[press release]
AFDCS Counting Down to Member Milestone
Awarding 30,000 Pennies to Lucky New Member And Proposer

The American First Day Cover Society will give a lucky new member and whoever proposes that member each a $300 credit — the equivalent of 30,000 pennies — to welcome member #30,000.

The winners can spend their prizes on the AFDCS.org website, buying FDCs, catalogues and handbooks; joining, renewing or upgrading their memberships; paying for successful AFDCS auction bids; and more. The complete rules are on our website. (No, you cannot join, quit, and join again to try to hit #30,000! And your dog is not eligible.)

The AFDCS today does not have 30,000 members: It is closer to 1,200. Some numbers may have been skipped; some people may have received more than one number over the years; and, of course, some former members no longer collect.

Member #1 was Richard S. Bohn, who was one of the philatelic leaders who came up with the idea of a national society for first day cover collectors. Unfortunately, he passed away within a year after the founding in 1955. The earliest still active membership number is 10, Gerald Strauss [left], the first editor of First Days.

The AFDCS is the largest not-for-profit first day cover society in the world, with members in more than a dozen countries. It publishes an award-winning journal, First Days, six times a year, as well as handbooks, catalogues and You-Tube videos; holds fundraising auctions; is a co-sponsor of the annual Great American Stamp Show, conducts an annual cachetmaking contest; and encourages philatelic exhibiting and writing about FDCs.

For more information about the AFDCS, visit www.afdcs.org, e-mail afdcs@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at Post Office Box 27, Greer, SC 29652-0027.

The American First Day Cover Society’s latest fund-raising auction is now online: All 1,200 lots are illustrated in color at www.afdcs.org/auction98/98index.html The sale will close a minute before midnight on June 23, 2024.

The lots offered range from a matched set of George Washington Bicentennial (Sc. 704-715) FDCs with the seldom-seen William Rabin cachet (Lot 28, shown on the right) to bulk lots (“Bundles of Fun”). Lot 388 is an Express Mail booklet pane of 3 (Sc. 1909a) on a House of Farnam variety (shown below left). Another lot has a rare variety of the first ArtCraft cachet (for the New York World’s Fair stamp, Sc. 853. Featured cachetmakers in this auction are Bevil, Collins, 6º, Carruthers Hays, Doris Gold (including artwork), Pugh, Carol Gordon, Crosby, Fluegel, and Peterman.

The offerings are not just first day covers: There are presidential inauguration covers dating back to 1929, as well as ceremony programs, first-day postmarked ephemera, and oversized FDCs and cards.

These auctions are held twice a year, with all the lots donated to the organization. Bidding is open to non-members as well as members, and bids may be submitted by regular mail, email, or — easiest of all — the “webform” on the website. The Terms of Sale can be found at www.afdcs.org/auction.html

The AFDCS is the largest not-for-profit first day cover society in the world, with members in more than a dozen countries. It publishes an award-winning journal, First Days, six times a year, as well as handbooks, catalogues and You-Tube videos, and is a co-sponsor of the annual Great American Stamp Show. It holds an annual cachetmaking contest (many of whose winners are offered in this auction) and encourages philatelic exhibiting and writing about FDCs.

For more information about the AFDCS, visit www.afdcs.org, e-mail afdcs@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at Post Office Box 27, Greer, SC 29652-0027.

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From cataloguing articles to writing and editing them: The Chief Librarian and Director of Information Services at the American Philatelic Research Library, Scott Tiffney, is leaving the APRL to become an editor at Linn’s Stamps News, Scott Stamp Monthly and the Scott postage stamp catalogues, all published by Amos Media in Sidney, Ohio. Denise MCarty is managing editor at present.

Replacing Tiffney at APRL will be Marian Mills, currently the Library Technical Services Manager. [Her photo is below.] The changes take effect April 1.

“I look forward to the opportunity and challenge of continuing to contribute to the philatelic community in my new role with Amos Media,” Tiffney said in a story on the Linn’s website.

“For years, Scott has been the face, heart, and soul of the library. Under his leadership, we’ve experienced a transformation from solely brick and mortar to a worldwide philatelic resource,” said Scott English, Executive Director of the APS. “He’s embodied the members’ first mission of the APS and APRL, and he will be missed.”

In addition to his duties running the Library, Tiffney also wrote columns for American Philatelist, the American Philatelic Society’s journal, and the APRL’s Philatelic Literature Review, as well as columns for La Posta and the ASDA journal. He has also written articles silent film and library science publications.

Still, Tiffney admitted in an email interview with The Virtual Stammp Club, the switch from librarian to editor/writer will be challenging. “I welcome the opportunity in this new role to remain in the hobby while using the knowledge that I’ve gained at the APRL regarding philatelic writing and research,” he wrote. Still, “the difference between the two occupations is not as vast as one would imagine” because both involve critical thinking and presenting information to the public.

Tiffney started at the APRL as a volunteer in 2010 and joined the library staff full-time in October 2012 as the Library Research Assistant. He became the Librarian and Director of Information Services in January 2018. [We interviewed him then. Read or listen to the feature here.] Since taking over the position, Tiffney has led the growth of the Robert A. Mason Digital Library, which now hosts more than 8,700 journal issues and is growing.

“My time at the APRL has been some of the most rewarding in my professional career,” he said in the APS announcement. In his email, he added, “The decision to leave the APS/APRL was a difficult one. I’ve learned so much about the philately and those in the hobby in my nearly 14 years at the APRL, but the opportunity to try something new and still stay in the hobby was an exciting option for me. The work will definitely be different from the work I’ve done in libraries for most of my career, but at this point I was looking to explore something outside of my immediate comfort zone in order to see what else I could contribute to philately.”

He may not be moving to the Sidney, Ohio, area where Amos is located. “One of the aspects of the position that appealed to me the most was that the majority of the duties could be done remotely,” he told VSC. “I’m sure there will be times when I may need to be in Sidney, but the majority of the position can and will be done remotely which will enable me to continue to use the resources of the APRL in my new role.”

However, the real burning question from this career move is “Who will be doing the public address announcements at Great American Stamp Show?”

“That’s a great question. Auditions will be happening shortly,” Scott replied. “All kidding aside, I found going to shows like GASS and especially smaller shows one of the truly special perks in working here. It was always a treat meeting members and others in the hobby and hearing their stamp stories.”

Mills joined the APRL in December 2017, replacing Tiffney as Library Research Assistant. She received a B.S. in Library Sciences from Clarion University in 2012 and a Masters in Library and Information Sciences from Simmons University in 2017. In February 2020, the APS promoted Mills to Library Technical Services Manager, where she took over day-to-day management of the Mason Digital Library, the David Straight Memorial Philatelic Union Catalog, the APS/APRL archives, and donations of philatelic literature.

“I am honored to continue the work of the staff, Scott Tiffney, and my predecessors in making the library more accessible to our membership and researchers from around the world. In my previous positions in the library, I have been fortunate to have worked with some wonderful people: library staff, the membership, board members, and other philatelic librarians,” added Mills. “I look forward to renewing those relationships and creating new relationships as I move into this new role in the library.”

Mills is currently on maternity leave after she and her husband, Aaron Myers, welcomed their first son, Ellis, in November. She will return on March 1, 2024, to transition to her new position in April.

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
ATA’s Warm Up to Topicals Free Presentation Series Announced

Did you know that postcards played an outsized role in ensuring the existence of the United States Postal Service? That’s one of the many mysteries to be discovered when the American Topical Association presents its annual Warm Up to Topicals series of free philatelic programs on Zoom from January 16 to March 26.

ATA will offer seven presentations in this year’s winter philatelic roundup. Other topics include enhancing your collecting experience through social media, history of anti-Jewish behavior in America, a preview of the Boston 2026 World Expo, and more.

All programs are free and do not require ATA membership to attend. The 2024 presentations are:

How Picture Postcards Saved the U.S. Postal Department
With Dawn Hamman
Tuesday, January 16, 7 p.m. Eastern

Energize Your Stamp Club, Part II
With Todd Gantzer and Michele Bresso
Tuesday, January 23, 7 p.m. Eastern

Touring from the Dalmatian Coast to Budapest via the Stamps of Eastern Europe
With Alan and Diane Bauer
Tuesday, January 30, 7 p.m. Eastern

Boston 2026 World Expo Highlights
With Yamil Kouri
Tuesday, February 6, 7 p.m. Eastern

Discrimination Never Takes a Vacation
With Gregg Philipson
Tuesday, February 20, 7 p.m. Eastern

Enhance Your Hobby Experience with Social Media
With Jeff Hayward
Tuesday, March 19, 7 p.m. Eastern

Meet the Todidae Family from the Greater Antilles
With Felix L. Perez-Folch, Jr.
Tuesday, March 26, 7 p.m. Eastern

Attendance of ATA Zoom presentations requires online registration. To complete the quick and easy online registration process, go to this page. Click on the title of the desired presentation, then click “Register” to attend. For each event, you’ll be taken to a form asking for your contact information including an email address. ATA will immediately send you the presentation’s zoom link in a confirmation email.

Plan to attend them all and expand your knowledge of our philatelic world.

Members of the American First Day Cover Society have elected three new members to the organization’s Board of Directors: Jeff Hayward of New York, Patrick Morgan of Missouri and Eric Wile of North Carolina. Also elected was incumbent Foster Miller of Maryland. The four candidates were unopposed.

The vote totals were:

In addition, Chris Calle, Mark Gereb, Michael R. Rosenthal, Catherine O’Conner, Walter George, D.A. Lux and Lisa Foster each received one write-in vote. Jack Ginsburg of the AFDCS’ Robert C. Graebner Chapter was acting chair of the Election Committee, filling in for chairman Otto Thamasett who was recovering from surgery. Filling out the committee were Roy Souther and, replacing Otto, Neal Parr. The committee received 217 ballots, of which one was disqualified.

Miller has been on the Board since 1997 and is also Chair of the Membership and Sales Departments of the AFDCS. A new member of the AFDCS, Morgan has written articles for both First Days and Topical Time, and is active in his local stamp club. Hayward, a Life Member, works in Information Technology and is active in the American Topical Association. Wile is also active in a local stamp club, has written many times for First Days, and is a cachetmaker.

Four seats on the AFDCS Board of Directors are elected each year for three-year terms, beginning Jan. 1. In addition to the 12 elected directors, the president, the editor of the official journal First Days, and the general counsel serve on the board ex officio, if not elected to the board in their own right. The board meets in person at least once a year and as needed via the internet.

AFDCS directors are not compensated for serving on the board nor reimbursed for their travel expenses.

For more information on the AFDCS, visit www.afdcs.org or write to the AFDCS, PO Box 27, Greer, SC 29652-0027, or via e-mail at afdcs@afdcs.org.

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
ATA Launches Year Four of My One-Page Exhibit
By Michele M. Bresso and Thomas W. Broadhead [left]

The American Topical Association announces the opening of year four of its successful virtual exhibiting program, My One-Page Exhibit, starting next month and running through February 15, 2024. The exhibit program is free to enter and open to all. ATA membership is not required to participate.

Rather than offering judging or popularity votes, the program focuses on expression, storytelling and sharing. Exhibits are submitted as PDF file uploads on the ATA website during the submission period.

The previous three years’ entries realized hundreds of exhibits from countries around the globe. Many entries were submitted by ATA members giving the global philatelic family a glimpse of our topical and other philatelic interests. Submissions included exhibits from the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Peru, Austria, Italy, Columbia, Germany, and more. Exhibitors ranged from novice youths to international large gold recipients.

Literally a single page, either 8.5” x 11” or 11” x 17” in size, the exhibit represents an accessible way for newcomers to philatelic exhibiting to become engaged in this aspect of the hobby. For experienced one- and multi-frame competitive exhibitors, the My One-Page Exhibit Program provides a place to explore new themes and topics and share important stories.

Last year’s exhibits displayed in 13 categories on the ATA website including animals, arts, culture, health and safety, nature, philately, plans, postal history, science and technology, sports, transportation, U.S. history, and world history. Exhibits are not limited to these categories, and new categories are added as needed to accommodate the exhibits received.

For example, in the science and technology category in 2023, exhibits shared the story of how a thunderstorm develops [right], a look at wristwatches, and a survey of women astronomers on stamps [below]. Narratives developed by exhibits can be serious, questioning, comic, and everything in between. Every exhibit offers an opportunity for viewers to be introduced to or learn more about a topic, according to ATA Executive Director Jennifer Miller.

“Our hope is that the philatelic world will learn from the exhibits and that one-page novice exhibitors will be inspired by the examples to refine their exhibit pages,” Miller said. “Just as important, we hope all exhibitors will consider expanding the scope of their future exhibits for both traditional and virtual exhibiting.”

My One-Page Exhibit is an opportunity for experienced exhibitors not only to create and share interesting items from their collections that may be outliers from their exhibits but also to take an active role in promoting exhibiting to those who want to try exhibiting for the first time.

“We would like every local stamp club and topical interest group to engage in the ATA My One-page Exhibit Program and submit an entry this year,” Miller said.

The 2024 My One-Page Exhibit Program opens for entry submission on December 15, 2023 and closes on February 15, 2024. Exhibits will be submitted on the ATA website – americantopical.org. Exhibit instructions and requirements are posted on the ATA exhibit page. Exhibits in the 2024 program will be available for viewing on the ATA website by April 1, 2024 and will remain online throughout the year. Visit americantopical.org for updates and details.