Less than four months after American Philatelic Society executive director named Martin Miller as part of his “senior leadership team,” responsible for all “content” (editorial matters) at the USA’s largest stamp collecting organization, Miller has decided to leave, and a replacement has been named. The APS press release, with a correction to the number of years Kellner has been an APS member: It will be 47 years on January 1, 2019:

APS Welcomes New Leadership in Content Management

Today the American Philatelic Society named Mark A. Kellner as Chief Content Officer replacing Martin Miller. Miller, who joined the APS staff in October 2017, will be taking a new position closer to his home in South Carolina.

Kellner, who recently became a Life Member of the APS, first joined the Society in 1972 and his collecting interests include United States, Great Britain, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man and Israel. After attending Boston University’s College of Communications, Kellner began a journalism career including philatelic and non-philatelic newspapers.

Mark was an enterprise reporter for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, and a 24-year contributor and columnist to The Washington Times. He also wrote a tech column on handheld computing for the Los Angeles Times, and earlier was a reporter at the Times Leader in Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania.

“Mark’s career as a journalist, editor, and author remind us how diverse and talented the APS membership can be,” said APS Executive Director Scott English. “With the experience that Mark brings to the team, we will be able to bring exciting content to the APS membership both in print and online.”

Kellner’s career included serving as Editor-in-Chief for PC Portables, News and Industry Editor for MISWeek, editor of the Adventist News Network, and News Editor for Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines. He has also authored three books, including WordPerfect 3.5 for Macs for Dummies® and God on the Internet.

“It’s the privilege of a lifetime to serve the American Philatelic Society and its members,” Mark said. “I look forward to developing and enhancing content for the website and keeping The American Philatelist and Philatelic Literature Review at the top of the field.”

Kellner will join the APS staff on January 7, 2019.

About Mark
A Life Member of the American Philatelic Society who first joined nearly 47 years ago, Mark A. Kellner has collected stamps for many years. His interests include stamps from the United States, Great Britain, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man and Israel.

Mark began his journalism career by contributing a stamp column to the Queens Tribune in New York City, owned by another collector, Gary Ackerman, who later served 15 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also wrote for Linn’s Stamp News and spent several years as Stamp Collector’s Washington, D.C., correspondent. During that time, he was the first to report plans by then-Postmaster General Anthony M. Frank to release a commemorative honoring Elvis Presley, which was released in January 1993.

Along with his philatelic writing, Mark’s been a newspaper reporter and columnist in New York City; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City, Utah. His most notable connections were with The Washington Times, where he was a contributor for 24 years, and the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, where he was an enterprise reporter.

Mark also served as Editor-in-Chief of PC Portables magazine, as well as News and Industry Editor for MISWeek, and as a staff writer for Federal Computer Week, Government Computer News, and Unix Today. He’s the author of WordPerfect 3.5 for Macs for Dummies® and God on the Internet.

For 11 years, Mark served at the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, first as editor of the movement’s Adventist News Network news service and then as News Editor for Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines.

The Kellners currently reside in Salt Lake City, along with Jacques Kellner, Mark’s father, who introduced Mark to stamp collecting, a lifelong pursuit for both men.

“We do expect to move,” the New York City native tells The Virtual Stamp Club. His immediate predecessor, Martin Miller, spent one week a month working from home in South Carolina. Miller’s predecessor, Jay Bigalke, spent three weeks a month working from home and one in Bellefonte. Executive director Scott English has expressed a preference for someone working in-house full-time.

American Philatelic Society executive director Scott English has signed a contract renewal, through August 2021. (English is shown at right at a first-day ceremony in 2016.)

Even though his initial contract was not set to expire until August of 2019, the APS Board of Directors offered him a two-year extension, with the new terms effective December 1, 2018. English tells The Virtual Stamp Club he signed the offer last week.

“It’s been an honor and privilege to serve the members of the APS and we’ve made significant progress over the past three years,” he said in an email. “I work with a great team in Bellefonte and we have a Board that has invested in a strong future. We’ve reduced the debt, started our modernization plan, united the hobby, and delivered member services more efficiently.

“We have some exciting plans for the next few years, including online education, increasing traffic at our stamp shows, growing our grassroots, and building an international audience through promotion of Chicago 2021.”

The latter edition of StampShow, in 2021, will be held at the same time and in the same venue as the American Numismatic Association’s annual show (Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL, August 10-14, 2021). Staging APS StampShow in conjunction with ANA’s World’s Fair of Money has been a goal of APS leaders for many years.

From the American Topical Association:
The American Topical Association has achieved 1st place in the 2018 CG International Philatelic Promotion Awards. The competition concluded at the International Stamp Fair Sindelfingen on 27 October 2018. It was conducted by Auction House Christoph Gärtner GmbH & Co. KG. The honor, consisting of stèle awards, certificates, and a cash prize, was presented for the best overall entry to promote philately. ATA’s entry included an issue of its journal Topical Time – edited by Wayne Youngblood – and its youth activity booklet The Magical World of Stamp Collecting – edited by Aimée Devine with contributions from MaryAnn Bowman. This is the first time the ATA has placed this high in the CG International Philatelic Promotion Award, having won second place in 2016. Your membership in ATA makes its participation in philatelic activities possible. Thank you for your membership support! Learn more about this award at here.

[press release]
The RPSC Appoints New Editor for The Canadian Philatelist

The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC) is pleased to announce that Robin Harris FRPSC has been appointed to the role of editor of The Canadian Philatelist, its flagship publication. Founded in 1950, The Canadian Philatelist is the official journal of The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada. Members receive six issues yearly as part of their membership. Each issue of The Canadian Philatelist contains compelling philatelic articles, business and news of The RPSC, philatelic news, auction and events calendars, meeting notices and Society reports.

Robin is well known for his contributions to Canadian philately and the RPSC. He is the webmaster of the RPSC and editor of the Unitrade Specialized Catalogue of Canadian Stamps. Robin also writes the Around the World column for Canadian Stamp News and sat on Canada Post’s Stamp Advisory Committee. In addition he edits the BNAPS Elizabethan study group’s newsletter Corgi Times and has just won the John S. Siverts best Study Group newsletter award for a fourth time.
Robin has been collecting stamps for nearly 50 years. His interests include, but are not limited to: Canada, particularly the Elizabethan II era; Great Britain Machins; United Nations; and United States.

Ed Kroft FRPSC, President of the RPSC, praised the appointment: “The RPSC is pleased to have Robin as editor of our publication. I thank Herb Colling, our past editor, for all of his work and contributions. The RPSC encourages submissions to the journal from all philatelists.”

Those wishing to submit articles for publication are encouraged to contact Robin at editor@rpsc.org.

Information on The RPSC is available by: e-mail: info@rpsc.org, telephone 1-888-285-4143, on our website: www.rpsc.org, or from RPSC National Office, P.O. Box 69080, St. Clair Post Office, Toronto, ON M4T 3A1, Canada.

A new book from the American First Day Cover Society chronicles a collector’s love for the 8-cent Albert Einstein stamp of 1966. The Al Raddi Collection of Scott 1285 Albert Einstein FDCs shows 163 different first day covers for the Prominent Americans issue.

Each of the cachets is shown in color. Raddi, from Michigan, invites readers to send information about other cachets that exist for this issue.

The book starts with a brief biography of the scientist, and information about both the U.S. Einstein stamp and those issued by other countries.

The Al Raddi Collection s available as a .pdf download from the AFDCS for $8 ($6 for members) or a printout may be purchased for $15 ($13) postpaid. Either version may be ordered from the AFDCS website at www.afdcs.org/fdccatalogs.html. The printed version may also be ordered by mail from AFDCS Sales, PO Box 44, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0044.

The American First Day Cover Society is a not-for-profit educational organization, with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status granted by the IRS. Established in 1955, the AFDCS also publishes handbooks, catalogues and its award-winning bimonthly journal, First Days. It also promotes first day cover exhibiting, both at its own Americover show and at other stamp shows.

For more information about the AFDCS, visit www.afdcs.org, e-mail afdcs@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732.

[press release]
ATA Publishes “What’s First” Book

The American Topical Association has just published What’s First?, a 335-page book that pictures and describes the first stamp for more than 800 topics. From abacus to zebra, it is colorfully illustrated with stamp images and descriptions of the first time a topic appeared on a stamp.

Spanning two centuries, the book explores firsts for popular topics, such as cats and railways/trains, to more esoteric topics, such as handshakes and dominoes. It is fully indexed by topic and country/Scott number.

Written by Canadian playwright and journalist Jack Gray, the book will be appealing to topical collectors, as well as those with other collecting interests, and also to exhibitors. It makes an excellent addition to any philatelic library.

What’s First? is available in book and DVD format for $40 plus shipping (Book: US $4, Canada $25.25, other countries $35.75; DVD: US and Canada $1.50; other countries $3.50). Mail a check to ATA, PO Box 8, Carterville IL 62918-0008 or email americantopical@msn.com or call 618-985-5100. More information at www.americantopicalassn.org

The Jenny airmails may be among America’s best-known stamps, but little is known about the first day covers of those stamps. In fact, well-known philatelic author and researcher Ken Lawrence says there may be only one genuine FDC.

First Day Covers of 1918 Air Post Stamps — Or Are They? brings together in one volume four previously published articles, along with a new “afterword” essay by Lawrence and an introduction by aerophilatelic exhibitor Andrew McFarlane. The book is the latest publication from the American First Day Cover Society. Publication coincides with the centenary of both U.S. airmail service and the issuance of the first U.S. airmail stamps, depicting the “Jenny” airplane.

“It’s difficult to believe that after all these years there could still be so many outstanding questions regarding these Jenny ‘first day’ covers,” writes McFarlane. “I think it’s safe to say that many of these questions can now be safely put to rest” by this book.

First Day Covers of 1918 Air Post Stamps — Or Are They? Is available as a .pdf download from the AFDCS for $12 ($10 for members) or a printout may be purchased for $20 ($17) postpaid. Either version may be ordered from the AFDCS website at www.afdcs.org/publications.html. The printed version may also be ordered by mail from AFDCS Sales, PO Box 44, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0044.

The American First Day Cover Society is a not-for-profit educational organization, with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status granted by the IRS. Established in 1955, the AFDCS also publishes handbooks, catalogues and its award-winning bimonthly journal, First Days. It also promotes first day cover exhibiting, both at its own Americover show and at other stamp shows.

For more information about the AFDCS, visit www.afdcs.org, e-mail afdcs@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732.

In a blog entry, American Philatelic Society executive director Scott English has announced formation of a “Senior Leadership Team” comprised of three already-employed staff directors, and giving them broader assignments:

• Rick Banks transitions from Comptroller and Director of Internal Operations to Chief Administrative Officer. He joined the APS staff in 2004.
• Ken Martin goes from Chief Operating Officer to Chief Membership Officer. He went to work for the APS in 1995, and has been its shows and exhibition Director and executive director.
• Martin Kent Miller moves from American Philatelist/Philatelic Literature Review editor to Chief Content Officer. He was hired in 2017 and has since added the website and other digital and online efforts to his portfolio

The reorganization is part of English’s efforts to transform the APS into a viable 21st century collectors organization. In the past, the APS had as many as a dozen “staff directors” responsible for specific areas, all of whom reported directly to the executive editor.

[press release]
AAPE Announces Youth Grand Champion of Champions for 2018

Darren Corapcioglu was awarded 2018 Youth Grand Champion at the APS StampShow/ATA NTSS Awards Celebration in Columbus, OH, August 11. The award was presented by the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors (AAPE).

Darren’s thematic exhibit, “The Universe,” qualified by winning the Youth Grand Award at NAPEX 2018. He is 18 years old and lives in Germantown, MD. Darren also won the title in 2016 but improved his exhibit by the required 25 percent to be eligible. [He just completed his one-year Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship; his biography is here and he is included in the recent Virtual Stamp Club radio feature on the 2017-2018 Fellows.] He has competed internationally.

The Reserve Grand Award was won by Amelia Kelbert from Calgary, Canada, with her thematic exhibit, “The World of the Monarch Butterly (Doneus Plexippus).”

The AAPE Youth Grand Championship is awarded annually at StampShow. This year, eight youths, ranging in age from 10 to 18 qualified and competed – each having won a Youth Grand Award at an APS World Series of Philately Show. The participants vie for 19 awards donated by WESTPEX, Collectors Club of Chicago, Pinnacle Stamp Club, American Topical Association, International Society of Worldwide Collectors, John Hotchner, Don Smith and Ken Martin.

This year’s judges were Mark Schwartz and Bill Schultz.

Other award winners are listed at www.aape.org.