4rd Quarter Philatelic Literature Review 2021

THE 

PHILATELIC LITERATURE REVIEW 

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN PHILATELIC RESEARCH LIBRARY 

FOURTH QUARTER 2021 | VOL. 70, NO. 4 | WHOLE NO. 273 

The Turner Sale and 

other recollections 

from Bill Hagan 

STAMPLIBRARY.ORG

Using the American Philatelic Research Library 

The APRL is the world’s largest — and most accessible — philatelic research 

library, with over 90,000 volumes and special collections housed in a state-of-theart 

facility in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. 

The collection includes books, journals, auction catalogs, government documents, 

price lists, new issue announcements, show programs, copies of exhibits, 

and more. The collection’s coverage is worldwide and the library collects material 

in any language. 

The library is open to the public and accessible around the world via reference, 

photocopying, and scanning services, and a growing online collection. Normal 

operating hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern 

time. Visitors are welcome. 

Subscriptions to the library’s quarterly journal, the Philatelic Literature 

Review, include associate membership in the APRL. Members of the American 

Philatelic Society are full members of the APRL. 

Services & fees 

Library fees help to offset the cost of providing services. There is no charge 

for the initial consultation and we will send you an itemized bill for fees when 

services are provided. Additional donations are welcome. 

Book loans by mail 

Full members (North American addresses only) may borrow books directly 

from the library. 

Base fee: $10 per shipment (includes up to 15 minutes of staff time) 

First book: $3 

Additional books (up to 5 per shipment): $1 

Photocopies or scans with a book loan: $.25 per page 

Photocopies 

$10 ($15 for non-members) includes up to 15 pages and 15 minutes of staff time; 

$.25 per page for additional pages. 

Scans 

$4 ($9 for non-members) for the first page; $.25 per page for additional pages. 

Research assistance 

After 15 minutes of staff time, research assistance is billed at $20 per hour in 

half-hour increments. 

Robert A. Mason Digital Library 

Members can access the APRL’s growing digital collection. Download, print 

and full-text search journal issues, books, exhibits, maps, and digitized archival 

material. 

Contacting the library 

Search the library’s catalog and explore our collections at stamplibrary.org. 

To request book loans, photocopies, scans, or research assistance: library@ 

stamps.org • 814-933-3803 (press option 4)

QUARTER 4 

CONTENTS 

FEATURES 

246 FROM THE LIBRARIAN’S DESK, By Scott Tiffney 

As the year comes to a close, APRL Director Scott 

Tiffney reflects on 2021, provides updates to the 

digitization project and Trenchard collections, and 

thanks you for your support. 

254 THE BIBLIOPHILE OF VANCOUVER AND 

SARASOTA: WILLIAM HAGAN, By Abhishek 

Bhuwalka 

William Hagan has been out of the philatelic literature 

world for nearly two decades, yet before his retirement 

was an essential contributor to the Philatelic Literature 

Review, the famous Turner Sale, and much more. 

Interviewer Bhuwalka probes into Hagan’s memories 

to share his wisdom with us. 

275 THE BRITISH SOCIETY OF STAMP 

JOURNALISTS, By Brian J. Birch 

A small file with just a few documents from James 

Negus’ papers turned out to be the (likely) only 

complete record of the short-lived British Society of 

Stamp Journalists. Birch analyzes the brief collection 

(now available at the American Philatelic Research 

Library) for the first time. 

286 DIGITAL ARCHIVES AND PHILATELIC 

INFORMATION: A CASE STUDY, By A.M. LaVey 

The Rowley Soviet Ephemera collection in the 

Blavatnik Archive includes significant philatelic 

material. LaVey explores three sample stamps from 

the collection and analyzes how the archive catalogs 

philatelic material and its use to philatelic and nonphilatelic 

researchers alike. 

DEPARTMENTS 

296 APRL New Acquisitions 

312 Book Reviews 

295 Letters to the Editor 

248 Library News 

305 New Books Noted 

315 Philatelic Literature 

Clearinghouse 

311 Philatelic Literature 

Contributors 

243 President's Column 

THE 

PHILATELIC 

LITERATURE 

REVIEW 

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN 

PHILATELIC RESEARCH LIBRARY 

FOURTH QUARTER 2021 

VOL. 70, NO.4 

WHOLE NO. 273 

100 Match Factory Place 

Bellefonte, PA 16823 

Phone: 814-933-3803 

Fax: 814-933-6128 

plrarticle@stamps.org 

ADMINISTRATOR & PUBLISHER 

Scott D. English • scott@stamps.org 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

Gary Wayne Loew • gary@stamps.org 

EDITOR 

Susanna Mills • smills@stamps.org 

GRAPHIC 

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST 

Chad Cowder • ccowder@stamps.org 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR & LIBRARIAN 

Scott Tiffney • stiffney@stamps.org 

ADVERTISING SALES 

Steve Schwanz 

Fox Associates, Inc. 800-345-8670 x 114 

adinfo.theamericanphilatelist@foxrep.com 

©American Philatelic 

Research Library, 2021 

Philatelic Literature Review (USPS 928-660, 

ISSN-0270-1707) is published quarterly by 

the American Philatelic Research Library, Inc. 

(APRL). Telephone: 814-933-3803; Fax: 814- 

933-6128; E-mail: plr@stamps.org; Website: 

www.StampLibrary.org. 

Postmaster: send address changes to the APRL, 

100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823. 

Periodicals postage paid at Bellefonte, PA 

16823, and additional entry offices. 

Annual subscription rates: $21, regular 

members; $30, sustaining members; and 

$50, contributing members. Libraries and 

institutions, $30. Single copy price, $5. 

STAMPLIBRARY.ORG

APRL Board of Trustees 

PRESIDENT 

Ken Grant 

VICE-PRESIDENT 

Greg Galletti 

SECRETARY 

Melanie Rogers 

TREASURER 

Ken Nilsestuen 

PAST PRESIDENT 

Roger Brody 

Thomas Bieniosek 

Hugh Lawrence 

Hugh McMackin 

Kristin Patterson 

Term APS Member Ballot APS Appointment Founder/Patron 

2016–2022 Kristin Patterson Ken Grant Hugh Lawrence 

2018–2022 Ken Nilsestuen 

2019–2025 Greg Galletti Hugh McMackin Thomas Bieniosek 

Melanie Rogers 

Administrator — Scott D. English • scott@stamps.org 

Librarian / Director of Information Services 

— Scott Tiffney • stiffney@stamps.org 

242 PHILATELIC LITERATURE REVIEW / FOURTH QUARTER 2021 / VOL. 70

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 

BY KEN GRANT President 

The Generosity of Philately 

recent President’s Column, I mentioned 

an annotated bibliography I 

IN 

a 

prepared for the Postal History Journal. 

Tony Crumbley gently reminded me that I neglected 

to mention the North Carolina Postal Historian, 

the publication of the North Carolina Postal 

History Society (NCPHS). The NCPHS began in 

1982 and offers its members an excellent quarterly 

publication currently edited by Tony Crumbley 

and Dick Winter. The society website, www. 

ncpostalhistory.com, offers a number of valuable 

resources including an alphabetical list of North 

Carolina post offices by county and a searchable, 

virtually complete run of the North Carolina Postal Historian, missing only the 

latest four issues. In addition to its journal publication, the NCPHS is sharing 

its North Carolina Postmark Catalog update, which is a work in progress with 

the goal of listing post offices and postmasters as well as illustrating nineteenth 

and twentieth century postmarks. Dues for this worthy organization are only 

$15. Looking at the website, I 

was struck by the great generosity 

of the NCPHS and its 

willingness to share information 

about their state’s postal 

history. 

The NCPHS is not the only 

group that freely shares its philatelic 

literature. The Texas Postal 

History Society produces its 

own quarterly journal. They offer 

digital copies of their journal 

from 1975 to 2017 on their website 

www.texasstamps.org. The 

Wisconsin Postal History Society 

(WPHS) keeps its 73 years of 

journals online behind password 

protection for its members’ use, 

but shares searchable author 

FOURTH QUARTER 2021 / VOL. 70 / PHILATELIC LITERATURE REVIEW 243

and subject indices with the 

public. These can be found 

at wfscstamps.org/Clubs/ 

WisconsinPostalHistory. In 

addition to the searchable indices, 

the WPHS has made 

available virtually all of its 

published bulletins. These includes 

Bulletin #25, The Wisconsin 

Post Office Handbook, 

a resource that provides information 

on all of Wisconsin’s 

post offices in all 72 counties. 

In addition, the WPHS provides 

links to download its 

bulletins on Wisconsin Territorial 

Postmarks, Rural Free Delivery 

Postmarks, Straight Line 

Postmarks, Wisconsin Fancy 

Cancellations, and Wisconsin 

Return to Sender Cancels. It’s 

remarkable how much philatelic material is offered by APS affiliate organizations. 

This year, I joined a Facebook group, Stamp Collecting for Beginners. The 

group’s goal is to serve as a resource for novice collectors who have questions about 

philately. Sometimes, a member will post a picture of a stamp and ask for help in its 

identification. Before long, he or she will have more than a dozen comments from 

more experienced collectors, offering answers that help the original poster learn 

the country of issue, date, and even catalog number of the stamp in question. Frequently, 

there are citations and sometimes links to philatelic literature resources. 

This group as well is characterized by its generosity in sharing its expertise. 

As I have mentioned before, I edit The Cinderella Philatelist, the quarterly journal 

of the Cinderella Stamp Club (CSC), headquartered in the United Kingdom. 

A few months ago, I received an email from a relatively new member of the CSC 

asking if we could provide a bibliography of resources for the inexperienced Cinderella 

stamp collector. Some club volunteers have sent in lists of the books and 

articles they find valuable in this collector area, and I am currently at work in 

combining and organizing their lists for a future issue of The Cinderella Philatelist. 

One of the works that heads my list is Theodore M. Tedesco’s “Index of Literature 

in the English Language that Describes Postage Stamp Forgeries, Fakes, Reprints, 

Fraudulent Postal Markings, and Other Obliterations.” This wonderful resource 

appeared in 14 parts published over a several year period in the Philatelic Literature 

Review. In addition to the print publication, Tedesco’s index is available digitally 

through the American Philatelic Research Library (APRL). A search of the APRL 


catalog yields a number of print holdings along with a listing identifying it as part 

of the library’s digital collection. Selecting that item allows you to search Tedesco’s 

index online, print it, or download it to your own computer for future use. 

Organized philately is an impressive endeavor with individuals committed to 

helping other collectors, sharing their research and the knowledge that they have 

gained over the years. It can be seen in the generosity of state postal history organizations 

eager to share their discoveries and their appreciation of local postal 

history. It is evident in the willingness of experienced collectors to help new collectors 

on social media. And finally, it is found in the wealth of information that the 

APRL puts at the disposal of its members and even non-members. We Wisconsinites 

have a saying that “the borders of our university system are the borders of the 

State.” Philatelic scholarship may have no borders at all! 

Upcoming 2022 APS Elections: 

What You Need to Know 

Every three years, the APS membership elects two members for the 

American Philatelic Research Library Board of Trustees. One more is 

elected by Founder/Patrons/Fellows. 

Timeline of 2022 Elections 

November 1, 2021: Nominations/Seconds officially opens. The APS 

website has details about election procedures and nomination applications/forms 

at stamps.org/election. 

December 31, 2021: Deadline to participate in joint candidate mailing to 

APS Chapters. 

January - April 2022: Candidates will be listed in The American 

Philatelist. 

Mid-January 2022: A joint mailing will be sent to chapters. 

January 30, 2022: Election Review Board will be appointed. 

March 1, 2022: Deadline for candidate statement copy to The American 

Philatelist. 

March 15, 2022: Online candidates forum. 

March 31, 2022: Nominations/Seconds officially closes. 

May 2022: Election Ballot included in The American Philatelist. 

June 11, 2022: Voting closes at noon. 

June 14, 2022: The results will be tabulated and announced on Society 

website and by electronic mail. 

August 27, 2022: Installation of officers following the General 

Membership Meeting at the Great American Stamp Show 2022, 

Sacramento, CA. 


FROM THE LIBRARIAN’S DESK 

BY SCOTT TIFFNEY Librarian / Director of Information Services 

As the New Year Approaches… 

“When in doubt, go to the library.” - J.K. Rowling 

It seems like only yesterday that the library was 

hosting such in-person events as Summer Seminar 

and Volunteer Work Week, not to mention visits, annual 

and otherwise, by various clubs, societies and 

organizations. Over the past two years of closure, 

then partial re-opening and now full re-opening, the 

library adapted to the needs of our new and returning 

patrons and researchers. Much has changed and 

improved during this time and much has remained constant in providing the 

worldwide philatelic community with the best services and collection of resources. 

The last two years brought a greater 

need to provide more efficient and effective 

remote access to resources and 

to response to remotely received library 

requests. Remote requests increased 

dramatically in both 2020 and 2021, 

highlighting the library staff’s ability to 

adapt and respond to researchers who 

could not visit the library in person. 

Library staff also found that library 

patrons became better researchers and 

users of the David Straight Memorial 

Philatelic Union Catalog (PUC) 

in order to access the resources of the 

APRL and other libraries in the PUC. 

Just as the world became more familiar 

with video conferencing platforms 

such as Zoom, so too library users became 

more fluent in conducting their 

research remotely with the assistance 

of the library staff. 

We will continue to build on this 

opportunity to better educate and train 

remote library users by providing video 

tutorials on using the resources of 

the library through the PUC and the 

Digital Library. 

Your Support Grows Our Collection 

Speaking of our library users and 

the support we receive from them, the 

library staff would like to thank all of 

those who heeded the call when we 

reached out in the September librarian's 

column The American Philatelist 

(AP) with the need for replacing a 

number of books in the APRL collection 

that had either gone missing 

or for which we no longer had copies. 

As evidenced from the lengthy list of 

donors mentioned in this issue of the 

PLR (page 311), the response to the 

request was overwhelming. We heard 

from many of you, some for the first 

time, who graciously supplied copies 

that enabled the library to replace 

a vast majority of items on our list. 

With this success in mind, we plan 

to repeat this call in both the AP and 

the PLR periodically in upcoming 


columns as the need arises for further 

replacement copies. 

Renewal Reminder 

For those of you reading this column 

as subscribers or library members, 

thank you for your continued support 

and we would encourage you, if you 

haven’t already, to continue your support 

for the APRL by renewing your 

subscription or membership. For the 

basic U.S., Canadian and International 

subscription, the APRL has decided on 

a slight fee increase for 2022. Owing in 

part to an increase in printing, mailing 

and production costs, new subscription 

rates for the library’s quarterly 

journal will be $21 for a U.S. subscription, 

$26 for a Canadian subscription 

and $33 for a non-North American or 

International subscription. 

All other membership options 

(Sustaining, Contributing and Life 

memberships) will remain the same. 

We also encourage those who have the 

means and would like to even further 

pledge their support to consider becoming 

Daniel W. Vooys Fellows with 

a $5,000 commitment. 2021 was a banner 

year for this support as five donors 

either pledged or completed their donations 

toward becoming or being a Vooys 

Fellow. For more information, consult 

the application form on the inside of the 

back page of this issue or go to stamps. 

org/library on the APS website. 

Digitization Update 

Things are beginning to progress 

regarding the library’s digital collections 

database, the Robert A. Mason 

Digital Library, as we move into the 

next phase of digital content population. 

Now that the APRL has secured 

publication permissions for 51 journals 

for inclusion in the database, 

the task moving forward is to upload 

those journals that are already 

in digital form into the database. As 

of early December, three workstations 

were purchased and set up in 

the carrel room on the second floor 

of the library for this purpose. Also 

as of this writing we are interviewing 

candidates for two part-time Digital 

Projects Assistant positions to assist 

us with the upload of these digital 

files. In each of the 2022 issues of the 

PLR we will report our progress of 

this initial phase of digitization. 

Trenchard Donation 

Betsy Gamble, former APRL Technical 

Services Coordinator, is now 

being joined by Marian Mills, current 

APRL Technical Services Manager in 

inventorying the donated material of 

the Trenchard donation, identifying 

which materials are needed for the 

APRL collection and archives. Also 

brought on to expedite the processing 

of the material are regular library 

volunteers Kitty Wunderly and Bill 

Monsell. Together this team is 

showing progress with sorting and 

cataloging the vast donation. 

In closing, on behalf of the APRL 

and the entire library staff we would like 

to wish all our APRL board members, 

PLR subscribers, library members, 

APS members and library patrons all 

the best for the holiday season and for 

the New Year to come. We look forward 

to serving you again in 2022 and 

we welcome your questions and comments 

as we ring in another year. 


LIBRARY NEWS 

BY SCOTT TIFFNEY 

American Philatelic 

Research Library 

Bellefonte, PA 

Contact: Scott Tiffney 

stiffney@stamps.org 

Now as we close the page on 2021, 

the library staff looks back on a very 

productive year despite the still ongoing 

pandemic. Library requests at 

the APRL actually increased as CO- 

VID-19 hit and the record number 

of requests in certain months (some 

over 200 requests a month) was a 

welcome challenge for the staff. 

Owing to both the global health 

environment and to patrons and researchers 

adapting to the necessary 

technology during this time, remote 

use of the library and its resources 

greatly increased as well, further emphasizing 

and bolstering the library’s 

mission to provide patrons and researchers 

with more and more digital 

content available to all remotely. 

Over the year, the Robert A. Mason 

Digital Library saw a dramatic increase 

in use in terms of page views 

(171,812 views in 2021, 23,191 more 

views than in 2020) and unique users 

(averaging 310 a month in 2021, 47 

more unique users than in 2020) accessing 

the database. 

The last quarter of 2021 also provided 

the APRL with the opportunity 

to welcome back many of the volunteers 

who were restricted from returning 

to the library in the early days 

of the pandemic. With the renewed 

dedication and determination of the 

library’s volunteers upon their return, 

we were able to once again mend and 

repair our damaged materials; assist 

with the ongoing processing of donations 

(notably the Trenchard donation); 

re-shelve materials as needed; 

organize and identify archival materials; 

and to continue to populate the 

library’s used books for sale inventory. 

All of these tasks are regularly 

fulfilled by our volunteers on a daily 

and monthly basis. 

National Postal Museum 

Washington, D.C. 

Contact: Baasil Wilder 

wilder@si.edu 

The NPM Library recently digitized 

the (1862) Catalogue of British, 

Colonial, and Foreign Postage 

Stamps: https://library.si.edu/ 

digital-library/book/catalogueofbrit- 

00brow. The author’s name is Mr. 

Mount Brown, and it was published 

in London. Mount Brown (1837- 

1919) was an early British philatelist 

and the compiler of the second 

published stamp catalog in the English 

language. Brown’s catalog was 

highly successful and went through 

7,500 copies and five editions up to 

1864. His contemporaries included 

philatelists Dr. Charles W. Viner, 

Henry Haslett, Frederick Philbrick, 

William Hughes-Hughes, Sir Daniel 

Cooper and the Rev. Francis J. 

Stainforth. In 1908, Brown even met 

Frederick Melville! 

The NPM Library welcomes the 

incoming director of (all of the 21) 

Smithsonian Library Branches, Tamar 

Evangelestia-Dougherty (Figure 

1). Evangelestia-Dougherty holds a 

Masters of Science in Information 

Science from Simmons University’s 


Figure 1. Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty, 

the new director of Smithsonian Libraries 

and Archives. 

Figure 2. The Naco, Arizona, post office front, 

which will include an interactive collection. 

School of Library and Information 

Science in Boston and a bachelor’s 

degree in political science from the 

University of Houston. Evangelestia- 

Dougherty brings a rich background 

driving public outreach and cultivating 

robust print and digital collections 

across diverse subject matters. 

Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty 

has been appointed director of the 

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives 

as of Nov. 6, with an arrival date of 

Dec. 6. 

Postal History Foundation 

Slusser Library, Tuscon, AZ 

Contact: Valerie Kittell 

library@phftucson.org 

Work has begun on improving the 

display area inside the turn-of-thecentury 

Naco, Arizona, post office 

front (Figure 2). A small grant from 

the Arizona Historical Society is 

funding the “Naco Post Office Self- 

Guided Tour” project. Museum objects 

will be sorted into collections, 

cataloged, and inventoried. Objects 

designated as belonging in the “Interactive 

Collection” will be used in 

separate stations within the exhibit 

area, allowing visitors to touch and 

manipulate items as they learn about 

mail processing, delivering, and impact 

on culture and economy. Objects 

in the “Museum Collection” 

will either be stored using museum 

best practices, for preservation, 

or on display behind 

secure, see-through housing. 

Included in the project are 

audio and visual components 

to allow more people more access 

to collections, and security 

cameras for extra protection. 

We’re excited for visitors to explore 

the new exhibit and find 

meaning in the presentation 

of materials. The exhibit is expected 

to be open in May 2022. 


Rocky Mountain Philatelic 

Library 

Denver, CO 

Contact: Sherri Jennings 

rmpllibrarian1@gmail.com 

Here in Denver, our library has 

been open again for about the past 

six months and things are getting 

back to normal. Although most 

members are fully vaccinated, we all 

continue to be cautious; many still 

wear masks. 

Despite these precautions, we 

recently lost one of our founding 

members and first RMPL president, 

Don Beuthel, to Covid19. He was 93 

and not in good health. Don’s wife, 

Ellengail, who died over two years 

ago, was our librarian since 1995 

(see Scribblings Sep-Oct 2019 on our 

website RMPLDenver.org). Don 

was a collector, exhibitor, judge, and 

past president of the American Topical 

Association. He remained active 

at the library until shortly before his 

death. His last words to our librarian 

were “you keep that library going.” 

We will do our best but we will miss 

him tremendously. 

We had a very successful large lot 

auction in October. These auctions 

help keep the library going. Many of 

our expenses are able to be paid from 

the money we receive at the auctions. 

We’d like to thank Paul Domenici 

and Gary Withrow for their hard 

work sorting the items to be sold. 

Cherpex was recently put on by 

the Cherrelyn stamp club. It was 

the first show in Denver in over two 

years. It was great to see people’s 

faces again, at least the top half. 

Donations continue to pour in. 

The books and periodicals are put 

on the RMPL shelves and the philatelic 

items go into our auction. Items 

of lesser value are placed in our 5¢ 

books. We have an army of volunteers 

who sort these stamps. They 

are invaluable to our operations 

here at the library. 

The periodicals room is getting an 

upgrade. The cardboard holders that 

we had been using are being replaced 

with plastic ones. No more staining 

and tearing of the periodicals! 

The roof on our Annex building is 

being repaired. Steve Schweighofer, 

the operations manager, coordinated 

these efforts. A new roof was 

very much needed. Our Annex also 

sports a new big-screen television. 

Now a talk can be shown on the TV 

and everyone in the room can see it. 

Our stamp manager, Dasa Metzler, 

has a new room. Andy Murin 

built it for her in our Annex building. 

Now she has a lot more room to sort 

incoming stamps. 

Royal Philatelic Society 

London 

The John Sacher Library, London, 

UK 

Contact: Nicola Davies 

research@rpsl.org.uk 

Soon after it proved impossible 

to hold “live” talks and displays, 

the Royal Philatelic Society London 

along with the Library decided to 

make such presentations available 

to members online. With an international 

membership, this proved 

invaluable for the many members 

who are unable to visit the Society to 

enjoy the presentations “in person.” 

Meetings of the RSPL resumed 

in July, but it was decided to continue 

the virtual presentations. In 

addition, the RSPL decided to make 


these presentations available to all, 

whether or not the attendee was a 

member of the Society. To view a 

particular RSPL presentation, just 

visit the website of Eventbrite and 

under “Search,” type in the title of 

the particular talk (see list below of 

the scheduled 2022 talks). Attendees 

need only to register through Eventbrite 

and the sessions are free to all. 

Before the talk, registrants will receive 

an email reminder from Eventbrite 

with the required link for the 

Zoom presentation. 

January 4, 2022: “Postal History of 

South Georgia” by Hugh Osborne. 

February 1, 2022: “Symposium of 

International Auctioneers” 

March 1, 2022: “Postal History of 

Taiwan” by Danny Wong. 

April 5, 2022: “Sealing and Securing 

the Letter” by Stewart Gardner. 

May 3, 2022: “Classic Sweden 

1855-1872” by Jack Preuveneers. 

June 7, 2022: “Universal Postal 

Union” by Jamie Gough. 

The RPSL annually awards the 

Crawford Medal for the most valuable 

and original contribution to the 

study and knowledge of philately in 

book form, whether physical or electronic. 

Named in honor of the Society’s 

former President, Lord Crawford, 

it was first presented in 1920, 

and has been awarded in most of the 

101 years since. 

Nominations are invited for any 

book on a philatelic subject that has 

been published and was available for 

sale in 2020 or 2021. The book does 

not have to be published by the Royal 

Philatelic Society London or be 

written by a Royal member. Nominations 

are accepted from any individual, 

society or body even if they are 

not Royal members. Nominations 

should be sent to Nicola Davies, 

Head of Collections, at The Royal 

Philatelic Society London, 15 Abchurch 

Lane, London EC4N 7BW 

or emailed to her at librarian@rpsl. 

org.uk to arrive by January 31, 2022. 

A non-returnable copy of the nominated 

book must also be supplied to 

the RPSL library by that date if it 

does not already have a copy. 

During London 2022 on Wednesday 

23rd February 2022, the RPSL 

John Sacher Library at 15 Abchurch 

Lane will be hosting the International 

Philatelic Libraries and Museums’ 

Symposium, a free all-day 

event for all those working, volunteering, 

researching, or simply interested 

in philatelic libraries, archives 

and museums. Join us at the RPSL 

headquarters in the City of London 

for a day of presentations and discussions 

on the problems and joys 

of philatelic libraries, archives and 

museums. We will hear from a range 

of institutions, including The British 

Library and the Smithsonian’s National 

Postal Museum, and the day 

will offer plenty of opportunity for 

open discussion and networking. 

To register for your free place: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ 

international-philatelic-libraries 

-and-museums-symposiumregistration-211078771287 

For those who are unable to come 

to London but would like to join 

the event via Zoom, please email 

events@rpsl.org.uk. Any questions 

or for further information, please 

email the same address or contact 

Nicola Davies at +442074861044. 


Figure 3. The SCCL’s display of Nordic 

philatelic memorabilia. 

Scandinavian Collectors 

Club Library 

Denver, CO 

Contact: Roger Cichorz 

rcichorz@comcast.net 

The Scandinavian Collectors Club 

Library (SCCL) is open to members 

and operational at its location within 

the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library 

(RMPL) in Denver, Colorado. 

SCCL Committee member and acting 

librarian, Roger Cichorz, goes 

into SCCL regularly to process donations 

and loan requests, also indexing 

and shelving newly acquired 

books, catalogs, and periodicals. 

Roger completed a major project 

this quarter, the indexing of the 

Norway Books section. This involved 

rearranging the books by subject matter, 

then listing and labeling them 

with new identification numbers, and 

shelving them in their new ID order. 

SCCL’s present Norway Books holdings 

include 243 volumes (225 philatelic 

and 18 non-philatelic) and two 

archives. Archive 1 consists of two file 

containers of Norway Post routes, offices, 

circulars, data, and place names 

with post codes, and Archive 2 is a file 

container of extensive information 

and correspondence on Norway’s 

Posthorn stamp issues. SCCL intends 

to integrate the Norway Books Index 

information into the David Straight 

Memorial Philatelic Union Catalog 

in the near future. 

SCCL maintains a large display 

cabinet of Nordic postal- and philatelic-related 

memorabilia in the club 

meeting room at RMPL’s 2048 Pontiac 

Way location (Figure 3). Among 

the many items on display in this 

cabinet are award medals for exhibits 

in various national and international 

shows, literature award medals 

for SCC’s quarterly journal The 

Posthorn, a Swedish Post mail container, 

a Norway Post mailbag, a complete 

set of Åland postal vans, miniature 

flags of all the Nordic countries, 

and various plaques awarded to SCC 

members for meritorious service. 

Roger’s recent SCCL-themed 

“From the Stacks” column, a regular 

feature in The Posthorn, included 

lists of SCCL’s literature and video 

holdings for Schleswig-Holstein, 

Finnish postal history, and postal 

history of specific areas within Finland, 

along with brief summaries of 

the content of each reference. 

SCCL continues to make its excess 

and superfluous items available 

to SCC members through quarterly 

auctions conducted by Roger. SCCL’s 

62nd sale, which closed September 

31, 2021, offered 50 literature lots 

and 30 lots of stamps, postal history 


Figure 4. The renovated Western Philatelic Library. 

(covers & postal stationery), and 

ephemera. This auction proved to 

be a popular feature for SCC members 

as 22 bidders participated, 19 of 

whom were successful at winning one 

or more lots. The result was an almost 

complete sellout as 77 of the 80 lots 

sold, realizing $2070.50 against their 

cumulative starting bids of $1401. 

Western Philatelic 

Library 

Redwood City, CA 

Contact: Roger Skinner 

rskinner@fwpl.org 

Under the direction of Ed Jarvis 

and the hardworking team of Roy 

Teixeira, Dave Moore, and Richard 

Clever, the Western Philatelic Library 

building, an old warehouse, is 

now taking shape and looking like a 

welcoming library (Figure 4). The 

WPL invited attendees of WEST- 

PEX 2021 to visit on Friday, July 

30. The library then held an Open 

House with a mini-silent auction on 

Saturday, August 14, in support of 

the library’s renovation. 

Wineburgh Philatelic 

Research Library 

Dallas, TX 

Contact: Cassandra Galus-Zawojek 

cassandra.zawojek@utdallas.edu 

The Wineburgh Philatelic Research 

Library has been open along 

with the rest of The University of 

Texas at Dallas, and kept open due 

to low infection rates on campus and 

safety protocols. Appointments are 

still preferred, so please call ahead 

of your intended visit. Currently, the 

curator has just about completed a 

re-shifting of the collection and now 

offers easier access to the collection 

and a bit more shelf space. 

Many catalog records are being 

made up to date and items in 

more fragile condition are being 

re-housed. Slowly, the possibility of 

digitizing these more fragile materials 

is being discussed and the curator 

hopes to share more plans in the future. 

The AFDCS Chapter 56 have 

resumed their monthly meetings and 

the archival records of the San Antonio 

Philatelic Association as well as 

the Texas Philatelic Association continue 

to be housed on location. 


The Bibliophile 

of Vancouver and 

Sarasota: 

William Hagan 

Abhishek Bhuwalka 

Figure 1. William Hagan today. 

you can forward 

the below email to Abhishek 

Bhuwalka as I “Perhaps 

can’t make his email work.” 

So read the first words that I ever 

received from William Hagan. 

In June 2018, in response to my 

article on Harry Hayes and the index 

to his auctions, Hagan (Figure 1) 

wrote me an email with his thoughts; 

it was forwarded to me by the editorial 

staff of the Philatelic Literature 

Review (PLR). Since then, we have 

corresponded many times; mostly he 

starts with offering his congratulations 

on my latest article or interview, 

and then goes on with elucidating on 

philatelic literature as well recollecting 

adventures from his collecting 

days. Hagan is a storehouse of philatelic 

anecdotes, most of which cannot 

be published! 

Hagan has been away from philatelic 

literature for some time now. 

If one considers that his library was 

sold in 2000, it has been two decades; 

if one recalls that he stopped 

collected literature in 1987-88, in 

the aftermath of a personal tragedy, 

it has been more than three. But as a 

similar saying goes, “You cannot take 

philately and philatelic literature out 

of the man (or woman)!” While some 

of his recollections are, understandably, 

foggy, Hagan’s love and appreciation 

for the hobby in general and for 

books in particular is unmistakably 

strong. His unorthodox thoughts on 

what constitutes philatelic literature, 

his forceful insistence on its importance, 

and his revealing some unusual 

places where it can be found are essential 

reading for every collector of 

stamps and/or postal history. 

My first article in the PLR of Q3 

2017 was about filling in Hagan’s description 

of the various editions of 

Alexander J. Sefi’s masterwork An Introduction 

to Advanced Philately from 

36 years earlier. Further, the “eureka” 


Figure 2. Hagan with his wife, Dorothy, on one of their countless travels. Photo 

courtesy of The Royal Philatelic Society’s Philatelic Collections. 

for my recent interviews published in 

this journal came from Hagan’s similar 

work in the 1970s and 80s. Hence, 

I owe some part of my philatelic 

journalism to Hagan and my sincere 

thanks go out to him. 

*** 

Hello Bill. I am so glad that I am 

interviewing you in the philatelic 

bibliophile series. It has been years, 

almost two decades, since the philatelic 

community has heard from 

you. What have you been doing in 

this time? 

Traveling (Figure 2). We traveled 

for an entire year in 2002, and for four 

years straight between 2007 and 2010. 

We have also made many shorter trips. 

We have seen the world, often home 

staying. Other times we have stayed 

in apartments living in the community. 

Shopping where they shop, eating 

where they eat, living where they 

live, having library cards, going to 

wedding receptions, attending various 

religious ceremonies, and so on. We 

have spent five months in Paris, three 

months in London and Rome, and 

one month in virtually every major 

city in Europe. Also, three months in 

Turkey and Australia, two months in 

New Zealand, and six months in various 

Asian cities. And three months in 

your wonderful country of India, including 

one month in your wonderful 

city of Mumbai. We had a one-hour 

train ride into the once-named Victoria 

Train Station 1 in Mumbai, hanging 

out the car doors for comfort! Some 

trips required starting toward the 

door two stops before your destination 

or you would never crowd your 

way out before the train left. 

For all our travels on trains and 

buses, and in all our apartments and 

home stays, we never saw another 


American. They travel in American 

groups, stay in American hotels, eat 

where Americans eat, and spend a 

few hours seeing various sights before 

going on to the next stop. We 

would meet them at various sights 

and they were always amazed that 

four hours wasn't enough to see a 

major city like Paris. 

Starting from the very beginning, 

please tell me about yourself. 

My full name is William John 

Hagan and I was born in the Upper 

Peninsula of Michigan on November 

3, 1940. This makes me a “Uper” 

(or Yooper). You have great status 

among locals if you are one. But if 

you move there even at one day old, 

you can never be Uper! At six months 

my family moved to East Lansing 

where I grew up across the street 

from Michigan State University. I finished 

high school, spent three years 

in the Army, and returned to Michigan 

State where I received a BA and a 

Masters in Instructional Media. 

My work life involved publications 

and style guide management, 

advertising, consulting, and proposal 

writing until I retired early. My wife, 

Dorothy, has a PhD in Human Nutrition. 

She has held a number of 

important positions in business and 

academia. 

How did you get interested in philately 

and philatelic literature? Did 

you have a stamp collection as a kid 

or later? 

My love for libraries started when 

I was just a kid. I used to read entire 

sections. Later I learned book binding 

as a hobby. I would bind all sorts 

of theses, periodicals and older volumes 

earning one hour of free use 

and materials for my own library. I 

began to see that there were different 

editions, learnt what constitutes a 

complete volume or periodical year, 

saw the enormous range of many 

academic subjects, and so on. I was 

later able to transfer my interest in 

books to philatelic literature. 

Between 1949 and 1952, I pedaled 

papers for four years, making the 

princely sum of $23 a week (I saved 

enough to pay for my college education 

by the time I was 12). One day 

on my route, I saw a collector mounting 

the U.S. 1932 Presidential series. 

I always remember that single incident. 

However, I didn't start collecting 

until I reached my early thirties. 

My original interest was in the 

U.S., but I talked my wife into collecting. 

Each auction we went to, she 

spent our entire budget on Australian 

stamps! So, I switched to them. 

The Australian catalogs were basic in 

the early 1970s. 2 I started to search 

for more definitive references, and I 

guess that's how my interest in philatelic 

literature began. 

We still have the Australian collection. 

It's not much but has some 

interesting airmail covers. Perhaps I 

will get around to appraising the collecting 

one day. 

In response to editor Charles J. 

Peterson’s request in the Philatelic 

Literature Review’s Q4 1975 issue 

for contribution to a new column 

on philatelic literature price trends, 

you stepped up to the plate. Why? 


Figure 3. Hagan’s first and final 

column on literature prices, 

published in PLR Q3 1976 and 

Q1 1987 respectively. 

Had you done any philatelic 

journalism before then? 

As best I can remember, the 

idea for the "Prices Realized" 

column came from a reader. I 

don’t remember why I decided 

to answer Peterson's editorial. I 

had a few articles in Linn's, and 

that's it. 

Your column, “Philatelic Literature 

Price Trends” (Figure 3), saw the 

light of day in the PLR’s Q3 1976 issue 

and continued for more than a 

decade until Q1 1987. It was unusual 

when an issue did not contain your 

name. Tell us some of your thoughts 

about writing that column? 

My work schedule then was demanding, 

and required a great deal of 

mental effort. That left me tired and 

with little time. I had to “panic out” 

many columns. 

The hardest part writing the column 

was getting auction catalogs and 

prices realized, if any. Most literature 


dealers have microscopic 

margins selling literature, 

so the cost of mailing a catalog 

to a writer was something 

they were loath to do. 

At one time Harry Hayes 

stopped sending me catalogs 

as I was not a paid subscriber. 

He relented, however, 

when I notified him 

that I could not afford to pay 

for the many auctions that I 

covered else I would have to 

stop the column. Hayes was 

good about this; many foreign 

dealers were not. 

Figure 4. Hagan’s first interview with Don Pfau of 

Roger Koerber, Inc. published in PLR Q1 1977. 

How did you manage to make a supposedly 

dull subject into something 

so engaging and entertaining? 

I am often the "life-of-the-party," 

knowing endless stories to entertain 

others. I used this character trait to 

transfer these tales into my columns. 

One problem with this practice was 

the enormous mistake I made, in one 

column, where I erroneously claimed 

a lot of literature lots didn't sell when 

it did. I received a stiff letter from the 

dealer. I apologized in a following 

column although the dealer changed 

their PR a few auctions later to eliminate 

the mistake I made. Though the 

editor wrote saying he should have 

caught it, I always regretted that. I 

tried to be especially vigilant in future 

columns. 

I also think that the “predictive 

text” on prices brought about reader 

interest as much as the subject itself. 

Some literature, like some stamps, either 

commonly appears or does not 

appear for twenty years. It’s something 

of a gamble to let desirable 

material pass by. Most advise “BUY 

IT.” And I did this as well, although 

if a flood of the items subsequently 

appeared, the original buyer would 

have paid too much. 

Apart from the price trends column, 

you also used to interview 

(Figure 4) notable personalities in 

the PLR. I confess that your interviews 

inspired me to start my own 

series a few years back. How did 

you hit upon this idea? 

Every passionate collector has 

strong opinions about what a journal 

should contain. I did too. I think 

most notable personalities jumped at 

the opportunity to put in "their two 

cents." 

You have some strong thoughts on 

the importance of philatelic literature. 

Please elucidate. 

I often heard people say the only 

thing they are interested in literature 

is the information. Nothing could 

be more wrong. Examine any area 

of philately and you'll find a 100% 


correlation between the strength of 

the area and the literature about it. 

A strong society journal, specialized 

group(s), dealers, periodicals, 

auctions, and state and local group 

publications will see that area thrive. 

Take away most or all of these and 

the area dies. 

Literature goes a long way toward 

determining how someone collects. 

Walk into a collector’s home and 

see 10 or 15 large albums and a few 

monthly periodicals and catalogs, 

and I can assure you that their material 

will see an auction description as 

follows: "Accumulation of 10 or 15 albums 

with so many stamps (125,000, 

for example), make offer." 

Many collectors think a current 

stamp catalog and a popular journal 

is all they need to form a scholarly 

collection. It will never happen. 

Instead, you will get a "space filler" 

collection not unlike every other 

collection in the area. They are surprised 

when their "collection" is of 

no interest. And, why should it be? 

Virtually every day a collector shows 

up to a dealer with the same kind of 

collection. Endless low values, inexpensively 

produced covers, and 

several volumes. Evaluating these 

collections takes about 30 seconds. 

Paging through the first few pages, 

you know what the rest of the album 

will be. The collector is astonished. 

They, or their surviving spouse, have 

been told it’s worth thousands. They 

leave confused and angry. You don’t 

need to ask how large their philatelic 

library was. You know. 

On the other hand, see a home 

Examine any area 

of philately and 

you'll find a 100% 

correlation between 

the strength of the 

area and the literature 

about it. 

with a few albums, but a wide range 

of handbooks, periodicals, memberships 

of specialized societies (one 

knowledgeable collector used to say, 

"I make money with every handbook, 

journal, and specialized society I belong 

to"), correspondence (letter files 

are another vastly important reference 

not often offered; if you have 

a chance to buy one, do it), perhaps 

color, perforation, and cancel studies, 

and there will be value. Often, this 

latter collection will far exceed the 

"accumulation." I have been president 

of a large, strong local, a statewide, 

and an international philatelic 

society (West Suburban Stamp Club, 

The Oregon Stamp Society, and Society 

of Australasian Specialists or 

Oceania). Without exception, the 

finest collections and the most informed 

collectors had the largest and 

widest philatelic libraries. So philatelic 

literature often determines a collection's 

value. 

Philatelic literature teaches geography 

and history. You learn the world 

as it existed, changed and exists today. 

Philatelic literature stimulates the 

imagination, broadens your intellect 


Without exception, 

the finest collections 

and the most informed 

collectors had the 

largest and widest 

philatelic libraries. 

and gives you a never-ending treasure 

of knowledge. 

Philatelic literature gives you goals 

which are ever-moving to your delight. 

Start down one avenue and find 

ten others open. Look in those and 

each offers another selection. 

Philatelic literature offers companionship. 

You marry it and it becomes 

an inspiration for your life, 

making days more worthwhile. 

Philatelic literature assures you of 

a longer and healthier life. Ask any 

health professional and they will tell 

you intellectually active people live 

longer, healthier lives. 

Philatelic literature forms life-long 

friendships. A fraternity forms with 

you and others who have your passion. 

I think this is one of most satisfying 

aspects when I was active. 

Don't reduce philatelic literature 

to "it's information only." It offers 

you the world and unlimited options. 

Take advantage of them. 

You also have an interesting take 

on what constitutes “philatelic literature” 

and some unusual places to 

hunt for those. Please elaborate on 

this. 

In the early 1900s the English 

book dealers gave up trying to define 

what a book was! Have you ever seen 

a good description of what constitutes 

philatelic literature? It’s really 

undefinable. I remember one philatelist 

talking to me, saying he and a second 

person were thinking of doing a 

bibliography of philatelic literature. I 

responded that it would take 100 fulltime 

editors working 100 years to 

cover the subject in its broadest definition, 

whatever that is. Of course, it 

would be very dated when finished! 

First, at an international or national 

show, read the large gold/gold exhibits 

and you'll note almost all consist 

of original research. There is no 

handbook or periodical article alone 

that has the same research. Often 

these exhibits, combined with other 

similar material, will become name 

sales. Many bemoan that these exhibits 

are "check book philately." There is 

some merit to this, as "completeness" 

is a major consideration in awarding 

medals. The last few items are often 

beyond most collectors' means. But 

I've seen local shows where an inexpensive 

stamp is shown as a single, 

plate block, sheet, color study, errors, 

and endless covers with postal rates. 

These are wonderful studies that cost 

little. Hence, exhibits are surely philatelic 

literature. 

One day, go to the post office 

headquarters in Washington, D.C., 

and take one elevator to floor 10 and 

then a second one to floor 11 where 

the Postmasters General’s library is. 

The library is good sized and is onehalf 

case laws as regards the post office. 

Years ago, there were over 10,000 

technical reports on all aspects of 


stamp production. These have restricted 

access and I am not sure 

if anyone has ever looked at them. 

Think of the answers on paper, glue, 

perforations, etc. that could be answered. 

Certainly, this last is highly 

relevant to any literature listing, but 

I don't think either have ever been 

listed. Do they go back to 1900, or before? 

I don't know. I never had time 

to investigate. One of its patrons, 

however, was Henry Beecher. Readers 

of The American Philatelist from 

time ago will recall his postal history 

letters to the editor. I helped empty 

his apartment of philatelic material 

and another scholar used it plus his 

own knowledge to produce postal 

rate books. 

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, 

The New York Public Library received 

2,300 foreign journals (if I 

remember correctly) not received 

by the Library of Congress. I once 

spent three weeks there and I produced 

a 1,000-page bibliography of 

their philatelic holdings (of which I 

printed a few copies). At that time, 

they had two 800-volume-printed 

bibliographies in the reading room 

which stopped several years (I remember 

1971) before the date I was 

there. Many cards listed a foreign 

publication, such as Brazil post office 

annual reports, and gave a start date. 

Information about the run was held 

in another enormous card catalog 

back somewhere. You had to hire an 

accredited researcher at $30 an hour 

to go back and give you details as to 

how many there were. The same was 

true for periodicals. I don't think the 

material has ever been completely 

described. Certainly, foreign post office 

annual reports and journal runs 

would be philatelic literature. 

The U.S. Civil War has seen millions 

of titles. One common area is 

journals and letters written by thousands, 

maybe hundreds of thousands, 

of soldiers. Many contain references 

to some mail topic such as mail 

routes. Is this philatelic literature? 

I was at the Truman President Library 

and learned they burned the 

envelopes that held correspondence. 

I tried to get them to save these for a 

postal historian to examine. I doubt 

any presidential library saves envelopes. 

Certainly, they would at least 

have had information on the postmaster 

general in that administration. 

Is this philatelic literature? 

Think of all the government publications 

of all the governments in existence 

since … (pick a date). Would you 

include stampless covers or early postal 

routes before there were post offices? Is 

cuneiform postal communication? 

Near Philadelphia is an enormous 

estate with a 10-story building with 

priceless early Americana. They have 

a library with a large post card collection. 

I once saw one in D.C. with 

some 30,000 postcards of U.S. Post 

Office buildings. Is this literature? 

There are countless histories of 

U.S. and foreign military units, often 

held by the units themselves. There is 

postal information in most of them. 

More philatelic literature? 

Every state has a state historical 

society. How many have philatelic information? 


There are some 3,000 

counties in the U.S. Some 

of their governments, as 

Chicago, are in large buildings. 

They surely have 

postal information. Others 

are in a single room with 

none. 

You have written about 

the whole “complete” 

business in the past. 3 

Why don’t you tell us 

more about this? 

This comes back to 

people buying literature 

for the information. But 

what information are they 

buying? 

Fournier's material was 

bought by, I think, the British 

Dealers Association. 4 Perhaps 

they bought the Sperati forgeries, but 

the buyer is unimportant. What matters 

is that each forged stamp existed 

in different quantities and sometimes 

in sheets. When the albums were 

made up, the lowest number got one 

of every example. Soon, however, the 

number of complete examples began 

to diminish. To my knowledge there 

is no existing record of which book 

got what. In an attempt to remedy 

this situation, George Van den Berg, 

who dealt as Lowell Ragatz, bought 

over 15 copies, taking out those issues 

missing from his master set. 

Did he eventually have one of every 

example? I doubt anyone knows. He 

published a green bound softcover 

book of his master copy. 5 If you are 

going to buy a Fournier you must 

have this master copy to see just how 

Figure 5. Hagan elucidating on a most complex book 

– Robertson’s A History of the Ship Letters of the British 

Isles. Most copies of the books, even today, are to be 

found in an incomplete set. 

complete your proposed copy is! 

Another example is Robertson’s 

Maritime Postal History of the British 

Isles (Figure 5). 6 Robertson sent the 

book out in a series of supplements. 

You had to subscribe over a period, 

which was of considerable length. 

Many let their subscriptions lapse. 

But not only did you have to get all 

the mailings, you had to get all the 

additions. These came in the form of 

mysterious page numbers. For example, 

you have the initial page number 

B.48 with the heading ”Early Ships of 

the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company.” 

When Robertson had to share 

more information, he sent across a 

page numbered B.48/A (and B.48/B 

on its rear); this had to be inserted 

after page B.48 and before B.49. Then 

B.48/C and B.48/D and B.48E and 

B.48.F. Not to mention B.48/B1 (and 

B.48/B2), which had to be inserted 


Figure 6. Hagan’s foreword to the Bendon reprint edition of 

Robertson. 

facing B.48/B! His numbering was 

bewildering and a mystery to most. 

Now you buy the work. What did you 

buy? There is a book, put out by (as I 

recall) a Malta dealer 7 that reproduces 

the complete book. I know this as I 

wrote the foreword (Figure 6). Unless 

you have the reproduced complete 

book, you don't know whether your 

copy, and hence the information you 

have, is complete or not. 8 

Periodicals are notorious for missing 

or misnumbering their issues. 

What constitutes a complete run? 

Many have supplements, indexes, 

and what not. How about the Prince 

Edward Island plates in volume 2 of 

the London Philatelist? 9 As I remember 

there are six. Are they in the 

"complete" group that you bought? 

In the early 1990s, after you had 

stopped your price trends column, 

you wrote a few articles especially 

on your road trips to various libraries 

such as the Library of Congress, 

the New York Public Library, and 

the library of the Collectors Club. 

You have already answered the 

“why.” Now to the “what?” What 

did you learn there? 

Apart from the libraries you mention, 

I have been to countless postal 

museums, libraries, and historical societies 

along with the U.S. Archives. I 

have also spent time at the Chicago 

Public Library doing research on the 

postal articles in The Chicago Defender. 

Other visits have included the library 

in the U.S. Post Office and parts 

of the Smithsonian before much of 

its material was moved to the now- 

National Postal Museum. I have been 

to places such as the Dupont Home, 

going through their post card collection. 

Abroad, I have visited countless 

foreign libraries including the British 

Library and have seen a large number 

of national postal exhibits. I have 

loved every minute of these visits. 

First, everything may not be on the 

computer. Many researchers take for 

granted that the computer lists everything. 

Often not true. For instance, 

The Free Library of Philadelphia Library 

put their philatelic books on a 

computer. Administration demanded 

entries end at a certain date. I was 


there and a librarian showed the various 

philatelic literature cards that she 

wasn’t able to enter. 10 

Further, some holdings never get 

listed. The Library of Congress received 

thousands of Spanish plays 

for safekeeping during the Spanish 

revolution. A friend knew they were 

still sitting in the boxes untouched. 

This was decades ago so maybe they 

are now included in some listing, returned, 

or still sitting there. 

Finally, and unfortunately, going 

to major library almost always means 

you must go to a metropolitan area. 

And, you must stay there to accomplish 

anything. That can get expensive. 

What are your thoughts on libraries? 

Many modern librarians are 

dispirited by the loss of the book to 

the electronic age. Many libraries are 

little more than a number of terminals 

for users to use Google or some 

other database. Of course, the reference 

librarian is hardly used, or may 

not exist, as "everything" is on the net. 

This is a gross error, as a librarian, familiar 

with that part of the library, 

can tell you what's there and what's 

not. Especially in the U.S. Archives 

or the Library of Congress, finding 

the right librarian can save countless 

hours. The Archives will "pull" and 

have on a cart the material you ask 

for on the day you arrive. The Library 

of Congress used to let researchers 

have a wire cage in the stacks where 

they could have a coffee maker, computer, 

desk, light and carts for weeks, 

or even months, I suppose. 

Hopefully this virus disaster will 

end one day. When it does, going to 

any library, such as the APRL, should 

be scheduled months in advance. 

Don't just show up. Librarians have 

meetings, vacations, and a workload. 

Also be specific. I collect a certain 

stamp, area, postal history subject 

and want information in this area. 

Can I examine the forgery collection 

in my area of interest? Can I make 

copies? Photographs? What would 

you suggest I examine in my subject 

area? I can say that every librarian 

I have ever dealt with has knocked 

themselves out to be helpful. 

Following from an earlier question, 

a lot of archival material of past 

greats are in philatelic libraries. 

You mentioned to me once that you 

saw Stanley Ashbrook’s files at The 

Philatelic Foundation in New York 

City. Could you elaborate more on 

this? 

Private correspondence among 

philatelists represents perhaps the 

greatest source of information that’s 

ignored. Ashbrook, 11 who was the 

early U.S. material expert, bowed to 

no one but Carroll Chase, another 

expert in U.S. classics. Ashbrook 

kept scrapbooks about two feet by 

18 inches. On each page he taped 

his letter and then taped the replies 

slightly offset under his letter. Many 

of the letters contained inflammatory 

remarks which would produce 

a legal action today. I volunteered to 

photograph each page and publish 

it. The caveat was that I could not 

afford to stay in the city and needed 

to take them home. “No” was the 

answer. There were some 40 books 


which I assume are still there. Some 

Ashbrook questions would probably 

be answered if this material became 

available. 12 

You mentioned to me once that 

whenever you would write to George 

Turner (Figure 7) 13 mentioning that 

you had seen a rare item, Turner 

would reply saying it was not rare 

at all; the reason being that Turner 

would have tens, sometimes hundreds 

of that item! What relationship 

did you have with Turner? 

A short story first. Decades ago, 

we were in D.C. for a week, tried to 

get ahold of Turner and failed. A few 

days later, (I don't remember the circumstances 

anymore), we moved. 

Turner called every hotel and hospital 

in D.C. looking for me so he could 

show me his library. But I had seen it. 

His home was only a short distance 

from The Library of Congress. One 

day I went from there to his house, a 

long narrow structure, and got a tour. 

Like virtually all literature collectors 

but Stanley Bierman and some 

others, Turner wrote little about literature. 

He would often write to me 

heaping criticisms on my column. I 

remember one particular letter where 

he claimed a book that I said was rare 

was common. He had 150 copies or 

some such number. Well, that's why 

it was rare! I never wrote back saying, 

"George, it's a rare book because you 

have 80 or 90 percent of the printed 

copies.” He would purchase unsold 

stocks and they would sit. One such 

book he sold me from around 1915, 

at the very inexpensive publication 

price, was noted as remainder stock. 

Turner also belonged to an enormous 

number of philatelic societies. 

He had boxes of journals from small 

societies still in their shipping containers. 

He spent decades promoting 

his library as the world's best. When 

Koerber bought the remainder 14 and 

put it up for auction, it was already 

well known. 

You co-wrote the George T. Turner 

Philatelic Library (1981) auction 

catalog along with Don Pfau. 15 Did 

the auctioneer, Roger Koerber, 16 approach 

you? (Figures 8 and 9) 

I don't remember how I became 

involved in the sale. 17 I wrote the early 

material using the Crawford Catalog 

and other works such as The Journal 

of the Philatelic Literature Society. 

Tell us more. 

I lived an hour away and would 

Figure 7. George T. Turner. His philatelic 

library was perhaps the best and largest 

of that time. Photo courtesy of the 

National Postal Museum. 


take home boxes of material to lot in 

the evenings. Then I would also drive 

to Koerber's office on the weekends 

where Don and I worked long hours. 

Turner's Library was packed into 

boxes in no apparent order. You 

would find a run of journals from, 

say, Vols. 7 to 11. Was there a Vols. 

1-6 and or Vols 11 onwards in other 

boxes? Sometimes there was and 

other times not. This meant that each 

lot of journals would take a long time 

to describe. For instance, The Turner 

Sale had The Metropolitan Philatelist 

as lot 1151. It was a large format paper 

that must have had hundreds of 

issues in boxes that stood over six 

feet high! A describer, doing research 

as I did for this sale, might get 40 

lots done in a day. Maybe! To count 

and try to confirm if all the numbers 

were there for this periodical would 

have consumed a day, or more! No 

dealer can afford to put such a lot in 

his catalog. You might use the words 

"believed complete,” which I should 

have done here. This lot did $575 plus 

a fortune to ship. 

There was tremendous pressure 

exerted by Koerber to end lotting 

and put the sale on, as money was 

short. He approached me once and 

said something to the effect of, “You 

must make Don end this lotting as 

he can’t do it himself.” But Don was 

determined to make this a great sale 

and ignored this pressure for several 

weeks. Finally, Roger simply put a 

date by which all lotting was to be 

done. That meant that a lot of the material 

remained unlotted, perhaps 150 

large boxes. 

Figure 8. Don Pfau (1945-1985), codescriber 

of the Turner sale along with 

Hagan. 

Turner once bragged that he belonged 

to something like over 300 

societies, specialty groups, and the 

like. 18 There were boxes with their 

mailings, most issues unopened, divided 

by cardboard. I have always 

wondered what treasures these would 

have held had we the time to open 

and go through these mailings? It was 

not to be. 

You have an interesting story about 

your purchase of the Fournier album. 

Please share. 

Roger paid me “so much per hour” 

in credit for the sale. For this service I 

was given a $5,000 credit (as I recall). 

I expected to buy several nice handbooks 

and the lot of The Philatelic 

Journal of India. 

But the spirited bidding stunned 

everyone. Turner's decades-long self- 


Figure 9. Roger Koerber (1934-1988), 

philatelic and philatelic literature dealer 

and auctioneer 

promotion had brought out bidders 

as never before. The room had 30 

individuals, some being agents representing 

many clients (Figure 10). 

Prices reached stratospheric heights 

over and over. Each session lasted 

hours longer than expected. I remember 

one dealer (also an auction 

agent), Louis K. Robbins, had several 

bids. After the floor would stop, he 

would announce his second highest 

bid which was much higher than 

even that on the floor. The Turner 

sale was a revolution. I can confidently 

state no sale before or after has 

been even a shadow of this auction. 19 

Now back to the Fournier. 20 I bid 

and bid and lost and lost! Like everyone 

else in the room, I could not 

believe these high prices would continue, 

but they did. The Fournier was 

one of the last lots that I was interested 

in; I had to buy it or lose the 

$5,000 credit that I had. So, when it 

came up as lot 3044, I bought it for 

$6,000. It was a bad buy since the 

Swiss and other key material was 

missing. I knew this. If I had been 

able to forecast the record prices for 

everything, I might have simply paid 

the high price for some of the earlier 

lots. 

The Philatelic Journal of India (PJI) 

lot was a couple of identical runs of 

the first 12 years. I love that journal 

but I may be biased. Hence, I was 

happy to learn that you too have had a 

very high opinion of it. Why? Further 

there was a bidding war for it in the 

Turner sale, wasn’t there? Estimated 

at $450, the lot realized $2,100. 

I think it’s the rarest and best early 

journal, surpassing even The London 

Philatelist in quality. The Crawford 

has it starting at about the same time 

as the latter. 21 Searching all my previous 

literature sale catalogs I couldn't 

find a single long run of the journal. 

The Turner Sale had the early volumes. 

There was a “buy bid” on this 

from India. Lou Robbins wanted the 

lot and kept bidding. Finally, he said, 

“Do you have a buy bid?” Well, you 

aren’t supposed to let anyone know 

who and what a bid is and so Roger 

was stuck. Standing in the back of the 

room I signaled what to me was outrageous 

bid of $2,000! Lou promptly 

bid $2,100 and lot 1290 sold at one 

advance of my bid. 

Why did it sell for that? If you were 

the buyer, it’s possible that articles 

from the early period may have had 

information priceless to your collecting 

interest. Or when something rare 


Figure 10. 

Photographs clicked 

(from front and rear) 

at the Turner Sale 

which were published 

in the prices realized. 

comes up that you need, you have to 

pay the price or maybe never see the 

material again. 

Apart from the Turner sale, did you 

write the descriptions of any other 

auction catalogs? 

I co-wrote the descriptions in the 

Herbert J. Bloch Philatelic Library 

which was auctioned by Koerber in 

1985. Unlike the Turner sale, this one 

didn’t contain material from other 

vendors. I also did some lotting of 

Roger's very large library, which was 

sold by Charles Firby in 1988; but his 

widow wouldn’t let me take lots home 

and so my involvement was limited. 

Apart from Koerber and Turner, 

you would have interacted with 

many colorful and not-so-colorful 

characters in philately. The 1980s 

was a really buzzing time, a golden 

period for philatelic literature, was 

it not? Could you relate some anecdotes 

from this period? 

You find some collectors whose 

collection fills the house. I was in one 

such giant house where the couple 

lived in a six-by-twelve-foot basement 

concrete room. The rest of 

the house was inaccessible! It was 

owned by Richard Cabeen. 22 He had 

been a stamp columnist appearing 

in a Chicago newspaper. The house 

and its contents were left to the Collectors 

Club of Chicago. The couple 

had passed several years before and 

club members still had not been able 


to get into some parts of the house! 

Many will mistake a person's appearance 

as a sign of their wealth. 

Wrong! I visited a Collector's Club 

(in Dallas if I remember right) and 

was invited to a member's home. It 

was a modest, maybe 1,200 squarefoot, 

structure. Entering the living 

room, the TV antenna consisted of 

two wires hammered into the ceiling. 

I didn't expect much. For hours this 

person brought out rare Hawaiian 

material and Oklahoma Territorial 

Covers, and showed me handbooks 

showing the largest example of a rare 

U.S. stamp. Then he would open an 

album say, "here it is." He casually 

mentioned in passing that he could 

make at least $10,000,000 in one day 

from dealers who wanted parts of his 

material! This was probably 40 years 

ago. 

Who are some of the dumbest 

buyers? People with high educational 

qualifications! Over and over, you 

see them spend enormous amounts 

on material that is junk. They think 

success and wealth in one area will 

translate into another. One MD came 

in with over 50 sets of C13-5, the 

"Zeps." Even the most cursory look at 

most auction catalogs will show them 

for sale, often in plate blocks, blocks, 

of single sets. Who wants 50 sets? No 

one! It would take years and years to 

sell them. Another doctor stopped at 

our house, proud to show at least 75 

early and very expensive U.S. singles. 

They had pin holes, missing corners, 

hinge marks…in short, they were 

space fillers, perhaps worth five percent 

of catalog value. He had paid 

full catalog! He stormed out of the 

house after I suggested that he negotiate 

a significant reduction. Later I 

ran across his wife. She informed me 

he had bought a fortune in coils, all 

of which were misidentified, making 

them a fraction of what he had paid. 

Unlike many collectors, you have a 

soft spot for dealers! Why? 

Most collectors think they are 

more intelligent than dealers. Well, 

they aren't. Ignoring them because 

you don't want to pay them a small 

profit is a mistake. Get to know and 

trust reputable dealers and you will 

not regret it. 

Few collectors will try to put themselves 

in a dealer's position. Offering 

your material for sale, if you do so, 

meets the hard world of a dealer's 

reality. I knew dealers who in those 

days wouldn’t lot a book (or stamp or 

cover) unless it would bring $50. This 

amount was needed to cover (catalog) 

printing and mailing costs. As also labor; 

to write a lot takes about as much 

time for a $5 item as for a $500 one. It’s 

no surprise that dealers want as many 

high-value lots as possible. No such 

lots and you get a "collection" description, 

if that, described elsewhere. 

To put an economic goal on literature 

handbooks, especially rare 

handbooks, and some periodicals 

will be required to interest a dealer. A 

scholar's library, on the other hand, 

sees great value in lesser items, such 

as correspondence, supporting materials, 

clipping files, and even inexpensive 

literature. These will sell "in 

the context" of this large scholarly 

collection. 


If I were a dictator, I would have 

large statues of some philatelic literature 

dealers put in front of the APRL! 

A couple of years back when I sent 

you a draft of one of my articles on 

the Williams brothers’ Fundamentals 

of Philately and how it was never 

“completed” as it was intended to 

be, you turned the observation on 

its head by talking about contributors 

whose articles were never published 

because of long series. 

Unnoticed, but fundamental, is 

the loss of contributors whose articles 

are "page-limited" out in a long series. 

The PLR, for example, produced several 

long bibliographies that eliminated 

any chance for other authors to 

publish. Existing authors simply give 

up. In short, there is a cost to producing 

a long work, no matter what its 

value. Laudatory remarks drown out 

these thoughts. 

In a perfect world there would be 

the resources to print all worthwhile 

articles. 

You mentioned to me that you used 

to work some 16 hours a day and 

hence you could manage to retire 

in your late 40s. Could you elaborate 

on that? How did you manage 

to find time to write your philatelic 

literature columns in this period? 

For some time, I worked in any 

area that required 80 plus hours a 

week. There were 25-hour days, 39- 

hour weekends, months of 18-hour 

days all under immense pressure. 

Pay was substantial. I relocated to the 

west coast and did some consulting 

and a service manual. Our life, however, 

was rotten with racing around 

Saturday to shop, get dry cleaning, 

service the car, etc. We had no kids 

and had saved from when we got 

married so I just stopped working at 

48. I’ve never regretted it. 

You retired from work in 1988 and 

you had stopped writing your column 

the previous year. Was there 

any connection between the two? 

It was the result of a personal 

tragedy. My mother died after a long 

horrible illness from brain cancer 

after two years. During that time, I 

lived in Michigan to help with her 

care while my wife lived in Oregon. 

We saw each other only once every 

two months or so. She had just started 

there and had no time off, while 

my busy work schedule kept me in 

Michigan. When I finally got to Oregon, 

I was psychologically exhausted 

to the point it took me a year to recover. 

And I found retirement gave 

me time to do all the things we had 

jammed into Saturday when we both 

worked. 

You told me that you sold your library 

in 2000. 23 I had not known about it 

and nor have I seen the auction catalog. 

Could you give more details? 

Why did you sell them at a young (for 

philatelists) age of just 60 or so? 

The APS had a show in Portland, 

Oregon, where I lived at the time. My 

library had tremendous bulk – it was 

in a room of 605 square feet – and I 

had wondered how I would get it to 

an auction house. The show was right 

across town so moving the material 

there was easy. 


Bidding at the auction (Figure 11) 

was spotty, but then again, no literature 

auction, and few other auctions, 

would match the frenzy of the Turner 

Sale. Prices realized more than 

$51,000. I sold some items by private 

treaty; my best recollection is that the 

total eventually reached $65,000. 

If you invest a large sum in any collectible, 

you hope to at least recoup 

your expenditures. I did this with my 

library, which sold for more than I 

spent by a considerable amount. Add 

the fun, education, and nice people I 

met, it was like playing rounds of golf, 

or any pleasurable activity, for free. 

Which were some of your favorite 

literature titles? 

While I sold my library, I kept one 

book and one catalog. The book was 

the "Crawford.” As a philatelic literature 

collector, I consider it the most 

scholarly single volume ever done. 

The catalog is of the 1981 Turner sale. 

What about stamp boxes? Apart 

from philatelic literature, you used 

to collect those, right? 

We have a modest collection of 

about 250 items. A few cost more 

than $1,000 and one cost several 

thousand. We went to Sacramento to 

a show and saw the American Philatelic 

Society collection. It was rather 

modest but it surprised me that they 

had even one. 

The home of this area is England, 

where several collectors have over 

2,000. We once attended a London 

Sotheby's auction that had four Faberge 

stamp boxes that sold for about 

$22,000 each some years ago. When 

these were offered, Sotheby employees 

materialized to man at least 

10 phones. There were also enamel 

stamps on other stamp boxes. We 

were finishing a year of travel and 

Figure 11. Title page of the Harmer-Schau auction 

featuring Hagan’s library. These lots were sold on 20 

February 2003. Photo courtesy of the APRL. 


Figure 12. Mikhail 

Perkhin stamp box made 

of nephrite mounted 

with gold, diamonds, 

and rubies in the Royal 

Collection. This may well 

be the one that Hagan 

saw some 40 years ago. 

Photo © Royal Collection 

Trust. 

simply didn't have the money to bid. 

I would think $250,000 would be a 

conservative estimate on the former 

and $125,000 on the latter should 

they come up for auction today. 

The Queen of England has one in 

her Buckingham Palace Museum. It 

appeared to be made of a single agate 

stone that had been cut diagonally. It 

was rare material. It would be priceless 

if it ever came to market (Figure 12). 

The boxes are made of virtually 

any material you can think of. There 

have been some sales, but I haven't 

followed these for several years. 

You live in Vancouver, Washington, 

during the summers and Sarasota, 

Florida, during the winters. Apart 

from the travel, how do you keep 

yourself occupied? 

For the past many years, I’ve 

bought over 1,000 kids’ books at 

sales and garage sales and given them 

away free to churches, relatives, many 

youngsters, neighborhood kids, even 

some physical therapy workers where 

I have health care. Recently, I gave 

some books to a kid in the hospital 

elevator. I gave another large bunch 

to a preschool and sent nine large 

boxes to a Sarasota church. I’ve written 

over 1,000 letters to kids using 

Aesop Fables and other examples. I 

send haikus, various slogans, and real 

estate examples to kids whose parents 

are in that business and on and 

on. I make envelopes out of wall paper 

books and have over 300 different 

weight pens. Every paragraph is a different 

color. And, I use calligraphy on 

envelope covers. 

Acknowledgments 

Thanks are due to Bill Hagan for 

this interview despite not being in 

the best of health. Further, I would 

like to acknowledge Chris King RDP, 

Chairman of The Royal Philatelic 

Society’s Philatelic Collections Committee 

and Scott Tiffney, Librarian of 

the APRL for helping me with photographs. 

Any feedback or comments 


Endnotes 

1 Built between 1878 and 1887, Victoria Terminus 

is a historic train station and a UNES- 

CO World Heritage Site in Mumbai. Initially 

named after Queen Victoria, it has been 

renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj 

Terminus. 

2 Contrast to the situation currently, when 

Australia arguably produces the best 

stamp catalog series in the world - The 

Australian Commonwealth Specialists’ Catalogue 

- edited by Dr. Geoffrey Kellow RDP 

and published by Brusden-White Publishing 

of New South Wales. 

3 Hagan, William. “Just What Do They Mean by 

‘Complete’?” Philatelic Literature Review 38, 

no. 1, whole no. 142 (1st Quarter 1989): 9-11. 

4 François Fournier (1846-1917) was a stamp 

forger based in Geneva. His stock of forgeries 

was bought by L’Union Philatélique 

de Genève (Philatelic Union of Geneva) 

who, in 1928, produced 480 albums containing 

his works. 

5 Ragatz, Lowell. The Fournier Album of Philatelic 

Forgeries: A Photographic Composite 

for Reference Purposes (Worthington, 

Ohio: Janet van den Berg, 1970). Janet van 

den Berg was George’s wife. 

6 See the most interesting article - Hagan, 

William. “A Book Is a Book Is a Book…or 

how I grew to love Alan W. Robertson’s 

A History of the Ship Letters of the British 

Isles (An Encyclopaedia of Maritime Postal 

History.”) Philatelic Literature Review 38, 

no. 3, whole no. 144 (3rd Quarter 1989): 

127-137. 

7 James Bendon (1937- ) of Limassol, Cyprus, 

reprinted the complete work in 1993. This 

reprint was in two volumes and was 80% 

of the size of the original. Bendon is best 

known for his works on UPU specimen 

stamps and for publishing some important 

titles of philatelic literature between 1988- 

2006. He moved to London a few years 

back. 

8 As Hagan mentions in his 1989 article referred 

to above, another way to check if 

a copy is complete or not is to refer to a 

checklist produced by Harry Hayes. See 

Hayes, Harry. A History of The Ship Letters 

of the British Isles (An Encyclopaedia 

of Maritime Postal History) by Alan W. Robertson: 

A Check List of Pages. (York: The 

Author, 1987). 

9 These plates illustrate J. A. Tilleard’s article, 

Prince Edward Island Stamps, and were 

published in the January, March, and April 

1893 issues of The London Philatelist. 

10 In the early part of this millennium, Hagan 

supplied Brian Birch a photocopy of the 

catalog cards from the library relating to 

philatelic bibliography. They had not been 

included in the library’s computer owing 

to a shortage of time. Since they include 

many important and rare books, including 

numbered editions, Birch had the cards 

typed up and included in his The Philatelic 

Bibliophiles Companion. 

11 Stanley B. Ashbrook (1882-1958) was one of 

the foremost experts of early U.S. stamps 

and postal history. Between 1951-57, he 

published his iconic – Special Service – 

which was published in parts for subscribers. 

See Hagan, William. “In Search of the 

Special Service,” Philatelic Literature Review 

45, no. 4, whole no. 177 (4th Quarter 

1997): 256-259 along with letters to editors 

that the article provoked in later issues. 

This work is now digitized and available 

on Richard Frajola’s website: rfrajola.com/ 

AshbrookSS/ashbrook.htm. 

12 After his death in 1958, Ashbrook’s archives 

were acquired by The Philatelic Foundation. 

In 2017, Ashbrook’s scrapbooks, 

slides, and index cards were digitized and 

made available by the Foundation on its 

website: philatelicfoundation.org. A news 

report appears here: linns.com/news/usstamps-postal-history/2017/may/philatelic-foundation-serves-up-free-digitizedashbrook-files.html. 

13 George Townsend Turner, Jr. (1906-1979) 

was a multifaceted philatelic personality. 

One of philatelic literature’s greats, he was 

an expert in U.S. Internal Revenue stamps, 

very active in organized philately, curator 

of the National Stamp Collection, Smithsonian 

Institution 1958-62, and so on. At 

the time of his death, his library was the 

largest in private hands and had the most 

comprehensive collection of U.S. philatelic 

publications. His name has cropped up in 

my earlier interviews, especially the one 

with Leonard H. Hartmann published in 

the Q4 2020 issue of The Philatelic Literature 

Review. 

14 Turner willed his library to the Smithsonian 

Institution in Washington but wanted 

them to take only books that they did not 

already have. So, they took his card file, 


over 3,000 books and related material, 

and 80 percent of the journals. These form 

the core of today’s Smithsonian National 

Postal Museum library. Roger Koerber is 

believed to have bought the remainder for 

some $45-50,000. This contained 12 tons 

of material and filled two trucks, each 22 

feet each. Further, Turner gifted the American 

Philatelic Society his collection of its 

memorabilia and publications, spanning 

the entire history of the society. He gave 

Herbert A. Trenchard a quantity of auction 

catalogs, including every example in 

his library not already in Trenchard’s; in 

early 2021, Trenchard’s own collection of 

about 125,000 items was donated to the 

American Philatelic Research Library. See 

Trenchard, Herbert A. “The George T. Turner 

Philatelic Library.” Philatelic Literature 

Review 30, no. 3 (3rd Quarter 1981): 180- 

188 for more details. 

15 Donald J. Pfau (1945-1985) worked with 

Roger Koerber for 11 years before his 

death. He was the co-describer of two of 

the great philatelic literature sales - the 

George T. Turner library in 1981 and the 

Herbert J. Bloch library in 1985; he wrote 

the preface for both. According to Hagan, 

Pfau’s dream was to become a literature 

dealer one day; unfortunately, he died less 

than two weeks short of 40. Most of Pfau’s 

library was sold by Koerber on June 20-21, 

1986 and remainders on December 12-13, 

1986 (lot 2688). 

16 Roger A. Koerber (1934-1988) was a stamp 

and literature dealer and auctioneer. He 

started collecting stamps as a 15-yearold 

while recuperating from a heart artery 

transplant (he had a congenital heart defect), 

the world’s ninth recipient! He advertised 

himself as a professional philatelist 

since 1950. He was the founder of Roger 

Koerber, Inc. as well as Postilion Publications 

Philatelic Research Library, which 

made reprints of out-of-print philatelic literature. 

In later years, Koerber faced financial 

difficulties and left many consignors in 

the lurch. While the Turner sale helped Koerber 

make great returns, it was a temporary 

respite (see also Birch’s works which 

have more information provided to him by 

Hagan). Koerber had a personal library of 

his own (which included material from the 

Turner library) which, along with his retail 

stock, was sold by Charles G. Firby on August 

29-30, 1988. 

17 In his foreword to the Turner auction catalog, 

Koerber mentions that it was Don 

Pfau who suggested to use the services of 

Hagan in writing up the sale. Hagan’s deep 

knowledge of classic philatelic literature 

was well known because of his regular column 

on literature prices in the PLR. Hagan 

spent some 330 hours writing up most of 

the incunabula section, the Scott price lists 

and catalogs, Melville books, and many of 

the older books and periodicals. 

18 In his aforementioned 1981 article, 

Trenchard thought that Turner belonged to 

400 societies and specialist groups. 

19 The sale realized over $250,000 with 

the Turner portion alone accounting for 

$172,000. See Hagan William. “The Turner 

Sale.” Philatelic Literature Review, Philatelic 

Literature Price Trends 30, no. 2 (2nd Quarter 

1981): 99-102 and the prices realized to 

the sale for coverage of the auction. While 

the sale’s name was after Turner, Hagan 

estimates that Turner’s material comprised 

only 45% of the sale. Another 45% was 

Koerber’s retail stock and the balance of 

other consigners, including duplicates 

from Stanley Bierman. 

20 Hagan confirms that this is the same incomplete 

Fournier album that Hartmann 

talks about in his interview to me which 

was published in the Q4 2020 issue of The 

Philatelic Literature Review. Purchased for 

$6,000, the album (no. 132 of 480) realized 

$3,100 in Hagan’s own auction in 2000. 

21 The London Philatelist predates Philatelic 

Journal of India by 5 years. The first issue of 

the LP is dated January 1892 while that of 

PJI is January 1897. 

22 Richard McPherren Cabeen (1887-1969) 

was a prolific writer and collector of early 

United States stamps, specializing in the 

United States 1851-1857 3¢ issues. The 

“Cabeen House” was owned by Richard 

and his wife, Blema B. Cabeen. It was bequeathed 

to the Collectors Club of Chicago 

in 1967. More information including 

photos be found on the Club’s website: 

collectorsclubchicago.org. 

23 On February 19-20, 2000, Harmer-Schau 

Auctions Northwest, Inc. held the APS AmeriStamp 

Expo Auction featuring the literature 

collection of Hagan. For a report on this 

auction see Burega, Paul. “Literature Auction 

Prices Strong.” Let’s Look at Literature. 

Philatelic Literature Review 49, no. 2, whole 

no. 187 (2nd Quarter 2000): 76-80. 


The British Society of 

Stamp Journalists 

Brian J. Birch 

Foreword 

There seems to be increasing interest 

in the history of philately these 

days. In this regard, the role played in 

the development of the hobby by philatelic 

societies has been recognized, 

particularly by David R. Beech, the 

former Head of the Philatelic Collections 

at the British Library, with his 

article “The History of Philately in 

Great Britain and Ireland,” published 

in the 2nd Quarter 2016 issue of the 

Philatelic Literature Review. 

The British Society of Stamp 

Journalists was never a major philatelic 

society and only lasted a little 

over a year. Nevertheless, it included 

some notable British philatelists 

amongst its membership and therefore 

deserves a place in the history of 

British philately. A small but virtually 

complete collection of documents 

relating to the society came into my 

possession some two decades ago. 

Rather than leave their fate to chance 

once again, as the years catch up 

with me, and in order to preserve 

this probably unique dossier, I have 

written them up in detail. In order 

to ensure that they are preserved for 

future generations of researchers, the 

complete file has been donated to the 

archives of the American Philatelic 

Research Library. 

Background 

My good friend Jim Negus 1 (Figure 

1) retired from active involvement 

in philately in 2000. Shortly 

after, I received a plump parcel of 

documents relating to our shared interests 

in philatelic bibliography and 

the history of philately. Amongst this 

treasure trove of information, I found 

a file of papers referring to the British 


Figure 1. James William 

Negus (1927-2008). 

Guild of Stamp Writers (subsequently the British 

Society of Stamp Journalists). Negus was a member 

himself of the society. 

The society was completely unknown to me 

prior to my receiving these documents. However, 

a little research into Negus’ seminal work 

Philatelic Literature: Compilation Techniques and 

Reference Sources (published by James Bendon, 

Limassol, Cyprus, 1991) turned up a couple of 

paragraphs about the society on pages 240-241. 

Given his membership of the society, I think that 

we can take his statement that “The Society appears 

not to have survived beyond 1967” as factual. 

Since the recorded list of society members is 

only 34 names, it is probable that the file I received is the only complete file of 

documents relating to the society in existence. 

The Foundation of the Society 

The Association Internationales des Journalistes Philatéliques (AIJP) was 

formed in 1962 as the international body representing the interests of those 

who derived all or part of their income by writing about philately. Subsequently, 

similar organizations were established on a national basis. Within a 

few years, the International Philatelic Press Club had been established in the 

United States and the Association Syndicale Philatélique de la Press Française 

in France. Other organizations soon followed. 

In 1965, Gordon Harris, managing director of Harris Publications, James 

A. Mackay, curator of stamps at the British Museum, and Edgar Lewy, a freelance 

philatelic journalist and member of the AIJP, decided to investigate the 

Figure 2. Excerpted from the Negus files, the first published and distributed record of 

what would become the British Society of Stamp Journalists. 


Figure 3. From the Negus files, an excerpt from the cover letter announcing the 

society’s founding. 

possibility of establishing such an organization in the United Kingdom under 

the title British Guild of Stamp Writers (BGSW). 

An undated circular 2 was sent out to the press and all potentially interested 

parties in the second half of 1965, advising of the project and proposing that 

a meeting could take place in London in October 1965. A tear-off slip was included 

at the bottom of the page for recipients to register their interest (Figure 

2). 

In late September 1965 3 (marked as received by Jim Negus on October 3rd), 

Edgar Lewy sent out a circular inviting those who had expressed an interest to 

an inaugural meeting at 18:30 on Friday, 21st October at La Scala restaurant, 

Southampton Street, the cost being 30 shillings (for a meal, drinks and tips). 

The following agenda was suggested: 

1. Determining the aims and objects of the BGSW. 

2. Electing some people to run it. 

3. Planning the work it is going to do. 

Following a few words of encouragement about the rosy future of philately, 

details of the people the organizers would like to see involved (everybody associated 

with the philatelic press as well as radio and TV!) and a request for 

additional publicity, was the inevitable tear-off strip for advising attendance. 

A further pre-meeting circular was sent out by Lewy dated October 12, 4 

advising that 19 replies had already been received, including a dozen or so acceptances, 

plus, of course, the three convening members. Then the real reason 

for this intermediate circular becomes evident: there was an error in the previous 

document and the meeting date is actually Friday, October 22. However, 

the opportunity is also taken to expand on the agenda by providing some notes 

on the group’s statutes; name; work plan and the question of press cards. 

On October 25, Edgar Lewy circulated the outcomes of the first meeting 

together with a cover letter announcing the founding of the society (Figure 

3). 5 However, from the heading on the cover letter it is evident that the title of 

the organization had been changed to The British Society of Stamp Journalists 

although some of the society’s pre-prepared documentation still retained the 


original title. The officers of the society and the organizations to which they 

were attached were given as follows: 

James A. Mackay; (Chairman); British Museum 

O. W. Newport; (Treasurer); Stamp Collecting 

Edgar Lewy; (Secretary); Free-lance journalist 

With the following Committee members: 

Mel Brown (A. Melville Brown); Stamp Collecting Promotion Council 

John C. W. Field; Francis J. Field Limited 

It was emphasised that all of the above were members in their personal capacity, 

not as representatives of the organizations to which they were affiliated. 

Attached to the cover letter was a press release: “Stamp Writers Form Organisation: 

Aim to help Publicise British Philately.” Four days later a postcard 6 

was circulated clarifying the press release by pointing out that all members 

joined on an individual basis and not in their official capacity (Figure 4). Apparently, 

a membership application form had also been supplied but was missing 

from the file I received, having presumably been used by Negus when applying 

for membership. 

According to the minutes of the inaugural meeting, there had been ten interested 

parties present although eighteen people tendered their apologies for 

absence. It was unanimously agreed, that the society be called into existence 

under the title The British Society of 

Stamp Journalists. Having agreed the 

officers, those present then adopted the 

aims, objects and rules of the society as 

well as establishing a plan outlining the 

work that the society needed to carry 

out to achieve its objects. 

An Important Notice 7 was issued in 

November 1965 regarding an opportunity 

for journalists to visit Washington, 

D.C., during the SIPEX Exhibition 

Figure 4. From the Negus files, the 

front and reverse of a postcard 

addressed to James Negus from 

the society. 


Figure 5. From the Negus files, an excerpt from the Washington, D.C., SIPEX Exhibition 

invitation. 

Figure 6. From the Negus files, an excerpt from the membership list published in 

November 1966. 


(Figure 5). The application form for this was attached. 8 Notice was given of the 

next meeting and an agenda was included. An appeal for details of all stamp 

columns which appear in non-philatelic newspapers was included as the society 

was keen to obtain a complete register of all such columns and their writers. 

In November 1966, the society issued a membership list. 9 10 It includes the 

34 members’ names, addresses and details of the newspapers and magazines 

for which they wrote (Figure 6). 

The final four documents are copies of The Stamp Journalist, bulletin of 

the British Society of Stamp Journalists. The Honorary Editor was James A. 

Mackay. 

June 1966 Volume 1, Number 1, pp.1-4: Mimeographed 13 x 8 in 

Sept. 1966 Volume 1, Number 2, pp.5-9: Offset printed 10 x 6½in 

Dec. 1966 Volume 1, Number 3, pp.10-14: Offset printed 10 x 6½in 

May 1967 Volume 1, Number 4, pp.15-18: Offset printed 10 x 6½in 

For the record, an outline of the contents of each issue is noted below. 

Issue 1 11 (Figure 7) 

The editorial noted that the bulletin was published owing to the committee’s 

concern that many members do not reside near London and were seldom 

able to attend the meetings. Publishing the bulletin six times a year should 

enable members to keep in touch. 

New Secretary (p. 1) 

The teething troubles of the society are mainly owing to the resignation of 

Edgar Lewy due to his business commitments. Edgar was the driving force 

behind the formation of the society. He was replaced by John C. W. Field. 

Committee for 1966 (p. 1) 

The names of the committee members are given together with their addresses. 

The Law and You; 1. Copyright (pp. 2-3) 

Article – unattributed, so presumably by the editor. 

48th Philatelic Congress of G. B. (pp. 3-4) 

Details of the society’s program during the Congress. 

Membership Booklet (p. 4) 

Notice that this was in preparation. 

Newspaper Stamp Features. (p.4) 

An appeal for information about every newspaper in the U.K. that publishes a 

philatelic feature regularly. 


The second number of the bulletin was produced by offset-litho courtesy of A. 

Melville-Brown at no cost to the society. 


Figure 7. Above, the first issue of The Stamp Journalist bulletin excerpted from the 

Negus files. Below, Negus’ letter response to John C.W. Field. 

Notice of Annual General Meeting (p. 5) 

Committee Members 1966 (p. 5) 

[Note of literature at exhibitions] (p. 6) 

Hitherto, there had been no literature class at British exhibitions. However, 

this was to be remedied by the inclusion of a literature category at both the 

British Philatelic Exhibition and STAMPEX. 


Figure 8. The second issue of The Stamp Journalist excerpted from the Negus 

files, with a new format. 

Meeting of Philatelic Editors, Journalists, Publishers and Editors (pp. 6-7) by 

John C. W. Field 

A detailed report of the society’s meeting held during the Philatelic Congress 

of Great Britain on June 16, 1966. 

The Society and Local Carriage Labels (p. 8) by O. W. Newport 

The two classes of local carriage labels are defined – those that perform a useful 

purpose by carrying mail and those that exist primarily to provide tourist 

souvenirs. The attitude of the press currently and of the society members in 

the future is discussed. 

Editorial Courtesy (p. 9) 

Some examples are given of the rudeness encountered when dealing with the 

non-philatelic press, which have been brought to the attention [of the editor?] 


[Editorial] (p. 10) 

Some notes on the development of the society and of philately in the U.K. The 

editor thinks that the hobby is woefully under-represented on television and 

suggests that members try to remedy this. 

Subscription Renewal (p. 10) 

Chairman’s Report (p. 11) by James A. Mackay 

Following a few words about the development of the society, which has 

only 32 members, it is noted that it applied for membership of the Philatelic 


Figure 9. The third issue of The Stamp Journalist excerpted from the Negus files. 

Congress of Great Britain and the British Philatelic Association, the latter of 

which turned it down on the grounds that it did not cater for stamp collectors. 


Minutes of the Annual General Meeting (pp. 11-12) 

Literature at Exhibitions (pp. 12-13) 

The results of the literature class at the British Philatelic Exhibition are given in 

full. Some future exhibitions with a literature class are noted. 

Letter to the Editor (pp. 13-14) by A. G. K. Leonard 

In response to the article on editorial courtesy, the writer noted several occasions 

on which he had suffered. 

Do you have an Ideas Book? (p. 14) by D. V. Halestrap 

The background and usefulness of an Ideas Book are outlined. 


[Editorial] (p. 15) by James A. Mackay 


Figure 10. The fourth issue of The Stamp Journalist excerpted from the Negus files. 

He offers excuses for the late appearance of this issue and asks for more contributions. 

Secretary’s Notes (p. 15) by John C. W. Field 

He welcomes a new member, Mrs. Eileen Loader. 


49th Philatelic Congress of Great Britain – Cambridge (p. 16) 

Details of the two papers by society members due to be presented at the forthcoming 

Philatelic Congress. 

News of Members (pp. 16-17) 

Following each piece of news, a brief biographical note of the member involved 

is given: 

O. W. [Bill] Newport; Ronald G. Shelley; James A. Mackay; A. Melville-Brown 

Literature at STAMPEX (p. 18) 

Some notes on the innovation of having a literature class at the recent STAM- 

PEX and the results obtained. 


Endnotes 

[Endnotes 2-14 are a list of all known documents 

produced by the organization plus a 

carbon copy of a letter by Jim Negus to the 

Honorary Secretary. They are given in date 

order, although most are undated, and are 

numbered to facilitate reference being made 

to them. [Notes in square brackets are the 

author’s]. Titles in italics are the document 

headings. Names in bold are the writers.] 

1 James Negus was born in London in 

1927. He made his career in commercial 

book editing and technical information 

science. In 1975, he joined Stanley Gibbons 

as its managing editor and thereafter 

worked as a professional philatelist 

until his retirement in 2000. 

Jim had been a stamp collector since boyhood 

and as his interest matured, he 

became a member of numerous societies. 

To each he contributed his personal 

skills, often editing or indexing its journal 

and compiling bibliographies. As a 

member of the National Philatelic Society, 

he served as its Honorary Librarian 

and compiled its Index to Current 

Philatelic Literature from 1955 to 1961. 

By the time he passed the responsibility 

to the next compiler, the index covered 

the contents of 150 periodicals. 

His influence was also felt abroad. In 

America he was an associate editor of 

the Philatelic Literature Review from 

1969 to 1975. He wrote a number of 

articles for the magazine. Those on 

bibliography were gathered together 

and published by the American Philatelic 

Research Library in 1971 as Good 

Bibliographic Practice, a booklet that 

influenced a generation of philatelic 

writers and editors. It was later expanded 

and enlarged to become his greatest 

contribution to philately, the book 

Philatelic Literature, published exactly 

twenty years later. 

2 Proposed Formation of the British Guild 

of Stamp Writers., n.d., 1p. [The tear-off 

section has been removed and presumably 

returned to the organizers.] 

3 British Guild of Stamp Writers., [Notice of 

meeting on the 21 st October] September 

1965, 1p. [The tear-off section has been 

removed and presumably returned to the 

organizers.] 

4 Edgar Lewy: British Guild of Stamp 

Writers, 12 th October 1965, 1p. [Correction 

of the date of the meeting, from 

the 21 st to the 22 nd October and Agenda 

with notes]. 

5 (1) British Society of Stamp Journalists., 

Minutes of the inaugural meeting of the 

Society held at La Scala restaurant, Southampton 

Stree [sic] London W C 2 at 6.30 

P.M. On Friday, 22 nd October 1965., 1p. 

(2) British Society of Stamp Journalists: 

Aims, objects and rules of the Society 

adopted at the inaugural meeting on October 

22, 1965., 1p. 

(3) Edgar Lewy: The British Society 

of Stamp Journalists. [Covering circular 

accompanying the above documents], 

25 th October 1965, 1p. 

(4) Edgar Lewy: Stamp Writers Form 

Organisation: Aim to Help Publicise 

British Philately., 25 th October 1965, 1p. 

[Press Release]. 

(5) Membership Application [Missing] 

6 Clarification of Press Release sent 25 th October 

1965, [Typed on the back of a Post 

Office post card], 29 th October 1965. 

7 Edgar Lewy: Important Notice. [November 

1965], 1p. 

8 Edgar Lewy: To Stamp Journalists in the 

UK, November 1965, 1p. 

9 James Negus: BSSJ Membership Booklet, 

21 st June 1966, 1p. [Carbon copy of a 

letter to John C. W. Field] advising him 

of Jim’s new address and change of employment.] 

10 British Society of Stamp Journalists: 

Membership list, November 1966, 2pp. 

11 The Stamp Journalist, June 1966, Volume 

1, Issue 1, pages 1-4. 

12 The Stamp Journalist, September 1966, 

Volume 1, Issue 2, pages 5-9. 

13 The Stamp Journalist, December 1966, 

Volume 1, Issue 3, pages 10-14. 

14 The Stamp Journalist, May 1967, Volume 

1, Issue 4, pages 15-18. 


Digital archives 

and philatelic 

information: 

A case study 

A.M. LaVey 

Archives and archival collections 

can play an important 

role in philatelic research. 

A veritable treasure trove of potential 

information, even archives that 

are not philatelic in nature can be 

valuable resources for philatelists. 

Archivist Peter J. Roberts notes in the 

2007 article “Philatelic Materials in 

Archival Collections” that “many archival 

collections contain significant 

quantities of material related to postage 

stamps and postal history [and] 

many philatelists are interested in 

researching them.” Recently, thanks 

to advances in digitization, many archival 

collections are moving online 

and allowing greater access for philatelists 

around the world. 

One such archive is the New Yorkbased 

Blavatnik Archive, a collection 

that concentrates on 20th century 

Jewish and world history, with 

a focus on the two World Wars and 

Soviet Russia. Started in 2005 with 

10,000 postcards, the collection now 

Figure 1. From the Blavatnik Archive Foundation website, the introduction to the 

Rowley Soviet Ephemera collection. 


includes about 120,000 items with 

25 percent of the collection digitized 

and about 15 percent publically available 

for researchers online. Out of 

the archive’s 15,563 online records, 

there are 10,456 postcards, 917 letters 

and 247 stamps – a total of about 75 

percent of their online collection are 

philatelic objects. 

According to their website, the 

Blavatnik’s mission is to preserve and 

disseminate their resources, and encourage 

primary source-based scholarship 

and education. These philatelic 

materials, while certainly having distinct 

functions themselves as physical 

and historical artifacts, when 

gathered and seen together in this 

collection now highlight an important 

period in time, specifically the 

transition from the Russian Empire 

to the Soviet Union. Archival collections, 

through the archival bond 

– that is, the interrelationship of the 

archival records and their contextualization 

– have the ability to create 

new meaning and new information 

for and by philatelic researchers. 

What is this new information? 

Indrek Ibrus and Maraja Ojamaa in 

their 2020 article “The Creativity of 

Digital (Audiovisual) Archives” write 

that construction of meaning does 

not come from the individual archival 

objects themselves, but rather 

through the usage, remediation and 

recontextualization by researchers. 

This article will explore this topic using 

the Blavatnik Archive as a case 

study. 

The archive’s website is a proprietary 

content management system that 

features three main tabbed sections: 

Collections, Explore and Browse. The 

Collections tab currently features 18 

collections of archival objects categorized 

into thematic collections such 

as Jews in the Military, Leningradpublished 

Postcards and WWI Postcards. 

The Explore tab is subdivided 

into Stories and Veteran Memories. 

Stories allows readers to explore curated 

stories created using philatelic 

content, such as “The Construction 

of Race in World War I: A Snapshot 

from German Postcards” and “The 

Jewish Ghetto in Postcards.” The 

Browse tab is subdivided into Items 

and Veterans, with Items containing 

the entirety of the collection’s digital 

and digitized records, and Veterans 

containing oral history recordings. 

In this article, I will focus on one 

interesting holding called the Rowley 

Soviet Ephemera collection (Figure 1). 

The collection is curated by historian 

Alison Rowley and “explores aspects 

of early Soviet history that are reflected 

in mass media, with a special emphasis 

on the shifting representations of 

women and cultural symbols of power 

and society” (Blavatnik Archive Foundation, 

2021). The collection spans the 

period from 1899 through the end of 

World War II and contains 14 different 

types of media, such as periodicals, 

currency, posters and postcards. 

Of the 472 items on display, 247 are 

stamps – a mix of different types: 

postal, charity and revenue; as well as 

issuers: the Russian Empire, the Provisional 

Russian Republic, the Russian 

Soviet Federative Socialist Republic 

and the Soviet Union. 


In an April 19, 2021, email, Rowley 

mentioned that she was not originally 

interested in stamps, but added 

them to her doctoral dissertation in 

order to add visual interest to her 

work. Turning to eBay, she searched 

for some stamps specifically and others 

by place and date in order to see what 

had been issued. The archive contacted 

her about donating her collection after 

Rowley published her 2013 book Open 

Letters: Russian Popular Culture and 

the Picture Postcard, 1880-1922, but 

she did not consider her donation as a 

stamp collection, as stamps were only 

FIGURE 2 

Internal Metadata (observed by author) 

Issuer: USSR 

Subject: Order of Ushakov 

Denomination: 1 ruble 

Description: Blue ink on white perforated 

paper 

Condition: Used 

Blavatnik imputed metadata 

Accession number: ROW.00232 

Title: Postage stamp with an image of 

the Order of Ushakov, ca. 1940s 

Type: Stamp 

Collection: Rowley Soviet Ephemera 

Description: One of the World War II 

stamps celebrating the introduction 

of new military awards. 

Scott (2022) 

Title: Order of Ushakov 

Catalog #: Russia Scott #964 

Date of issue: January 1945 

Denomination: 1 ruble 

Color: Dull blue (green) 

Part of a set of an untitled set of six 

showcasing Soviet military awards 

Value $0.80 new, $0.40 used. 

Unwatermarked. 

Perf. 12 ½. 

Also printed imperforate, Scott #964A. 

part of her collection. 

While Rowley might not consider 

the collection philatelic, the stamps 

in the collection, when viewed together, 

highlight the evolving political 

and economic changes in the last 

days of the Russian Empire and the 

beginnings of the Soviet state. Stamps 

serve as powerful visual symbols of a 

nation and communicate the official 

version of that nation’s cultural history. 

They transmit cultural information 

and preserve cultural memory. 

Stamps transmit information – not 

only that postal duty has been paid, 

Zagorsky (2018) 

Title: Order of Ushakov 

Catalog #: USSR Zagorsky #865 

Date of issue: January 1945 

Denomination: 1 Ruble 

Color: Grey-blue 

Part of a set of six entitled Orders and 

Medals of the USSR 

Also printed imperforate, USSR Zagorsky 

#859 

Value about $1.73 new, $0.16 used. 

700,000 stamps issued, issued in 10x5 

sheets 

A ‘see also’ entry indexes and connects 

this set to the rest of the Orders 

and Medals of the USSR series. 

Designer: A. Mandrusov 


ut also the artistic and ideological 

message of the stamp’s designer and 

issuer – and as we see here, show a 

nation in revolutionary and social 

flux. 

In the 2002 article “Miniature Propaganda: 

Self-Definition and Soviet 

Postage Stamps, 1917–41,” Rowley 

writes that by 1900 the Russian Empire 

had already issued more than 

312 million postage stamps and had 

become a ubiquitous part of Russian 

life for many. Following the 

1917 revolution, early Soviet leaders 

recognized the power of stamps and 

their potential for visual propagandic 

purposes and their reach both within 

and outside Soviet spaces. 

Archival collections serve as 

memory institutions within a cultural 

space and they model that culture; 

the Blavatnik defines itself as a 

cultural repository for Soviet Russian 

records and its collection reflects 

this. Archives are full of recorded information 

or texts, and according to 

semiotician J.M. Lotman in the 1990 

book Universe of the Mind: A Semiotic 

Theory of Culture, texts have three 

culturally communicative functions: 

the transmission of information, 

the preservation of memory and the 

generation of new information. The 

archive’s social role is to serve the 

information needs of its designated 

community and the culture that created 

it through its collection of philatelic 

(and other) texts. 

But first researchers need to discover 

the archive’s resources and this 

is done via searching and querying 

the objects’ records via its metadata. 

Metadata is commonly described as 

“data about data,” but is more correctly 

defined by librarian Jeffrey Pomerantz 

in the 2015 book Metadata as 

“a statement about a potentially informative 

object.” In digital archives 

like the Blavatnik, these statements 

and their links are powered by the internet, 

leading to unlimited potential 

new connections and the creation of 

new information by researchers. 

Audit of philatelic records 

The Blavatnik descriptive record 

format allows for the recording of accession 

number, title, description, resource 

type, hyperlinked collection, 

hyperlinked subject term, places, 

copyright information, a permalink, 

and ‘similar items.’ The inclusion 

of a hyperlink allows researchers 

to search the archives via clicking a 

link to find related resources. All 247 

stamp records have a title, resource 

type, accession number and hyperlinked 

collection index. The title 

statement in some records also includes 

notes about the stamps, such 

as description, surcharge or type, 

however this is not standardized. In 

order to analyze the informational 

capacity of the archive’s philatelic records, 

I examined three stamps, chosen 

by my interest, looking at their 

internal metadata (that which I can 

see on the object itself), the metadata 

statements included in the archival 

record, and compared this information 

to external metadata sourced 

from the American Scott and Russian 

Zagorsky catalogs. (See Figures 2-4.) 


FIGURE 3 

Internal Metadata 

Issuer: USSR 

Subject: Female farmer with grain 

(foreground) farm and farm machinery 

(background) 

Denomination: 20 kopeek 

Description: Green ink on white perforated 

paper 




Title: Postage stamp with a woman 

holding wheat stalks, ca. 1950s 

Type: Stamp 


Description: Soviet postage stamp 

depicting a collective farm worker. 

Artist: Vasilii Zav'ialov. 

Scott 

Title: Woman farmer 


Date of issue: 1949 


Color: Green 

Part of a 5-stamp untitled set, 

originally issued in brown as a 1948 

eight-stamp untitled set. Reissued 

in 1954-1956 in a smaller size and 

recolored olive green. 

Value $3.00 new, $1.25 used. 

Perf 12x12 ½. 

Zagorsky 

Title: Kolkhoznitsa (Female collective 

farmer) 

Catalog #: USSR Zagorsky #1294 I 

Date of issue: April 28, 1949 


Color: Blue-green and olive green 

Part of a set of five definitive stamps 

Reissued in 1955 in smaller size and 

recolored Grey-Green (USSR Zagorsky 

#1294 II) 


“Many” stamps issued, issued in 

10x10 sheets 

Massive color variations 

Designer: V. Zavyalov 

Analysis 

According to librarian and philatelist 

David Straight in the 1994 article 

“Adding value to stamp and coin 

collections,” the two most important 

metadata statements are country and 

date of issue – and this information is 

not included in the Blavatnik records, 

though some records include estimated 

“print dates.” The records are not 

in chronological order. Even though 

the collection aims to show a “special 

emphasis on the shifting representations 

of women and cultural symbols 

of power and society,” it is difficult to 

illustrate the shift without date-related 

metadata [emphasis mine]. 

The “Similar items” do not index 

specific stamps and neither Figure 

3 or 4’s “Similar items” include 

other stamps in their series. Instead 

it seems to only index the Stamps 

category, repeatedly showing the 

first eight stamps of the collection 

(ROW.00224-ROW.00230) thus adding 

no researcher value. Figures 2 and 

4 have subject terms indexing them 


FIGURE 4 

Internal Metadata 

Issuer: USSR 

Subject: Female farmer (foreground) 

farmworkers, horse, farm 

and farm equipment (background). 

Embroidery effect border and the 

word “Belarusians” in Russian. 


Description: Grey ink on white perforated 

paper 




Title: Postage stamp with Belarusians, 

ca. 1933 

Type: Stamp 


Description: Soviet stamp, part of a 

series celebrating the various ethnic 

and national groups that made up 

the Soviet Union. 

Print Date: 1933 (estimated) 

Scott 

Title: Byelorussians 


Date of issue: April 1933 


Color: Dull green 

Part of a 21-stamp set entitled Peoples 

of the Soviet Union 

Value $16.00 new, $2.00 used 

Zagorsky 

Title: Belarusians 

Catalog #: USSR Zagorsky #330 

Date of issue: July-Sept. 1933 


Color: Olive green 

Part of a 21-stamp set entitled Peoples 

of the Soviet Union 


About 200,000 stamps issued, issued 

in 5x15 sheets 

Massive color variations 

Designers: D. Golyadkin, I. Dubasov, 

V. Zavyalov and S. Novsk 

to larger groups, “Order of Ushakov” 

and “Belorussians, 1933,” respectively, 

but Figure 3 does not. None of the 

records use the Places index, which 

in theory would allow for grouping 

or limiting of records by geography 

or historical state. 

Reflection 

Compared to the different information 

resources referenced, 

the archive is lacking in the metadata 

requirements for philatelists. 

This somewhat to be expected, as it 

was not designed specifically with 

philatelic researchers in mind, even 

though the majority of the collection 

are philatelic objects. 

Librarian Megan Ozeran in the 

2017 article “Managing Metadata for 

Philatelic Materials” notes that the 

quality of institutionally-provided 

metadata in philatelic digital records 

has a direct effect on the effectiveness 

of the researcher’s research, but 

generally philatelic resources are often 

ignored and lack standardization. 

The lack of information in metadata 

records also keeps the researcher 

from finding more information about 

these stamps from other reference 

sources, such as the Zagorsky catalog. 

Ibrus and Ojamaa (2020) note that 


the revelation of new information and 

meaning comes from the realization 

and discovery of similarities and links 

between different bits of information, 

and this information is found via 

metadata that highlights these links. 

In the case of the stamps in this archive, 

those links are few if any. 

The lack of metadata also keeps 

the record from being retrieved during 

the information-searching process 

and resource discovery. If a researcher 

or web indexer like Google 

cannot find the record either inside 

the archive or via an internet search 

engine, how will researchers be able 

to find or use the resource? Metadata 

is like a treasure map that can lead a 

researcher to a resource, allow them 

to use it and from it generate new information. 

Conclusion 

Metadata is not only a tool for 

information representation; it helps 

us to understand the archival object 

itself. Do the Blavatnik philatelic records 

need to be metadata rich? Yes, 

because while the Blavatnik might 

Figure 5. From the Blavatnik Archive 

Foundation website, the complete 

record for the stamp shown in Figure 3. 


not advertise or classify themselves 

as a philatelic institution, about 75 

percent of their total digitized collection 

is philatelic – and philatelists 

need metadata for their research. 

Philatelic metadata provides connections 

to other philatelic objects and 

connects them to cultural and historical 

events surrounding their issue. 

During the writing of this article 

I learned that all three of these examples 

were parts of ongoing series in 

what Rowley (2002) calls a deliberate 

and controlled attempt of the state to 

show the Soviet Union as a powerful 

modern industrial nation and workers’ 

paradise. So why not include this 

information in the archive record? 

Archivist Adrian Cunningham 

writes in the 2008 article “Digital Curation/Digital 

Archiving” that digital 

archives are not like digital libraries 

or museums because archival records 

construct meaning “from a myriad of 

contextual relationships surrounding 

their creation and use – relationships 

that have to be documented 

and understood.” These three stamp 

records and the rest of the collection 

are artifacts of a time and a place that 

no longer exists. Like other artifacts, 

say a random bone in the tundra or 

a piece of broken pot, they have no 

meaning by themselves – they require 

interpretation and contextualization. 

Meaning is created by the 

archive’s researchers. In order for the 

philatelic collections in the Blavatnik 

to be of any great use to philatelic and 

other researchers, their records need 

to be updated with additional metadata 

allowing for increased discovery, 

usage and meaning. 

Stamp images courtesy of Blavatnik 

Archive Foundation, 2021. 

Bibliography 

Blavatnik Archive Foundation. 

“Postage stamp with a woman 

holding wheat stalks, ca. 1950s 

[Photograph].” Blavatnik 

Archive Foundation. Accessed 

2021. http://n2t.net/ark:/86084/ 

b4697017f. 


“Postage stamp with an image 

of the Order of Ushakov, ca. 

1940s [Photograph].” Blavatnik 



b4b56d763. 


“Postage stamp with Belarusians, 

ca. 1933 [Photograph].” Blavatnik 



b4r49gc7q. 


Rowley Soviet Ephemera. 


Accessed 2021. https://www. 

blavatnikarchive.org/collection/ 

rowley. 

Cunningham, Adrian. “Digital 

Curation/Digital Archiving: 

A View from the National 

Archives of Australia.” The 

American Archivist 71, no. 2 

(2008): 530–543. doi:10.17723/ 

aarc.71.2.p0h0t68547385507. 

Ibrus, Indrek, & Ojamaa, Maraja. 

“The Creativity of Digital 

(Audiovisual) Archives: A 

Dialogue Between Media 

Archaeology and Cultural 

Semiotics,” Theory, Culture & 


Society 37, no. 3 (2020): 49-70. 

doi:10.1177/0263276419871646. 

Lotman, J.M. Universe of the Mind: 

A Semiotic Theory of Culture. 

(Indiana University Press, 1990). 

Ozeran, Megan. “Managing Metadata 

for Philatelic Materials,” 

Information technology and 

libraries 36, no. 3 (2017): 7-17. 

doi:10.6017/ital.v36i3.10022. 

Pomerantz, Jeffrey. Metadata. (The 

MIT Press, 2015). doi:10.7551/ 

mitpress/10237.001.0001. 

Roberts, Peter J. “Philatelic Materials 

in Archival Collections: Their 

Appraisal, Preservation, and 

Description,” The American 

Archivist 70, no. 1 (2007): 

70-92. https://www.jstor.org/ 

stable/40294450. 

Rowley, Alison. “Miniature 

Propaganda: Self-Definition and 

Soviet Postage Stamps, 1917–41,” 

Slavonica, 8, no. 2 (2002): 135–57. 

doi:10.1179/sla.2002.8.2.135. 

Scott Publications. Scott Standard 

Postage Stamp Catalog 2022 5B. 

(Amos Media, 2021). 

Straight, David. “Adding value to 

stamp and coin collections,” 

Library Journal 119, no. 10 

(1994): 75-79. 

Zagorsky, V.B. (ed.). Pochtovye marki 

Rossiiskaia Imperiia, RSFSR, 

SSSR 1857-1965. (Izdaneksnvo V. 

Zagorskogo, 2018) 

Endnotes 

1 As of November 2021 https://www.blavatnikarchive.org/about 

The Author 

A.M. LaVey is a New York-based digital archivist. In the summer of 2021 

LaVey deployed to the American Philatelic Research Library with a grant from 

the Association of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies to increase 

discoverability of the library’s Slavic-language resources. Research interests 

include the cultural semiotics of philately and the post as a tool of information 

warfare. Collection interests include Belarus, Russia, the Soviet Union and 

Ukraine. 

Statement of ownership management, and circulation from 

PS Form 3526 (as required by 39 U.S.C. 3685): 

1. Philatelic Literature Review 2. 0092-8660 3. October 19, 2021 4. Quarterly 5. 4 

6. $18 7. American Philatelic Research Library, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, 

PA 16823 8. American Philatelic Research Library, 100 Match Factory Place, 

Bellefonte, PA 16823 9. Publisher Scott English, Editor Gary Wayne Loew, Managing 

Editor Susanna Mills, American Philatelic Research Library, 100 Match 

Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823 10. American Philatelic Research Library, 

100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823 11. None 12. Has not changed in 

preceding 12 months 13. Philatelic Literature Review 14. Third Quarter 2021 15a. 

1,599:1,479 15b(1). 1,432:1,434 15b(2). 0:0 15b(3). 0:0 15b(4). 0:0 15c. 1,432:1,434 

15d(1). 0:0 15d(2). 0:0 15d(3). 0:0 15d(4). 0:0 15e. 0:0 15f. 1,432:1,434 15g. 167:45 

15h. 1,599:1,479 15i. 100%:100% 16a(2) 70:70 16b(3) 1502:1504 16c(4)1502:1504 

16d(5) 100% 17. Fourth Quarter 2021 18. Scott English, Adminstrator 


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 

An Engaging Issue 

Today my third quarter issue of Philatelic Literature Review arrived, and I 

spent more time reading it than I have any other issue of recent memory. It was 

fascinating to learn A.M. LaVey’s approach to using new resources to obtain 

philatelic information. 

Abhishek Bhuwalka brings us another wonderful interview with one of today’s 

experts in the fields of philatelic history and literature, Wolfgang Maassen. 

Best wishes with your efforts to improve the content and design of PLR to 

provide us with continued enjoyment and knowledge about this wonderful 

hobby of ours. 

Alan Warren 

Exton, PA 

Letters to the Editor 

We encourage readers to send their comments, questions and feedback to 

the Philatelic Literature Review. Your feedback, questions, concerns and suggestions 

help us to improve the journal. 

Submit your letters to plrarticle@stamps.org, subject line “Letter to the Editor” 

or mail a typewritten copy to Letter to the Editor, The Philatelic Literature 

Review, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte PA 16823. 

Author’s Inquiry 

If you are a philatelic author seeking assistance with your research, drop us an 

email at LetterToTheEditor@stamps.org, subject line “Author’s Inquiry.” Please 

keep your message to under 100 words. These will be published on a spaceavailable 

basis and at the discretion of the editorial department. 

Hollywood Postmarks and Cancels 

Author interested in documents, covers or scans of these relating to citizens 

of British India held as civilian internees in Germany during WWI. Most of 

these would have been merchant seamen. 

Robert Gray 

robertgray@me.com 


APRL NEW ACQUISITIONS 

The following works – listed alphabetically by subject, country, or general 

specialty – have been added to the American Philatelic Research Library’s 

collections between July 1 and September 30, 2021. 

Auction catalogs for named collections are included in our catalog and 

appear in this list, either under auction catalogs or under more specific 

subjects. We have many more general auction catalogs recorded by date and 

sale number under the auction house name in our library catalog. 

Items marked “IP” (In Process) have not yet been assigned a call number, 

but are available on request. 

Air Mail 

Balloon Mail 

Boesman, Jan. Ballonpost Avonturen 

Luchtscheepvaart (den Haag, 

Ned: Luchtvaart Museum, 1961). 

[HE6238 .B672b 1961] 

Dirigible and Zeppelin Mail 

Corinphila Auktionen. Zeppelin, 1. 

Auktion, Die Sammlung Erivan = 

Zeppelin, 1st auction, The Erivan 

collection 6 Dezember 2019 (Zurich, 

Corinphila Auktionen AG, 2019). 

[NS Haub, Erivan - Zeppelin 1] 

Duggan, John. The 1931 polar flight 

of the “Graf Zeppelin” (Bulith Wells, 

Wales: Zeppelin Study Group, 

1992). [HE6238 .D866p 1992] 

Duggan, John. Airships in the Arctic 

(Ickenham, UK: Zeppelin Study 

Group, 2006). [HE6238 .D866a 2006] 

Goldberg, Fred. Drama in the 

Arctic, S.O.S. Italia the search for 

Nobile and Amundsen, a diary 

and postal history (Oslo, Norway: 

Fram Museum, 2003). [HE6238 

.G618d 2003] 

Struble, George. Getting Swiss 

Airmail off the ground grand 

award exhibits (Silver Spring, MD: 

Exhibitors Press, 2021). [HE6238 

.S927g 2021 EXHIBIT] 

Ephemera 

Groten, Arthur M. Glenn Curtiss 

and Early Aviation, 1908-1930 

Ephemera and Paraphilately (Silver 

Spring, MD: Exhibitors Press, 

2021). [HE6238 .G881g 2021] 

Postal History 

Dahmann, Kurt. Deutsche 

Luftpost-Stempel Mit luftpost 

befördert. Zweig Luftpost in Berlin 

Zentralflughafen. Poststempel 

der flughafen, Fliegerhorst- 

Stempel, Luftpostaufgabe-Stempel, 

Luftgaupostamter-Stempel, 

Luftpostbestatigungsstempel, 

Flughafen-Absenderfreistempel, 

Stempel der Flugleitungen, 

Flugunterbrechungs-Stempel und 

Stempel von Flugzeugunfallen. 

(Berlin: Verlag Fur Luftpost- 

Literatur, Kurt Dahmann, 1972). 

[G6081 .P857 D131d 1972] 

Krupnick, Jon E. Pan American’s final 

flight [exhibit] ([n.l.]: [n.p.], 2021). 

[HE6238 .K94es 2021 EXHIBIT] 


Austria 

Provisionals and Forerunners 

Carrigan, Jay T. 1945 European 

Postwar Postal History [exhibit] the 

Netzschkau local and the Vienna 

provisional stamp Issues ([n.l.]: 

Exhibitors Press, 2021). [G5701 

.P856 C316e 2021 EXHIBIT] 

Bavaria 

Michel. Bayern-Spezial-Katalog 

1999 (München: Schwaneberger 

Verlag GmbH, 1999). [G6420 .A1 

M623m 1999] 

British North America 

Eastern Auctions Ltd. The Highlands 

collection of British North America, 

part one November 8, 2018 

(Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada: 

Eastern Auctions Ltd., 2018). [NS 

Highlands Collection pt.1] 

Eastern Auctions, Ltd. Numeral 

cancellations of British North 

America, the Jim Hennok 

Collections October 28, 2005, 

Halifax, Nova Scotia (Halifax, 

Nova Scotia: Eastern Auctions, 

Ltd., 2005). [NS Hennok, Jim] 

Cachets and Cachetmakers 

Kibble, Daryl. Captain James Cook: 

Third voyage 1776-1780 first day 

and event covers ([n.l.]: Daryl 

Kibble, 2020). [HE6184 .C119 

K462c 2020] 

Jones, Susan B. Carol Gordon, 

Unconventional Cachetmaker 

(Los Angeles, CA: Claude C. Ries 

Chapter #48, American First Day 

Cover Society, 2021). [G3701 

.C119 J762c 2021] 

Censored Mail 

Hopballe, Kristian. Grønland, 

Censurpost under Anden 

Verdenskrig (Odense, Denmark: 

5F Frimærker, 1983). [G3381 

.C396 H785g 1983] 

Moses, James. Censored by the 

U.S. Navy U.S. Navy Censorship 

Markings 1940-1945 (Chicago: 

Collectors Club of Chicago, 2021). 

[G3701 .C396 M911c 2021] 

Cinderella Material 

Carelman, Jaques. Catalogue de 

timbres-poste introuvables ([n.l.]: 

Balland, 1972). [HE6184 .H925 

C271c 1972] 

Cuba 

Barreras, Antonio. Cuban postal marks 

- Marcas postales Cubanas (Bethesda, 

MD: International Cuban Philatelic 

Society, 2021). [JOURNAL Journal 

of Cuban Philately] 

Exhibits and Exhibiting 

McFarlane, Andrew. Creating 

the philatelic exhibit synopsis a 

master class (Silver Spring, MD: 

Exhibitors Press, 2021). [HE6215 

.M478c 2021] 


Falkland Islands 

Osborne, Hugh. Falkland Islands sheet 

numbered stamps of the King George 

VIth period ([n.l.]: The Falkland 

Islands Philatelic Study Group, 

2021). [G9176 .P716 O814f 2021] 

Famous Philatelists 

Bohr, Peter J. Der Briefmarken 

Konig, Philipp Arnold de Ferraris 

Lebensgeheimnis (München, 

Germany: Verlag Ludwig Helwig 

Prien/Chiemsee, [ca. 1982]). 

[HE6206 .R221 B677g 1982] 

Maassen, Wolfgang. Peter Winter’s 

“Swansong” Memories of an 

artist and “forger” (Louisville, 

KY: Leonard H. Hartman, 2021). 

[HE6184 .F721 M111p 2021] 

Raybone, Samuel. Gustave 

Caillebotte as worker, collector, 

painter (New York, NY: 

Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2020). 

[G6207 .C134g 2020] 

Finland 

Heimo, Paavo. Suomen Telaleimat 

(Lahti, Finland: Suomen 

Filatelistiliitto, 1986). [G6961 

.M149 H467s 1986] 

Jvangean, J.L. Katalogus de 

Noordpoolcirkel de officiele 

poststempels van Finland, Zweden, 

Noorwegen, Ijsland en Groenland sins 

1895 gebruikt op plaatsen op en nabij 

de noordpoolcirkel (The Hague: CIP 

Gegevens koninklijke bibliotheeek, 

1993). [G6911 .P857 J98k 1993] 

Suomen Filateliapalvelu Oy. Suomi 

- Finland, Ahvenanmaa - Aland 

1856-2009 postimerkkiluettelo = 

stamp catalogue = frimarkskatalog 

(Turku - Abo, Finland: Suomen 

Filateliapalvelu Oy/Philatelic 

Service of Finland Ltd., 2010). 

[G6960 .A1 S959 2010] 

France 

Classic Issues 

Soluphil. Collection de timbresposte 

de M.I. Seligson France 

1849-1875 Novembre 22/23 1982 

(Luxembourg: Soluphil S.A.R.L., 

1982). [NS Seligson, M.I.] 

Soluphil. France “Timbres au type 

sage” Collection G 29 Juin 1984 

(Paris; Luxembourg: Soluphil S.A., 

1984). [NS Type Sage] 

Soluphil. Collection...Gallia... France 

Emission Empire 1854-1862 18 

Octobre 1986 (Paris; Luxembourg: 

Soluphil S.A., 1986). [NS Gallia 

France] 

Tosco, Uberto. Les timbres poste. 

(Paris: Grange Bateliere, 1970). 

[G6071 .T713t 1970] 

Corsica 

Boule, Maurice. Histoire postale 

de la Corse (Occhiatana, France: 

Maurice Boule, 2017). [G5971 

.P856 B763h 2017] 


Errors and Varieties 

Soluphil. Collection “Variétés 

sur timbres de France 1900- 

1990” 11 Décembre 2009 (Paris; 

Luxembourg: Soluphil S.A., 

1988). [NS Variétés sur timbres de 

France 1900-1990] 

Post Offices 

Pothion, Jean. Nomenclature des 

bureaux de postes francais, 1852- 

1876 petits & gros chiffres cotes 

(Paris: La Poste aux Lettres, 1968). 

[G5831 .P855 M626n 1968] 

Postal Stationery 

Sinais, Bertrand. Catalogue des 

cartes postales précurseurs de 

France et des colonies (Paris: 

Bertrand Sinais, 2007). [G5831 

.P860 S884c 2007] 

Registered Mail 

Dumont, J. Essai de nomenclature 

des etiquettes des services postaux 

et telegraphiques de France, 1868- 

1987. (Paris: Union Marcophile, 

1987). [G5831 .P846 D893e 1987] 

French Colonies 

Soluphil. France collection J. C... “20 

et 25 cts Bleus de l’emission empire 

non dentelee” 25 Novembre 1988 


1988). [NS J.C.] 

German States 

Heinrich Köhler-Auktion. 

Altdeutsche Staaten, 2. Auktion, 

Die Sammlung Erivan = German 

States, 2nd auction, The Erivan 

collection 14 Dezember 2019 

(Zurich: Heinrich Köhler- 

Auktion, 2019). [NS Haub, Erivan 

- German States no.2] 

Germany 

Leick, Walter. Saar - Moselle, 

Postgeschichte im schnittfeld der 

reichspost und der poste royale 

(Rehlingen, Germany: Walter Leick, 

1990). [G6396 .P856 L526s 1990] 

Great Britain 

Roll of Distinguished 

Philatelists 

Butler, A. Ronald. Third addendum to 

the history of the Roll of Distinguished 

Philatelists : the Signatories of the Roll, 

2000-2004 (London: Blackwell Press, 

2004). [HE6206 .B985h Addendum- 

3rd 2004] 

Greece 

Souers, P. Clark. Greek wars, 

1897-1922, stamps & forgeries 

(Pleasanton, CA: P. Clark Souers, 

2021). [G6811 .F721 S719g 2021] 

Guatemala 

Mazepa, James. The postal history of 

Central America - the kingdom of 

Guatemala to 1824 (Middletown, 

DE, Exhibitors Press, 2021). [G4811 

.P856 M476p 2021 EXHIBIT] 

Hungary 

Andor, Hodobay. A Magyar díjjegyes 

postai nyomtatványok katalógusa. 

Katalog der ungarischen ganzsachen 

= Catalogue of the Hungarian 

Postal Stationeries (Budapest: 

Internetes Bélyeggyűjtő Klub, 

2021). [G6501 .P860 A552m 2021] 

Iceland 

Postal rates 

Flack, Brian. Iceland postal 

rates, 1870-2009 Updated & 

Revised 2018 (Chester, [UK]: 


Scandinavian Philatelic Society, 

2017). [G6931 .P8575 F571 2017] 

Indonesia 

Jodana, Yan Wiriadi. A study of the 

printing process of the Republic 

of Indonesia’s postage stamps 

issued by the P.T.T. for Java and 

Madoera, 1945-1949 (Oegstgeest, 

Netherlands: Dai Nippon, 2019). 

[G8071 .P964 J63s 2019] 

Lithuania 

Milvidas, Kazys. Lietuvos pashto 

antspraudi 1918-1940 (Kaunas, 

Lithuania, 1979). [G7051 .P857 

M662p 1979] 

Lundy Island 

Aitchison, Jon. Stamps and postal 

history of Lundy Island an 

illustrated, specialised, priced guide 

and handbook (Start Hill, Near 

Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, 

Great Britain: Tithehall Publishing, 

2009). [G5752 .L86 N555s 2009] 

Luxembourg 

Soluphil. Collection “Alpaca”: 

Courrier Destination Luxembourg 

des débuts jusqu’aux années 1930. 

27 juin 2014 (Paris; Luxembourg: 

Soluphil S.A., 2014). [NS Alpaca] 

Classic Issues 

Soluphil. Collection Melusina : 

Timbres neufs, obliteres et lettres 

du Grand-Duche de Luxembourg 

1700-1880. 20 Février 2009 (Paris; 

Luxembourg: Soluphil S.A., 2009). 

[NS Melusina, pt.1] 


2eme partie - Première émission 

Guillaume III, les oblitérations hors 

Luxembourg. 10 Juillet 2009 (Paris; 


[NS Melusina pt.2] 

Soluphil. Collection Melusina : 3ème 

partie - 2eme emission aux armoiries, 

essais, neufs et obliterations de 

Luxembourg-Ville 23 avril 2010 


2010). [NS Melusina, pt.3] 


4ième partie - 3ième Emission aux 

armoiries, les percés en lignes : timbres 

neufs, oblitérés et lettres. 3 decembre 

2010 (Paris; Luxembourg: Soluphil 

S.A., 2010). [NS Melusina, pt.4] 

Soluphil. Collection Melusina : 5ème 

partie - Emission non dentelée aux 

Armoiries, les oblitérations autres 

que Luxembourg-ville. 27 Janvier 

2012 (Paris ; Luxembourg: Soluphil 

S.A., 2012). [NS Melusina, pt.5] 

Soluphil. Collection Melusina: 6ème 

partie - Lettres des émissions aux 

armoiries surchargées “Officiel”. 

15 juin 2012 (Paris; Luxembourg: 

Soluphil S.A., 2012). [NS 

Melusina, pt.6] 



Cartes correspondance entiers 

postaux mandats et cartes colis 

postaux. 26 septembre 2014 (Paris; 


[NS Melusina, pt.7] 

Nigeria 

Durosomo, J.O. The compendium 

of Nigeria postage stamps 1914- 

2014 the history of Nigeria 

and her stamps (Abuja; Lagos: 

Nigerian Postal Service & Tacoms 

International Ltd., 2019). [G8840 

.D964c 2019] 


North Africa 

Michel. Ubersee-Katalog. Band 4.1, 

Nordafrika (Unterschlessheim: 

Schwaneberger Verlag, 2021). 

[CATALOGS] 

Norway 

Sjöberg, Egon. Norske 

Førstedagsbrev med vignetter 

(Bredbyn, Sverige: Egon Sjöberg, 

2007). [G6941 .F527 S625n 2007] 

Panama 

Brid, Federico. Panama telegraph 

stamps (Elverta, CA: Joe Ross, 

2000). [G4871 .T267 R823p 2000] 

Peru 

Nicoletti Gonzales, Carlos. 

Matasellos mudos usados después 

de la guerra (Lima, Peru: Carlos 

Nicoletti Gonzales, 2001). [G5311 

.P717 N643m 2001] 

Nicoletti Gonzales, Carlos. 

Matasellos Usados después de la 

Guerra 23 Oct. 1883 - 31 Dic. 

1908 (Lima, Peru: Carlos Nicoletti 

Gonzales, 2001). [G5311 .P857 

N643m 2001] 

Nicoletti Gonzales, Carlos. El 

servicio postal y filatelico en el 

Peru, suplemento (Lima, Peru: 

Carlos Nicoletti Gonzales, 2002). 

[G5311 .P859 N643 Suppl. 2002] 

Poland 

Air Mail 

Kupiec-Weglinski, Jerzy W. The 

history of airmail in Poland and its 

contribution to Airmail services of 

Europe (1914-1939) (Chicago, IL: 

Collectors Club of Chicago, 2021). 

[HE6238 .K967h 2021] 

Polar mail 

Goldberg, Fred. Roald Amundsen 

expedition mail Letters, postcards 

& stamps (Lidingö, Sweden: Fred 

Goldberg, 2000). [HE6184 .P762 

G618r 2000] 

Postal Markings 

Morris, Keith. Paquebot 

cancellations of the world (Gorsley, 

UK: TPO & Seapost Society, 

2010). [HE6233 .D743p 2010] 

Puerto Rico 

Military Mail 

Gonzalez, Ronald H. Illustrated 

catalog of postmarks for US Navy 

ships visiting, ships named for 

Puerto Rico, commercial passenger 

ships and military APO & FPO 

in Puerto Rico ([n.l.]: Ronald H. 

Gonzalez, 2019). [G4971 .P857 

G643i 2019] 


Gonzalez, Ronald H. Puerto Rico 

postal stationery Under the Spanish 

and American Administration 

([n.l.]: Ronald H. Gonzalez, 2021). 

[G4971 .P860 G643p 2021] 

Revenues 

Greenwald, Gregg. Catalogue 

of Puerto Rico revenues U.S. 

Administration, Sept. 1898-present 

([n.l.]: Gregg Greenwald, 2021). 

[G4971 .R451 G816c 2021] 

Russia 

Eesti Muinsuskaitse Selts. Eesti 

vabariigi postmargid ja tervikasjad 

kataloog = Catalogue of Republic 

of Estonia postage stamps and 

postal stationery (Tallinn, Estonia: 


Eesti Muinsuskaitse Selts, 2012). 

[G7030 .A1 E269e 2013] 

Speers, Fred W. The Zemstvo 

Gazetteer (London: The British 

Journal of Russian Philately, 

1966). [G7001 .A881 S742z 1966] 

Scandinavia 

Christoffersen, Jorgen. Nordisk 

Julemærke katalog = Nordic 

Christmas seal catalogue 

(Frederiksberg, Danmark: 

Forlaget Nordisk Julemaerke 

Katalog, 1983-84). [G6911 .C555 

N832 1983-84] 

Sweden 

Eliasson, Åke. Stämpel-Fakta, 

Poststämpeln Genom Fyra Sekler 

(Stockholm: SFF (Sveriges 

Filatelist-Förbund), 1996). [G6951 

.P857 E425s 1996] 

Switzerland 

Corinphila Auktione. Schweiz, 1. 

Auktion, Die Sammlung Erivan = 

Switzerland, 1st auction, The Erivan 

collection 7 Dezember 2019 (Zurich: 

Corinphila Auktionen AG, 2019). 

[NS Haub, Erivan - Schweiz 1] 

Swiss Post. Gültige Wertzeichen = 

Timbres-poste valables = Segni 

di valore vigenti = Valid stamps 

(Berne, Switzerland: Swiss Post, 

2002). [G6040 .S979v 2002] 

Technology 

Schwartz, Peter. Inventions of 

prevention a history, analysis, and 

catalog of 19th-century patents and 

inventions for preventing reuse of 

postage and revenue stamps (Los 

Angeles, CA: Peter Schwartz, 

2021). [G3701 .T256 S399p 2021] 

Tibet 

Gabrisch, Karl. Tibet: a philatelic 

and numismatic bibliography a 

critical bibliography containing 

over 500 titles of Tibetan philately, 

numismatics and postal and 

monetary histories. (Santa Monica, 

CA, George Alevizos, 1983). 

[G7890 .A11 H477t 1983] 

Topical Collecting 

Birds 

Cook, Preston. American Eagle: A 

Visual History of Our National 

Emblem ([n.l.]: Goff Books, 

2019). [HE6183 .A68 C771a 2019 

OVERSIZE] 

Famous People 

Raddi, Al. Albert Einstein on Stamps: 

A Catalog (Greer, SC: American 

Topical Association, 2020). 

[HE6183 .A1 A512a no.169] 

Religion 

Rao, M. Lokeswara. Buddhism on 

stamps (Bengaluru: M. Lokeswara 

Rao, 2021). [HE6183 .B83 R215b 

2021] 

Rockets and Space 

Reichman, James G. 

Commemorative space covers 

from the Archangelsk Collector 

Club 1962-1966 (Mesa, AZ: 

Archangelsk Collector Club, 

2021). [G7001.S732 R352c 2021] 

Military Mail 

Joyce, Martin H. III. Postmarked 

West Point A U.S. postal history 

of West Point and its graduates 

([n.l.]: Martin H. Joyce III, 2021). 

[HE6183 .A68 J891p 2021] 


Wine 

Le Comité National de Vins de 

France. La vigne et le vin dans la 

vignette postale (Paris, France: Le 

Comité National de Vins de France, 

1965). [HE6183 .W767 C733v 1965] 

Turkey 

Çorapçıoğlu, M. Yavuz. From 

Smyrna to İzmir Everyday life 

(Istanbul: KRK Holding, 2019). 

[G7434 .I9 C788f 2019 EXHIBIT] 

Ukraine 

Chyhrynets, Andrii. Poshtovi marky 

Ukrainy 1918-1943: Istoriia, 

opyc, kliasyfikatsiia (Brussels: 

S.A.Cominso, 1948). [G7100 .A11 

C564p 1948] 

Maksimchuk, Yuliian. Katalog 

Ukrainskikh nederzhavnikh marok 

dopovnennia ch.4 - 1975 (Chicago, 

IL: Ukrainian Philatelic Library, 

1975). [G7101 .S438 M235k 1975] 

United States 

Arizona 

McBride, Lawrence G. Arizona 

Territorial postmark catalog 

(Arlington, VA: Arizona & New 

Mexico Postal History Society, 

2021). [G4331 .P857 D575a 2021] 

Catalogs and price lists 

Amos Media. Scott 2021 U.S. 

pocket stamp catalogue (Sidney, 

OH: Amos Media, 2021, c2020). 

[G3700 .A1 S431p 2021] 

Civil War 

Civil War Philatelic Society. Civil 

War Philatelic Society E-Newsletter 

(Civil War Philatelic Society, 

2021-). [JOURNAL Civil War 

Philatelic Society E-Newsletter] 

Civil War Philatelic Society. 

Civil War Philatelist (Civil 

War Philatelic Society, 2021-). 

[JOURNAL Civil War Philatelist] 

Colorado 

Newburn, Ray L. Postal history of 

the Colorado San Juan. ([n.l.], 

Western Express, 1975-1984). 

[G4311 .P856 N535p] Text by Ray 

L. Newburn, Jr.: maps by William 

H. Bauer & Ray L. Newburn, Jr. 

Definitive Issues 

Dick, Robbin. Tips on types The 

Washington-Franklin Two Cent Reds 

1908 to 1923 & Three Cent Violets 

1908 to 1919 (Penfield, NY: R. Dick, 

2008). [G3701 .D313 D547t 2008] 

Express Companies 

Crossman, Robert O. Butterfield’s 

overland mail stagecoach trail 

across Arkansas 1858-1861. ([n.l.]: 

Robert O. Crossman, 2021). 

[G4001 .E968 C951b 2021] 

Mosher, Bruce H. The Denver and 

Rio Grande railroad domestic express 

business ([n.l.]: Western Express, 

1998). [G4051 .E969 M911d 1998] 


Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries. 

Outstanding Pony Express Covers 

from the George J. Kramer Collection 

September 25, 2019 (New York, NY: 

Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, 

2019). [NS Kramer, George J.] 

Forgeries and Counterfeits 

Petschel, H. K. United States postal 

counterfeits illustrated Inked print 

(Sandpoint, ID: HKP Publications, 

2014). [G3701 .F721 P498u 2014] 

Georgia 

U.S. Post Office Department. 

General scheme of Georgia 

(Washington, DC: G.P.O., 1925). 

[GOV-DOC P10.6:GA/925X] 

Military Mail 

Universal Ship Cancellation Society. 

Universal Ship Cancellation Society 

handbook (New Canaan, CT: 

Universal Ship Cancellation Society, 

2003). [HE6188 .U588u 2003] 

Mobile Post Offices 

Moore, Earl D. U.S. street car railway 

post offices 1892-1929 (Chicago, IL: 

Earl Moore, [undated]). [G3701 

.R152 M821u] 

Nevada 

Mahler, Michael. Stamp Taxes 

in Nevada III. Chronological/ 

Geographical analysis, 1863-1873: 

“Ghosts of the Glory Trail” (Santa 

Monica, CA: Michael Mahler, 2021). 

[G4351 .R451 M214s 2021 v.3] 

Mahler, Michael. Stamp Taxes in 

Nevada IV. An illustrated census 

of documents bearing Nevada state 

revenue stamps, 1865-1873, by type 

and tax rate (Santa Monica, CA: 

Michael Mahler, 2021). [G4351 

.R451 M214s 2021 v.4] 

New York 

Ahlquist, Roy. A listing of Dutchess 

County post offices by township 

([n.l.]: R. Ahlquist, [undated]). 

[G3803 .D8 A285l] 

Newspaper Issues 

Pepper, Doc M. United States 

Newspaper Stamps 1865-1869 - 

The forgeries A study of forgeries, 

fakes, and facsimiles (League City, 

TX: Doc M. Pepper, 2005). [G3701 

.N558 P424ufo 2005] 

Post Offices 

Sanders, Christine C. The Christmas 

Florida post office a philatelic giant 

in a tiny town ([n.l.]: Christmas 

Philatelic Club, 2019). [G3934 

.C43 S215c 2019] 

Plate Numbers 

Burdsall, Rick. Hebert’s reference 

guide of plate number singles mint 

and used United States stamps and 

related issues (Palatine, IL: American 

Plate Number Single Society, 2017). 

[G3701 .P716 H446 2018] 

Precancels 

Gidding, Curtis E. Collecting United 

States bureau precancels: Facts and 

information about U.S. bureau 

precancels (Savoy, IL: Curtis E. 

Gidding, 2011). [G3701 .P923 

G453c 2011] 

Smith, David W. Precanceled 

envelopes of the United States 

(The Precancel Stamp Society 

with written permission and 

cooperation of the United Postal 

Stationery Society, 2012). [G3701 

.P860 P924 2012] 


NEW BOOKS NOTED 

The PLR publishes information received about new philatelic books. Send 

information about recent or upcoming publications for inclusion to Scott 

Tiffney at stiffney@stamps.org or to 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 

16823. The descriptions given herein are compiled from source material and 

often are directly taken from source descriptions. 

Aerophilately 

Concorde Philatelie by Thomas 

Fischer. Softbound, 312 color pages 

in German, 15 cm x 21 cm. Published 

by Philamondo GmbH, June 

2021. Price €40 (approx. $48 U.S. 

plus shipping), available via order 

code 72086 from philabooks.com. 

This catalog describes and illustrates 

the philatelic material related 

to the flights of the famous French- 

British Concorde aircraft. The catalog 

includes items with the signatures 

of the pilots and crews, as well as 

other philatelic products created for 

and about the Concorde. On more 

than 300 pages, the author shows 

some 1,000 covers and other items 

from the flights of the aircraft that 

he has accumulated and collected for 

decades. The items are listed and assessed 

for rarity chronologically. 

Civil War 

Between Home and the Front: Civil 

War Letters of the Walters Family 

by Smithsonian Institute Libraries, 

Lynn Heidelbaugh & Thomas 

Paone. Hardbound & softbound, 

200 pages, 6 in. x 9 in. To be published 

by Indiana University 

Press in September 2022. ISBN: 

9-78-0253062-97-0. Pre-order 

$55 hardbound (plus shipping) 

or $20 softbound (plus shipping), 

available from amazon.com. 

Between Home and the Front presents 

previously unpublished letters 

from Walters’ family's collection held 

in the Smithsonian's National Postal 

Museum. 

The early letters describing a Civil 

War soldier's enlistment to his widow's 

struggle in the aftermath of the war, 

the letters of the Walters family add 

incomparable details to the study of 

the Civil War. The book also includes 

an annotation in meticulous detail to 

provide valuable historical context for 

the events, people, and material culture 

described in the letters. 


Cuba 

Delivering Cuba through the Mail: 

Cuba’s Presence in Non-Cuban 

Postage Stamps and Envelopes by 

Emilio Cueto. Softbound, 212 

pages, 11 in. x 8 in. Published 

by University of Florida Library 

Press, November 2021. ISBN: 

9-78-1944455-10-1. Price $35 

(plus shipping), available from 

amazon.com. 

In Cuba, then a colony of Spain, 

the first stamp was used in 1855 and it 

depicted the image of Queen Isabella 

II, the sovereign of the Spanish 

Empire at the time. This work tells 

the story of Cuba through philatelic 

items issued worldwide. 

Dirigible and Zeppelin Mail 

U.S. Zeppelin and Airship Mail 

Flights by Cheryl R. Ganz. Hardbound, 

279 pages, 8.5 in. x 11 

in. Published by author in 2021. 

ISBN: 978-0-578-90937-0. Price 

for APS members $75 (plus shipping) 

or $80 non-member (plus 

shipping), available from classic. 

stamps.org/Publications. 

This book details U.S. Zeppelin 

and airship mail flights. Each chapter 

covers a different airship, starting 

with the “Shenandoah”, and continuing 

on through the ZR-2, ZR-3, ZRS- 

4 “Akron”, and ZRS-5 “Macon”. There 

is background information on each 

airship with historic photos of the 

airships and the people connected 

with them. 

Included are all types of known 

covers, shown in color, followed by 

a flight log of all the flights by that 

airship. There is also a special event 

cover list for the “Akron”. The final 

chapters cover Navy airship bases & 

squadrons, Army airships, and shows 

covers from those bases, and finally 

a section on private & commercial 

airships, which shows all known souvenir 

covers carried by them, also in 

color. There is an extensive list of references 

and a comprehensive index. 

The book includes over 740 images. 

Dutch West Indies 

Postal Routes to the Dutch Possessions 

in West Africa, West Indies and Suriname 

1652 to 1919: A Guide to 

Dutch Maritime Mail by Sven Påhlman 

FRPSL. Softbound, 276 color 

pages, 21 cm x 30 cm. Published by 

the Royal Philatelic Society London, 

2021. ISBN 978-1-913015- 

13-8. Price £55 for RSPL members 

(approx. $73 U.S.) and £60 for non- 

RSPL (approx. $80 U.S.), shipping 

included within UK and Europe; 

£10 elsewhere, available from 

www.rpsl.org.uk/shop. 

This book describes the development 

of the postal routes to Dutch 

West Africa, Dutch West Indies and 

Suriname from the time of the earliest 

currently known letter (1652) 


until World War I. It also details the 

mail-carrying shipping lines, the 

handstamps used to mark this mail 

and identifies whether a route was 

commonly or rarely used. 

Sources are referred to throughout 

the text to guide those who would 

like to go deeper into a subject. Many 

conclusions are based on the author’s 

own records of individual objects. Frequencies 

of letters and different types 

of route handstamps used to mark and 

direct mail to a specific route and carrier 

are documented. 

The putative and factual existence of 

sub-types of route markings have been 

investigated and whether or not the 

handstamps of these sub-type markings 

actually came in use is another 

focus in the book. In addition, a “key” 

of how to work out the route a specific 

letter has been transported is provided. 

El Salvador 

19th Century Issues of El Salvador 

(1867 - 1900) by Guillermo F. Gallegos 

FRPSL and Joseph D. Hahn. 

Softbound, 878 color pages, 21 cm 

x 30 cm. Published by the Royal 

Philatelic Society London, 2021. 

ISBN 978-913015-14-5. Price £63 

for RSPL members (approx. $82 

U.S.) and £70 for non-RSPL (approx. 

$93 U.S.), shipping included 

within UK and Europe; £10 elsewhere, 

available from www.rpsl. 

org.uk/shop. 

This book combines the accumulated 

knowledge of previous available 

research with a significant amount of 

original research done over 40+ years 

to provide the most detailed overview 

ever done of the Salvadorean 

postage stamp and postal stationery 

issues, plus postal history information 

that was never published before. 

Philatelically, it includes a description 

of all 19th century issues, including 

printing details, types and 

varieties, essays and proofs, cancellations, 

recorded usage and counterfeits, 

complemented by the postal 

history aspects like regulations, the 

development of the postal service, 

rates and routes. 

Holy Land 

The Postal History of The Ottoman 

Post in The Holy Land Rates, Routes 

& Postmarks by Zvi Aloni & Joseph 

Hackmey. Softbound, 432 color 

pages, 21 cm x 30 cm. Published by 

the Royal Philatelic Society London, 

2021. ISBN 978-1-913015- 

15-2. Price £45 for RSPL members 

(approx. $60 U.S.) and £50 for non- 

RSPL (approx. $67 U.S.), shipping 

included within UK and Europe; 

£10 elsewhere, available from 

www.rpsl.org.uk/shop. 

Despite the title “The Postal History 

of the Ottoman Post in the Holy Land” 


the book has brief but adequate information 

about the development of the 

imperial post and telegraph systems 

of the Empire, particularly during 

the 19th century. Special emphasis is 

given to the controversial foreign post 

offices and their contribution to civil 

communication. 

The book examines the general 

rates, both domestic and overseas, 

through detailed, easy to follow tables 

including some exceptions that were 

only applicable to the Holy Land. Each 

rate from ordinary letter to declared 

value, from postal bond to money order 

is accompanied by an example as 

a proof of usage. The same applies to 

the display of all the postmarks that 

were adopted. Every single post office 

that was operable and used these 

postmarks for some period between 

1840 to 1918 is examined. Censorship 

applications during the Great War 

are examined and illustrated. An adequate 

amount of auxiliary material 

e.g. receipts for registered letters, registration 

labels and handstamps are 

also included in the work. 

A brief introduction to the towns 

where the post offices were operating 

accompanied by relevant contemporary 

photographs or picture postcards 

adds yet another dimension to the 

already existing information. Postal 

routes are examined carefully by highlighting 

inland and littoral rates and 

their introduction to the area again 

with supporting material and maps. 

Iraq 

Iraq Fantasy Stamps: A colourful and 

comprehensive guide to the Fantasy 

stamp collection from Iraq for 

the years 2003-2021 by N A. Softbound, 

100 pages, 7 in. x 10 in. 

Published independently in September 

2021. ISBN: 9-79-8468545- 

33-1. Price $45 (plus shipping), 


Fantasy stamps are those that may 

look like normal postage stamps but 

are not officially produced. The Iraq 

Fantasy Stamps collection started in 

2003 as the invasion of Iraq led by the 

U.S. and UK was about to start. What 

started as a personal project by the 

author became a way to capture some 

of the most important events that 

happened before and after the war. 

This book describes the circumstances 

that led to the start of the collection 

and how it evolved over the 

years. It catalogs every stamp issue 

released as part of this collection with 

pictures and descriptions for each. 

Italy 

Le Poste Dei Tasso Da Cornello 

all'Europa = Tasso Family Post 

from Cornello to Europe by Museo 

dei Tasso e della Storia Postale. 

Softbound, 244 color and b&w 

pages in Italian, 21 cm x 30 cm. 

Published by Corponove in 2021. 

ISBN: 9-791-280344-14-4. Price 

€15 (approx. $17 U.S. plus shipping), 

available via order code 

2796E at VACCARI s.r.l. / Via M. 

Buonarroti, 46 / 41058 Vignola 

(Mo) – Italy, or from vaccari.it/ 

editoria/miv/new.php. 

This resource strives to provide a 

detailed overview of Tasso’s history 

in the region and the family’s role as 

“postal entrepreneurs” during this 

period. Various chapters summarize 


the events that unfold over half a 

millennium and present an overview 

of the complex organization of postal 

networks that affected most of the 

European states from the fifteenth 

to the eighteenth century and, in 

Germany, up to the second half of the 

nineteenth century. 

Originali E Falsi: Soprastampe 

dell'area italiana - parte prima = 

Originals and Forgeries: Overprints 

of the Italian area - Part One by 

Antonello Cerruti and Maria 

Isabella Cerruti. Softbound, 144 

color pages in Italian, 21 cm x 

30 cm. Published in 2021. Price 

€75 (approx. $85 U.S. plus shipping), 

available via order code 

2795E at VACCARI s.r.l. / Via M. 

Buonarroti, 46 / 41058 Vignola 

(Mo) – Italy, or from vaccari.it/ 

editoria/miv/new.php. 

This publication is part one of a 

new study on the forgeries and the 

overprints of the Italian area. 

Hundreds of images and enlargements 

of the postage stamps of the 

following are included: Kingdom of 

Italy, Trentino - Alto Adige, Venezia 

Giulia, Austrian occupation, Arbe 

and Veglia, Pechino and Tientsin, local 

issues Base Atlantica, Alessandria, 

Castiglione d'Intelvi, Teramo, postage 

stamps of the C.L.N. of Aosta, 

Arona, Barge, Cuvio, Domodossola, 

Imperia, Maccagno, Mantova, Ponte 

Chiasso, Savona, Sesto Calende, 

Bormida Valley, French occupation 

of Fezzan, Ljubljana, Free Territory 

of Trieste Zone B and Zara. 

Nicaragua 

Nicaragua Tarjetas Postales 1878 a 

1914: Saludo al Bicentenario de 

Centroamérica = Nicaragua Postcards 

1878 to 1914: Salute to the 

Bicentennial of Central America by 

Luis González Nogales. Softbound, 

191 pages in Spanish, 8.5 in. x 11 in. 

Published independently in September 

2021. ISBN: 9-79-8771892- 

41-2. Price $20 (plus shipping), 


This book, made in acknowledgment 

of the bicentennial of the independence 

of Central America, 

presents a compilation of the postcards 

issued by Nicaragua for postal 

use from the year 1862 in which the 

first stamp was issued. This resource 

also includes a compilation of the significant 

official government decrees 

that gave rise to the postcards and 

other salient aspects of their use. 

Patriotic Covers 

Patriotic Covers: April 1945 in Patriotic 

Covers by Mr. Al Raddi. 


Softbound, 186 pages, 8.5 in. x 

11 in. Published independently 

in November 2021. ISBN: 9-79- 

8771810-11-9. Price $28 (plus 

shipping) at amazon.com. 

April 1945 in Patriotic Covers is 

a collected work of covers depicting 

some form of patriotic message during 

April 1945. The book includes 

covers postmarked on every day of 

that month and represents many cachet 

designers, both widely known 

and relatively obscure. The author 

documents through selected patriotic 

covers some of the events that led 

to this unique collection. For example, 

it was April Fool’s Day and Easter 

Sunday when the United States Army 

and Marine forces were launching 

Operation Iceberg - the invasion of 

Okinawa Island in Japan. By the end 

of the month, 50 allied nations met 

in San Francisco to create the United 

Nations (April 25). 

Postcards 

Postcards: The Rise and Fall of the 

World’s First Social Network by 

Lydia Pyne. Hardbound, 256 

pages, 7 in. x 10 in. Published 

by Reaktion Books in December 

2021. ISBN: 9-78-1789144-84-0. 

Price $40 (plus shipping), available 

from amazon.com. 

The author examines postcards on 

a global scale, to understand them as 

artifacts that are at the intersection of 

history, science, technology, art, and 

culture. In doing so, this work delves 

into how postcards were the first global 

social network and also, here in the 

twenty-first century, how postcards 

are not yet extinct. 

Topical Collecting 

An Alien in my Mailbox by Luis R. 

González. Hardbound, 277 pages, 6 

in. x 9 in. Published independently 

in September 2021. ISBN: 9-79- 

8479214-22-6. Price $49 (plus shipping), 


This resource presents a fascinating 

look into a little known area of topical 

collecting, that of space, spacecrafts 

and ufology. Space and spacecrafts 

have been a popular area for thematic 

collectors since 1957. Tailored more to 

the collector of space and space travel 

depicted in popular culture than the 

serious astrophilatelist, the book reflects 

the unique and lasting impact 

that cultural icons such as Star Trek 

and Star Wars have had in the world of 

philately. UFO-related stamps are an 

inherent part of popular culture and 

are perhaps one of the most representative 

markers of the transition from 

the Nuclear to the Digital Age. 


PHILATELIC LITERATURE CONTRIBUTORS 

As a specialized library with a collection that is comprised of roughly 90% donated 

materials, your charitable and thoughtful contributions of literature help the APRL to 

grow the size and scope of the collection for members and library patrons. This continued 

growth enables us to maintain the APRL as the world’s largest and most complete 

worldwide collection of philatelic literature. If interested in donating literature to the 

library, please contact us at library@stamps.org. 

The following individuals and institutions made donations of philatelic 

literature to the American Philatelic Research Library in the third quarter of 

2021 (July – September). 

James Akerberg, Jacquelyn Alton, Mel Ashley, Ted Bahry, James Balog, L. 

Brace, Herbert Breuer, Raymond Brislin, Thomas Broadhead, George Brown, 

Kristine Brown, Michael Burlingame, Carlson Chambliss, Kent Choquette, Yavuz 

Corapcioglu, Scot Cornwall, Francis Crown Jr., Robert Dailey, Robert Daniels, 

Diane Deblois, William Dipaolo, William Dixon, Ann Dunkin, Dutch Country 

Auctions, Jane Eisel, Janis Erins, Darrell Ertzberger and Lisa Foster. 

And Howard Geisler, Robert Glass, Gregg Greenwald, Igor Grigorian, Majed 

Halawi, Keith Hart, Leonard Hartmann, Terence Hines, Daniel Holsenbeck, Ken 

Horn, John Hotchner, Jon Hussey, Rafael Igartua, Fernando Iglesias, Yan Jodana, 

Gerald Johnson, Richard Jones, Jay Joyce, Daryl Kibble, Dick Klein, Yamil Kouri, 

Jon Krupnick, Seija-Ritta Laakso, Robert Lewin, Keith Lichtman, Ulf Lindahl, 

Mark Maestrone, Michael Mahler, Gary Martin, Peter Martin, Kenneth May, Andrew 

McFarlane, Ian Mcmahon, Lawrence Mead, Wayne Menuz, David Meyers, 

Foster Miller III, Jennifer Miller, Jerry Miller, Martin Miller, Joseph Monaco, Vernon 

Morris and William Moskoff. 

Also David Nelson, Elaine Nyberg, Bohdan Pauk, Scott Pendleton, Albert 

Raddi, M. Lokeswara Rao, James Lokeswara, James Reichman, Stephen Reinhard, 

David Reitsema, Bruce Roberts, Michael Roberts, Melanie Rogers, Dana 

Roper, Dennis Sadowski, Peter Schwartz, Yukihiro Shoda, Richard Shreve, Peter 

Solberg, Philip Souers, Jeffrey Stage, David Steensma, Clarence Stillions, George 

Struble, Yoram Szekely, David Wallman, Alan Warren, Beth Weingarten, Mark 

Winnegrad, Oliver Wolf, David Wolfersberger, Charles Wooster, David Zubatsky 

and Steven Zwillinger. 

Call for Writers 

The Philatelic Literature Review depends on APRL and APS members, 

who provide much of the content of this journal. We would like to encourage 

more people to join our roster of philatelic writers for the Philatelic 

Literature Review. The journal publishes a wide range of articles, on topics 

that include the following: how to conduct philatelic research; old and new 

philatelic literature; archives and library collections; book reviews; writing 

and research advice; profiles of philatelic figures; the future of philatelic 

research, and more. If you have an idea for an article or are interested in 

becoming a regular contributor, please send an email to plrarticle@stamps. 

org. For information about APS writing guidelines, visit aps.buzz/writeap. 


BOOK REVIEWS 

ITALY 

Da Legnanello a Legnano fra Storia 

e Filatelia by Raffaele Baroffio. Paperback, 

perfect bound, 85 pages. 

2021. ISBN-13: 979-8567554081. 

Price € 20, available on Amazon 

Italy, https://www.amazon.it/. 

During the eight years that elapsed 

since the successful first edition, the 

author has accumulated new information 

regarding the postal history 

of Legnanello and Legnano; updates 

also concern the postal developments 

in Legnano, postmarks and the use of 

various services. 

Legnanello, a village neighboring 

Legnano, is located in the northern 

territory of the Milanese region. The 

Roman presence there dates back to 

225 BC and its history is linked to 

that of Legnano. Lombardy’s economy 

collapsed after the fall of Rome, 

which resulted in instability, plague, 

and the descent of the Lombard. 

The territory made history on May 

29, 1176, when the forces of Holy 

Roman Emperor Frederick I (nicknamed 

‘Redbeard’) were defeated by 

the forces of the Lombard League on 

a battlefield near Legnano. 

On their way to modern times, 

Legnano (on the right bank of the 

Olona river) and its Legnanello hamlet 

(on the opposite bank) grew in importance, 

in part due to its significant 

geographical position. One likes to 

remember the manor of Legnanello 

and the exploits of the knight of 

Malta, Giuseppe Lampugnani, who, 

with a large following of bravoes, 

terrorized the area, so much so as to 

force the Vicar of Seprio to issue a 

ban against him in 1647. 

On January 1, 1731, the postal 

business monopoly of the Imperial 

Crown was decreed; at the same 

time, Milan had introduced “weekly” 

numbered handstamps to postmark 

letters. On February 9, 1731, a new 

ordinance dealing with post-horse 

and postal service included new 

postal tariffs which generated an uproar 

among the merchants as well 

as a printed petition. On August 30, 

1762, the Milanese Royal Postmaster 

General published a broadsheet informing 

the public of the introduction 

of clerks, messengers, and foot 

messengers and outlining their respective 

duties, wages, and licenses. 

The foot messenger serving Legnano 


and its district, its hinterland, and 

neighboring zones left Milan on 

Monday arriving at Legnano the 

same day and returning to Milan on 

Tuesday on the route Legnanello- 

Nerviano-Rho-Trenno. The author 

provides extensive information on 

this early period of the Austrian administration. 

Legnano is separated from 

Legnanello by the Olona river, 

which was the most important waterway 

connecting the two places, 

despite periodic devastating floods. 

Sometimes, in rough weather, the use 

of the old Roman bridge became necessary. 

Legnanello, along the Simplon 

road, had its first post office activated 

on August 2, 1779. Ten years later a 

post-horse station was established 

to respond to the needs of travelers 

from Milan to Switzerland and viceversa. 

The author has identified its 

location. 

The formation of the Kingdom of 

Italy under Napoleon’s direct control 

brought about the construction of a 

much better Simplon road between 

1801 and 1805, which increased its 

importance both commercially and 

militarily. Fifty bridges had to be 

built together with five tunnels. This 

had a great impact on the postal service, 

the travelers and the post-horse 

and its effects were felt at Legnanello 

and the entire route to Milan. 

After the Napoleonic era, with the 

return of the Austrians, postal communications 

were organized again 

according to what was established 

on June 1, 1817, just two years after 

the establishment of the Lombardy- 

Venetia Kingdom. The Municipality 

of Legnano took action to restore the 

post-horse station in Legnanello by 

sending a petition in April 1829 to 

the Imperial Royal Directorate of the 

Milan General Post Office, which was 

approved. 

The 1848 anti-Austrian uprisings 

throughout Lombardy-Venetia 

had some impact at Legnano. At 

about the same time the post-horse 

of Legnanello, which had previously 

been moved to another location, was 

restored, as the postal administration 

concluded that the Legnano post office 

needed to have a post-horse station 

at Legnanello. 

The author has been able to provide 

a correct date of the activation 

of the Legnanello post office as April 

1, 1839, following the full approval 

of the Supreme Postal Directorate in 

Vienna. The move was justified by 

the fact that there already was a posthorse 

station and that Legnanello’s 

handling of mail was beneficial to 

hamlets and small towns in the 

area. Baroffio’s research proves that 

the captivating italic datestamp of 

Legnanello was in use throughout 

the 1840s. 

The next chapter delves into the 

postal tariffs from the 1815 restoration 

of the old regime, which witnessed 

for an additional two years 


the validity of the French rule tariffs. 

Finally, on July 1, 1819, the Kingdom 

of Lombardy-Venetia introduced its 

tariffs. From this moment on, the 

author discusses the use of handwritten 

tariffs, auxiliary postmarks such 

a routing marks, and postpaid marks 

on mail to and from Legnanello on 

domestic mail and foreign-bound 

mail. 

In 1850 or 1851 the Legnanello 

post office was closed and its duties 

passed on to Legnano on the 

other side of the Olona river: a sizable 

chapter is devoted to this transition. 

The italic datestamp use on the 

1850 stamps of Lombardy-Venetia 

was undoubtedly very limited and 

has resulted in its ranking as one of 

the rarest postmarks of the period: 

according to Enzo Diena, only three 

letters are recorded. Nevertheless, as 

Baroffio points out, a fourth one can 

be found in the De Marchi collection, 

now part of the Civic Collections of 

the Municipality of Milan. 

At this point, Baroffio focuses 

on the postmarks and cancellations 

of Legnano from the Austrian era 

to the transition to the Kingdom 

of Sardinia, the resulting Sardo- 

Italian postmark used on stamps of 

the fourth issue of Sardina, and the 

stamps of the Kingdom of Italy to 

modern days. 

The book is a labor of love, captivating, 

and well-produced; it is an 

inspiration to collectors who wish to 

embark on a postal history collection 

of their town or district. A comprehensive 

bibliography concludes the 

book. 

Reviewed by Giorgio Migliavacca. 

Philatelic Literature Review 

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PHILATELIC LITERATURE CLEARINGHOUSE 

The Clearinghouse lists philatelic literature for sale or wanted by PLR 

readers. The number at the beginning of each item identifies the prospective 

seller or buyer. The names and contact information for the sellers and buyers 

appear at the end of the Clearinghouse. Please write directly to the buyer or 

seller, not to the APRL, unless the APRL itself is the seller/buyer. 

Pricing: The cost for each item is $3 per listing with a maximum of 10 

items per submission. Items selling for greater than $100 are $7 per listing. 

Please write no more than three lines per listing. Please list only one book 

or periodical title per item; however, several issues of one journal or auction 

catalog may be listed as one item. PLR reserves the right to reject any listings 

submitted. 

ABBREVIATIONS: HB - hardbound, SB - softbound, PB - paperback, PC - 

photocopy, LL - loose-leaf, CB - comb bound, CC - card cover, DJ - dust jacket, 

w/PR- with prices realized, MO - make offer, OBO - or best offer, POR - price 

on request. 

Send Clearinghouse listings to Scott Tiffney, 100 Match Factory Place, 

Bellefonte, PA 16823; or email Clearinghouse@stamps.org. The deadline for 

each quarter’s issue is the 15th day of the first month of the quarter: January 

15, April 15, July 15, and October 15. 

Philatelic Literature for Sale 

1. From the Winged Heels of Mercury by Lavern Seron, M.D. HB, 196 pp., 

1984. Published by the Collectors Club of San Francisco. The story of 

the evolution of the stamp from ancient times to 1840. $15 

1. Newfoundland Air Mails 1919-1939 by C. H. C. Harmer. 181 pp., 

Second edition, 1984, HB. Published by the American Air Mail 

Society. A comprehensive study of Newfoundland flights from the 

pioneers attempting to fly the Atlantic up to the introduction of Pan- 

American and Imperial Airways Clipper service. $15 

1. Sanabria Air Mail Catalogue North America 1995 by Stephen R. Datz 

and Richard Sine. 115 pp., 1995, SB. Published by Stephen R. Datz. 

A comprehensive catalog of the air mail stamps issued by North 

American countries. $10 

1. ltalia Storia Postale by Angelo Zanaria and Cesco Giannette. 460 pp., 

1974, SB, in Italian. Italian Postal History. Specialized Handbook of 

post-World War II Italian postal history. Worn. $25 

1. I Francobol/a Della Repubbl ca ltaliana 1945-1972 by Vittorio Ghisolfi, 

et.al. 586 pp., 1973, HB, Sirotti Editore Milano. In Italian. Postage 

stamps of the Italian Republic. $35 


1. Notes Through Barbed Wire by J. Michael Powell. 404 pp., spiral bound, 

2011. Published by the British North America Philatelic Society. A 

detailed look at mail to and from Prisoners of War, Civilian Internees 

Japanese Evacuees and Others in Canadian Internment Camps during 

World War II. $25 

************ 

2. Sotheby Parke Bernet auction catalogs, 1977-82. 40 different, most have 

PR, heavy coated paper. $105 

2. Robert Siegel Rarities Sales-1964-70, 1974-84, 1989. 70, includes 

unique 1c British Guiana in 1970 and 1980 sales most have PR. $70 

2. Aerial Mail Service, A Chronology of Early U.S. Air Mail Service 1918 

by Jones, 1993, American Air Mail Society, new. $90 

2. Vessel Named Markings on U.S, Inland and Ocean Waterways 1810 to 

1890 by Milgram. HB, Deluxe edition in slip case, new still shrinkwrapped, 

limited issue, a very scarce book. $150 

************ 

3, Stamps and Stories: Reminiscences of a Stamp Dealer by Peter 

Mosiondz Jr. 103 p., SB, new. Gladly signed on request. $19 

3. Put a Stamp on It by Herman Herst, Jr. Foreword by Kenneth Herst, 

SB, new. $15 

3. The United States Postage Stamps of the 19th Century by Lester G. 

Brookman, 1966-67, 3 volumes, HB, like new. $59 

3. Scott 2022 U.S. Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers. SB, new. $55 

3. Nassau Street by Herman Herst, Jr.1988, revised edition, HB, like new. $25 

3. Stories to Collect Stamps by Herman Herst, Jr. HB, DJ protected in 

mylar, signed, like new. $20 

3. More Stories to Collect Stamps By by Herman Herst, Jr. SB, new. $10 

3. Still More Stories to Collects Stamps By by Herman Herst, Jr. SB, new. $10 

3. The Best of Herst’s Outbursts by Herman Herst, Jr. SB, new. $10 

3. The Buyers Guide by Stephen R Datz. 2000, second edition, SB, new. $10 

3. Linn’s U.S. Stamp Facts: 19th Century. Well-illustrated, SB, new. $19 

3. Sloane’s Column by George B. Sloane. 1961, first printing, HB, like new. $20 

3. Micarelli Identification Guide to U S Stamps: Regular Issues 1847-1934 

by Charles N. Micarelli. 1991 edition, HB, new. $25 

3. How to Detect Damaged, Altered and Repaired Stamps by Paul W. 

Schmid. HB, new. $25 

3. United States Postal History Sampler by Richard B. Graham. HB, new. $15 

************ 


4. The Secret Service of the Unites States Post Office Department by P.H. 

Woodward. 1978. Provides detail accounts of attempts to defraud the 

USPOD. Well-illustrated, HB, 583 pp. $35 

4. Classic United States Stamps 1845-1869 by Dr. Carroll Chase. 1962. 

A concise overview of the U.S. stamp during this period. b&w 

illustrations, HB, DJ, 45 pp. $10 

4. New York Foreign Mail Cancellations by Arthur Van Vlissingen 

and Morrison Waud. 1968. History of cancellations with b&w 

illustrations. Excellent reference. HB, 105 pp. $35 

4. History of the Free Franking of Mail in the United States by Edward 

Stern. 1936. Definitive reference for this area of philately. Chapters 

include signatures and autographs of presidents, prominent signers of 

bank notes, letters of president’s wives, etc. HB, 236 pp. $75 

4. Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers 2020 

by Amos Media Staff. 2019. Definitive reference for U.S. collectors. 

Lightly used, SB, 1316 pp. $45 

4. A Historical Survey of Precancels by R. Malcolm Hooper. 1979. 

Detailed history and reference for U.S. Precancel collectors, 

specifically earlier precancels. Spiral SB, 109 pp. $25 

4. Shift Hunter Letters U.S. Revenue Varieties by C. W. Bedford and 

George Black. 1983. Detailed illustrated studyof plate varieties for 

many U.S. revenue stamps. SB, 35 pp. $10 

4. The Development of Rates of Postage by A.D. Smith. 1917 reprinted 

edition by Quarterman. Global look at the development of rates 

developed across Europe and U.S. Useful reference for postal 

historians. HB, 431 pp. $25 

4. The United States Ten Cent Stamp of 1855-1857 by Stanley B. 

Ashbrook. 1936. Definitive work by renowned expert of U.S. stamps. 

Detailed descriptions of plate varieties, uses, rates, and cancels. Toned 

covers, SB, 87 pp. $25 

4. Philometer Compendium by Joseph Whitebourgh. 1957, first edition. 

Includes designs and examples of early postage meter up to 1957. Well 

illustrated, HB, 211 pp. $25 

4. History and Evolution of Metered Postage by William K. Thomas. 

1962. Provides background of postage meters with terminology and 

illustrations. Good companion to Philometer Compendium above. 

HB, 85 pp. $25 

4. Disinfected Mail by K.F. Meyer, M.D. 1962. History of mail handling 

during various outbreaks worldwide. Procedures for disinfection, 

fumigation, markings, and identification of disinfected mail for 16 

countries/regions including the Americas. HB, 141 pp. $150 


4. New York Postal History: The Post Offices and First Postmasters from 

1775 to 1980 by John L. Kay and Chester M. Smith, Jr. 1982. New York 

post offices by county through 1980 with start and discontinuance 

dates with list of 1st postmasters. HB, 556 pp. $50 

4. The First Federal Issue 1798-1801 U.S. Embossed revenue stamped 

Paper, Second Federal Issue 1801-1802, Third Federal Issue 1814-1817 

by W.V. Combs. 1979, 1988 & 1993. Outstanding references of history 

of revenue collection preceding the use of revenue stamps. 124, 141, 

and 224 pp. HB. Sold as a set of 3. $200 

4. British Postal Stationery by A. K. Huggins. 1971. Detailed examination 

of the British classes of postal stationery. Must have British reference 

book. HB, DJ, 188 pp. $100 

4. The Post Office Seals of the United States, Volume One: The Regular 

Issues by Adam Perkal & Seymour Kazman. 1983, first edition. Great 

reference book for these U.S.P.O.D. issues. Includes illustrations, 

varieties and examples of use. SB, 161 pp. $35 

4. The History of Mail Bombs, A Philatelic & Historical Study by Dale 

Speirs. 2010. Describes worldwide mail bomb events dating back to 

1800s. Includes color scans of mail and markings. SB, 128 pp. $50 

4. Encyclopedia of Plate Varieties on U.S. Bureau-Printed Postage Stamps 

by Loran C. French. 1979. Definitive reference for “fly-specking” 

(seeking plate varieties) on U.S. Bureau stamps. HB, 338 pp. $80 

4. U.S. Route and Station Agent Postmarks by C. L. Towle. 1986. Details 

mobile mail (railroad and waterway) markings and agents. Indexed 

and cross referenced with excellent illustrations. HB, DJ, 420 pp. $45 

4. Postal Markings of United States Expositions by William J. Bomar. 

1986, first edition. Great reference for U.S. cover collectors and postal 

historians. Very detailed with relative values for each variety. SB, 

author signed, 206 pp. $35 

4. The George Walcott Collection of Used Civil War Patriotic Covers by 

Robert Laurence. 1934. Details over 3,200 Civil War covers with 

pictures, descriptions, and prices realized arranged by topic. HB, 261 

pp. + prices realized. $40 

4. Abraham Lincoln Illustrated Envelopes and Letter Paper 1860-1865 

by James W. Milgram, MD. 1984. Great reference book with detailed 

illustrations of the Civil War Lincoln covers and letter paper. HB, like 

new, 272 pp. $50 

4. The Best of Apfelbaum’s Corner by Earl P. L. Apfelbaum. 1981. 

Compilation of Apfelbaum’s articles. Interesting insights on many 

aspects of hobby. HB, DJ, 201 pp. $10 


4. History of California Post Offices 1849-1976 by H.E. Salley. 1977. Copy 

#94/500, author signed. Listings of CA post offices in multiple formats 

with details on each. HB, like new, 302 pp. $200 

4. Letters of Gold by Jesse L. Colburn. 1984. Comprehensive coverage of 

CA postal history through 1869 Gold Rush period. Well illustrated 

sample covers in color and b&w. HB, DJ, like new, 387 pp. $200 

************ 

5. The Duck Stamp Story: Art, Conservation, History by Eric Jay Dolin 

& Bob Dumaine. 2000, SB, 206 pp. w/ color illustr., new. Provides 

colorful history of the Duck Stamp Program. $20 

5. Rare Stamps of the World by Claridge’s London. 1995, HB, good 

condition, color illustr., 148 pp. Gathers together in one work 

worldwide stamps of philatelic excellence. $32 

5. Hale & Co. Independent Mail Company, 1843-1845 by Michael 

Gutman. 2005, HB, 345 pp. w/ color and b&w illustr, like new. 

Detailed account of this New England mail company. $40 

5. The Development of Rates of Postage by A.D. Smith. 1917 facsimile 

reproduction, HB, 431 pp. Presents histories of postal rate 

development for England, Canada, Germany, France and the U.S. $15 

5. Private Die Match Stamps by Christopher West. 1980, HB w/ DJ, 255 

pp. w/ b&w illustr., like new. Detailed descriptions of these match 

stamps and the firms that used them. $25 

5. A Comprehensive Catalog of Indian Reservation Stamps by Michael 

Jaffe. 2012. SB, 337 pp. w/ color illustr., like new. Illustrated catalog 

listings of over 2,400 issues. $40 

5. Western Post Offices by Richard Helbock. 1993, SB, 215 pp. w/ tables, 

new. Listing by name of post offices in Alaska, Arizona, California, 

Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, 

Washington and Wyoming with date and value information. $15 

5. The Forged Stamps of All Countries by J. Dorn. 1921, SB, 240 pp. 

w/ b&w illustr., worn cover, good condition. Still a very useful and 

detailed forgery resource. $15 

5. The Letter Box: A History of Post Office Pillar and Wall Boxes by 

Jean Young Farrugia. 1969, HB w/ DJ, 282 pp. w/ b&w illustr. worn 

DJ, good condition. Well illustrated and readable account of these 

uniquely postal receptacles. $10 

5. The United States Ten Cent Stamps of 1855-1859 by Mortimer Neinken. 

1964, HB w/ DJ, 251 pp. w/ b&w illustr., like new w/ slight DJ wear. 

Very thorough description of these issues. $20 


5. The Judicial Stamps of Great Britain and Pre-1922 Ireland by Clive 

Akerman. 1996, SB, 136 pp w/ b&w illustr., good condition. Excellent 

resource published by the Revenue Society of Great Britain. $20 

5. It’s a Wrap!: U.S. Revenues used on Playing Cards 1862-1883 by Kristin 

Patterson. 2003, first edition, SB. author signed, 107 pp. w/ color 

illustr., good condition. Well illustrated work on the history and 

stamps that came as a result of the 1862 Internal Revenue Act. $20 

5. Overrun Countries Series - Book 8: The Greece Stamp and Its Varieties 

by Keith Lichtman. 2020, SB spiral-bound, 90 pp. w/ color illustr., new. 

Very detailed resource on the Greece Overrun Countries issues. $20 

5. The Pony Express - A Postal History by Richard Frajola, George 

Kramer & Steven Walske. 2005, HB, 165 pp. w/ color illustr., new. 

Describes and illustrates the postal history of the Pony Express. $25 

Members Using Clearinghouse 

1. Jerome C. Jarnick, 108 Duncan Drive, Troy MI 48098, Jarnick@ 

wowway.com. Prices include free shipping in the United States by 

USPS Media Mail. 

2. Subhash Bahl (life member APS); 27 Lyle Place Edison, NJ 08820, 

Phone 732-318-1773, email sbahl234@yahoo.com, Postage extra on all 

items. 

3. Peter Mosiondz, Jr., 26 Cameron Circle, Laurel Springs, NJ 08021- 

4861. Phone: 856-627-6865. Email: choochoopete@comcast.net. Add 

$5.00 Media Mail postage. Payment by check or money order. We ship 

to U.S. addresses only. 

4. Gerry Robbins, P.O. Box 89, Bellefonte, PA 16823-0089 – E-mail: 

gerry.robbins@cox.net Phone: 703-628-4858. Shipping and handling 

extra at current rates. Expect mail delays due to USPS issues resulting 

from COVID-19 issues and their revised delivery policies. 

5. American Philatelic Research Library, 100 Match Factory Place, 

Bellefonte, PA 16823. Phone: 814-933-3803 ext. 240. Email: library@ 

stamps.org. Shipping costs not included. 


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THE 

PHILATELIC 

LITERATURE 

REVIEW 

ISSN 0270-1707 

American Philatelic Research Library 

100 Match Factory Place 

Bellefonte, PA 16823 

Periodicals Postage 

P A ID 

at Bellefonte, PA 16823 

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4rd Quarter Philatelic Literature Review 2021

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