We’re a little late to observe the centennial of a major event in U.S. railroad history, but there is still time to get covers with the pictorial postmark: One of the last great train robberies. Four Southern Pacific Railroad workers were murdered on October 11, 1923, during what became known as “The Tragedy at Tunnel 13” in the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon and California.

It changed the way such crimes were investigated and, although it took four years, the three thugs — three brothers — were eventually caught.

Both the U.S. Postal Service and the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum have much, much more on this. You’ll find information on how to get the special postmark on the Museum’s virtual exhibit, near the bottom of the “Resources” page. Pictorial and commemorative postmarks are supposed to be available for 30 days after the date, which gives us until November 11 to request this one.

[USPS press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
New Chairman Announced for Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service today announced that Dr. Joseph L. Kelley will be the new chair of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, or CSAC. Appointed to CSAC in 2021, Dr. Kelley brings a science background to the stamp development process, as well as a deep love for stamps and stamp history. He will begin his term Oct. 20.

Kelley succeeds Bolivar Jose “BJ” Bueno, who completed his term as chairman.

Created in 1957, CSAC selects subjects for recommendation as future stamp issues, keeping in mind the interests of all postal customers, including stamp collectors. Appointed by the postmaster general, committee members are knowledgeable about history, business, science and technology, fine art, education, performing arts, sports and other subjects of public interest.

Dr. Joseph Kelley
Kelley is a stamp collector. His collection includes stamps from the United States, including U.S. Fish & Wildlife federal duck stamps, as well as the United Nations, Ireland, Vatican City and the Antarctic territories. He’s particularly interested in stamps related to the COVID-19 pandemic and honoring Mother Teresa. He recently became interested in stamps made of leather or other unusual materials. He is a member of the American Philatelic Society, Éire Stamp Club, Vatican Philatelic Society, American Topical Association and the Wilkinsburg Stamp Club.

Kelley says he became a stamp collector at his wife’s suggestion as a way to relax from his work as a gynecologic oncologist. An accomplished clinician, surgeon, educator, researcher and administrator, Dr. Kelley recently retired from medicine. He is professor emeritus in obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and serves on the board of directors of Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Kelley earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Colgate University, a masters in physiology from Rutgers University, and a medical degree from St. Louis University. His postgraduate training included a residency at Magee-Womens Hospital and a fellowship at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

Within his community, Kelley has served on several academic and medical not-for-profit organizations. He and his wife, Karen Dunn, have three children and reside in the Pittsburgh area.

Submitting Stamp Suggestions
Due to the time required for research and approval in the stamp selection process, ideas for stamp subjects should be received at least three years prior to the proposed issuance. Each submission should include pertinent historical information and important dates associated with the subject. Proposals must be in writing and submitted by U.S. Mail. No in-person appeals, phone calls or e-mails are accepted. Mail your suggestion (one topic per letter) to the address below:

Stamp Development
Attn: Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3300
Washington, DC 20260-3501

From Ken Martin of the American Philatelic Society:

“The American Philatelic Society has received reports of an email-based info-gathering scam targeting stamp clubs and other philatelic societies. In the emails, an individual going by the name Pierre Champion claims that he was referred to the society by the APS because he is relocating to the United States from France. He requests that an application and an introduction to the club via the mail, and shares anecdotes about his collection and history with philately.”

From: Pierre Champion <champpierre76@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 12:01 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Membership application

Dear Sir/Madam,

I was referred to your philatelic society by the American Philatelic Society. I am writing to introduce myself as I will be relocating to the USA, in your State, near your philatelic club in March 2024 due to a work transfer.

I have been a passionate collector of American philately for many years, especially as my grandmother was born in Vermont, which has reinforced my love for your country since childhood. I collect stamps, varieties, nice cancellations, and First Day Covers in beautiful albums. I have also started teaching my two children about the passion of philately and would be delighted for them to meet other enthusiasts as well.

It would be an honor to join your philatelic society. I would greatly appreciate receiving a paper membership application and a brief introduction to your association by postal mail. I will promptly return the completed application form to you by post with the required membership fee.

By joining prior to my arrival, I feel it will allow me to better familiarize myself with the local culture and feel fully engaged within the society.

In addition to American philately, I also collect stamps from France and Europe (around 25/30 albums with 64 pages each!) My albums contain many duplicates that I would be delighted to share with members.

I look forward to improving my knowledge of American philately thanks to you, the society members.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks in advance,

Mr. Pierre CHAMPION
20C Boulevard André SIEGFRIED
76130 MONT-SAINT-AIGNAN
FRANCE

“The emails seem genuine because the address is real, the scammer references the APS, and message is well-written and full of emotional anecdotes that appeal to philatelists, but this is a calculated strategy to increase the chance of receiving a response. The purpose of the info-gathering scam is to get access to materials and information like the letterhead of your club, the signatures of club leaders, and potentially even bank account numbers. This is the reason that the scammer requests the information by mail.

“Note also that the email’s To: field reads “undisclosed-recipients:” which shows the email was sent to a hidden distribution list — this means that the scammer is sending their email to multiple clubs at once, which would not make sense if the request were genuine. Another giveaway is that the email is not specific to the club or society that receives it. Phrases like “I will be relocating to the USA, in your State, near your philatelic club” seem relatively normal at first glance, especially if the reader assumes English is not the sender’s first language. However, the phrase is a smokescreen that allows the scammer to send the email to many targets at once without having to change the text of the message.

“If you receive an email from this individual or an email that follows this same template, we encourage you to delete it immediately without responding. The individual has also perpetrated the same scam in Europe using the name Pierre Bernard and the same mailing address.”

by Lloyd A. de Vries

Janet R. Klug, the first woman president of the American Philatelic Society, has died at the age of 72. She served 16 consecutive years on the APS Board of Directors, the longest of anyone in its history.

She also served as member of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists, its New Initiatives Committee, the U.S. Postal Service’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, and in many of the committees and programs of the APS.

She received many awards in her lifetime, including the Elizabeth C. Pope Award for Lifetime Contributions to Philately (2011), the Luff Award for Outstanding Service to the APS (2014) and the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award (2019). She was a gold-medal exhibitor, with several Grands to her credit, as well as an accredited philatelic judge.

She had been in declining health for several years, following a serious automobile accident. She lived in a Cincinnati suburb and is survived by her husband Russell.

I had the privilege of knowing Janet personally, since I served on the APS board with her for eight years, from her first election to it in 1997 as Secretary. We were two of the five first-time Directors elected then. The others were Wayne Youngblood, Ann Triggle and Jeanette Adams. We were amazed by some of what we saw and exchanged emails frequently, calling ourselves “The Gang of Five.”

Many of the accolades now pouring in, in my opinion, miss two of her important accomplishments.

Before her election to the APS board, she had campaigned for greater openness and less secrecy in the leadership of the largest U.S. stamp collecting organization. That you can now attend meetings in person or online is largely due to her efforts. It also set a precedent for other philatelic societies.

At the same time, she worked hard to broaden the scope of “serious” stamp collecting. Her earliest gold-level exhibits involved Tonga’s Tin Can Mail. The South Pacific country was too small and unimportant to merit regular visits from ships and, later, airplanes. Mail to Tonga therefore was placed in tin cans and dropped into the water, to float ashore with

American Philatelic Center dedication, June 2004

the currents. If I recall correctly, some of her exhibits even included actual cans that had been used.

Janet wrote columns in several publications aimed at beginners and helping them get to the next level. She embraced the online world, too, allowing her APS president’s columns to be repeated here on The Virtual Stamp Club, using email, and participating in pre-video “chats.” (Two of those chats on VSC can be found here and here.)

Two of the books she wrote are available on Amazon: Smithsonian Guide to Stamp Collecting and 100 Greatest American Stamps with Donald Sundman.

She also made stamp collecting and our annual conventions fun. As her 2014 Luff citation noted, “Janet would often lead APS members in song at APS events around the country.”

A running joke when she spoke at philatelic events was that she would threaten to break into song at any moment. She was always stylish and attractive. As you look at the photographs here, she looks pretty much the same in all of them. In all the years I knew her, I never saw her appear frumpy or “thrown together” — not always easy when you are on the road for a week or more, with one public event after another.

The APS announcement of Janet’s passing includes this quote from her:

“Collecting stamps and letters from bygone days is a way for me to connect on a very personal level with people and events from those times. History is not just about famous people and events. It also encompasses ordinary people doing ordinary things, overcoming the challenges that happen in their lives, surviving, and thriving.”

Janet was far from ordinary, but she is an important part of stamp collecting history.

I interviewed Janet in 2010 shortly after she was appointed to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee and I asked her about joining CSAC. The complete interview runs just under three minutes and you can hear it (unedited) here.

Virtual Stamp Club behind-the-scenes webmaster Stephen Ross has passed away at the age of 73. He had begun hospice care due to the rapid spread of merkel cell carcinoma.

Steve was not a stamp collector; he put together and did the HTML work for The Virtual Stamp Club website, starting in December 1996 when Delphi told its moderators we had to create websites or be dismissed. I balked. I didn’t think the World Wide Web was necessary. His wife Leigh, then the moderator of Delphi’s Arts ‘n Crafts Forum, put us together.

He was still doing the bulk of the HTML work until May 2023 — the last remaining VSC “staffer” from our glory days on Delphi.

Strangely, although we both lived in New Jersey, I have never met Steve. He lived “down the Shore” as we say, and I invited him to StampShow 2002 in Atlantic City, but he declined. This photo, from the funeral home’s website, is the first time I’ve seen him.

However, we “talked” frequently by e-mail, and and not just about the VSC website. His outside-philately observations helped me greatly during some of the unpleasantness 10 years ago. (“What is it with you stamp collectors?” he asked, and then admitted his wife’s artists could be just as…vehement.) He also came up with the WordPress blog as a way I could post news stories quickly, after VSC had lost its message boards. He named the WP section, “The LloydBlog.”

Leigh, who passed away a few years ago, partly as a result of the pandemic, also designed the look of the website and the border. She liked the then-new 1998 Remember the Maine stamp (Sc. 3992). It was my decision, though, to make the website simple, never the latest HTML tech: I wanted it to be accessible by as many stamp collectors as possible, not all of whom were technically proficient. That’s still true.

In recent years, I’ve been doing all the updates to the U.S. stamp program myself and simple updates to the home page. He did the more complex updates, and earlier this year when the “RSS feed” (the list of the most recent pages in the LloydBlog) broke, Steve figured out a low-cost way to replace it. (The Virtual Stamp Club hasn’t broken even in years.)

I’ll miss him, and not just for the technical support. When he entered hospice, I asked his daughter to let him know how much I appreciated his help and friendship over the past 26+ years.

Philately’s Ear in Washington Dies
Washington Post and Linn’s Reporter Bill McAllister Was 81
by Lloyd A. de Vries

Bill McAllister, a Washington Post national reporter and correspondent for Linn’s Stamp News, died May 1, in Fairfax County, Va., from pneumonia and complications from COVID-19.

He joined the Post in 1975 covering Virginia before moving to the paper’s national staff. He soon carved out a niche covering the U.S. Postal Service, Veteran’s Affairs and labor issues, and had a column about stamps and coins in the “Weekend” section. He became the Washington correspondent for Linn’s  in 1996, often breaking stories of interest and importance to stamp collectors. He retired from the Post in 1999. He never retired from Linn’s, submitting his last story in late January, the “Washington Postal Scene” column which ran in the February 13 issue.

William H. “Buddy” McAllister’s death was first announced in a posting on his Facebook page by his four sons. He was born November 6, 1941, in Durham, N.C., and raised in Pittsboro, N.C. According to the post by his sons, “It was in Pittsboro where he discovered his lifelong fascination with the Postal Service, often visiting the local Post Office to observe the sorting of the daily mail.” He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina.

He also served in the US Naval Reserves as a Public Affairs Officer for 26 years, rising to the rank of captain.

“He was a mentor to young writers in the craft of reporting and writing,” his sons wrote, to which I can attest. Bill would often email me to pay special attention to a story of his in Linn’s or the Post, so that I could cite it on The Virtual Stamp Club. Examples are here and here; you can find others by searching on the VSC website or Facebook group for “McAllister.”

He was introduced to both stamp collecting and journalism by his aunt Margaret, who gave him a Mekeel’s beginner album and (separately) a toy printing press, on which he published a neighborhood newspaper at a penny a copy.

According to Linn’s, he began specializing in first-day ceremony programs after covering the 1987 event for the Girl Scouts stamp. He was a member of the American Philatelic Society and a former member of the American First Day Cover Society.

He is survived by Polly, his wife of 57 years, four sons — William H. IV, Christopher, Jonathan and Benjamin — and 7 grandchildren.

Delcampe, a selling site alternative to eBay and HipStamp and particularly strong with European buyers and sellers, is closing the accounts of its customers in 23 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Account-holders received the following notice on April 28:

“Following the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Delcampe has taken the decision to no longer offer its services in the following States as per today, for an indefinite period of time, in order to avoid any risks of non-compliance with the legislation of these States:

“AK Alaska, AR Arkansas, DC District of Columbia, GA Georgia, HI Hawaii, IL Illinois, IN Indiana, KY Kentucky, LA Louisiana, MD Maryland, MI Michigan, MN Minnesota, NC North Carolina, NE Nebraska, NJ New Jersey, NV Nevada, OH Ohio, PR Puerto Rico, RI Rhode Island, SD South Dakota, UT Utah, VA Virginia, VT Vermont, WV West Virginia, WY Wyoming.

“We are sorry that we can no longer offer our services for the moment, and we hope to be able to see you on our website in the future, once it will be adapted. Your account will remain closed until further notice.”

The notice was confirmed by separately contacting Delcampe customer service and by an email exchange with Sebastien Delcampe.

As you can see, it leaves the door open to reinstatement, if the company implements the collection of sales taxes.

[press release] [click on the pictures for a larger version]
Allen Jones Wins Brett Cup

Allen D. (Don) Jones of Portsmouth, Virginia, is this year’s recipient of the George Brett Cup for the most outstanding 20th century exhibit. The award was presented May 28 by American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors (AAPE) president Michael Ley at the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show in Denver.

The exhibit, Establishing the United States Transcontinental Air Mail Service, May 15, 1918-June 30, 1924, was among 22 exhibits of 20th century or later material that achieved a score of 93 points or higher at a World Series of Philately show during the last three full competitive seasons.

Jones entered his first national show in 1978 and has continued his specialty of air mail exhibits since then. He said, “My goal has been to tell the story of air mail from the pioneer period through the transcontinental period. I enjoy exhibiting so people can see what happened in this important time.” The exhibit previously won grand awards at Balpex and the 2017 air mail show in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

The AAPE award, first presented in 2017, is named for George Brett, past president and chairman of the United States Stamp Society and authority on U.S. stamp production, who died in 2005.

Warachal E. Faison, president of the Ebony Society for Philatelic Experiences and Reflections (ESPER), died March 19th at her home in Jersey City, NJ. She was 54. We do not know the cause of death at this time.

“Certainly her passing was a shock to all of ESPER,” group vice president Howard Ingram told The Virtual Stamp Club. “She will be missed.”

Faison was scheduled to graduate in May 2022 with her MBA from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ and will be awarded her degree posthumously. She was working as a geriatric psychiatrist and Medical Director, Women’s and Men’s Health at Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company. Dr. Faison has been recognized for her work as a health care provider, researcher, and community advocate in health disparities, minority recruitment into Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials, women’s health issues, and mental health.

In philately, she was recently named one of philately’s Most Influential people by Linn’s Stamp News. According to an interview in the Most Influential Philatelists report, Faison collected stamps “relating to health care and medicine along with materials of the African diaspora, particularly anything showing African-American women.”

She spoke to The Virtual Stamp Club about Dorothy Height, civil rights and women in civil rights for a 2017 radio feature, which you can hear here.

“Warachal Faison was ESPER’s first female president, and she was very passionate about continuing the female founder’s ambition of ESPER being a beacon in the philatelic community,” Don Neal, editor of ESPER newsletter Reflections told VSC. “During her tenure, Warachal was instrumental in establishing several collaborations between ESPER and others. Hopefully, these will continue in her honor.”

Faison joined ESPER in 2014 and soon revolutionized the use of social media, not only for ESPER, but for stamp collecting organizations in general.

“Mentor those who are interested and you might even gift them a membership into a society,” she told Linn’s. “Just watch what happens.”

Her funeral will be held Friday, April 1st, at St. Joseph AME Church in Durham, NC.

The family’s obituary, on the funeral home’s website, can be found here.

Stamp collectors are calling on the U.S. to reissue its 2008 Sunflower stamp (Sc. 4347, shown on the right) as a 60¢ semipostal stamp and Canada to issue an emergency semipostal, both for refugee relief. Brian Grant Duff has started the Change.org petition for Canada. The U.S. petition is attributed to Allyson Becker.

About the latter, the Vancouver, B.C., storefront and internet dealer says, “Ukraine and Canada have strong historic connections … Canada Post has the ability to produce tangible symbols of people making a difference in refugees lives.” He is hoping to get at least 500 signatures, and has addressed it to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as to Canada Post.

Becker may be unaware that the U.S. already plans to issue Sunflower Bouquet two-ounce stamp on March 24, although it is not a semipostal. The two-ounce rate is currently 78¢,