CBS Sunday Morning Features Stamp Collecting

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Tom Fortunato

The CBS News.com article is here. That includes the video, which you can reach directly at here or on our home page. It appears the link in the reply below is truncated. -LdeV

For the first time in its nearly 36 year history, the popular TV show CBS Sunday Morning will be featuring a segment on stamp collecting. It will air this coming Sunday, January 18th. American Philatelic Society Executive Director Ken Martin was first interviewed by the producer and provided several names for the crew to contact.

Among them was World Stamp Show-NY 2016 Entry Level and Youth Chairperson Debby Friedman, who also heads the Collectors Club Youth Stamp Club in New York City. A visit was arranged during one of the Club’s regular Saturday morning meetings in September.
Debby recounts that her group had very little advance notice of the filming, some of which took place in the Club’s library. The setup was complicated and time consuming, as the crew first wanted shots of a group activity and then get one-on-one time with the kids.

“I opted to let the kids pick stamps of interest to them and talk about why they picked what they did,” she said. “It was a very long day for all of us, but the kids’ reactions were ‘awesome’, ‘proud’ and ‘exciting’. They are looking forward to seeing themselves on television, as are all of their friends and relatives!”

Check your local TV listings for the show’s air time. Most CBS affiliates carry the broadcast beginning at 9 AM. Look for host Charles Osgood’s introduction to the show to determine when the segment will run. The totem pole on the set’s stage will also give a clue as to when to expect to see it during the 90 minute program.

For more information on how you can become involved in stamp collecting or with World Stamp Show-NY2016, please visit us at http://www.ny2016.org.

World Stamp Show-NY 2016 Exhibition Bulletin Released

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Tom Fortunato

Information important to potential exhibitors is now available with the release of the Bulletin by World Stamp Show-NY 2016, taking place in 15 months from May 28-June 4, 2016 at the Javits Center in New York City.

The 60 page full-color booklet contains complete details about exhibit entry requirements, the application and acceptance process, and costs involved. It also covers the GREX (General Regulations for Exhibitions) held under the patronage of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie, the 91 member international body considered as the “United Nations” of the hobby.

Three members of the WSS-NY 2016 team collaborated on the work. Stephen D. Schumann, the show’s Commissioner General, provided much of the regulatory section. Steven J. Rod, show Vice President, concentrated on the cultural section, while Design Chairman Niko Courtelis focused on the graphics and layout.

Exhibits among the 3,800 competitive frames are allowed in all 13 FIP-recognized philatelic categories. For the first time ever, First Day Cover exhibits will be accepted under the Experimental Exhibiting Group. One, five or eight frame exhibits may be entered, the latter reserved for previous international large vermeil or higher winners. At least 20% of WSS-NY 2016 entries will be allocated to first-time international exhibits. Literature entries are additionally welcome.

To facilitate the application process, all participating countries appoint national commissioners who distribute and receive exhibit paperwork and coordinate entries with the event’s Commissioner General. The two United States commissioners have just been named, Dr. Yamil Kouri of Massachusetts for exhibitors east of the Mississippi and Mrs. Vesma Grinfelds of California for exhibitors in the West. Exhibitors in other countries should consult their national philatelic organization for commissioner appointees. They will also appear on the WSS-NY 2016 web site with contact information when known. Updates will only appear online.

Full show information, along with the electronic version of the Bulletin, is online at http://www.ny2016.org. Also see the exhibition’s Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest sites.

Thomas M. Fortunato
Chairman, Marketing & Public Relations
thomas.fortunato@ny2016.org

Sir John Macdonald (Canada, 2015)

Posted on January 11, 2015 by VSC

[press release]
Stamp celebrates life and legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald on the 200th anniversary of his birth

OTTAWA, Jan. 11, 2015 /CNW/ – On the 200th anniversary of Sir John A. Macdonald’s birth, Canada Post is issuing today a stamp to celebrate the country’s first prime minister, a nation builder whose achievements shaped the nation. Designed by Montréal’s Paprika, the stamp mixes a traditional photo with modern design to create a fresh look at a subject who has appeared on stamps many times over the past 100 years.

“Sir John A. Macdonald not only led negotiations that created our country, but he also guided a growing and maturing Canada,” says the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, responsible for Canada Post Corporation [shown in the photo below, with Canada Post President and CEO Deepak Chopra. “On the 200th anniversary of his birth, we remember that enduring legacy.”

Macdonald took a leading role during the Charlottetown and Québec conferences that laid the foundation for Confederation and the creation of Canada in 1867. Enormously popular, he won six out of seven post-Confederation elections. This made him prime minister for 19 of Canada’s first 24 years and the second-longest serving prime minister in Canadian history.

Macdonald expanded the country by including the provinces of Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, as well as securing land that became today’s Northwest Territories and Nunavut. From building a transcontinental railway, founding the forerunner of the RCMP and creating the country’s first national park, to adopting British spelling rather than American, Macdonald had an enormous legacy.

His death in office in 1891 was marked by tributes from political allies and opponents alike. Thousands of people paid their respects when he lay in state in Parliament, and mourners lined the tracks as a train carried him to his resting place in his hometown of Kingston, Ontario.

“Our stamps have captured the story of Canada ever since Confederation and today we celebrate one of its key architects,” says Chopra [shown in the photo on the left, with the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada]. “Two hundred years after his birth, Sir John A. Macdonald remains a towering figure and this stamp celebrates his legacy.”

About the Stamp
The self-adhesive stamp measures 32 mm by 40 mm and is available in booklets of 10. The stamp is also available affixed to an Official First Day Cover cancelled in Kingston, Ontario. The cover’s modern design features a line map of the provinces that constituted Canada at Confederation. The stamp was designed by Louis Gagnon at Paprika in Montréal and printed by Canadian Bank Note Company with lithography in five colours.

Prime Minister Harper’s comments on Macdonald’s legacy can be found on the CTV website. Although there is no explicit mention in the text of the stamp, there is a photo of Harper and Chopra with the stamp design, and a link to the Canada Post press release.]

Year of the Ram (Canada, 2015)

Posted on January 9, 2015 by VSC

[press release]
Canada Post stamp issue welcomes Year of the Ram

OTTAWA, Jan. 6, 2015 /CNW/ – In its seventh release in a 12-year series, Canada Post honours Lunar New Year with a pair of stamps commemorating the Year of the Ram, a time marked by creativity, caring, sensitivity and transforming misfortune into good luck.

The domestic stamp showcases three rams welcoming spring, a popular New Year’s image, especially at the start of the Year of the Ram, which begins on February 19, 2015 and ends February 7, 2016. An internationally denominated stamp, souvenir sheets and other philatelic products are also available for this popular series.

“Our Lunar New Year issue is a perennial favourite with collectors and consumers alike,” says Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services. “We’re very proud that the many designers who have worked on this issue have managed to balance a series ‘feel’ while keeping the design fresh and new every year.”

About the Stamps
The Year of the Ram domestic and international stamps measure 32 mm by 32 mm and the souvenir sheet measures 40 mm by 140 mm. Domestic stamps are available in a pane of 25 and international stamps are sold in booklets of six. The stamps are also available in an uncut press sheet. Single and souvenir sheet Official First Day Covers with Richmond Hill, Ontario as the cancellation site complete the issue. The stamps were designed by Hélène L’Heureux at Interaction Design and illustrated by Susan Scott with calligraphy by Ngan Siu-Mui. The series was printed by Lowe-Martin. The stamps variously incorporate foil and embossing and are tagged on all sides. The text on the stamps is in Traditional Chinese, English and French.

UK: 50th Anniv. of Special Stamps

Posted on January 7, 2015 by VSC

[Royal Mail press release]
SPECIAL STAMPS CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

- 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Royal Mail’s modern Special Stamp programme, which celebrates the UK and our national character. A total of 2,663 Special Stamps have been issued since July 1965
- Every new stamp design is approved by Her Majesty The Queen before it is issued
- Postmaster General Tony Benn introduced changes to the criteria for Special Stamps and made key decisions in 1965 which changed stamps forever
- Other than The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh is the most featured person on Special Stamps since 1965 followed by William Shakespeare
- Some of the most popular stamp issues in recent years include:
  - Battle of Trafalgar (2005)
  - The Beatles (2007)
  - Olympic and Paralympic Gold Medal Winners (2012)
  - Doctor Who (2013)
- Outside London, the most featured city in the Special Stamp programme is Edinburgh followed by the town of Battle, East Sussex
- Royal Mail has launched an online gallery of every Special Stamp issued since 1965. A short video presented by broadcaster and historian Dan Snow is also available. Both can be found at www.rmspecialstamps.com
- Royal Mail today announced that 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Special Stamps programme, which celebrates the UK and our national character.Criteria for the creation of Special Stamps to celebrate events and commemorate anniversaries relevant to UK heritage and life was devised by the then Postmaster General, Tony Benn, who worked with designer David Gentleman to modernise stamp design. The stamp of Sir Winston Churchill, issued in July of that year, was designed by Gentleman and was the first under Benn’s administration. It was the first British stamp to feature a contemporary individual and with its bold modernist approach with no words, it set the scene for the future. Including these, 2,663 Special Stamps have been issued.

Reflecting changes in society and culture
Over the past 50 years, Royal Mail stamps have mirrored the changes in society and culture at large. Stamps in the late 1960s celebrated the technological innovations of Britain, like the 1966 set which included the Jodrell Bank radio telescope, the hovercraft and the car industry. By 1982 stamps were commemorating the growing role of computers with Information Technology stamps depicting the then cutting-edge technology of lasers reading bar codes. This stamp is an early example of computer-assisted design. It remains Britain’s widest-ever stamp. Popular culture has been charted by stamps. As the Sixties generation grew up, many of their influences, such as pop music, moved into the mainstream. In the 1988 stamps celebrating the bicentenary of Australian settlement, an image of John Lennon appears alongside Shakespeare to represent Britain’s cultural contribution. The Beatles moved centre stage with their own stamp issue in 2007. This featured their classic album sleeves and remains the most popular stamp issue of the last ten years, and was one of the first to feature identifiable living people.

The commemoration of Shakespeare underlines how stamps have changed. In 1982 a set of stamps on the performing arts included a colourful painting of Hamlet. Thirty years later, a photo of actor David Tennant as Hamlet in contemporary dress and text in striking calligraphy reflected evolving interpretations of the Bard’s work.

Explorations of our love of popular culture have continued with highly successful stamps celebrating Harry Potter, Doctor Who and children’s TV icons like Bagpuss.

Stamp issues featuring sport have always generated interest with ‘England Win the Rugby World Cup’ (2003) and Gold Medal Winners at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games among the most popular.

Most featured subjects
One of the consistently popular subjects featured on Special Stamps is the Royal Family, in particular national events such as Royal Weddings, the most recent being the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton in 2011.

Over the past 50 years, The Queen is the person to feature most on Royal Mail Stamps. That doesn’t count Her Majesty’s silhouette in the corner of each Special Stamp. The next most popular individual to feature is The Duke of Edinburgh. He is followed by William Shakespeare – his face, as well as his work. The following have also appeared or had their contribution celebrated: Charles Darwin, HRH Prince Charles, HM The Queen Mother and Winston Churchill.

The UK’s towns and cities have influenced stamp designs over the past 50 years. Unsurprisingly, London is the city that features most followed by Edinburgh, Battle (East Sussex), Liverpool, York, Abbotsbury (Dorset) and Bath, Birmingham, Caernafon and Stratford-upon-Avon.

The most featured building or specific location is Buckingham Palace. Kew Gardens and St Paul’s Cathedral are next, followed by Abbotsbury Swannery (Dorset) and York Minster, Caernafon Castle and the Palace of Westminster.

Animals and transport have always proved popular subjects for stamps. Various species of bird have appeared most frequently followed by dogs, horses and cats. Reflecting the nation’s maritime heritage, ships and boats top the list of modes of transport followed by trains, aircraft, cars and buses.

As part of the programme to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Special Stamp programme, Royal Mail has launched an online gallery of every Special Stamp issued since July 1965. Visitors to the site at www.rmspecialstamps.com can browse through the stamps by the decade and also view the stamps that were issued in the year that they were born.

A short video presented by broadcaster and historian Dan Snow explores how the Special Stamp programme has been shaped by the changing face of the UK and is also on www.rmspecialstamps.com.

Special Stamp Programme – Criteria
The criteria have remained virtually unchanged since introduced by Postmaster General, The Right Honourable Tony Benn. They are to:

- 1. Commemorate important anniversaries
  2. Commemorate events of national importance, including major contemporary UK successes on the international stage
  3. Reflect the contribution of the UK to world affairs in the broadest range of activities, from the arts and humanities to science and technology
  4. Explore ‘the British way of life’, celebrating the diversity of cultures and interests within the UK
  5. Contribute to the cultural life of the UK through the patronage of art and design

Other key facts
Counties that have been featured on Special Stamps (with identifiable content)

- - Greater London: 100 stamps
  - Edinburgh: 12
  - Gwynedd: 12
  - East Sussex: 11
  - Kent: 10
  - Dorset: 9
  - Yorkshire: 9
  - County Antrim: 8
  - Somerset: 8
  - Surrey: 8

Themes that have been featured on Special Stamps

- - Social History and Politics: 72 stamp issues
  - Animals and Natural World: 62 stamp issues
  - Christmas: 49 stamp issues
  - Visual & Performing Arts: 45 stamp issues
  - Royalty: 37 stamp issues
  - Sport: 35 stamp issues
  - Architecture & Built Environment: 34 stamp issues
  - Science/Engineering/Space: 32 stamp issues
  - Literature: 32 stamp issues
  - Transport: 28 stamp issues

Current stamps and stamp products are available at 8000 Post Office branches, online at www.royalmail.com/stamps and from Royal Mail Tallents House (tel. 03457 641 641), 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB.

USPS: Record Holiday Season

Posted on January 7, 2015 by VSC

[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Delivers Record Holiday Season
Double-digit package growth surpasses projections

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service exceeded its holiday delivery projections this season, delivering approximately 524 million packages in December — an 18 percent increase over last year.

On Dec. 22 alone, the Postal Service delivered more than 28 million packages. This marked the most packages delivered in a single day in the organization’s history. The package delivery record was set while also delivering approximately 463 million pieces of mail.

Improving tracking and reliability for customers was a key factor in preparing for holiday delivery demand. In advance of the holidays, the Postal Service also lowered some prices for businesses and frequent shippers.

“The volume this holiday season demonstrates that retailers and consumers increasingly are turning to the Postal Service to deliver their packages,” said Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Donahoe. “We know how much our customers count on us to make sure cards, letters and gifts make it home, and I’m proud that we delivered on our promise.”

In preparation for the holiday package volume, the Postal Service enhanced its network and made adjustments to mail processing and delivery operations, including delivering packages seven days a week beginning late November. More than 20 million packages were delivered on the five Sundays prior to Christmas to keep the mail moving and networks clear. An additional 118,000 packages were delivered Christmas Day.

“The dedication and resolve of our employees is commendable,” Donahoe said. “They adapted and delivered heavier-than-ever volumes of packages. They worked extremely hard, many of them braving harsh weather. I’m honored by the commitment they demonstrated this holiday season.”

The Postal Service is continuing to anticipate holiday volume through January as consumers use the mail to return holiday gifts. Merchants and retailers can take advantage of several return services, including Priority Mail Returns Service, to help customers make their returns easier. Consumers with gifts to return can pack items in Priority Mail packaging, which comes with insurance and tracking, and is available free at Post Offices or online.

Hotchner: Challenges Of Being A Dealer

Posted on January 6, 2015 by VSC

So, You Think Being A Dealer Would Be Easy?
by John M. Hotchner

(This is written in first person for effect, though I have only worked for a dealer.)

If I were to calculate the value of my time spent cataloging and looking up references in order to price my material fairly and to sell, my return per hours spent would be minimal.
And that’s before I spend additional time calculating offers on material collectors and dealers are selling. And the time spent keeping up with philatelic news and trends by means of reading philatelic periodicals and other literature.
For every item I sell, I must buy something on which I can make a reasonable profit in the future. Since only half or less of what I buy will sell again within a year, I actually need to buy more, knowing that I may have to discount some of it eventually to clear it out.
Every transaction has to be recorded for the benefit of the tax man — federal, state and local. And it has to be recorded in a consistent and usable format. I wish I’d paid better attention in my “business math” course in high school. College calculus doesn’t help much.
I am expected to be an expert on all things philatelic by my customers: to be able to spot fakes at 500 paces, to answer even the most elemental questions as well as the tough ones patiently and in depth, and to be able to predict what will gain or lose value on the long term. The good news is that philately is a continuing education. One cannot help but learn new things.
Increasingly, I need to be a technical wizard to reach my potential customers “where they are” on the Internet, Twitter, texting, etc. None of this comes for free — either in terms of time or money. This is a good thing as I can now speak my children’s language, though I could use more of their technical savvy.
And I must balance those methods of outreach with more traditional direct and in-person outreach such as print advertising, taking a table at stamp shows, getting involved as an active member of a local club, and even contributing articles on my business or my specialties to the philatelic press.
I must — often a pleasurable experience, but just as often not — to shows, to evaluate prospective purchases, to meet clients. And once I make a commitment to be there, neither rain nor snow nor hurricane is an adequate excuse for not showing up as promised. Even illness doesn’t cut it unless I or one of my nearest and dearest is in extremis. And yes, I must keep track of all those expenses, including the extra hotel nights when weather cancels planes or closes highways.
Connected to #8, I have to explain to my significant other and family members why their spur-of-the-moment or short-term plans for birthday parties, school events, weddings, births, and even deaths conflict with my commitments made sometimes two or three years into the future. Against this problem is the fact that mostly when I am home, my time is my own. I’m not punching a clock.
I must maintain a home office — or even more significant, a business address — where I do my work, run my business, communicate with my customers, and store my stock. While a tax-deductible set of expenses (again that accounting!), those costs have to be figured into the pricing of my material,
They know me at the post office, where the increasingly intricate rules for mailing flats and using controlled mail mean I must stand in line just about every day. Oh, yes, and there are the constantly increasing rates, too.
I must maintain a significant philatelic library covering the areas in which I am active, including “investing” in the most current catalogues and specialty society literature, as well as the standard references from the past.
I need to be master of the watermark tray, the perforation gauge, color charts, and cancellation measurement devices — even a small mistake can cost me a bundle of bucks, or make me look like a complete idiot to my customers.
My customers are not only my bread-and-butter; they are the reason I got into the business. I enjoy them and enjoy filling their wants. And yet, some few seem to go out of their way to be ill-humored, overly contentious on prices, and/or are so taken by their own importance that they treat me like a bug they can squash. I try to stay detached and not take it personally.
Studying the souk in Damascus is a sport for me as I have had to integrate the lessons of human impulse, financial motivations, and the game of bargaining in how I negotiate with customers. Reaching a mutually agreed price — whether buying or selling — is a good deal more complicated than marking an item at $5 (or $500) and waiting for someone who wants it that badly to show up. Some dealers will not move on price. I don’t like to, but for good customers, or ones who buy a lot…
I often need to find and employ knowledgeable and honest part-time help to keep my stock in order, to service customer orders, to help cover my booth at shows, but also to design my web interfaces, and to help with my accounting and tax chores. This brings a new level of complexity to my “sole proprietorship”.
I must maintain good relations with other dealers in the community; not only because it is the right thing to do, but because we often help each other with knowledge, with references to available material, with mentoring, and in many other ways.

And yet despite the requirements and the obstacles, I love the hobby, the great majority of its practitioners, their lust for challenge and discovery, and simply handling stamps and covers. I enjoy seeing material I’ve sold being used in exhibits, in articles, and achieving new catalogue status. I enjoy the discoveries I make, and even the ones that others make in my stock. (After all, I got the price I needed when I sold the item.)

No occupation is without its hurdles, and despite mine, I enjoy most of the work, and it does put dinner on the table!

Should you wish to comment on this column, or have questions or ideas you would like to have explored in a future column, please write to John Hotchner, VSC Contribu-tor, P.O. Box 1125, Falls Church, VA 22041-0125, or email, putting “VSC” in the subject line.

Or comment right here.

Scott Catalogue Numbers – January 2015 update

Posted on January 6, 2015 by VSC

4945 (49¢) Christmas – Magi
a. Convertible booklet pane of 20
4946 (49¢) Christmas – Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
4947 (49¢) Christmas – Hermey and Rudolph
4948 (49¢) Christmas – Santa Claus
4949 (49¢) Christmas – Bumble
a. Block of 4, #4946-4949
b. Convertible booklet pane of 20, 5 each #4946-4949
4950 (49¢) Wilt Chamberlain in Philadelphia Warriors uniform
4951 (49¢) Wilt Chamberlain in Los Angeles Lakers uniform
a. Pair, #4950-4951

CVP88A (49¢) Computer vended stamp with USPS Eagle emblem

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Monthly Archives: January 2015