Monthly Archives: June 2020

Hotchner Honored By Philatelic Foundation

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[press release]
Philatelic Foundation to Award Neinken Medal to John M. Hotchner

The Philatelic Foundation will award John M. Hotchner [left] its 2020 Neinken Medal for distinguished service to philately. Originally scheduled to be held at a ceremony and reception at The Collectors Club in New York on October 27, 2020, it instead will be held in October 2021 because of COVID-19 which has shuttered much of New York. A collector since the age of fivc, he has been a devoted leader, writer and active participant in the advancement of organized philately at the international, national and local levels.

Mr. Hotchner served on the Board of the American Philatelic Society for sixteen years including a term as its President, as a member of the National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists for twenty years, as well as a dozen years as a member of the Postmaster General’s Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee. A co-founder of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, he served as a Board member for 32 years including two terms as its President. Accredited as a national chief judge and international judge in both stamps and literature, Mr. Hotchner has served for many years on the APS’ Committee on Judging Accreditation including a term as its Chairman. In 2017, he was invited to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. On the local level, he has served as president of the Virginia Philatelic Federation. He was a founder of national specialty societies for Auxiliary Markings, AMG Philately, and for Mourning Stamps and Covers.

A prolific writer, Mr. Hotchner currently serves as a contributing editor of Linn’s Stamp News, responsible for its popular “U.S. Stamp Notes,” a weekly column, and as a monthly columnist for The American Stamp Dealer & Collector, and U.S. Stamp News as well as a quarterly columnist for a number of philatelic publications. As an exhibitor, his exhibits have garnered both national grand and reserve grand awards.

PF Chairman Robert G. Rose commented on the choice of Mr. Hotchner as the recipient of its Neinken Medal. “John has done it all, and always at the highest level of achievement, as a collector and exhibitor, as writer and judge, as a philatelic expert and, as a board member and president of philately’s leading organization. We were looking forward to presenting our Neinken Medal to John this fall, but the PF will make certain that he gets due in 2021!”

The medal is named in honor of the late Mortimer Neinken, a former chairman of the Philatelic Foundation, who was one of the most foremost students of United States classics philately.

Beginning: Find U.S. Stamps In Catalogue

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The Hardest Part of Collecting is Beginning, Part 4: Finding U.S. Stamps in the Catalogue
By John M. Hotchner

In the last three editions, this column looked at what it takes to get started as a stamp collector, choosing what to collect, and how to get stamps for your collection, and how a Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue can help you identify your stamps and build your collection. This may also help if you don’t have a catalog, and are simply trying to find the correct box in a stamp album where your stamp should be placed.

Let’s start by picking nine U.S. stamps that we need to find among the nearly 5,500 U.S. issues shown in the Catalogue. We’ll stick to stamps issued after 1890, as they are the stamps most likely to find their way to a beginner. Looking at these stamps, sometimes with a magnifier, will give us clues to help us find them in the catalogue or album.

The 23¢ purple stamp showing Mary Cassatt has a couple of helpful attributes in addition to Cassatt herself. It is an airy design with lots of white background, identifies the country of issue as “USA” and it has a value of 23¢.

But the subject may be all we need, as the catalogue has a “Subject Index of Regular, Commemorative & Air Post Issues”. (It also lists U.S. Semi-Postals, but does not include them in the title.) There we find that stamps featuring Mary Cassatt are numbered 1322, 2181, 3236o, and 3804-3807. It is a simple matter to check each of those numbers until we find our stamp. In doing that we will also find that Mary Cassatt was an artist, and the stamps mostly picture her iconic paintings. But Scott number 2181, issued in 1988 as part of the Great Americans series is a match for our stamp.

If we did not have the subject index, the design itself would be a great pointer. American stamps into the mid-20th Century tended to have little white space, single color designs, and a lot of fancy elements that filled the design space. A good example is the 5¢ George Washington stamp. It says across the top “U.S. Postage,” has laurel leaves around the portrait of Washington, spells out the word “Cents,” and has ribbons under the portrait. This level of complexity marks this stamp as being from the first part of the 20th Century. Not only were the designs “heavy,” but they were repetitive. Almost every U.S. stamp issued into the 1920s pictured Washington, Ben Franklin, or a portrait from a very limited cast of characters emphasizing presidents, major political figures or military heroes. Another feature to notice between the 23¢ Cassatt and the 5¢ Washington is the method of showing the country name: “U.S.” or “USA” replaced the spelled-out version or “U.S. Postage” on most stamps starting in the mid-’60s. So, the heavy design and the “U.S. Postage” again mark the 5¢ stamp as something from early in the 20th Century. Here the Index is not a lot of help as there are dozens of stamps picturing or honoring George Washington. Leafing through the catalogue for the early part of the century will quickly identify the set of 1918-1922 Washington-Franklin stamps as being where the 5¢ Washington comes from. The problem is that there are no fewer than 14 different versions of this 5¢ design — sheet stamps, coils, different perforations, different watermarks, different papers. (And the 5¢ is easy compared to the 1¢, 2¢, and 3¢ stamps of the Washington-Franklin series!)

How to tell which one you have? This is where you will have to learn to use some of the implements that are essential to the collecting of U.S. stamps: a perforation gauge, watermark detector, a magnifier. But once you learn to use them, you are no longer a beginner! The easiest way to master these implements is to learn from another collector. I’ve touted elsewhere in this series the value of joining a stamp club. Nowhere is that more useful than when it comes to learning the basics of collecting.

But you can start on your own by reading the introductory material in the catalogue, and reading the instructions that come with your philatelic instruments. In the next column, I will provide some guidance on where these implements are available, and some hints on how to narrow down the complicated Washington-Franklins and other such issues where there are multiple listings for stamps of the same basic design.

Let’s summarize, and provide a few more general guidelines to help you find your stamps in the catalogue:

(a) The vast majority of U.S. stamps up until the mid-1950s are single color stamps. There are plenty of single-color stamps after that, but as time went on improved printing technology allowed a greater and greater percentage of U.S. issuances to be produced as multi-color stamps.

(b) Classically designed stamps give way to more colorful, airy designs that some would call poster art starting in the late 1950s.

(c) Use a magnifier to look for dates in the design of stamps, as many of them commemorate an event or note the year of issue in the design. Since 1995, the U.S. Postal Service has actually added the year of issue in the mar- gin at the bottom of almost all designs.

(d) While we continue to see founding fathers and government officials on small mail-use definitive stamps today, the range of people and other content is considerably broadened starting with the Liberty issue of the mid-1950s. Christmas stamps begin in 1962. U.S. flag stamps on small definitives begin in 1963. And methods of transportation are included starting in 1981,

(e) Modern stamps, starting in the early 1970s, much more often than not abbreviate “United States” to “U.S.” or “USA” instead of writing them out, or using “U.S. Postage.”

(f) Often the first place to look for your stamp is in the Stamp Subject Index in the Scott Catalogue. If there are many numbers listed for a given subject, check the numbers to see if you can find a match. If there are many numbers listed for a given design, you may need to use stamp collector implements to determine which stamp you have.

(g) Because they are used more often than odd values, remember that U.S. stamps issued for First Class postage predominate, and that almost all commemoratives are issued at the First Class rate. Keep in mind that U.S. rates from 1890 on were in the following progression: 2¢, 3¢ (WWI rate), 2¢ (1919), 3¢ (1932), 4¢ (1958), 5¢ (1963), 6¢ (1968), 8¢ (1971), 10¢ (1974), 13¢ (1975), 15¢ (1978), 18¢ (1981), 20¢ (1981), 22¢ (1985), 25¢ (1988), 29¢ (1991), 32¢ (1995), 33¢ (1999), 34¢ (2001), 37¢ (2002), 39¢ (2006), 41¢ (2007), 42¢ (2008), 44¢ (2009), 45¢ (2012), 46¢ (2013), 49¢ 2014), 47¢ (2016), back to 49¢ (2017), 50¢ (2018), and now 55¢ (2019). And of course there are Forever stamps that began in 2007, and continue today.

So, if you have a stamp with one of these denominations, and the design and design elements described above comport with the complexity-to-simplicity time line, then the era of that First Class rate may be the first place to look.

If you are stumped after trying these guidelines, try to find a collector with more experience who can help you; most readily at a local stamp club, or at a nearby bourse or stamp show where there are collectors and dealers. [You can also ask in The Virtual Stamp Club‘s Facebook group.]

Now, let’s apply the guidelines to more stamps. The 2¢ purple commemorative has the dates 1492-1892 at top, and is a heavy design. “United States of America” is spelled out, and the scene description “Landing of Columbus” is noted in the Index. That is more than enough to find that this is an 1893 stamp, with Scott No. 231.

The multi-color 5¢ “poster art” stamp labeled “Magna Carta, 1215” is a commemorative, so will most likely be found in the 5¢ rate era. “United States Postage” is spelled out. The label is also listed in the Index, where we learn it is Scott No. 1265.

The 2¢ red stamp with the light bulb [below] has a dense design with lots of repetitive design elements. It is a commemorative (for “Edison’s First Lamp,” so the face value likely equates to the First Class rate. Edison is listed in the Index, so that narrows down the choices to Scott Numbers 654, 655 and 656. This is not a coil, with two matching straight edge sides (as defined in the Catalogue’s Introduction), so you will need a perforation gauge to determine whether this is flat plate-printed, perf 11×11, #654, or rotary press-printed, perf 11×10-1/2, #655. (It is the former.)

The multicolor “Christmas” issue [above] with a “13¢” face value, has to be post-1962, and likely in the 13¢ First Class rate era. “Mail Box” is not in the Index, but there is enough information to find this stamp as part of the Christmas issues released in 1977, Scott #1730.

Even though it is a single-color stamp, the “23usa” “Lunch Wagon” stamp [above] is a simple design with lots of white space, and is a coil, so it will probably be found among the Transportation coil series, which began in 1981. It is in the Index, as Scott #2464.

The 32¢ multicolor Georgia O’Keeffe stamp featuring her painting of a Red Poppy has the year of issue “1996” in the lower left corner just below the design. Between that and the fact that O’Keefe is listed in the Index, there is no problem determining that this is Scott #3069.

Finally, the 10¢ Red Pears is a design with lots of white space. The Index does not list Red Pears, but does list several stamps under “Pears”. Looking at the candidates we see that the design was first used for a coil in 2016, but our stamp is not a coil, and it has the date “2017” in the lower left corner. So it is the sheet issue (with perforations around all four sides) identified as Scott #5178.

There will still be some challenges among the stamps you have to find, but the great majority of U.S. stamps can be identified using these guidelines.

Should you wish to comment on this editorial, 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.

Queen rock band (UK 2020)

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[press release]
Guaranteed To Blow Your Mind…!
Royal Mail Issue New Special Stamps To Honour Rock Royalty, Queen

Issue date: 9 July 2020

  • Royal Mail reveals images of a set of 13 stamps to be issued as a tribute to the musical contribution of rock legends Queen – one of the most popular and enduring groups of all time
  • Eight stamps will feature images of some of their most popular and iconic album covers: Queen II, 1974; Sheer Heart Attack, 1974; A Night at the Opera, 1975; News of the World, 1977; The Game, 1980; Greatest Hits, 1981; The Works, 1984; and Innuendo, 1991
  • Roger Taylor said: ‘What an honour. We must be really part of the furniture now!’
  • Brian May said: ‘It’s hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps’
  • Renowned for the extravagance of their stage shows, Queen’s live performances are celebrated in a miniature sheet of additional stamps, with images from: Wembley Stadium, 1986; Hyde Park, 1976; Hammersmith Odeon, 1975; and Budapest, 1986
  • Also included in the miniature-sheet is the iconic shot taken at the group’s first ever studio photoshoot in a Primrose Hill studio in 1974
  • The full set of 13 stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £16.00. The stamps and a range of collectible products are available now to pre-order from www.royalmail.com/queen
  • The stamps will go on general sale from 9 July 2020

Royal Mail has announced it is issuing a set of 13 Special Stamps to celebrate one of the UK’s most influential rock groups of all time, Queen. With more than 300 million record sales across five decades, they are one of the most successful music artists of all time.

Eight stamps will feature images of some of their most popular and iconic album covers: Queen II, 1974; Sheer Heart Attack, 1974; A Night at the Opera, 1975; News of the World, 1977; The Game, 1980; Greatest Hits, 1981; The Works, 1984; and Innuendo, 1991.

Completing the set is a miniature-sheet celebrating Queen’s live performances with images of: Freddie Mercury at Wembley Stadium, 1986; Roger Taylor at Hyde Park, 1976; John Deacon at Hammersmith Odeon, 1975; and Brian May in Budapest, 1986.

The centrepiece of the miniature-sheet is the iconic photograph taken by Johnny Dewe Mathews at the group’s first ever studio photoshoot in a Primrose Hill studio [below].

Roger Taylor said of the stamps: “”Wow…….stamps featuring our albums! What an honour. We must be really part of the furniture now! Thanks Royal Mail for stamping on us ! In gratitude.”

Brian May said: “It’s hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps. Since we four precocious boys started out on our quest 50 years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true. Sometimes it’s strange to wake up and realise the position in which we are now held – we have become a national institution! And nothing brings this home more than this incredible tribute from Royal Mail. It’s particularly poignant to look at this collection of images now – now that we are all in a world dominated by a coronavirus, in which none of this could have happened. I just know that I feel an overwhelming desire to own one of these sets! Somehow it will be a way of persuading myself that it really DID all happen!”

Queen were in their formative stages when they were hired to play their first gig: a charity event at Truro City Hall, in June 1970, while still performing under the name Smile. By the time John Deacon joined the following year, the group had changed their name; the four-piece line-up that would remain together for the next two decades made their first live appearance at Surrey College on 2 July 1971.

From the outset, the theatricality of Queen’s music found a natural outlet in their stage shows. As glam rock flowered alongside Queen’s rise to fame, the group would tap into the extravagance of the era – and then very quickly outstrip it.

The band’s list of musical achievements is rivalled by few: countless platinum, multi-platinum and gold albums; numerous Ivor Novello and BRITS awards; induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Queen also hold the record for the biggest selling album of all time on the Official UK charts with sales of over six million copies of their Greatest Hits album. With their 2018 feature film “Bohemian Rhapsody” they reinvigorated their core fan base and generated a whole new audience the world over. The film became the biggest music biopic in history and swept the Golden Globes and Oscars with the soundtrack topping the charts the world over.

Few bands can match the breadth of creativity on display in Queen’s discography. Dominating over four decades with their cutting-edge music, the band’s legacy continues to inspire.

Celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2021, Queen becomes only the third music group to have a dedicated stamp issue – following on from the Beatles in 2007 and Pink Floyd in 2016.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail, said: “With their truly original, theatrical sound and effortless ability to mix musical styles, Queen are rock royalty. We pay tribute to one of the most loved bands of all time with these stunning stamps.”

The full set of 13 stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £16.00.

The stamps and a wide range of collectible products are available now to pre-order at www.royalmail.com/queen

The stamps will go on general sale from 9 July 2020.

Album covers – stamp by stamp:
Queen II, 1973, gave the band their first top ten hit, ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’.

Sheer Heart Attack, 1974, featured the single ‘Killer Queen’ which was their first global hit and they made their first Top of the Pops appearance.

A Night at the Opera, 1975, was their first number one album and featured the ground-breaking song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which, in the era of digital music, has become the most streamed song from the 20th century.

New of the World, 1977, featured two stadium-filling anthems ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are the Champions’.

The Game, 1980, included their hit ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ which drew in new audiences.

Greatest Hits, 1981, is the biggest selling album in the UK of all time.

The Works, 1984, featured hit singles including their love letter to the old-fashioned wireless, ‘Radio Ga Ga’.

Innuendo, 1991, was the final Queen album to be released in Mercury’s lifetime, and featured the poignant ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’.

Bugs Bunny’s 80th Anniversary

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What’s up, doc? Maybe putting an end to that wascally “only anniversaries in multiples of 50” excuse for why significant historical events are commemorated.

The U.S. also issued a Bugs Bunny stamp in 1997 (Sc. 3137), shown on the right here.

[press release]
New Stamps Celebrating Bugs Bunny’s 80th Birthday Coming Soon to a Post Office Near You

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service will issue commemorative Forever stamps celebrating Bugs Bunny’s 80th birthday. The Postal Service and Warner Bros. Consumer Products are excited to dedicate these stamps at a virtual ceremony on July 27, the 80th anniversary of Bugs Bunny’s official screen debut.

Bugs has always been known for his impeccable impersonations and his masterful masquerades, so the soon-to-be-revealed 10 designs on this pane of 20 stamps each showcase a costumed Bugs Bunny in some of his most memorable getups.

The original stamp artwork is based on Bugs Bunny’s iconic moments and was created especially for this issuance by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., featuring work from Warner Bros. Animation artists, who also created the sketches on the reverse side of the stamp pane. Greg Breeding was the designer and William J. Gicker served as art director.

Customers may pre-order stamps at usps.com/shopstamps or by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), beginning June 29.

The stamps are being issued as Forever stamps, which will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Stay tuned for a sneak peak of the stamps at facebook.com/usps. Please visit usps.com/bugsbunny for details for the upcoming virtual stamp dedication ceremony. News of the stamps are being shared with hashtags #BugsBunnyStamps and #BugsBunny80.

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

Note that the USPS is already planning on a virtual first-day ceremony (next to last paragraph) and the 10 designs have not yet been released.

Additional information will appear below the line, with the latest first.

Updated September 9th:
Here are the individual Scott catalogue numbers for this issue:
5494 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Barber
5495 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Basketball player
5496 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Hollywood celebrity
5497 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Court jester
5498 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Brunhilde
5499 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Mermaid
5500 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Piano player
5501 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Super-Rabbit
5502 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Baseball player
5503 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Soldier
a. Block of 10, #5494-5503

Updated July 17th:

The stamp designs weren’t in this week’s Postal Bulletin, but are in the new USA Philatelic catalogue: Here are the first-day postmarks: There will also be a “special” postmark that may be used by local post offices: The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.43″ x 1.49″ The pictorial postmark measures 3.0″ x 1.36″ The “special” postmark that other post offices may use measures 2.73″ x 1.23″

And here’s the first of the stamp designs: Updated July 6th:

Additional information from the USPS online sales area:

This issuance celebrates Bugs Bunny and the marvelous masquerades he has employed to foil foes over the course of his 80-year career. The sheet of 20 stamps features Bugs in 10 classic costumes.

Original stamp artwork is based on iconic moments of Bugs Bunny’s career.

On the first row of stamps Bugs appears as a barber with white smock and pointy scissors;achieves “airness” on the brink of a slam-dunk in his basketball jersey; is debonair in beret, ascot, smoking jacket, and shades as a screen idol in his Hollywood digs; jokes it up as a jester in bright green garb and fool’s cap; and does a diva turn as an operatic Brunhilde in blonde braids and winged helmet.

On the second row of stamps, Bugs is a mermaid in a curly 1940s up-do; is classically composed in white tie and tails at the piano; heroically poses as the carrot-powered Super-Rabbit with blue suit and red cape; warms up to pitch a big-league ballgame; and helps save the planet as a World War II U.S. Army staff sergeant in combat uniform with an American-flag backdrop.

Since his debut in the short-subject cartoon, “A Wild Hare” in 1940, generations of audiences have cheered Bugs’s gleeful gusto, quick wit, and endless clever resource. To outwit the opposition he can conjure dynamite, cherry pies, and mallets out of thin air, dance like a seasoned hoofer, play piano, and conduct orchestras. He summons up any talent—and any costume—that will help him thwart his relentless foes.

Born of a team of young animators who produced Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons for Warner Bros., Bugs’s name came from one of those early cartoonists; “Bugs” and “Bugsy” were trendy nicknames at the time, signifying a crazed or wacky disposition. The catchy alliterative sound of “Bugs Bunny” partnered well with the names of cohorts Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.

Bugs’s very first line, “What’s up, Doc?”—unusual slang blurted out with the accent and wise-guy attitude of a street-smart New Yorker—had audiences howling and became the instant catchphrase of the “wascally wabbit,” as he was called by his first foe, the dim-witted hunter Elmer Fudd.

With global star power, Bugs Bunny has graced screens of all sizes from television and movies, to phones and tablets. Eighty 11-minute episodes of the new Looney Tunes Cartoons reintroduce Bugs Bunny along with other marquee Looney Tunes characters in gag-driven shorts that include classic storylines adapted for present-day audiences. The Oscar-winning rabbit has also been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. created original stamp artwork especially for this issuance featuring work from Warner Bros. Animation artists, who also created the selvage artwork and verso sketches. Greg Breeding was the designer, and William J. Gicker served as art director.

From the above, here is a stamp-by-stamp breakdown:Click on the image above to open, in a new window, an actual-size version at 300 dpi.

First row:

  • Bugs appears as a barber with white smock and pointy scissors
  • achieves “airness” on the brink of a slam-dunk in his basketball jersey
  • is debonair in beret, ascot, smoking jacket, and shades as a screen idol in his Hollywood digs
  • jokes it up as a jester in bright green garb and fool’s cap
  • and does a diva turn as an operatic Brunhilde in blonde braids and winged helmet.

Second row:

  • Bugs is a mermaid in a curly 1940s up-do
  • is classically composed in white tie and tails at the piano
  • heroically poses as the carrot-powered Super-Rabbit with blue suit and red cape
  • warms up to pitch a big-league ballgame
  • and helps save the planet as a World War II U.S. Army staff sergeant in combat uniform with an American-flag backdrop.

Updated July 3rd, from the Postal Bulletin:

On July 27, 2020, in Burbank, CA, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Bugs Bunny stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in 10 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 478500). The stamps will go on sale nationwide July 27, 2020, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

The Bugs Bunny pane of 20 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually. The Bugs Bunny stamps image, special dedication postmarks, and first-day-of-issue postmarks will be revealed in a future edition of the Postal Bulletin.

This stamp issuance celebrates Bugs Bunny, the “wascally wabbit” who has gleefully foiled foes and delighted cartoon audiences for 80 years. Bugs has always been known for his impeccable impersonations and his masterful masquerades, so the 10 designs on this pane of 20 stamps each showcase a costumed Bugs Bunny in some of his most memorable getups. The reverse side of the pane includes modern-day sketches that evoke the appearance of early Bugs Bunny with his exaggerated slapstick elasticity.

The drawings represent a wide range of Bugs’s postures, gestures, and expressions. Original stamp artwork is based on iconic moments of Bugs Bunny’s career and was created especially for this issuance by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., featuring work from Warner Bros. Animation artists, who also created the verso sketches. Greg Breeding was the designer, and William J. Gicker served as art director.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 478500, Bugs Bunny (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Pane of 20 Stamps: Automatic distribution

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Bugs Bunny Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

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. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by November 27, 2020.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Bugs Bunny Stamps
Item Number: 478500
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (10 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: July 27, 2020, Burbank, CA 91505
Art Director: William J. Gicker, Washington, DC
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Burbank, CA
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 50,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 1.085 x 1.42 in./ 27.559 x 36.068 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.225 x 1.56 in./31.115 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.12 x 9.13 in./180.85 x 231.902 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 18.5 x 21.86 in./469.9 x 555.244 mm
Plate Size: 120 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “B” followed by four (4) single digits in bottom two corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Bugs Bunny • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: 80 years of Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes™ logo • Line drawings • TM Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. proprietary information • ©2020 USPS • USPS logo • one barcode (478500) • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text

Bill Schultz Joins David Feldman S.A. Firm

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[David Feldman press release]
New Agent for the US & Canadian Market

We are delighted to announce that a new agent has just joined the David Feldman’s team covering the United States and the Canada.

Bill Schultz, born in Washington D.C., now residing in West Chester PA USA. He has been a philatelist and postal historian for over 60 years.

Bill is an energetic accredited APS Chief Judge and an enthusiastic exhibitor, having produced over 50 different exhibits so far in his lifetime. He is an active participant in numerous philatelic organisations, such as Assistant Treasurer of the United States Philatelic Classics Society, board member and life member of the American Assoc. of Philatelic Exhibitors, lecturer for the APS summer seminar series, guest speaker of the New York Collectors Club, past president of the Pennsylvania Postal History Society, as well as writing a monthly column for the American Stamp Dealer and Collector publication entitled “The Facets of Exhibiting”. Bill actively assists many exhibitors to achieve their expectations in the world of exhibiting and in the area of postal cover/document restoration.

APS Reorganization: Editorial, Membership, Expertizing

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The American Philatelic Society is reorganizing three major areas of its internal organization: Editorial, Membership and Expertizing. From left, Thomas R Loebig will head Membership, Ken Martin, Expertizing, and Gary Loew, Editorial.

Here’s the full text of the APS press release:

American Philatelic Society Announces Reorganization
New Services Create New Opportunities

The American Philatelic Society today announced a reorganization in three areas: Editorial, Membership, and Expertizing. The changes result from new and expanded services instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic to help members and collectors sheltered in place.

“Change has come quickly to the hobby. We’ve responded by offering new services and new traditions,” said APS Executive Director Scott English, “Content development has been critical to serving our fellow members and recruiting new ones. We have to realign to sustain and grow with the demand.”

Effective July 1, 2020, the following changes will occur:

Membership: Tom Loebig, Chief Content Officer, will become Director of Membership. Heidi Lauckhart-Rhoades, Content Marketing Specialist, will become Communities and Grassroots Specialist.

The office will manage Member Administration, Membership Marketing, Web Content, Social Media, Ambassadors Program, and Shows.

Expertizing: Ken Martin, Chief Membership Officer, will take over as Director of Expertizing.

The office manages the American Philatelic Expertizing Service, the Reference Collection, and the Estate Advisory Service.

Editorial: Gary Loew, Director of Expertizing, will serve as Editor-in-Chief, Susanna Mills, Content Manager, will become Associate Editor, and Chad Cowder, who joined the APS in April, will continue as Graphic Designer.

The office will produce The American Philatelist, the monthly journal of the APS, Philatelic Literature Review, the quarterly journal of the American Philatelic Research Library, and APS publications.

In response to questions from The Virtual Stamp Club, English says the reorganization has been in the works since February 2018, as part of a plan to reach more members and have more members, largely through better use of the website.

Other organizational groups within the APS staff include Administration, headed by Jeff Krantweiss (who succeeded Rick Banks in February, upon the latter’s retirement); Sales (Wendy Masorti, director); Education (Cathy Brachbil); and Information Services and Library (Scott Tiffney).

We asked whether Martin, who has long directed or at least supervised the production of APS shows (StampShow, AmeriStamp Expo and now or soon Great American Stamp Show), would still have input into show operations. Yes, replied English. ” More than half of the APS staff have a role in supporting the annual show,” he told The VSC. “Ken’s institutional knowledge will be critical while planning for Chicago 2021” and beyond.

Endangered Shorebirds (Netherlands 2020)

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[press release] [translated by Google]
PostNL Maps Endangered Shorebirds
Issue date: June 15

The Hague, June 15, 2020 – The dune and coastal area of the Netherlands is the breeding ground for a large part of the Dutch breeding birds. You can also see bird species that are found nowhere else in the Netherlands. Today, 10 stamps from the series “Experience nature” show 10 beautiful, but endangered shorebirds.

4 issues in 2020
On the 10 stamps Experience nature – shorebirds the following birds are depicted: little tern, lesser hunter, turnstone, snow bunting, kittiwake, great black-backed gull, sand lark, avocet, purple sandpiper and sand plover. Stamps on birds of prey and owls (January 2) and farmland birds (February 24) appeared earlier this year. Last in 2020, PostNL will issue stamps on forest and heather birds (14 September). In a separate sale a stamp sheetlet Experience nature costs € 9.10. The price for the full series 2020 is € 36.40, including storage folder.

Golden color of the summer sun
The stamps with the 10 shorebirds were designed by graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda. Due to the summer season in which the stamps come out, the yellow of the beach and dunes dominates, with deep blue skies and the golden color of the summer sun. Janse: “I also selected the photos for that. I did not have to edit the colors, because they were already there. The strong background colors contrast nicely with the drawing of the birds. They are predominantly white, black and gray, with some yellow and red accents on the beach lark and snow bunting. ”

Red List
Bird stamps show particularly difficult species. Most are on the red list of breeding birds in the Netherlands or on the red list of migrants / hibernators in the Netherlands. Stephan van den Eijnden, PostNL’s commercial director of Mail, says that the birds in our country are indeed not doing well. “For example, 87 bird species are on the red list of breeding birds. That is 44% of all species that breed in our country. 10 species are critically endangered, such as the short-eared owl and the forest monkey. ”

Divergent copies
Coastal birds can be distinguished into breeding birds, overwinterers and birds that visit our coast during the annual migration. The stamps show a variety of specimens, from the imposing great black-backed gull to the small snow bunting, the most northerly nesting songbird. Most shorebirds on the stamp sheet have seen designer Janse in his early years as a bird lover. “The great black-backed gull was one of my favorites in my youth. With that striking head and that typical whining sound. They are big animals and that made an impression. ”

Availability
The stamp sheet Experience the Nature – Coastal Birds has 10 different stamps with the value indication Nederland 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from June 15, 2020 at all PostNL points of sale, the post office in the Bruna stores and via the webshop [direct link]. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

Typically Dutch: Bitterbal (Netherlands 2020)

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[press release] [translated by Google]
New Stamps Are Song of Praise to The Bitterbal
Issue date: June 15

The Hague, June 15, 2020 – The latest stamps from the Typical Dutch series depict the traditional bitterbal. This round version of the croquette used to be eaten with a bitter, a strong alcoholic herbal drink like gin.

The design of Typically Dutch – Bitterballen is by graphic designer Edwin van Praet of Total Design from Amsterdam. The issue is the last that PostNL will release in the Typically Dutch series this year. Stamps appeared earlier with the smoked sausage (January 2), carrots (February 24), sprinkles (March 23) and the tompouce (April 6).

“Seasoned meat stewout”
Bitterballs are very popular in the Netherlands and Belgium. The bitterbal is also known in Suriname and Indonesia, but not elsewhere. The first mention of the bitterbal in a dictionary dates from 1946. In the Dictionary of the Dutch Language, the bitterbal is described as a “deep-fried ball of seasoned meat schragout, with breaded, crispy outside, usually served as a snack with a drink”. There are now also plenty of vegetarian bitterballen available.

Current zeitgeist
When developing this concept, designer Van Praet initially used stock images. However, that worked less well because the photos found differed too much in quality and style. That is why Total Design called on the specialized food photographers and stylists of the agency Scrambled Media from Amsterdam. Van Praet: “The bitterbal is really a tradition, at a party or in a café. In addition to that tradition, we wanted to return something of the current zeitgeist. That is why we have opted for vegetarian bitterballen. You can’t tell from the outside, but they are. We tested endlessly with the amount of bitterballen we wanted to photograph for the stamp. It shouldn’t be too many, we wanted a nice number for one person to eat. ”

Wink at the bitter
On the top part of the sheet edge, the bitterballen return, but now in a much larger number and located on a square dish with a raised edge. A small bowl with mustard has also been added and some skewers with the Dutch flag. The designer first wanted to put a bit of bitterness on it, but the relationship between bitter and bitterbal has long since disappeared. Van Praet: “That is why we chose the well-known bowl with skewers. But in a glass as a nod to the bitterness. ”

Availability
The stamp sheetlet Typically Dutch – bitterballen has 6 equal stamps with the value indication Nederland 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from June 15, 2020 at the Bruna stores and via the webshop [direct link]. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

Great Trains: Flying Scotsman, Ghan (Netherlands 2020)

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[press release]
By Train Across Australia and Great Britain, but On Stamps
Issue date: June 9 The Hague, June 15, 2020 – With the personal stamps from the Trains & Tracks series, PostNL pays extensive attention to unique train routes around the world. Last week the stamp sheets about The Ghan and the Flying Scotsman, 2 famous rail connections in Australia and Great Britain, were published.

25 stamp sheets
More stamps from this series will be released later this year: about the Rocky Mountaineer (Vancouver-Jasper), PeruRail (Cusco-Machu Picchu), Eurostar (Paris-London) and Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (Paris-Istanbul). A total of 25 stamp sheets will be released in the 2019-2022 series in the 2019-2022 period. Each stamp sheet costs € 7.50. Subscribers receive 2 new stamp sheets every quarter. Subscribers receive the Flevolijn stamp sheetlet as a first delivery. And with the second delivery the accompanying storage album as a gift.

The Ghan Click on name to go to purchase these stamp
The Ghan is a train ride right through the middle of Australia. The Great Southern Rail carrier train runs from Adelaide in South Australia through the outback at Alice Springs and ends in Darwin in the Northern Territory. The name The Ghan is derived from the Afghan camels that used to be the main means of transport in this part of Australia.

Flying Scotsman Click on name to go to purchase these stamp
The Flying Scotsman drives the London-Edinburgh route in Great Britain. This train connection has been operational since 1862. The name Flying Scotsman dates from 1928. Flying Scotsman is also the name of one of the most famous locomotives in the world. It was built in 1923 and fully restored by the National Railway Museum between 2006 and 2016.

Armchair travelers and train enthusiasts
The Trains & Tracks series with personal stamps was designed by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda. The stamps are intended for both armchair travelers and train enthusiasts. “That is why I regularly zoom in on the details of the equipment in the design,” says Smulders. “Such as special locomotives or the beautiful interior of some wagons. When I started this design, I didn’t know much about trains. Now much more. It certainly triggered me to make such a fantastic trip myself. ”

Personal stamps
In addition to the official issue program, PostNL also has an issue program for personal stamps every year. This program is flexible in nature. This enables PostNL to respond ad hoc to current developments and requests. Each issue is designed on the basis of a fixed format with a fixed number of personal stamps.

Availability
Both the stamp sheet The Ghan and the stamp sheet Flying Scotsman has 5 personal stamps in 3 different designs with value indication International 1 for mail up to 20 grams with an international destination. The stamps will be available from June 9, 2020 via the PostNL webshop. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite. 

Canadian Stamp News 2020 Cover Contest

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[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.