Monthly Archives: October 2018

U.S. Threatens To Withdraw From UPU

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The U.S. plans to pull out of an international postal treaty, because it allows China to ship packages to the U.S. at discounted rates. That, according to the Administration, costs the U.S. Postal Service about $170 million a year.

President Trump says the Universal Postal Union agreement benefits China and other countries at the expense of U.S. businesses: It’s cheaper to ship merchandise from Beijing to New York than from San Francisco to New York.

“The current system has led to the United States subsidizing the imports of small packages from other countries,” Jeff Adams, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service, told the Washington Post.

Administration officials say the U.S. is willing to renegotiate the 144-year-old treaty, but will leave UPU if no agreement is reached. The treaty requires a year for a country to withdraw. Withdrawl might affect international rates for U.S. mailers, but not for at least six months.

“President Trump deserves tremendous credit for the administration’s focus on eliminating the anti-US manufacturer subsidy China receives from the U.S. Postal Service,” Jay Timmons, the president of the National Association of Manufacturers, said in a statement. “This outdated arrangement contributes significantly to the flood of counterfeit goods and dangerous drugs that enter the country from China.”

This comes as the trade war between the U.S. and China gains intensity, although the White House says it is separate.

UPU director Bishar Hussein says he will seek a meeting with U.S. officials.

Canada Post Community Foundation (Canada 2018)

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Issue date: September 24, 2018

From Details magazine:
The release of the Canada Post Community Foundation’s fundraising semi-postal stamp signals the start of Canada Post’s annual fundraising campaign. Your dollar donation for a booklet of 10 stamps and 10 cents for the Official First Day Cover goes directly to support Canadian children and youth, through the funding of programs for breakfast, anti-bullying, special education, camps for children fighting illness, early literacy and other programs.

Designer Matthew Warburton of Emdoubleyu Design says of the inspiration behind the stamp, “Everyone can recall days from their childhood, spending a hot summer afternoon lying in the grass looking up at the clouds rolling by. This design recreates that feeling of freedom, wonderment and joy with a child sitting on a grassy, flower-speckled hilltop, looking up at the sky and seeing animal shapes in the fluffy clouds.” The stamp was illustrated by Julie Morstad, one of Canada’s top illustrators of children’s books, whose work is honoured frequently in the Alcuin Society Book Awards.

Thanks to the generosity of our customers in 2017, the Canada Post Community Foundation provided $1.1 million in funding to grassroots and community-based child and youth organizations across the country.

Collecting Postal Larceny (Hotchner)

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By John M. Hotchner

Most of us as collectors stay inside the philatelic box — standard collections of the United States or another country, or stay with an era like the first 100 years, or even a single issue like the Liberty Series of 1954. Another group will focus on Back of the Book issues of one sort or another, or go the thematic route.

Going beyond the Scott Standard or U.S. Specialized Catalogues gets us to at least the outer edges of the box, but for such material there are often specialized catalogs that help us define boundaries. I’m talking here about such things as precancels, perfins, state revenues, and collecting specific plate numbers.

But if you want to bust out of the box completely, you have to dabble in something that has no catalog, and because of that, there are still many discoveries to be made. One such area is what I like to call Postal Larceny, which I define as the myriad ways in which individuals and sometimes organizations go about cheating the Postal Service of revenue, using the post for illegal or immoral purposes, or attempting to fool collectors into buying altered stamps and covers, or outright forgeries.

I have found that to be a fascinating, challenging and enjoyable pursuit, and want to recommend it as a specialty all its own. Wait a minute: Aren’t postal forgeries — defined as “stamps” created to replicate genuine U.S. stamps, but fakes made to cheat the USPS out of revenue — listed in the Scott U.S. Specialized?

Yes, they are and have been since the 2013 catalogue. But when I began to collect them in the 1960s, there was no such resource. In fact there was no cohesive resource at all. Just after the turn of the new century, Rich Drews, Joann Lenz and I fortuitously discovered we all had the same interest. Each of us had a holding, and a file folder of clippings from the philatelic press about some of these counterfeits. None of us wanted to sell, so we hit on a scheme to pool our material and files. Each of us now has a complete file, though it by no means covers everything we own.

More importantly, we did an exhibit showing all of what we know to exist and have in “our” collection. See the title page on the right and also reproduced at the bottom of this page for clarity. While it began as two frames, it is now on the verge of a sixth, and the exhibit is shown at the APS Winter and Summer shows each year.

It was from viewing this exhibit that the Scott editors took the initiative in 2011 to come to us and ask if we would be interested in having a postal counterfeit section added to the Specialized — and if so, would we be interested in preparing it? Yes, and Yes, were the immediate answers.

Getting U.S. Postal Counterfeits within the box was a huge victory for us in that it gave form and recognition to the collecting area. But the area remains a challenge with both information and material waiting to be discovered. For example, there are Linn’s articles describing a 20¢ Flag Over Supreme Court counterfeit that was used on mailed advertisements for pornography. We don’t have one, and indeed none of us have ever seen a genuine example!

The other aspect of postal counterfeits, if you follow the reports by Rudy de Mordaigle in U.S. Stamp News, and other philatelic press reports, is that the postal counterfeits business (for that is what it is!) has mushroomed in the years starting with the 37¢ Flag rate (2002). There have been more counterfeits since then than in all the years since 1894 when the first examples are recorded. And the quality of the newer counterfeits is very high. It used to be that counterfeiters had to replicate engraved U.S. stamps. No longer. The USPS changed their requirements to eliminate engraving in favor of photogravure, which is much less expensive. But it is also much easier to credibly fake. So, where ‘in the olden days’ a postal employee might identify a counterfeit and call in the Inspectors, current counterfeits are well enough done that postal staff can not easily tell the difference between the fakes and genuine stamps without a magnifier.

Processing equipment can spot the counterfeits because most have no or the wrong tagging. But it seems that the equipment also kicks out envelopes with perfectly good stamps in sufficient numbers to make tracking each reject to see if it is a counterfeit not a realistic option.

Virtually each new First Class or Forever definitive of the last 15 years has been counterfeited numerous times and by numerous sources. They are sold openly on the Internet and marketed to mom and pop stores in inner cities, and the USPS seems to be unable or unwilling to put a stop to it; thus adding hundreds of millions of dollars to the Postal Service deficit.This level of audacity is equaled if not exceeded by what have come to be called the “stamp doctors” who alter genuine U.S. stamps to make them into more expensive versions (making coils from imperf stamps, adding “Kans.” Or “Nebr.” Overprints, for example) and repair flawed stamps to make them more desirable (and thus more expensive). Examples of this practice might include reperfing to replace damaged perforations, adding perfs to straight edges, filling in pin holes, replacing hinged gum, and much, much more.

Putting together a collection of faked, altered and repaired stamps is a challenge because no dealer specializes in such material, but almost every dealer will have some examples and they mostly sell for pennies on the catalogue-value dollar. The collector who accumulates and studies such material is bound to learn a great deal about the properties of such material, but will also have a leg up in being able to make good judgments about genuine and unaltered stamps.

Throughout this article are examples of U.S. collector forgeries and altered or repaired stamps. I have purposely picked badly done examples that are obviously bad, but readers should be warned that the art of forging, altering and repairing has made great strides in recent years, and the only reliable ways to avoid such material are by acquiring personal knowledge, and knowing how to use the services of a reputable expertizing organization.

We will end this column at this point, but I will continue in future columns. We will look at use of stamp-like substitutes for postage stamps, attempts at short payment, use of the mails for criminal activity, stolen mail, stamp washing to remove cancellations, postal stationery counterfeits, misuse of USPS stamp images, movie prop stamps, and more.

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 Contributor, P.O. Box 1125, Falls Church, VA 22041-0125, or email, putting “VSC” in the subject line.

Or comment right here.

$4 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Canada 2018)

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[press release]
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep scales high-value stamp
New issue created using traditional intaglio printing process

OTTAWA, Oct 10, 2018 – A legendary climber of the Rocky Mountains’ sheer crags pauses in a majestic pose on Canada Post’s newest large-format, high-value definitive stamp. Valued at $4, the stamp is part of an ongoing Canadian wildlife series.

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) live on the steep grasslands and rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia and Alberta, and south to Colorado and New Mexico. Their split hooves make them legendary climbers, known to scale high rocky peaks. Overhunting, loss of habitat and diseases that spread from domestic livestock significantly reduced their numbers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. While conservation efforts have helped to increase some populations, the bighorn sheep is designated of “special concern” in British Columbia.

The stamp was created using both lithographic and intaglio printing. The background was created using lithography, the process used to create most modern Canadian stamps. This base was then overprinted with a four-colour intaglio plate that added the detailed engraving of the sheep, mountains and foliage. At one time, all Canadian stamps were engraved or intaglio; lithography was introduced to Canadian postage in 1952. As with previous stamps in the high-value series, the stamp incorporates hidden security features.

The intaglio plates were created by master engraver Jorge Peral, who worked on other stamps, including the $8 Grizzly (which launched the wildlife series in 1997) and $10 Blue Whale (2010). He has also engraved paper currency in Canada and several other countries.

The stamps are available in a pane of four (souvenir sheet) (shown at right). Additional collectibles include an Official First Day Cover (OFDC) cancelled in Jasper, AB (shown above); a limited edition uncut press sheet with nine panes of four stamps signed by master engraver Jorge Peral (shown below); a framed and numbered lithographic print signed by illustrator Rodrigo Peral; and a framed enlargement of the stamp image, plus the actual stamp.

The bighorn sheep has been featured on numerous U.S. issues: Sc. 1467 in 1972, Sc. 1880 in 1981, Sc. 1949 (1982), Sc. 2288 (1987’s North American Wildlife), Sc. 4138 (2007), and Sc. 4331 (Wyoming Flag). [VSC]

Stamps and collectibles can be pre-ordered online at canadapost.ca/shop.

U.S. Stamp Panel Adds Members

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[press release]
New Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee Members Appointed

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service today announced the appointment of three members to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC).

Created in 1957, the CSAC evaluates all stamp proposals received by the Postal Service. Committee members, appointed by the Postmaster General, provide expertise on history, science and technology, art, education, sports and other subjects of public interest.

The new members are:

Ivan Cash
Ivan Cash is an award-winning interactive artist and film director, and the founder of Cash Studios of Oakland, CA.

Conceptually driven and genre bending, Cash’s media projects spark meaningful conversation and impact culture. His work has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, TIME, The Guardian, Fast Company, Buzzfeed, and The Atlantic. Three of his videos have been named Vimeo Staff Picks and two have been selected as Webby Honorees.

Cash has been recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 artist, an Art Directors Club Young Gun, and a PRINT New Visual Artist. His work has been exhibited around the world from the Brooklyn Museum to the Australian Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences and is in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London.

Spencer R. Crew
Spencer R. Crew is the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History at George Mason University. He has worked in public history institutions for more than 25 years. Crew served as president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and worked at the National Museum of American History (NMAH), Smithsonian Institution for 20 years, serving as director for nine. At each of those institutions, he sought to make history accessible to the public through innovative and inclusive exhibitions and public programs. Crew is an active member of the academic and cultural communities, serving on numerous boards that work to generate enthusiasm for history among the public.

Crew is a co-author of The American Presidency, A Glorious Burden.

Mike Harrity
Mike Harrity is the senior associate athletics director, Student-Athlete Services, at the University of Notre Dame. He leads the areas of sports performance and student welfare and development, serves a lead role with primary benefactor groups.

Harrity has 17 years of experience at NCAA Division I institutions supporting 720 student-athletes across 26 teams at the University of Notre Dame. He directs all areas that impact the student-athlete experience, with a focus on optimally enhancing the academic, personal, athletic, professional and service-learning experience of each student-athlete from recruitment through alumni status. Harrity explored the subject of creating and sustaining cultures of excellence with 13 coaches and many of their team members, who have won 103 combined championships; the results of his exploration were published in his first book, Coaching Wisdom (2012).

Submitting Stamp Suggestions
Due to the time required for research and approval in the stamp selection process ideas for stamp subjects should be received at least three years before the proposed issuance. Each submission should include pertinent historical information and important dates associated with the subject. Proposals must be in writing and submitted by U.S. Mail. No in-person appeals, phone calls or e-mails are accepted. Mail your suggestion (one topic per letter) to the address below:

Stamp Development
Attn: Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3300
Washington, DC 20260-3501

USPS Gets 2019 Rate Increases

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The Postal Regulatory Commission approved this request in its entirety on November 13th.

The PRC said, “Rate increases for Market Dominant products must meet certain statutory and regulatory requirements, the most prominent of which is that such increases be no greater than the rate of inflation, as determined by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. Conversely, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act requires, among other things, that rates for Competitive products must produce sufficient revenues to ensure they are not subsidized by Market Dominant products. The Commission found that the rates for both classes of mail meet all statutory requirements and may take effect, January 27, 2019, as planned.”

“No greater than the rate of inflation…” However, that is on average. The cost of mailing a one-ounce letter is going up 10%. The rate of inflation, October 2017 to October 2018, rose just 2.5%.

We can expect new Priority Mail and Express Mail stamps, as well as some definitives, on the date the new rates go into effect, January 27, 2019.

One major change proposed, however, is in First-Class Package Service—Retail: Right now, it’s a flat rate of $3.50 for up to four ounces. Under the October 10 proposal, the rate would range from $3.66 to $4.06 for up to four ounces, depending on distance. The service includes tracking.

To determine a domestic zone, use this tool on the USPS website. Choose the second tab, “Get Zone for ZIP Code Pair.”

[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Announces New Prices for 2019

WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today of price changes to take effect Jan. 27, 2019.

The proposed prices, approved by the Governors of the Postal Service, would raise Mailing Services product prices approximately 2.5 percent. Shipping Services price increases vary by product. For example, Priority Mail Express will increase 3.9 percent and Priority Mail will increase 5.9 percent. Although Mailing Services price increases are based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Shipping Services prices are primarily adjusted according to market conditions. The Governors believe these new rates will keep the Postal Service competitive while providing the agency with needed revenue.

If favorably reviewed by the PRC, the new prices will include a 5-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 50 cents to 55 cents. The single-piece additional ounce price will be reduced to 15 cents, so a 2-ounce stamped letter, such as a typical wedding invitation, will cost less to mail, decreasing from 71 cents to 70 cents.

The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:

Product
Letters (1 oz.)
Letters additional ounces
Letters (metered 1 oz.)
International Letters (1 oz.)
Domestic Postcards		 Current
50¢
21¢
47¢
$1.15
35¢		 Proposed
55¢
15¢
50¢
$1.15
35¢

The proposed domestic Priority Mail Retail Flat Rate price changes are:

Product
Small Flat Rate Box
Small Flat Rate Box
Large Flat Rate Box
APO/FPO Large Flat Rate Box
Regular Flat Rate Envelope
Legal Flat Rate Envelope
Padded Flat Rate Envelope		 Current
$7.20
$13.65
$18.90
$17.40
$6.70
$7.00
$7.25		 Proposed
$7.90
$14.35
$19.95
$18.45
$7.35
$7.65
$8.00

First-Class Package Service, a lightweight expedited offering used primarily by businesses for fulfillment purposes, will move to zone-based pricing to better align with the cost of service and improve value based on distance.

The Postal Service has some of the lowest letter mail postage rates in the industrialized world and also continues to offer a great value in shipping. Unlike some other shippers, the Postal Service does not add surcharges for fuel, residential delivery, or regular Saturday or holiday season delivery.

The PRC will review the prices before they are scheduled to take effect Jan. 27, 2019. The complete Postal Service price filings with the new prices for all products can be found on the PRC site under the Daily Listings section at https://www.prc.gov/dockets/daily (see listing for Oct. 10). For the Mailing Services filing see Docket No. R2019-1. For the Shipping Services filing see Docket No. CP2019-3.The price change tables are also available on the Postal Service website at https://pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations.

More details on the proposed rate changes can be found here.

Hanukkah (Israel 2018)

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From Israel Post, October 9th:

Israel–USA Joint Issue – Happy Hanukkah

[Issue date: October 16, 2018, same as the U.S. version. Details on the U.S. version are here.]

Just 11 minutes after Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, American President Harry S. Truman recognized the new State. This action marked the beginning of a relationship based on common values and characterized by a deep friendship and mutual respect.

The special relationship between Israel and the United States is a key element in Israel’s political strength and power. This relationship also has strategic significance for the State of Israel.

In the early 1980’s, Israel was considered to be a strategic asset for the United States and was noted as such (1987) in legislation passed a year earlier as its main non-NATO ally.

The friendship between Israel and the United States is bolstered by the supportive American Jewish community and large portions of the American people.

The Hanukkah festival marks the Maccabean victory over their enemies – the Hellenistic monarchy of the House of Seleucus, as well as the miracle that took place in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. It is customary to light candles on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, setting them near the entrance to the home in order to make the miracle known.

In the year 167 BCE the Hellenistic king Antiochus IV forbade the Jewish residents of Eretz Israel to study the Torah and to perform the Jewish mitzvahs. Mattathias the Hasmonean and his sons led the people’s revolt against the cruel regime, and after harsh battles successfully freed Jerusalem and the Temple.

The Babylonian Talmud (tractate Shabbat 21:2) describes how the Maccabees found only one small cruse of pure oil, enough to light the Temple menorah for just one day. But a miracle occurred and the oil lasted for eight days, until more pure oil could be prepared. In honor of that miracle, it was determined that the festival would last eight days. For the Jewish people, the Hanukkah candles symbolize the victory of good over evil and of justice over injustice.

According to the USPS, the Israeli cancellation measures 1.25″x1.27″. —VSC

Bill Gross Sets Record with $10 Million Sale

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A portion of financier Bill Gross’ stamp collection sold at auction Wednesday evening, October 3rd, for $10 million. That is a record for a single-day philatelic auction.

The sale, by Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, is the first of several planned for the next 2-3 years.

The top lot was a center-inverted block of four stamps from 1869 that fetched $737,500 (including the 18% buyer’s premium). [shown on right]

“A lot of these iconic items were bought by a billionaire and now they are dispersed among the riffraff,” Arthur Przybyl, chief executive officer of Ani Pharmaceuticals Inc., told Bloomberg News. Sitting in the first row, he won the night’s second-most-expensive item: a blue Hawaiian missionary from 1851 that brought $619,500. “I lost a lot, but I won the stamp I really wanted.”

The 74-year-old Gross has the most complete collection of U.S. stamps anywhere. A bond portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Group Plc, began collecting in 1992.

“This is only the tip of the iceberg,” Gordon Eubanks, a tech entrepreneur, told Bloomberg. He spent more than $1.2 million on at least seven lots in Wednesday night’s sale, including the unique “Bible Block” of six 10-cent stamps from 1847, for $590,000. [Shown above.]

U.S. Scott Catalogue Update (October 2018)

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5282 (50¢) Air Mail Centenary – carmine lake

5301 (50¢) Art of Magic – Rabbit in Hat
5302 (50¢) Art of Magic – Fortune Teller and Crystal Ball
5303 (50¢) Art of Magic – Levitating Woman and Hoop
5304 (50¢) Art of Magic – Empty Bird Cage
5305 (50¢) Art of Magic – Bird Emerging From Flower
a. Horiz. strip of 5, #5301-5305
5306 Sheet of 3 #5306a (Lenticular printing)
a. (50¢) Art of Magic – Rabbit in Hat (Lenticular printing)
b. As #5306, die cutting omitted

5307 (50¢) Dragons – Green Dragon and Castle
5308 (50¢) Dragons – Purple Dragon and Castle
5309 (50¢) Dragons – Blue Dragon and Ship
5310 (50¢) Dragons – Orange and Pink Dragon and Pagoda
a. Strip or block of 4, #5307-5310
b. Horiz. strip of 4, #5307-5310, die cutting missing

5311 ($1.15) Poinsettia

Free Ebook on Nicholas F. Seebeck

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[press release]
Seebeck
Everything possible for you to know about Nicholas F. Seebeck is in this free 182-page ebook.

The ebook is titled Seebeck: Hero or Villain? by Danilo A. Mueses.

This new second edition published in October 2018 is in English. It is a newly edited update and enlargement of the book first published in 1986 in Spanish.

The entire free 2018 ebook will be sent to you in a few days by email or as a free download from an emailed link if you so advise momotombo@woh.rr.com that you would prefer a link.

The low-resolution PDF file of the ebook comprises less than 5 megabytes.

Pages are 8½ inches x 11 inches.

  • Learn about this prominent philatelic figure of the 1870s through 1890s.
  • Have 100s of facts and details about Seebeck at your fingertips.
  • All text of this ebook is machine-searchable.
  • Includes index and bibliography.
  • Includes full text of the Seebeck stamp contracts.
  • Includes full text of the 1895 public letters of Seebeck and J. Walter Scott.
  • Includes chapters summarizing the Seebeck stamps and stationery issued by El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and the Colombian state of Bolivar.
  • Pictures dozens of selected stamps and postal stationery in color.
  • Pictures important artifacts related to Seebeck and the Hamilton Bank Note Engraving and Printing Company.
  • Additional files of the Minute Books of the Hamilton Bank Note Engraving and Printing Co.

Why is this ebook free?
Author Danilo A. Mueses and editor Michael Schreiber want to promote the collection and study of the Seebeck stamps and postal stationery. This book provides essential background for understanding the listings in stamp catalogs and for reading published special studies on the stamps and postal stationery. Offering a free ebook eliminates the need for a physical inventory and for any packing, postage, shipping and money handling. There are no gimmicks. The author and editor are not trying to sell you anything or buy anything from you. At some point, a traditional book on paper might be published in a small quantity.

To receive the free book, send e-mail to momotombo@woh.rr.com.