APS Honors Barwis, Stotts, Youngblood

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The American Philatelic Society is giving its highest award this year to John H. Barwis, Denise Stotts and Wayne L. Wayne Youngblood. Barwis is receiving the Luff Award for philatelic research. Stotts is being honored for her contributions to philately. Youngblood is cited for his service to the APS. L-R, Barwis, Stotts and Youngblood.

The Luff awards are considered the highest awards in U.S. philately.

The 2018 awards will be formally presented August 11 at the banquet of StampShow / National Topical Stamp Show in Columbus, Ohio.

The APS press release, with more details, is on the APS web blog.

Scooby-Doo (U.S. 2018)

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The Scott catalogue number for this issue is 5299.

First announced by the USPS on June 14, with an issuance of July 14 at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. The press release:

Zoinks! Everyone’s Favorite Great Dane, SCOOBY-DOO, is New Addition to the 2018 Forever Stamp Program

WASHINGTON — “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” For nearly 50 years, this call has summoned the beloved animated Great Dane wherever help is needed. The U.S. Postal Service, in collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, is excited to announce a new Forever stamp will be issued July 14 highlighting the popular canine and his new social responsibility initiative, Scooby-Doo DOO GOOD.

The stamp ceremony will be held at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN.

This new issuance is a 12-stamp sheet featuring Scooby-Doo helping out by watering a blossoming plant in a flowerpot — a simple act symbolizing a component of the “Doo Good” campaign’s effort to provide young people with tools and activities geared toward enriching the environment. The campaign, launching this year in partnership with generationOn, the youth division of Points of Light, also focuses on helping the hungry and acting as animal allies.

The lovable, iconic Great Dane Scooby-Doo has solved mystery after spooky mystery since his 1969 debut. With his teenage friends — Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy — Scooby is at the heart of one of the most enduring cartoon franchises in television history. The charismatic canine has now fronted more than a dozen TV series, plus direct-to-video animated films, comic books and live-action cinematic releases.

In Scooby-Doo’s comedy–mystery adventures, he and the gang investigate strange plots in eerie locales as they travel in their colorful van, the Mystery Machine. Scooby Snacks are always on hand; the tempting treats empower the cowardly Scooby to sniff out clues. Once the gang musters courage, cooperates, and persists in their dogged investigations, the spooky schemers’ plots are exposed.

Three generations of fans have now embraced Scooby-Doo and the “meddling kids,” as they are often called by the villains unmasked at the conclusion of each Scooby-Doo mystery.

Art director Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, VA, worked closely with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, to design this stamp.

Updated July 4, 2018:
On July 14, 2018, in Bloomington, MN, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Scooby-Doo! stamp (Forever priced at the First-Class Mail rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 12 stamps (Item 565500). The stamp will go on sale nationwide July 14, 2018. The Scooby-Doo! pane of 12 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

This stamp celebrates the beloved animated Scooby- Doo, the iconic Great Dane who met instant success upon his 1969 debut in the series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The stamp art features Scooby-Doo watering a blossoming plant — a simple act symbolizing a component of the Scooby-Doo DOO GOOD campaign, which provides young people with tools and activities to enrich the environment. The campaign, launching in partnership with generationOn ( generationon.org/page/partners ), the youth division of Points of Light, also focuses on helping the hungry and acting as animal allies. The selvage, which features a friendly, grinning Scooby-Doo, includes the title Scooby- Doo! and the DOO GOOD logo. Art director Greg Breeding worked closely with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Inc. to design this stamp.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 565500, Scooby- Doo! (Forever priced at the First-Class Mail rate) Commemorative Pane of 12 Stamps Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices™ of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales.

Special Dedication Postmarks:
Only the following pictorial postmark is permitted for the Scooby-Doo! stamp. The word “Station” or the abbreviation “STA” is required somewhere in the design, because it will be a temporary station. 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 – Scooby-Doo! Stamp
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 14, 2018.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Scooby-Doo! Stamp
Item Number: 565500
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 12 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: July 14, 2018, Bloomington, MN 55401
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 12
Print Quantity: 252,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, PMS 2592 C Purple (modified)
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.085 x 1.42 in./27.559 x 36.07 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.225 x 1.56 in./31.115 x 39.62 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.525 x 5.925 in./191.135 x 150.495 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 22.575 x 11.85 in./573.405 x 300.99 mm
Plate Size: 144 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by five (5) digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Scooby Doo! DOO GOOD • Plate number in two corners
Back: ©2018 USPS • USPS Logo • Two barcodes (565500) • Plate Position Diagram • Promotional Text • Proprietary Notice

Updated July 19th: Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue: It measures 2.999″ (but it’s no over 3 inches!) x 1.06″.It measures 2.7989″x1.482″.The special cancellations for post offices other than the first-day city measures 2.7597×1.4564″.

Trades Union Congress (UK 2018)

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[press release]
Royal Mail Issues Special Commemorative Sheet To Mark 150th Anniversary Of The Trades Union Congress

  • Founded in 1868, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is the world’s oldest national trade union organization
  • The Commemorative Sheet features 10 existing 1st Class Wax Seal stamps alongside images of pivotal moments in the TUC’s history
  • The sheets are a limited edition of 5,000 – each of them numbered
  • The TUC’s first meeting took place from 2-6 June, 1868, in Manchester and was attended by 34 delegates
  • The legal status of the TUC was recognised following the passing of the Trade Union Act (1871)
  • Its original aims were to win a shorter working day, training and free education for all and representation in Parliament
  • The TUC currently represents more than 5.5 million workers across the UK
  • Today the TUC runs and manages a learning programme that supports 250,000 union members
  • The stamp sheet is available now from www.royalmail.com/TUC150 priced at £15.95

Royal Mail today launched a Commemorative Sheet to mark the 150th anniversary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Founded in 1868, the TUC is the world’s oldest, national independent trade union organisation.

The first TUC meeting was held when the Manchester and Salford Trades Council convened the founding meeting in the Manchester Mechanics’ Institute. Its original aims were to win a shorter working day, training and free education for all, and – at a time when most working-class people were denied a voice – representation in Parliament.

The Commemorative Sheet features 10 existing 1st Class Seal stamps alongside images that depict pivotal moments in the TUC’s 150-year history. These key events include the 1888 strike by women from the Bryant & May match factory in London in protest at poor working conditions. Their demands were met three weeks later. The Equal Pay Campaign of 1968 saw female workers at Ford car plants in Dagenham strike to demand the lower ‘women’s rate’ of pay be abolished. It was, and their efforts went on to inspire similar protests around the country.

The sheet also includes an illustrated folder telling the story of the TUC, its forerunners and its evolution to the present day organisation that represents 5.5 million workers across the UK.

TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady said: “The commemorative sheet is a wonderful way to mark the TUC’s big anniversary, and we are honoured that working people have been recognised in this way. The pack is full of inspiring stories about people who made Britain better for working people over the last 150 years.

“It’s a reminder too that trade unionists have come from many different occupations and backgrounds. As the world of work changes, trade unions are needed more than ever to make sure every job is a good job and every working person gets the respect they deserve.”

The stamp sheet is on sale now priced at £15.95 and available at www.royalmail.com/TUC150

Left hand side — Top down:

  1. Tolpuddle Martyrs – in 1834 six Dorset Workers – all members of the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU) were sentenced to deportation to Australia after being guilty of ‘administering unlawful oaths’.
  2. London Match Women – in 1888 women from the Bryant & May match factory in east London went on strike in protest at the poor working conditions. Their demands were met three weeks later.
  3. Dock Workers’ Strike – the success of the London Dock Strike (1889), which involved 100,000 dockers, strengthened the union movement among dockers and many other workers.
  4. Order of Industrial Heroism – the Order of Industrial Heroism was instituted in 1923 by the Daily Herald (a TUC owned newspaper) to honour people who had saved colleagues’ lives.
  5. Paid Holidays for Workers – the TUC had long lobbied for workers’ paid holiday. In 1938, the Holidays with Pay Act recommended the gradual introduction of an annual week long holiday.

Right hand side — Top down

  1. Supporting the War Effort – during the Second World War, the TUC and affiliated unions raised money for 50 mobile canteens to serve British forces abroad or in isolated locations at home.
  2. Founding of the NHS – the TUC was described as ‘the Godfathers of the Beveridge Report’, which set out a social legislation programme that led to the founding of the NHS.
  3. Equal Pay Campaigning – in 1968, strikes by women sewing machinists at two Ford car plants led to the lower women’s rate’ of pay being abolished and inspired similar protests.
  4. Grunwick Industrial Dispute – Asian and black women workers at a film-processing laboratory began a two-year protest against managerial mistreatment in 1976 and received wide support.
  5. Health and Safety – to ensure that workers are protected in the workplace, the TUC and unions strive to provide high-calibre resources and training for trade union safety reps.

Experience Nature/Summer: Insects (Netherlands 2018)

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[press release]
Insects play leading part in summer version of ‘Experience Nature’ stamp series

The Hague, 4 June 2018 – PostNL will be issuing the new ‘Experience Nature’ stamp series this year. There will be a ten-stamp sheetlet for each season. The third stamp series will appear today. This summer edition of the stamp series is devoted to insects. The autumn version of this stamp series, with mushrooms, will follow in October.

The summer stamps feature 10 insects we may encounter in our country. The photographs used are ‘portraits’ of these insects in their natural environment. Most images run almost imperceptibly through onto the adjacent stamp. This makes it seem like the insects live side by side in the same habitat.

The beauty of nature
With the ‘Experience Nature’ stamp series, PostNL pays tribute to the diversity of nature in our country. “The stamps in this series show Dutch nature on its best behaviour,” says Stephan van den Eijnden, PostNL’s Commercial Director for Mail. “After the reptiles & amphibians and the wildflowers, 10 insects are showing themselves in their best light. A promising run-up to the fourth sheetlet, which will be appearing this autumn.”

Thousands of photos
For the ‘Experience Nature’ series, graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda selected around one thousand photographs for each of the four stamp sheetlets. He narrowed these down to a shortlist consisting of around a hundred images, from which he chose the ten photographs that made it onto each stamp sheetlet. He was guided by both the beauty of the photograph and the special characteristics of the depicted plants and animals. The photographs are the work of amateur photographers who send their best images to the PIXFACTORY websites.

Availability
The ‘Experience Nature – Insects’ stamp sheetlet consists of ten different stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for mail in the Netherlands. The stamps are available from 4 June at all post offices and online at postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels and can also be ordered by calling the Collect Club customer service on 088 – 868 99 00, The stamps are valid until further notice.

Beautiful Netherlands: City Gates (2018)

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[press release]
Beautiful Netherlands 2018: walking through cities with city gates

The Hague, 4 June 2018 – In 2018, as part of the stamps series ‘Beautiful Netherlands’, PostNL will be highlighting the monumental city gates that our country boasts. Today, two stamp sheetlets with the Nobelpoort of Zierikzee and the Binnenpoort of Culemborg, as well as an assembled stamp sheetlet, appear. The assembled stamp sheetlet also features the city gates on the stamps about Vianen, Bergen op Zoom, and Hattem, which appeared previously. The ‘Beautiful Netherlands 2018’ series was designed by visual artist Jan Rothuizen.

The artist drew the outlines of the city gates on the stamps with a black pen against a white background. The background of each stamp sheetlet shows a perspective drawing in red or blue of a map of the surrounding area.Strong involvement
By means of his written and drawn records, Rothuizen has made a report in words and images of his walk through each city, the buildings he saw, and the people he met. “In each city, I noticed the strong involvement of the inhabitants with their residence, how much they know about its history, and how eager they are to tell wonderful stories about it,” the artist said.

Rooted in society
Since 2005, the ‘Beautiful Netherlands’ series has been paying tribute to local history, cultural treasures, and scenic beauty. Stephan van den Eijnden, commercial director Mail of PostNL: “This way, we want to show that our business is rooted in Dutch society. City gates are proof of a past in which cities were walled to protect them. Fortunately, these days are over, but beautiful city gates have been preserved throughout the Netherlands. And now, five special ones can be found on stamps!”

Availability
Each stamp sheetlet from the ‘Beautiful Netherlands 2018’ series consists of five stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for delivery in the Netherlands. The assembled stamp sheetlet will be available at post offices in Bruna shops as well as via postnl.nl/collectclub from 4 June. As from today, the stamp sheetlets about Zierikzee and Culemborg can be bought in their own regions and online. The stamps can also be ordered from the Collect Club customer service by calling 088 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Ganz Chosen As APS Vice President

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Cheryl Ganz has been chosen to fill a vacancy on the American Philatelic Society’s Board of Directors. By a unanimous vote, the former Smithsonian National Postal Museum philatelic curator was elected as a Vice President, filling the vacancy when Bob Zeigler succeeded Mick Zais as president. Zais resigned when he became U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education.

Ganz called into the telephone conference-call meeting Monday, June 11th, from Iceland!

At the same time, the Board chose Steve Rod as Historian, replacing Gini Horn, who resigned because of ill health.

Zeigler opened the meeting by vowing to “do no harm,” expand the membership “or at least stop the attrition,” and to retire more debt.

In announcing his nomination of Ganz, Zeigler cited her record of service to the APS and philately, “her great temperament,” and her writing.

Ganz said she did not seek the job, but was asked by two people. She said she has always a big booster of the society, a donor, a life member, and serves on two committees, Ethics and New Initiatives. She has never been on the Board before. “I will do my best to do everything  I can to help the APS,” she said.

Ganz joins a three-member Board of Vice Presidents that also includes Trish Kaufmann and Jeff Shapiro.

Speaking at the meeting, Rod cited past historian Herb Trenchard, who severed for decades. “I am in awe” of Trenchard, he said. “I hope to serve in this position as dutifully as Herb and Gini have,” Rod said. “I love the APS with all my heart and soul.”

Rod’s appointment by the president did not need a vote, but was approved unanimously anyway.

The Board also approved unanimously a resolution honoring APS staffer Janet Houser.  Executive director Scott English noted that she began at the APS in 1990, and worked in the accounting department before moving to education. He said he was “extremely grateful” for her help as he became the organization’s CEO and made changes. “Janet has been extremely supportive of the education initiatives” and “an ambassador of good will,” he said. “I’ve been grateful for having her.”

English said he will also be submitting the resolution to the American Philatelic Research Library board.

The executive director recommended the Board skip its previously-scheduled meeting on June 19th, inasmuch as all the business has been covered. The Board will next convene the day before StampShow.

Zeigler recommended English draw up a resolution praising Zais, for a vote by the Board at the August meeting.

Boston 2026 Show Adds Staff

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[press release]

Officers of the Boston 2026 World Expo are pleased to announce an expansion of staff from across the country joining the Organizing Committee of America’s next once-a-decade international philatelic exhibition.

In alphabetical order they are:

  • David Ball, Natick, MA- Security Manager
  • Michael Bloom, Portland, OR- Volunteer Chair
  • Carol Bommarito, New York, NY- Art Director
  • Dane Claussen, Greenville, PA- Government/NGO Outreach Chair
  • Colin Fraser, Woodstock, NY- Dealer Bourse Chair (International)
  • Sandeep Jaiswal, Cranston, RI- Customs Broker Liaison
  • Suzanne Kouri, Lexington, MA- Development Chair
  • Chris Lazaroff, Chester, SC- USPS Liaison
  • Mark Reasoner, Columbus, OH- Dealer Bourse Chair (USA/Canada)
  • Scott Tiffney, Bellefonte, PA- Literature Chair

Their addition now brings the total of volunteers accepting leadership positions in the show to more than 30. Several are bringing their experience from posts with World Stamp Show-NY 2016.

The list of all current committee members can be found online at www.boston2026.org along with information about the exhibition taking place in Boston in May, 2026.

Americover 2018 Postmarks Design by APS Youth Fellow

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[press release]

The proposed pictorial postmarks for Americover 2018, the annual show, convention and FDC celebration of the American First Day Cover Society, were designed by Dani Leviss. The New Jersey woman is part of the Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship program of the American Philatelic Society, in the design track. Her mentor is professional artist Chris Calle and her sponsor is Ann Duncan.

The theme of the show, which is being held August 3-5 in the Atlanta area, is “Georgia On My Mind.” The postmarks show a peach, the state fruit; civil rights demonstrators; and symbols representing singer-songwriter Ray Charles, who recorded the best-known rendition of “Georgia On My Mind.” (The song was written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930, the year Charles was born.)

Americover 2018 will be held at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast, 5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Peachtree Corners, GA 30092, just 20 miles from downtown Atlanta. There are two bourses at the show (commercial dealers and cachetmakers), a banquet, meetings, award-winning FDC exhibits, a youth table, a hospitality suite, live and silent auctions, seminars, and a forum by a U.S. Postal Service official involved with first day covers.

Leviss is also a first day cover cachetmaker and has in recent years had a table at the cachetmakers bourse. (The photo here is from Americover 2015.) She is the daughter of the late Gerry Leviss, co-founder of Barry & Gerry Covers, and her mother Donna often operates the BGC booth at Americover.

“I’ve always been running around stamp shows, sleeping under the table, looking through other dealers’ stock,” Dani Leviss says.

There is a special Americover room rate of $99 at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast, which includes Wednesday and Sunday nights.

For more information on Americover 2018 and the AFDCS, contact the AFDCS at P.O. Box 16277, Tucson, Ariz. 85732-6277, email showinfo@afdcs.org or visit www.afdcs.org.

Close Call on Servicing FDCs!

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By Lloyd A. de Vries

Good thing I didn’t print my Dragon Cards for the United States Airmail stamps before seeing the design and measurements for the first-day cancels! Figure 1 shows my original design, which cropped (cut) from the photo several unnamed people at the launch of airmail service to New York City.

I figured chances were good those people wouldn’t complain!

The Digital Color Postmark measures 3.0 inches by 1.5 inches. The Pictorial Postmark was nearly as big, at 2.96 by 1.5.

The digital mock-up showed that that design would be like trying to fly from Washington to New York by following the train tracks south. (It didn’t work for the pilot that day, either.)

I re-edited the photo. Putting back the bystanders on the sides not only increased the width, it also decreased the height of the picture. The result (also a mock-up) is shown in Figure 2.

I also considered using my two vertical designs for dual cancels: One with the May 1 blue version of the stamp, and then with the August 11 carmine version. I expect similar first-day postmarks for the second stamp.

Again, I created a “mockup” and decided it could work, but the chances of failure were too high: No, no, discretion is the better part of valor. I’ll use a different design for the dual-canceled Dragon Cards.