Author Archives: VSC

United Kingdom Forests (UK 2019)

Posted on by

[press release]
Captivating Images:
Six Forests of the UK Feature on New Royal Mail Special StampsThe forests that feature are:

  • Glen Affric, Inverness-shire
  • Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire
  • Glenariff Forest, County Antrim
  • Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Gloucestershire
  • Coed y Brenin, Gwynedd
  • Kielder Forest, Northumberland

• Forests are valued for their environmental benefits, such as cleaner air, flood prevention and providing habitats for wildlife

• With hundreds of millions of visits per year, the public enjoy woodlands for a range of activities – from walking to birdwatching to mountain biking

• The stamp issue coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Forestry Commission

• The stamps can be ordered now from www.royalmail.com/forests and by phone on 03457 641 641

Royal Mail recently revealed a set of six Special Stamps that capture beautiful and inspirational views of forests from across the four countries of the UK.

Valued for their environmental benefits, such as cleaner air, flood prevention and providing habitats for wildlife, the UK’s forests generate hundreds of millions of visits per year — enabling the public to enjoy woodlands for activities from walking and picnicking to birdwatching and mountain biking.

The stamps showcase the character and varied colours of the nation’s forests and are on general sale from www.royalmail.com/forests and in 7,000 Post Offices throughout the UK.

Featured in the set are images of the following forests: Glen Affric; Sherwood Forest; Glenariff Forest; Westonbirt; The National Arboretum; Coed y Brenin and Kielder Forest.

The stamp launch coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Forestry Commission. Founded on 1st September 1919, the Forestry Commission’s remit was to reforest the UK for timber after the First World War had seen clearances of huge areas for the war effort. It is now the public body responsible for protecting, improving and expanding forests and woodland in England.

Responsibility for forests and woodland across the remainder of the UK has, over the years, devolved to different government agencies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

As well as providing sustainable timber to UK industry, in the last 50 years the Commission’s focus has grown to embrace other areas. It is active in wildlife conservation, especially endangered bird and butterfly species, and the preservation of National Parks and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

PK Khaira-Creswell, Director, Forestry Commission centenary, said, “Our centenary is all about inspiring people to share our passion for forests and help us protect and improve them for generations to come. We are proud to be custodians of these stunning landscapes, which are indispensable for people and wildlife.”

Philip Parker, Royal Mail, said: “On the Forestry Commission’s centenary these striking new stamps celebrate the beauty and tranquillity of our public woodlands, and the inspiring range of environments which receive hundreds of millions of visits each year.”

Stamp-by-stamp:

Glen Affric
Glen Affric in Inverness-shire, is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland and is a fragment of the once extensive Caledonian Forest. Its rugged Scots pines and graceful birches are the signature trees in a landscape where forest, lochs, river and mountains combine to create the perfect Highland setting, which is breath-taking at any time of year but especially when the birches take on their golden apparel.

Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire is famous for its rich assemblage of ancient oak trees, such as the Major Oak. The atmospheric image on the stamp shows a fine stand of conifers in the early morning light, reflecting the mixed planting found across the whole forest.

Glenariff Forest
Managed by the Forest Service Northern Ireland, Glenariff Forest Park in County Antrim, boasts a beautiful mixture of views and trails that allow the visitor to enjoy a wide variety of walks and activities. Probably the most spectacular of these is the Waterfall Walk, a steep path up the vertical sides of the gorge and along elevated boardwalks taking in a succession of dramatic and world-famous waterfalls.

Westonbirt, The National Arboretum
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is the Forestry Commission’s flagship collection of trees in England. First created by the wealthy Holford family almost 200 years ago, it is one of the most beautiful and diverse botanical collections in the world. The 600-acre (243ha) site with 17 miles (27km) of paths showcases 3,000 tree species, including the Japanese maples seen on the stamp in autumnal colours.

Coed y Brenin
Located near Dolgellau in the Snowdonia National Park, Coed y Brenin is now one of the flagship forests of Natural Resources Wales. Commercial softwood forestry across some 7,650 acres (3,093ha) of Forest Park combines with recreational facilities for mountain-bikers and a network of spectacular scenic trails for hikers, based around the impressive visitor centre.

Kielder Forest
Kielder Forest in Northumberland is the largest human-made forest in Britain, stretching 250 square miles (647sq km); around 75 per cent is covered by trees. The Forestry Commission harvests around 500,000 cubic metres of timber here each year. The felled areas are replanted using a mixture of conifer and broadleaf trees, and parts are left open to create a diversity of habitats.

Forests through the ages:
The first written evidence of forests designated as royal reserves comes from the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded only about 25 of these sites. Most forests known today were established by the 13th century. When the Magna Carta was sealed in 1215, there were almost 150 forests in England alone, amounting to nearly a million acres.

Over time, the Crown relaxed its hold over the forests, and the local landowners and commoners usually came to mutually beneficial modes of forest governance and management.

In the early 20th century, extensive tree felling left the country’s timber resources severely depleted. The First World War in particular had a huge impact; by the end of it, with forests ravaged in support of the war effort, the UK’s woodland cover was at an all-time low of just five per cent. In response, the Forestry Act was passed, and in September 1919 the Government established the Forestry Commission, demonstrating its support for the creation of productive, state-owned forests to replenish the much-depleted supplies of home-grown timber.

The first Forestry Commission trees were planted in Devon’s Eggesford Forest in December 1919, and in the following years a large programme of land acquisition and tree planting took place across the UK. During the 1930s, the Commission’s estate grew to over 900,000 acres (364,217ha) across England, Scotland and Wales, while the demand for timber increased as tensions in Europe mounted once again. By the end of the Second World War, the country had consumed around a third of its timber supplies.

In its centenary year, Forestry Commission England looks after more than 1,500 woods and forests and provides expert advice and guidance regarding forests owned by others. It is the country’s largest landowner, managing diverse landscapes, including forests, heathlands, mountains, moors and urban green spaces. It works closely with Scottish Forestry, Forestry and Land Scotland, Natural Resources Wales and Forest Service Northern Ireland, and it strives to ensure that our forests are as resilient as possible to the threats of climate change, pests and diseases.

Literature Competition for Articles Announced

Posted on by

[APS press release]
“Articles Only” Literature Exhibit at Sarasota Show

Inaugurated in 2019, the second annual “Articles Only” Literature exhibit will be held February 7-9, 2020 at the Sarasota National Stamp Exhibition in Sarasota, FL. The event is cosponsored with Writers Unit 30, the society for philatelic authors. The format for this show is different from the literature events currently held at CHICAGOPEX and StampShow. The Sarasota exhibit will be open only to articles of less than 8,000 words. The “articles only” show is intended to recognize the hundreds of authors of philatelic journal articles who each year contribute to the hobby with new information for collectors, exhibitors and researchers. Based on the response to last years show, the number of entries that can be accepted has been significantly expanded.

This year’s show will introduce another first. All submissions will be electronic and posted when accepted on the show’s web site. They will be available immediately to all including the judging panel. This year’s jury includes John Hotchner as Chief Judge, Nancy Clark and Alan Warren.

According to Liz Hisey, Chairperson of the Sarasota show, “At one point, single frame philatelic exhibits had difficulty gaining the attention they deserved until becoming a separate category in exhibit competitions. The same can be said for shorter articles, many of which provide outstanding research for us, yet are lost among larger philatelic works. We want to set them apart and recognize the authors.”

“Hopefully, this focus on shorter pieces will encourage a broader spectrum of our hobby to share their knowledge through publication. You don’t have to author a book to substantially add to the philatelic knowledge base. This exhibit puts the spotlight on these important contributors to our hobby.” says David Crotty, Writers Unit 30 Vice President and editor of its journal. “Encouraging philatelic authors is an important part of the Writers Unit 30 mission.”

Journal editors and authors are encouraged to submit entries for the show no later than December 1, 2019. A complete prospectus and entry form are available on the show’s web site – https://www.sarasotastampclub.com/literature-entry-form

APS Seeks Help Renaming StampShow

Posted on by

Updated September 27th: the poll was revised to add another name option and restarted. Please vote again!

Updated September 26th: Vote now![APS press release]
We’re renaming StampShow – and you can help!
Send Us Your Suggestions [link]

Beginning in Hartford 2020, the annual American Philatelic Society stamp convention will be a joint show with the American Topical Association and the American First Day Cover Society. In the past, the annual show has been called StampShow, StampShow / National Topical Stamp Show, StampShow/NTSS, and other variations on these themes. We need your helpful suggestions to create a new and permanent name for the yearly show.

The APS will be collecting responses until Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. After this date, the APS will prepare a poll to vote on the top name suggestions.

We value your input and welcome multiple suggestions for the new name.

[Here’s the link again.]

Miller, Verge, Stotts Win 2019 AAPE Awards

Posted on by

[press release]
The American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors has announced the winners of its top awards for 2019.

Jerry Miller and Charles Verge are this year’s recipients of Herdenberg award. The award, named for Ralph and Bette Herdenberg, founding AAPE members, is presented to members who have provided long and distinguished service to the organization.

Miller administered the popular AAPE exhibit critique service for more than 8 years. Verge served on the AAPE board for 12 years, including as president 1999-2002. He was also a key organizer of Ameristamp Expo 2006 in Toronto.

Jay. B. Stotts is the recipient of the Bernard Henning award, which is given to recognize excellence as a stamp show judge and/or philatelic literature judge. Criteria include skillfully communicating with exhibitors and accurately awarding medal levels. Stotts has been an APS accredited judge since 1989 and was involved in the preparation of the current judging manual.

APS Warns Of Phone Scams

Posted on by

[press release]
APS Warns Of Phone Scams

BELLEFONTE, PA: The American Philatelic Society has received a report of a phone scam perpetrated by individuals who claim they are part of the APS staff. The individuals in question represented themselves as part of the American Philatelic Society and requested payment in advance in exchange for selling the collection of the man who received the call. The phone numbers provided by the perpetrators were connected to a fake APS voicemail recording.

“The individuals who have reported this to us have not been APS members,” Ken Martin tells The Virtual Stamp Club.

The American Philatelic Society has been in contact with local law enforcement to address this report. If you have experienced a similar scam, please contact Ken Martin at the APS.

To remind our members and stamp collectors across the country: the APS does not purchase stamp collections. The APS will never make an unsolicited call or offer to members or non-members, or pressure you to make an immediate decision or payment. All official APS correspondence occurs through the phone number (814) 933-3803 and email domain stamps.org.

If you receive a suspicious call that you believe may not be from the American Philatelic Society, we encourage you to hang up and call the Society back at our official phone number. Likewise, if you receive an email claiming to be from the American Philatelic Society or American Philatelic Research Library, APS staff, or the APS Board, check the email address carefully to make sure that it is from stamps.org. Be especially careful if the email asks for sensitive information (like credit card information, birth dates, social security number, or passwords) or directs you to an external link.

The APS will be happy to respond to inquiries on a dealer or individual’s APS member status. If you are looking for someone to buy your collection, we suggest visiting our member dealer directory.

How to Recognize Scams and Fraudulent Deals
Has a company offered to purchase your stamps without seeing them? Have you been pressured to make an immediate decision? Have they asked you to be bonded or require hefty membership fees before they can help you? Does the seller provide their own certification of authenticity for all items they are selling? Does the offer sound too good to be true? These questions present potential red flags and should cause suspicion.

Professional stamp dealers and legitimate sellers rarely make cold calls or charge fees in advance of services. They are less likely to push you to make a quick decision, and they will properly identify themselves so you can pass their information on to other potential buyers and sellers.

So what can you do to avoid fraud?

Don’t believe your caller ID
With today’s technology it is easy for scammers to falsify caller ID information. The name and number you see aren’t always necessarily real. Write down the caller ID information as it may help in your investigation.

Take your time and gather information
Do not be rushed or pressured into anything. If you are told the offer will not be good if you don’t act immediately, walk away from it. It’s important to take the time to know for sure who you are dealing with before agreeing to anything. Ask callers for their professional affiliations. Ask them for the company’s address, the owner’s name, web address and phone number, advising them that you will consider once you can confirm legitimacy.

Investigate and call someone
Don’t take everything at face value. Con artists will doctor pictures, copy logos and create fake websites. Phone calls and quick web searches could save you from losing your money or stamps. If it is an online seller and they claim to be a member of a known organization, call the organization and confirm the affiliation. If they provide a website, check it out. A site that provides very few details and does not provide contact information of company representatives is a red flag.

Request the Offer in Writing
If a caller is making you an offer, advise that you want it in writing so that you can read, understand and agree to the terms before you sign or pay for anything. If they send you a contract, this could also provide additional information about the company that will help to confirm legitimacy.

Don’t pay upfront for a promise.
Someone might ask you to pay in advance for services or stamps and may even tell you that you need to pay certain fees upfront. Again, unless you do your homework and know who you are dealing with, this is not recommended. There is a chance they will take your money and disappear.

Use a credit card for purchases and never give out your banking or personal details especially when there is doubt.

If you agree to a purchase, a credit card gives you better fraud protection than a debit card or bank transfer. Credit cards are governed by different rules that allow you to dispute an unauthorized or fraudulent charge and the credit card company in most cases will remove the charge until it investigates.

Curious Customs (UK, 2019)

Posted on by

[press release]
UK’S Curious Customs Celebrated with a Set of Special Stamps Royal Mail has revealed eight colourful and engaging illustrations, depicting and capturing the spirit of well-known, and some not so well-known, annual customs that take place around the UK. The stamps celebrate the eclectic mix of annual customs and festivals that take place across the UK. Royal Mail worked with award-winning folklorist Steve Roud on the stamp issue

Many of these customs involve dancing, singing, dressing up and – literally – playing with fire.

The curious customs depicted on the stamps are:

  • Burning the Clocks, Brighton
  • ‘Obby ‘Oss, Padstow
  • The World Gurning Championships, Egremont
  • Up Helly Aa, Lerwick
  • Cheese Rolling, Cooper’s Hill, Brockworth
  • Halloween, Derry/Londonderry
  • Horn Dance, Abbots Bromley
  • Bog Snorkelling, Llanwrtyd Wells

Some customs are often geared to natural stages of the year, or seasons, while others are linked to religious festivals and saints’ days, sporting events or specific occupations.

Due to a remarkable renaissance in the second half of the 20th century, communities began taking renewed pride in their colourful folk heritage. Defunct customs were revived, while others adapted or created events to produce new traditions – for fun and for good causes.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail, said: “Communities throughout the UK have been coming together for centuries to share distinctive traditions and mark key dates of the year. These customs continue to evolve, and our new stamps celebrate their diversity and the communities that maintain them.”

To accompany the stamp issue, Royal Mail commissioned a poem by performance poet Matt Harvey. Entitled, ‘Customs and Exercise’, the poem celebrates and commemorates the eight UK customs featured on the stamps.

“Customs and Exercise” by Matt Harvey

No matter what the custom is
We’re accomplices, not customers.
Magnificent participants in quirky endeavour
In curious costumes in inclement weather.

We’re guisers, we’re teasers, we’re chasers of cheeses
Boat-builders, clock burners, we’re vampires, we’re gurners.
We’re match-striking Vikings, we’re antler-lockers
‘Obby ‘Oss swoopers, Elfan safety snook-cockers.
We’re Cheerleaders, chortlers, we’re snorkelers, bog-sodden
We’re Ghouls in cagoules, fools ancient and modern.

It’s a dance with the past, it’s a craic, it’s a laugh.
Connection in every direction, belonging.
We might get a pint and an off-colour song in.

But what can get lost in the mist and missed in the fuss
Is that at the heart of all these customs
Is us.

The stamps and a range of collectible products are available now from www.royalmail.com/curiouscustoms, by phone on 03457 641 641 and in 7,000 Post Offices throughout the UK

Burning The Clocks, Brighton
Created in 1993 by community arts charity Same Sky, Burning the Clocks is a new custom, based on a parade, designed to promote a feeling of community pride. The procession is open to all, and participants carry the lanterns they have made from paper and willow, often decorated with clock motifs, through the streets and down to the beach. There, the lanterns are passed onto a bonfire, allowing time for reflection and thought to mark the year’s end, and celebrations continue with fireworks. The symbolism of ‘time passing’ is appropriate to the date: 21 December, being the shortest day of the year.

’Obby ’Oss, Padstow
Two strange beasts called Osses (but barely resembling horses) swirl and sway through the streets of the Cornish town of Padstow on May Day accompanied by a host of drummers, musicians and dancers. before finally ‘dying’ at midnight. The first documentary record of this custom dates from 1803.

World Gurning Championships, Egremont
Gurning (or ‘girning’) was a widespread dialect word, from the same root as ‘grinning’, originally signifying ‘snarling’ or ‘baring the teeth in rage’. However, when it was adopted as an entertainment or competition at fairs, gurning took on the meaning of ‘pulling funny or ugly faces’. The Egremont Crab Fair in Cumbria was established in 1267, making it one of the oldest fairs in the world. Each September it holds the World Gurning Championships where each contestant’s face is framed within a large horse collar.

Up Helly Aa, Lerwick
An impressive and famous fire festival which is more than 100 years old takes place in Lerwick on the last Tuesday of January. People in dress parade through the Shetland town, carrying blazing torches including the Guizer Squad in full Viking attire. A full size wooden Viking longship (built over the preceding year) is pulled through the town and is later ceremonially burned as part of the festivities.

Cheese Rolling, Cooper’s Hill, Brockworth
Chasing a large cheese (or similar round object) down a hill was a widespread game at fairs and wakes in the past. At Cooper’s Hill near Brockworth in Gloucestershire, the fair has long gone, but the rolling game continues every Spring Bank Holiday. None of the contestants has much hope of catching up with the cheese but the first to reach the bottom of the hill wins the prize.

Halloween, Derry/Londonderry
Halloween’s origins are in the Celtic festival of Samhain and a tradition of dressing up and calling at houses for gifts has been common for many centuries. The world’s biggest Halloween Party is in Derry/Londonderry which now welcomes around 80,000 people. It involves parades, fancy dress, ghost walks, fireworks and was named as the world’s best Halloween celebration by a poll for USA Today.

Horn Dance, Abbots Bromley
This famous and ancient custom is unique in Europe. Six men carrying huge reindeer antlers plus characters dressed as Maid Marian, Fool, Hobby Horse and Bowman, celebrate ancient hunting rites. They perambulate the Staffordshire parish and at set places perform a dance. The design of the costumes and the dance have been preserved for hundreds of years, with the earliest reference to the horns dating from the 1630s. The horns have been carbon dated to around 1000 AD.

Bog Snorkelling, Llanwrtyd Wells
First held in 1976 the event involves contestants going across and back through a water-filled trench in a peat bog, with the fastest being the winner. Competitors from all over the world travel to the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells each August to take part. Snorkels are essential as participants must remain submerged and only use flippers to propel themselves. This is an excellent example of a modern calendar custom based on a unique sporting event.

U.S. Scott Catalogue Update (August 2019)

Posted on by

5392 (55¢) U.S.S. Missouri
5393 (55¢) Pres. George Herbert Walker Bush

5394 Sesame Street Characters pane of 16
a. (55¢) Big Bird
b. (55¢) Ernie
c. (55¢) Bert
d. (55¢) Cookie Monster
e. (55¢) Rosita
f. (55¢) The Count
g. (55¢) Oscar the Grouch
h. (55¢) Abby Cadabby
i. (55¢) Herry Monster
j. (55¢) Julia
k. (55¢) Guy Smiley
l. (55¢) Snuffleupagus
m. (55¢) Elmo
n. (55¢) Telly
o. (55¢) Grover
p. (55¢) Zoe

5395 (55¢) Pacific Tree Frog
5396 (55¢) Northern Leopard Frog
5397 (55¢) American Green Tree Frog
5398 (55¢) Squirrel Tree Frog
a. Convertible booklet pane of 20, 5 each #5395-5398

RW86 $25 Wood Duck and Decoy Hunting Permit Stamp, self-adhesive
RW86A $25 Wood Duck and Decoy Hunting Permit Stamp, self-adhesive, souvenir sheet of 1

Australia Post Seeks Rate Hike

Posted on by

[press release]
Australia Post proposes 10 cent stamp price increase to support the sustainability of community post

Australia Post has lodged a draft notification with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) seeking an increase in the Basic Postage Rate (BPR) from $1 to $1.10 to apply from January 2020, the first increase in four years.

This proposed increase, along with efficiency savings across the operational network, reflects a balanced approach to ensuring a sustainable community post service. The proposed increase would cost the average household, which regularly sends letters, less than $1.50 per year.

It will help keep Post Offices open – including Australia Post’s vital regional and rural network – keep posties delivering five days a week and ensure Australians everywhere can continue to access these important services.

Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Christine Holgate said importantly the 60 cent price of concession stamps would be protected and available to 5.7 million Australians, including pensioners and veterans, and the 65 cent seasonal greeting card stamps will stay the same.

“In the last financial year, we delivered a profit in-line with that three years earlier. We did this with 820 million less letters delivered to over 700,000 more homes,” Ms Holgate said.

“Our posties deliver to more than 12.1 million addresses across the country. It doesn’t matter if they have one letter or 100 for the address, they still need to drive past the letterbox each day.

“Last year our letters business lost $190 million – this is after the benefit of significant efficiency savings. It is important that we responsibly address pricing if we are to protect this important service and keep our network of community post offices open.”

Business and government customers, who send around 97 per cent of all mail in Australia, will continue to receive incentives to encourage them to use mail as part of their communication strategy. Charities will also continue to receive significant discounts off the BPR.

Since the last BPR increase in January 2016, the General Retail Industry Award has risen by 13 per cent, as well as many of Australia Post’s other costs.

[For U.S. readers, $1.10 Australian dollars is about 74¢ U.S. —VSC]

Jenny Invert Disappointment

Posted on by

It only took American Philatelic Society executives a moment to know: The “rare Jenny invert” owned by a small southwest Iowa aviation museum was a fake — and not even a good one.

“It wasn’t even close,” APS chief operating officer Ken Martin told The Virtual Stamp Club. “It was the size of the Dolley Madison or Windmill stamps,” which were smaller than most definitives, and only about 60% the size of real C3a Jenny Invert, such as the one shown here..

In addition, the Scott catalogue number (“C3a” was printed underneath the design, and the image was flat: The perforations weren’t real, but part of the printing. Martin speyculates the illustration may have been taken from The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps, at one time sold in most post offices.

The Iowa Aviation Museum in Greenfield had had the stamp on display for more than 20 years, glued to a board. It had been told by the original donor that it was a valuable rare stamp.

The museum first contacted the Philatelic Foundation, but decided not to submit the stamp to PF. According to its website, PF’s fee would have been at least $1,000. Instead, at the suggestion of a local stamp collector, museum officials brought it to the APS convention in Omaha, about 80 miles away.

Stamp collectors know the whereabouts of all but one or two of the 100 Jenny Inverts found in 1918. The 24-cent stamp shows a JN-4-H bi-wing aircraft upside down.

The museum had hoped to sell the stamp, which if genuine would have fetched $300,000 and up, and use the money to build a new hangar.

“I felt so bad for them,” APS executive director Scott English told the VSC.

After explaining to museum officials why the stamp wasn’t real, the APS officials showed them a genuine Jenny Invert, which the organization is exhibiting at its convention.

U.S. Postal Museum Honors Klug, Shreve, Helu

Posted on by

[press release]
National Postal Museum Announces Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award Recipients
Alfredo Harp Helú, Janet R. Klug and Charles F. Shreve Will Receive Award Oct. 19

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has announced the 2019 Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award recipients, Alfredo Harp Helú, Janet R. Klug and Charles F. Shreve. They will be honored at a gala at the museum Oct. 19.

The Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award (SPAA) was established in 2002 to honor and celebrate living individuals for outstanding lifetime achievement in the field of philately. This achievement may include original research that significantly advances the understanding of philately, exceptional service to the philatelic community or sustained promotion of philately to the benefit of current and future collectors.

“The National Postal Museum is honored to present this prestigious award to these distinguished individuals,” said Elliot Gruber, director of the museum. “This lifetime achievement award recognizes their exceptional service to the international philatelic community, to the benefit of current and future collectors.”

The SPAA award medallion is a 3-inch, gold-plated bronze disc depicting a sunburst with eight straight and eight wavy rays. Derived from the family coat of arms of James Smithson, founding benefactor of the Smithsonian Institution, the sunburst became the Institution’s official seal June 3, 1966, and is incorporated into the official flag flown by Smithsonian facilities and Smithsonian-sponsored expeditions throughout the world. As such, it is a universally recognized symbol of enlightenment and learning that links the Smithsonian’s history with its future. The medallion is suspended from a grosgrain neck ribbon in Smithsonian blue and yellow.

“I am excited that the Smithsonian Institution is honoring these three talented collectors,” said Donald Sundman, chair of the museum’s Council of Philatelists. “They have shared their profound love of stamps and collecting in different ways, helping people around the world enjoy the great hobby of stamp collecting.”

A special website provides information about the SPAA gala event, including information on purchasing tickets to attend the event.

About the recipients:

Alfredo Harp Helú, Mexico (born 1944), is the founder and philanthropist behind Latin America’s only philatelic museum, the Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca (MUFI). An accomplished, lifelong philatelist who possessed a complete collection of stamps of Mexico, Helú was inspired by two foundational experiences in the mid-1990s. The first was a visit to then-recently opened National Postal Museum. The second was his participation in a temporary exhibition on the numismatics and philately of Oaxaca State, organized in 1996 by the Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca.

These experiences led Helú to create a permanent philatelic museum as a way to share his personal collection and passion for philately with the Mexican people in an atmosphere promoting reflection and coexistence through stamps, art and culture. Toward this goal, the Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú Oaxaca (FAHHO) purchased and restored a colonial-era house at 504 Calle Reforma in the historical city center of Oaxaca, and MUFI was inaugurated July 9, 1998. The museum is free and open to the public seven days per week, professionally managed and curated by FAHHO-sponsored staff.

Helú donated his personal collection to the museum; his initial gift has since been augmented by dozens of other collectors from around the world so that the museum’s holdings are now worldwide in scope. In addition, MUFI has a research library of more than 6,000 books named for Mexican philatelist Jose Lorenzo Cossío y Cosío, whose personal library forms the core of the collection.

MUFI has become a cultural center of Oaxaca State, hosting philately clubs for children and adults, lectures, book presentations, concerts and other events. The museum mounts multiple temporary exhibitions each year and has hosted several Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic Society, International (MEPSI) conventions in Oaxaca, most recently in 2018. To accommodate the increased activity and growth, in 2000 FAHHO remodeled the building at 500 Calle Reforma and added it to the original museum. The purchase and rehabilitation of a third, adjoining building is currently underway.

Janet R. Klug, FRPSL, United States (born 1950), has said she “never met a stamp she didn’t like.” A collector from the age of 6, her specialized exhibits of Tonga, Samoa, Malaya and Japan under Australian occupation have won a World Series of Philately show grand, a grand prix national in Australia, and an international one-frame gold.

Klug promotes philately to a wide audience by writing about stamp collecting in an accessible, uncomplicated style attractive to beginners. Her “Refresher Course” and “Stamp Excursions” columns have appeared in Linn’s Stamp News since 2002. She wrote a “Down Under” column for Scott Stamp Monthly from 1999 to 2010 and the “Starting Point” column for The American Philatelist from 1998 to 2003. Her book-length publications include Catalog of Tin Can Mail Cachets of the Tonga Islands (1984), 100 Greatest American Stamps (2007) (co-authored with Donald J. Sundman) and Guide to Stamp Collecting (2008).

Klug was appointed a member (2010–2014) of the U.S. Postal Service Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee by Postmaster General John Potter and was named chair (2014–present) by Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. She was vice chair of the National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists (2003–2007) and chair of its New Initiatives Committee (2009–2013). She served the American Philatelic Society (APS) as an officer for 10 consecutive years as secretary (1997–2001), vice president (2001–2003) and president (2003–2007). She was chair of the APS Committee on Accreditation of National Exhibitions and Judges (1999–2003) and was herself an accredited judge 1991–2015.

Klug has previously been recognized with the Philadelphia National Stamp Exhibition Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), the APS Writers Unit Hall of Fame (2010), the St. Louis Stamp Expo’s Elizabeth C. Pope Award for Lifetime Contributions to Philately (2011), a Daniel W. Vooys Fellowship at the American Philatelic Research Library (2012) and the Luff Award for Outstanding Service to the APS (2014).

Charles F. Shreve, FRPSL, United States (born 1954), started collecting stamps at age 12 and was soon working at a local stamp shop on Saturdays to pay for his purchases. While still a teenager, he became an apprentice auction lot describer for Roger Koerber Auctions in Southfield, Michigan. He joined Sotheby Parke Bernet Stamp Auction Company in 1977 and left in 1980 to lead Steve Ivy Philatelic Auctions Inc., ultimately becoming a partner in Ivy, Shreve and Mader, one of the largest stamp auction houses in the country. He left to form Shreves Philatelic Galleries Inc. in 1994 and oversaw its sale to Spink and Son Ltd. of London in 2007, becoming president of Spink Shreves Galleries. Since 2012, Shreve has been a director of Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Inc. with responsibility for its international division.

Using modern marketing techniques, Shreve is credited with essentially revolutionizing the way rare stamps were presented and sold at high-profile, international auctions. He also was the first stamp auctioneer to conduct his auctions live on the internet, making stamps accessible to collectors around the world.

Shreve has led major philanthropic campaigns in philately, helping to raise substantial sums for the hobby, including millions for the National Postal Museum’s William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. He spearheaded a $1 million fundraising campaign in 2000 to help refurbish the historic Collectors Club townhouse in New York City and also served as the Development Chair for World Stamp Show–NY2016.

A member of the National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists since 2001, Shreve is chair of the Council’s Advancement Committee. He is an expert consultant to, and member of the board of trustees of, the Philatelic Foundation and was a member of the board of governors of the Collectors Club of New York (1999–2013). He is a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London and a Daniel W. Vooys Fellow of the American Philatelic Research Library (2011), in addition to life memberships in the American Stamp Dealers Association, American Philatelic Society and U.S. Philatelic Classics Society. His other memberships include the American Revenue Association, Carriers and Locals Society and the Philatelic Traders Society (London).

About the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, call (202) 633-1000 or visit the museum website at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.