A new book from the American First Day Cover Society chronicles a collector’s love for the 8-cent Albert Einstein stamp of 1966. The Al Raddi Collection of Scott 1285 Albert Einstein FDCs shows 163 different first day covers for the Prominent Americans issue.

Each of the cachets is shown in color. Raddi, from Michigan, invites readers to send information about other cachets that exist for this issue.

The book starts with a brief biography of the scientist, and information about both the U.S. Einstein stamp and those issued by other countries.

The Al Raddi Collection s available as a .pdf download from the AFDCS for $8 ($6 for members) or a printout may be purchased for $15 ($13) postpaid. Either version may be ordered from the AFDCS website at www.afdcs.org/fdccatalogs.html. The printed version may also be ordered by mail from AFDCS Sales, PO Box 44, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0044.

The American First Day Cover Society is a not-for-profit educational organization, with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status granted by the IRS. Established in 1955, the AFDCS also publishes handbooks, catalogues and its award-winning bimonthly journal, First Days. It also promotes first day cover exhibiting, both at its own Americover show and at other stamp shows.

For more information about the AFDCS, visit www.afdcs.org, e-mail afdcs@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732.

[press release]
ATA Publishes “What’s First” Book

The American Topical Association has just published What’s First?, a 335-page book that pictures and describes the first stamp for more than 800 topics. From abacus to zebra, it is colorfully illustrated with stamp images and descriptions of the first time a topic appeared on a stamp.

Spanning two centuries, the book explores firsts for popular topics, such as cats and railways/trains, to more esoteric topics, such as handshakes and dominoes. It is fully indexed by topic and country/Scott number.

Written by Canadian playwright and journalist Jack Gray, the book will be appealing to topical collectors, as well as those with other collecting interests, and also to exhibitors. It makes an excellent addition to any philatelic library.

What’s First? is available in book and DVD format for $40 plus shipping (Book: US $4, Canada $25.25, other countries $35.75; DVD: US and Canada $1.50; other countries $3.50). Mail a check to ATA, PO Box 8, Carterville IL 62918-0008 or email americantopical@msn.com or call 618-985-5100. More information at www.americantopicalassn.org

The Jenny airmails may be among America’s best-known stamps, but little is known about the first day covers of those stamps. In fact, well-known philatelic author and researcher Ken Lawrence says there may be only one genuine FDC.

First Day Covers of 1918 Air Post Stamps — Or Are They? brings together in one volume four previously published articles, along with a new “afterword” essay by Lawrence and an introduction by aerophilatelic exhibitor Andrew McFarlane. The book is the latest publication from the American First Day Cover Society. Publication coincides with the centenary of both U.S. airmail service and the issuance of the first U.S. airmail stamps, depicting the “Jenny” airplane.

“It’s difficult to believe that after all these years there could still be so many outstanding questions regarding these Jenny ‘first day’ covers,” writes McFarlane. “I think it’s safe to say that many of these questions can now be safely put to rest” by this book.

First Day Covers of 1918 Air Post Stamps — Or Are They? Is available as a .pdf download from the AFDCS for $12 ($10 for members) or a printout may be purchased for $20 ($17) postpaid. Either version may be ordered from the AFDCS website at www.afdcs.org/publications.html. The printed version may also be ordered by mail from AFDCS Sales, PO Box 44, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0044.

The American First Day Cover Society is a not-for-profit educational organization, with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status granted by the IRS. Established in 1955, the AFDCS also publishes handbooks, catalogues and its award-winning bimonthly journal, First Days. It also promotes first day cover exhibiting, both at its own Americover show and at other stamp shows.

For more information about the AFDCS, visit www.afdcs.org, e-mail afdcs@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732.

In a blog entry, American Philatelic Society executive director Scott English has announced formation of a “Senior Leadership Team” comprised of three already-employed staff directors, and giving them broader assignments:

• Rick Banks transitions from Comptroller and Director of Internal Operations to Chief Administrative Officer. He joined the APS staff in 2004.
• Ken Martin goes from Chief Operating Officer to Chief Membership Officer. He went to work for the APS in 1995, and has been its shows and exhibition Director and executive director.
• Martin Kent Miller moves from American Philatelist/Philatelic Literature Review editor to Chief Content Officer. He was hired in 2017 and has since added the website and other digital and online efforts to his portfolio

The reorganization is part of English’s efforts to transform the APS into a viable 21st century collectors organization. In the past, the APS had as many as a dozen “staff directors” responsible for specific areas, all of whom reported directly to the executive editor.

[press release]
AAPE Announces Youth Grand Champion of Champions for 2018

Darren Corapcioglu was awarded 2018 Youth Grand Champion at the APS StampShow/ATA NTSS Awards Celebration in Columbus, OH, August 11. The award was presented by the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors (AAPE).

Darren’s thematic exhibit, “The Universe,” qualified by winning the Youth Grand Award at NAPEX 2018. He is 18 years old and lives in Germantown, MD. Darren also won the title in 2016 but improved his exhibit by the required 25 percent to be eligible. [He just completed his one-year Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship; his biography is here and he is included in the recent Virtual Stamp Club radio feature on the 2017-2018 Fellows.] He has competed internationally.

The Reserve Grand Award was won by Amelia Kelbert from Calgary, Canada, with her thematic exhibit, “The World of the Monarch Butterly (Doneus Plexippus).”

The AAPE Youth Grand Championship is awarded annually at StampShow. This year, eight youths, ranging in age from 10 to 18 qualified and competed – each having won a Youth Grand Award at an APS World Series of Philately Show. The participants vie for 19 awards donated by WESTPEX, Collectors Club of Chicago, Pinnacle Stamp Club, American Topical Association, International Society of Worldwide Collectors, John Hotchner, Don Smith and Ken Martin.

This year’s judges were Mark Schwartz and Bill Schultz.

Other award winners are listed at www.aape.org.

by Lloyd A. de Vries, The Virtual Stamp Club

These notes are not meant to be comprehensive; for more detailed reporting, see Foster Miller’s live blogging from the meeting in The Stamp Collecting Forum. (This link takes you directly to those messages). Unless otherwise attributed, all views and observations are those of the author.

Some highlights — Shows:

StampShow 2022 will be held in Sacramento, Calif. Previously set are 2019 Omaha, 2020 Hartford, Conn., and 2021 in the Chicago area.

The American Topical Association, which is holding its National Topical Stamp Show in conjunction with APS StampShow this weekend in Columbus, Ohio, has asked to do the same next year, in Omaha. I believe the National Model Railroaders Association also will be meeting in conjunction with StampShow next year in Omaha. APS executive director Scott English said at this meeting that the Union Pacific Railroad is a sponsor of StampShow 2019.

2019 is the 150th anniversary of the “driving of the Golden Spike,” the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, or the ability to take a train from one side of the U.S. to the other. The Central Pacific Railroad headed east from Sacramento; the Union Pacific headed west from Omaha, and UP still exists as a company today.

English is going to Omaha next month to explore other community involvement for the show.

AmeriStamp Expo in Birmingham in February lost $45,000, even more than the most-pessimistic predictions. English hopes StampShow 2018 will make up most of that, but it won’t make up all of it.

English calls this weekend’s joint APS/ATA show “historic.”

“I believe there is no wrong way to get into stamp collecting,” he said.

Finances:

Treasurer Bruce Marsden reports the APS is financially strong. However, it has $4.1 million in “designated funds,” and he recommends the Board take a look at how that money is allocated. For instance, the “insurance fund” (for circuit sales, I believe) has about 10 times as much in it as is ever used.

The APS and American Philatelic Research Library, which owns the American Philatelic Center (“Match Factory”), have an operating agreement dating back to 2005. However, Marsden says most of it has never been followed: There is no lease, no rents collected, no certainty of which organization promotes rentals to outside groups. The operating agreement also predates the completion of the Library facilities. He recommends re-examining this agreement, too.

English does not recommend a dues increase. The APS raised dues by $10 twice in a five-year period, 2003 ($25 to $35) and then again in 2008 ($35 to the present $45). The latter had a strong effect on membership.

The average cost per member is about $40. Dues account for only about 21% of APS revenue. Eliminating the never-financially-successful AmeriStamp Expo winter show will save about $2 per member! No dues pay for American Philatelist, the journal: It is supported by its advertising revenue.

The APS has reduced its debtload by almost $2 million in the three years since English became executive director.

Library:

Chief librarian Scott Tiffney, subject of our current audio feature, says reference request and usage of the APRL is up. Donations of materials to the Library are also up, but he is trying to be more selective so as to speed the inclusion of new materials into the Library. (He talked about this in our interview.) About 37% of the donated materials are added to the Library’s holdings.You can search online for duplicate materials that are for sale.

85% of all issues of American Philatelist, the journal of the APS, are now available online through the Library, and Tiffney expects that to be 100% by late September.

There are also more philatelic exhibits online.

Website:

English said he does not apologize for calling the current APS website, stamps.org, “garbage” in an article that appeared in Linn’s Stamp News. (You can read it here.) He says it was good once, given the state of the art then and what the APS could afford, but it no longer is adequate.

Martin Miller, editor of American Philatelist, is the project manager on revamping the website. You will see changes shortly.

Sales Taxes:

Society attorney Kathleen Yurchak is keeping an eye on South Dakota v. Wayfair, a recent Supreme Court ruling that said states have the right to collect sales taxes from Internet merchants, even if they do not have a physical presence in those states. (Read more in Forbes as well as other publications.) English says there are 5,000 taxing jurisdictions in the U.S.

From my own experience, customers in White Plains, NY, pay city, county and state sales taxes, while those in nearby towns may only pay county and state.

Membership Survey:

All APS members for which the society has e-mail addresses were invited to take the survey, which was written by a professional firm. About 15% did, which is much higher than the usual response to online surveys of 3-4%.

54% of those responding collecting only stamps.
40% collecting stamps and covers.
The other 6% were dealers, advertisers and institutions.

The strongest responses were from the Southeast and Midwest.

77% read every issue.
More than 81% consider it a source of continuing philatelic education for them.
Less than 27% share it. Miller wants to change that: “The recruitment value of ‘AP’ is incalculable.”

Not surprisingly, the interest in online features increases as the age of the member (or, at least, the members’ length of time in the APS) decreases. Some members only do eBay and Facebook online.

85% of AP’s readers read the ads.
60% say they have discovered new dealers through reading American Philatelist.
63% are more likely to support an advertiser over a non-advertiser, that is, whom to patronize or give their business.

The survey respondents overall gave high marks to American Philatelist 3 the highest scores the analysis group had ever seen for an organization!

Miscellany:

There is an eBay seminar at StampShow at 3 p.m. on Friday; I believe someone from eBay HQ will present it. Based on the eBay seminars in the late 1990s at StampShow, this one may be mobbed!

Five dealers are participating in an eBay auction that will close during StampShow. It is a joint project of the APS and American Stamp Dealers Association. We hope to have a report on it after it closes.

Both English and APS president Bob Zeigler are left-handed.

This show marks English’ 3rd anniversary as executive director.

English called the “Stamp Soiree,” a high-donation reception this year being held in the Ohio State Capitol, the “Ziggy Experience.” At that, Zeigler put his head in his hands.

Zeigler will not be attending StampShow this year; his son is getting married this weekend in Seattle.

The American Philatelic Society is giving its highest award this year to John H. Barwis, Denise Stotts and Wayne L. Wayne Youngblood. Barwis is receiving the Luff Award for philatelic research. Stotts is being honored for her contributions to philately. Youngblood is cited for his service to the APS. L-R, Barwis, Stotts and Youngblood.

The Luff awards are considered the highest awards in U.S. philately.

The 2018 awards will be formally presented August 11 at the banquet of StampShow / National Topical Stamp Show in Columbus, Ohio.

The APS press release, with more details, is on the APS web blog.

Cheryl Ganz has been chosen to fill a vacancy on the American Philatelic Society’s Board of Directors. By a unanimous vote, the former Smithsonian National Postal Museum philatelic curator was elected as a Vice President, filling the vacancy when Bob Zeigler succeeded Mick Zais as president. Zais resigned when he became U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education.

Ganz called into the telephone conference-call meeting Monday, June 11th, from Iceland!

At the same time, the Board chose Steve Rod as Historian, replacing Gini Horn, who resigned because of ill health.

Zeigler opened the meeting by vowing to “do no harm,” expand the membership “or at least stop the attrition,” and to retire more debt.

In announcing his nomination of Ganz, Zeigler cited her record of service to the APS and philately, “her great temperament,” and her writing.

Ganz said she did not seek the job, but was asked by two people. She said she has always a big booster of the society, a donor, a life member, and serves on two committees, Ethics and New Initiatives. She has never been on the Board before. “I will do my best to do everything  I can to help the APS,” she said.

Ganz joins a three-member Board of Vice Presidents that also includes Trish Kaufmann and Jeff Shapiro.

Speaking at the meeting, Rod cited past historian Herb Trenchard, who severed for decades. “I am in awe” of Trenchard, he said. “I hope to serve in this position as dutifully as Herb and Gini have,” Rod said. “I love the APS with all my heart and soul.”

Rod’s appointment by the president did not need a vote, but was approved unanimously anyway.

The Board also approved unanimously a resolution honoring APS staffer Janet Houser.  Executive director Scott English noted that she began at the APS in 1990, and worked in the accounting department before moving to education. He said he was “extremely grateful” for her help as he became the organization’s CEO and made changes. “Janet has been extremely supportive of the education initiatives” and “an ambassador of good will,” he said. “I’ve been grateful for having her.”

English said he will also be submitting the resolution to the American Philatelic Research Library board.

The executive director recommended the Board skip its previously-scheduled meeting on June 19th, inasmuch as all the business has been covered. The Board will next convene the day before StampShow.

Zeigler recommended English draw up a resolution praising Zais, for a vote by the Board at the August meeting.

[This story will be updated.]

American Philatelic Society president Mitchell “Mick” Zais has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Deputy Secretary of Education. That means he will have to resign his APS post, as required by White House ethics rules.

The Deputy Secretary is the number-two official at DOE. The vote was 50-48, along party lines. Sens. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) were not in Washington and did not vote.

“On behalf of the APS members, I would like to thank Mick for his years of service on the APS Board,” said Scott English, Executive Director, who also worked with Zais in South Carolina, “Even with his new responsibilities, I hope he still has time to collect, visit a few stamp shows, and even recruit a few new members in the Nation’s Capital. Best of luck in the next chapter!”

According to a press release from the Department of Education, “Dr. Zais most recently served as South Carolina’s elected State Superintendent of Education from 2011-2015. Prior to that, he served 10 years as president of Newberry College in South Carolina. Dr. Zais served 31 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a Brigadier General. He holds a B.S. in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, an M.A. degree in military history, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in organizational behavior and social psychology from the University of Washington. He served as South Carolina Commissioner of Higher Education and is a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the states’ highest civilian award.”

He was elected to the APS presidency for a three-year term in the spring of 2016, and took office in August 2016. He previously served on the APS Board of Vice Presidents from 2013 to 2016.

Zais has been an APS member since 1976, joining after attending Interphil 1976, the seventh international show held in Philadelphia. He is also a member of the American First Day Cover Society, specializing in the Army half of the Army-Navy series of 1937, which he has begun exhibiting.

Zais’ nomination was first put forward last year by the White House. It was approved December 13th by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and sent to the full Senate for action. Then, because the Senate recessed for more than 30 days over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays without acting upon it, the nomination was “returned” to President Trump and had to be resubmitted in January.

According to the APS Bylaws, in the event of the resignation of the President, the Board of Directors will choose a replacement from among the current members of the Board. The Board must call a meeting within 10 days of the vacancy to fill the position. That meeting has been called for Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at 5 p.m. EDT. The telephone meeting is open to the public and APS members are welcome to join the call in to 888-537-7715 (toll free). The passcode is 13291358#

The current members of the Board, other than Zais, are:

• Trish Kaufmann, Vice President
• Jeff Shapiro, Vice President
• Robert Zeigler, Vice President
• Stephen Schumann, Secretary
• Bruce Marsden, Treasurer
• Michael Bloom, Director-at-Large
• Peter McCann, Director-at-Large
• Rich Drews, Director-at-Large
• Mark Schwartz, Director-at-Large
• Stephen Reinhard, Immediate Past President

McCann was president from 1999-2003, and Reinhard from 2013-2016. The newly elected president will complete Zais’ term through August 2019.

Zais participated in the unveiling of a flag stamp at the January 2017 first-day ceremony during Southeastern Stamp Expo. He is on the left:

The Virtual Stamp Club interviewed Zais about his first six months as president last January. The VSC radio feature is here (script and audio file).

[press release]
Wonderful collection of Cayman Islands

The members of The Royal Philatelic Society London were able to admire the wonderful collection of Cayman Islands built up by Captain James Podger FRPSL at the meeting held on 3 May.

The story begins in April 1889 when a branch of the Jamaica Post Office was opened in Georgetown on Grand Cayman, with Jamaican postage stamps being supplied to enable letters to be sent as if they had originated from Jamaica.

The islands’ own stamps were first issued in November 1900 (the earliest recorded date is 15 November) being of the ‘Key Plate’ design in values of ½d and 1d, these being the final ‘Key Plates’ to use the portrait of Queen Victoria. Following the release of these stamps, further values were required – 2½d, 6d and 1/- – and these were the first ‘Key Plates’ stamps to have the portrait of King Edward VII.

The display continued up to the present reign, including proofs and varieties, and fine examples of usage, with postage due markings, airmails and censorship, plus examples of the extremely rare ‘East End Grand Cayman’ rural post marking.

Giving the vote of thanks, Simon Richards FRPSL paid tribute to the fact that James and other specialists work together to share the results of their research.

Those wishing to visit The Royal Philatelic Society London at 41 Devonshire Place, London W1G 6JY, or be a guest at one of its meetings, are asked to contact the Administrative Office (020 7486 1044).