[press release]
National Postal Museum Presents U.S. Department of State Exhibition
History of the U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service Chronicled
“None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers” opens Sept. 14 at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. Developed by the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State, the exhibition is on view through Jan. 26, 2020.
In wartime and peacetime, the U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service carries the sensitive materials, equipment and information that make diplomacy possible. The exhibition’s title derives from the Greek historian Herodotus, who coined the phrase ‘none swifter than these,’ paying tribute to the speed and reliability of ancient Persian messengers.
The U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service traces its origins to the U.S. Army courier detachment (known as the “Silver Greyhounds”), established at the U.S. Embassy in Paris in December 1918 to support the American Commission to Negotiate Peace at the end of World War I. A century later, the Department of State’s 100 badged diplomatic couriers travel the globe safeguarding the nation’s secrets. Today’s diplomatic couriers constantly troubleshoot and innovate to ensure secure logistic supply chains while supervising the delivery of classified equipment and documents, as well as secure construction materials to nearly every nation where U.S. diplomats work.
Through authentic objects on loan from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Diplomacy Center, visitors can trace the evolution of shipping materials over the service’s 100 years of operation. The exhibition also presents Cold War-era surveillance devices (“bugs”) that were either used or discovered by U.S. security officers; the diary, passport and other personal effects of a 1918 diplomatic courier; and a 1936 diplomatic courier guide book, Course of the Silver Greyhound.
In support of the exhibition, the museum will host an after-hours lecture Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 6–8 p.m. John Brandt, a diplomatic courier since 1999 and chief of the Classified Pouch Branch at the U.S. Department of State, will discuss this fascinating branch of the department. Before joining the State Department, Brandt served as a U.S. Army Russian linguist in military intelligence and as a launch specialist on the Pershing II intermediate nuclear missile system. Lecture attendees can see the new exhibition before and after the lecture. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public; advance registration is available through the museum’s website.
About the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, call (202) 633-1000 or visit the museum website at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.
MONTRÉAL – Canada Post today unveiled three stamps honouring Leonard Cohen, whose songs over a five-decade career distilled the desire and pain of romantic love and 
explored the darkness and light of the human experience.
the mid-1960s, the income from writing four books of poetry and two novels left him struggling “to pay my grocery bill,” he once recalled. After returning to Canada from the Greek island where he’d lived for years, the self-taught guitarist discovered the folk music movement sweeping North America. He tried his hand at writing songs. He played some privately for singer Judy Collins, who loved them. A folk and pop star, she sang two of them on her next album, becoming one of the hundreds of artists who would record Cohen’s songs during his life. He released his first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, in 1967.
“Leonard was always deeply appreciative of his Canadian heritage, and would have been moved by this honour from Canada Post,” says Robert Kory, Cohen’s manager, estate trustee and friend.
MONTRÉAL – Canada Post will unveil a stamp set honouring Leonard Cohen at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, overlooking the grand Cohen mural on Crescent Street, on Friday, September 20.
MONTRÉAL – Postes Canada tiendra le dévoilement de timbre rendant hommage à Leonard Cohen au Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, dans la verrière ayant vue sur la grande murale de Leonard Cohen sur la rue Crescent, le vendredi 20 septembre.
be presented in two Miniature Sheets
host to the 2019 men’s and 2017 women’s tournaments. The paintwork will be in place for three months and will be complemented by a permanent gold plaque
The men’s Miniature Sheet comprises four stamps; each capturing a moment of celebration following England’s thrilling World Cup Final victory against New Zealand at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Each sheet will include two 1st Class stamps, alongside two £1.60 value stamps and retail at £4.60. Fans can pre-order the stamps now; online at 
Royal Mail has also decorated 15 special edition postboxes at each venue used in the tournament to mark the historic achievement of both England teams. The first postbox painted was outside Lord’s Cricket Ground where both sold-out finals were held.
Bristol County Ground – Bristol
CHICAGO – Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS) will present its annual philatelic exhibition, CHICAGOPEX, Nov. 22, 23 and 24, 2019, at the 
5399 Moon Landing – Astronaut
5401 Unloading Produce
In a letter, Vilhjalmur Sigurdsson, Iceland Post’s Head of Philately, says the agency’s philatelic operations, PostPhil, will cease at the end of 2019, after about 90 years in operation.
“The current management of Iceland Post Ltd., prefers if possible to stop issuing new stamps altogether,” Sigurdsson writes. “If the company must keep on issuing new stamps in 2020 and onward the number of new stamps will be very few each year and there will be no service for stamp collectors.” What stamp production remains may be handled by outside contractors.
Glen Affric in Inverness-shire, is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland and is a fragment of the once extensive Caledonian Forest. Its rugged Scots pines and graceful birches are the signature trees in a landscape where forest, lochs, river and mountains combine to create the perfect Highland setting, which is breath-taking at any time of year but especially when the birches take on their golden apparel.
Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire is famous for its rich assemblage of ancient oak trees, such as the Major Oak. The atmospheric image on the stamp shows a fine stand of conifers in the early morning light, reflecting the mixed planting found across the whole forest.
Managed by the Forest Service Northern Ireland, Glenariff Forest Park in County Antrim, boasts a beautiful mixture of views and trails that allow the visitor to enjoy a wide variety of walks and activities. Probably the most spectacular of these is the Waterfall Walk, a steep path up the vertical sides of the gorge and along elevated boardwalks taking in a succession of dramatic and world-famous waterfalls.
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is the Forestry Commission’s flagship collection of trees in England. First created by the wealthy Holford family almost 200 years ago, it is one of the most beautiful and diverse botanical collections in the world. The 600-acre (243ha) site with 17 miles (27km) of paths showcases 3,000 tree species, including the Japanese maples seen on the stamp in autumnal colours.
Located near Dolgellau in the Snowdonia National Park, Coed y Brenin is now one of the flagship forests of Natural Resources Wales. Commercial softwood forestry across some 7,650 acres (3,093ha) of Forest Park combines with recreational facilities for mountain-bikers and a network of spectacular scenic trails for hikers, based around the impressive visitor centre.
Kielder Forest in Northumberland is the largest human-made forest in Britain, stretching 250 square miles (647sq km); around 75 per cent is covered by trees. The Forestry Commission harvests around 500,000 cubic metres of timber here each year. The felled areas are replanted using a mixture of conifer and broadleaf trees, and parts are left open to create a diversity of habitats.
Beginning in Hartford 2020, the annual American Philatelic Society stamp convention will be a joint show with the American Topical Association and the American First Day Cover Society. In the past, the annual show has been called StampShow, StampShow / National Topical Stamp Show, StampShow/NTSS, and other variations on these themes. We need your helpful suggestions to create a new and permanent name for the yearly show.
