[press release]
Third Annual CSN Cover Contest now accepting submissions

Canadian Stamp News has officially launched its Third Annual Cover Contest, pitting clubs and collectors from around the world against one another in a fun competition focused on philately, design and postal history.

All philatelic organizations – at the local, regional and national levels – are invited to submit a cover promoting National Stamp Collecting Month, which takes place this October in Canada. For the second year in a row, an “individual” category is also open to collectors, who can submit a cover to vie for top bragging rights among individuals.

“The competition continues to grow year over year, and CSN is eager to see even more covers come in the mail before this October,” said CSN Publisher and Editor Mike Walsh.

“This year, we’re putting out a call to clubs across the country plus some in the U.S. and overseas. The more the merrier—but with the contest going worldwide, get ready for some competition.”

Altogether, there are six prizes (three for both categories), and both clubs and collectors are permitted to submit more than one design.

September 25 Deadline
All covers must be mailed to and received by CSN by Sept. 25, complete with a postmark to prove the deadline date was met. The CSN address is

PO Box 25009, Rose City RO,
Welland, ON L3B 5V0.

Designs can promote their club, their individual hobby or the month-long philatelic celebration of National Stamp Collecting Month, which has fallen to the wayside since its inception about 40 years ago.

All submitted entries will be posted on canadianstampnews.com on Oct. 1. People around the world will then be invited to vote for their three favourite submissions from clubs and collectors throughout October.

On Nov. 1, CSN will announce the three club covers and three individual covers that received the most votes. The top three covers in each category will win $100, $50 and $25, respectively.

Two Years Running
In last year’s cover contest – the first to feature collectors’ covers – Toronto’s Harvey Shuter [right] won the first-place prize in the individual category. The club category was topped by the Calgary Philatelic Society [below], which was followed by the Waterloo Region Stamp Club in second place and the Kelowna and District Stamp Club in third. To see the full results from last year’s contest, visit canadianstampnews.com/2019covercontest. For more information about this year’s contest, visit canadianstampnews.com/2020covercontest or contact CSN reporter Jesse Robitaille at reporter@trajan.ca or 1-905-646-7744 (ext. 236).

How To Participate — In Three Easy Steps!
Design a cover!

Mail the cover to CSN (it can be mailed inside another cover/package/parcel for
protection—as long as there’s a postmark on or before Sept. 25, 2020)!

Watch the votes pour in through October, and wait for the results on Nov. 1!

In response to questions from The Virtual Stamp Club:

• • The contest is open to anyone, Canadian, or not;
  • The covers do not have to use Canadian stamps;
  • The stamps on the cover must be postmarked September 25, 2020, or earlier;
  • Cachetmakers — those who produce covers for sale — are welcome to enter.

Most major stamp collecting shows in the U.S. this spring, if not all, have been postponed or canceled.

The international show in Britain this year, London 2020, has been postponed to 2022.

A decision will be made by May 15 on whether to hold the top show in the U.S., the first edition of Great American Stamp Show. It is scheduled for August 20-23 in Hartford, Conn. It is jointly sponsored by the American Philatelic Society, the American Topical Association and the American First Day Cover Society, although APS handles the “logistics.”

The APS is maintaining a comprehensive list of show schedule changes on its website here.

The American Philatelic Society headquarters and the American Philatelic Research Library in Bellefonte, Pa., were ordered closed, as part of Pennsylvania’s shutdown measures. They are now beginning to reopen, slowly, and services which had required on-site handling (such as sales circuits and expertizing) will soon resume.

U.S. first-day (launch) ceremonies for new issues have been postponed or canceled, although the stamps are still being released and put on sale on schedule.

Traffic at stamp collecting websites is soaring: APS reports, by one measure, visits to its stamps.org website gave nearly tripled. The Virtual Stamp Club‘s Facebook group has been getting as many valid new member requests in a day as it got pre-pandemic in a week. Both the APS and VSC are holding periodic “chats” or real-time video conferences.

“Stamp collecting has been here for 180 years,” said APS executive director Scott English is one of those chats, a “Town Hall Meeting,” on May 4th. “It has survived pandemics, such as the influenza epidemic in 1917; economic down times such as the Great Depression of the 1930s; world wars; and more.”

And English and others see this pandemic has an opportunity for stamp collecting to attract new members and bring others back into the hobby.

[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

[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.

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.

[press release]
Exhibit page protectors available from Amos Media Co.

Amos Media Co. is pleased to announce that Atlantic Protective Pouches exhibit page protectors are now available for purchase directly from Amos Advantage.

Two sizes are offered: 8½ inches by 11 inches (standard exhibit page), and 11 inches by 17 inches (large exhibit page). Both sizes open across the top, for easy insertion of exhibit pages.

These expertly crafted exhibit page sleeves, made from archival acid-free polyester, are designed to give your treasured exhibit the protection and professional appearance it deserves. All sleeve surfaces are 100% transparent and highly polished.

There’s no need to worry about damage to your collection because the sleeves are completely inert. They contain no adhesives, additives or coatings of any kind.

Atlantic Protective Pouches are available in convenient packs of 16 and eight, which correspond to the number of standard or large pages in an exhibit. Order yours today by visiting www.amosadvantage.com/exhibitpages or by calling 800-572-6885.

[based on press release]
Mystic Stamp Company Buys Complete ArtCraft First Day Cover Inventory
Dissolution of ArtCraft makes Fleetwood America’s oldest surviving First Day Cover maker

Camden, NY. In May 2019, Mystic Stamp Company purchased ArtCraft’s complete inventory – over 5 million covers – after the company announced it was closing its doors. ArtCraft had been sending out Fleetwood First Day Covers since they stopped printing their own in 2015, so it’s only fitting Mystic – owner of Fleetwood – pick up ArtCraft’s inventory, too. This inventory includes historic covers from ArtCraft’s earliest days (1939) to 2015. Known for their exquisite detail, ArtCraft’s steel-engraving-style cachets have always been popular with collectors.

In the press release, Mystic president Don Sundman said, “My family has been collecting and selling covers for over 85 years, beginning with my father, Maynard, in the 1930s. [One of his covers, from 1935, is shown on the left.] At Mystic, we know what First Day Cover collectors want, and we design our cachets accordingly. Going forward, ArtCraft customers can expect to see the same high-quality First Day Covers they’ve been receiving since 2015.”

However, in e-mail to The Virtual Stamp Club, Sundman clarified that Mystic will not be continuing the ArtCraft line with new issues.

“I wish we could but we don’t have enough customers to justify the costs,” he wrote. “It’s really expensive to make engraved steel plates.  I’m told ArtCraft paid $2,000 just for the steel plate.  And there are lots of other costs too.”

However, when Washington Stamp Exchange stopped producing new ArtCraft designs, WSE purchased unserviced Fleetwood cachets from Mystic, serviced them, and sold them to its subscription customers.

“Late 2018 or early 2019, ArtCraft and Mystic agreed for Mystic to reach out to ArtCraft customers and offer to continue the collectors the opportunity to buy Fleetwood covers,” Sundman told VSC. “These are the same style of covers they bought from ArtCraft during 2015-2018.”

Sundman went on to say that Mystic is in the process of organizing ArtCraft’s inventory and will be making these classic covers available to collectors very soon.

About Mystic Stamp Company
Mystic Stamp Company was founded in the small town of Camden, NY, in 1923. Mystic has been serving stamp collectors nationwide for over 95 years and has evolved into America’s Leading Stamp Dealer. Employee owned since 2016, Mystic is known for personalized customer service and is committed to making collecting fun and easy. Mystic works closely with the National Postal Museum and American Philatelic Society to promote stamp collecting and bring new collectors into the hobby. In addition to its goal of providing products and services that exceed customer expectations, Mystic practices good citizenship by making contributions of time, money, and knowledge to the local community and beyond. For more information visit MysticStamp.com.

[Washington Stamp Exchange press release]
Washington Stamp Exchange of Florham Park, New Jersey is pleased to announce the sale of its White Ace line of stamp albums to Alco Distributors of Marion, Ohio. Also included in the sale is the StampMount brand line of stamp mounts and holders. White Ace and StampMount have long been two of the most popular brands amongst collectors in the United States. After the transfer of the White Ace and StampMount inventory is completed, Alco will quickly begin production of White Ace supplements for 2018 stamp issues. Alco will soon start to accept orders for its new product lines through the website washpress.com.

White Ace stamp albums were introduced in the 1940s with the publication of an album for United States commemorative singles. That album has remained the brand’s biggest seller. Other albums were quickly introduced for US commemorative plate blocks and for regular issue singles and plate blocks. As White Ace grew in popularity, the company expanded the product line to include albums for a number of countries including Canada, Israel, Ireland, Japan, the United Nations and many more. It also produces supplies such as binders, dust cases, first day cover albums, and numerous other items used by philatelists. From the very beginning White Ace has always been a name synonymous with quality products.

StampMount produces a line of mounts and holders made of archival quality mylar film in a wide range of sizes. Unlike many brands of mounts, StampMounts are pre-cut and sealed on three sides. They are affixed to an album page using an adhesive strip. The mounts are offered with both clear and black backs. StampMounts are much thinner than other brands but extremely durable, qualities which have made them a very popular choice for philatelists.

Alco Distributors is located at 1600 Marion-Bucyrus Road, Marion Ohio 43302 and has provided quality stamp and coin supplies for over 5 decades. They are very excited to carry on the White Ace and StampMount tradition of great products for years to come. They will continue to carry the same line of products, while also updating supplements and adding new albums to the line. According to the ownership of Alco “Our goal is to make quality products that collectors want. We are happy to supply collectors with great products made in the USA!”

This message is basically to put the latest news on the VSC home page. You can find the completely story, as it unfolded, here.

Former American Philatelic Research Library president and American Philatelic Society secretary Steve Zwillinger, 63, has been given an 18-month suspended sentence, following his plea bargain in August to one count of “a sexual offense in the third degree.” He was expelled from the APS this past summer after his guilty plea.