[press release]

WHAT’S IN YOUR ATTIC?
ANNUAL STAMP ROADSHOW
SUNDAY APRIL 12 NOON – 3:00

Do you have old stamp albums or boxes of stamps just collecting dust in your closet or attic?  Have you inherited some stamp albums or envelopes from a relative and wonder if they have any value? Do you think that perhaps those stamps you purchased as a child are now worth a fortune?

The  Museum is holding its annual Stamp Roadshow on Sunday April 12 from noon to 3:00.  The day is similar to TV’s “Antiques Roadshow.”

For only $35, stamp experts will review stamp collections and provide information about how you might be able to potentially sell the collection, give advice about how to add to the collection to continue with the hobby as well as recommend how to properly store the stamps.

Evaluations will be done on a first-come, first-served basis and will last up to thirty minutes.  The Museum will also accept donations of collections which can then qualify as a charitable tax deduction.

Those who are not able to attend or have large collections and need more time with the Museum’s curator are urged to call the Museum at 781-768-8367 to schedule an individual appointment for another date.   The fee is the same.

Admission to the entire Museum that day is free.  There will also be activities for the children including stamp hunts and stamp designing.  All children will receive a free packet of stamps and a booklet about stamp collecting.  Current exhibits include: Presidents on Stamps, Celebrating Women’s History Month, America in Space on Stamps, U.S. Love stamps, Comic Books and Stamps, Rural Free Delivery History and antique children’s postal games and stamp cases.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS (upcoming events):

THURSDAY – April 23 – Noon to 4:00
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY
Bring your used objects to be recycled
by decorating with postage stamps.

SATURDAY – April 25 – 1:00 – 4:30
Boy Scout Merit Badge program
To register email to scouts.

SUNDAY – April 26 1:00 – 2:30
Comic book and old toys and games
evaluations by an expert. Bring as much as you want.
(Free with Museum admission)

REGULAR MUSEUM HOURS: Thursdays to Sundays, Noon to 5:00. The Museum will be closed on Easter.

Programs for schools, scouts, senior groups, homeschoolers and other organizations can be scheduled for any day of the week and also in the evenings.  Powerpoint presentations can also be presented offsite such as at public libraries and senior centers.

The Museum’s Activity Room is also available for rental for meetings and other functions.

ATTENTION TEACHERS:  With the school year going to almost to the end of June, the Museum offers a great educational program as a way for elementary students to end their year with a fun and educational experience. Programs using US and world stamps cover such subjects as geography, presidents, biographies and general stamp collecting and can be brought to the classroom for a reasonable fee.  Field trips to the Museum are also available.  For more info email schoolprograms.

APRIL IS NATIONAL CARD AND LETTER WRITING MONTH
Are you old enough to remember the Perry Como TV show and his song “Letters, We Get Letters, We Get Stacks and Stacks of Letters”?  Well, April is the time to send stacks of letters to friends.

The Postal Service has declared April as National Card and Letter Writing Month.  Their announcement stated:

“The writing, sending and receiving of letters, post cards and greeting cards is a tradition that has preserved our nation’s history and changed lives. Unlike other forms of communications, card and letter writing is timeless, personal and immediately tangible.

The Museum will provide free postage for all your personal letters and cards this month.  Just bring them during regular hours and the Museum will use colorful vintage commemoratives as postage to mail them to your friends.  Or you can stop by your local post office and get the new “From Me to You” Forever stamps which were issued on April 1.

ANNUAL POSTAL SYMPOSIUM THIS MONTH
Copies of the collection of papers from the first symposium are available from the Museum.

The Museum will host an all-day postal history symposium co-sponsored by the United States Stamp Society, with support from the American Philatelic Society, on Thursday, April 30 starting at 9:00 am. This year’s theme is “The Challenging 20th Century: Men, Machines and Modernization.” The all day program is one day before the opening of the WSP Philatelic Show in nearby Boxboro.

The symposium presenters include Rodney Juell, “The Men Who Made the Stamps of the 1920s,” Edward Grabowski, “Philately and International Mail Order Fraud,” George S. Norton, “Technology in the Envelope: Use of Microfilm and Voice Recordings in the Mail during World War II” and Roger S. Brody, “The Bureau Leaves the Field.” Admission to the symposium is free but the Museum asks that attendees register at registration.  For questions contact symposium.

The Virtual Stamp Club has learned that Renee Gardner is no longer head of the Internet Sales Unit of the American Philatelic Society. She is the fourth staffer to leave the APS since the beginning of the year, each apparently for different reasons and not connected.

Others were editorial assistant Bonnie Farmer; Shows & Exhibitions Director Dana Guyer, who is now executive director of the American Stamp Dealers Association; and Education Director Gretchen Moody, whose husband has taken a job in another part of the country.

In addition, the APS has been searching for a new executive director, with current E.D. Ken Martin moving to a different position.

Dana Guyer, director of Shows & Exhibitions for the American Philatelic Society, will become the executive director of the American Stamp Dealers Association, effective March 1. Guyer confirmed the hiring to The Virtual Stamp Club.

She is shown here with a sheet of Forever Hearts stamps issued at AmeriStamp Expo 2015, her last show for the APS. (Photo courtesy Michael J. Luzzi and used by permission.)

Guyer is currently busy with preparations for APS’ AmeriStamp Expo show in Riverside, California next month (February 13-14).

She will be the second APS Shows & Exhibitions director to move up within philately. Her predecessor, Ken Martin, left that post to become Deputy Executive Director and is now Executive Director of the APS.

“We wish Dana well and hope that she and the ASDA have a very successful
future,” Martin told The VSC in e-mail.

This looks like a good move for the ASDA, because one of its primary functions is staging major stamp shows, particularly the two annually in New York City. Last fall’s show at the New York Hilton celebrated the organization’s 100th anniversary, but also proved to be a money-loser. Its executive director was fired soon after. The April 16-18 show in NYC will again be at the Hilton, but at a smaller, less expensive, venue within the hotel.

Ironically, the ASDA is staging a show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on the same weekend as AmeriStamp Expo.

As for the APS, it now has a job opening.

“The job announcement should be posted on the APS website by mid next week,” Martin said. “We will publicize the opening in the e-newsletter that should go out late next week and have an ad in the March American Philatelist. Applications will be accepted until March 18.”

[press release]
National Postal Museum Announces New Exhibition Opening
Exhibition Devoted Entirely to African American History

“Freedom Just Around the Corner: Black America from Civil War to Civil Rights,” opening Feb. 12 at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, is the museum’s first exhibition devoted entirely to African American history. Marking 150 years since the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery throughout the United States, the exhibition chronicles the African American experience through the perspective of stamps and mail.

The exhibition includes letters carried by enslaved Americans, mail sent by and to leaders of the civil rights movement and original artwork for numerous stamps issued by the United States Postal Service. More than 100 items from the museum’s collection are on display, augmented by outstanding pieces on loan from other institutions and private collections.

“The exhibition is powerful and presents a distinctive perspective to the history that unfolded during this important period of time,” said Allen Kane, director of the museum. “Our hope is that visitors will learn more about this historic period, connect emotionally to the stories and objects we are presenting and continue to have meaningful conversations beyond the museum visit.”

Before the introduction of home mail delivery, slaves often carried letters to and from the post office. Slave-carried mail was usually identified by a notation—called an endorsement—that also served as a travel pass. These mail messengers could be an important source of news if they overheard discussions during their travels. Slaves sometimes carried letters directly to the recipient, bypassing the postal system entirely. This was often the case when the letter was accompanied by a parcel, since post offices did not handle domestic package mail until 1913.

The exhibition, in part, presents examples of slave-carried mail, including one carried by a slave named Susan, dated April 17, 1850, with the message, “I send to you my negro girl Susan aged 16 all rite and a first rate girl big limbs and muscles please sell her and remit…”

Susan was probably unaware that the letter she carried to the Eastville, Va., post office contained arrangements for her to be sold to a slave dealer in Richmond.

Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was commemorated in the Postal Service’s Celebrate the Century stamp series issued at the end of the 20th century. Original artwork for the stamp, by Keith Birdsong, reflects a trace of brightness on the horizon to represent hope, while King wears the March’s official badge, in one of many stunning paintings on display from the Postal Service’s Black Heritage stamp series. Most of the artwork is exhibited for the very first time.

“‘Freedom’ provides a unique take on African American history, exploring the subject through stamps and mail,” said Daniel Piazza, exhibit curator. “We hope this approach inspires new audiences to visit the National Postal Museum and William H. Gross Stamp Gallery.”

Selected pieces in the exhibition will include interpretation presented through audio recordings of curators, conservators and guest speakers, adding significance to individual objects. A special website and catalog will augment the exhibition as well, providing additional access to the rich content presented.

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 Avenue 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.

Additional illustrationsDavis, Deupree and Company cover and letter, October 13, 1860
Richmond, Virginia was the center of the domestic slave trade on the eve of the Civil War. Despite the large volume of mail that must have been sent by slave dealers, just a few examples survive today.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin illustrated anti-slavery cover, March 28, 1853
Less than a year after its publication in the United States, Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold more than one million copies in Great Britain. Although modern critics point out the book’s use of racially stereotyped characters, in its day it was regarded as a powerful piece of anti-slavery propaganda. Scenes from the novel decorate the reverse of this British anti-slavery cover published by James Valentine of Dundee, Scotland.

The scenes, clockwise from top flap: Uncle Tom is sold away from Aunt Chloe and his children because of his owner’s bankruptcy. The overseers Sambo and Quimbo flog Uncle Tom. Simon Legree whips Uncle Tom. Uncle Tom reads his Bible atop cotton bales on a Mississippi River steamboat. Pursued by slave catchers, Eliza escapes north with her five year old son Harry. Emmeline is sold away from her grieving mother, Susan.

Runaway slaves volunteering for Union army illustrated cover, c. 1861
Early in the Civil War, Union General Benjamin Butler decreed that escaped slaves who reached his station at Fort Monroe would be considered “contraband” and not returned to their owners. Although the idea of black troops is caricatured by these envelopes, nearly 200,000 black men served in the Union forces.

William H. Carney Medal of Honor, 1900
William Harvey Carney, born a slave in Virginia in 1840, volunteered for the celebrated, all-black 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Shot twice while rescuing the American flag during an attack on Battery Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina, he later received the Medal of Honor. After the war, he worked as a letter carrier in the New Bedford, Massachusetts post office for more than thirty years.
Loan from Carl J. Cruz

Freedmen’s Bureau cover, c. 1865-1872
Private charity could only partially meet former slaves’ needs, which ranged from food and clothing to employment and education. Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1865 with Major General Oliver O. Howard as its commissioner. A Medal of Honor recipient, he later served as president of Howard University. His signature indicated that no postage was due.

‘Skull and Crossbones’ KKK postal cancel, Union Mills, Pennsylvania, c. 1870
The skull and crossbones was one of the earliest symbols adopted by the Klan.
Loan from Stampvestors LLC through Columbian Stamp Company

Segregated Rural Free Delivery saddlebag, c. 1896
Palmyra, Virginia became a Rural Free Delivery post office on October 22, 1896, one of the first in the nation to deliver mail to farm families. This mailbag with separate compartments for “white” and “colored” mail was not required by federal policy but was procured by the carrier to satisfy either his own preferences or those of his customers.

33c Martin Luther King Jr. approved stamp art by Keith Birdsong, c. 1999

Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech was commemorated in the Postal Service’s Celebrate the Century stamp series issued at the end of the twentieth century. A trace of brightness on the horizon represents hope, while King wears the March’s official badge.
Loan from the United States Postal Service, Postmaster General’s Collection

37c Marian Anderson approved stamp art by Albert Slark, c. 2005
Canadian-born artist Albert Slark created this full-color oil portrait of Marian Anderson from a circa 1934 black-and-white photograph. Easily one of the most beautiful designs in the Black Heritage series, it won numerous awards and was exhibited at the Society of Illustrators 48th Annual Exhibition in New York City.

22c Duke Ellington approved stamp art by Jim Sharpe, c. 1986
Performing Arts Series
The most prolific jazz composer ever, Edward ‘Duke’ Ellington and his orchestra toured the U.S. for nearly fifty years and also popularized the genre in Europe.

Members of the American First Day Cover Society, the largest not-for-profit organization in the world specifically for FDC collectors, have elected four people to its Board of Directors for three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2015.

Here are the vote totals:

Gary Denis, Maryland 106
Foster Miller, Maryland 103
Rick Gibson, Maryland 98
Jim Hogg, Florida 79
Gil Celli, New York 78

Denis, Miller, Gibson and Hogg were elected to the Board. Denis and Miller are incumbents.

There were two write-in votes this year, on the 126 ballots submitted, of which 121 were valid.

Denis is currently Education Chair, and Miller, Membership Chair, both of which are positions on the Executive Committee. Gibson will be taking charge of the annual cachetmakers contest in 2016, while Hogg, a 41-year member of the AFDCS, recently completed a term on the national board of the Masonic Society.

President Lloyd de Vries thanked Elections Committee chair Fred Levantrosser, Paul Anderson and James Abercrombie, all members of the Motor City Stamp and Cover Club (AFDCS Chapter #5) for their work in counting the ballots in this year’s election, and the Nominating Committee chaired by D.A. Lux for recruiting the candidates.

Four seats on the AFDCS Board of Directors are elected each year for three-year terms, beginning Jan. 1 of the following year. 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.

AFDCS directors are not compensated, nor reimbursed for their travel expenses. The board meets annually at Americover, the society’s annual show and convention, which next year will be held Aug. 14-16 in Columbus, Ohio, and via mail ballots as needed.

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

[press release]
AFDCS SETS AMERICOVER 2015 FOR COLUMBUS, OHIO
Show Hotel Rates Once Again Below $100

The American First Day Cover Society, the world’s biggest non-profit organization of FDC collectors, has chosen Columbus, Ohio, for its 2015 show and convention. Americover 2015 will celebrate the society’s 60th anniversary.

The official hotel rates for every Americover have been below $100, and that will be true for the 2015 edition.

Americover 2015 will be held at the DoubleTree Columbus-Worthington August 14-16, 2015. That is the weekend before the American Philatelic Society’s StampShow in Grand Rapids, Mich. — about a five-hour drive for collectors and dealers who wish to attend both.

“Americover 2014 in New Jersey was a huge success and we plan to continue the fun and excitement in Columbus,” Show Chairman Peter Martin said. “If you collect first day covers, this is the place to be, because virtually all the major FDC dealers, exhibitors and collectors will be here.”

There will be a special room rate of $99, including Internet, for Americover 2015, good from Wednesday through Sunday nights. Parking is free. Although Americovers run for three days, there will be a special tour on the preceding Thursday and a post-show dinner event Sunday evening.

This is the AFDCS’ first time back in Ohio’s capital since its convention in 1992, but it is a strong area for first day cover collecting and the AFDCS has done well at the APS shows in Columbus.

All Americovers are World Series of Philately shows dedicated to first day covers and the fun of stamp collecting. Locations move around the country, often at a venue within a reasonable driving distance of APS StampShow.

For more information on any of the Americover shows, visit the AFDCS website at www.afdcs.org, send e-mail to showinfo@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732-6277.

[Confirmed December 1st by APS. Press release below.]

Sources tell The Virtual Stamp Club that Jay Bigalke will be named the next editor of American Philatelist, the journal of the American Philatelic Society, and the largest-circulation stamp collection publication in North America. Bigalke, 32, is currently Senior Editor, Digital Media at Linn’s Stamp News, which posted an opening for that position in its most recent edition. Bigalke is also a former VSC staff member.

That’s Jay at work at October’s Winter Fun/Global Wreath first day ceremony with his iPad.

APS press release December 1st:

Bigalke New American Philatelist Editor

The American Philatelic Society has hired Jay Bigalke as its new American Philatelist Editor. Bigalke will be responsible for the Society’s 100-page monthly publication, working with a staff of three and an advisory board. The Society editor also is responsible for the Library’s quarterly Philatelic Literature Review and plays an important role in public relations and graphic design.

Bigalke previously worked for Linn’s Stamp News, published by Amos Media Company of Sidney, Ohio. There he served as Senior Editor and was responsible for covering major U.S. stamp stories, managing of its social media platforms, video production, stamp show participation, and serving as editor for multiple columnists.

APS Executive Director Ken Martin expects Bigalke to not only continue the American Philatelist’s long time editorial excellence but also expects that his philatelic and postal service network, digital content experience and attendance at philatelic events will significantly benefit the Society.

Bigalke’s selection has the full support of the American Philatelist Advisory Committee. Committee chair Rod Juell suggests APS members should get ready for exciting editorial leadership.

Bigalke is a 2005 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he studied retail and journalism. His professional experience also includes working for Coin World (sister publication to Linn’s). There he developed a web-based publication covering different aspects of the numismatic field. He also worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a casual city mail carrier.

Bigalke’s spark for collecting stamps started in October 1991. He grew up in a small town of less than 100 people in Wisconsin where he visited the post office daily. His great-grandmother and the postmaster in the town helped encourage the interest in stamps. He became an APS member in 2001 about the time he began designing and selling cachets.

His philatelic interests include modern U.S. stamps, ceremony programs, first-day covers, and other related ephemera. Other collections include stamps of Japan and British Commonwealth stamps from 1937-1940 showing King George VI. He has personally attended 217 first-day-of-issue ceremonies in 47 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Bigalke was the inaugural recipient of the American Philatelic Society’s Outstanding Young Adult Philatelist award in 2008, inducted in April 2011 to the Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs Hall of Fame, and in 2013 was the Most Popular Champion of Champions exhibitor winner with his exhibit on the 2009 United States Simpsons stamp issue.

Current editor Barb Boal previously announced her retirement effective December 31 after 14 years as editor and more than 30 years of service to the American Philatelic Society. Bigalke’s employment with the APS begins December 1 allowing for a short transition.

The American Philatelist Society is the nation’s largest organization for stamp collectors serving collectors since 1886 with a variety of services including the monthly journal. Additional information about the APS and stamp collecting is available on their website at stamps.org, by phone call to 814-933-3803 or by mail to 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823.

[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.