[Editor’s note: Although this message is addressed to APS members, it is an important warning for all stamp collectors.]

ALL MEMBERS PLEASE BEWARE: An individual or group has been reported to APS as using the name of past APS President, John Hotchner, in a scam requiring a substantial cash deposit (which is then stolen) as basis for help in selling a collection. Members should be on guard against any such offer. There is no circumstance in which a cash deposit for being bonded should be required to sell your collection. Mr. Hotchner is not associated with any commercial venture involved in buying or selling collections, and has no involvement of any sort with this scam.

PLEASE REPORT CALLS AND ANY INFORMATION: We are trying to gather as much information as we can in order to turn this over to the authorities.  If you have been contacted by these people, please call the APS at 814-933-3812 or email Complaint Manager Wendy Masorti and provide any details you have.  And if you have given money to these people, please be sure to contact us and provide details as we can use this information to build a case.  Even if you previously contacted APS regarding this matter, please call or email AGAIN so that we can properly document your information.  Several APS staff members have been receiving these calls and may not have collected all pertinent information that we are now documenting – so please call again as all calls are now being directed to our Complaint Manager, Wendy Masorti.

HELP GET THE WORD OUT:  Everyone please help get the word out on this so that fellow collectors are not taken advantage of.  Clubs please inform all your members.

Again, if you have any information please call the APS at 814-933-3812 or email Complaint Manager Wendy Masorti and provide any details you have

[press release]
AFDCS OFFERS NEW EDITION OF CURRENT CACHETMAKERS DIRECTORY – FREE!

A new October 2014 edition of the American First Day Cover Society’s Directory of Current Cachetmakers is now available as a free download on the society’s website, www.afdcs.org On-demand printed copies are $5.00 plus $2.00 postage and handling and may be ordered in the Marketplace section of the AFDCS website, or from AFDCS Sales, Post Office Box 44, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0044.

This is the twelfth edition of the popular directory. The AFDCS hopes to produce new editions several times a year. The directory is now compiled by Ron Allen of Kentucky.

It lists cachetmakers both by their trade names and their real names (with a cross-reference), their regular mail addresses, websites, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers. The listings also indicate how often a cachet line is produced, what its first FDC was, and for what countries and what topics cacheted FDCs are made.

It includes both AFDCS members and cachetmakers who are not, and there is no charge for a listing. A form to request a listing is included in this edition, as well as information on how to reach Allen. The form can also be completed online at www.afdcs.org/cmform.php.

“We want to list every first day cover servicer currently producing cacheted FDCs, regardless of whether they are members of the AFDCS or not,” said society president Lloyd A. de Vries. “Of course, we think all cachetmakers should be members, and that membership offers them many benefits.”

The American First Day Cover Society is the world’s largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to the collecting of FDCs. Each issue of First Days is published in full color and includes articles, columns, Society business, a non-commercial Cover Exchange, and the best collection of FDC advertisements anywhere, at affordable rates.

For more information on the AFDCS, visit www.afdcs.org or write to the AFDCS, P.O. Box 16277 Tucson, Arizona 85732-6277, or e-mail afdcs@afdcs.org.

[press release]
Riverside Marriott — APS AmeriStamp Expo Headquarters Hotel

The Riverside Marriott (http://marriottriversidedowntown.com/) is the headquarters hotel for APS AmeriStamp Expo (www.stamps.org/AmeriStamp-Expo-ASE) to be held February 13–15, 2015. Located at 3400 Market St., Riverside, California 92501, the hotel is across a walkway from the Riverside Convention Center (www.riversidecvb.com/). Functions including the APS board meeting and Awards Banquet are held in the headquarters hotel.

The APS show rate is $115/night plus 12%+ tax on all rooms. To reserve a room call 951-784-8000 — you must mention APS to obtain the show rate. Deadline for reservations is January 15, 2015.

The Ontario International Airport (ONT) is a 20 minute drive from the show. The hotel provides a complimentary shuttle with 72 hour advanced reservations. Please call Denise Basore at (951) 786-7189 or denisebasore@pinnaclehotelsusa.com. The APS group rate includes discount parking at $8/day.

The Riverside Marriott is located within blocks of many boutique stores and galleries.

More information about AmeriStamp Expo is available on online (www.stamps.org/AmeriStamp-Expo) or by calling 814-933-3803 ext 207.

The American Philatelic Society, founded in 1886, is the national stamp collecting organization of the United States, with more than 31,800 members. For more information about the Society and its services, contact the APS at 100 Match Factory Place Bellefonte, PA; e-mail (info@stamps.org) or visit the APS online at www.stamps.org.

For more information on AmeriStamp Expo contact Dana Guyer at dana@stamps.org

[press release]
The American Topical Association wants to put you in the mood for the holidays with a gift of a free checklist. This year’s topic is Turkeys on stamps, and the list of 65 stamps is free to ATA members and nonmembers alike, through Nov. 30.

The newly developed list was the project of checklist dATAbase developer Karen Cartier, board member Jean Stout, and May Day Taylor, a member of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists. A free download is available at www.americantopicalassn.org. A printed copy of the Turkey checklist will be mailed if a stamped envelope is sent to ATA, PO Box 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008.

As with all ATA checklists, the Turkey list includes country, issue date, Scott number, denomination and a description of each item. Various breeds are featured on the stamps, and naturally the list includes the 2009 US stamp depicting a turkey-shaped balloon in a Thanksgiving parade. Wild turkeys from Scott-listed state migratory waterfowl stamps are also included.

In recent months, the ATA’s dATAbase has been greatly expanded. About 1200 lists are currently available. Customized checklists are available for an infinite number of topics. Members may order lists for a small fee. Membership information is on the organization’s website.

[press release
PF Awards Neinken Medal to Cheryl Ganz

On October 23rd The Philatelic Foundation awarded its Neinken Medal to Cheryl Ganz for meritorious service to philately. PF Chair Robert Rose introduced Vice Chair Donald Sundman who made the presentation [shown at right with Ganz]. Don, who as Chair of the Council of Philatelists at the National Postal Museum, worked for many years with Cheryl in successfully funding and building the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. Don outlined Cheryl’s many achievements including her tenure as the Chief Curator of Philately for the NPM. Cheryl is currently a member of the CSAC [U.S. Postal Service’s Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee], has authored seven books, and is expert on all things philatelic related to the Hindenburg.

Accepting the award, Cheryl thanked six philatelic mentors who are no longer with us, each of whom made a lasting impression on her. These were Thomas Fuerst, Arthur Salm, Bernard Hennig, Charles Peterson, her husband Felix Ganz and W. Wilson Hulme her predecessor at the NPM. In addition Cheryl thanked Professor Richard John, who was in attendance, and whose writing has combined the study of postal and communications history.

The more than 80 attendees of the event enjoyed a fine evening of food, drink, lively conversation and philatelic camaraderie. Past recipients of the Neinken Award can be viewed on The Philatelic Foundation website at www.philatelicfoundation.org. The Philatelic Foundation is the premier not-for-profit expertizing service in the United States with a 70 year history of devotion to the hobby.

[Ganz retired in early 2014 as Chief Philatelic Curator of the National Postal Museum. See the story here.]

[press release]
APRL To Complete Permanent Library Project

On August 18th, 2014, the Board of Trustees of the American Philatelic Research Library unanimously approved a plan to complete the permanent library and other facilities in the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Slated for completion are 19,500 square feet of library space as well as newly built-out spaces for the APS Gift shop and APS Heritage Room. [On the right is an architect’s rendering of what the new library area may look like.]

The APRL Trustees authorized the negotiation of a construction loan with First National Bank, followed by permanent financing which will be repaid by the rents paid by third party commercial tenants in the APC complex. A team led by APRL and APS Treasurers Bruce Marsden and Ken Nilsestuen and including other members of the joint Finance Committee concluded that this project financing approach was affordable.

The APRL Trustees also directed staff to engage the project architects to prepare bid packages to be distributed to potential construction contractors.

APRL President Roger Brody noted, “The culmination of this 12 year project has been supported by APRL and APS officers and board members over more than a decade and has been made possible by significant donations from hundreds of Society members. We are hopeful that the excitement generated by the completion of the project will motivate more donors to help towards reducing the amount of permanent financing required at the completion of the project.”

In noting that the Campaign for Philately has identified numerous facility naming opportunities at different giving levels, APRL Treasurer Bruce Marsden said, “Donors who are interested in receiving permanent recognition in the completed library facility will want to act quickly.” More details about legacy naming opportunities are available in the “Preserving the Past… Building the Future” brochure which can be downloaded at http://stamps.org/userfiles/file/library/Case_for_Support.pdf .

Centrally located in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, the American Philatelic Research Library is the largest non-governmental repository of books, periodicals, and other media relating to stamp collecting and postal history in the world. Sharing 31,000 U.S. and international members with its sister organization, the American Philatelic Society, the APRL supports exhibitions and educational programs which are designed to enhance the joys of philately. More information about both organizations can be found at http://www.stamps.org.

For more information contact Tary Murray at tmurray@stamps.org

[press release]

The APS has been informed that it will soon receive approximately $1.3 million, the single largest gift in its history. Twenty-five year APS member Walter Weber of Bellingham, Washington, who passed away in May, designated the American Philatelic Society as the sole beneficiary of his IRA. A private investor, Mr. Weber collected the stamps of the United States, Canada and Switzerland. He was also particularly interested in Revenues.

Mr. Weber’s gift surpasses the estate of past APS president William Bauer who passed away in 2009 and left $1.2 million for the American Philatelic Society and American Philatelic Research Library. Other major gifts to the APS and APRL have come from the estates of George Fisher of Langhorne, PA ($600,000 in 2004), Osborne Morse of Leawood, Kansas ($300,000 in 2001), and Horace Harrison of Ruxton, Maryland ($300,000 in 2002).

More than 50 other individuals have expressed their love of the hobby and their belief of the importance of the APS and APRL by notifying the APS and APRL that have they included the organizations as a beneficiary of their IRA, estate or trust. APS Executive Director Ken Martin is happy to work with interested donors and their accountants and attorneys to help find appropriate ways that members and others can support the APS/APRL and fulfill their personal goals. Ken can be reached at 814-933-3817 or kpmartin@stamps.org. Information on supporting the APS and APRL is also available at stamps.org/donate.

The American Philatelic Society is the nation’s largest organization for postage stamp collectors, with more than 31,000 members. Members receive a 100-page full color monthly magazine, opportunities to buy and sell through the mail or over the internet, reduced rate services including educational courses and authentication of postage stamps, exclusive members-only offers, and full use of the American Philatelic Research Library including a growing body of digital content.

And from the sound of this press release, this may be the end of a 77-year-old philatelic institution.

Philadelphia Show Cancelled for 2015

The Philadelphia National Stamp Exhibition will not hold a 2015 show as originally planned. The tentative arrangements included the dates of April 10-12, 2015 and the Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa., as the venue. The show committee is reviewing income and expenses and will possibly look for other potential sites in the greater Philadelphia area for shows in future years.

A decision has not been made on whether to hold a 2016 show in April that year in view of the proximity of World Stamp Show NY 2016. A tentative 2015 jury and society convention were informed of the cancellation of the 2015 exhibition.

The Philadelphia National Stamp Exhibition was established in 1937 as SEPAD, the Associated Stamp Clubs of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. One of its well-known traditions is the annual selection of local and national merit awards, which recognize the contributions of those outstanding individuals who have supported organized philately at the local and national levels.

The short version: APS finances are in good shape, but the search for a new executive (carefully not called an “executive director“) came up empty. Here are more detailed notes from Saturday, August 23rd’s General Membership Meeting of the American Philatelic Society:

Today is Ken Martin’s birthday.

Kehr Award presented to Tom Fortunato for contributions to help guarantee the future of the hobby.

About 800 APS members reach 25 years this year and (25?) hit 50….all with memberships in the 44-46,000 range. 180,000 members have joined since they did.

President Steve Reinhard: “I’ve been working very hard as your president.”

Search for “additional executive-level help:” Had about 50 applicants, telephone interviews with about 15, had 3 finalists, invited to Bellefonte. One of three took another job right before the visit. Two spent 3 days in Bellefonte, but “we” (presumably APS personnel committee) decided that both were viable candidates for the job, but “neither had everything we were looking for… and we did not want to make the same mistakes that we had in the past.” So decided to begin the process again. Not sure yet what format that will take…. doing all the work themselves or hire an executive recruiter. (I wonder how much all this cost, with nothing to show for it. -LdeV Added: about $30,000)

Construction of new library space continues. Space that is ready will be used for upcoming Aerophilately show and the postal history symposium. (Do these functions delay the preparation of the library space? -LdeV)

Membership: The rate of decrease in membership is improving “markedly”…. “vast improvement.” Hoping next year he can report membership is increasing.

Alex Haimann, chair, Board of Vice Presidents‘ report: range from non-payment of philatelic debts to non-return of books. Doesn’t give numbers of expulsions, suspensions, etc. (I asked later; he said the number of expulsions was “very low,” maybe 4 or 6. -LdeV)

Ken Nilsestuen, Treasurer: “It’s all good news.” Audit report is posted on website; no problems found. For first 6 months, about $16K ahead of budget, APRL is behind budget by about the same amount, so together…right on the mark. Over $4M in endowment as of June 30. 30,000 members, $12M building, $4M in endowment, good shape, but yes APS could use more donations. Recommending a small dues increase soon, thinking $1-$2. (This is not likely to fly and was a surprise to many APS insiders. -LdeV)

Executive Director Ken Martin:

Donations, in 12 months ending July 1 were almost $1M in cash gifts, plus 1,650 in-kind gifts, mostly stamps. Last year, put $25,000 of donated mint stamps on envelopes, this year on track for $40,000 — difference is more volunteers to put stamps on envelopes!

Many volunteers (45) during Volunteer Work Week), some of whom aren’t even stamp collectors!

This is the first year in over 20 that for the past 7 months there’s been an increase in the number of applications — small, and doesn’t counter the loss of members, but still an improvement.

Non-members can now buy from Internet Sales Unit, but pay 10% surcharge. Still have to be member to sell. Shipping now free for orders over $100 within US ($500 outside). 10 consecutive months of increased sales in Internet Sales.

American Philatelist beginning in October will have a mobile app. About 20% of membership is opening the e-newsletter on a mobile device.

Can see status of items submitted for expertizing onlne now..back to 2003. May even see an opinion before you receive it in the mail.

Although there were 5 50-year members present, with membership numbers in the 40,000’s, the meeting was adjourned by someone with a number in the 30’s.

Scuttlebutt: The APS Board is split down the middle on many issues, 5-5, with President Reinhard casting the deciding vote. In addition, the APS and APRL boards, which share responsibility for the American Philatelic Center as well as share the executive director, often disagree.