Information important to potential exhibitors is now available with the release of the Bulletin by World Stamp Show-NY 2016, taking place in 15 months from May 28-June 4, 2016 at the Javits Center in New York City.

The 60 page full-color booklet contains complete details about exhibit entry requirements, the application and acceptance process, and costs involved. It also covers the GREX (General Regulations for Exhibitions) held under the patronage of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie, the 91 member international body considered as the “United Nations” of the hobby.

Three members of the WSS-NY 2016 team collaborated on the work. Stephen D. Schumann, the show’s Commissioner General, provided much of the regulatory section. Steven J. Rod, show Vice President, concentrated on the cultural section, while Design Chairman Niko Courtelis focused on the graphics and layout.

Exhibits among the 3,800 competitive frames are allowed in all 13 FIP-recognized philatelic categories. For the first time ever, First Day Cover exhibits will be accepted under the Experimental Exhibiting Group. One, five or eight frame exhibits may be entered, the latter reserved for previous international large vermeil or higher winners. At least 20% of WSS-NY 2016 entries will be allocated to first-time international exhibits. Literature entries are additionally welcome.

To facilitate the application process, all participating countries appoint national commissioners who distribute and receive exhibit paperwork and coordinate entries with the event’s Commissioner General. The two United States commissioners have just been named, Dr. Yamil Kouri of Massachusetts for exhibitors east of the Mississippi and Mrs. Vesma Grinfelds of California for exhibitors in the West. Exhibitors in other countries should consult their national philatelic organization for commissioner appointees. They will also appear on the WSS-NY 2016 web site with contact information when known. Updates will only appear online.

Full show information, along with the electronic version of the Bulletin, is online at http://www.ny2016.org. Also see the exhibition’s Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest sites.

Thomas M. Fortunato
Chairman, Marketing & Public Relations
thomas.fortunato@ny2016.org

[press release]
Canada Post stamp issue welcomes Year of the Ram

OTTAWA, Jan. 6, 2015 /CNW/ – In its seventh release in a 12-year series, Canada Post honours Lunar New Year with a pair of stamps commemorating the Year of the Ram, a time marked by creativity, caring, sensitivity and transforming misfortune into good luck.

The domestic stamp showcases three rams welcoming spring, a popular New Year’s image, especially at the start of the Year of the Ram, which begins on February 19, 2015 and ends February 7, 2016. An internationally denominated stamp, souvenir sheets and other philatelic products are also available for this popular series.

“Our Lunar New Year issue is a perennial favourite with collectors and consumers alike,” says Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services. “We’re very proud that the many designers who have worked on this issue have managed to balance a series ‘feel’ while keeping the design fresh and new every year.”

About the Stamps
The Year of the Ram domestic and international stamps measure 32 mm by 32 mm and the souvenir sheet measures 40 mm by 140 mm. Domestic stamps are available in a pane of 25 and international stamps are sold in booklets of six. The stamps are also available in an uncut press sheet. Single and souvenir sheet Official First Day Covers with Richmond Hill, Ontario as the cancellation site complete the issue. The stamps were designed by Hélène L’Heureux at Interaction Design and illustrated by Susan Scott with calligraphy by Ngan Siu-Mui. The series was printed by Lowe-Martin. The stamps variously incorporate foil and embossing and are tagged on all sides. The text on the stamps is in Traditional Chinese, English and French.

Tending to its knitting paid off for Japan Post.

Its lunar new year stamp (left) a dozen years ago showed a fluffy sheep knitting a scarf.

This year’s lunar new year stamp (right) shows the same sheep wearing the scarf.

The Associated Press reports it’s traditional in Japan to send New Year’s greetings on postcards. Many Japanese send hundreds of them, to friends, colleagues and relatives. Although most stores and businesses are closed January 1st, Japan Post employees will be hard at work to get all the cards delivered.

Updated March 2nd: Scott is not assigning new catalogue numbers to these two stamped envelope reprints, because the only difference between these new versions and the 2013 ones is the emblem on the back. That “is not sufficient for a separate minor listing.”
The previously-assigned numbers for the Bank Swallow envelope were:

U680 38x35mm small imprint (#6¾ envelopes)
U681 41x38mm large imprint (#9 & #10 envelopes)

The previously-assigned number for the Folk Art envelope was U682.

Bank Swallow and Folk Art Eagle envelopes reprints will be issued on January 12th, without a first-day event. The previous printer, Cascade Envelope, has been bought out by Rolland,  so there is a new marking on the back of the new stocks, for the “Forestry Stewardship Counsel.” There are no changes to the indicia for these issues. The Bank Swallow envelope was previously issued March 1, 2013. The Folk Art Eagle envelope was first issued on August 9, 2013.According to the January 8th Postal Bulletin, these will be issued as both pressure-sensitive and water-soluble gum on the flaps, in three sizes, window and plain. That’s 12 varieties of each envelope.

Updated February 28th: Here is the design for the Digital Color Postmark first-day cancel: It measures 3.00″x1.26″

Updated February 20th: The first-day ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. at the Ricco-Maresca Gallery in New York City.

Updated February 19th: From the Postal Bulletin:

On March 26, 2015, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Martin Ramirez First-Class Mail® stamps (Forever® priced at 49 cents), in five designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 472700).

The stamps will go on sale nationwide March 26, 2015.

Five new commemorative stamps honor Martìn Ramìrez (1895–1963), who, while virtually unknown in his lifetime, is recognized today as one of the great artists of the 20th century. Each stamp features details from one of five of Ramìrez’s more than 450 drawings and collages. Although confined to psychiatric hospitals for more than 30 years, Ramìrez transcended his own situation to create a remarkably visualized world free from the constraints of borders or time itself. The back of the stamp pane includes verso text. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp pane.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Martin Ramirez Stamps
Special Events Coordinator
380 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10199-9998

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. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by May 25, 2015.

There are eight philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 472706 Press Sheet with Die cut, $117.60 (print quantity 250)
• 472708 Press Sheet without Die cut, $117.60 (print quantity 500)
• 472710 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (set of 5), $18.95
• 472716 First-Day Cover (set of 5), $4.65
• 472721 Digital Color Postmark (set of 5), $8.20
• 472730 Ceremony Program, $6.95 (random)
• 472731 Stamp Deck Card, $0.95
• 472732 Stamp Deck Card/Digital Color Postmark, $1.99 (random)

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Martin Ramirez Stamps
Item Number: 472700
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (5 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: March 26, 2015, New York, NY 10199
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Existing Art: Martin Ramirez
Modeler: Donald Woo
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 20 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, PMS Warm Grey 10
Stamp Orientation: Square
Image Area (w x h): 1.09 x 1.09 in./27.56 x 27.56 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.23 x 1.23 in./31.11 x 31.11 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 6.00 x 8.00 in./152.40 x 203.20 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 24.00 x 24.00 in./ 609.60 x 609.60 mm
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “S” followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in two corners of pane
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (472700) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text • Martin Ramirez bio

Updated January 15th: The first day will take place March 26 at 6 p.m. in NYC at the Ricco/Maresca Gallery.

Updated December 23rd: The gallery tie-in is confirmed. The exact date is not, but it should be the 30th or 31st of March. Illustrations were also provided of these five stamps.

A self-taught Mexican-American artist, this stamp or stamps honoring Martin Ramirez will be issued March 31st in New York City.

There appear to be significant holdings of his works at the American Folk Art Museum and the Ricco Maresca Gallery, both in New York. (If you click on the “artists” section in the Gallery’s website, there are illustrations and videos.) My guess would be that there will be a new exhibition of his work opening on or about the 31st at one of these venues.

Ramirez himself spent most of his adult life in California mental institutions, according to Wikipedia.

[press release[
ROYAL MAIL POSTMARK TAKES OFF FOLLOWING ROSETTA MISSION SUCCESS

• Royal Mail is issuing a postmark to highlight the historic moment the European Space Agency landed a spacecraft on a comet
• The Philae lander touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko yesterday following the Rosetta orbiter’s 10 year mission across the Solar System
• Royal Mail’s postmark will be delivered on mail across the UK on Friday and Saturday. It will say: ‘Celebrating the first ever landing on a comet. Congratulations to the European Space Agency.’

Letters delivered across the UK will be reaching for the stars tomorrow (Friday 14th November), as Royal Mail celebrates the European Space Agency (ESA) landing a spacecraft on a comet, with a special postmark.

Yesterday (November 12) saw the the ESA make history as the Rosetta orbiter’s Philae lander touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

It was the first time that a spacecraft has landed on a comet. The Rosetta orbiter began its ten year journey in 2004, chasing the comet across the Solar System. The mission aims to conduct unprecedented scientific analysis of the comet and its environment.

To mark the occasion, Royal Mail’s postmark will appear on millions of items of mail delivered to addresses nationwide on Friday and Saturday.

It will say ‘Celebrating the first ever landing on a comet. Congratulations to the European Space Agency.”

Andrew Hammond from Royal Mail, said: “We’re thrilled to be marking the European Space Agency’s fantastic achievement with one of our special postmarks.

“The Rosetta mission has captured the public’s imagination and excitement about space exploration, and we’re pleased to be recognising this historic moment in this unique way.

“Our postmark is set to take off and will appear on mail delivered by our postmen and women across the UK.”

Royal Mail’s postmark programme is used to celebrate historic moments, sporting events and highlight our support of charities. The postmark is also used to remind customers to post their mail in time for certain occasions, such as Mother’s Day or Christmas.

[press release]
Sundman Sells “Inverted Jenny” Plate Block For U.S. Record Price

(Camden, New York) — The plate block of 1918 “Inverted Jenny” 24-cent airmail stamps (Scott #C3a), obtained in 2005 by Donald J. Sundman in a historic swap with Wall Street bond trader William Gross, now has been sold by Sundman for more than $4.8 million.

“At the request of the purchaser, the exact price is not being disclosed; only that it was north of $4.8 million. This Inverted Jenny plate block sale is a record price for any U.S. philatelic item and the second highest price in the world ever paid for any philatelic item,” said Sundman, President of Mystic Stamp Company in Camden, New York.

Sundman had not been planning to sell the block, but instead intended to display it at World Stamp Show-NY2016 in New York City next May. He previously exhibited the Inverted Jenny plate block to long lines of viewers at the Washington (D.C.) 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition and at the 2007 American Philatelic Society convention in Portland, Oregon. However, he recently received an unsolicited offer he couldn’t refuse.

“It was the oddest transaction I’ve seen in stamps.  Someone called me in late September and said he represents some people overseas who want to buy my Jenny block.  He told me they are not collectors, just wealthy people who want to buy things,” said Sundman.

“He revealed they had purchased a copy of the Magna Carta, and had a list of other rare items they wanted to buy, including a copy of the Declaration of Independence. It’s odd that non-collectors are spending millions on some of the greatest treasures. I’ve never seen anything like this in my 40 years in the hobby,” Sundman added.

Sundman obtained the Inverted Jenny plate block in November 2005 in a trade with Gross who had purchased it only a few weeks earlier for a then-world record $2,970,000 at a public auction conducted by Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries. In exchange for the block, Sundman traded his one-cent 1868 Z-Grill (Scott #85a) stamp that he acquired for $935,000 at a 1998 Siegel auction.

The historic swap was valued at the time at a combined total of $6 million and was arranged on behalf of Gross by Charles Shreve.

Sundman recently announced a reward on behalf of the American Philatelic Research Library of up to $100,000 to locate the two still-missing Inverted Jenny stamps from a block of four stolen nearly 60 years ago. The block was owned at the time of the 1955 theft by Ethel B. McCoy of New York City who later donated to the APRL two subsequently-recovered stamps and the legal rights to the other two.

Score another for philately!

Bruce looking at his collection was shown in the second season (1967), episode 51, and confirmed after the first-day ceremony by the current comic book co-editors. You can read the story here.

One place to watch the episode, “A Piece of the Action,” is here. I did not find it on YouTube.

[Royal Mail press release]
Christmas 2014 Stamp Issue 4th November 2014

Reason and inspiration
Royal Mail’s Christmas stamps feature secular and religious imagery in alternate years. For the 2014 Christmas stamps, design company True North commissioned artist and illustrator Andrew Bannecker to create a series of outdoor Christmas scenes. These charming mini tableaux depict various British family traditions – from carol singing and ice skating to posting cards and buying trees. The stamps are available as part of a miniature sheet, with a gorgeous border also illustrated by Andrew Bannecker.

The Madonna and Child stamps at the 1st and 2nd class rate will also be available

Stamps
Code: AS52A
Price: £7.71

Value / Description
2nd Class – Collecting the Christmas Tree
1st Class – Posting Christmas Cards
2nd Class – Large – 73p Collecting the Christmas Tree
1st Class – Large – 93p Posting Christmas Cards
£1.28 – Airmail worldwide up to 20g Building a Snowman
£1.47 – Airmail to Europe up to 60g Carol Singing
£2.15 – Airmail worldwide up to 60g Ice Skating

Stamps specification
Number of stamps: Seven (2nd Class, 1st Class, 2nd Class Large, 1st Class Large, £1.28, £1.47, £2.15) – Total Value: £7.71
Date of issue: 4 November 2014
Design: True North
Illustrations: Andrew Bannecker
Acknowledgements: illustrations by Andrew Bannecker
Printer: De La Rue Security Print
Process: Gravure
Format Standard: Portrait
Format Large: Landscape
Size Standard:24x28mm
Size Large: 34x28mm
Perforations: 14.5 x15
Number per sheet: 50
Phosphor: bars as appropriate
Gum: self-adhesive

Miniature Sheet
Code: MZ102
Price: £7.71

Royal Mail now receives a stock of Miniature Sheets from its secure printers bearing a tear-off barcode strip at the side for staff at Post Offices to scan to make the transaction easier and quicker. These will be supplied to our customers who can then choose whether or not to remove the strip. Royal Mail will continue to receive a supply of Miniature Sheets without the barcode strip for assembling the First Day Covers and for inclusion in the Presentation Packs and annual products only.

Special Stamps First Day Cover:
Price: £9.73 (Inland), £8.11 (Overseas)
Code: AF387
(TH Postmark)

The First Day Cover Envelope, designed by True North, features a skating pond image created by Andrew Bannecker which complements his illustrations for the Christmas stamps. The filler card shows an extended Christmas scene in the same style.

The Tallents House handstamp carries a graphic representation of a Christmas tree, while the alternative handstamp, bearing the location of Bethlehem, Llandeilo, features a robin.
Mini Sheet First Day Cover:
Price: £9.73 (Inland), £8.11 (Overseas)
Code: MF103

First Day Envelope
Price: 30p
Special Stamps Envelope Code: AE345
Mini-Sheet Envelope Code: ME102

Presentation Pack
Price: £8.25
Code: AP395

Inside the presentation pack (number 504), designed by True North, illustrator Andrew Bannecker brings to life a festive British village scene. The Snowy Village Christmas Fair includes activities such as the lighting of the Christmas tree, carol singing, skating, Christmas jumper competition and tug o’ war involving a giant Christmas cracker. There is a cake sale and a letter-writing workshop, a carousel and a large Ferris wheel – and, of course, children can visit Santa is his grotto.

Retail Stamp Book
12x 1st Class: 12x 2nd Class:
Price: £7.44 Price: £6.36
Code: UB378 Code: UB379

There are 2 variations of retail stamp book for Christmas 2014. The 2nd class book includes 12 of the 2nd Class Special Stamps – Choosing the Christmas Tree. The 1st Class book includes 12 of the 1st Class Special Stamps – Posting Christmas Cards. The stamps have been printed in gravure by International Security Printers.

Stamp Cards (set of 8)
Price: £3.60
Code: AQ214
The 7 Special Stamps, and Miniature Sheet image are reproduced at postcard size in this collectable set of 8 stamp cards.

Generic Sheet
Price: £15.20
Code: AT081
This generic sheet, designed by True North, features all stamps from the Christmas 2014 issue except the £2.15 value, interspersing festive illustrations by Andrew Bannecker with interesting facts related to British Christmas traditions.

Personalised Smilers
Sheet of 20 – 1st Class
Sheet of 20 – 2nd Class
Sheet of 10 – 1st Class
Sheet of 10 – £1.47 (Europe up to 60g)
Sheet of 10 – £1.28 (Worldwide up to 20g)

These sheets of stamps, which can be customised with a personal photograph, are perfect for sending Christmas cards to loved ones. The sheets are available in 2nd class, 1st class, £1.28 and £1.47 values featuring the Christmas 2014 stamp issue designs. The sheet borders have been designed by True North and illustrated by Andrew Bannecker.

Postmarks
All first day of issue postmarking offices will be supplied with the alternative pictorial first day of issue postmark. This will mean that all first day covers posted at the Post Office will be cancelled with the same pictorial postmark regardless of where they are posted.