Gini Horn, 1951-2022

Posted on February 28, 2022 by VSC

Gini Horn, the longtime chief librarian of the American Philatelic Research Library and the American Philatelic Society, has passed away at the age of 70. You can find her obituaries at on the APS website and that of a local newspaper.

Her coworkers and successors talk about her uncanny ability to find anything in the library’s collections, no matter how obscure.

In her 25 years as chief librarian, she not only grew the collection and staff, and oversaw the move to the new facility in Bellefonte, she was also a jack-of-all trades, often pitching in where needed. In the photo below, taken in 2004, she climbed onto the roof of “Building 1” and took photos of one of the dedication ceremonies for the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte.

According to the APS obituary, when she got the job in 1984, she told a family member,

“It’s a stamp library, how big could it be?” Thanks to her, it got bigger.

I used to drive her crazy when I was on the APS board: She somehow was in charge of checking tickets for the banquets during AmeriStamp Expo and StampShow. I would never remember to bring them. “How will we know what entree to serve you?” “I don’t know. Pick one. Whatever you have too much of.” She wasn’t satisfied. I guess for professional librarians, everything has to be in its proper place and category.

I also remember one show where she was the designated APS staffer who was transporting the Inverted Jenny back from a show to headquarters. (In those days, a different staffer had the responsibility each time, and who it was was kept secret. Today, of course, a Brinks truck transports the stamp to the nearest military air base where Air Force Two is waiting.) I was walking through the airport with a group of APS staffers, including Gini, and every few steps, she would stop and check her pockets. Or stop and look around to see if anyone suspicious was following her.

— Lloyd A. de Vries

Writing On Newfoundland Award Winners Announced

Posted on February 21, 2022 by VSC

[press release]
CCC Announces 2021 Pratt Award Winners

CHICAGO, Feb. 21, 2022 – The Collectors Club of Chicago is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Pratt Award, which recognizes articles or other publications related to the philately of Newfoundland as judged by the Pratt Award Committee as being significant and of academic merit. It is awarded in the year following its publishing.

The 2021 recipients are the following (listed with their award-winning works):

- Anthony B. Thompson, of Sweden, for “Newfoundland’s Moiré Patterned Bookend Paper 1937-1940” in the first quarter 2021 BNA Topics whole number 566.
- John M. Walsh and Robin J. Moore (both residing in Canada) for two articles: “Newfoundland: Discoveries in the Design Sizes of the 1933 Gilbert; 1937 Long Coronation and 1938 Royal Family Issues” in the January 2021 issue of Maple Leaves whole number 359 and the follow up article: “Newfoundland: Discovery Design Sizes Found on the 5 Cent, 2 Cent Die ii, 4 Cent Rose Lake and 8 Cent Values of the 1932 Perkins Bacon & Co Issue. (Further Proof of Their Different Printing Press Uses and Capabilities)” in the July 2021 issue of Maple Leaves whole number 361.

The CCC Pratt Award is named for Robert H. Pratt, the eminent Newfoundland stamp and postal history collector, researcher, and author. Since 1997, the award has been bestowed upon the author(s) of the best-judged article(s) or book(s) published on Newfoundland philately.

The annual award is US$1,000, which is given to one or more winners. If there are multiple winners in a year, they share the prize. For 2021, a single researcher authored one winning article, and the other was co-authored.

[According to the club’s website, “Initiated in 1997, the CCC Pratt Award is named for Col. Robert H. Pratt, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the pre-eminent Newfoundland stamp and postal history collector, researcher, and author.”]

Further details about the award and past winners are available here.

Founded in 1928 and re-established in 1944, the Collectors Club of Chicago is a group of award-winning philatelists focused on increasing knowledge and education of stamp collecting and postal history. The club owns and operates a philatelic library and clubhouse in downtown Chicago and has hosted speakers from around the United States.

Experience Nature: Nieuwkoopse Plassen (Netherlands 2022)

Posted on February 18, 2022 by VSC

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Experience Nature – Nieuwkoopse Plassen

Issue: Experience Nature – Nieuwkoopse Plassen
Date of issue: 21 February 2022
Appearance: sheet of ten stamps in ten different designs
Item number: 420261
Design: Frank Janse, Gouda
Photography: Buiten-Beeld

On 21 February 2022, PostNL will publish the Experience Nature – Nieuwkoopse Plassen issue: a sheet of ten stamps in ten different designs. The denomination on these stamps is ‘1’, the denomination for items weighing up to 20g destined for the Netherlands. The stamp sheet about the Nieuwkoopse Plassen is part of the multi-annual Experience nature 2021-2023 series. In the series, four stamp sheets are issued every year, each comprising ten different stamps. The stamps feature images of plants and animals in unique Dutch nature reserves across the country. In 2022, it is the turn of the provinces of Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, Limburg and Gelderland.

[The PostNL site for stamp purchases is here.]

The 21 February 2022 issue focuses on the low peatlands of the Nieuwkoopse Plassen, situated in the centre of Zuid-Holland. The stamp sheet issued earlier this year (3 January 2022) was about Fort Ellewoutsdijk in Zeeland. Later this year, stamps will be issued featuring the chalk landscape of the Sint-Pietersberg in Zuid-Limburg (13 June 2022) and the Leuvenum Woods on the Veluwe in Gelderland (15 August 2022).

The Nieuwkoopse Plassen nature reserve covers an area of around 1400 hectares, most of which is owned by Vereniging Natuurmonumenten. The lakes were created by peat extraction, which started in the 16th century. In addition to the larger Zuideinderplas and Noordeinderplas, it also has a number of smaller lakes and watercourses with names such as Maarten Freekenwei, Weide van Vliet, Armengat, Bleigaten, Poeltje and Noordse Plassen. This expansive low peatland bog is home to numerous unusual plants and animals. For example, the area is home to significant populations of purple herons, fen orchids and Tundra voles. In addition to its lakes, ponds and watercourses, the area also has many reed beds, especially in the eastern part. This is also the location of Lusthof De Haeck; an old remnant of swamp forest with paths, bridges and views of the surrounding lakes. The Nieuwkoopse Plassen are still under development. The Ruygeborg – a new natural area between Nieuwkoop and Noorden – has been in development since 2012, for example. In combination with the Groene Jonker – a wetland area created near Zevenhoven in 2008 – it is now an ecological link with the Vinkeveense Plassen.

Sources: natuurmonumenten.nl, wikipedia.nl

John Pietersen has been a forest ranger at Vereniging Natuurmonumenten since 2009. He was born and raised in the village of Noorden, on the shores of the Nieuwkoopse Plassen. He describes the area for which he is responsible as a unique low peatland bog with lots of water. ‘Even when it looks green, there is a big chance there is water underneath. That’s what we call floating land. The Nieuwkoopse Plassen were created through peat cutting and extraction. You can still see this in the landscape. The water has settled in areas where peat used to be extracted. We call those petgaten. The peat was laid out to dry on artificial drying islands. These still stick out above the water. Actually, it is a man-made area, with a lot of rare nature. Like unique orchids, for example. Right in the centre of the area you’ll even find a swathe of bog heath, the largest in Western Europe. That’s where you can see the Erica in bloom, surrounded by water. It’s an amazing sight. The area is a favourite destination, especially for nature lovers. Not too busy, with a lovely balance between recreation and nature conservation. I know the lakes and wetlands like the back of my hand, I can even navigate through them effortlessly in the dark. I have lived by these wetlands all my life, but the area never ceases to amaze me. I’m a bog man through and through.’

The Experience nature – Nieuwkoopse Plassen stamps feature the following ten inhabitants of the nature reserve:

the black tern,
hairy dragonfly,
Southern Marsh orchid,
ragged robin or cuckoo flower,
spined loach,
marsh cinquefoil,
lesser bulrush,
water soldier,
white water lily, and
bittern.

Each has its own stamp. The stamp sheet also features many more images of flora and fauna from this area. These are featured as transparent images in a separate graphic layer: spoonbill (top right), white water lily (top centre), gadwall (top centre right), grebe (centre left) and bitterling (bottom left and right). These transparent images cross the perforations and connect the stamps with each other and the sheet edge.

Design
The Experience Nature – Nieuwkoopse Plassen stamp sheet was designed by graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda. On the sheet, the ten plants and animals are depicted in their natural environment, each on their own stamp. In some cases, the image or background colour continues onto the adjacent stamp and onto the sheet edge. All photos are incorporated in a graphic layer of different-sized overlapping circles, which break through the boundaries of the perforations. The circle pattern returns as small droplets on the sheet edge and the tabs. There is another graphic layer on top of the circles featuring transparent images of animals and plants from this area. The monochrome images are almost abstract and link the stamps.

The entire Experience Nature series was designed by Janse. While the focus was on various animal and plant species in the period from 2018 to 2020, in 2021-2023 the focus will be on unique Dutch nature reserves and their flora and fauna.

Nieuwkoopse Plassen in Zuid-Holland is situated near the towns of Nieuwkoop, Noorden and De Meije. The peat river of the same name, the Meije, runs along the south-eastern border of the area.

The denomination on these stamps is ‘1’, the denomination for items weighing up to 20 g destined for delivery in the Netherlands.

Technical Specifications:
Stamp size: 40 x 30mm
Sheet size: 122 x 170mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Glue: self-adhesive
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black
Print run: 285,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of 10 stamps in 10 different designs
Design: Frank Janse, Gouda
Photography: Buiten-Beeld
Printing company: Cartor Security Printers, Meaucé-La Loupe, France
Item number: 420261

Stamp Designer David Gentleman (UK 2022)

Posted on February 18, 2022 by VSC

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
The Stamp Designs of David Gentleman
Royal Mail Pays Tribute to the Man Who Changed British Stamp Design

David Gentleman’s designs have featured on more stamps than that of any other designer – 103 issued stamps
Royal Mail collaborated closely with David Gentleman to select six iconic stamps for the issue
Stamps that feature in the set are:
National Productivity Year -1962
British Ships -1969
British Trees – 1973
Social Reformers – 1976
900th Anniversary of the Battle of Hastings – 1966
25th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain – 1965
More than 50 years after his first designs, the impact of Gentleman’s work on Royal Mail’s Special Stamps programme can still be seen
This is the first time Royal Mail has dedicated an entire issue to a designer of its commemorative stamps
The stamps and a range of collectible products are available from today (18 February) at www.royalmail.com/davidgentleman and by phone on +44 (0)3457 641 641

Royal Mail has announced the launch of a set of six stamps that pay tribute to the designer credited with changing the face of British stamp design, David Gentleman

1962

[Wikipedia article here].

Royal Mail collaborated closely with Gentleman to choose a selection of some of his most iconic and influential images from the world of British stamps.

This is the first time Royal Mail has dedicated an entire issue to a designer of its commemorative stamps.

David Gentleman has designed 103 issued stamps for Royal Mail. He has also provided many more artworks for issues that did not come to fruition and is the most prolific and influential British stamp designer.

1965

David Gentleman said: “Stamps were fun to design, though squeezing a lot into a small space wasn’t easy. At first it was difficult to fit in The Queen’s head until I turned it into the simple profile which is still used today. Stamps I particularly enjoyed designing were for the Battle of Hastings 1066, and Social Reformers.”

David Gold, Royal Mail, said: “David Gentleman is one of the foremost artists involved in British stamp design. For over half a century, he has made an enduring contribution to British stamp design. His work continues to influence and inspire designers today.”

David Gentleman:
Prior to 1962, stamp design had been as largely symbolic or stylised, and issues had been

1966

few in number. David Gentleman’s first successful designs had been for the National Productivity Year in 1962, using symbolic arrows.

In January 1965 David Gentleman wrote to the new Postmaster General, Tony Benn, in response to a general invitation for ideas about stamps. Gentleman recommended much more interesting subject matter than had been featured previously: special themes for stamp issues rather than commemoratives for conferences or festivals.

With The Queen’s agreement, Gentleman was then commissioned to produce an album of

1976

experimental designs, which would prove to be a source of inspiration for at least 20 years.

The original themes were an exciting range of ideas, from regional landscapes, plants, trees, birds and animals to the Industrial Revolution, bridges, railway engineering and famous people. Gentleman also proposed a new size of stamp and introduced a small cameo of the Queen, based on her profile as depicted by Mary Gillick on coins from 1953.

After characteristic wood engravings for the Shakespeare Festival, his designs for stamps

1969

featuring Winston Churchill and a set on the Battle of Britain, both issued in 1965, were innovative and revolutionary. The Queen’s head was reduced to a minimum and the concept of se-tenent (joined together) designs was first introduced.

His subsequent stamp designs were equally inventive. For the 1966 World Cup stamps, Gentleman used real-life photographs as the basis for his design. For the 1969 stamps celebrating the first flight of the Anglo-French Concorde, he developed some of his ideas from what became known as the David Gentleman Album, and the design process was featured in the GPO film Picture to Post. British Ships in 1969 followed the Battle of Hastings in having some values much larger in size. Other iconic

1973

stamps featured Gentleman’s watercolour paintings of the oak and the horse chestnut, issued in 1973 and 1974.

In 1976 came the Social Reformers stamps. On these, a coal face, chimney stacks, prison cells and the operation of cotton mills were represented in such a way as to create a continuous pattern over a whole sheet of stamps each. These were all in a new size and shape, which later became standard. David Gentleman’s most recent issued stamp designs were for the Millennium Timekeeper miniature sheet, depicting the stylised hands of a clock and globe.

The stamps and a range of collectible products are available from today (18 February) at www.royalmail.com/davidgentleman and by phone on +44 (0)3457 641 641.

Medobory Nature Preserve (Ukraine 2022)

Posted on February 18, 2022 by VSC

Issue date: 25 February. This is a minisheet of five stamps; note that the middle “stamp” in the top row is not valid for postage.The price of 44 Ukrainian Hryvnia is approximately US$1.54 as of 18 February. Wikipedia has an article on the Medobory Nature Preserve. For those following the latest U.S.-Russia standoff news and curious, it is about 185 miles south of the Belarus border.There are two postmarks for first day covers of this issue. FDCs with the one on the left is 7.00 UAH (US 25¢); the other is 79.00 UAH ($2.77)!You can order these items on the website or, if you don’t speak Ukrainian, in English by clicking on the tiny British flag near the top of the page. (However, as of this posting, I don’t see these stamps for sale yet.)

ATA Names Martin Editor of Its Journal

Posted on February 15, 2022 by VSC

[press release]
ATA Names Miller Editor of Topical Time

The American Topical Association has selected Martin Kent Miller to serve as the association’s Content Manager and Editor for Topical Time.

In January, veteran editor Wayne Youngblood announced his retirement from Topical Time, after 12 years editing the journal. The announcement triggered a search for a new editor and a redefinition of the editor’s overall role. The Content Manager and Editor will serve as Topical Time editor, while also working to publish more digital content both through social media and the association’s web platforms.

Miller also edits The United States Specialist, the journal of the United States Stamp Society; First Days, the journal of the American First Day Cover Society; The Philatelic Exhibitor, the journal of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors; and The Pennsylvania Postal Historian, the journal of the Pennsylvania Postal History Society. He was former Chief Content Officer of the American Philatelic Society, which included editing its American Philatelist and Philatelic Literature Review.

Martin is an active topical collector with focused collections covering emus, heraldry, printing & graphic communication, penguins, and the art and life of Albrecht Dürer. He is married to Jennifer Miller [right], ATA Executive Director, and has supported ATA projects, including the new website, co-editing the ATA handbook Topical Adventures – A Guide to Topical and Thematic Stamp Collecting, and designing the new ATA logo.

“Martin brings a broad range of talents and is committed to the goals of ATA. For several years he has been an integral part of ATA, and we are delighted he will take on this expanded role,” said ATA president Dawn Hamman.

Help Appears On The Way for USPS

Posted on February 9, 2022 by VSC

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved overwhelmingly a financial aid package for the U.S. Postal Service, worth about $50 billion. The measure passed 342 to 92. A similar bill in the Senate is expected to pass, too, with bipartisan support. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) hopes to have a vote by February 18th. [We will update this page when that occurs.]

The Senate version has 27 cosponsors, 14 of them Republicans.

One of the bills’ key provisions is to require future USPS retirees to enroll in a government health insurance plan (Medicare) and removes a mandate that the agency cover its future health care costs decades in advance, a requirement no business or other federal entity faces. The USPS has claimed that the tens of billions of dollars in these liabilities prevented it from modernizing and improving service.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy [right]had made the legislation the centerpiece of his 10-year postal restructuring plan. The White House and postal unions supported the bill as did the Greeting Card Association, Hallmark and Amazon.com.

On the same day the legislation passed, the USPS reported an adjusted loss of approximately $1.3 billion for the quarter, compared to an adjusted loss of $288 million for the same quarter last year.

House Liberals had pushed for a broader bill that would have included protecting mail-in voting, funding for electric vehicles and restrictions on political activities by the Postmaster General and members of the Board of Governors. DeJoy has raised funds for former President Trump and oher Republicans. The Governors are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), the bill’s sponsor and chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, told The Washington Post, said the more narrow bill was a compromise. “We could have passed a bill with just Democratic votes, but it would have been dead in the Senate.”

Republicans say DeJoy has a clear path to reforming postal operations.

“Congress just doesn’t want to put a Band-Aid on the post office,” Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, told The Post. “We want to try to have a permanent solution to the post office, and that all predicates on having a reform plan.

This article was drawn from a number of sources, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Reuters and the USPS.

U.S. Scott Catalogue Numbers (February 2022)

Posted on February 9, 2022 by VSC

5652 4¢ Blueberries, serpentine die cut 11¼x11
5653 4¢ Blueberries coil stamp, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.

5654 (58¢) Flags, serpentine die cut 11¼x11, microprinted “USPS” above lower connector on flagpole at left (Banknote printing)
5655 (58¢) Flags coil stamp, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert., microprinted “USPS” above lower connector on flagpole at left, stamps not adjacent on coil roll with backing paper taller than stamp (Banknote printing)
5656 (58¢) Flags coil stamp, serpentine die cut 11 vert., microprinted “USPS” above lower connector on flagpole at left, stamps adjacent on coil roll with backing paper same height as stamp (Banknote printing)
5657 (58¢) Flags coil stamp, serpentine die cut 9½ vert., microprinted “USPS” above lowest blue flag field, stamps adjacent on coil roll with backing paper same height as stamp (Ashton-Potter printing)
5658 (58¢) Flags booklet stamp, serpentine die cut 11¼x10¾ , microprinted “USPS” above lower connector on flagpole at left (Banknote printing)
a. Convertible booklet pane of 20
5659 (58¢) Flags booklet stamp, serpentine die cut 11¼x10¾ , microprinted “USPS” above lowest blue flag field (Ashton-Potter printing)
a. Convertible booklet pane of 20

British Definitives Get Barcodes (UK 2022)

Posted on February 8, 2022 by VSC

[press release][click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Royal Mail Barcodes All Definitive Stamps In Advance Of Further InnovationsKey points of the announcement, provided in an email to the press, are:

We are announcing a permanent move to adding unique barcodes to all of our ‘every day’ (Definitive) stamps, as part of our extensive modernisation drive.
The move follows a successful national trial.
The barcodes sit alongside the main body of the stamp, separated by a simulated perforation line. They will match the colour of the stamp.
The unique barcodes lay the path for further services and innovations which will be announced in due course.
Non-barcoded Definitive stamps will be phased out but will remain usable until 31 January 2023.
We are encouraging customers to find any non-barcoded stamps they have at home so they can use them up.
Unused stamps will be exchangeable under a ‘Swap Out’ scheme.
Each stamp contains a special video of Shaun the Sheep, which the recipient of the stamped item can watch using the Royal Mail App on their smartphone. Further videos will follow later in the year.

The formal press release follows:

Following a successful national trial, barcodes will be added to all Definitive stamps, the ‘everyday’ stamps featuring the profile of HM The Queen
Recipients of mail featuring a barcoded stamp can watch an exclusive video featuring Shaun the Sheep by scanning the stamps in the Royal Mail App
The video was created exclusively for Royal Mail by the multi- award-winning British animation studio, Aardman
Non-barcoded Definitive stamps will be phased out but will remain usable until 31 January 2023
Royal Mail is encouraging customers to find any non-barcoded stamps they have at home so they can use them up, unused stamps will be exchangeable under a ‘Swap Out’ scheme

Royal Mail has announced that following a successful national trial, it is adding unique barcodes to all its Definitive stamps.

The move is part of the Company’s extensive and ongoing modernisation drive and will allow the unique barcodes to facilitate operational efficiencies, enable the introduction of added security features and pave the way for innovative services for customers.

Scan the App for an exclusive video featuring Shaun the Sheep
Recipients of mail featuring a barcoded stamp can watch an exclusive video by scanning the stamps in the Royal Mail App. The video features Shaun the Sheep, created exclusively for Royal Mail by the multi-award-winning British animation studio, Aardman. The video is the first in a series of planned videos to be released during 2022 that will allow customers sending stamped mail to choose which video the recipient can see when they receive an item of mail.

The new barcoded stamps will have a digital twin and the two will be connected by the Royal Mail App. The barcodes match the stamp colour and sit alongside the main body of the stamp, separated by a simulated perforation line.

Definitive stamps are the regular ‘everyday’ stamps featuring the profile of HM The Queen created by the sculptor Arnold Machin. The design has changed very little since it was introduced in June 1967. The image has become one of the most iconic pieces of artwork in the world and has been reproduced in excess of 175 billion times.

Non-barcoded Definitive and Christmas stamps will remain valid until 31 January 2023. Customers are encouraged to use their non-barcoded stamps before this date. Alternatively, non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for the new barcoded version through Royal Mail’s ‘Swap Out’ scheme.

The ‘Swap Out’ scheme will open on 31 March 2022. Customers will be able send unused stamps via a Freepost address. Forms will be available via a variety of channels, including: local Customer Service Points; the Royal Mail website and via our Customer Experience team. Further details will be announced shortly.

Nick Landon, Royal Mail Chief Commercial Officer said: “Introducing unique barcodes on our postage stamps allows us to connect the physical letter with the digital world and opens up the possibilities for a range of new innovative services in future.”

USPS Offers Olive Branch On New Trucks

Posted on February 6, 2022 by VSC

The USPS is trying to work out the various disputes regarding its new local postal delivery trucks. Earlier this week, the Biden administration took steps to hold up an $11.3 billion dollar contract for new vehicles, saying too many of them would be gasoline-powered.

Lawsuits were filed earlier by some of the companies that did not win the contract to supply the new vehicles.

In a press release distributed Sunday morning, the U.S. postal agency said it is willing to cooperate with other government agencies. It also points out that the initial order includes 5,000 electric vehicles.

“Our commitment to an electric fleet remains ambitious given the pressing vehicle and safety needs of our aging fleet as well as our dire financial condition,” said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy [right] in the press release.

Two days later, at the USPS Board of Governors meeting, DeJoy added, “We have an urgent need to replace our 30-year-old delivery vehicles that are powered by inefficient gasoline engines and that lack modern day safety features.”

The USPS says even the new gasoline-powered vehicles are an environmental improvement: “The NGDV with an internal combustion engine would be a more fuel-efficient vehicle as compared to the current Long Life Vehicle (LLV), despite being larger.”