World War I Mule Corps (Israel 2015)

[press release]

Zion Mule Corps – 100th Anniversary
The Founding of the Mule Corps
isr_mulesAt the onset of WWI, the Turks who ruled Eretz Israel expelled all citizens of enemy countries who refused to become Ottoman subjects. Many of those expelled were Jews who had come from Russia before the war and nearly 11,000 of them made their way to the Egyptian city of Alexandria, which was under British rule.

Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who came to Alexandria from Russia as a military correspondent in early December 1914, proposed founding a volunteer Jewish combat battalion that would participate in the efforts to conquer Eretz Israel from the Turks. Aided by Joseph Trumpeldor, who had come to Alexandria after being expelled from Eretz Israel, he recruited some 200 young Jews from among the expelled as well as the local Egyptian Jewish community. Participants in a meeting held on March 5, 1915 signed a binding agreement to serve in the battalion.

Although the British refused to establish a Jewish combat unit, they did agree to form a transport corps of Jewish mule drivers. Disappointed, Jabotinsky left Egypt and travelled to London to continue to promote the idea of a Jewish combat battalion. Trumpeldor, on the other hand, accepted the British proposition and volunteered to help establish the corps.

On April 1, 1915 the members of the Zion Mule Corps, or as they were known “The Mule Corps”, were sworn in. Anglo-Irish Lt. Colonel John Henry Patterson was appointed to command the corps and Joseph Trumpeldor became his second-incommand.

The Corps on the Gallipoli Front
In April 1915, a large British military force landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula, not far from the city of Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. On April 16, 1915, after only a brief twoweek training period, the Mule Corps joined the main force which had landed on the southern shore of Gallipoli. The stamp is adapted from a photo of the Mule Corps soldiers as they came ashore in Gallipoli.

mulecxlIt quickly became apparent that the British action on the Gallipoli peninsula was a failure. The Turks fought fearlessly and the invading forces suffered heavy casualties. The Mule Corps soldiers, who transported ammunition and supplies to the troops on the front line, executed their difficult and wearing job very well. Despite the danger and the terrible conditions, the Jewish volunteers persevered under fire, in the mountainous terrain of the peninsula, until the British withdrawal and departure from Gallipoli on the night of January 1, 1916. During this period the Corps suffered nine casualties and approximately 50 of its men were wounded. Ninety men were present at the final parade before the British departure, approximately 25% of the original force, and only 11 of them were among the volunteers who had come ashore on April 27, 1915.

The End of the Mule Corps
A few months after returning to Egypt, the Mule Corps was disbanded on May 26, 1916. At Trumpeldor’s initiative, some 120 members of the corps reenlisted. They were sent to Britain, where they served as the core of the newly formed 38th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, the first Jewish combat unit within the framework of the British military.

Description of the First Day Cover
The First Day Cover incorporates the façade of the Beit Hagdudim (Jewish Legions) Museum – Avichail, which commemorates the memory and heroism of the members of the Jewish battalions of WWI. The quote taken from the founding declaration of the Mule Corps: “A corps of Jewish volunteers that shall make itself available to the government of England in order to participate in the liberation of Eretz Israel… every volunteer shall swear to sacrifice his strength and his life” symbolizes the courage and sacrifice of the pioneers of the first Jewish military force of the modern era.

Issue: April 2015
Stamp Size (mm): H30/W40
Plate: 979
Stamps per Sheet: 15
Tabs per Sheet: 5
Method of printing: Offset
Security mark: Microtext
Printer: Cartor Security Printing, France

Stamp & Cancellation Design: Osnat Eshel, Tuvia Kurtz
FDC design: Osnat Eshel

Dinosaurs (Canada, 2015)

[CPC press release
Dinosaurs come to life on Canada Post stamps

Dinosaurs-Stamp-Ornithominus-400POTTAWA, April 9, 2015 /CNW/ – With a unique 3-D-like design that breaks through the boundaries of a typical stamp, Canada Post brings to life five prehistoric animals that once roamed Canada. The prehistoric beasts in this new stamp issue – Dinos of Canada – range from Tyrannosaurus rex, depicted in a light feathery coat with cavernous jaws agape, to Euoplocephalus tutus, whose tail ended in a massive club.

“Canada’s rich geography and spectacular landscape define this country and who we are,” says the CANADA POST - Dinosaurs come to life on Canada Post stampsHonourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, responsible for Canada Post. “We have a special fascination for the creatures that walked this land in the ancient past. With these stamps, we rediscover the magic they hold for us.” [Raitt is shown at right with Canada Post president and CEO Deepak Chopra, the Toronto Raptor and students from Jesse Ketchum Public School.]

“Canadians young and old marvel at these wonders of nature and will be intrigued to discover in this stamp issue fascinating clues to the lives these dinosaurs lived,” says Canada Post President and CEO Deepak Chopra. “Our stamp program tells Canada’s story. This is a story like no other.”

The animals pulse with life, charged by the multilevel embossing and holographic foiling used in most of the designs. They tear their way through barren background images of Dinosaur Provincial Park, one of Canada’s richest sources of dinosaur fossils.

Wild-eyed and sharp-toothed, the creatures are vividly illustrated by highly regarded paleoartist Julius Csotonyi of Vancouver. Design is by Andrew Perro of Toronto, who has designed several Canadian stamps.

“It was important to strike an effective balance in pose and colour patterns that were gripping and imposing yeDinosaurs-Stamp-Chasmosaurus-400Pt scientifically accurate or plausible,” says Csotonyi, an award-winning natural history illustrator and biological sciences graduate.

Canada has proven a rich hunting ground for dinosaur remains, with discoveries made from the badlands of Alberta to the Bay of Fundy area. The finds selected for this stamp issue were made in Western Canada and chosen in consultation with the Canadian Museum of Nature.

The animals depicted are:

  • Dinosaurs-Stamp-Tylosaurus-400PTylosaurus pembinensis, a giant sea-dwelling reptile that could open its jaws wide like a snake and swallow large prey. It patrolled the inland sea that divided North America 80 million years ago. A skeleton displayed at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Modern, Man. is the largest mosasaur skeleton on exhibit in the world. Nicknamed “Bruce,” the centre refers to it as “the T. rex of the sea.”
  • Chasmosaurus belli, a relative of the famous Triceratops. Its large frill was supported by a bony framework that was likely used for display, not defence. A baby Chasmosaurus was recently found in Dinosaur Provincial Park. It was less than three years old when it died.
  • Dinosaurs-Stamp-Tyrannasaurus-400PTyrannosaurus rex, the “tyrant king” of dinosaurs. High school teacher Robert Gebhardt discovered one of the largest and most complete skeletons of its kind in Saskatchewan in 1991. The skeleton has been nicknamed “Scotty.”
  • Ornithomimus edmontonicus, now known to have sported long arm feathers. It used its speed to outrun predators and to hunt for prey, which included small lizards and mammals.
  • Euoplocephalus tutus, an herb-eater that was known for its spiky, plated armour. Its complex and unusual series of nasal passages may have warmed inhaled air, improved the animal’s sense of smell or helped it vocalize.

About the stamps
Dinosaurs-Stamp-Euoplocehalus-400PWhile each stamp frame is 28.5 mm x 28.5 mm, the dinosaurs burst out in varying configurations. The stamps are available in booklets of 10. They were printed by Lowe-Martin and designed by Andrew Perro with illustration by Julius Csotonyi and photography by Judy Arndt. The souvenir sheet of five stamps (below) measures 159 mm x 65 mm. The uncut press sheet of eight souvenir sheets measures 608 mm x 358 mm and features an enlargement of the T. rex that appears on the stamp. The cancel image on the Official First Day Cover is that of the Ornithomimus edmontonicus. The cancellation site is Drumheller, Alta., home of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, one of Canada’s most important dinosaur museums. can_dino_souv

Stars Turn Out For Maya Angelou Stamp

[The main article on the stamp itself is here.]

s_maya_angelouWashington, DC’s Warner Theatre was filled to capacity (listed at 1,847 people) for what some veteran first-day-ceremony-attending VSC members say was one of the best ceremonies in years. The Postal Service had anticipated and promoted the appearances of Oprah Winfrey and former Ambassador Andrew Young, but for the second Washington ceremony in a role, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and Attorney General Eric Holder attended, plus First Lady Michelle Obama.

Also at the ceremony were almost every African-American member of the House, two daughters of Malcolm X (who was a friend of Angelou), and Washington DC native Roberta Flack. There were also mainstream television camera crews and reporters from the non-philatelic press, such as The Washington Post, whose article is here.

Henry Louis Gates was one of the few celebrities with a tie to Angelou who wasn’t in attendance. “Henry Gates called me to tell me that his proposal for the Maya Angelou stamp was approved,” said Winfrey. Gates is a member of the USPS Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee.

There was a dance tribute by the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Dance Ensemble. angelou_cer02The ceremony ran almost two hours.

There was no autographing line. However, one VSC member was able to obtain autographs from Young and artist Rossin on his ceremony program.

Here are the Postal Service press release and photos; there are more photos taken from the USPS video at the end (added April 11th).

[USPS press release]

Maya Angelou Receives Stamping Ovation
First Lady, Oprah Winfrey, Ambassador Andrew Young, Join Postmaster General in Dedication
angelou_cer01WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Ambassador Andrew Young and other notables joined Postmaster General Megan Brennan in dedicating the Dr. Maya Angelou Forever Stamp today. [Master of ceremonies and MSNBC talk-show host Melissa Harris Perry is shown on the right.] The ceremony took place before a capacity crowd at Washington, DC’s Warner Theatre. Angelou fans are encouraged to share the news on social media using the hashtag #MayaForever.

“Maya Angelou was an author who broke down the barriers of literary form,” said Postmaster General Megan Brennan. “Throughout her many written works, she explored themes of identity, race and displacement — and did so in a distinct style that stretched over time and place. Her stories embodied the pain of her personal struggle — but more than anything else, they epitomized the triumph of courage and the human spirit. She committed angelou_cer03her life to ideas that elevated our sense of what it means to be human, and to advance understanding, compassion, and reconciliation.”

“She’d get a big kick out of this moment,” said Winfrey (at left). “Being honored and commemorated by the Postal Service with her own stamp, for the big, bold bodacious, life she dared to live, in a way that dazzled and gave meaning to those of us who knew her and many who didn’t.”

angelou_cer07“Phenomenal Maya,” said Young (at right). “Rising still from Stamps, Arkansas, and in our hearts to a Forever Stamp. We’re singing your song forever, Maya.”

“Dr. Maya Angelou was a dancer, a singer, an actress, a director of film, a poet, an autobiographer, a social commentator, a teacher and an activist,” said Angelou’s son Guy Johnson. “Yet if you asked her what her life mission was, she’d answer that she had to confront injustice wherever she found it and remind each of us that we are more alike than unalike. It was her belief that every one of us has the responsibility of being our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. For if human angelou_cer05beings are to survive the grave difficulties that range from ethnic hatred and religious conflict to the destruction of the environment, it can only be done if we unite together to develop coherent and effective remedies.” [At left are Guy Johnson and Colin Johnson.]

“Maya Angelou left a stamp on everything and everyone she touched,” he added. “It is only fitting that the U.S. Postal Service is bringing out a stamp in recognition of her life’s work. Her family is extremely grateful of the honor that is being bestowed upon her.”

Also attending the ceremony were Angelou’s grandsonangelou_cer06 Colin Johnson; poet Sonia Sanchez (below right); author and journalist Sophia Nelson; Howard University English professor Eleanor Traylor; poet and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni (below left); and Atlanta-based artist Ross Rossin, whose portrait of Angelou was used for the stamp. The back story on the portrait and the connection to Young and Winfrey can be found here. Melissa Harris-Perry served as master of ceremonies.

As an author, poet, actress, and champion of civil rights, Angelou (1928–2014) was one of the most dynamic voices in 20th-century American literature. The book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” an autobiographical account of her childhood, gained wide acclaim for its vivid depiction of African-American life in the South.

angelou_cer04The stamp showcases Rossin’s 2013 4 feet by 4 feet oil-on-canvas portrait of Angelou. The large hyper-realistic painting is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s collection, where it will be on display through Nov. 1. The stamp features this quote from an interview Angelou conducted:  “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”

The stamp pane includes a short excerpt from Angelou’s book, “Letter to My Daughter.” It reads: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” Art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, designed the stamp.

Special dedication ceremonies for the Maya Angelou Forever stamp are also scheduled for [April 7] in Detroit, Los Angeles and Santa Ana, CA; Stamps, AR, April 8; Stockton, CA,  April 11.

angelou_cer11Believe it or not, the USPS-supplied stills (photos) didn’t include Postmaster General Meg Brennan! angelou_cer08angelou_cer10angelou_cer09angelou_cer12angelou_cer13angelou_cer14angelou_cer15A few more photos, courtesy VSC member Rollin Berger: angelou_cer16I couldn’t see it in the unveiling photo I posted earlier, but there in the center of the group, green dress, is First Lady Michelle Obama. Thanks to Rollin for pointing her out.angelou_cer17

U.S. Scott Catalogue Numbers (April Update)

4672a 1¢ƒ Bobcat coil, dated “2015,” microprinting on bobcat’s leg
4905b Circus imperforate souvenir sheet of 3, #4905d, 2 #4905c
4905c 50¢ Circus Wagon, imperforate
4905d $1 Circus Clown, 57x48mm
4905e Circus imperforate souvenir sheet of 3 with gold omitted in sheet margin
4957 (49¢) Chinese New Year – Year of the Ram
4958 (49¢) Robert Robinson Taylor
4959 (49¢) Rose and Heart
4960 70¢ Tulip and Heart
4961 (10¢) Flag self-adhesive coil – Stripes at Left, Stars at Right
4962 (10¢) Flag self-adhesive coil – Stars and White Stripe
4963 (10¢) Flag self-adhesive coil – Stars at Left, Stripes at Right
a. Strip of 3, #4961-4963

U689 $5.75 Glade Creek Grist Mill stamped envelope

AFDCSers To Tour USAF Museum

[press release]
usafm_exterior_webThe American First Day Cover Society has chosen the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force for its pre-Americover 2015 tour.

Americover 2015 will be held in Columbus, Ohio, August 14-16, about 75 minutes from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton. A bus will take participants from the show site, the DoubleTree by Hilton Columbus-Worthington, to the museum and back again. The museum is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, and features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles on display amid more than 17 acres of indoor exhibit space.

ww2gallery_web“This tour will resonate with first day cover collectors in particular,” said Chris Lazaroff, chair of Americover 2015. “Most, if not all, of the aircraft shown on the ‘Advances in Aviation’ sheet issued at Americover 2005 will be on display.”

The price, which covers bus transportation, is $28 if purchased before July 1st, and $35 after that date. Tickets may be purchased online at www.afdcs.org/register or by mail, using the insert in the March-April issue of First Days, the official journal of the AFDCS.

Each year, a group from Americover tours local sites the day before the show opens. There is also a Sunday evening event involving dinner; this year, it will be at the famous Schmidt’s restaurant in Columbus’ German Town district.

coldwargallery_webThere is a special Americover room rate of $99 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Columbus-Worthington, which includes Wednesday and Sunday nights. There also will be two bourses (commercial dealers and cachetmakers) at the show, a banquet, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, live and silent auctions, seminars, a U.S. first day ceremony, and a forum by a postal official involved with first day covers.

For more information on Americover 2015 and the AFDCS, contact the AFDCS at P.O. Box 16277, Tucson, Ariz. 85732-6277, email showinfo@afdcs.org or visit www.afdcs.org.

Spellman Museum Helps With Old Collections

[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.

Missing Children Envelopes (U.S. 2015)

missingkidsenvFrom the April 2nd Postal Bulletin:

On May 18, 2015, in Anaheim, CA, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Missing Children stamped envelope set of 10 envelopes with seals, Forever First-Class Mail priced at $9.95, in pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) #10 stamped envelopes (Item 882102).

This spring, the U.S. Postal Service issues two different sets of 10 stamped envelopes including seals. The artwork on the stamped envelopes is based on the 2015 stamps celebrating the same subjects. The Missing Children set includes 10 stamped envelopes showcasing a photograph of a bunch of purple Forget-Me-Nots next to a lone flower with text on the top of the stamp that reads “Forget-Me-Not” and text on the bottom that reads “Help Find Missing Children.” The seals included in each of the sets complement the stamp designs.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™, at The Postal Store® website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

missingkidsenvMissing Children Stamped Envelopes
Postmaster
Anaheim Post Office
701 North Loera Street
Anaheim, CA 92803-2282

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders for Missing Children Stamped Envelopes must be postmarked by July 17, 2015.

These two items are considered Philatelic Products and will be issued in the following formats:

  • 882102 Missing Children Stamped Envelope set of 10 with seals (1 design), $9.95.
  • 882104 Missing Children Stamped Envelope First-Day Cover, $0.74.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Missing Children Stamped Envelopes
missingkidsenvItem Number: 882102
Denomination & Type of Issue: Forever First-Class Stamped Envelopes
Format: #10 Regular Envelopes, Packet of 10, 1 design
Issue Date & City: May 18, 2015, Anaheim, CA 92803
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Typographer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Existing Photos: Harald Biebel
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Halm Jet EM4000
Folding Machine: W&D #527
Print Quantity: 370,000
Paper Type: 61# Postal Envelope, Block, Type III
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Envelope Orientation: Horizontal
Envelope Size: (w x h): 9.5 x 4.13 in/241.30 x 104.78 mm
Image Size (w x h): 1.67 x 1.08 in/42.32 x 27.36 mm
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, PMS 431 Gray
Marginal Markings: Forest Stewardship Council Logo • “THIS ENVELOPE IS RECYCLABLE AND MADE WITH 30% POST CONSUMER CONTENT” • Recycling Logo • © USPS 2015

More Staff Changes at APS

apslogonew1The 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.