Monthly Archives: October 2022

U.S. Seeks January 2023 Rate Hike

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These changes were approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission on November 25, 2022, in Order No. 6341. — VSC

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
U.S. Postal Service Announces New Prices for 2023
Forever Stamp to Rise Three Cents

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of price changes to take effect Jan. 22, 2023. The new rates include a three-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 60 cents to 63 cents.

If favorably reviewed by the Commission, the proposed increases will raise First-Class Mail prices approximately 4.2 percent to offset the rise in inflation. The price changes have been approved by the Governors of the U.S. Postal Service.

The price for 1-ounce metered mail will increase to 60 cents, and the price to send a domestic postcard will increase to 48 cents. A 1-ounce letter mailed to another country would increase to $1.45. There will be no change to the single-piece letter and flat additional-ounce price, which remains at 24 cents. The Postal Service is also seeking price adjustments for Special Services products including Certified Mail, Post Office Box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item.

The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:

Product
Letters (1 oz.)
Letters (metered 1 oz.)
Domestic Postcards
International Postcards
International Letter (1 oz.)		 Current Prices
60¢
57¢
44¢
$1.40
$1.40		 Proposed Prices
63¢
60¢
48¢
$1.45
$1.45

As operating expenses continue to rise, these price adjustments provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan. The prices of the U.S. Postal Service remain among the most affordable in the world.

The PRC will review the changes before they are scheduled to take effect. The complete Postal Service price filing, with prices for all products, can be found on the PRC website under the Daily Listings section at prc.gov/dockets/daily. The Mailing Services filing is Docket No. R2023-1. The price tables are also available on the Postal Service’s Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.

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

World Post Day 2022 (Netherlands 2022)

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[excerpted from the PostNL press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
World Post Day 2022

Issue: Dag van de Postzegel 2022 (World Post Day 2022)
Date of issue: 17 October 2022
Format: sheet with ten stamps in two different designs, marked ‘Nederland 1’ for mail up to and including 20 grams destined for delivery within the Netherlands
Item number: 421061
Design: Sandra Smulders, Vormgoed, Gouda
Source: Filatelie Informatief

The Dag van de Postzegel is an annual international event. It is not celebrated on the same day in all countries, although this is usually on the first Sunday after 9 October: the founding date of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The UPU sets the rules for the international movement of mail between its member countries. PostNL will be highlighting the Dag van de Postzegel with the issue of a stamp sheet on Monday 17 October. Previous issues in the Dag van de Postzegel series often coincided with the POSTEX annual stamp show – an international event with swap meets, exhibitions and other special gatherings.

The Dag van de Postzegel 2022 issue will have the De Ruyter stamps of 1907 as its topic. The new stamp sheet has ten stamps in two different designs, with the denomination ‘Nederland 1’ for mail up to and including 20 grams destined for delivery within the Netherlands. PostNL is also issuing a stamp album and prestige stamp booklet. The prestige stamp booklet is the twelfth in the series about the history of the stamp in the Netherlands. The information featured in the prestige booklet about the De Ruyter stamps of 1907 was taken from a 1982 article by Gert Holstege in Filatelie Informatief. Filatelie Informatief is the predecessor of the Handboek Postwaarden (handbook for postal values) Nederland. This handbook has been published in instalments since 1994 and takes a scientific approach to the various stamp issues and the history of the postal service since 1850. A new publication on the issues of the De Ruyter postage stamps and postage certificates is currently being prepared for the Handboek Postwaarden. Just like the album and the booklet, the Dag van de Postzegel 2022 sheet was designed by Sandra Smulders from Gouda.

In the year 1907, a set of De Ruyter stamps were issued to mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of Michiel Adriaansz. de Ruyter (1607 – 1676), an admiral of the war fleet of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. The validity period of the De Ruyter stamps only ran from 23 March until 31 May 1907 and they could only be used on domestic mail. The stamps were issued in three equal designs with the postage values ½ cent (blue), 1 cent (red-violet) and 2½ cents (brick red).

The creation of the 1907 stamp design was not exactly a straightforward process. Initially, naval officer Willem Mouton made a pen drawing, derived from a print by Hendrik Bary after a painting of De Ruyter by Ferdinand Bol. To cut costs, the Post Office decided to use letterpress instead of intaglio printing. It turned out that Mouton’s pen drawing was not suitable for the corresponding savings bank stamp format. That is why printer Enschedé had a simplified drawing made as a basis for the wood engraving. The design and the execution of the De Ruyter stamps was met with considerable criticism by both philatelic magazines and the general press.

Due to the validity period of only a few months, post offices were left with large stocks of unsold De Ruyter stamps on 31 May 1907. After extensive consultation, the post office decided to overprint the remaining stamp sheets to turn them into postage stamps for internal use. Postage stamps were intended to recover postage from the addressee in the case of insufficiently franked postal items. After postage stamps were introduced by the post offices on 1 November 1907, it turned out that many collectors bought them at the counter. Post offices had been allowed to sell postage stamps to the public since 1870. At the end of 1907, stamp traders, too, tried to buy large quantities of these imprinted postage stamps for speculative reasons. This led to a lot of criticism, not only from philatelic magazines, but also from newspapers. For this reason, the post office decided to overprint additional De Ruyter stamps to turn them into postage stamps. As a result, some of the De Ruyter-printed postage stamps remained in use at the post office for years.

Design
The 2022 issue features ten stamps in two designs: a cut-out of an engraving with a portrait of Michiel Adriaansz. de Ruyter and a cut-out of a print showing a naval battle between the Dutch and English fleets. A fragment of the print of the naval battle continues onto the portrait stamp. To these original images, Smulders added graphical elements in the shape of wavy red and blue lines. On the portrait stamp, De Ruyter is on the right, on the naval battle stamp, the largest ship in the war fleet is on the left. Both stamps are interconnected by De Ruyter’s hair. In turn, the red hair is intertwined with the blue waves at the bottom of the stamps.

The bottom five stamps of the stamp sheet are rotated 180 degrees in relation to the top five stamps. As a result, the blue waves run in a long strip across the centre of the sheet, right onto the tabs on the left and right. The title of the issue is placed at the top of the stamp using a rubber-stamp font: horizontally on the portrait stamp, vertically on the naval battle stamp. For the country name Nederland, the direction is reversed in a handwriting font.

The original stamp designs:

Admiral Michiel Adriaansz. de Ruyter holding a command staff. Engraving created by Hendrik Bary between 1673 and 1707, after a painting by Ferdinand Bol from 1673. Source: Thijs Verbeek, Amsterdam

Four-Day Naval Battle between the State fleet led by Admiral Michiel de Ruyter and the English fleet led by Admiral George Monck, 11-14 June 1666. Print created by Petrus Johannes Schotel between 1848 and 1855. Source: Thijs Verbeek, Amsterdam

The Dag van de Postzegel 2022 sheet was designed by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda, who also was responsible for the 2021 and 2020 issues in the series. In this series, PostNL highlights special Dutch stamps from the past.

The original De Ruyter stamps were made up of many different pictorial elements that were not very coherent. For the new stamps, Smulders limited herself to a portrait of Admiral De Ruyter and a picture of a naval battle. ‘The portrait of De Ruyter is a reproduction of the same engraving by Hendrik Bary that would have been used in 1907 if intaglio printing had been chosen, ’ said Smulders. ‘The original image of the naval battle did not tie in with my concept. That is why I went in search of a better image with more detail. I found a print of the 1666 four-day naval battle between the Dutch and English fleets.

‘De Ruyter won the battle, by the way.’

While previous Dag van de Postzegel issues were printed in two colours, this is the first year that it will be printed in four colours. For the new stamps, Smulders chose the colours in which the historic De Ruyter stamps were printed.

The stamps are available, while stocks last, in Bruna shops and at the webshop. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Technical Details:
Stamp size: 40 x 30 mm
Sheet size: 122 x 170 mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Gum: gummed
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: yellow, magenta, cyan and black
Print run: 73,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of 10 stamps in 2 different designs
Design: Sandra Smulders, Gouda
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 421061

APS Exec Proposes “Merger” with Dealer Group

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Opinion by Lloyd A. de Vries
The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and not necessarily those of any other organization, philatelic or otherwise.

In a message on the American Philatelic Society website, executive director Scott English outlines a proposal to “merge” the APS and the American Stamp Dealers Association. I put “merge” in quote marks because it seems more like a takeover, with the ASDA becoming a section of the APS, even more so than an Affiliate. (An independent stamp collecting organization that is recognized, but not managed, by the APS.)

English identifies a number of problems with stamp dealing today, but I don’t see in his proposal how combining the two groups would rectify those problems. For instance, he states that fewer than a quarter of ASDA members are stamp show dealers. (Exclusively selling at shows? Or ever selling at shows?) How would merging the two organizations change that? Does it need to be changed? Or does ASDA need to restructure to address that situation?

Talking about selling on platforms like HipStamp and eBay, “…those bound by a code of ethics are treated the same as bad actors by clumsy policies undermining the 100+ years of knowledge and good practices established by these two organizations.” Given the APS’ new partnership with HipStamp and its on-again/off-again one with eBay, I assume he is referring to eBay’s policies. (He didn’t mention any of the other selling platforms.)

Again, how would a merger fix that? Would a combined APS-ASDA convince eBay to give up its own “clumsy policies?” I don’t think so.

He says this merger would “assert our collective membership value in the digital marketplace.” How? An advertising/promotion campaign saying “look for APS membership” would do much the same. Is eBay or any other selling platform likely to require APS, ASDA or any other membership of its dealers? I don’t think so. As long as they pay and don’t violate those “clumsy policies,” all sorts of people will be allowed to use those services.

A well-known dealer who had been expelled from one or both of these organizations continue to be a very active seller on eBay up until his death a few years ago.

I’m not an ASDA member and not privy to its inner workings, but the problem prompting this proposal may be internal: a lack of money, declining membersihp, poor management and so on.

For many decades, ending around the end of the 20th century, ASDA membership was a requirement for a booth at the top stamp collecting shows in New York City. Collectors from all over the Northeast, and some from further, would come to these shows. Any dealer of any size and importance, mail-order or storefront or both, needed to have a booth at those shows.

That is no longer the case. In fact, the ASDA doesn’t even have a New York City show any longer. The fault is not solely that of internet selling. However, that eliminated a major reason for belonging to ASDA.

English proposes adding “dealer representation on the APS Board of Directors.” When I was first elected to the APS Board (1997), I asked why there was a non-voting dealer represent to the Board but not an actual seat on the Board for dealers. I was told in no uncertain terms that the APS represents collectors, not dealers. Has that changed? And what about representation for other philatelic groups, some of which have more members than the ASDA?

Dealers who are members of the APS have for years been able to get “dealer certification” from the APS, giving them access to booths at the APS-produced shows (such as the Great American Stamp Show), display advertising in the journal American Philatelist, and sometimes newsletters and other benefits. Do they still need the ASDA?

If the ASDA is in danger of going out of business, the solution might not be a takeover, but fixing the ASDA’s problems. Or even letting it die. When the Society of Philatelic Americans, a rival to the APS, encountered significant, perhaps insurmountable, problems, it went out of existence.

Canadians In Flight (Canada 2022)

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Canadians in Flight
Issue date: October 17, 2022

First posted: October 6th. Newest information is above the line.

Scott catalogue numbers:

  • Souvenir sheet of 5 + label: Sc. 3355
  • Violet Milstead, Sc. 3355a, 3356 booklet single
  • De Havilland aircraft. Sc. 3355b, 3359 booklet single
  • CAE Flight Simulator, Sc. 3355c, 3360 booklet single
  • Dr. Wilbur R. Frank, Sc. 3355d, 3357 booklet single
  • W. Rupert Turnbull, 3355e, 3358 booklet single

Updated October 23:
[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Canadians in Flight stamps celebrate leadership in aviation and aeronautics technology, innovation
Five-stamp set commemorates groundbreaking female pilot, legendary bush plane and three innovators who changed aviation

OTTAWA – Canada Post released the second instalment of its Canadians in Flight stamps today, an issue that celebrates the people, planes and technology that have allowed Canada’s reputation for innovation to soar.

Developed with the support of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, as well as the Ottawa chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, this edition of Canadians in Flight honours these achievements:

  • Violet (Vi) Milstead (1919-2014). One of Canada’s first female bush pilots, Toronto-born Vi Milstead instructed at Toronto’s Barker Field before signing up with Britain’s Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. The civilian organization ferried military aircraft between factories and front-line squadrons. Over 28 months, Milstead logged more than 600 hours in 47 types of aircraft, including massive, multi-engine bombers. Following the war, she moved to Sudbury, Ont., where she flew as a bush pilot and also instructed.
  • The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver. The Beaver is considered the best bush plane ever built and was named one of Canada’s top 10 engineering achievements of the 20th century. The all-metal plane’s short takeoff and landing capability – along with its ability to be fitted with wheels, floats or skis – made the Beaver ideal for accessing and connecting remote areas of the country.
  • Kenneth Patrick (1915-2002) and the CAE flight simulator. New Brunswick’s Kenneth Patrick, a former Royal Canadian Air Force officer, introduced simulator technology to Canada through CAE Inc. (then Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd.), the company he founded in 1947. By the 1980s, CAE had developed a simulator so realistic it was no longer necessary for all flight training to be completed on actual aircraft. Today, air travel is the safest mode of transportation in part because commercial pilots train in simulators – most produced by CAE Inc.
  • Wallace Rupert Turnbull (1870-1954) and the variable pitch propeller. This Saint John, N.B., native was a pioneering aeronautical engineer who developed the variable pitch propeller. The device allowed pilots to adjust the pitch, or angle, of propeller blades in flight as easily as one would change gears in a manual car. This improved the aircraft’s efficiency.
  • Wilbur R. Franks (1901-86) and the G-suit. Dr. Franks, born in Weston, Ont., developed the world’s first anti-gravity suit used in combat, during the Second World War. The rubber suit, which he personally tested and was also known as the Franks Flying Suit, was lined with water-filled pockets that created enough hydrostatic pressure to counter strong gravitational (G) forces.These global advances provided the foundation for ongoing improvements in aviation and remain an important part of Canadian history.

The stamp issue, designed by Ivan Novotny of TaylorISprules Corporation and printed by Lowe-Martin, is available in a booklet of 10 PermanentTMdomestic rate stamps (two of each design) and a gummed mini-pane of five. A limited number of framed panes and five Official First Day Covers are also available as a set or separately.

The first five stamps were issued in 2019.

Technical Specifications:[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
La série de timbres Exploits de l’aviation canadienne salue les réalisations du pays dans le monde de l’aviation
Le jeu de cinq timbres souligne l’importante contribution d’une pilote avant-gardiste, d’un avion de brousse légendaire et de trois inventeurs à l’histoire de l’aéronautique

OTTAWA – Aujourd’hui, Postes Canada a lancé le deuxième volet de sa série Exploits de l’aviation canadienne. Cette émission célèbre des personnes, un aéronef et des avancées technologiques qui, par leur caractère novateur, ont permis au Canada de se bâtir une réputation de visionnaire.

Conçus en collaboration avec le Panthéon de l’aviation du Canada, le Musée de l’aviation et de l’espace du Canada et la section d’Ottawa de la Canadian Aviation Historical Society, ces timbres rendent hommage aux réalisations suivantes :

  • Violet (Vi) Milstead (1919-2014). Née à Toronto, Vi Milstead est l’une des premières pilotes de brousse au Canada. Instructrice au Barker Field de Toronto, elle se joint à l’organisation britannique Air Transport Auxiliary pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Au cours de ses 28 mois en Grande-Bretagne, elle transporte des aéronefs militaires entre les usines et les escadrons de première ligne, effectue plus de 600 heures de vol et pilote 47 types d’aéronefs, comme de gros bombardiers multimoteurs. Après la guerre, elle s’installe à Sudbury, en Ontario, où elle enseigne et vole à titre de pilote de brousse.
  • Le DHC-2 Beaver de la compagnie de Havilland Canada. Considéré comme le meilleur avion de brousse jamais construit, le Beaver est désigné comme l’une des 10 plus grandes réalisations d’ingénierie canadiennes du 20e siècle. L’aéronef entièrement fait de métal est capable de décoller et d’atterrir sur de courtes distances, et on peut l’équiper de roues, de flotteurs ou de skis, ce qui en fait l’appareil idéal pour se rendre dans les régions éloignées du Canada.
  • Kenneth Patrick (1915-2002) et le simulateur de vol de CAE. Kenneth Patrick, ancien officier de l’Aviation royale canadienne originaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, introduit la technologie de simulateur de vol au Canada avec CAE Inc., l’entreprise qu’il fonde en 1947 et qui s’appelle à l’époque Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd. Dans les années 1980, l’entreprise met au point un simulateur de vol si réaliste que les pilotes n’ont plus à suivre toute leur formation à bord de véritables aéronefs. Si l’avion est aujourd’hui le mode de transport le plus sécuritaire, c’est en partie dû au fait que les pilotes professionnels s’entraînent sur des simulateurs de vol, la plupart produits par CAE Inc.
  • Wallace Rupert Turnbull (1870-1954) et l’hélice à pas variable. Né à Saint John, au Nouveau-Brunswick, ce pionnier de l’ingénierie aéronautique est l’inventeur de l’hélice à pas variable. Cette invention améliore l’efficacité de l’aéronef en permettant aux pilotes d’ajuster l’angle, c’est à dire le pas, des pales pendant le vol, ce qui équivaut à changer de vitesse dans une voiture.
  • Wilbur R. Franks (1901-1986) et la combinaison anti-g. Né à Weston, en Ontario, le Dr Franks met au point la première combinaison anti-gravité utilisée au combat pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Il teste personnellement sa création, que l’on appelle aussi la combinaison de vol Franks. Faite de caoutchouc, elle est doublée de poches remplies d’eau, créant une pression hydrostatique suffisante pour contrer les forces g.

Ces avancées mondiales ont contribué aux progrès continus dans le domaine de l’aviation et continuent d’occuper une place importante dans l’histoire du Canada.

Les timbres, conçus par Ivan Novotny de Taylor|Sprules et imprimés par le groupe Lowe-Martin, sont offerts en carnet de 10 timbres PermanentsMC au tarif du régime intérieur (deux de chaque motif) et en mini-feuillet de cinq timbres gommés. Un nombre limité de feuillets encadrés et cinq plis Premier Jour officiels sont également offerts ensemble ou séparément.

Les cinq premiers timbres de la série ont été émis en 2019.

[from Details] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]Ready for take-off on its return trip, the second edition of Canadians in Flight once again celebrates the people, planes and technologies that have allowed Canada’s reputation for innovation to soar. Since the early days of flight, Canadians have made global advances in the fields of aviation and aeronautics, with some contributions remaining the foundation for ongoing advancement in these fields.

One of Canada’s first female bush pilots, Toronto-born Violet (Vi) Milstead (1919-2014) earned her private pilot’s licence in 1939, followed by her commercial licence and instructor’s rating, and taught at Toronto’s Barker Field. During the Second World War, she joined Britain’s Air Transport Auxiliary, ferrying military aircraft – everything from single-engined fighters to large multi-engined bombers – between the factories and frontline squadrons. After the war, she married and moved to Sudbury, instructing and flying as a bush pilot.

The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver made its first flight on August 16, 1947, and by the time production ended in 1968, the company had produced 1,692 of the bush planes, delivered to 62 countries. With its short take-off and landing capability, flexibility to be fitted with wheels, floats or skis, and ability to carry up to nine passengers or bulk cargo, the Beaver is considered the best bush plane ever built. The Engineering Centennial Board named it one of Canada’s top ten engineering achievements of the 20th century.

Pilots around the world can thank Canadian flight-simulator technology for their highly specialized training. Former Royal Canadian Air Force officer Kenneth Patrick (1915-2002) brought the technology to Canada through CAE Inc. (then Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd.) – the company he founded in 1947. CAE built its first flight simulator in the early 1950s and by the early 1980s had developed a flight simulator so realistic that it was no longer necessary for all flight training to be completed on an actual aircraft.

Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, pioneering aeronautical engineer Wallace Rupert Turnbull (1870-1954) built Canada’s first wind tunnel in 1902 and spent the next decade researching aircraft stability and airfoils and experimenting with lift devices, internal combustion engines, turbines and hydroplanes. His most notable achievement, the variable pitch propeller, allowed pilots to adjust the pitch, or angle, of the propeller blades in flight, improving the efficiency of the propeller and the aircraft. His influence can still be seen on modern propeller-driven aircraft.

Born in Weston, Ontario, Dr. Wilbur Rounding Franks (1901-86) was conducting cancer research at the University of Toronto in 1939 when he joined Dr. Frederick Banting’s aviation medicine research team to study the life-threatening risks of high- speed aerial manoeuvres due to strong gravitational (G) forces. Franks developed – and personally tested – a rubber flying suit lined with water-filled pockets that created enough hydrostatic pressure to counter the G-forces. During the Second World War, it became the world’s first anti-gravity suit used in combat.

This issue will be available in both booklets of 10 stamps and a pane of 5 (above). Individual Official FDCs may also be ordered: More details and better pictures wlll be available on the day of issue.

Diwali (Canada 2022)

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Canada Post heralds arrival of Diwali with luminous new stamp
Festival celebrated with fireworks displays and lighting of lamps

CALGARY, AB, Oct. 6, 2022 /CNW/ – Canada Post 6 October issued a new commemorative stamp in honour of Diwali, a major festival observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and other communities. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali is a celebration of light over darkness and good over evil.

About the festival
Diwali, which falls on October 24 this year, is celebrated over a period of five days. During the festivities, small clay oil lamps called diyas are often lit in rows in homes and temples. Fireworks are also set off, signifying the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Colourful geometric Rangoli patterns are created in entrance ways, living rooms and courtyards using rice, paint, coloured sand or powder, or flower petals. Families and friends also gather to exchange gifts and give food and goods to those in need.

About the stamp
Featuring an illustration by Arthur Grivel, of Montréal design firm Paprika, the stamp design highlights two traditions that are central to the celebration of Diwali: fireworks displays and the lighting of diyas. Fluorescent ink applied to parts of the stamp intensifies its colour and gives it a glowing appearance when exposed to black light.

This is Canada Post’s fourth Diwali stamp; the first three were issued in 2017, 2020 and 2021. The stamp is just one of several annual issues that celebrate Canada’s cultural diversity by recognizing events of importance to Canadians. Others include Christmas, Hanukkah and Eid. The stamp issue is cancelled in Calgary, which is home to a large population of Indo-Canadians.Printed by Colour Innovations, the stamp issue includes a booklet of 6 Permanent™ domestic rate stamps and an Official First Day Cover. Stamps and collectibles are available at canadapost.ca and postal outlets across Canada.

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Postes Canada souligne l’arrivée de Diwali avec un nouveau timbre lumineux
Le festival est célébré par l’allumage de feux d’artifice et de lampes

CALGARY, AB, le 6 oct. 2022 /CNW/ – Aujourd’hui [6 Octobre], Postes Canada a émis un nouveau timbre commémoratif pour souligner Diwali, un festival d’importance célébré par les hindous, les sikhs, les bouddhistes, les jaïns et d’autres communautés. Aussi connue sous le nom de fête des Lumières, Diwali marque le triomphe de la lumière sur les ténèbres et du bien sur le mal.

À propos de Diwali
Diwali, qui se tient le 24 octobre cette année, est célébrée sur une période de cinq jours. Pour l’occasion, de petites lampes à huile en terre cuite, ou diyas, sont souvent allumées en rangées dans les maisons et les temples. On illumine aussi le ciel de feux d’artifice pour célébrer le triomphe du bien sur le mal, de la lumière sur les ténèbres et de la connaissance sur l’ignorance. Des rangolis aux formes géométriques colorées sont tracés dans les entrées, les salons et les cours à l’aide de riz, de peinture, de poudre ou de sable coloré, ou de pétales de fleurs. Les gens se réunissent aussi en famille et entre amis pour échanger des cadeaux et donner de la nourriture et des produits à ceux qui en ont besoin.

À propos du timbre
Le motif du timbre, qui présente une illustration d’Arthur Grivel de la maison de graphisme montréalaise Paprika, met en valeur deux traditions qui sont au cœur de la fête de Diwali, soit l’allumage de feux d’artifice et des diyas. L’encre fluorescente appliquée à certains endroits du timbre en intensifie la couleur et lui donne un aspect brillant sous la lumière noire.

Il s’agit du quatrième timbre consacré à Diwali émis par Postes Canada; les trois premiers ont paru en 2017, 2020 et 2021. Le timbre est l’une des nombreuses émissions annuelles qui célèbrent la diversité culturelle du Canada en soulignant des événements importants pour la population canadienne. D’autres émissions soulignent notamment Noël, Hanoukka et l’Aïd. L’émission est oblitérée à Calgary, où vit une importante communauté indo-canadienne.

Imprimée par Colour Innovations, l’émission comprend un carnet de six timbres PermanentsMC au tarif du régime intérieur et un pli Premier Jour officiel. Les timbres et les articles de collection sont en vente sur le site postescanada.ca et dans les comptoirs postaux partout au pays.

U.S. Scott Catalogue Update (October 2022)

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5714 (60¢) Elephants
a. Convertible booklet pane of 20

5715 (60¢) Pony Cars – 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302
a. Imperforate
5716 (60¢) Pony Cars – 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T
a. Imperforate
5717 (60¢) Pony Cars – 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
a. Imperforate
5718 (60¢) Pony Cars – 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT
a. Imperforate
5719 (60¢) Pony Cars – 1969 AMC Javelin SST
a. Imperforate
b. Vert. strip of 5, #5715-5719
c. Imperforate strip of 5, #5715a-5719a

5720 (60¢) James Webb Space Telescope
a. Imperforate

Radio: Thank You, Charles M. Schulz

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The Stamp Collecting Report
A radio feature by Lloyd de Vries

Download or listen to this report as an MP3 sound file.

A stamp set that touches my heart.

The stamp collecting report. I’m Lloyd de Vries.

[Music: Opening theme of Broadway show; establish and under]

New U-S stamps celebrate the centennial of the birth of Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the “Peanuts” cartoon strips. The comics still run in newspapers today, even though Schulz stopped creating new ones in Two Thousand. It’s a testament to just how beloved Peanuts was and is.

“Peanuts” means a lot to me personally. You see, my brother had what today are called “learning disabilities.” Back around 1960, he was written off by the education system. My mother was told her child could never be taught how to read.

Mom didn’t accept that. She bought several of the Peanuts compilation books that reprinted the daily comic strips and yes, from those, Jeremy learned how to read. I read them, too, of course, and decades later, he and I were still sharing jokes from “Peanuts.”

Peanuts is kind, gentle, funny and literate. The jokes are never mean or nasty. I’m not sure any other comic strip could have done the job for my family.

I doubt Schulz ever knew what he had done for us, but there have been many other tributes to him. These ten stamps are the latest, and I can’t think of someone who deserves it more.

[Music: “You’re a good man, Charlie Brown….”]

And so were you, Charles M. Schulz.

And that’s stamp collecting. I’m Lloyd de Vries.

The Stamp Collecting Report began in 1997 as a 60-second weekly feature distributed to CBS Radio Network stations by CBS News as part of its Weekend Feature Package. Eventually, longer versions were recorded for this website and a Christian evangelical shortwave service. The Report ended its CBS run in 2017 with only six repeats in some 1,040 weeks. It is now produced solely for The Virtual Stamp Club on an occasional basis.

Go to Report Index • Return to Virtual Stamp Club Home Page

Children’s Welfare Stamps (Donald Duck) (Netherlands 2022)

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[excerpted from the press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
2022 Children’s Welfare Stamps

Date of issue: 10 October 2022
Appearance: sheetlet of five special stamps in five different designs, marked with ‘1’, the denomination for mail up to 20 g in weight destined for delivery in the Netherlands, with a € 0.48 surcharge
Item number: 420960
Illustrations: Tim Artz, Nijmegen
Design: Ellen Hagenaars, Amsterdam
Colouring: Dorith Graef, AmsterdamOn 10 October 2022, PostNL will issue a new stamp sheetlet with Children’s Welfare Stamps marked with ‘1’ for destinations within the Netherlands. This year, the five stamps are dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Donald Duck magazine. Since 1924, PostNL has been issuing Children’s Welfare Stamps to raise money for projects aimed at improving the welfare of vulnerable children. This is achieved by adding a € 0.48 surcharge to each stamp. The proceeds from all surcharges will be used for projects developed by the independent Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland. The foundation is committed to giving children in both the Netherlands and in other countries a chance of a better life. To make this aid possible, the foundation organises, among other things, the Children’s Welfare Stamps campaign. The campaign has been listed in the Dutch National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2017.

This year, more than 140,000 pupils from the last two years of primary schools will be taking orders for the Children’s Welfare Stamps from 28 September up to and including 5 October. PostNL will deliver all orders from 11 October. The proceeds from the 2021 campaign amounted to 8.5 million Euro. This year’s Children’s Welfare Theme is ‘give children the wind in their sails.’ Some children have difficulty concentrating or lack self-confidence due to personal circumstances. As a result, they do not manage to achieve their full potential. The Stichting Kinderpostzegels helps these children by, for example, coaching them individually or training them to increase their self-confidence and motivation.

The first Dutch Donald Duck weekly magazine was published on 25 October 1952, 70 years ago this year. In other countries, similar monthly or weekly magazines had already existed for some time, such as Topolino in Italy, Micky Maus in Germany, Mickey Magazine in Belgium and Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories in the US. Over the first few years, the Dutch pages were alternately printed in colour and black-and-white, but in 1954 the first issue appeared entirely in colour.

The current Donald Duck magazine is published by DPG Media Magazines B.V. in the Benelux. Nowadays, most of the stories in the magazine are conceived and drawn in the Netherlands. According to DPG Media, Donald Duck weekly magazine is the largest family and men’s magazine in the Netherlands, with a circulation of over 200,000. Through the use of both offline and online media, the magazine’s brand awareness is almost 100%, and the loyalty of its readers is incredibly strong.

This year, the Museum of Comic Art in Noordwijk aan Zee has organised a special exhibition dedicated to the Netherlands’ most cheerful weekly magazine until 30 October 2022.

Previous Dutch Disney Issues
This isn’t the first time PostNL has issued stamps and stamp products featuring Walt Disney characters. In 2009, for example, a stamp booklet dedicated to the 101 Dalmatians appeared, followed in 2010 by the first issue in a long-running series of personal stamps starring Donald Duck. In 2012, PostNL issued a 12-part series with post sets featuring cards and stamps about Donald Duck in relation to the 12 Dutch provinces.

Background
Pascal de Smit, Director of Stichting Kinderpostzegels: ‘For the first time in the long history of Children’s Welfare Stamps, they feature a true international cartoon hero: Donald Duck, and with a story to boot. We see May help Huey with his homework: children helping children. Louie, April and June go to school without a care in the world: this is the mission we are so passionate about.’

Ferdi Felderhof, editor-in-chief of Donald Duck magazine: ‘These Children’s Welfare Stamps are truly the icing on our anniversary cake. We are incredibly proud that Donald Duck and his family are appearing on the Children’s Welfare Stamps. There are few magazines for young people that are read by multiple generations. We want these stamps to exude that family feeling and the happiness of children too.’

The Design
The 2022 Children’s Welfare Stamps feature various characters who appear in the comic strips in Donald Duck magazine. The sheetlet includes four equally sized stamps and one double-sized stamp in the middle. The following inhabitants of Duckburg make their appearance: Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey and Louie, April, May and June, Chip and Dale and Neighbor J. Jones.

The action takes place in Donald Duck’s house and front yard. The illustrations on the stamp sheet feature various recurring themes of Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland, including children helping each other and every child getting to school safely. The illustration continues on the edge of the sheet, which also features the logos of 70 years of Donald Duck, the Children’s Welfare Stamps campaign, and PostNL. On the stamps themselves, the denomination and the surcharge are printed in the top left-hand corner, with the country (Netherlands) in the bottom right-hand corner.

Just like last year, the illustration on the Children’s Welfare Stamps was created by comic strip artist Tim Artz from Nijmegen. While Tom Puss and Olivier B. Bommel took centre stage in 2021, Donald Duck plays the lead in 2022. The focus on the Disney comic characters coincides with the 70-year anniversary of the most cheerful weekly magazine in the Netherlands: Donald Duck.

Every child in our country is introduced to Disney sooner or later. ‘You can’t avoid it,’ says Artz. ‘You’re bound to bump into it at some point. I was about 6 years old when I first watched Disney cartoons on België 2, including episodes of the animated series “Duck Tales” and short films from the 1930s and 1940s. I loved them all. Later, we also had a subscription to the magazine at home and I started collecting albums with the best stories. These were drawn by Carl Barks. That’s when I became a true fan.

‘Barks was not only a very good artist, but also a proper storyteller. Just like Marten Toonder. Barks created Duckburg characters like Scrooge McDuck, Neighbor Jones, Gyro Gearloose, the Beagle Boys, and so on. All incredibly fascinating.’

Artz published his drawings on Internet forums, so his talent was quickly noticed, first by Disney, later by the Toonder Company. ‘I now work for both. The comics I create for Disney have a strong cartoony character. It’s mainly slapstick. I can have a lot of fun with it, also by adding my own details and little jokes.’

The basic idea for the illustration on the 2022 Children’s Welfare Stamps came from the editorial staff of Donald Duck magazine. ‘They provided me with a sketch of the house, with Donald standing in the door. Other Disney characters had also been put where the other stamps were supposed to go. I started to elaborate on that, also by adding new characters. Like Neighbor Jones on the edge of the sheet on the left, for example. And Chip and Dale on the edge of the sheet on the right. In the original sketch, Scrooge McDuck was missing. I included him because to me he is an important figure in the Duckburg stories. ’

More about Children’s Welfare Stamps
Children’s Welfare Stamps were first issued in 1924 to give children orphaned due to the Spanish flu a safe home. The rich history shows many milestones. Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland helps thousands of children become more confident, in both the Netherlands and beyond.

Technical Details
Stamp size: 4 stamps measuring 36 x 25 mm and 1 stamp measuring 36 x 50 mm:
Sheet size: 144 x 75 mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Glue: synthetic
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
Print run: 1,232,000 sheets
Format: sheet of 5 stamps in 5 different designs
Illustration: Tim Artz, Nijmegen
Design: Ellen Hagenaars, Amsterdam
Colouring: Dorith Graef, Amsterdam
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 420960: