1992.<br />
When the first images from the HST were returned to<br />
Earth, there was a noticeable problem. The images were not<br />
as clear as they should have been and were significantly below<br />
the expected quality. Further analysis showed that the mirror<br />
had been ground into the wrong shape ever so slightly – a<br />
minor flaw, but enough to compromise the telescope’s use<br />
almost entirely. So, on December 2, 1993, with seven astronauts<br />
aboard Endeavour, Servicing Mission 1 was launched<br />
from the Kennedy Space Center to correct the problem<br />
(Figure 5).<br />
On February 11, 1997, seven further crew members<br />
were launched aboard Discovery to undertake repairs and<br />
upgrades of the HST. This was the 82nd mission of the<br />
space shuttle program. Four covers in my collection have<br />
been signed by four of the five Mission Specialists - Joseph<br />
Tanner, Mark Lee, Steven Smith, and Steven Hawley. Mark<br />
Lee and Steven Smith carried out three of the five EVAs<br />
(Extra Vehicular Activity) while Gregory Harbaugh, also a<br />
Mission Specialist and Joseph Tanner undertook the other<br />
two. Steven Hawley, already an accomplished astronaut,<br />
was part of STS-31, the mission that launched the HST in<br />
1990 (Figure 6).<br />
Apollo 11<br />
One of the greatest achievements in U.S. space history,<br />
the Apollo program ran from 1961 to 1972. The Apollo 11<br />
mission in particular will forever be stamped firmly in the<br />
Figure 8. Mission patch for Apollo 11, courtesy of NASA on the<br />
Commons Flickr.<br />
Figure 9. An cover autographed from Luboš Kohoutek, discoverer of Comet Kohoutek in<br />
1973. The cover is date stamped January 15, 1974, the date of the comet’s closest approach<br />
to Earth.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 49
Figure 10. This cover is date stamped March 24, 1995 – two days after Hale-Bopp’s closest approach to Earth,<br />
and eight days before the comet passed perihelion. The cachet’s artwork comes from Alan Hale’s book<br />
Everybody’s Comet: A Layman’s Guide to Hale–Bopp.<br />
history books in more ways than one for successfully sending<br />
mankind to the moon on July 20, 1969. An abundance of<br />
stamps, covers and other memorabilia were created to mark<br />
this occasion.<br />
Thanks to an exceptionally generous APS member, I<br />
have been sent a large amount of Apollo 11 material spanning<br />
50 years, including a mint sheet of thirty-two 10¢<br />
Moon Landing stamps issued on September 9, 1969, which<br />
is a wonderful new addition to my collection (Figure 7). The<br />
single stamp, designed by Paul Calle, was issued to celebrate<br />
mankind’s historic visit to our celestial neighbor and illustrates<br />
Neil Armstrong setting foot on the Moon, embarking<br />
from Eagle, the lunar lander. This stamp’s design was the<br />
subject of Chris Calle’s 50-year retrospective, published in<br />
the July 2019 issue of The American Philatelist.<br />
Using some of the Apollo 11 material that had been sent<br />
to me, I entered a Stanley Gibbons competition in May.<br />
The aim of the competition was to display, on a single page,<br />
a window into a significant moment in history. Judged by<br />
Peter Cockburn, vice president of the Royal Philatelic Society<br />
and Graham Winters, chair of the Association of British<br />
Philatelic Societies, I was one of the eight winners in the<br />
Master class with my exhibit called “We Choose to Go to<br />
the Moon in This Decade.”<br />
While working on my exhibit and sorting through the<br />
material, the most interesting detail that I came across<br />
relates to the Apollo 11 logo that had been designed for the<br />
mission by Aldrin, Collins and Armstrong (Figure 8). The<br />
logo depicting an Eagle clutching an olive branch appears<br />
regularly on covers and philatelic memorabilia, but it may<br />
have gone unnoticed to some that the illustration of Earth<br />
from the Moon is incorrect. The Earth phase, or “Terra<br />
phase” is a term used to describe the sunlit portion of the<br />
Earth. During these phases, the shadow would never fall on<br />
the “left-hand side” of Earth. This mistake was never corrected,<br />
for reasons I have yet to find out!<br />
Comets<br />
Comet Kohoutek is perhaps best remembered as the<br />
comet that never was. Discovered in 1973 by Luboš Kohoutek,<br />
a Czech astronomer, this icy visitor from the outer Solar System<br />
is a long-period comet, which means that it has an orbital<br />
period exceeding 200 years and we won’t see it again for<br />
another 75,000 years. The comet was hyped to be the comet<br />
of the century but unfortunately, it was not to be. The nakedeye<br />
comet largely disintegrated upon its approach to the Sun<br />
and consequently was not as bright as expected.<br />
I was sent a homemade cover signed by Kohoutek along<br />
with a note from the sender, dated July 15, 1974, asking<br />
Kohoutek to autograph the cover. An 8¢ black and orange<br />
stamp (U.S. Scott 1488) celebrating the 500th anniversary<br />
of the birth of Copernicus, famous 15-century astronomer,<br />
is affixed to the cover. The cover has been date stamped<br />
on January 15, 1974, the date of Kohoutek comet’s closest<br />
approach to Earth (74,940,000 miles) and a pictorial<br />
postmark cancels the stamp. Kohoutek returned the signed<br />
cover to the sender on August 25, 1974 (Figure 9).<br />
It has been 25 years as of July 2020 since comet Hale-<br />
Bopp was discovered; I remember in my teens, whenever<br />
nights were clear, gazing up at the comet hanging effortlessly<br />
in the dark. Moving across our skies for approximately<br />
18 months, Hale-Bopp was the most observed comet of the<br />
twentieth century. Discovered independently by Alan Hale<br />
and Thomas Bopp in the United States on July 23, 1995,<br />
the comet passed perihelion, its closest approach to Earth,<br />
50 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
on April 1, 1997, and<br />
shone bright at magnitude<br />
of +2, roughly the same<br />
brightness of Polaris, the<br />
North Star. However, due<br />
to its size (approximately<br />
80 km) and proximity to<br />
Earth, even in light-polluted<br />
towns and cities, it was<br />
visible to the naked eye.<br />
I was sent a cover date<br />
stamped at Cloudcroft,<br />
New Mexico, where Alan Hale first made his discovery<br />
(Figure 10). Earlier this year, I had the privilege of interviewing<br />
Alan for the Sky at Night and The Society for Popular<br />
Astronomy. I asked him how he felt when he made the<br />
discovery:<br />
“I was very excited about the discovery. The<br />
comet was dim, at only 11th magnitude so I had no<br />
way of knowing at the time that it would turn out to<br />
be such a bright object . . . I figured that, at best, it<br />
might be a newly found short-period comet which<br />
would be returning every few years.”<br />
At the time of the discovery, Alan was observing two comets,<br />
71P/Clark and 6P/d’Arrest.<br />
“I had finished observing 71P/Clark, and I had an<br />
hour or so to wait before 6P/d’Arrest became high<br />
enough to observe, so I passed the time by looking<br />
at deep-sky objects. When I turned the telescope to<br />
the globular star cluster M70 in Sagittarius I noticed<br />
a dimmer, fuzzy object in the same field of view.”<br />
Alan confirms that we have learned a great deal from the<br />
comet’s visit from the outer Solar System:<br />
“Many of the substances identified in Hale-Bopp<br />
have also been detected in interstellar gas and dust<br />
clouds and in forming planetary disks within those<br />
clouds, so study of the comet has certainly helped fill<br />
in gaps in our knowledge about how planets form.”<br />
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the discovery of<br />
Hale-Bopp, Alan has compiled Ice and Stone 2020, a weekly<br />
series of online presentations throughout 2020 covering<br />
small bodies of the solar system such as comets and asteroids.<br />
It is available at no charge to educators and students<br />
around the world from earthriseinstitute.org.<br />
What Will the Future Bring?<br />
The celebration and commemoration of space achievements,<br />
technological advancements and discoveries<br />
throughout history has produced an endless, beautiful cornucopia<br />
of stamps, covers, postmarks and even numismatic<br />
delights. There are some really exciting events to look forward<br />
to in the coming years, as those who have followed the<br />
recent SpaceX launch in the U.S. will agree. This includes<br />
the launch of the James Webb Telescope on October 31,<br />
2021, the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter, which<br />
will begin scientific operations in November 2021, and the<br />
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance landing on the red planet<br />
in February 2021. There is so much scope for future commemorations<br />
and celebrations of space exploration and<br />
astronomy. I think it is a rather exciting time for us stamploving<br />
astronomers, and I for one cannot wait to see what<br />
the world of philately holds.<br />
The Author<br />
Katrin Raynor-Evans is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical<br />
Society and Royal Geographical Society. She is a<br />
member of the European Astronomical Society and Astro<br />
Space Stamp Society. She writes articles and interviews for<br />
popular astronomy magazines including the BBC Sky at<br />
Night, Stanley Gibbons and is the Features Editor for the Society<br />
for Popular Astronomy’s magazine, Popular Astronomy.<br />
She is co-authoring her first book. Asteroid 446500 Katrinraynor<br />
was recently named after her.<br />
For Further Reading<br />
Recommendations from the APRL research staff:<br />
Astronomy and Philately by Astro Study Unit, American<br />
Topical Association. (Milwaukee: American Topical<br />
Association, 1977). HE6183 .A1 A512a (ATA) No.90<br />
Space Weather, A Philatelic Journey: Solar and Space<br />
Effects on Earth and Other Planets and on Humans<br />
and Their Technology by Garry Toth and Don Hillger.<br />
(Carterville, IL: American Topical Association, 2017).<br />
HE6183 .A1 A512a no.166<br />
Astronomy on Stamps by Alphonse Mayernik. (Cambridge,<br />
MA: Harvard College Observatory, 1962).<br />
HE6183 .A859 M468a<br />
The Official Halley’s Comet Collection Postage Stamp<br />
Catalog by InterPostal Philatelic Corporation. (Sag<br />
Harbor, NY: InterPostal Philatelic Corporation, 1989.<br />
HE6183 .S732 O32<br />
Astrofax - Bulletin of the ATA Astronomy Study Unit by<br />
ATA Astronomy Study Unit. (San Antonio, TX: ATA<br />
Astronomy Study Unit, 1972-Present). JOURNAL<br />
Astrofax<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 51
The Collector of Revenue<br />
BY RON LESHER<br />
PAYING A TAX<br />
OR TAX EXEMPT<br />
IN<br />
the last column, I examined the first aspect<br />
of the definition of revenues, governmental<br />
authority. Let us begin the current exploration<br />
with the first of the many purposes of revenue stamps,<br />
namely to show that a tax has been paid or that something is<br />
exempt from taxation.<br />
Stamps that were intended to pay a tax on various kinds<br />
of transactions that are recorded on paper are commonly<br />
called documentary stamps. Most stamp collectors attracted<br />
to revenues begin with the so-called First Issues Revenues,<br />
the first issues that collectors encounter in the revenue<br />
section of the Scott Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps<br />
& Covers listings (Scott R1-102). Most, but not all of these<br />
are documentary stamps. That list of stamps is so lengthy<br />
because all were inscribed with the kind of document on<br />
which they were to be placed. In Figure 1, we see a stamp<br />
inscribed Bank Check and placed on the intended type of<br />
document, a bank check. The tax on bank checks, regardless<br />
of the amount to be paid, was two cents, and is appropriately<br />
covered by the documentary stamp.<br />
The wide variety of variously inscribed documentary<br />
stamps, often in multiple denominations, made equal distribution<br />
to all parts of the country difficult. The requirement<br />
for the tax stamp to match the usage proved impractical,<br />
and was discontinued after a mere three months, at the end<br />
of December 1862. Nonetheless, most collectors of the First<br />
Issue relish finding these stamps on the intended type of<br />
document, even after the matching usage requirement was<br />
discontinued.<br />
Figure 2 shows a certificate stamp on a marriage certificate,<br />
another matching usage. Certificate stamps were<br />
required on any certificate with legal implications or standing.<br />
Interestingly, this marriage certificate is written in<br />
German, reflecting the large German immigrant population<br />
in the state of Pennsylvania, many of whom were still<br />
speaking German, or a dialect, Pennsylvania Dutch, which<br />
by the 1860s was no longer a written language. As a young<br />
boy, well I remember Pennsylvania Dutch being spoken by<br />
my grandparents when they did not wish me to understand<br />
what was going on!<br />
Most, but not all, of the First Issue revenue stamps<br />
were intended to be used on documents. Stamps inscribed<br />
Figure 1. Check drawn on the Bank of the Republic with a 2¢ stamp (Scott R6c) inscribed Bank Check.<br />
52 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Fgure 2. German language marriage certificate with a 10¢ stamp inscribed Certificate (Scott R33c).<br />
“Proprietary” or “Playing Cards” were reserved for use on<br />
certain consumer goods such as matches, medicines, perfumes,<br />
or playing cards. Figure 3 shows an improper use<br />
of a 2¢ stamp inscribed “Playing Cards,” used on a bank<br />
check. This was in violation of the regulations. Since the tax<br />
was paid and there was no attempt to evade the tax, these<br />
improper uses appear to have been tolerated. Most collectors<br />
of the First Issue revenues seek to add such improper<br />
uses to their collections.<br />
In spite of collectors dubbing these stamps the First<br />
Issue revenue stamps, they were not the first adhesive revenue<br />
stamps used in the United States. The state of California<br />
used adhesive stamps as early as 1857 to collect taxes on bills<br />
of exchange, bills of lading (receipt of cargo shipments), and<br />
insurance policies. These adhesive stamps were validated<br />
with a handstamp showing the initials of the state controller.<br />
The example on a Second Bill of Exchange shown in<br />
Figure 4 is stamped with S.H.B, the initials of Samuel H.<br />
Brooks, who served from March 16, 1860, to November<br />
20, 1861. Bills of Exchange functioned somewhat like bank<br />
checks, and were sent from California and other western<br />
states across the country for payment at a bank in New York<br />
City. Because of the uncertainty of arrival in New York, the<br />
normal practice was to send two Bills of Exchange by different<br />
routes to the bank in New York and save a Third Bill<br />
in the company records for the unusual case that neither<br />
of the other two arrived safely. The Figure 4 example is a<br />
Second Bill of Exchange, and includes wording that it was<br />
to be paid, provided that the First Bill was unpaid. In other<br />
words, the first that arrived would be paid and the second<br />
that arrived would be ignored. There is no evidence that<br />
this particular bill was actually paid, so we can assume that<br />
the First Bill arrived and had already been paid. Nevertheless,<br />
all three bills were subject to the tax. California’s tax in<br />
this case was $1.00 for each of the bills over $400, up to and<br />
including $500.<br />
For the convenience of taxpayers, Internal Revenue<br />
also contracted with printers to imprint stamps on checks<br />
and other taxable documents during the Civil War era and<br />
lasting until June 30, 1883. In this way, the taxpayer did<br />
not have to worry about licking a stamp and pasting it on<br />
their check (Figure 5). In the example illustrated here, the<br />
contractor A. Trochsler of Boston used a design featuring<br />
the USS Monitor in the right portion of the design. Almost<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 53
Figure 3. Bank check with a 2¢ stamp inscribed Playing Cards (Scott R11c), a nominal improper use of a stamp reserved for playing cards,<br />
matches, medicines or perfume. CAR are the initials of check signer, canceling the stamp.<br />
Figure 4. An 1861 Second Bill of Exchange sent from California for payment at the Bank of the State of New York,<br />
subject to the California state tax of $1.00 for bills over $400 and not exceeding $500.<br />
all the recorded examples of this particular imprinted stamp<br />
are from the New England states. Significantly, there is one<br />
1880 example recorded used in Savannah, Georgia. The<br />
USS Monitor could not have been a popular sight in Georgia<br />
ten years after the end of the Civil War, which makes the<br />
provenance of this imprint curious. Although we do not<br />
know for certain, I can easily imagine that a “carpetbagger”<br />
from New England went south after the end of the war<br />
and set up a business in Savannah. When it was time to get<br />
checks printed with imprinted stamps, the “carpetbagger”<br />
recalled his roots in New England and had them produced<br />
back home!<br />
Although the examples just described are all stamps for<br />
use on documents, these are still not the earliest examples<br />
of documentary taxes in the United States. Figure 6 shows<br />
a 1798 foreign bill of exchange written in Alexandria,<br />
Virginia, for 230 pounds sterling payable in Liverpool,<br />
England. There is an embossed seal for 50¢ (Scott RM102)<br />
in the upper left corner, the amount of federal tax due for<br />
bills of exchange for $500 to $1000. My research shows that<br />
the value of 230 pounds sterling in 1798 was about $1,000<br />
in United States currency (over $21,000 today). Perhaps<br />
of greater interest is that the embossed seal or stamp is<br />
inscribed for Maryland; the tax was collected by the federal<br />
Supervisor of Revenue for Maryland, even though there was<br />
a Supervisor of Revenue for Virginia. Such uses are fairly<br />
unusual.<br />
In the World War I era and after, the tax laws specified<br />
that the stamps for several of the documentary taxes<br />
had to have the name of the specific tax on them. This<br />
included taxes on future delivery transactions and stock<br />
transfers. Because of the enormous demands on the Bureau<br />
of Engraving & Printing because of the war, an expedient<br />
solution was implemented: one set of stamps for general<br />
documentary taxes, overprints for the stamps to be used for<br />
future delivery (Figure 7) and a different overprint for the<br />
stamps for use on stock transfers (Figure 8). This temporary<br />
measure for stock transfer stamps lasted thirteen years until<br />
54 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Figure 5. An example of a check which has had the 2¢ tax stamp imprinted on the check before it was delivered to<br />
the New England News Co. of Boston for its use.<br />
Figure 6. An example of a bill of exchange subject to a fifty cent tax, with the payment<br />
shown by an embossed 50¢ stamp at the upper left corner. Paid in 1798, a very early use of<br />
documentary tax stamps.<br />
1940, when they were replaced by a permanent design for<br />
showing the tax on stock transfers. These separate stamps<br />
easily allowed for Internal Revenue to track how much was<br />
collected for each tax category and advise Congress about<br />
the revenue implications of possible tax rate changes for<br />
these categories.<br />
All of the above examples involve taxes on some form of<br />
financial transaction or on legal documents, like the marriage<br />
certificate. These examples follow the pattern of the<br />
initiation of taxation in most countries. As societies evolved<br />
a middle class, additional taxes on consumable products<br />
were initiated. These are often referred to as excise taxes.<br />
Excise taxes generally target two kinds of products: luxury<br />
goods and goods that the government is trying to discourage.<br />
Perfumes were one of the luxury items taxed under the<br />
general category of proprietary taxes during the Civil War<br />
era. Playing cards, sometimes known as the Devil’s cards<br />
because of their use in gambling, are an example of something<br />
in the same Civil War era that the government was<br />
trying to discourage.<br />
General proprietary stamps were issued for these excise<br />
taxes during the Civil War era – Figure 9 shows proprietary<br />
stamps canceled by Thomas Kensett & Co. and Ruth &<br />
Fleming, two canners in Baltimore, an example of luxury<br />
goods that were taxed beginning August 1, 1866. The tax<br />
was eliminated on most canned goods on March 1, 1867.<br />
Although canned goods may not seem like a luxury good<br />
today, after the Civil War canned goods grew in popularity<br />
due to their ubiquity and convenience for soldiers. In Figure<br />
10 we see an example of a proprietary stamp canceled by a<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 55
Figure 7. Several examples of stamps used to pay the taxes on the contracts for the future delivery<br />
of commodities. The first example, with the handstamp “F.D.” (unlisted in Scott), was a provisional<br />
in use prior to the delivery of the proper stamps from Internal Revenue.<br />
Figure 8. Several examples of stamps (Scott RD10, 12, and 21) used to pay the taxes on the sale or<br />
transfer of ownership of stocks.<br />
Figure 9. The use of general proprietary stamps (Scott R3c) to<br />
pay the tax on canned goods by two Baltimore canners, Thomas<br />
Kensett & Co. and Ruth & Fleming.<br />
Figure 10. The use of a general<br />
proprietary stamp (Scott R29c) to<br />
pay the tax on playing cards by<br />
Samuel Hart & Co.<br />
playing card manufacturer, Samuel Hart & Co. Samuel Hart<br />
later ordered a stamp from the government with a design to<br />
be used by only one firm (Figure 11). This so-called private<br />
die proprietary stamp served the dual function of paying<br />
the tax and acting as trademark protection to discourage<br />
anyone who wished to imitate Hart’s cards and try to trade<br />
on the name of that firm.<br />
The taxation of alcohol and tobacco products are two<br />
more areas that fit into this discussion. Each of these<br />
encompasses a very large number of stamps. Both beer<br />
stamps and wine tax stamps are well covered in the Scott<br />
U.S. Specialized. But the area of distilled spirits – including<br />
alcohol warehousing, distilled spirits, wholesale liquor<br />
dealing, and rectified spirits stamps – for the most part is<br />
not covered in Scott. There is also a whole area of stamps<br />
that were applied to bottled spirits which are not truly tax<br />
stamps, even though they denote that the taxes have been<br />
paid. The catalogers of state revenue stamps have dubbed<br />
these “liquor seals,” to differentiate them from the stamps<br />
that actually collected the taxes on alcohol. In addition, the<br />
field of United States tobacco taxpaids is totally untouched<br />
by the Scott U.S. Specialized. This includes stamps for Class<br />
A and Class B cigarettes, cigars, small cigars, snuff, and<br />
pipe or chewing tobacco. I leave each of these fields for a<br />
56 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Figure 11. The use of a private die<br />
proprietary stamp (Scott RU9b) for<br />
paying the tax on the playing cards<br />
manufactured by Samuel Hart & Co.<br />
later discussion, because in number of<br />
stamps each comes close to the size of<br />
the entire listings of revenue stamps in<br />
the Scott U.S. Specialized.<br />
Instead, I move to the interesting<br />
area of special tax stamps that most<br />
stamp collectors, when they encounter<br />
them, say are not stamps. These are<br />
known as special tax stamps because<br />
those three words appear on these<br />
overly large pieces of paper (Figure<br />
12). The item in Figure 12 measures<br />
about 6 1/4 inches wide by 6 inches<br />
tall. Before 1920 these special tax<br />
stamps measured about 11 1/2 inches<br />
wide and 7 1/4 inches tall. These are<br />
much better understood if we look<br />
at their function: to collect annual<br />
taxes on certain occupations. Once<br />
again, this is a vast field of revenues,<br />
embracing occupations dealing with<br />
tobacco, alcohol, and medicinal narcotics.<br />
There are additional occupations,<br />
but this will suffice for this<br />
overview of paying these annual occupational<br />
taxes. The size of the special<br />
tax stamps are a turnoff to many collectors;<br />
those in use prior to 1920 were<br />
even larger!<br />
There is an interesting story from<br />
about forty years ago, when the president<br />
of the American Revenue Association<br />
decided to enter his exhibit of<br />
special tax stamps in a World Series<br />
of Philately show. When the judges<br />
saw this exhibit, they told the show<br />
committee that they were not going to<br />
judge this exhibit, because it was not<br />
an exhibit of stamps. When informed<br />
Figure 12. Special tax stamp for paying the annual occupational tax for a Brewer of at least<br />
500 barrels of beer (15,500 gallons).<br />
Figure 13. Export beer stamp from the Act of June 1890 used to designate that the beer was<br />
exempt from taxes.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 57
Figure 14. Export beer stamp for bottled beer used in the 1890s to designate that it was<br />
exempt from tax.<br />
For Further Reading<br />
Recommendations from the APRL research staff:<br />
An Introduction to Revenue Stamps by Bill Castenholz.<br />
(Pacific Palisades, CA: Castenholz & Sons, c1994).<br />
G3701 .R451 C349i<br />
Introduction to United States Revenue Stamps by Richard<br />
Friedberg. ( Sidney, OH: Linn’s Stamp News,<br />
1994). G3701 .R451 F899i 1994a<br />
Documentary State Revenue Stamps of the United States<br />
of that decision, the exhibitor asked the show committee to<br />
open the frames so he could remove his exhibit. He then<br />
told them that not only would he never exhibit again, but<br />
that he did not plan to attend any national level stamp<br />
shows again. To the best of my knowledge that exhibitor<br />
kept his word. Today, an exhibit of special tax stamps would<br />
be accepted and judged.<br />
Just as we have explored these stamps that were issued to<br />
pay a tax, there are several stamps used by Internal Revenue<br />
to designate that something was exempt from a tax. We will<br />
look at just two of these stamps, both used to identify that<br />
beer (“fermented liquor”) was exempt from tax because<br />
the beer was designated for export. There were advantages<br />
for both the brewery and government. The nonpayment of<br />
taxes only to be refunded upon export was (1) preservation<br />
of the brewery’s capital and (2) elimination of paperwork<br />
for the government. These export stamps for beer were first<br />
initiated by a law passed in June 1890. Stamps issued for<br />
this purpose could be used on different sizes of kegs by cutting<br />
off the coupons on the left. It appears that this stamp<br />
(Figure 13) was intended for a quarter barrel of beer but<br />
was never used. The export beer stamp in Figure 14 was to<br />
be applied to beer that had been bottled. Again, this stamp<br />
could be used for multiple sized containers. It has been cut<br />
off for six gallons. Neither of these stamps should appear<br />
in a local store or tavern. Only kegs of beer with a taxpaid<br />
stamp on them should have ever been seen at the local bars<br />
in this country. Both of these beer examples and stamps<br />
for export of various kinds of tobacco products are rather<br />
scarce in general – especially used examples, which would<br />
have had to make their way back to this country after they<br />
had been exported.<br />
This concludes our brief survey of stamps issued to<br />
show the payment of a tax or to designate that a product is<br />
exempt from tax because it will be exported. My purpose<br />
here was not to be comprehensive, but to illustrate a broad<br />
range of examples that fulfill this one of many possible functions<br />
of revenue stamps.<br />
by Brewster Kenyon. (Long Beach, CA : Brewster C.<br />
Kenyon, 1920). G3701 .R451 K37d<br />
An Historical Reference List of the Revenue Stamps of the<br />
United States, Including the Private Die Proprietary<br />
Stamps by George Toppan. (Pacific Palisades, CA:<br />
Castenholz and Sons, 1990). G3701 .R451 T675h<br />
1899 Reprint 1990<br />
The Revenue Stamps of the United States by Christopher<br />
West and Elliot Perry. (Pacific Palisades, CA:<br />
Castenholz and Sons, 1979). G3701 .R451 W516r<br />
197<br />
58 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
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#8A. 1851-56 1¢ Blue,<br />
Mint, Very Fine, No<br />
Gum, Beautiful Deep<br />
Rich Color, Scarce,<br />
with a Philatelic<br />
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Scott $2,250<br />
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Crease Bottom Right and<br />
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Gum and a Philatelic<br />
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Scott $6,250<br />
Our List Price $3,100<br />
Special Ad Price $2,850<br />
No. 61—Mint, Full OG<br />
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#119b. 1869 15¢ Pictorial<br />
Invert, Used, Fine to<br />
Very Fine, Reperfed at<br />
Top and Right, Vignette<br />
Showing Nicely Through<br />
a Neat Circle of Wedges<br />
Cancel. A Handsome<br />
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Scott $22,500<br />
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#160. 1873 7¢ Orange<br />
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#193. 1880 2¢ Black<br />
Brown Soft Paper Special<br />
Printing, Unused,<br />
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As Issued, Couple of<br />
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#144. 1870 90¢ Carmine,<br />
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#64. 1861 3¢ Pink, Mint,<br />
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1950s<br />
Cataloging U.S. Stamps<br />
CHARLES POSNER<br />
3¢ OKLAHOMA<br />
STATEHOOD<br />
(Scott 1092)<br />
The making of the stamp<br />
When Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield issued<br />
a statement on November 2, 1956, of five commemorative<br />
stamps his department intended to issue during 1957, it<br />
came as no surprise that one was to be included to mark<br />
the golden anniversary of the granting of statehood to the<br />
Oklahoma Territory. The enthusiasm of Oklahoma institutions<br />
combined with the skillful advocacy of its energetic<br />
governor Raymond Daniel Gary (1908-1993) was behind<br />
Summerfield’s announcement.<br />
In May 1953, the Drumright newspaper publisher and<br />
editor Lou Stockton Allard (1909-1974), an enterprising<br />
member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives,<br />
secured the unanimous support of that legislative body to<br />
establish an Oklahoma Semi-Centennial Commission to<br />
arrange statewide events in honor of Oklahoma’s admission<br />
to the American Union. Oklahoma Governor Gary named<br />
the commission charged with coordinating local events,<br />
which included rodeos, parades, festivals, pioneer days and<br />
Native-American ceremonial dances. It was inevitable that<br />
Allard should serve as its chair.<br />
The first land rush in what is present-day Oklahoma<br />
occurred on April 22, 1889, and statehood came into effect<br />
on November 16, 1907. As a result, the Commission scheduled<br />
a bevy of statehood semi-centennial events to take<br />
place between April 22 and November 16, 1957.<br />
The Commission’s foremost goals were to ensure that<br />
each city and town would organize its own celebrations,<br />
that a statewide fair be organized at the State Fair Grounds<br />
in the capital, and that tourists from all over the country<br />
would be attracted by slogans such as “Visit Oklahoma<br />
First,” “From Tepees to Towers,” and, what became the<br />
central theme of the celebration, “From Arrows to Atoms.”<br />
From the outset, it pressed for the Post Office Department<br />
to give philatelic recognition to the event. In this endeavor<br />
the Commission had the unanimous support of the state<br />
government, in particular of the governor and the business<br />
community and trade unions.<br />
While it was a foregone conclusion that a stamp would<br />
be issued, there was considerable discussion about how<br />
Figure 1. Three vertical essays for<br />
the Oklahoma stamp, courtesy<br />
of the Smithsonian’s National<br />
Postal Museum Library, the Third<br />
Assistant Postmaster General<br />
Stamp Design Files.<br />
60 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Figure 2. The slightly odd horizontal design<br />
that was approved for the Oklahoma<br />
statehood stamp. Courtesy of the<br />
Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum<br />
Library.<br />
many stamps should be issued. Oklahoman business interests<br />
and the state’s congressional delegation would have<br />
preferred two stamps: the first to be issued at Oklahoma<br />
City on April 22, the date of the 1889 land rush when the<br />
territory of Oklahoma was opened to settlement by European<br />
Americans, and the second on November 16, the date<br />
when statehood was granted, to be issued at Guthrie, the<br />
former state capital. The two dates were widely promoted<br />
by the tourist industry, as it meant that visitors would come<br />
from spring to autumn.<br />
It was proposed that the design of the April 22 stamp<br />
would feature the semi-centennial theme “Arrow to Atoms.”<br />
The lawyer Earl P. Enos suggested that the November stamp<br />
have as its centerpiece a map delineating the Indian and<br />
Oklahoma territories that coalesced to form a single entity.<br />
On the left the map would be flanked by an image of the<br />
bronze sculpture by Percy Bryant Baker (1881-1970) called<br />
the “Pioneer Woman”; on the right, a portrayal of the<br />
statue by Jo Davidson (1883-1952) of the Oklahoma-born<br />
humorist and prominent member of the Cherokee Nation,<br />
William Pen Adair “Will” Rogers (1879-1935). Will Rogers<br />
already appeared on a 3¢ postage stamp in 1948 as an extension<br />
of the Famous American Series<br />
(Scott 975). To complicate the process<br />
of deciding the venue for the first<br />
day of issue ceremony, the Oklahoma<br />
Philatelic Society announced that, as<br />
Tulsa would be the site of its annual<br />
convention to be held during the week<br />
of November 16, the stamp should be<br />
issued there.<br />
When it became clear that the policies<br />
of the Post Office Department<br />
would allow only one stamp to be<br />
issued, the tourist industry weighed in.<br />
Its representatives argued that April 22<br />
was too early in the year and November<br />
16 too late. They wanted a date that<br />
coincided with the June state fair organized<br />
by the Commission. For that reason,<br />
Postmaster General Summerfield<br />
opted for the date of June 14, to coincide<br />
with the opening of the exposition<br />
Figure 3. Scott 1092 and 1087<br />
(Polio Prevention) shared<br />
the dubious honor of “Worst<br />
Design” from a Linn’s poll of<br />
that year.<br />
in Oklahoma City – exactly<br />
51 years after Congress had<br />
passed an Enabling Bill to<br />
set in motion the march<br />
towards statehood.<br />
On February 9, 1957,<br />
Bureau of Engraving and<br />
Printing artists submitted<br />
four designs for Summerfield’s<br />
consideration, and he<br />
promptly made his choice.<br />
Three of the submissions<br />
were vertically arranged and<br />
one had a horizontal layout<br />
(Figure 1). Each of the<br />
designs featured the theme<br />
“Arrows to Atoms” and the<br />
wording “50th Anniversary<br />
of Statehood” or, in the case<br />
of the horizontal model,<br />
“50th Anniversary of Oklahoma Statehood.” The centerpiece<br />
of the vertical stamps was the exposition logo, consisting<br />
of a symbolic arrow piercing an atom. Two of these<br />
designs contained a tiny map of Oklahoma at the center of<br />
the atom atop the shaft of the arrow. One had a larger map<br />
located behind the symbol. They were true to the impressive<br />
190-foot-tall steel and corrugated arrow and atom sculpture<br />
that was erected to tower over the fairgrounds. Located at<br />
the heart of the exposition site, it served as its symbol and<br />
centerpiece.<br />
One might ask why BEP designer William Schrage<br />
proposed a horizontal layout (Figure 2). The vertical layout<br />
allows the depiction of the tower in its full glory. In<br />
the horizontal version, however, the tower, flipped on its<br />
side, looks at best like an arrow about to be fired or an<br />
Figure 4. The official semi-centennial emblem, right, uses the<br />
slogan “Teepees to Towers,” as does the Artmaster cachet on<br />
the first day cover, left. Emblem courtesy of Oklahoma City<br />
Chamber of Commerce Collection, and cover courtesy of APS<br />
StampStore.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 61
oddly designed parliamentary mace. Schrage also included<br />
a much-enlarged map of the state in his design. His model<br />
was accepted by the Post Office Department on February 9<br />
and the die proof was approved on April 5.<br />
The design<br />
The awkward design of the semi-centennial stamp is a<br />
good example of what happens when there are too many<br />
cooks in the kitchen. The Commission made several suggestions,<br />
and Governor Gary intervened at an early stage of the<br />
process. He wanted the stamp to serve as publicity for the<br />
June 14-July 7 “America’s New Frontiers Exposition,” to be<br />
held at the Oklahoma City fairgrounds.<br />
The central motif of the stamp is a horizontal arrow<br />
superimposed on a solid outline map of the state of Oklahoma.<br />
The arrow pierces the atomic symbol of interwoven<br />
ellipses, representing electron paths that supposedly symbolize<br />
atomic energy. The arrow epitomizes the frontier<br />
days of Oklahoma prior to its attainment of statehood in<br />
1907, and the atomic symbol represents the promise of science,<br />
a veritable new frontier. Across the top of the stamp<br />
the text reads, “1907 Arrow to Atoms 1957” and across the<br />
bottom, “3¢ United States Postage.” Both are in dark Gothic<br />
typeface. Arranged over five lines within the eastern half of<br />
the map of the state is the wording “50th Anniversary of<br />
Oklahoma Statehood” in white-faced Gothic.<br />
The design was not wildly popular with philatelists. In<br />
the annual poll undertaken by Linn’s, it shared the accolade<br />
of worst design of the year with the Polio stamp (Scott 1087,<br />
Figure 3). For members of the newly constituted Citizens’<br />
Stamp Advisory Committee, it represented everything they<br />
wished to change in postage design.<br />
The subject<br />
The history of modern Oklahoma begins with the forced<br />
removal during the 1830s of the “five civilized tribes” – the<br />
Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and<br />
Choctaw nations – from their lands as a result of the Indian<br />
Removal Act of 1830, which resulted from an insatiable<br />
hunger for land and the discovery of gold in Georgia in<br />
1828. Historians have compared the forced removals to<br />
“death marches” because of the large number of people<br />
who died on route. They were dragooned into present-day<br />
eastern Oklahoma. In this land, called “Indian Territory,”<br />
the “five civilized tribes” enacted their own constitution and<br />
established democratic systems of government and courts<br />
of law. However, this did not stop incursions by European<br />
Americans, particularly when oil was discovered in 1857.<br />
The land to the west of “Indian Territory” was opened<br />
for settlement in 1889 and European American settlers<br />
3¢ OKLAHOMA STATEHOOD<br />
Technical information:<br />
Date of issue: June 14, 1957<br />
Catalogue numbers: Scott 1092<br />
Designer: William Karl Schrage<br />
Vignette engraver: Matthew Daniel Fenton<br />
Letter engraver: George L. Huber<br />
Color: dark blue (Scott); blue (Post Office Department)<br />
Format: Electric eye plates of 200 divided into 4 post<br />
office panes of 50 by horizontal gutters - arranged 5<br />
horizontally by 10 vertically<br />
Perforation: 11 x 10 ½.<br />
Size: 0.84 x 1.44 inches (21.34 mm x 36.58 mm)<br />
Printing: Bureau of Engraving and Printing, using a<br />
Cottrell Electronically Actuated Web Press<br />
Anomalies: None.<br />
Quantity issued: 102,219,500<br />
Plate. No. Impressions<br />
Printed<br />
25683 140,542 May 21, 1957<br />
25684 145,655 May 17, 1957<br />
25685 145,655 May 17, 1957<br />
25686 140,542 May 21, 1957<br />
First day site: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma<br />
First day covers serviced: 327,172<br />
Figure 5. The “Arrows to Atoms” semicentennial of statehood arrow,<br />
courtesy of Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Collection.<br />
62 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Figure 6. The Oklahoma Philatelic Society<br />
designed the blue and gold cachet on<br />
this first day cover canceled from the<br />
Boomtown Post Office.<br />
staked claims to what previously had been Native American<br />
territory. Further land runs occurred between 1891 and<br />
1895. The area became Oklahoma Territory.<br />
In 1905, representatives from the Cherokee, Seminole,<br />
Creek, Choctaw and Chickasaw nations submitted a draft<br />
constitution for the state of Sequoyah, which Congress<br />
refused to consider. The tribes joined representatives of the<br />
Oklahoma Territory to promote the acceptance of a single<br />
state. On June 14, 1906, after years of attempting to obtain<br />
statehood for Oklahoma and the Indian territories as one<br />
or two states, Congress passed an enabling act calling for<br />
a constitution convention of members from the Oklahoma<br />
and Indian Territories and the Osage nation to draft the<br />
fundamental law required for admittance to the Union.<br />
On September 17, 1907, in a referendum, the residents of<br />
the two territories voted in favor of statehood, and on the<br />
following November 16, President Roosevelt issued Presidential<br />
Proclamation 780 admitting Oklahoma as the fortysixth<br />
state of the Union.<br />
First day ceremony<br />
Almost two months prior to the<br />
first day of issue ceremony, on April<br />
22, 1957, statewide events were inaugurated<br />
in Guthrie with a parade<br />
(Figure 4). The “Arrows to Atoms”<br />
two-hundred-foot-tall tower at the<br />
Oklahoma City state fairgrounds was<br />
dedicated and lit (Figure 5). Actor Joel<br />
McCrea, who starred in the movie The<br />
Oklahoman (1957), participated in the<br />
Guthrie parade, and joined the lighting<br />
ceremony at the state fairgrounds.<br />
On opening day of the four-weeklong<br />
fair, the entrance to the 320-acre<br />
site was arranged to resemble pioneer<br />
stockades. Governor Raymond Gary,<br />
wielding a golden tomahawk, split the<br />
lone barrier at the entrance for the<br />
formal inauguration of the festivities. Towering above the<br />
fairground was the flamboyant symbol of the semi-centennial,<br />
an elongated arrow piercing an atom, erected in the<br />
center of the grounds. Banners abounded, including one<br />
proclaiming that the purpose of the exposition was to bring<br />
the “frontiers of science to the man in the street.”<br />
The stamp was issued on the second day of the exposition<br />
at State Fair Grounds in Oklahoma City. On the designated<br />
day, at 1:30 pm, Friday, June 14, 1957, despite an<br />
intermittent dousing by rain, Master of Ceremonies Harold<br />
B. Groh (1908-1999), president of Oklahoma City Chamber<br />
of Commerce and general manager for Southwestern Bell,<br />
opened the proceedings.<br />
Governor Raymond Gary and Mayor Allen Morgan<br />
Street (1885-1969) of Oklahoma City extended a welcome<br />
to the assembled guests. Following a presentation of<br />
the dignitaries, Abe McGregor Goff (1899-1984), general<br />
counsel of the Post Office Department, mistakenly declaring<br />
that more than one postage stamp had been issued,<br />
delivered the principal address saying, “Today’s opening<br />
Figure 7a. A combo cover canceled in Oklahoma City on June 14, 1957, the first day of<br />
issue of the semi-centennial stamp, and November 16, 1982, the actual 75th anniversary of<br />
Oklahoma’s statehood.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 63
of this magnificent America’s New Frontiers exposition will<br />
further serve to remind the entire world of the strides made<br />
by this and other areas of the dynamic southwest.” He then<br />
proceeded to the ceremonial presentation of the traditional<br />
leather-bound souvenir albums. As always, each album contained<br />
a sheet of stamps autographed by Postmaster General<br />
Summerfield.<br />
In terms of philately, beginning on January 1, 1957, the<br />
Oklahoma City post office placed a cancellation publicizing<br />
the exposition in use. The towns of Enid and Guthrie also<br />
applied special cancellations.<br />
There was an exhibit in a railway<br />
mail van, and a highway mail bus was<br />
used to dispatch mail from the fair. A<br />
marking of “HPO” for Highway Post<br />
Office or “PTS” for Post Transportation<br />
Service was applied.<br />
Twenty-seven year old Ray Yanosko,<br />
an instructor at Fort Sill 617th Field<br />
Artillery Observation Battalion, who<br />
helped man the Boomtown Post Office,<br />
designed official blue and gold first<br />
day covers for the Oklahoma Philatelic<br />
Society (Figure 6). On the left side<br />
of the cachet is a drawing in blue of<br />
the exposition’s Boomtown. Above it<br />
was the contemporary Oklahoma City<br />
skyline. The Arrow and Atoms symbol<br />
was in gold. As for the lettering,<br />
“Oklahoma” is on the far left of the<br />
design and “Semi-Centennial Exposition<br />
June 14-July 7” across the top. A<br />
special non-official “Boomtown USA”<br />
cancellation in red ink was affixed on<br />
request. The Oklahoma Philatelic Society<br />
also arranged an exhibition of early<br />
covers from the Oklahoma and Indian<br />
Territories.<br />
The Post Office Department sent<br />
a special crew, led by Ralph David,<br />
to assist the Oklahoma authorities in<br />
dealing with the influx of request for<br />
first day covers (Figures 7a-c). Enthusiastic<br />
officials of the Oklahoma City<br />
For Further Reading<br />
Recommendations from the APRL research staff:<br />
“Indian Territory, Oklahoma, and the Neutral Strip” by<br />
George H. Shirk., 1955. American Philatelic Congress<br />
Book.<br />
The Butterfield Overland Mail through eastern Oklahoma<br />
by I.C. Gunning. (Oklahoma City: Eastern Oklahoma<br />
post office claimed that the stamp would be “more valuable<br />
for collectors than ordinary issues” because initially only<br />
80 million were printed. The Post Office Department was<br />
half expecting a rise in the cost of first-class postage and<br />
therefore printed fewer stamps than the 120,000,000 that<br />
had become common by the middle of the 1950s. When it<br />
became clear that the request for an increase in the cost of a<br />
first-class stamp would not be accepted, however, the printing<br />
was jacked up to 102,219,500.<br />
Figure 7b. FDC with cachet by Ken Boll. Courtesy of APS StampStore.<br />
Figure 7c. FDC with block of Scott 1092s and an Artcraft cachet, courtesy of APS StampStore.<br />
Historical Society, 1965. G4021 .E968 G976b Oklahoma<br />
Post Offices by Sharon McAllister. Oklahoma City:<br />
S. McAllister, 2001. G4021 .P855 M114o<br />
First Post Offices within the Boundaries of Oklahoma by<br />
George Shirk, George H. -- [Oklahoma City? OK]: Oklahoma<br />
Philatelic Society, 1948. G4021 .P855 S558f<br />
64 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Adventures in Expertizing<br />
BY Ken Martin<br />
APS Director of Expertizing<br />
kpmartin@stamps.org<br />
I<br />
get lots of phone calls, the majority of which are from<br />
individuals who believe they have very valuable stamps.<br />
One caller this month claimed he has at least 50 copies<br />
of U.S. Scott 596. I told him I did not think it was likely as<br />
only 15 copies of the stamp are known and ten of those have<br />
Kansas City bureau precancels. To avoid disappointment I<br />
suggested that he just submit one example each of three or<br />
four of his rarities and wait for the results rather than submit<br />
hundreds of stamps at once.<br />
This individual was not a collector and not familiar with<br />
the Scott catalog. However, if he were, I also would have suggested<br />
that he review the identifier of definitive issues at the<br />
front of the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps<br />
& Covers. Scott 596 is design<br />
type A155 and there<br />
are 16 catalog numbers issued<br />
for this design (which<br />
is not quite as overwhelming<br />
as the 43 listed for the<br />
2¢ Washington Franklin<br />
design type A140.)<br />
Disappointment may<br />
be avoided if the other<br />
catalog numbers for the<br />
design type can be eliminated.<br />
And when there are<br />
tremendous differences<br />
in value for the different<br />
catalog numbers, think<br />
about whether a relatively<br />
low value stamp could be<br />
altered to resemble a more<br />
valuable variety. For example,<br />
could perforations<br />
have been added to an<br />
Figure 1. The Kiusalas gauge<br />
measures U.S. perforations<br />
and offers a more accurate<br />
measurement, as not all “perf<br />
11s” are created equal.<br />
inexpensive imperforate<br />
stamp? Or perhaps could<br />
perforations have been<br />
trimmed off one or more sides of a sheet stamp to resemble<br />
a coil or imperforate?<br />
A very narrow stamp or very small margins may be a sign<br />
that perforations have been added to an imperforate or coil<br />
stamp. For United States stamps, an investment in a Kiusalas<br />
perforation gauge could also pay dividends (Figure 1). Perforations<br />
were first measured in Europe and the European<br />
method uses the number of perforations per two millimeters.<br />
In contrast, U.S. perforating machines have had pins that do<br />
the perforating spaced in 1000s of an inch – NOT in millimeters.<br />
The Kiusalas gauge measures U.S. spaced perforations.<br />
Your stamp may appear to be properly perforated 11,<br />
but there are three different sizes of U.S. perforated 11 U.S.<br />
stamps. Perforated 11-72 (72 represents the thousands of an<br />
inch between the center of perforation holes) was first used<br />
Figure 2. The same stamp measured against perf 11-72 and 11-70.<br />
The 11-72 is the correct measurement.<br />
Table 1. Specialist Gauge readings of the 1908-1923<br />
Washington-Franklin designs for easy identification. Courtesy<br />
of stampexpertizing.com.<br />
SCOTT No.<br />
SPECIALIST GAUGE<br />
331-342 12-66<br />
348-356 12-66<br />
357-366 12-66<br />
374-382 12-66<br />
385-389 12-66<br />
390-396 8.5-95<br />
405-407 12-66<br />
410-413 8.5-95<br />
414-423 12-66<br />
424-440 10-79<br />
423A 12-66 X 10-79<br />
423B 12-66 X 10-79<br />
423C 12-66 X 10-79<br />
423D 10-79 X 12-66<br />
423E 10-79 X 12-66<br />
441-447 10-79<br />
448-458 10-80<br />
66 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
SCOTT No.<br />
SPECIALIST GAUGE<br />
460 10-79<br />
461 11-72<br />
462-478 10-79<br />
486-497 10-80<br />
498-518 11-72<br />
519 11-72<br />
525-530 11-72<br />
536 12.5-63<br />
538-541 11-72 X 10.80<br />
542 10-80 X 11-73<br />
543 10-80<br />
544<br />
11-72 or 11-73 at top or bottom<br />
or both X 11-72<br />
545-546 11-72<br />
546a 11-72 X 11-72 X 11-72 X 10-80<br />
Figure 3. The same block measured against perf 11-70 and 11-73.<br />
Perf 11-70 is the correct measurement.<br />
in 1915 on two cent watermarked stamps and became generally<br />
used in 1917 on all flat plate issues (Figure 2). It was also<br />
used from 1918-22 on offset printings and rotary and more<br />
recently on Giori Press Stamps.<br />
Perf 11-73 was also used from 1917-22, though it is not<br />
as common as 11-72. The diameter of the perf holes are larger<br />
than the 11-72, being the same size as perf 10s. And perf<br />
11-70 was used in combination with 10½ - 75 Rotary issues<br />
(Figure 3). If your stamp has the wrong perforations, they<br />
have probably been added.<br />
In addition to phone calls, other inquiries come by email.<br />
Earlier this week, a member asked me: “I have nine Sardinia<br />
stamps, which, according to the catalog have a high value. Is<br />
there any way of knowing if they are legitimate without paying<br />
for expertizing?” With reference materials and study, she<br />
might be able to form an educated opinion, but if the catalog<br />
notes that counterfeits or forgeries are common for a high<br />
value stamp, it will not sell easily without an expert certificate.<br />
We also recently had an inquiry about becoming an expert<br />
on the APEX Expert Committee. We are always happy<br />
to hear from members who are qualified and interested in<br />
helping. Offering expertizing services for all countries is<br />
very challenging. Many of our 180 experts cover only a single<br />
country, and in a few cases, only a single issue of stamps.<br />
In order for all items to be reviewed by at least two outside<br />
experts, we realistically need at least three experts for every<br />
area, in case of vacations, health issues (unfortunately, some<br />
of our experts have had COVID-19), or even dangerous<br />
weather evacuations. Also, several of our experts are dealers<br />
and cannot be consulted on stamps that they sold.<br />
More experts are needed for areas with significant submissions.<br />
We currently have 75 experts for United States<br />
stamps but only three primary experts for U.S. Washington<br />
Franklins issues – and that really is not enough. We currently<br />
have five experts for the German area and would welcome<br />
additional help.<br />
APEX does not have a single test to determine if someone<br />
is qualified, but we do expect positive recommendations<br />
and references. In some cases, we may be able to find<br />
a mentor to help a potential expert. A large percentage of<br />
our experts are dealers, exhibitors and/or authors. Several<br />
have previously or presently provide their expertise for other<br />
expertizing services. Most have collected the stamps they review<br />
for 30 years or more and have their own reference collection<br />
and library.<br />
Because of postage and insurance issues, APEX experts<br />
need to reside in the United States, although occasionally we<br />
turn to an expert abroad to help with typing or plating of a<br />
stamp or review of an overprint based on scans.<br />
We ask experts to review and return items within two<br />
weeks of receipt (we provide the return postage), complete<br />
a checklist for each item, and when they find an item to be<br />
a forgery or counterfeit to give a brief explanation of why to<br />
share with the submitter. For this work we pay them $2 per<br />
item (and many generously donate the payment back to the<br />
APS). Our external experts’ names are not included on our<br />
certificates and some ask that their name not be released as<br />
an APS expert.<br />
A few areas where additional experts are currently<br />
sought:<br />
Belgian Congo<br />
Belgium<br />
British Commonwealth Bulgaria<br />
Canal Zone<br />
Czechoslovakia<br />
Diego Suarez<br />
France<br />
Haiti<br />
Germany<br />
Italy<br />
Japan<br />
Middle East<br />
Monaco<br />
Netherlands<br />
Rouad, Ile<br />
Samoa<br />
Scandinavia<br />
Switzerland<br />
Member questions related to expertizing are welcome<br />
and can be sent to me at kpmartin@stamps.org. If you are<br />
interested in becoming an expert (for the listed or any other<br />
philatelic areas) please contact me at the same address or at<br />
814-933-3817. Please include a list of the types of material<br />
you would like to expertize as well as a brief description of<br />
your qualifications.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 67
My Stamp Story:<br />
Ardis Quick<br />
I<br />
started collecting U.S. stamps when I was ten. Mystic<br />
Stamp Company was my go-to dealer for new stamps.<br />
My “album” at the time was a photo album where you<br />
pull back the cover sheet to expose the tacky page where<br />
you mount pictures, or in my case, stamps. Oh, do I hear<br />
you all groaning? – what did I know, I was only ten!<br />
Four years ago, at age 62, I attended my first stamp<br />
show. I was invited to join the Maplewood Stamp Club of<br />
White Bear Lake, Minnesota.<br />
One meeting a month and $5<br />
dues, what could I lose? I did<br />
not lose anything, but gained<br />
the friendship of a whole bunch<br />
of people who enjoy stamp collecting.<br />
After the first year in the<br />
stamp club, I decided to get serious<br />
and bought my first Scott<br />
Minuteman album for my U.S.<br />
stamps. I understood quickly<br />
my mistake at age 10 as I pulled<br />
my first two stamps out of the<br />
photo album. They were demolished,<br />
of course. With great care I was able to remove most<br />
without damage. I am still working to fill a few holes in<br />
my 20th century book. That’s where my collection started<br />
but it has since grown to 15 albums<br />
that include the Canal Zone (I find the<br />
engineering of the Panama Canal interesting),<br />
an eclectic Abraham Lincoln<br />
collection of stamps, covers, coins and<br />
other Lincoln materials, U.S. revenue<br />
stamps (still waiting to be organized)<br />
and cats.<br />
One of my first Mystic Stamp packets<br />
was cats on stamps. As I began attending<br />
more stamp shows in my area,<br />
I started looking for cat stamps to add<br />
to my slowly growing collection. I am<br />
a big cat person and look for all felines,<br />
whether wild or domestic. My cat collection<br />
now has over 2,600 stamps – I am<br />
known as the “Crazy Cat Lady” by several<br />
dealers. I am no longer surprised to<br />
hear, “Hey, I’ve got something for you,”<br />
and discover a packet of cat stamps they<br />
have laid aside for me. I share any duplications<br />
with two teenage girls in the club<br />
or put them into a topical<br />
book at the Northern Philatelic<br />
Library located in Minneapolis.<br />
I have been a member at<br />
the Library for the past three<br />
years and volunteered to organize and load donated stamps<br />
into over 90 Red Boxes. I’ve added a small topical collection<br />
of donated stamps to the library.<br />
Presently I am working on designing<br />
and pulling together games, puzzles,<br />
etc. that are stamp related and making<br />
an activity book that can be given to<br />
kids, young and old.<br />
One of my other hobbies is quilting.<br />
I found some postage stamp fabric<br />
and decided to make a lap quilt for an<br />
upcoming stamp club auction. However,<br />
our club hasn’t met in person<br />
since February because of COVID-19,<br />
Handmade masks with postage stamp fabric. so instead of making the quilt, I made<br />
100 face masks and mailed one to each<br />
member as a little surprise with our<br />
July newsletter. We have had the pleasure of resuming<br />
meetings and auctions over Zoom in recent months.<br />
A stamp club member introduced me to another stamp<br />
A cover sent through the Art Cover Exchange.<br />
68 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Ardis with an exhibit for the Minnesota state fair.<br />
related group last year called ACE, otherwise<br />
known as Art Cover Exchange. Members design<br />
cachets to send to each other. As I love to draw<br />
and collect stamps, this was a perfect fit. I correspond<br />
and share my art with members in New<br />
Zealand, Israel, and across the U.S.<br />
I would like to acknowledge the Maplewood<br />
Stamp Club members and the Northern Philatelic<br />
Library. Through them I have learned so<br />
much about collecting, displaying and identifying<br />
stamps. Over the last two years I have entered<br />
exhibits in the Minnesota State Fair (earning a<br />
ribbon for each entry), given a presentation on<br />
topical stamp collecting with a highlight on cats,<br />
and helped identify and file stamps at the library.<br />
Now stamp collecting is so much more to me<br />
than just sticking a stamp in an album!<br />
WOULD YOU LIKE TO TELL YOUR STAMP STORY?<br />
Please send us yours, in 500 words or less. Please include a picture of yourself and your stamp collection.<br />
Email your submission to aparticle@stamps.org or mail a typewritten copy to: American Philatelic Society,<br />
100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823 Attn: Stamp Story<br />
Albums! Boxes!<br />
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620i-7i 2,500<br />
628 8,000<br />
716-31 450<br />
782 800<br />
798a 1,400<br />
967-80 1,500<br />
996a 2,500<br />
Scott # We Pay<br />
1211-14 150<br />
1399 250<br />
1433 130<br />
1452 140<br />
1483 70<br />
1492 300<br />
1518 700<br />
1540 100<br />
1586 900<br />
1607e 200<br />
1647a 90<br />
1761 100<br />
We buy stamps not listed.<br />
We will travel for large holdings.<br />
Rising Sun Stamps<br />
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Phone: 352-268-3959<br />
E-mail: haruyo_baker@msn.com<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 69
Buy and Sell<br />
BY Carol Hoffman<br />
Director of Sales<br />
choffman@stamps.org<br />
A New Year for Circuit and Internet Sales<br />
Happy New Year! Let me introduce myself. I am<br />
Carol Hoffman, the new Director of Sales. I have<br />
been with the American Philatelic Society in<br />
Circuit Sales since 1979, where I started as a Retirement<br />
Clerk. Since then, I’ve moved on to various positions in<br />
between, and to my current position as Director of Sales.<br />
I never pictured myself becoming a collector, but as years<br />
passed, I became a collector of pigs on stamps. Some people<br />
have asked, “Why pigs?” and my response is that they are<br />
fascinating animals. I find myself leaning towards pig-related<br />
postal history and have found some neat items at stamp<br />
shows.<br />
The best part of my job is interacting with members,<br />
whether it be by phone, email, at shows, or the American<br />
Philatelic Center. So, let me offer you a suggestion for the<br />
holiday season: Why not make a New Year’s resolution to add a new country<br />
or work on your existing stamp collection?<br />
The APS is here to help you to carry out this resolution through Circuit<br />
Sales and StampStore – and both can be enjoyed from the comfort of your<br />
home.<br />
Circuits are mini stamp stores sent to your home for a hands-on shopping<br />
experience. Each circuit book caters to specific collecting interests and<br />
areas, and the contents are sold by APS members like you. Join by simply filling<br />
out a circuit request form at: https://classic.stamps.org/Circuit-Request.<br />
StampStore is an online shopping experience at stampstore.org. The<br />
search page gives users the opportunity to find very specific items, look for<br />
topicals, or browse through the offerings of different stamp-issuing entities.<br />
Each item has a high quality scan so you can get a closer look before you buy.<br />
Both StampStore and circuit books are excellent resources for anyone whose<br />
resolution is to add to their collection.<br />
Maybe your resolution is to downsize your collection. If so, both Circuit<br />
Sales and StampStore can help you sell your extra stamps or collection – and<br />
as you’ve read in the column many times before, the Circuit and Internet Sales<br />
team takes this work right out of your hands. To sell through Circuit Sales<br />
visit https://stamps.org/how-to-sell-thru-mail, and to find out how to sell<br />
through StampStore, visit https://stamps.org/services/how-to-sell-online.<br />
Don’t Forget!<br />
Club schedules for 2021 were mailed in October 2020. If your club has not returned<br />
its schedule, do so as soon as possible to avoid circuit book interruption.<br />
70 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
72 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021<br />
APRL Notes<br />
BY Scott Tiffney<br />
Librarian & Director of Information Services<br />
stiffney@stamps.org<br />
IT<br />
goes without saying that the year 2020 was a<br />
challenging one for all of us. COVID-19 introduced<br />
us to regularly wearing masks, social distancing,<br />
contact tracing, and herd immunity to name a few<br />
societal shifts. Here at the American Philatelic Center and<br />
the American Philatelic Research Library it was no different.<br />
From being closed entirely for the initial two months of the<br />
pandemic to being open with a partial staff, finally by the<br />
end of the year, a little more normality set in with the library<br />
and the library staff.<br />
Keeping in Contact Through Service<br />
Along the way we repositioned our services to focus on<br />
those requests that came in remotely via mail, phone and<br />
email, even going so far as to introduce curbside pickup and<br />
drop-off services for those members that could come by the<br />
APC. Here at the APRL, the staff made every effort to reach<br />
out and keep in contact with our library patrons through<br />
the new work environment – and the response received<br />
from library users was overwhelming. In the months after<br />
the staff returned to the library, there was a steady increase<br />
in the number of reference and research requests received<br />
Figure 1. Library requests have been slowly but consistently<br />
increasing.<br />
A Year of Digital Growth<br />
“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance.<br />
The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you.<br />
You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.” -Arnold Bennett<br />
by the library, each month surpassing the next (Figure 1).<br />
So too, back in June it was decided to open the library’s<br />
digital collections database, APRL Digital, to both members<br />
and non-members. The results were dramatic. Normally<br />
reserved as a benefit of APS membership, due to the pandemic<br />
and the fact that many of our members and regular<br />
library visitors could not use the library and its resources in<br />
person, the APRL provided free access to the database, giving<br />
everyone the opportunity to research their own library<br />
requests from home. Starting in late June and early July,<br />
the database saw an exponential increase in the number of<br />
unique users using the database (Figure 2). In addition to<br />
that, roughly a third of those using the database in the last<br />
six months of 2020 were non-APS members, giving the APS<br />
and APRL the opportunity for member recruitment.<br />
Continuing the Outreach and Looking Ahead<br />
The growth of remote interactions with the library at<br />
the close of 2020 has the APRL looking forward to 2021 and<br />
the opportunity to provide even more content and access<br />
for our users. As has been stated in the past, our mission<br />
for APRL Digital is to grow both the size and scope of the<br />
database, which in turn will grow the digital presence<br />
of the APRL. In the former case, the APRL has received<br />
permissions from societies and organizations for 34<br />
complete journal runs, which are currently in a queue<br />
to be uploaded to the database. These journals are in a<br />
variety of formats – some are still in paper form, some<br />
in paper and digital form (i.e. pdf file format) and<br />
finally some are in complete digital form. Each journal<br />
provides our staff with unique challenges to prepare the<br />
complete run for upload to the database but the APRL<br />
is excited by the opportunity to grow the journal content<br />
of the database significantly in 2021.<br />
In terms of the scope of the database, we are also<br />
looking in 2021 to grow the types of research resources<br />
that are in the database to include a larger number of<br />
books, exhibits, maps, photographs, and video files.<br />
In the case of exhibits, we have received permissions<br />
from 54 exhibitors who participated in the 2020 Virtual<br />
Stamp Show presented by the APS back in August to
Figure 2. The APRL Digital collection has roughly doubled its monthly unique<br />
users (members and non-members alike) since June.<br />
include 72 digital exhibits. In addition, there are a number<br />
of books that we will pursue to digitize and upload into<br />
the database. For 2021, the APRL is also looking into the<br />
inclusion of the Annual Postmaster General Reports, and if<br />
funding becomes available, will begin the task of digitizing<br />
the American Bank Note Company files which<br />
are housed in the Archives section of the library.<br />
Help Us to Grow<br />
As we improve the database and make some of<br />
the aforementioned additions, we need your help<br />
to make this happen. Your one time or continuing<br />
donation to the Adopt-A-Book campaign (support.<br />
stamps.org.adoptabook) will help the library begin<br />
and further its digitization goals for the year and<br />
enable the APRL to bring its resources to members<br />
worldwide in the future. In addition to donating to<br />
the Adopt-A-Book campaign, clubs, societies and<br />
organizations can also assist us by contacting the<br />
library (stiffney@stamps.org) to begin the process<br />
of having their journal, newsletter or publication<br />
become part of the digital collections database.<br />
We look forward to hearing from you and continuing the<br />
services, content and access that our members expect and<br />
demand from your philatelic library.<br />
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JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 73
Making Friends at the Friends School<br />
While in-person outreach may be suspended for<br />
the near future, coming up with outreach ideas,<br />
especially for youth, is always a good idea.<br />
“Teaching” stamp collecting can be broad and overwhelming,<br />
so when talking with a group of children, its best to<br />
come up with a “theme”<br />
or specific track within<br />
the hobby.<br />
Over a year ago,<br />
the APS Education<br />
team was able to take<br />
part in the enrichment<br />
program at the local<br />
Friends School. This<br />
program gives students<br />
from Kindergarten to<br />
4th grade a chance to<br />
choose a topic of learning<br />
for a four-week session.<br />
From recycling<br />
74 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021<br />
Bridges<br />
BY Kathleen Edwards<br />
Education Coordinator<br />
kedwards@stamps.org<br />
Figure 1. Owney, mascot of the Railway Mail Service, rode the rails and<br />
traveled the world until 1897. Scott 4547.<br />
to puppet-making, the<br />
Friends School offers a<br />
wide variety of handson<br />
learning experiences.<br />
In January 2020, one of the topics the kids could choose was<br />
stamp collecting!<br />
Our first task to assist the program was coming up with<br />
what “theme” we wanted to tackle. The story of Owney the<br />
Dog is always a favorite among children, especially ones who<br />
are new to stamp collecting (Figure 1). So we decided to focus<br />
the first three weeks on mail delivery, beginning with a<br />
short and catchy Owney video and then sharing the various<br />
places Owney traveled with the mail, including countries all<br />
over the world. Stamps from foreign countries are always<br />
fascinating to children – especially because the country<br />
names on the stamps are in the language of that country and<br />
not in English. You can find a Country ID worksheet and<br />
Country Key on Collecting and Connecting Central (C3a, at<br />
aps.buzz/C3aPlatform), under the “Bridges - Activities For<br />
Sharing” folder for your own use in youth programs.<br />
To continue on the topic of mail delivery, the next lesson<br />
focused on other animals delivering mail. From the Pony<br />
Express to dog sled mail, the students were fascinated by the<br />
animals that play a big role in mail delivery throughout history.<br />
A Mule Mail cancel is also a great example of a unique<br />
way mail can travel (Figure 2). After seeing the special cancellation,<br />
the students learned about the meaning of a stamp<br />
cancel and then designed their own animal cancellation and<br />
cachet.<br />
In the third lesson,<br />
planes, trains and automobiles<br />
delivering mail<br />
were a big hit. We discussed<br />
how mail went<br />
from carriage to train to<br />
plane and to the current<br />
USPS vehicles. The kids<br />
were particularly entertained<br />
by the threewheeled<br />
Mailster (Figure<br />
3)! But the highlight<br />
of the lesson was talking<br />
with the students<br />
about how they think<br />
mail will be delivered<br />
in the future. The kids<br />
designed futuristic mail<br />
delivery devices on paper and explained their use – children<br />
truly have amazing imaginations!<br />
At the end of each of the lessons, the idea of actually<br />
COLLECTING stamps was broached by handing each child<br />
their very own mini stamp album. Each week they added<br />
some new stamps to their albums related to the topics we<br />
covered in the day’s lesson. After the program was over, the<br />
Figure 2. A Mule Mail cancel. Supai, Arizona, capital of the Havasupai<br />
Indian Reservation, rests inside the Grand Canyon and is the only<br />
place in the U.S. to still receive mail delivered by mule.
Figure 3. The “Westcoaster Mailster” was used in the<br />
1950s to 60s by the USPS and could carry up to 500<br />
lbs of mail. Despite the risk of tipping over when<br />
turning corners, the Mailster was extremely popular.<br />
Courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Postal<br />
Museum, Flickr.<br />
kids were able to take their stamp albums home, partially<br />
filled with stamps, but with plenty of space for future collecting.<br />
You can find mini stamp album PDF print outs on C3a<br />
in the “Bridges - Activities for Sharing” folder.<br />
The Friends School enrichment program runs four<br />
weeks, so what did we do on the last week? A field trip to the<br />
American Philatelic Center, of course! The students were<br />
able to visit the APS headquarters, learn all about the historic<br />
Headsville Post Office, write, cancel, and mail a postcard<br />
in the APS mail room, and learn about some unique finds<br />
in philately by checking out the Alphabetilately exhibit. We<br />
captured the visit on video, which you can watch at aps.buzz/<br />
FieldTrip.<br />
The Friends School outreach was a success, and your<br />
outreach efforts can be too. Here are a few<br />
basic tips to help you begin:<br />
Find out what the children like to do<br />
or learn about. Is it animals (Owney and<br />
Mule Mail), arts and crafts (stamp design<br />
and cachet-making), technology (pneumatic<br />
mail and micro printing) or history<br />
(the Penny Black and the Inverted Jenny)?<br />
You can create a stamp collecting activity<br />
to go with any interest, no matter how<br />
niche.<br />
Always plan more activities than the<br />
time allotted for the lesson! Things can<br />
go faster than you anticipate. Don’t get<br />
stuck with 20 minutes left on the clock<br />
and nothing more to present. Bring some<br />
back-up activities. It can be as simple as a<br />
Design a Stamp worksheet or just a box of<br />
stamps the kids can dig into.<br />
Keep it simple! Most children have<br />
no prior knowledge of stamp collecting or know very much<br />
about stamps in general. If you get too detailed in describing<br />
the hobby that you know inside and out, the kids might not<br />
“get it” and tune you out.<br />
Connect and share. Many kids are collectors. Ask them<br />
about what they collect. They will tell you all about their<br />
rock, comic, and Pokémon collections! By appealing to their<br />
collecting nature, they may just become stamp collectors<br />
themselves.<br />
Do you have tried and true tips for youth outreach programs?<br />
Share them with us! Email education@stamps.org,<br />
we would love to hear your ideas!<br />
Director of Education Cathy Brachbill, Education Coordinator Kathleen Edwards, and<br />
Development Assistant Erin Seamans teach a mini-lesson about stamps at the Friends<br />
School.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 75
In Touch<br />
BY Wendy Masorti<br />
Director of Membership and Shows<br />
wendy@stamps.org<br />
Embracing Change<br />
Join me in my next APS adventure! I began with the Society 31 years ago<br />
in membership administration and have since transitioned to several departments.<br />
For the past five years, I’ve served as the Director of Sales working with<br />
our sales team to streamline processes, introduce new features, and reach some<br />
record high sales. While I will miss working directly with the Sales team, I look<br />
forward to again working with Membership and Shows.<br />
I’ve titled this column “In Touch” as the Membership team works to communicate<br />
with and grow relationships among our community of members, dealers,<br />
clubs and specialty societies. Communication is the essence and strength of all<br />
great teams and organizations. In this article, we will share ideas on how together<br />
we can promote and support our hobby, we’ll celebrate milestones and awards,<br />
feature member exclusives you may have missed, give quick tips for using the<br />
<strong>web</strong>site, discuss ways to give back, provide stamp show updates and more. We encourage<br />
you to share your experiences so that we can share with our community.<br />
Congratulations to our 25 and 50 year members!<br />
Each year we honor those who have<br />
reached 25 and 50 years of membership<br />
with the APS. The honorees are invited<br />
to attend the annual show to be presented<br />
their award. Unfortunately with the pandemic<br />
this past year, the annual show was<br />
canceled and all awards were mailed. In<br />
2020, 497 members who joined in 1995<br />
received a “25 Year Pin” and 331 members<br />
who joined in 1970 received a “50 Year Medallion.”<br />
Visit aps.buzz/Milestones to see<br />
an alphabetic listing of those honored in<br />
2020. The 2021 recipients will receive invitation<br />
letters in April.<br />
SAVE<br />
THE<br />
DATE<br />
Great American<br />
Stamp Show<br />
August 12-15, 2021<br />
LOCATION:*<br />
Donald E. Stephens<br />
Convention Center<br />
5555 N River Rd •<br />
Rosemont, IL 60018<br />
*Pending COVID restrictions.<br />
Web Tip<br />
Want to stay up-to-date?<br />
Visit www.stamps.org and click<br />
the “News” link located in the<br />
upper right of the navigation.<br />
Here you will find the most current<br />
APS news and happenings.<br />
Also, be sure you are signed up<br />
to receive the weekly member<br />
newsletter– full of reminders,<br />
specials, featured groups and<br />
more!<br />
Ways to give back<br />
Amazon Smile is a simple and automatic<br />
way for you to support<br />
the APS every time you shop on<br />
Amazon. It's free for you and it<br />
all adds up for the APS.<br />
See details at<br />
aps.buzz/AmazonSmile<br />
Member Reminder<br />
If you haven’t already paid your<br />
2021 membership dues, you can<br />
pay online or contact our Membership<br />
team at 814-933-3803.<br />
Stay in touch<br />
If you or your group has recruiting<br />
ideas or experiences you<br />
would like to share, email to<br />
InTouch@stamps.org or mail to<br />
Attn: In Touch, at the APS address.<br />
Ideas will be considered<br />
for possible use in future columns<br />
or newsletters.<br />
76 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Membership Report<br />
No. 11, NOVEMBER 30, 2020<br />
NEW APPLICANTS<br />
The following applications were<br />
received during November<br />
2020. If no objections are<br />
received by the Executive<br />
Director (814-933-3803) prior<br />
to January 31, 2021, these<br />
applicants will be admitted to<br />
membership and notice to this<br />
effect will appear in the March<br />
2021 issue.<br />
Ahlers, John P. (232634) Cle Elum,<br />
WA Austria-Air Mails-19th<br />
Century-20th Century-Civil War<br />
Covers-Used US; 69; Lawyer<br />
Aitken, Frances A. (232579)<br />
Reading, PA Commemoratives-<br />
First Day Programs-Cut Squares;<br />
56; Accountant<br />
Allen, Stephen (232614) Harlan,<br />
IA US-Iceland-Greenland-Israel-<br />
Egypt; 68; Retired<br />
Ash, Mylon (232649) Bella Vista,<br />
AR; 50<br />
Axel, Frank (232668) Stamford,<br />
CT USA-Canada-Israel-<br />
Czechoslovakia-Poland-Austria-<br />
Germany-Korea-Japan-UK-<br />
Worldwide-Dead Countries; 76;<br />
Exec.<br />
Barten, Chris M. (232628) Mc<br />
Callsburg, IA Science Fiction-<br />
Famous People-US-Sports-<br />
Disney-Childhood-Movies; 50<br />
Benjamin, Ludy T. (232608)<br />
Keswick, VA Canadian<br />
Provinces-Canada-19th Century-<br />
20th Century<br />
Bernard, Michael J. (232669)<br />
Fairmount, IL US-Antarctic<br />
Territories; 62; Retired Senior<br />
Accountant<br />
Borozenski, Anthony (232665)<br />
Chicago, IL Air Mails-19th<br />
Century-20th Century-<br />
Errors, Freaks, Oddities-Used<br />
Worldwide-US; 61<br />
Bortz, Mary (232595) Glenview,<br />
IL; 76<br />
Bosevich, Joseph (232659) Easton,<br />
PA 19th Century-20th Century;<br />
60<br />
Brassey, Joyce (232666) Carlsbad,<br />
CA US-Americana-Foreign<br />
Covers-Europa/Cept-<br />
Commemoratives-Foreign<br />
Postal History; 61<br />
Brouwer, Albert (232585) Wichita,<br />
KS Precancels-US/Canada<br />
Classics; 66; Program Mgr -<br />
Aerospace (Retired)<br />
Brown, David F. (232656)<br />
Maynard, MA US; 71<br />
Brown, Karen Sheaffer (232615)<br />
Snow Camp, NC<br />
Carroll, James (232676)<br />
Manorville, NY 20th Century-<br />
19th Century-Air Mails-US-<br />
Revenues/Tax Paids (State/<br />
Local)-Officials/Official Mail<br />
Carver, Charles (232630)<br />
Montgomery, AL US-European-<br />
Germany-Great Britain-France-<br />
Balkans; 78; Retired Military/<br />
Business<br />
Chapman, Charles L. Jr. (232663)<br />
Warner Robins, GA US; 86;<br />
Retired<br />
Chapman, David (232664) New<br />
York, NY First Day Covers-Plate<br />
Blocks-Commemoratives-<br />
Occupation Issues-Triangles/<br />
Odd Shapes-Former/Dead<br />
Countries; 66<br />
Compton, Jeanne (232643) San<br />
Diego, CA 88; Retired<br />
Connors, Richard (232603) Halifax,<br />
MA Air Mails-20th Century-19th<br />
Century-Plate Blocks<br />
Cooper, Gary M. (232596) Tucson,<br />
AZ US<br />
Cooper, Karen M. (232616)<br />
Davenport, FL US Statehood-<br />
US Flags-Flowers; Caregiver/<br />
Homemaker<br />
Crutchfield, Diane V. (232642)<br />
Southport, NC Used US-<br />
Used Worldwide-Overprints<br />
& Surcharges-Errors, Freaks,<br />
Oddities-Bulls Eye/Son Cancels-<br />
Foreign Perfins; 76<br />
Dahlberg, John (232631) Fort<br />
Mohave, AZ US; 74; Retired<br />
Davidson, Bob (232644) Statham,<br />
GA US; 78; Retired<br />
Deheegher, Andreas G. (232652)<br />
Roosdal, Belgium 19th<br />
Century-20th Century-First Day<br />
Covers-Flight Covers-Cancels;<br />
82; Retired<br />
Demmer, Richard (232670)<br />
Newport, TN 19th Century-20th<br />
Century-Errors, Freaks, Oddities-<br />
Air Mails-Postage Dues-US; 71;<br />
Diaz, Robert (232590) Carlsbad,<br />
CA 19th Century-20th<br />
Century-Air Mails-British<br />
Commonwealth; 52; US Navy<br />
Dice, Leroy (232651) Nokesville,<br />
VA<br />
Dilks, Lawrence S. (232607) Lake<br />
Charles, LA 19th Century-<br />
Covers-Canal Zone; 69;<br />
Neuropsychologist<br />
Douglas, Russell (232605)<br />
Mountain Brook, AL Christmas<br />
Seals-20th Century-Christmas<br />
Eisinger, Stephen M. (232636)<br />
Tucson, AZ US-Classics-<br />
Germany; 66; Retired Military/<br />
Army<br />
Ekstrom, Mark (232671) Omaha,<br />
NE Commemoratives-Austria-<br />
French Colonies-Bahamas-<br />
Bermuda-Christmas; 61; Retired<br />
Ellerston, Joel M. (232679)<br />
Phoenix, AZ 20th<br />
Century-19th Century-Air<br />
Mails-Confederate States-<br />
Definitives; 57; Accountant<br />
Elwell, Jonathan (232589)<br />
Midlothian, VA; 38; Stamp<br />
Dealer<br />
Emnett, Charles (232681) Lutz,<br />
FL Commemoratives-Scouts-<br />
Definitives-Orchids-Nurses;<br />
69; Retired<br />
Esselstrom, S. Dallen (232594)<br />
Portland, OR Oregon-19th<br />
Century-20th Century-Air<br />
Mails-Errors, Freaks, Oddities-<br />
Sheets/Small Panes; 62<br />
Farah, George S. (232633)<br />
Madison, WI 19th Century-<br />
Air Mails-Occupation Issues-<br />
Aviation-Ships/Boats-Trains<br />
Fiattarone, Vincent (232662) Boca<br />
Raton, FL; Retired<br />
Fischer, Martin (232635) Pleasant<br />
Hill, CA 19th Century-20th<br />
Century-Cancels-Great Britain-<br />
France-Germany; 77<br />
Frum, Carlos M. (232647)<br />
Northbrook, IL Amateur/Ham<br />
Radio; Retired<br />
Frye, Linda (232617) Grand<br />
Junction, CO; 72; Retired<br />
Gauthier, Lori A. (232584) Grants<br />
Pass, OR Classics; 59; Dental<br />
Admin<br />
Giannini, Kari (232678) Daly City,<br />
CA; 34<br />
Gordy, John C. (232611) Yuma, AZ<br />
Commemoratives-Classics-Naval<br />
Covers-Louisiana-US-Ukraine; 60<br />
Greenbaum, Gary M. (232604)<br />
Fairfax, VA Aden; Retired<br />
Greenberg, Julian H. Jr. (232685)<br />
Lone Pine, CA US; 72; Retired<br />
Harrison, Richard C. (232618)<br />
Montville, ME Early US Stamps;<br />
81; Retired<br />
Hegedus, Katrina (232657) Parker,<br />
CO 60; Retired<br />
Henderson, Rodney (232601)<br />
Laceys Spring, AL 73; Retired<br />
Military<br />
Hershey, Patricia (232637)<br />
Georgetown, TX; 57<br />
Hey, Stephen C. (232586) Baileys<br />
Harbor, WI US; 78; Professor<br />
Emeritus<br />
Hromada, April A. (232680) Tinley<br />
Park, IL; 78<br />
Ibieta, Jaime (232591) Rm-<br />
Metropolitana, Chile South<br />
America-Chile-Europe-Asia-<br />
Central America; 58; Agricultural<br />
Engineer<br />
Irani, Amy (232602) Nevada City,<br />
CA 19th Century-US Postal<br />
History-Cancels; 52<br />
NEW MEMBERS<br />
Applications 232292 through<br />
232340 and 232342 through<br />
232453 as previously published<br />
have been accepted for<br />
membership by the Board of Vice<br />
Presidents.<br />
SUMMARY<br />
Total Membership,<br />
October 31, 2020................. 27,264<br />
New Members 161<br />
Reinstated 26<br />
Deceased 57<br />
Resignations 8<br />
Drop Non Payment of dues 39<br />
Total Membership<br />
November 30, 2020 27,347<br />
(Total Membership, November 30,<br />
2019 was 27,968 a difference of<br />
621)<br />
Janairo, Elizabeth (232674)<br />
Shorewood, WI Art-Astronomy-<br />
Mushrooms-Music/Musicians/<br />
Instruments-Mythology; 51<br />
Karow, James S. (232619) New<br />
London, WI Monaco-French<br />
Colonies-US; 69; Retired<br />
Klega, Debra (232613) Bremerton,<br />
WA Plate Blocks-Covers-Blocks/<br />
Guideline Blocks-US-First Day<br />
Covers-Postal Cards; 48<br />
Kok, William L. (232672) Windsor,<br />
CO German Federal Rep.-<br />
German 3rd Reich/Occupations-<br />
Germany<br />
Kolze, Kathleen M. (232660) Lake<br />
Zurich, IL US-Foreign; 59;<br />
Human Resources Mgr.<br />
Landers, Jerry (232581)<br />
Collingswood, NJ Germany-<br />
Foreign Perfins-First Day<br />
Covers-Precancels (City)-Lots &<br />
Collections-Picture Postcards-<br />
Transportation; 65; Retired<br />
Leber, Philip (232593) Bradenton,<br />
FL Plate Blocks; 70; Realtor<br />
Lewis, Robert W. (232577)<br />
Sterling, VA Classics-Used<br />
US-Air Mails-Bureau Issues-<br />
Definitives; 64<br />
Lo, Charles (232597) Elk Grove,<br />
CA Hong Kong-China-Japan-<br />
Manchukuo-Taiwan-Far East; 59<br />
Logan, Douglas G. (232667)<br />
Vernon Center, NY Revenues/<br />
Tax Paids (Federal/State/Local)-<br />
Aviation-Space-Photography-<br />
Ships/Boats; Retired<br />
Love, Larry W. (232648) Dallas,<br />
TX Advertising Covers-19th<br />
Century; 61<br />
Macneil, Kelly S. (232645) San<br />
Antonio, TX US Postal History-<br />
Europe-Military-Occupation<br />
Issues-War Covers/Stamps-<br />
United Nations; 50; Information<br />
Technology<br />
Magnifico, Dennis (232621)<br />
Bridgewater, MA Italian<br />
Colonies-Italian States-Ireland-<br />
Japan-Brazil-Russia<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 77
Manning, Gary L. (232625) Durham,<br />
NC 19th Century-Air Mails-Space<br />
Covers-Plate Blocks; 65<br />
Mashoud, Mike (232587) San<br />
Francisco, CA US-Middle East;<br />
71; Retired<br />
Mcginnis, Charles E.<br />
(232646) Ocean City, MD<br />
Commemoratives-Revenues/Tax<br />
Paids (Federal); Retired<br />
Mcrae, Arthur S. (232606) Dallas,<br />
TX 19th Century-20th Century-<br />
Air Mails-Revenues/Tax Paids<br />
(Federal)<br />
Murphy, Iain R. (232629) London,<br />
United Kingdom Middle East-<br />
British Commonwealth-British<br />
Asia; 33; Head Of Philatelic<br />
Auctions<br />
Murray, Bryce L. (232598)<br />
Spring City, PA Covers-US<br />
Postal History-19th Century-<br />
Advertising/Illustrated Covers-<br />
Ephemera-Foreign Covers; 19;<br />
Student<br />
Nurmi, Karen L. (232588) Stayton,<br />
OR Worldwide-Wildlife-<br />
Transportation; 71; Retired USPS<br />
O’Hara, Henry Thomas (232583)<br />
Cavan, Ireland 19th Century-<br />
Bulls Eye/Son Cancels-Patriotic<br />
Covers-Confederate States-Civil<br />
War Covers-Ireland; 25<br />
Ocampo, Victor (232684)<br />
Cambridge, MA<br />
Commemoratives-French<br />
Colonies-British Colonies-<br />
Sports-Space-Butterflies/<br />
Insects-Wallis And Futuna-New<br />
Caledonia<br />
Patti, Ronald (232609) Berlin, MA<br />
US<br />
Pecchold, Engelbert (232592) West<br />
Grove, PA Blocks/Guideline<br />
Blocks-Austria-German Federal<br />
Rep.-Germany-Switzerland; 87;<br />
Retired<br />
Pelaez, Michael (232675) Hialeah,<br />
FL<br />
Pfurtscheller, Hilde (232661)<br />
Seattle, WA 19th Century-20th<br />
Century-Air Mails-Booklets/<br />
Panes; Retired<br />
Pressley, Jackson R. (232640)<br />
Albuquerque, NM Mexico-<br />
Jamaica; 69<br />
Recksiek, David J. (232654) West<br />
Covina, CA; 48; Coin And Stamp<br />
Dealer<br />
Reiss, Helene (232627) Trenton,<br />
NJ; 74; Team Member At Six<br />
Flags Great Adventure<br />
Remein, Warren (232686) Bay<br />
Village, OH Commemoratives-<br />
Netherlands-Hungary-Duck<br />
Stamps-Space; 72; Retired<br />
Architect<br />
Rice, Christopher A. (232626)<br />
Laramie, WY Duck/Hunting/<br />
Fishing Stamps-Military-<br />
Revenues/Tax Paids (Federal)-<br />
US-Wyoming-Propaganda<br />
Stamps/Covers; 36<br />
Romanowicz, Stephanie S. (232677)<br />
Marstons Mills, MA; 34<br />
Sandgren, Gilbert R. (232620)<br />
Kenosha, WI US-19th Century;<br />
70; Retired Tax Attorney<br />
Saulich, Jeff (232612) Tallahassee,<br />
FL US; Semi-Retired/Web<br />
Designer<br />
Scoble, Rod A. (232578) L’original,<br />
ON Canada Canada-20th<br />
Century-Russia/USSR/<br />
Independent Republics-China<br />
(People’s Rep.)-Germany-British<br />
Commonwealth; 75<br />
Shimmin-Okey, Susan G. (232655)<br />
Rescue, CA 19th Century-<br />
California-Stampless Covers-<br />
Express Covers-Western Covers-<br />
Commemorative Panels; State<br />
Park Interpretive Specialist<br />
Smith, Rilda J. (232623) Shawnee,<br />
OK Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania; 59<br />
Spencer, Mark J. (232682) Kansas<br />
City, MO First Day Covers-Plate<br />
Blocks-Space Covers-Art; 63<br />
Speyer, Adrian (232580) Dollard-<br />
Des-Ormeaux, QC Canada<br />
Canada-Canadian Postal<br />
History-Canadian Plate Blocks;<br />
43; Head Of Community<br />
Stanley, Edward J. Jr. (232624)<br />
Reisterstown, MD Plate Blocks-<br />
Lots & Collections-Sports-<br />
Commemoratives-Definitives-<br />
Officials/Official Mail; 63<br />
Stevens, David (232599) Otsego,<br />
MN 20th Century-19th Century-<br />
Air Mails-Blocks/Guideline<br />
Blocks-Booklets/Panes-<br />
Commemorative Panels; 77<br />
Stopka, Thomas C. (232687) Elk<br />
Grove Village, IL US-Bureau<br />
Issues-Cancels-Canal Zone-<br />
Astronomy-Naval Covers<br />
Stych, Ed (232600) Concord, NC;<br />
59<br />
Tebow, Kenneth R. (232658)<br />
Hayward, CA US-US Postal<br />
History-Commemoratives-<br />
Definitives-Air Mails-Used US;<br />
74; Retired<br />
Tietjen, Matt (232638) Durham,<br />
CT Coils-Covers-Vatican City-<br />
Christmas Seals-Christmas-<br />
Madonnas; 41<br />
Tolbert, Robert W. (232582) Santa<br />
Fe, NM Plate Blocks-British<br />
Oceania-New Zealand-Canada; 59<br />
Tousignant, Katie (232632) Austin,<br />
TX Cats-Triangles/Odd Shapes-<br />
Fakes & Forgeries-Worldwide-<br />
Postage Dues; 31<br />
Viggiano, John A. (232650)<br />
Milford, NH Worldwide; 73;<br />
Retired<br />
Confederate Stamps<br />
and Postal History<br />
www.trishkaufmann.com<br />
302-422-2656 • trishkauf@comcast.net<br />
10194 N. Old State Road • Lincoln, DE 19960-3644<br />
FULL RETAIL<br />
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Professional Philatelist Since 1973<br />
Life Member: CWPS, APS, APRL, USPCS<br />
Member: ASDA, NSDA, CCNY; FRPSL<br />
78 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Vollbrecht, Michael (232520)<br />
Lawrence, KS Art-<br />
Commemoratives-First Day<br />
Covers-Coins; 39<br />
Weber, Peter (232653) Minneapolis,<br />
MN Hawaii; 69; Mapmaker<br />
Weiss, Lawrence M. (232639)<br />
Pasadena, CA Classics-Israel-<br />
Canada-Australia; 64<br />
Westby, James O. (232641) Reno,<br />
NV US-Plate Blocks; 78; Retired<br />
White, Max E. (232610) Demorest,<br />
GA; 74<br />
Wilkinson, John (232622)<br />
Schoharie, NY US<br />
Yang, Yang (232673) Wynnewood,<br />
PA 19th Century-China (People’s<br />
Rep.)-Korea-Austria-Belgium-<br />
China; 35<br />
Zamzow, Lois (232688) Byron<br />
Center, MI Commemoratives-<br />
Definitives-US<br />
Zimmerman, Gary B. (232683)<br />
Lewisville, TX 19th Century-20th<br />
Century-Washington/Franklins-<br />
Air Mails-Bureau Issues-US; 53;<br />
Arborist<br />
NEW CHAPTER<br />
Connecticut Cover Club (232405),<br />
New Haven, CT. CONTACT:<br />
Michael Clark, 130 Horseshoe Hill<br />
Rd., Pound Ridge, NY 10576<br />
DECEASED<br />
Baker, Bruce R. (5390-155556),<br />
Pittsburgh, PA<br />
Berenson, William (146124),<br />
Shelburne Falls, MA<br />
Blood, John M. (1750-046778),<br />
Holyoke, MA<br />
Calhoun, Robert L. (116820),<br />
Alexandria, VA<br />
Chinnery, Donald G. (7104-050399),<br />
Marinette, WI<br />
Christiaansen, Amy L. (228702),<br />
Gilman, VT<br />
Cleveland, Grover (8836-061251),<br />
Burlingame, CA<br />
Cutler, Morris (11187-060440), N.<br />
Las Vegas, NV<br />
Damkaer, Donald M. (8052-123002),<br />
Olympia, WA<br />
Davis, Winston R. (106345),<br />
Longwood, FL<br />
Day, Richard D. (130484), Apple<br />
Valley, MN<br />
Day, Robin W. (11838-047814),<br />
Plattsville, ON<br />
Donahue, Nancy J. (8389-056995),<br />
Madill, OK<br />
Doring, Martin R. (6346-046055),<br />
Fort Lauderdale, FL<br />
Eggleston, C. T. (11654-048611),<br />
Riverview, FL<br />
Etkind, Irving M. (6218-041579),<br />
Cambridge, MA<br />
Fritz, Cerel M. (212265), Charlotte,<br />
MI<br />
Gagliardi, Fred R. (128360),<br />
Stamford, CT<br />
Genuit, Marian A. (193386),<br />
Stockton, CA<br />
Glasofer, Stan I. (139438), Newport<br />
News, VA<br />
Gleason, Fred C. (10071-069495),<br />
Cascade, ID<br />
Gottesman, Michael H. (11618-<br />
062031), Sonoita, AZ<br />
Gottlieb, Julian (6808-059112), Cos<br />
Cob, CT<br />
Green, Art J. (226958), Roseville, CA<br />
Hancock, George (230202), Tempe, AZ<br />
Hankey, Joan R. (9664-053097),<br />
Gettysburg, PA<br />
Hemmings, John A. (126209),<br />
Swedesboro, NJ<br />
Holzbauer, Herbert (5971-044540),<br />
Grand Junction, CO<br />
Homola, Gerhardt (183675),<br />
Bottineau, ND<br />
Irwin, Harold E. (225595), Oaklyn, NJ<br />
Johnson, Tom D. (125279), Palm<br />
Harbor, FL<br />
Joyce, Edward R. (5973-044123),<br />
Jacksonville, FL<br />
Kleasen, Hubert W. (198072),<br />
Cuyahoga Falls, OH<br />
Koglin, Herbert H. (6652-043600),<br />
Qualicum Beach, BC<br />
Krause, Richard G. (11360-058102),<br />
Waddell, AZ<br />
Krazeisen, Roland R. (220946),<br />
Webster City, IA<br />
McClarren, Robert R. (9494-065953),<br />
Perrysburg, OH<br />
Monroe, Charles P. (213411),<br />
Blacksburg, VA<br />
Nagaran, Michael (223706), San<br />
Diego, CA<br />
Nowak, Roy E. (7288-049381), Fort<br />
Gratiot, MI<br />
Packard, Donald H. (211304),<br />
Pocasset, MA<br />
Parks, Larry C. (8097-061399),<br />
Thousand Oaks, CA<br />
Pezza, Peter P. (180594), Little Rock, AR<br />
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Reinhardt, Richard R. (095143),<br />
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80 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Classified Ads<br />
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with emphasis on pre-1960.<br />
GET NOTICED WITH CLASSIFIED ADS<br />
1 month 6 months 12 months<br />
1 line $ 3.94 $ 21.28 $ 37.82<br />
2 lines $ 7.88 $ 42.55 $ 75.65<br />
3 lines $ 11.82 $ 63.83 $ 113.47<br />
4 lines $ 15.76 $ 85.10 $ 151.30<br />
5 lines $ 19.70 $ 106.38 $ 189.12<br />
6 lines $ 23.64 $ 127.66 $ 226.94<br />
7 lines $ 27.58 $ 148.93 $ 264.77<br />
8 lines $ 31.52 $ 170.21 $ 302.59<br />
9 lines $ 35.46 $ 191.48 $ 340.42<br />
10 lines $ 39.40 $ 212.76 $ 378.24<br />
11 lines $ 43.34 $ 234.04 $ 416.06<br />
Advise us of your wants. TOGA<br />
ASSOCIATES, Box 396, Fairfield,<br />
CT 06824 203-255-8885 e-mail:<br />
tbansak@aol.com (1455)<br />
www.commonwealth-stamps.com<br />
(1458)<br />
GREAT BRITAIN & Channel Islands,<br />
Request list from GG Campman,<br />
10608 Rio Puerco Tri, SW. ABQ, NM<br />
87121 or Email: glencampman@<br />
yahoo.com (1440)<br />
www.triple-sonline.com 25,000<br />
WORLDWIDE COVERS (1458)<br />
20-33% OF SCOTT $1,000,000<br />
WW inventory. Lots of GB & cols.<br />
Catalog avail. www.BillsStamps.<br />
com Many finer sets & singles up to<br />
$1,000 Unconditional money-back<br />
guarantee doctoryes007@aol.com<br />
214-213-8066 (1440)<br />
AFRICA<br />
ETHIOPA. Request list from GG<br />
Campman, 10608 Rio Puerco<br />
Tri SW, ABQ, NM 87121 or Email:<br />
glencampman@yahoo.com (1445)<br />
PITICAIRN ISLAND – selling<br />
complete, MNH collection<br />
thru April 5, 2018 in archival,<br />
transparent stock sheets, 5900. –<br />
danchaij@epbfi.com (1440)<br />
ARMENIA<br />
www.ArmenianStamps.com (1440)<br />
AUSTRALIA<br />
www.stampstore.org Seller ID<br />
738268 (1444)<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
AUSTRALIAN STATES<br />
stampstore.org Seller ID 502981<br />
(1440)<br />
AUSTRIA<br />
AUSTRIA AND RELATED AREAS<br />
— Ask for our free price lists.<br />
RSchneiderStamps@gmail.com.<br />
1000s of stamps online at www.<br />
RSchneiderStamps.com (1439)<br />
www.StampsAustria.com (1440)<br />
To calculate the number of lines for<br />
your ad, count all letters, numerals,<br />
punctuation and blank spaces<br />
between words. Divide the total<br />
by 34 and round up to the next<br />
whole number. Advertising is<br />
restricted to current APS members;<br />
please include your APS number.<br />
All classified ads must be prepaid.<br />
The best way to submit classified<br />
ads is online at www.stamps.org/<br />
Classified-Ads. Classified ads are also<br />
BALKANS<br />
WANT LISTS FILLED, Year<br />
Sets, Extensive stock www.<br />
buyhungarianstamps.com, HSE,<br />
POB 4028, Vineyard Haven, MA<br />
02568, 888/868-8293 (1450)<br />
BALTICS<br />
WANT LISTS FILLED, Year<br />
Sets, Extensive stock www.<br />
buyhungarianstamps.com, HSE,<br />
POB 4028, Vineyard Haven, MA<br />
02568, 888/868-8293 (1450)<br />
BELGIUM<br />
www.StampsBelgium.com (1440)<br />
BRAZIL<br />
www.castlerockstamps.com (1442)<br />
CANAL ZONE<br />
JOIN: www.CanalZoneStudyGroup.<br />
com (1444)<br />
www.canalzonestamps.com (1440)<br />
CHINA<br />
BUY STAMPS at www.<br />
ChinaStampSociety.org (1441)<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
CHINA TOP $.<br />
jon@chinesestampbuyer.com<br />
www.chinesestampbuyer.com<br />
(1443)<br />
www.Stamps-China.com (1440)<br />
www.castlerockstamps.com (1442)<br />
BUY/SELL, washingtonstamps.com<br />
(1445)<br />
COLOMBIA<br />
www.castlerockstamps.com (1442)<br />
JOIN: www.COPAPHIL.org (1443)<br />
CUBA<br />
www.stampstore.org Seller ID<br />
738268 (1439)<br />
www.ilastamps.com (1441)<br />
www.castlerockstamps.com (1442)<br />
accepted via mail by sending your ad<br />
text and payment to AP Advertising,<br />
100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte,<br />
PA 16823. When submitting your ad,<br />
please include your card number<br />
(VISA, MasterCard or Discover only)<br />
and expiration date. Checks must be<br />
drawn on a U.S. bank.<br />
Renewal Notice: If (1439) appears<br />
after your ad, it expires after this<br />
issue. Deadline for the February<br />
issue is December 24.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 81
CZECHOSLOVAKIA<br />
WANT LISTS FILLED, Year<br />
Sets, Extensive stock www.<br />
buyhungarianstamps.com, HSE,<br />
POB 4028, Vineyard Haven, MA<br />
02568, 888/868-8293 (1450)<br />
EASTERN EUROPE<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
FRANCE<br />
FRANCE and colonies, Request list<br />
from GG Campman, 10608 Rio<br />
Puerco Tri SW, ABQ, NM 87121 or<br />
Email: glencampman@yahoo.com<br />
(1445)<br />
www.StampsFrance.com (1440)<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
ALL PERIODS, washingtonstamps.<br />
com (1445)<br />
FRENCH COLONIES<br />
www.stampstore.org Seller ID<br />
738268 (1444)<br />
www.disler.com (1441)<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
20-33% OF SCOTT $1,000,000 WW<br />
inventory. Lots of France & cols.<br />
Catalog avail. www.BillsStamps.<br />
com Many finer sets & singles up to<br />
$1,000 Unconditional money-back<br />
guarantee doctoryes007@aol.com<br />
214-213-8066 (1442)<br />
GERMANY<br />
GERMAN AREA ON APPROVAL.<br />
See it before you buy it. Philatelic<br />
Friends, Box 802, Bear, DE 19701<br />
(1442)<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
www.Stamps-Germany.com (1440)<br />
GREAT BRITAIN<br />
www.british-stamps.com (1458)<br />
HUNGARY<br />
WANT LISTS FILLED, New Issues,<br />
Extensive stock of all Eastern<br />
European countries. www.<br />
hungarianstamps.com, POB<br />
4028, Vineyard Haven, MA<br />
02568, 888/868-8293 (1445)<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
ICELAND<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
IRAN/IRAQ<br />
www.stampsofIRAN.com (1440)<br />
82 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
ITALIAN COLONIES<br />
20-33% OF SCOTT $1,000,000 WW<br />
inventory. Lots of Italy & colonies<br />
Catalog avail. www.BillsStamps.<br />
com Many finer sets & singles up to<br />
$1000 Unconditional money-back<br />
guarantee doctoryes007@aol.com<br />
214-213-8066 (1440)<br />
ITALY<br />
www.StampsItaly.com (1440)<br />
www.gdgphila.it sell at 10%<br />
of Sassone Catalogue on your<br />
wantlist (1440)<br />
JAPAN<br />
https://myjapanstamps.com (1441)<br />
LATIN AMERICA<br />
ALL LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES.<br />
Sets, singles, mint, used. Guy Shaw,<br />
P.O. Box 27138, San Diego, CA<br />
92198 www.guyshaw.com (1441)<br />
www.castlerockstamps.com (1442)<br />
MEXICO<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
www.castlerockstamps.com (1442)<br />
NEW ZEALAND<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
PANAMA<br />
JOIN: www.COPAPHIL.org (1444)<br />
PERU<br />
www.castlerockstamps.com (1442)<br />
PHILIPPINES<br />
www.stampstore.org Seller ID<br />
738268 (1440)<br />
POLAND<br />
POLAND SPECIALIZED: Classics<br />
to New Issues, Year Sets, Back of<br />
Book. Lubelski Philatelic LLC 111<br />
Helen Drive, Rossford, Ohio 43460<br />
Ph: 419-410-9115, Web: www.<br />
Lubelskistamps.com Email: Dan@<br />
Lubelskistamps.com (1440)<br />
WANT LISTS FILLED, Year<br />
Sets, Extensive stock www.<br />
buyhungarianstamps.com, HSE,<br />
POB 4028, Vineyard Haven, MA<br />
02568, 888/868-8293 (1450)<br />
PORTUGAL<br />
www.StampsPortugal.com (1440)<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1447)<br />
ROMANIA<br />
WANT LISTS FILLED, Year<br />
Sets, Extensive stock www.<br />
buyhungarianstamps.com, HSE,<br />
POB 4028, Vineyard Haven, MA<br />
02568, 888/868-8293 (1450)<br />
RUSSIA / USSR /<br />
INDEPENDENT REPUBLICS<br />
WANT LISTS FILLED. Extensive<br />
stock. www.buyhungarianstamps.<br />
com. HSE POB 4028, Vineyard<br />
Haven, MA 02568. (888) 868-8293<br />
(1448)<br />
SCANDINAVIA<br />
HUGE STOCK AND GREAT SERVICE<br />
since 1973. Price lists: js@JaySmith.<br />
com or 2880-page <strong>web</strong>site www.<br />
JaySmith.com (1451)<br />
UNITED NATIONS<br />
U.N. PRICE LIST, Wm. Henry Stamps,<br />
POB 150010, Kew Gardens, NY<br />
11415 www.allunstamps.com<br />
(1445)<br />
WORLDWIDE<br />
www.philbansner.com (1456)<br />
www.dickkeiser.com (1439)<br />
stampsforcollectors.net (1441)<br />
www.stampconnections.com<br />
(1442)<br />
COLLECTOR FRIENDLY Foreign<br />
Packets & Special Monthly Offers!<br />
Order Now! www.Lake-Edge-<br />
Stamps.com (1439)<br />
1840/1940 60%-80% off Scott cat.<br />
Used stamps, covers, labels, US,<br />
Canada, Britain & Col, Europe. S.<br />
Cal, CP 864 Succ B, Montreal, Que.<br />
H3B 3K5 Canada (1439)<br />
60% OFF SCOTT 2019-20, WW<br />
pricelist, early to modern, many<br />
topicals, Quality stamps, Les<br />
Timbres J&M, 1200 Louis-Cyr,<br />
Joliette, QC, Canada, J6E 7B2,<br />
breaultjg@videotron.ca (1440)<br />
20-33% OF SCOTT $1,000,000 WW<br />
inventory. Lots of Euro cols. 19th<br />
century. US, Russia (1920-70),<br />
Japan, Iceland, Liech., Souv. Sheets<br />
Catalog avail. www.BillsStamps.<br />
com Many finer sets & singles up to<br />
$1,000 Unconditional money-back<br />
guarantee doctoryes007@aol.com<br />
214-213-8066 (1440)<br />
SELLER ID 534232: US, Polynesia<br />
(1450)<br />
gardencitystamps@yahoo.com,<br />
worldwide, M @ U USA, 1st Day<br />
Covers. (1442)<br />
www.triple-sonline.com 25,000<br />
WORLDWIDE COVERS (1458)<br />
US/UN COLLECTIONS STAMPS &<br />
extras from old collection & newer<br />
set, For CD of items, 2buystamps@<br />
gmail.com HH PO Box 4 Scotland<br />
VATICAN CITY YEAR SETS<br />
Year Mint<br />
2018 $105.00<br />
2017 $91.00<br />
2016 $97.00<br />
2015 $87.60<br />
Entire Vatican catalog is stock; 1929 to today<br />
Please add 3% postage & shipping<br />
PENNY BLACK STAMP COMPANY<br />
P.O. Box 78, Dexter MI 48130-0078<br />
Phone: (734) 424-3043<br />
www.pennyblackstamp.com<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 83
CT 06264 Prices 1/2 Scott 2020.<br />
(1441)<br />
SELLER ID 534232: US, Ireland<br />
(1441)<br />
SURPRISING! www.JaySmith.com<br />
(1451)<br />
FILL IN THOSE EMPTY ALBUM<br />
SPACES at a mere fraction<br />
of catalog. Receive my free<br />
comprehensive catalog of<br />
thousands of US + WW stamps<br />
priced at 5-20% of the Scott 2019<br />
catalog. Also listed are country<br />
collections priced at 2-5 cents<br />
per stamp. All stamps, whether<br />
Avg-XF, are accurately described.<br />
Contact E-Z’s Stamps POB 1052<br />
West Seneca NY 14224 or mzim@<br />
roadrunner.com (1440)<br />
ALBUMS<br />
SEARCH “MAC’S ALBUM<br />
SUPPLEMENTS” on eBay, U.S.<br />
2017-2019; Ducks 2010-2020;<br />
White Ace topical blank pages<br />
(1441)<br />
APPRAISALS<br />
WORLD WIDE STAMP APPRAISALS<br />
Valuation and written report<br />
provided. Sellers agent services<br />
info@hungarianstamps.com<br />
(888)868-8293 HSE PO Box 4028,<br />
Vineyard Haven MA 02568 (1446)<br />
APPROVALS<br />
Worldwide Books of Mounted<br />
Singles by country. Pre 1941 to<br />
2000’s. Some sets available. Many<br />
books with issues of last 10 years.<br />
State interests. Howard Mundt, 415<br />
N Lenfesty, Marion IN 46952 (1450)<br />
WORLDWIDE APPROVALS<br />
DISCOUNT 66 2/3% from Current<br />
Scott. Send APS# to Robert<br />
Ducharme, C.P. 592, St. Jerome, QC<br />
J7Z 5V3, Canada (1447)<br />
US AND WORLDWIDE. See it before<br />
you buy it. Philatelic Friends, Box<br />
802, Bear, DE 19701 (1442)<br />
US AND WORLDWIDE. Great prices<br />
beginner to advanced. Sets and<br />
Singles. State interest. Larry<br />
Serenari, 766 Nestle Quarry Rd.,<br />
Falling Waters, WV 25419 (1445)<br />
GREAT STAMPS FAIR PRICES<br />
Personal Service, Global sets &<br />
singles. Emporium, 10 Wilmington<br />
Ave., Apt. 109W, Dayton, OH 45420<br />
(1442)<br />
CUSTOMIZED WW APPROVALS<br />
Strong collections, Pick @ 50% All<br />
countries & levels to advanced<br />
AKM PO Box 30010, Mesa, AZ<br />
85275 kenstampneb@cox.net<br />
www.akmstamps.com (1447)<br />
AUCTIONS<br />
www.auctions.sterlingstamps.com<br />
(1442)<br />
CENSORED<br />
www.dickkeiser.com (1439)<br />
COVERS<br />
www.philbansner.com (1456)<br />
www.dickkeiser.com (1439)<br />
www.triple-sonline.com 25,000<br />
WORLDWIDE COVERS (1458)<br />
DONATIONS<br />
BOYS TOWN invites donations of<br />
U.S. and foreign stamp collections,<br />
coins, currency, and mint U.S.<br />
postage. Help us help kids! Leon<br />
Myers Stamp Center, 13628<br />
Flanagan Blvd., Boys Town, NE<br />
68010. Email stampcenter@<br />
boystown.org Phone 402-498-1143<br />
(1441)<br />
EXCHANGE<br />
TRADE BETTER QUALITY STAMPS<br />
mounted in books with advanced<br />
WWW.MOZIANSTAMPS.COM<br />
UNITED STATES,<br />
POSSESSIONS,<br />
BRITISH, FOREIGN<br />
Lawrence J Mozian<br />
PO Box 5774<br />
Williamsburg, VA 23188<br />
E-mail lmozian@cox.net<br />
Phone (757) 220-2007<br />
Serving philatelists since 1901<br />
Our <strong>web</strong>site is finally up and running<br />
PO Box 8689 Cranston, RI 02920<br />
Phone: 888 262 5355 (Toll Free)<br />
Phone: +1 401 688 9473 (Mobile)<br />
Email: info@ INDIA and STATES.com<br />
Many Graded Stamps from 80–100<br />
QUALITY U.S. STAMPS<br />
HB Philatelics<br />
Proofs & Essays • Federal & State Hunting Permits<br />
Guy Gasser<br />
P.O. Box 2320 • Florissant, MO 63032<br />
Phone 314-330-8684<br />
E-mail: guy@hbphilatelics.com<br />
www.hbphilatelics.com<br />
Official APS Web Sponsor<br />
1 st $68 FREE<br />
So You Can<br />
TEST UPA<br />
www.upastampauctions.co.uk<br />
Most of my stock has been scanned<br />
Click on “New Material” on my <strong>web</strong>site<br />
USA Postal History Colonial to Prexies:<br />
Transatlantics, Destinations, Expos, Inland Waterways,<br />
Railroads, Express, Possessions & Military<br />
STEPHEN T. TAYLOR<br />
5 Glenbuck Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS England<br />
Phone: 011-4420-83909357<br />
info@stephentaylor.co.uk https://stephentaylor.co.uk<br />
Your American Dealer in Britain<br />
84 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
long-time collectors. Pete’s<br />
Exchange, 4470 Chippewa, Boulder<br />
CO 80303 (1439)<br />
EXCHANGE YOUR DUPLICATES at<br />
Scott catalog value, 10% in stamps.<br />
Joe Thatcher, P.O. Box 38, Ironton,<br />
MN 56455 (1447)<br />
INTERNET<br />
BLUE MOON PHILATELIC WW<br />
selection w affordable pricing Fast<br />
& Friendly ServiceBMAStamps2.<br />
com (1439)<br />
LITERATURE<br />
www.philbansner.com (1456)<br />
www.pbbooks.com Leonard H.<br />
Hartmann (1451)<br />
MAIL BIDS SALES<br />
100 COLLECTORS sell discounted<br />
packets, country collections<br />
on pages/sets in 36 page free<br />
newsletter. Great description.<br />
Alfins, 168 Eaglecrest Drive, Buffton<br />
SC 29909 (1444)<br />
FREE CATALOG. US, British, Europe,<br />
W/W. Many Starter Collections.<br />
Various Sized Lots. No Buyers Fee.<br />
Jarema PO Box 359100, Gainesville,<br />
FL 32635 (1441)<br />
MILITARY<br />
www.dickkeiser.com (1439)<br />
NEW ISSUES<br />
ALWAYS FUN getting new stamps<br />
from your favorite countries. Free<br />
info, radio97208@gmail.com<br />
Dave Becker, 731 NW 209th St.<br />
Ridgefield, WA 98642 (1439)<br />
POSTAL HISTORY<br />
www.philbansner.com (1456)<br />
www.dickkeiser.com (1439)<br />
www.triple-sonline.com 25,000<br />
WORLDWIDE COVERS (1458)<br />
www.mgjpostalhistory.com<br />
+ephemera (1446)<br />
www.castlerockstamps.com (1442)<br />
REVENUES<br />
www.dickkeiser.com (1439)<br />
World Revenues Liquidation<br />
collections, sets, singles, of<br />
everywhere from A-Z. also<br />
documents and Cinderellas.<br />
Gordon Brooks. box 100, Station<br />
NDG,Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
H4A 3P4. (1452)<br />
SUPPLIES<br />
PHILATELIC SUPPLIES All major<br />
brands. B and G Sales $35+ order<br />
gets free U.S. shipping. www.ebay.<br />
com/str//bandgsales or call 317-<br />
627-5242 (1450)<br />
TOPICALS<br />
EJstamps@gmail.com (1442)<br />
www.westernstampco.com (1450)<br />
WANTED<br />
FOREIGN POSTAL STATIONERY. I<br />
can use almost anything in foreign<br />
postal stationery. Steve Schumann,<br />
2417 Cabrillo Drive, Hayward, CA<br />
94545 stephen.schumann@att.<br />
net (1439)<br />
Lighthouse SELECT S3 stock sheets<br />
(now out of production)... will pay<br />
a premium. Contact Bob Dix at<br />
dixiex22@gmail.com (1440)<br />
DC AREA Stamp Collections; Alex:<br />
301-309-3622; ARogolsky@gmail.<br />
com (1444)<br />
WANTED Clipper airmail to or from<br />
Shanghai 4th Regiment – jonpac@<br />
aol.com 954-547-0544 (1440)<br />
Duck Sheet I am needing a RW-6<br />
sheet. Please call or email Gerald<br />
R. Forsythe, 847-541-6215 or<br />
gforsythe@newmidwestgroup.<br />
com (1442)<br />
1939-1945<br />
BOHEMIA &<br />
MORAVIA<br />
Complete (181 different)<br />
181 diff Mint NH $190.00<br />
181 diff Mint $125.00<br />
181 diff Used $250.00<br />
www.DonSCal.com<br />
Don S. Cal<br />
PO Box 1732 • Port Angeles, WA 98362<br />
Tel: 250-383-6211 • E-mail: dcal@victoriastamp.com<br />
Dealer member APS since 1985<br />
FREE<br />
NEW 200-PAGE<br />
WORLDWIDE<br />
PRICE LIST<br />
Find out why most collectors place<br />
orders when they receive our lists.<br />
We have the stamps you need at the prices you like.<br />
Martin Winter<br />
800 W. Willis Rd., Apt. 1045 • Chandler, AZ 85286<br />
E-mail: winter310@aol.com<br />
Established in 1960 APS Life Member<br />
Auctions<br />
Stamp Shows<br />
Retail Store<br />
Internet<br />
215CAL10 Bohemia Moravia.indd 1<br />
Next Auction January 30 th<br />
sterlingstamps.com<br />
auctions.sterlingstamps.com<br />
Sterling Stamps• Mark Vervaeke<br />
455 E Grand River, Suite 103<br />
Brighton, MI 48116<br />
810-220-6000<br />
mark@sterlingstamps.com<br />
APS Dealer, ATA, MSDA<br />
8/27/2015 8:50:38 AM<br />
D & P Stamps<br />
Specializing in France & Colonies,<br />
Portugal & Cols, Italy & Cols, Spain<br />
& Cols, British Cols & Latin, Central<br />
& South America.<br />
We also carry a large variety<br />
of Middle East & Worldwide.<br />
Please check out our new <strong>web</strong>site<br />
where you can now shop at our online store!!<br />
www.dpstamps.com<br />
2220 Otay Lakes Rd Suite 502-411<br />
Chula Vista, CA 91915<br />
619-987-1019 • Pat@dpstamps.com<br />
Please send us your Want List<br />
APS ATA, ISPP, NSDA Members<br />
Stamps, stationery, postal history,<br />
die proofs from around the World.<br />
Send a note of your interests and we’ll<br />
advise you of suitable items we have.<br />
If in London, please visit our<br />
offices and browse our stock.<br />
Have you visited our DELCAMPE STORE?<br />
1, Wardour Street<br />
London W1D 6PA Great Britain<br />
Phone: 011-44-20-7930-6100<br />
Fax: 011-44-20-7494-2881<br />
E-mail: philatelists@argyll-etkin.com<br />
Website: www.argyll-etkin.com<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 85
Quality U.S. Stamps<br />
215rubber01.indd 1<br />
We Sell &<br />
Buy Stamps<br />
U.S. & Worldwide<br />
RUBBER STAMPS<br />
TRADITIONAL & SELF-INKING<br />
CUSTOMER SERVICE & ORDERS CALL TOLL-FREE<br />
1-877-373-1212<br />
MOST ORDERS SHIP WITHIN 24 HOURS<br />
Visit us online: SHOP.WCP-NM.COM<br />
CKstamps<br />
ck stamps LLC<br />
42-14 Union St. #2A<br />
Flushing, NY 11355<br />
ckstampsLLC@yahoo.com<br />
www.CKstamps.com<br />
11/25/2014 9:10:16 AM<br />
Competitive Prices<br />
New Issue Service Available<br />
Scott A. Shaulis<br />
P.O. Box 549 • Murrysville, PA 15668<br />
scott@shaulisstamps.com • www.shaulisstamps.com<br />
Stamps Auctions<br />
from $0.01 on eBay<br />
APS #216955<br />
Rocky Mountain<br />
Philatelic Library<br />
Announcing their Auction Web Site<br />
Featuring Stamps and Covers<br />
http://www.rmplauctions.org<br />
next auction closes February 27, 2021<br />
No Buyer’s Premium<br />
INDIA<br />
AUCTION<br />
www.stampbay.com<br />
. RETAIL . PRIVATE TREATY<br />
PO Box 50848, Palo Alto, CA 94303<br />
Ph: (650) 387-3885 Email: info@stampbay.com<br />
Canada Revenues<br />
Massive Inventory<br />
E.S.J. van Dam Ltd<br />
P.O. Box 300-P<br />
Bridgenorth, ON, Canada K0L 1H0<br />
toll free phone 1-866-382-6326<br />
www.canadarevenuestamps.com<br />
Mexico<br />
New and Lower Prices<br />
www.greggnelsonstamps.com<br />
707-894-5273<br />
WANTED<br />
C46 80¢ Diamond Head<br />
on cover non-philatelic<br />
SOLO USAGE ONLY<br />
jonpac@aol.com<br />
cell:954-547-054<br />
#C10 Proof.<br />
Are You on our<br />
Mailing List ?<br />
Suburban Stamp Inc.<br />
P.O. Box 425<br />
East Longmeadow, MA 01028<br />
413-785-5348 • E-mail: suburbanstamp@verizon.net<br />
buyers and<br />
builders of great<br />
stamp collections<br />
visit<br />
www.columbianstamp.com<br />
New Zealand’s Leading<br />
Auction<br />
House<br />
offers you free monthly postal auctions with 3000+ lots!<br />
Join our mailing list NOW!<br />
www.mowbraycollectables.co.nz<br />
Private Bag 63000, Wellington,<br />
New Zealand 6140<br />
Ph: + 64 6 364 8270 • mowbray.stamps@xtra.co.nz<br />
U.S. Possessions<br />
CZ, Cuba, Guam, Hawaii, PR, Philippines, & Spanish Era<br />
Whether you want that elusive issue to complete<br />
FSDA<br />
ASDA<br />
a set or sell your collections. Free price list.<br />
FRANK BACHENHEIMER<br />
6547 Midnight Pass Rd., #89, Sarasota, FL 34242 • Ph: 941-349-0222<br />
www.astampdealer4u.com • frankb@astampdealer4u.com<br />
VATICAN CITY YEAR SETS<br />
Year Mint Year Mint<br />
2019 $100.00 2017 $91.00<br />
2018 $105.00 2016 $97.00<br />
Entire Vatican catalog is stock; 1929 to today<br />
Please add 3% postage & shipping, minimum $0.75<br />
PENNY BLACK STAMP COMPANY<br />
FREE<br />
price list.<br />
Remember the APS and<br />
APRL in your Will<br />
Call (814) 933-3803 for info<br />
on estate planning<br />
P.O. Box 78, Dexter MI 48130-0078<br />
Phone: (734) 424-3043<br />
www.pennyblackstamp.com<br />
U.S. Revenues<br />
R1 to RZ18, Telegraphs, Savings<br />
Whether you want that elusive issue to complete<br />
FSDA<br />
ASDA<br />
a set or sell your collections. Free price list.<br />
FRANK BACHENHEIMER<br />
6547 Midnight Pass Rd., #89, Sarasota, FL 34242 • Ph: 941-349-0222<br />
www.astampdealer4u.com • frankb@astampdealer4u.com<br />
When in Naples (Florida)<br />
stop in and examine our large stock of U.S. and<br />
Foreign Stamps, Covers, Collections, Wholesale Lots<br />
NEW ENGLAND STAMP<br />
4987 Tamiami Trail East<br />
Village Falls Professional Ctr., Naples, FL 34113<br />
Ph: 239-732-8000 Fax: 239-732-7701<br />
Established 1893 E-bay I.D. Gary.NES<br />
ALL<br />
HAWAII<br />
Vogt Stamps<br />
1301 Broadway • Burlingame, CA 94010<br />
650-344-3401<br />
Full <strong>web</strong>site www.vogtstamps.com<br />
86 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
2021 SCOTT SPECIALIZED<br />
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LSN1120_APS_FP.indd 1<br />
10/13/20 2:23 PM
Index of Advertisers<br />
Amos Media—www.linns.com<br />
—www.amosadvantage.com 88<br />
Antonio M. Torres<br />
—www.antoniotorres.com 85<br />
APS Estate Advice<br />
—www.stamps.org/Estate-Advice 86<br />
Argyll Etkin Limited<br />
—www.argyll-etkin.com 85<br />
Auktionshaus Christoph Gärtner GmbH & Co.<br />
KG—www.auktionen-gaertner.de 80<br />
Carries & Locals Society<br />
—www. pennypost.org 33<br />
Champion Stamp Co.<br />
—www.championstamp.com 42-43<br />
Century Stamps<br />
—www.century-stamps.com 82<br />
CK Stamps —www.CKstamps.com 86<br />
Colonial Stamp<br />
www.colonialstamps.com 85<br />
Columbian Stamp Company<br />
—www.columbianstamp.com 86<br />
Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions<br />
—www.kelleherauctions.com 5, 8-9<br />
Davidson’s Stamp Service<br />
—www.newstampissues.com 86<br />
D&P Stamps —www.dpstamps.com 85<br />
Delcampe —www.delcampe.com 16<br />
Denali Stamp Co.<br />
—www.denalistamps.com 86<br />
Deveney Stamp<br />
—www.deveneystamps.com 85<br />
Don S. Cal —www.DonSCal.com 85<br />
Dutch Country Auctions<br />
—ww.DutchCountryAuctions.com 73<br />
Dr. Robert Friedman & Sons<br />
—www.drbobfriedmanstamps.com 11<br />
E.S.J. van Dam, Ltd.<br />
—www.canadarevenuestamps.com 86<br />
ebay —www.ebay.com/philately 71<br />
Eric Jackson— www.ericjackson.com 89<br />
Frank Bachenheimer<br />
—www.astampdealer4u.com 86<br />
Gary J. Lyon (Philatelist) Ltd.<br />
www.garylyon.com 19<br />
Gary Posner, Inc.<br />
— www.garyposnerinc.com 59<br />
Gregg Nelson Stamps<br />
— www.greggnelsonstamps.com 86<br />
Guernsey Post/Guernsey Stamps<br />
www.guernseystamps.com 10<br />
Haiti Philatelic Society<br />
— www.haitiphilately.com 13<br />
HB Philatelics<br />
— www.hbphilatelics.com 84<br />
Hipstamp — www.hipstamp.com<br />
C3<br />
Hugh Wood Inc. Insurance<br />
— www.hughwood.com 90<br />
India and States<br />
—www.indiaandstates.com 84<br />
James E. Lee — www.jameslee.com 92<br />
J.R. Mowbray, Ltd.<br />
—www.mowbrays.co.nz 86<br />
Jon Krupnick 86<br />
Kay & Co. — www.kaystamps.com 10<br />
Kelleher & Rogers, Ltd.<br />
— www.kelleherasia.com 5, 8-9<br />
Nieser Stamp and Coin<br />
—www.kennieser.com 84<br />
Laurence L. Winum 83<br />
Lawrence J. Mozian<br />
— www.mozianstamps.com 84<br />
Markest Stamps—www.markest.com 1<br />
Martin Winter 85<br />
Michael Eastick & Associates Pty. Ltd.<br />
— www.michaeleastick.com 86<br />
Miller’s Stamp Company<br />
— www.millerstamps.com 86<br />
Mountainside Stamps, Coins & Currency—<br />
— www.mountainsidestamps.com 10<br />
Mystic Stamp Company<br />
— www.mysticstamp.com C2, 3<br />
New England Stamp<br />
— www.NewEnglandStamp.com 86<br />
Noble Spirit — www.noblespirit.com 65<br />
Palo Albums Inc. — www.paloalbums.com 93<br />
Paradise Valley Stamp Company, Cornerstamp,<br />
Inc.—www.stamp-one.com 80<br />
Patricia A. Kaufmann<br />
—www.trishkaufmann.com 78<br />
Penny Black Stamp Company<br />
—www.pennyblackstamp.com 83, 86<br />
Philasearch.com<br />
— www.philasearch.com 7<br />
Posta Faroe Islands<br />
— www.stamp.fo 32<br />
Postal Stationery.com<br />
— www.postalstationery.com 83<br />
Randy Scholl Stamp Co. Have Tongs Will Travel<br />
— www.randyschollstampcompany.com/<br />
have-tongs-will-travel.asp<br />
C4<br />
Rasdale Stamp Company<br />
— wwwrasdalestamps.com 83<br />
Rising Sun Stamps<br />
— www.risingsunstamps.com 69<br />
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.<br />
— www.siegelauctions.com 86<br />
Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library<br />
— http://rmplauctions.org 80, 86<br />
Rubber Stamps —shop.wcp-nm.com 86<br />
Scott A. Shaulis<br />
— www.shaulisstamps.com 86<br />
Space Cover Store<br />
— www.spacecoverstore.com 86<br />
Stampbay, Inc. — www.stampbay.com 86<br />
Stanley Gibbons Auction House<br />
—auctions.stanleygibbons.com 17<br />
Stephen T. Taylor<br />
— www.stephentaylor.co.uk 84<br />
Steve Malack Stamps<br />
— www.malack.com 16<br />
Sterling Stamp<br />
—auction.sterlingstamps.com 85<br />
Suburdan Stamp 86<br />
Tropical Stamps, Inc.<br />
— www.tropicalstamps.com 86<br />
United States Postal Service<br />
— www.USPS.com 79<br />
Universal Philatelic Auctions<br />
—www.UPAstampauctions.co.uk<br />
84<br />
Vance Auctions Ltd<br />
—www.vanceauctions.com 69<br />
Vogt Stamps —www.vogtstamps.com 86<br />
Westpex —www.westpex.org 19<br />
This index is included to help readers find advertisers<br />
included in this edition of The American Philatelist. The<br />
support of these dealers and services is very important to<br />
the APS and to The AP. Advertising is a privilege of membership<br />
and each business represented here is a member in<br />
good standing of the Society. Some postal organizations,<br />
like the U.S. Postal Service, are not directly members, but<br />
are afforded the opportunity to advertise because of their<br />
standing, reputation and impact on the hobby. Advertising<br />
is open to any member of the American Philatelic Society.<br />
For any advertiser that maintains a <strong>web</strong>site, that <strong>web</strong><br />
About the Index of Advertisers<br />
address is listed with their information above. Additionally,<br />
the online version of the journal includes clickable links<br />
for each of these companies and individuals. These links<br />
make visiting the advertisers’ <strong>web</strong>sites easy and avoids the<br />
possibility of mistyping the <strong>web</strong> address from these listings.<br />
As you interact with these advertisers, please tell them<br />
you saw their ad in The American Philatelist and let them<br />
know that you appreciate their support of the journal and<br />
the hobby in general.<br />
88 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
Walking a fine line?<br />
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Show Time<br />
stampshow@stamps.org<br />
The “Show Time” Calendar features a list of<br />
upcoming shows and APS events (shown in<br />
green). To obtain a listing, please submit a “Show<br />
Time” form, available online at www.stamps.org/<br />
Show-Calendar or by mail from APS headquarters.<br />
Information must be received 60 days before<br />
desired publication time.<br />
The listings are free to World Series of Philately<br />
and other shows that are sponsored by an APS<br />
chapter or affiliate. Other shows/bourses may<br />
purchase listings for the month of the show/<br />
bourse and the month prior only. The listing fee<br />
is $25 per show per issue. Shows designated *B*<br />
are bourse only.<br />
Grand award winners from *WSP* shows<br />
(shown in blue) are eligible for the annual APS<br />
World Series of Philately Champion of Champions<br />
competition. Visit www.stamps.org/Show-<br />
Calendar for a complete listing of shows and APS<br />
events.<br />
Pennsylvania January 5<br />
APS Virtual Course: Philatelic Research: Best<br />
Practices and Best Resources, Part 1 American<br />
Philatelic Society, Educational Offering. *APS*<br />
Email: education@stamps.org<br />
Website: stamps.org/learn/c3a-online-learning<br />
Pennsylvania January 12<br />
APS Virtual Course: Philatelic Research: Best<br />
Practices and Best Resources, Part 2 American<br />
Philatelic Society, Educational Offering. *APS*<br />
Email: education@stamps.or<br />
Website: stamps.org/learn/c3a-online-learning<br />
Indiana January 16-17<br />
Indiana Stamp Show Ann Arbor Stamp Club,<br />
Northside Events & Social Club, 2100 E. 71st<br />
Street, Lawrence. *B*<br />
Contact: Rusty Shoaf<br />
Email: rusty.shoaf@rshoaf.com<br />
Pennsylvania January 19<br />
APS Virtual Course: Philatelic Research: Best<br />
Practices and Best Resources, Part 3 American<br />
Philatelic Society, Educational Offering. *APS*<br />
Email: education@stamps.org<br />
Website: stamps.org/learn/c3a-online-learning<br />
Florida January 22-24<br />
Virtual Sarasota National Stamp Exhibition Sarasota<br />
Philatelic Club, Philatelic and Literature<br />
Exhibits & Seminars *WSP*<br />
Contact: Liz Hisey<br />
Email: lizhisey@comcast.net<br />
Website: www.sarasotastampclub.com/<br />
the-exhibition/general-info/<br />
Pennsylvania February 1<br />
APS Virtual Course: Pressing Issues: An Introduction<br />
to Printing Types, Part 1 American Philatelic<br />
Society, Educational Offering. *APS*<br />
Email: education@stamps.org<br />
Website: stamps.org/learn/c3a-online-learning<br />
Michigan February 13-14<br />
Ferndale Stamp Show Birmingham Stamp<br />
Club, Royal Oak Elks Lodge # 1523, 2410 E.<br />
Fourth Street, Royal Oak. *B*<br />
Contact: Fred Como<br />
Email: karate1dad@netscape.net<br />
Pennsylvania February 15<br />
APS Virtual Course: Pressing Issues: An Introduction<br />
to Printing Types, Part 2 American Philatelic<br />
Society, Educational Offering. *APS*<br />
Email: education@stamps.org<br />
Website: stamps.org/learn/c3a-online-learning<br />
Louisiana February 26-27<br />
2021 New Orleans Stamp Show Pontchartrain<br />
Center, 4545 Williams Blvd, Kenner. *B*<br />
Contact: Eric White<br />
Email: ericwhitegypsymoth@yahoo.com<br />
Website: ccsc.nola@org<br />
Nebraska February 28<br />
LINPEX 2021 Lincoln Stamp Club, College View<br />
Adventist Church, 4801 Prescott Ave, Lincoln.<br />
Contact: Dale Niebuhr<br />
Email: dale.niebuhr@gmail.com<br />
Website: www.lincolnstampclub.org<br />
Oregon<br />
March<br />
Virtual Willamette Valley Stamp Exhibition<br />
Greater Eugene Stamp Society and Salem Stamp<br />
Society.<br />
Contact: George Struble<br />
Email: gstruble@willamette.edu<br />
Website: www.salemstampsociety.org/WVExh1.<br />
html<br />
Pennsylvania March 1<br />
APS Virtual Course: Pressing Issues: An Introduction<br />
to Printing Types, Part 3 American<br />
Philatelic Society, Educational Offering. *APS*<br />
Email: education@stamps.org<br />
Website: stamps.org/learn/c3a-online-learning<br />
Ohio March 6-7<br />
McKinley Club Stamp Show McKinley Stamp<br />
Club of Canton OH, St. George Serbian Orthodox<br />
Social Hall, 4667 Applegrove St. NW, North<br />
Canton.<br />
Contact: Dave Pool<br />
Email: lincolnway@sssnet.com<br />
Website: http://www.mksc.<strong>web</strong>s.com<br />
Pennsylvania March 8<br />
APS Virtual Course: Getting the Most Out of the<br />
Scott Catalogue, Part 1 American Philatelic<br />
Society, Educational Offering. *APS*<br />
Email: education@stamps.org<br />
Website: stamps.org/learn/c3a-online-learning<br />
Illinois March 13-14<br />
Rockford 2-3-4 Stamp Expo Rockford Stamp<br />
Club, Forest Hilla Lodge, 1601 West Lane Rd,<br />
ATTENTION:<br />
The APS Events Calendar (aps.buzz/<br />
Calendar) remains fairly sparse as COVIDrelated<br />
restrictions continue, but is regularly<br />
updated with cancellations and postponed<br />
show dates. We encourage readers to stay<br />
updated on the status of future shows. This<br />
is an opportunity for stamp clubs to consider<br />
how they can gather safely for events and<br />
meetings by using video conferencing tools<br />
like Zoom or GoToMeeting. To see how the<br />
APS is meeting this challenge, visit stamps.<br />
org/news and check the “Video” tab for<br />
recent recordings of APS Stamp Chats and<br />
register to attend future Chats.<br />
We are happy to offer our expertise and<br />
the APS video conferencing platforms to help<br />
clubs connect. For more information, please<br />
reach out to APS Community-Grassroots<br />
Specialist Heidi Lauckhardt-Rhoades for<br />
more information at heidi@stamps.org.<br />
Loves Park.<br />
Contact: Tim Wait<br />
Email: t.wait@comcast.net<br />
Website: http://www.rockfordstampclub.com<br />
Pennsylvania March 15<br />
APS Virtual Course: Getting the Most Out of the<br />
Scott Catalogue, Part 2 American Philatelic<br />
Society, Educational Offering. *APS*<br />
Email: education@stamps.org<br />
Website: stamps.org/learn/c3a-online-learning<br />
Website: http://www.mksc.<strong>web</strong>s.com<br />
Missouri March 19-21<br />
St. Louis Stamp Expo, Area Clubs, St. Louis<br />
Renaissance Airport Hotel, 9801 Natural Bridge<br />
Rd., St. Louis. *WSP*<br />
Contact: Mike Peter<br />
Website: http://www.stlstampexpo.org<br />
Washington March 27-28<br />
Apple Blossom Inland Empire Philatelic<br />
Society, Eagles, 16801 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane<br />
Valley. *B*<br />
Contact: J Wilson Palmer<br />
Email: ICKYBURG@COMCAST.NET<br />
Website: http://www.ieps-stamps.com<br />
The Gold Standard in<br />
ERIC JACKSON<br />
the hobby’s premier dealer<br />
of revenue stamps since 1975<br />
Holloway & Co., New York, N.Y.<br />
1862-83 1c black die essay on india,<br />
89 x 40mm, VF • $600.00 (INV-034707)<br />
PA residents add 6% sales tax.<br />
Visit us online at<br />
www.ericjackson.com<br />
Browse our amazing stock —<br />
73,000+ items, including<br />
first issue revenue stamps.<br />
Buying & Selling<br />
Eric Jackson<br />
P.O. Box 728 • Leesport PA 19533-0728<br />
Phone: 610-926-6200<br />
E-mail: eric@revenuer.com<br />
Online: www.ericjackson.com<br />
Established 1914<br />
90 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021<br />
2020 Jackson ad for December AP.indd 1 10/18/2020 5:25:23 PM
Books & Catalogs<br />
BY Gary Wayne Loew<br />
gary@stamps.org<br />
Generally Speaking – All 33 columns,<br />
plus a few philatelic words from<br />
Keller by Lawrence Block. 286<br />
pages, 6 x 9 inches, published by LB<br />
Productions, January 7, 2020. Available<br />
from amazon.com in print, audiobook<br />
and eBook formats.<br />
Philatelic columnists have long collected their writings<br />
in books and thus revealed their writings to broader audiences.<br />
Some of these writers wrote columns of lasting interest<br />
and the resulting books remain in demand. The most<br />
notable of these, perhaps, is Herman Herst, Jr., whose books<br />
The Best of Herst’s Outbursts and Nassau Street recount the<br />
philatelic scene of the mid-20th century. Although written<br />
in the moment, Herst’s collected columns represent a<br />
charming history of the period. Other authors write columns<br />
that are intended to serve as educational guides for<br />
collectors. Some retain their value retrospectively while<br />
other such columns are dated.<br />
But sometimes a philatelic columnist comes along and<br />
simply shares their individual collecting experiences as a<br />
month-to-month stream of personal vignettes. One such<br />
author is Lawrence Block, the internationally acclaimed<br />
mystery writer. Block is also the author of many nonfiction<br />
books on writing as well as a writer-in-residence at Newberry<br />
College in South Carolina.<br />
Lawrence Block collected stamps as a child, stopped,<br />
and resumed his collecting as an adult. Most of us can relate<br />
to that philatelic evolution. Block returned to collecting in<br />
the 1990s and, as the first decade of the new millennium<br />
drew to a close, found himself writing a monthly column<br />
for Linn’s Stamp News. I almost said a “stamp column,” but<br />
that is not quite right. Although he writes about stamps,<br />
Block’s writings are more about collecting. More specifically,<br />
about his collecting. There was no particular theme to<br />
the columns and that is reflected best by the column’s title,<br />
“Generally Speaking.”<br />
Block’s string of columns lasted for nearly three years,<br />
until he ran out of motivation to continue his musings.<br />
There were a total of 33 columns and in 2019 he assembled<br />
them into an eponymous book, the eponym being to the<br />
column’s name and not the author’s.<br />
Many of you will know Block best (or solely) as the<br />
author of the Keller series of novels. Keller is the assassinfor-hire<br />
who is also a dedicated stamp collector. I would<br />
hope that we don’t relate well to Keller via his vocation, but<br />
his avocation renders Keller as someone that we can understand.<br />
There are five novels and one novella in the “Keller’s<br />
Greatest Hits” (if you’ll excuse the expression) series: Hit<br />
Man, Hit List, Hit Parade, Hit & Run, Hit Me, and Keller’s<br />
Fedora. Block thought it appropriate to include vignettes<br />
from each of the novels in “Generally Speaking.”<br />
Keller’s development as a stamp collector seems remarkably<br />
similar to Block’s own philatelic evolution. But while<br />
Block eventually stopped collecting and sold his many<br />
stamp albums, Keller has remained doggedly devoted to<br />
his collecting. At one point, Keller had considered retiring<br />
from his rather stressful career. But once he caught the<br />
collecting bug, he decided to continue his profession as a<br />
means to afford slaking his philatelic passions.<br />
If one were seeking to learn about philately, perhaps<br />
one would not think to turn first to “Generally Speaking.”<br />
That might be a mistake. Stamp collecting centers around<br />
gaining knowledge and then buying wisely. But every hobbyist<br />
understands the self-actualization and fulfillment that<br />
arises from time spent with the hobby. Reading Block’s 33<br />
columns will reaffirm why we do what we do. Oh, and you<br />
might also pick up a few pointers about gaining knowledge<br />
and buying wisely. Of equal importance, you might learn<br />
how to avoid not buying wisely.<br />
The book begins with Keller walking into a stamp store<br />
JANUARY 2021 AMERICAN PHILATELIST 91
and deciding to become a collector. Block then moves on<br />
to his narratives about collecting. These columns are a<br />
delightful blend of strictly autobiographical philosophizing<br />
and tutorial sessions. Block collects worldwide ending<br />
with 1940. He strives to fill all the spaces in his albums,<br />
not spending foolishly (most of the time), upgrading to<br />
stamps in better condition, and coping with the challenges<br />
of “album bulge.” He shares with us his debates over which<br />
countries to concentrate on, when to collect major or minor<br />
varieties, mint vs. used, condition, gum, hinges vs. mounts,<br />
and other philatelic nuances.<br />
Block speaks about his world travels with his wife and<br />
how they try – often with success – to visit local post offices<br />
and get a canceled stamp for their “littlest stamp album.”<br />
He uses the vehicle of an imaginary classroom to illustrate<br />
the historical relevance and semiotics of several countries.<br />
His “students” ask both penetrating and naïve questions;<br />
Block the professor always has sage answers.<br />
Perhaps many of you had the opportunity to read these<br />
columns as they originally appeared in Linn’s. I submit<br />
that it is worthwhile to reread the collected columns as an<br />
entity. In addition to understanding the mind of Keller, the<br />
philatelist/assassin, you will gain insight into the evolution<br />
of the real-world philatelist, Lawrence Block. You might<br />
also learn a bit about your own philatelic journey. You will<br />
definitely learn why Keller named his daughter Jenny.<br />
There are six Keller vignettes in Generally Speaking.<br />
By the time the book ended with the sixth vignette, I knew<br />
which actor I wanted to portray Keller in the hoped-for<br />
movie. I recommend that you buy the book and decide for<br />
yourself who that actor should be. You will also grow to<br />
understand more about being a stamp collector: the why<br />
and the how of the pleasure we experience. Generally Speaking<br />
is quite simply a delightful read.<br />
Our Unique Newsletter<br />
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Whole No. 95<br />
Philately<br />
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116-E1j<br />
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publicly offered. Originally sold by<br />
the Nassau Stamp Company as part of<br />
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then Lopez collections. The catalog is<br />
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$3,000.00 each<br />
63 – Great Central Fair Apr 12, 1864<br />
Clear strike of CDS ties 1¢ blue (63), Straight edge at<br />
top and with part of adjoining stamp at bottom, on red<br />
Great Central Sanitary Fair illustrated cover to local<br />
Philadelphia street address, with original printed enclosure<br />
of a Resolution of the Executive Committee. One<br />
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James E. Lee’s Philately • Whole No. 95 • 1<br />
The 96th edition of our full-color quarterly<br />
newsletter will be mailed on Friday, January<br />
8th, 2021. Everyone can freely view the<br />
latest issue on our HOME PAGE!<br />
It always features special offers<br />
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63 – Strip of three – Philadelphia, Aug. 18. 1863<br />
To Captain A. L. Case, Fleet Captain, “Flagship Minnesota”, Norfolk,<br />
Va. The USS Minnesota was a wooden steam frigate, flagship for the<br />
North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Ex-Emerson, Grunin $700.00<br />
P.O. Box 3876 • Oak Brook, IL 60522-3876<br />
Call: (847) 910-6048<br />
Email: jim@jameslee.com<br />
92 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
New World Issues<br />
BY William Silvester<br />
ARMENIA – Armenian Cultural Heritage<br />
A wave of Armenians moved to Singapore from Malacca, Penang, Java, Madras and Calcutta in the<br />
1820s and 1830s. In tribute to Armenian cultural heritage around the world, this stamp was issued on<br />
September 17, 2020, depicting the facade of the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church in Singapore.<br />
Inscribed in English and Armenian, the stamp was issued in sheetlets of 10, printed by Cartor, France.<br />
The church is the oldest standing building in Singapore, built in 1835, and considered the most famous<br />
masterpiece of Irish architect George Coleman. The surrounding tropical gardens contains a<br />
small cemetery where prominent 19th and 20th century Singapore Armenians rest. The stamp is<br />
available online from: https://aps.buzz/ArmeniaJan21.<br />
AUSTRIA – 125 Years of Swarovski<br />
Czech-born Austrian glass cutter and jeweler, Daniel Swarovski, patented an electric cutting machine in<br />
1892 to facilitate the production of lead crystal jewelry, which previously had been cut by hand. He emigrated<br />
to Austria in 1895 to partner with Armand Kosmann and Franz Weis to form A. Kosmann, D. Swarovski &<br />
Co. They built a crystal-cutting factory in Wattens, Tyrol, where they had access to local hydroelectricity for<br />
the energy-intensive grinding processes. Even today Swarovski crystals are known for their extraordinary<br />
radiance. Austria issued a €4.30 commemorative stamp on July 18, 2020, printed by offset with silver foil and<br />
available from: https://aps.buzz/AustriaJan21.<br />
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – Butterflies<br />
Croatian Post Ltd. Mostar issued four commemorative stamps in a sheet<br />
of eight on November 1, 2020, featuring butterflies native to the territory<br />
of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Designed by Ernesto Markota, the 2,90 BAM<br />
stamps show diurnal butterflies, endangered due to the disappearance of<br />
their habitats as traditional livestock farming decreases. The insects include<br />
the common Yellow-banded skipper (Pyrgus sidae Esper); the Dalmatian<br />
argus (Proterebia afra dalmata) found near Buško Jezero lake; Freyer`s<br />
Purple Emperor (Apatura metis Freyer) from northern Bosnia near Srbac;<br />
and Assmann’s fritillary (Melitaea britomartis Assmann), first recorded<br />
near Vještić Gora. These stamps and accompanying material may be purchased<br />
online at www.epostshop.ba.<br />
GERMANY – 50 Years of Tatort<br />
Tatort (meaning “Crime Scene”) is a German television series that has been running continuously<br />
since 1970, making it the longest-running German TV drama. In each episode, different<br />
detectives in different cities attempt to solve a murder case. Issued by Deutschepost in<br />
panes of 10 on November 2, 2020, the image on the moisture activated €0.80 stamp is from<br />
the opening credits of the show over a test pattern. The stamp is the latest in the German TV<br />
Legends series and can be purchased online at: https://aps.buzz/GermanyJan21.<br />
GIBRALTAR – 2020 Definitive Set<br />
An increase in postal rates for Gibraltar on June 1, 2020, necessitated<br />
the issuing of a new definitive set. The set is color coded with the crest of<br />
Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar, the version adopted in 2014, as the<br />
main feature. The design combines the coat of arms of Her Majesty’s Government<br />
above that of Gibraltar, consisting of an escutcheon and a threetowered<br />
castle above a hanging golden key symbolizing Great Britain’s possession<br />
of The Rock since 1704. Designed by Stephen Perera, the set ranges<br />
from 12p to £4 and is available online from https://post.gi/shop/.<br />
94 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
SOUTH KOREA – 100th Anniversary of the Death of Martyr Yu Gwansun<br />
To mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Yu Gwansun (December 16, 1902 – September 28, 1920),<br />
known as Korea’s Joan of Arc, a single 380 won stamp was issued on September 28, 2020. Also known as Ryu<br />
Gwan-sun, the teenaged girl was a Korean independence activist and organizer of what would become known<br />
as the March 1st Movement against Imperial Japanese colonial rule of Korea. Though a peaceful demonstration,<br />
it led to her arrest, torture and death at the hands of the Japanese occupiers, resulting in her martyrdom<br />
for Korea’s fight for independence. The design on the stamp shows part of the shrine built in her honor at<br />
Byeongcheon-myeon, after Korea finally achieved independence in 1945. The stamp can be found online at<br />
http://www.koreapost.go.kr/.<br />
MARSHALL ISLANDS – Race to the White House<br />
The 2020 United States presidential election was still to be held when Marshall Islands issued<br />
a set of three sheetlets of four $2 stamps to commemorate the event on October 16, 2020.<br />
Staying as non-partisan as possible, the sheetlets gave equal time to all candidates, showing<br />
each an equal number of times with separate views of the White House prominent in the selvage.<br />
One sheet depicts the two Democrats, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and U.S.<br />
Senator Kamala D. Harris with two different photographs; a second sheet shows two views<br />
each of President Donald J. Trump and VP Michael R. Pence; the third sheetlet (shown here)<br />
features all four candidates with former VP Biden and Senator Harris on the left and President<br />
Trump and VP Pence on the right side of the sheetlet. Readers will note one faux pas: the party<br />
logo and names are placed under the opposing candidates. The stamps are available from the<br />
Marshall Islands exclusive philatelic agent at: https://www.igpc.com/thumbs.cfm<br />
SPAIN - Urban Architecture -<br />
Atlético de Madrid stadium<br />
Spain has begun a new series of stamps dedicated to urban<br />
architecture with the latest issue reviewing five stadiums<br />
that have served Madrid since 1903. Issued in panes of nine<br />
with a history of the stadiums and important dates in the top<br />
selvage, the design of the €2 stamp features an aerial view of<br />
the entire stadium with the red and white colors of Atlético<br />
de Madrid in the background. The stadium has an unusual<br />
design, constructed at different heights rather than horizontally<br />
giving it a wave-like appearance. The roof covers 96% of<br />
the 68,000 spectators, prioritizing safety, comfort, and space<br />
over large crowds. The stamp is available from https://aps.<br />
buzz/SpainJan21.<br />
UNITED NATIONS –<br />
Women in Peacekeeping<br />
“Women in Peacekeeping: A Key to<br />
Peace” is the theme of a pane of 10 $1.20<br />
(U.S.) stamps issued to pay tribute to<br />
United Nations uniformed and civilian<br />
personnel on the International Day of<br />
United Nations Peacekeepers, May 29,<br />
2020. The five designs are used twice on<br />
the sheetlet and feature images of worldwide<br />
UN peacekeeping services. The tab<br />
showing the UN logo can be personalized.<br />
2020 also marks the 20th anniversary<br />
of the UN Security Council Resolution<br />
on Women, Peace and Security. The<br />
sheetlet can be found online at https://<br />
aps.buzz/UNJan21.<br />
• • • • •<br />
New worldwide stamps are presented for information and are not necessarily shown at the correct scale. The quality of images available<br />
at the time of release varies widely and we resize to achieve the best possible reproduction.<br />
JANUARY 2021 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 95
Worldwide<br />
in a Nutshell<br />
BY BOB LAMB • AP Columnist<br />
MADAGASCAR<br />
(Malagasy Republic)<br />
Status: Presidential Republic<br />
Population: 26,955,737 (2020 est.)<br />
Area: 226,658 sq. miles<br />
Currency: 5 iraimbilanja = 1 ariary. (US$1 = 4000 ariary)<br />
Madagascar is an island about the size of Texas off the southeast<br />
coast of Africa. It was settled largely by migration from Indonesia.<br />
There were short-lived British and French coastal settlements<br />
before the island became a haunt for pirates in the late 17th century.<br />
Madagascar consisted of numerous unconnected settlements until<br />
the early 19th century, when Radama I, a reform-minded chief in Antananarivo,<br />
sought British help in modernizing his country. The British<br />
recognized him as “King of Madagascar.” Among his reforms was the<br />
establishment of a royal mail service.<br />
In 1840, the French established a naval base on the island of Nossi Be (Nosy Be) off Madagascar’s<br />
western coast. This was the main transit hub for mail until 1882 when a monthly steamer<br />
service was set up from Tamatave (Toamasina) to Réunion. The maritime office in Tamatave received<br />
mail from the French Consulate in Antananarivo. After 1859, this service used French stamps, and after<br />
1864, French Colonies stamps.<br />
In 1883, when the ruler of northern Madagascar refused to accede to French protection, the French invaded.<br />
As a result, they acquired Diego Suarez where they built a naval base in 1885. France had previously<br />
established coastal enclaves in Nossi Be (1840) and Ste Marie de Madagascar island (1750). The three enclaves<br />
had post offices and briefly issued stamps. They were integrated into Madagascar in 1896.<br />
The French invasion disrupted regular mail operations. As a result, in May 1883 the British Consulate<br />
arranged for the French to transport their mail. For use by this service, the British<br />
Consul in 1884 began selling locally printed stamps inscribed British Consular<br />
Mail or BCM. These stamps were discontinued in 1888 when the national Post and Telegraph service was<br />
opened in Antananarivo. From January to September 1895, the British operated a local mail service from<br />
Antananarivo to Natal, via the port of Vantomanry. For this, they produced 13 stamps inscribed British<br />
Inland Mail Madagascar.<br />
In 1894, the Norwegian consulate authorized a postal service for its missionaries. Four stamps were<br />
produced locally, inscribed N.M.S. (for Norwegian Missionary Society). Their use was discontinued in<br />
1896 when Madagascar was annexed by France.<br />
On June 29, 1891, six locally produced values - the first Malagasy stamps - were released. By 1894,<br />
twelve government post offices were operating country-wide. On February 28, 1897, Madagascar became<br />
a French colony.<br />
During World War II, French officials in Madagascar were loyal to the Vichy<br />
government. British and South African forces occupied the island in September<br />
1942. After Gaullist forces arrived in January 1943, “Free French” overprints<br />
were placed on sale.<br />
France established an autonomous “Malagasy Republic” in 1958. On June 26,<br />
1960 it became independent. In 1993, its name was changed to the Republic of<br />
Madagascar.<br />
Upon independence, Madagascar used the CFA Franc. In 1963, it adopted the<br />
Malagasy franc. In 2003, the ariary became the official currency. Since that time, its<br />
stamps show both currencies. The ariary is fixed at 5 Malagasy Francs (FMG).<br />
96 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2021
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IF YOU LIVE IN:<br />
WRITE OR CALL:<br />
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Kentucky, Indiana,<br />
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New York, or Ontario randyscholl@fuse.net<br />
New England randyschollstampcompany.com<br />
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