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Stamp Insider www.nystampclubs.org May / June 2012 ProtectingProtecting StampsStamps PosingPosing asas CoinsCoins

Journal of the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies Join the Cover Society and Never Miss an Issue

ArtCraft first day covers are rec- ognized worldwide for the excel- lence of their artistic design, and for the distinction of their fine engraving on rag content envelopes. For these qualities, collectors choose ArtCraft more often than any other brand. ARTCRAFT MAKES IT EASY The ArtCraft Cover Society can give you all the enjoyment of collecting first day covers without the frustrations. You’ll get fresh unaddressed covers, shipped in a protective package, for as much as 12% less than our regularly advertised mail order prices. (The member price for a single of a 44¢ issue is only $2.45). Shipments are sent approximately once a month, and covers are charged against the balance you have on deposit. No more missed issues, no dues, no service charges, and no shipping fees. We’ll enclose a statement of your account in each mailing showing all transactions since your last mailing and your new deposit balance. When your balance runs low (and before you miss a mailing) you’ll be advised that an additional deposit is necessary. If you wish, you can authorize us to automatically charge your renewal to the Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card you specify. And, we can customize your service to match almost any collecting profile. START NOW—Visit our website, phone, or write us today to receive complete information on the services we offer and how to join. The ArtCraft Cover Society FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY 07932 Toll Free: (877) 966-0001 • Internet: www.washpress.com May / June 2012 Contents Vol. 28 No. 5 n of N The President’s Page: tio ew ra e Y Seeking More Active Collectors Part 2...... 4 o d r e k F Editor’s Perspective:

S ta m p . . Reflecting on a Philatelic Mentor...... 6 P . h c n il I Postal History Sketches: a , te s lic tie Fowl Covers Not for the Chicken...... 8 Insider Socie British North America: www.stampinsider.org What Was The Wayzata?...... 10 Editor & Journal Webmaster Seen at Auction: ‘I don’t get no respect!’...... 12 Albert W. Starkweather Steve Swain: 5668 Tranquility Oaks Dr., Unit 208 Protecting Stamps Posing as Coins...... 16 Tampa, FL 33624-5849 813-962-7964; [email protected] Rudy de Mordaigle: www.starkweatherdesign.com Revisiting the Liberty Bell ...... 24 Albert W. Starkweather: Associate Editor How Kodak Assisted Police Searches.....30 Heather Sweeting Ronald K. Ratchford: 14329 Victory St., Sterling NY 13156-3172 Farewell To Alplaus Post Office...... 34 315-947-6761; [email protected] Jim Hannah: Ad Manager & Subscriptions Stamps with Dirty Faces...... 36 George McGowan All Welcome at Ropex 2012...... 42 PO Box 482, East Schodack, NY 12063-0482 Philatelic Potpourri: 518-479-4396; [email protected] Seeking the Elusive Watermark...... 43 Deltiology: Wondrous 50 Cent Boxes...... 44 Federation Webmaster Youth & Philately: Thomas M. Fortunato Google and Index Cards...... 45 28 Amberwood Place, Rochester, NY 14626-4166 Fillmore the Filatelist: 585-225-6822; [email protected] Scott Listing Misses the Site...... 46 Federation President First Day Coverage: More Revenue FDCs....47 Thomas Auletta Communications: PO Box 745, Round Lake, NY 12151-0745 Remembering John Lange...... 48 518-899-3027; [email protected] Club Pages...... 49–74 Federation Secretary Philateli-Calamity...... 75 Shows & Bourses...... 76–77 Ronald K. Ratchford The Last Words: Happy Bidding...... 78 1105 Union St.. Schenectady, NY 12308-2805 518-374-3776 ; [email protected] Advertiser Index...... 75 Copyright, Advertising Rates, Deadlines Stamp Insider™ is published digitally six times per year by the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies, Inc., a non-profit organization, at 1105 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308-2805. Content ©2011 Federation of Central New York Philatelic Societies Inc.; Design ©2011 Albert W. Starkweather / Design on Demand. Stamp Insider and the magnifying glass logo are trademarks of the Federation. Any portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent, provided credit is given. Written expres- sion or opinions of the writers are their own and not necessarily those of the Stamp Insider or Federation. Some product names and images may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation, without intent to infringe. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy, but validity is not guaranteed. Articles by readers are encouraged. Manuscripts cannot be returned without a large SASE. Electronic submissions are preferred. Dimensions (In inches) Per Insertion Contract Per Year Annual Savings Small Business Card (2 1/5 × 1) One-Year Contract Only $ 55.00 — Super Business Card (3 × 2 1/4) One-Year Contract Only $ 110.00 — Quarter Page (2 1/5 × 3 7/16) $ 28.00 $ 138.00 ($ 23.00) $ 30.00 Half Page (4 1⁄2 × 3 7⁄16) $ 42.00 $ 222.00 ($ 37.00) $ 30.00 Full Page (4 1⁄2 × 7 1⁄2) $ 57.00 $ 282.00 ($ 47.00) $ 60.00 Full Page Inside Front or Back Cover $ 62.00 $ 312.00 ($ 52.00) $ 60.00 Full Outside Back Cover $100.00 $ 450.00 ($ 75.00) $150.00 Centerfold (two full pages) $122.00 $ 582.00 ($ 97.00) $210.00 Editorial & ad deadlines for the two months following are Feb. 15, April 15, June 15, Aug. 15, Oct. 15 & Dec. 15 n of N The President’s Page io e at w r e Y d o e r k Thomas Auletta F

P . .. PO Box 745 h c i n l I a , t e s Round Lake, NY 12151-0745 li i e c S o ci e t 518-899-3027; [email protected]

Searching for More Active Collectors — Part 2 ost networking philatelists, including club and APS members, show attendees, Mauction participants, store visitors, and Linn’s, Mekeel’s, and Stamp Insider readers, readily agree that they form a relatively small part of the total number of stamp collectors in this country. I raised an interesting question in recent articles and echoed a concern of many whose opinions I respect when I asked how we can bring some of this large audience into organized philately and increase interest in stamp collecting in general. Recently, some local club members, customers, and local dealers have talked about this situation, and came up with some interesting suggestions. Some possible approaches are: • Appoint a committee of two or three club members to be in charge of publicity for the club and to suggest possible ways of recruiting new people; • Have some club members staff a table at local and regional shows to answer questions about club benefits and to hand out promotional brochures. They can be on hand to distribute membership applications so that active sign-ups could take place immediately or in the near future; • Through the publicity committee, programs could be set up at local libraries, schools, churches, scout meetings, and retirement communities. These programs could distribute free stamps, hinges, stock sheets, etc. to participants to encourage them to start stamp collecting and join a club. Topical stamps would be great for such an introduction; • Club members could bring in recent stamp publications that they have read and no longer have a use for. An information sheet about the club and its activities could be stapled to these. They could be left in doctors’ and dentists’ waiting rooms, where they may be picked up and read by anyone with any interest in or curiosity about stamp collecting; and • Club members can bring in surplus or duplicate stamps on or off paper to donate for any programs. A club activity could be to take a half hour at a meeting for members to sort and package these stamps in glassines or plastic bags so that they will be available for any programs. These are just a few suggestions that a small number of people have come up with. If you have any other thoughts or ideas that would help raise awareness of stamp collecting or club activities, I would welcome them. Please give it some thought. Next time, some thoughts on how to reach more of the casual or non APS collectors that we suspect are out there in tremendous numbers. ◾

4 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 a.k.a. CoverCrazy 2 DOUBLEDAY POSTAL HISTORY Post Of ce Box 119 ❆ Alton, New Hampshire 03809-0119 www.doubledaypostalhistory.com ❆ 603 875-1808 1840–1950

Mostly Stamps TONG’S COAT OF ARMS Table 17 at ROPEX 2012 The Sports Centre at MCC May 18–20 2700 Brighton–Henrietta Town Line Road, Rochester, NY Offering very ﬁne US, British Empire, Europe & Colonies, and worldwide stamps plus lots of new US postal history Harry Tong • 603-978-3459 Look for the Big Red Sign!

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 5 Editor’s Perspective Albert W. Starkweather 5668 Tranquility Oaks Dr., Unit 208 Tampa, FL 33624-5849 813-962-7964; [email protected]

Reflecting on a Philatelic Mentor lthough I studied journalism and Aworked for several newspapers, I did not gravitate naturally to philatelic writing and editing. I had never even considered it until exchanging brief letters with Frank H. Blumenthal, who died on December 28, 2011, at the age of 98. After joining the American Air Mail So- ciety in the early 1970s, I became an avid reader of its journal, the Airpost Journal. After sending a letter to Blumenthal, who was editor at the time, I received a response inviting me to submit a brief item about the article I was questioning. I did so, not real- izing this would lead to a 15-year exchange of ideas and articles. Albert W. Starkweather and Frank H. Blu- menthal in 1983 At first he suggested topics that might interest me and then began demanding written-to-order pieces. When he discovered that, like him, I was interested in foreign air mails (FAMs), he introduced me to the American Air Mail Catalogue editor, the late Perham C. Nahl, who had me revise and create new maps for the FAM section and submit a new section on supersonic transport (Concorde and Tupolev Tu-144) first flights. Blumenthal had a nearly 100 percent hearing loss and we talked on the phone through his wife, Benita, who predeceased him. This led to an invitation for the first of many visits to their home in Northwest Washington, D.C. There were two conventions at table and after dining. Guests were seated so he could read their lips and quickly correct any mistakes they made in pronunciation. On returning to the living room, they usually found a stack of galley proofs dumped into their laps for correcting. Few of his readers knew that he received his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College in 1936 and graduate degree from Princeton University in 1941 before embarking on a long career with the National Labor Relations Board. We lost touch after Blumenthal turned the journal’s reigns over to Jim Graue in the fall of 1989 after 18 years of never missing a deadline or a typo. He and his wife moved to Maryland soon after and we lost touch, which I still regret. ◾

6 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Big Box of Stuff

Three Boxes…$125.00;One Box…$46.00 Six Boxes…$240.00 13 Boxes (Baker’s Dozen)…$495.00 We've sold over 5000 of these lots online & via our ads in the philatelic trade journals! No two boxes are exactly alike. Each box is a #1097 USPS Priority Mailing Box and contains hundreds of items! You'll ﬁnd the good, the bad & the ugly. These boxes contain a myriad of material that includes U.S. & Foreign covers, FDCs, Events, Navals, Flights, Postcards, QSL-CB radio postcards, commercial mail The Cover of all shapes & sizes, unsold and unclaimed eBay lots, items retired from our show ROPEXinventory and Table sometimes 21 even a modest sprinkling of stamps. These boxes are Connection geared for cover lovers and you won't ﬁnd a lot of stamps inside. The mix ranges P.O. Box 173 from Trash to Treasures. These boxes are ideal for someone who likes to sort out covers! Some repeat customers like to buy these wholesale boxes and list the Niagara Square Station contents individually on eBay. TERMS: Offer expires December 31, 2012; FREE SHIPPING via USPS Priority Mail; Delivery Buffalo, NY 14201-0173 within the United States ONLY; Make check payable to The Cover Connection; Member ASDA, APS, NY State residents please include sales tax. Send us a No. 10 SASE for a free price list. John Leszak USCS, AFDCS (Life)

Stamps • Post Cards • Covers • Ephemera Supplies • Free Admission & Parking The Capital District Monthly Stamp & Collectibles Show Formerly John J. Nunes’ Capital District Stamp Show 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday, May 20 & June 17 Best Western Sovereign Hotel 1228 Western Avenue, Albany, New York 12203 Adjacent to University at Albany, State University of New York Contact Thomas Auletta at 518-899-3027 or George McGowan at 518-479-4396

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 7 Postal History Sketches Elwyn Doubleday PO Box 119 Alton, NH 03809-0119 603-875-1808; [email protected]

Fowl Covers Not for the Chicken ne of our customers, whose job was in the poultry field, collected fowl covers. He Odied a year or two ago and his collection of about 7,500 different chicken and fowl- related covers was sold recently by a large philatelic auction firm. I bought about 1,000 of these and was startled by the depth of his collection and the great variety of topics it contained. There were egg covers, veterinary medicine covers, and covers illustrating a huge variety of interesting and unusual breeds. In addition there were advertisements for incubators to hatch the eggs and covers from printers who specialized in purely poultry-related advertising. This sparked a trip to the computer to learn about this fowl matter. It seems in the days prior to good refrigeration and giant supermarkets that a huge number of people raised their own chickens. By the 1870s and 1880s poultry became not only a practical solution to having fresh eggs, but also became a hobby to many. Breeders developed new strains of chickens and even imported foreign birds to cross breed with American birds. Poultry shows also became popular much as dog shows, rose shows or stamp shows are today. Exhibitors competed for medals and award prizes. I’ve selected a group of interesting covers to illustrated a most unusual aspect of philately. I’m sure an equally interesting collection could be made for dogs, cats (my wife collects these), or horses. ◾

8 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 TOPICAL MAIL SALES Specializing in ❖ IMPERFS Items for ❖ DELUXE SHEETS Award-Winning ❖ DELUXE COLLECTIVE Collections SHEETS ❖ TRIAL COLOR WRITE FOR CURRENT PLATE PROOFS LISTS AND BID SHEETS ❖ OR DIE PROOFS VIEW ON OUR WEB SITE ❖ varieties E. JOSEPH McCONNELL, INC.

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Syracuse Stamp & Collectibles Show Central New York’s largest philatelic show. Dealers to buy, sell, trade stamps, covers, postcards, paper collectibles. Sunday, June 3 — 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Carrier Circle Hotel (Formerly Holiday Inn) Thruway Exit 35 Future Show Schedule September 9 & November 10–11 Contact Ed Bailey P. O. Box 2338, Syracuse, NY 13220-2338 • 315-452-0593

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 9 British North America George McGowan PO Box 482 East Schodack, NY 12063-0482 518-479-4396; [email protected]

S-40, top S-38, below

What Was The Wayzata? n 1932 … Aerial World Tours Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn. proposed to the Newfoundland “Igovernment that if they would supply 400,000 one-dollar air mail stamps, the corporation would, at some future date … fly a passenger and air mail load across the Atlantic.” Winthrop Boggs, The Postage Stamps and Postal History of Newfoundland, Quarterman Publications, Lawrence, MA, 1975 The perforated 12 stamps were printed in sheets of twenty five by the Bureau of Engraving of Minneapolis under the supervision of the Northwestern National Bank of Minneapolis. The company planned to fly a four-engine Sikorsky S-40 flying boat from Wayzata, Minne- sota, to Europe via Toronto, Montreal, St. Pierre, and St. John’s, Newfoundland. The S-40 was a mainstay of Pan American’s service from Miami to South America via the Caribbean. The cash-strapped Aerial World Tours instead leased a much smaller Sikorsky S-38 twin-engine flying boat, the Newfoundlander. The S-40 carried 44 passengers, while the S-38 held only eight. The Newfoundlander landed on Lake Minnetonka’s Wayzata Bay on August 31, 1932. This is how the issue got its name. In September 1932, the Newfoundland government, convinced that the flight would never take place, withdrew the contract, and ordered the destruction of the remaining 375,000 stamps. This ensured that the outstanding 25,000 stamps were invalid for postage and only a philatelic curiosity. After Confederation in 1949, Newfoundland stamps became valid throughout Canada. Many collectors created souvenirs and used up surplus stock. This might explain this special delivery and registered cover. Although it was handled by many clerks, their unfamiliarity with Newfoundland stamps might have been the reason it made it to its destination. The staining of the stamp appears to be mucilage attaching the stamp. ◾

10 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Buy & Sell With Conﬁdence Whether you’re looking to start a new collection, ﬁnd a unique specialized item for your exhibit, or just save some money on postage, you’ve come to the right place! Henry Gitner Philatelists offers three convenient ways to buy — mail order, online from our Web site, and at our eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Henry-Gitner-Philatelists.

Contact us today with your speciﬁc needs … and when it comes time to sell your collection, accumulation, or dealer stock, you can be assured we pay top dollar.

Buying United States and the World No one pays more for collections, lots, and accumulations of lots and covers! You are always welcome to visit us, but please call ﬁrst so that we can devote our time to you. We have 6,500 square feet of stamps! Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc. Philately — The Quiet Excitement! P.O. Box 3077 / 53 Highland Ave. Middletown, New York 10940-0800 www.hgitner.com e-mail [email protected] 1–800–947–8267 845–343–5151 Fax 845–343–0068 We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Amex Seen at Auction Alfred Carroccia 152 Windmill Road West Seneca, NY 14218-3776 716-674-0302; [email protected]

‘I Don’t Get No Respect!’ hat do postal sta- Wtionery and the late Rodney Dangerfield have in common? Neither gets any respect. Postal stationery is relegated to the back of the book. Most collectors, especially the young and in- experienced, stumble into it through cut squares. Most do not realize that old-time collectors cut the corners from each envelope to save room in their albums. Today the accepted practice is to save the entire envelope. One interesting aspect of collecting postal stationery is the myriad of envelopes and dies used for each design. Hundreds of collectible varieties have been documented with several having only a few examples surviving. These items have significant catalogue values and command high prices when they come on the market. The first significant auction of such material took place on March 1 with the sale of the Wanamaker Collection of U.S. Postal Stationery by Matthew Bennett International. It has been years since a postal stationery auction of this magnitude has been offered with many nineteenth and twentieth century rarities, most being entire envelopes. The jewel of this auction was an 1853, three-cent, die 4 full corner piece from a Plimp- ton envelope (Scott No. U7), one of the few cut squares offered. It was described as “being the only recorded mint die 4 cut square.” No mint entires are known and it is the key to a complete mint stationery collection. The Scott catalogue lists the value in italics at $5,500, meaning it is infrequently sold. This lot exceeded expectations, selling for $5,750 not including the 15 percent buyer’s premium. Another cut square, also from a Plimpton envelope, was a used example of the two-cent Washington brown on blue (Scott No, U275). The commentary accompanying the description stated that only one entire and seven cut squares are known, all in used condition. It was described as one of the finest examples, with a Scott value of $20,000,but sold for only $10,500. Other lots included late twentieth century envelopes with color omitted. They sold on average at half the estimates; all were bright and fresh. Selling well were the balance lots which comprised of entires and cut squares from the different contract printers. This important sale put many significant postal stationery items back into the philatelic marketplace. ◾

12 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 . P. H . . S S . E EMPIRE STATE FOUNDED POSTAL HISTORY

1 SOCIETY 9 6 7

STAMPS ◆ COVRS ◆ POSTCARDS ◆ CLASSIC SPORTS CARDS ROPEX Table 22 George McGowan’s NASSAU STREET STAMPS & COLLECTIBLES Time to visit us and see what’s new! Extensive O erings of … New York State & New England Postal History RFD Covers – RPO Covers – Naval Covers – Doane Cancels Topical Covers – Canal Zone Covers and Cards Location Visit us in Room 9 of the Wood Realty / Oerbeck Builders Building 4151 US20, Schodack, NY (½ mile east of the junction of Routes 9 & 20) Store Hours A T Tuesday noon–5 p.m. R. 4 ursday noon–7 p.m. Friday noon–5 p.m. And by appointment. R. 9 I-90 Call ahead to be sure we are open. & 20 E 11 Mailing Address R 20 P. O. Box 482 ✪ T P East Schodack, NY 12063-0482 R 9 [email protected] T H (518) 479-4396 or 573-5457 Stamp Packets at

ANIMALS 100 cats FRUITS NAVIGATOR 200 9.20 only 5.70 100 6.60 50 9.65 500 20.15 200 17.50 HEADS OF STATE 100 26.25 1000 38.50 300 45.50 100 2.40 NUDES 2000 94.50 100 Dogs 200 * 200 23.65 ARTS only 5.70 HORSES 300 42.00 300 14.45 200 15.75 100 4.65 400 50.75 ATHLETICS 500 145.25 300 149.00 OLYMPICS 100 7.90 COAT OF ARMS 500 43.75 300 12.25 200 24.10 100 8.70 600 61.25 500 22.75 300 33.25 200 15.35 HUNTING 1,000 56.00 ASTRONAUTS COSTUMES 50 13.15 ORCHIDS 50 7.45 50 2.40 INSECTS 50 5.20 200 15.35 100 5.25 100 5.70 100 12.70 AUTOMOBILES CHESS 200 17.10 200 42.00 200 11.40 50 4.85 300 33.25 300 77.00 300 21.00 100 19.25 KANGAROOS PAINTINGS 600 54.25 DANCING 25 5.80 300 13.15 AVIATION 50 6.15 LIGHTHOUSE 500 21.00 200 11.35 100 15.75 25 8.35 1,000 56.00 300 17.10 DISNEY MAPS AND GLOBES 2,000 119.00 BALLOONS No. Arabs incl. 100 5.70 PARROTS 100 7.45 100 14.00 200 15.75 50 6.95 200 24.50 200 31.50 MONKEYS & APES 100 14.00 BASKETBALL 400 77.00 50 5.25 PREHISTORIC 25 5.20 DUCKS 100 19.20 ANIMALS 50 13.60 25 3.85 MOTORCYCLES 100 7.90 BEARS 50 9.20 50 4.85 200 31.50 25 3.95 FISH-SEA LIFE 100 11.40 PRINCESS DIANA 50 9.65 200 15.00 MOVIE STARS & 100 36.75 BICYCLES 500 49.90 ENTETAINERS RED CROSS 50 3.95 FLAGS 100 26.25 50 3.70 100 13.15 200 10.50 Mint RELIGION BIRDS 500 36.75 100 22.40 100 4.90 500 31.50 600 56.00 300 113.75 200 13.15 1,000 75.25 FLORA/FAUNA MUSIC REPTILES BOXING 500 13.60 50 2.90 100 8.40 100 22.75 600 19.25 100 6.15 200 17.50 BUTTERFLIES FLOWERS 200 12.70 ROSES 200 11.40 300 12.70 MUSHROOMS 100 8.75 300 18.40 500 21.00 50 2.90 200 21.00 500 45.50 1,000 66.50 100 8.35 SAILING CAMELS FOOTBALL MUSICAL INSTRU- 100 5.70 25 4.40 (Soccer) MENTS 300 17.50 50 17.50 200 9.65 25 2.90 SCULPTURES CATS & DOGS 500 38.50 50 * 50 10.10 200 11.40 600 70.00 NAPOLEON 100 24.50 300 19.25 1000 227.50 100 10.45 200 43.75 500 45.50 200 28.00 Great Prices

SHELL FISH 400 71.75 100 9.65 100 11.40 50 3.95 SNAKES SWIMMING 200 31.50 100 8.70 50 5.70 50 5.90 U.S. HISTORY SHIPS & BOATS SPACE 100 14.95 300 29.75 300 14.00 300 31.95 TURTLES VOLLEYBALL 500 31.50 500 28.00 25 3.85 25 5.20 1,000 87.50 1,000 70.00 50 9.65 WATER SPORTS SKATING SPORTS TRAINS 50 3.95 50 3.45 300 12.25 200 11.40 WINTER SPORTS 100 12.25 500 19.25 300 19.25 100 5.70 200 50.75 1,000 47.25 500 46.40 200 15.35 SKIING 2,000 108.50 TRANSPORTATION WRESTLING 100 14.90 STAMPS ON 500 21.00 50 14.45 200 28.00 STAMPS 1,000 54.25 300 52.50 50 3.85 TRIANGLE SHAPE White Ace Topical Pages Colorful bordered pages highlighting each topic, with ample space to create your own 1 layout. Standard 8 /2x11” Page Size, 3-Ring Punch with Full Color Headings. Animals ...... A1R FDR ...... F9R Railroad ...... R4R Art ...... A5R Fish ...... F2R Red Cross...... R1R Autos ...... A2R Flowers ...... F4R Religion...... R5R Baseball ...... BB7R Football ...... F6R Rowland Hill..... R7R Birds&Insects...... B3R Freemasonry ...... F8R Scouts...... S1R Black Heritage ....B8R Geo. Wash...... G1R Ships...... S3R Chess ...... C5R J.F. Kennedy .... K2R Soccer ...... S4R Xmas ...... C7R Lincoln ...... L1R Space ...... S5R Coins ...... C8R Lions Int...... L2R Sports ...... S6R Columbus ...... CAR Medicine ...... M0R Communication... CBR Music ...... M5R ZWAT-______Fairy Tales ...... F1R Olympics ...... O1R (fill in code) Sold in packs of 12 pages per topic. $8.00 ea. pkg., any 5 or more $6.40 ea. Assortment Package of 18 Titles ZWA-TAS...12.45, SSS Price 11.21

Visit us online at www.subwaystamp.com America’s (and the World’s) Largest Stamp Collecting Supply Company SHIPPING CHARGES By MAIL/UPS *: $7.50 Min. Orders over $55 ADD 12%, Over $100 ADD 10%,Over $250 ADD 8% * Some Remote Areas Carry Higher Shipping charges. PA Residents: ADD 6% Sales Tax ADD $5/$10 Per Parcel on high weight/low cost orders shipped to the 11 Western States & TX Ask for Shipping Charges to AK, HI, P.R., APO’s, FPO’s, Foreign Phone: 1-800-221-9960 Fax: 1-888-221-9960 2121 Beale Ave, Altoona, Pa 16601 Email: [email protected] Phone: 814-946-1000 Fax: 814-946-9997 From Pills To Postage Small envelopes originally were used to hold prescription and patent medicine pills. At different times the Indian Root Pills were manufactured in Buffalo, Morristown, and New York City, as well as Brockville, Ontario. Canny businesses adopting the envelopes to contain stamps used the new-found space for advertising. Protecting Stamps Posing as Coins Printers Respond to Civil War Hoarding By Steve Swain f the many shortages of goods and services in the early years of the US Civil War, Onone was more interesting than the shortage of coins and the enterprising and creative solutions to remedy that shortage using postage stamps. In 1862, paper money was not backed by gold or silver and it was only a very tenuous faith in the government that gave people any assurance that paper money had true value. Most people did not want to embrace that faith. That feeling combined with the uncertainty associated with the ultimate outcome of the war led to the hoarding of common gold, silver and copper coinage, the time-tested, universally accepted exchange medium. This hoarding situation was worsened by clever financial traders who bought US silver coins with paper money and sold these to foreign markets in exchange for gold, a much more valuable commodity. By mid 1862, it was estimated that $25 million in coinage had disappeared from circulation in the United States. However, people still needed to purchase a three-cent loaf of bread, a penny newspaper, a nickel quart of milk, and countless other goods that required coins. Vendors also had to make change when an item’s price was less than the amount tendered. How was this to be done? In some cities, businesses gave customers IOUs, private companies created Civil War tokens resembling coinage and paper currency was cut into pieces to serve aspartial dollars, but initially one of the most widely used substitutes for coins during the shortage was postage stamps. Contnued on Page 18

16 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Saratoga County’s Most Interesting Collectibles Headquarters Azusa Stamps and Collectibles

New Location: 258 Ushers Road, Suite 203 Clifton Park, New York Mail: P. O. Box 745 Round Lake, NY 12151-0745 (518) 877-3027 [email protected] • Qualified estate appraiser Store Hours • Philatelics Thursday & Friday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. (please call ﬁrst) • Vintag Comic books Additional Hours by Appointment • Non-Sports cards *Want Lists Filled • Paper ephemera *U. S. Mint and Used Stamps, • 30+ years experience and First Day Covers, Plate Blocks, store ownership on Long Booklets and Booklet Panes, Island and in Round Lake Back-of-Book, Possessions • Insurance appraisals and Trust Territories *Canada and Provinces • Dealer Member American *Israel mint tabs *Vatican mint Philatelic Society (#94747) *United Nations 28 years Also a Selection of: • Member Ephemera Society Great Britain, including Channel Islands • Member Long Island British Colonies Postcard Club France and Colonies Germany and Colonies • Comic book seminars and Other European appearance on TV’s Asia, Central and South America Antiques Show and Sell Program Full line of stamp and cover supplies • Show promotions and Visit us at our new office / gallery appearances for all your philatelic needs.

Between Ballston Spa National Bank and Feretti’s Restaurant at Ushers Road and Route 9, about half a mile east of Northway Exit 10 AZUSA Stamp Envelopes — Continued from Page 16 This medium for payment of goods and services was not in the least sanctioned by the government, but vendors gladly accepted the stamps. “Postage Stamps Received for Goods and Given in Change” proclaimed signs on the windows of many shops. Some mer- chants even advertised to sell stamps, at a premium, of course. The Post Office Department was barely able to satisfy the public’s demand for stamps. In New York City alone, daily stamp sales rose from $3,000 to $25,000. There was an inherent problem with this solution as people carried quantities of stamps in purses and pockets and the same stamps were used repeatedly for daily transactions. All of this usage quickly resulted in damaged stamps with sometimes unrecognizable denominations. The local post offices would not exchange damaged stamps for new ones, so a remedy was needed. A few enterprising printers provided a solution. Embracing an idea that Harnden’s Express, a package and correspondence delivery service, suggested in a New York Herald editorial, the solution was to create small envelopes that would contain stamps of various amounts and value. On the front of the envelopes would be printed “10 cents,” “25 cents,” or whatever the value of the stamps that the envelope contained. The enclosed stamps would then be protected from repeated handling. Editor’s note: It has been suggested that the concept first was employed by pharmacists who put their stamps into small, plain pill envelopes. At 75 cents per thousand to produce, the printers and stationers soon found a ready market for their creation. The use of stamp envelopes was most prevalent in New York City, but Brooklyn, Albany, Jersey City, and Philadelphia also experienced a significant use of this solution to the coinage shortage. The envelopes provided a temporary solution to the coin shortage until enscased postage stamps began appearing in late 1862 along with government-issued postage currency. The stamp envelopes produced by J. Leach, a printer and stationer at 86 Nassau Street in New York City, are by far the most plentiful of the existing items. These envelopes typi- cally measure 70 × 32 mm and were printed in various shades of blue and red. Continued on Page 20

18 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 DERATE FE D S EY TA S M R E P

J C NOJEX ’12

N U

I May 25–27 N

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•

• 2 Harmon Plaza NOJEX Secaucus, New Jersey ? 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Friday & Saturday; 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday ? 200 Frame Exhibition & 40 Dealer Bourse ? British North America Philatelic Society, Canal Zone Study Group, New Jersey Postal History Society, Rossica Society of Russian Philately, and Ottoman and Near East Philatelic Society meetings ? $2 Admission Friday & Saturday; Free on Sunday ? Children Free ? Free Parking ? Print out and bring this Ad for $1.00 Off Admission For additional information go to www.nojex.org

FIRST SUNDAY STAMP & COIN SHOW DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS Holiday Inn, 55 Ariadne Road at Exit 15A off I-95 / Route128. 9 A.M.–3:30 P.M. monthly SECOND SUNDAY STAMP & COIN SHOW MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT Comfort Inn, 900 East Main Street. EZ access from I-91, 691 & Rt 15. 9 A.M.–3:30 P.M. monthly THIRD TUESDAY STAMP & COIN SHOW NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS World War II Veterans Association, 50 Conz St. Exit 18 off I-91. Rt. 5N, then left on Conz 1/4 mile from I-91. 10:30 A.M.–7 P.M. monthly Scott 2012 catalogues 3–6 $69 each. Scott Classic $129 Scott 2011 1– 6 and U.S. Specialized Catalogues $49 each, 1–6 set $279 Sponsor: Harry Tong • 603-978-3459

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 19 Stamp Envelopes — Continued from Page 18 A natural extension of the profit angle for the printers and stationers who produced the stamp envelopes was to print on the envelope’s front, back and/or flap customized, business-specific names and advertising. L. H. Embree, Stationer, at 130 Grand Street, New York, created an issue of stamp envelopes for the American Music Hall on 444 Broad- way, New York. A 50-cent valued envelope was commissioned and used by Lansingh’s Gent’s Furnishing Store, 558 Broadway, New York City.

A 50-cent stamp envelope produced by B. F. Corlies & Macy, 33 Nassau Street, New York, below, included an interesting line at the bottom of the envelope: postage stamps not furnished. This was a subtle reminder to businesses who purchased the envelopes that they were responsible for the postage stamp contents, not the printing company. Some envelopes were printed without a specific value for the enclosed stamps. Instead, the vendor would write the amount on the face of the envelope as with this example used by M. Markowitz, a wholesale and retail segar (cigar) store on Fulton Street in New York City. Other examples of stamp envelopes from New York are shown on page 22. All varieties of the stamp envelopes are scarce, while many are extremely rare and run as high as $2,400. Stamp envelopes produced by J. Leach, if in very good condition, are valued at no less than $750, with many currently being sold for $1,000 or more. Prices for some less desirable envelopes that have simple printing are in the $400 to $750 range. As expected, envelopes with their stamps still inside are especially prized and command higher prices. Continued on Page 22

20 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 StampInsider2010 4/5/10 11:55 AM Page 1 TREASURETREASURE CHESTSCHESTS EACHEACH FILLEDFILLED WITH A FANTASTICFANTASTIC ASSORTMENT OF STAMPS FROMFROM AROUND THE WORLD..

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• ASIA • BRITISH • BRITISH AMERICA • EUROPE • WORLDWIDE • 19TH CENTURYWORLDWIDE • 19TH CENTURY BRITISH

ALL LOTS WILL BE CUSTOM MADE WHEN ORDERED. EACH LOT WILL BE UNIQUE. LOTS WILL CONSIST ONLY OF STAMPS, MINT OR USED SETS & SINGLES, NO MORE THAN BLOCKS OF 4 OF AN ITEM. SOUVENIR SHEETS CAN BE INCLUDED IF YOU DESIRE. ALL STAMPS ARE SCOTT LISTED & IDENTIFIED. EACH LOT WILL CONTAIN A SUPER SELECTION. THE LARGER THE LOT, THE MORE EXTENSIVE THE ASSORTMENT. (UNITED STATES, U.S. POSSESSIONS, UNITED NATIONS NOT INCLUDED.)

Terms: PHONE/MAIL/FAX OR E-MAIL ORDERS. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO SPECIFY WHICH AREA AND WHAT SIZE LOT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR MONEY REFUNDED upon return of merchandise WITHIN 14 DAYS. PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY ORDER. VISA/MC or Discover ACCEPTED. CREDIT CARD ORDERS MUST INCLUDE NAME ON CARD, #, EXP. DATE. All CHECKS MUST BE DRAWN ON U.S. BANKS. NY RESIDENTS ADD 8.875% sales TAX (Bronze $5.32, Silver $8.87, Gold $16.86, Platinum $41.71, Titanium $83.42) ALL ORDERS-ADD $10.00 SHIPPING & HANDLING. 432 West 54th St., New York, NY 10019 Tel: (212) 489-8130 ~ Fax: (212) 581-8130 E-Mail: [email protected] STORE HOURS: Monday-Friday 10AM-4PM

& Thursday 10AM-7PM 2010 shop online at: www.championstamp.com Stamp Envelopes — Continued from Page 20 Creative thinking by New York printers and stationers certainly provided a solution, at least temporarily, to the 1862 coin shortage. Additional information and cataloguing for stamp envelopes can be found in an 11-article series by Milton Friedberg published between 1993 and 1995 in Paper Money magazine issued by the Society of Paper Money Collectors (www.spmc.org). ◾ The Author Steve Swain has enjoyed all aspects of philately for 55 years. His articles have appeared in the American Philatelist, Philatelic Communicator, Stamps, and other philatelic publications on topics ranging from the income tax consequences of selling stamp collections to collecting first day covers.

22 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 ALSO FEATURING STAMPS AND POSTCARDS 10 a.m.–5 p.m. August 4 & 10 a.m.–4 p.m. August 5 Polish Community Center (WWW.ALBANYPCC.COM) 225 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, New York SPECIAL POSTAL HISTORY PRESENTATIONS ★ The Hudson River Mail: Robert Dalton Harris ★ Collecting Doane Cancels: Maris Tirums ★ Free Franking: Elwyn Doubleday ★ Exhibiting Postal History: George Dekornfeld & Drew Nicholson ★ NewYork & Chicago Railway Post Of ce: Tom Post Empire State Postal History Society meeting Federation of New York Philatelic Societies annual meeting CONTACT GEORGE MCGOWAN AT [email protected] OR 518-573-5457

Federation of New York Philatelic Societies Annual Meeting 1 p.m. Saturday, August 4 at Northeast Postal History & Ephemera Show

Polish Community Center 225 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, New York The agenda will include discussion of ideas to promote member organizations’ growth

on of N ti ew and revenue-generating ideas. ra e Y d o e r k Each club may send a delegate or proxy. F

Your participation is urged in order to . .. P c h n I ensure a strong future for the Federation! i la , t s el tie ic Socie Ronald K. Ratchford, Secretary APS Chapter 191 [email protected]

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 23 Revisiting the Liberty Bell By Rudy de Mordaigle ust when you thought you had all the Liberty Bell issues, another new one would Jpop up. Sorting piles of them was a challenge. In self-defense, I cooked up the following key that expands on information provided by Joseph Kalynycz in the July– August 2011 Stamp Insider. It gives you the Scott number for any of the Liberty Bells, points out varieties that Scott chooses to ignore even though we collect them, and gives you the current Scott numbers, in a separate table, for stamps which had catalog number changes made by Scott. Work down the left column until you find a match for the stamp you have in hand, then confirm your ID with the additional clues in the right hand column.

Continued on Page 26

24 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Selling your collection or massive accumulation? John L. Leszak Makes House Calls When it’s time to sell your surplus stamps, covers, postcards or other philatelic junk & accumulations, call John L. Leszak. With 35 years experience as a full-time dealer John L. Leszak is worthy & well-qualified and has the connections to find a home for your unwanted material. That’s why his business name is The Cover Connection. (Yes, he buys stamps too!) Over the years John has purchased entire rooms, truck loads, and dealer inventories to fulfill the needs of his customers. John will buy it all, including the good, the bad, and the ugly, and he won’t “cherry pick” your stuff and leave you with the pits. John wants to hear from serious sellers, and he’s willing to make house calls when he maps out his next buying trip. You might have just a box-load to sell, and you can obtain an authorization number & arrange to mail a box to John for an offer. Please do not send anything without prior authorization. Lots sent without an authorization number will be refused. Sell to someone with the experience, know-how, and the connections. Call TOLL FREE 1-877-COVER10 (1-877-268-3710) to discuss your material and potential sale JOHN L. LESZAK Philatelist since 1963 … Full Time Dealer Since 1975 Stamps, Covers, Postcards Bought & Sold, Estates Appraised Member: American Stamp Dealers Association, American Philatelic Society American First Day Cover Society (Life), Universal Ship Cancellation Society What can’t you live without? • U.S. STAMPS: Major stock of better pre-WW II • REVENUES: Among the largest stocks in the U.S.A. • POSSESSIONS: From Canal Zone to Puerto Rico Request price list (specify which) or shop online at: www.astampdealer4u.com FRANK BACHENHEIMER P. O. Box 230 Glenview, Illinois 60025-0230 E-mail: [email protected] 847-480-1880 • Fax 847-480-7461

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 25 Liberty Bell — Continued from Page 24

Continued on Page 28

26 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 WANTED

We’ll give you immediate cash payments for your stamp collection … Or sell for you on eBay — 8,000 transactions, 100 percent positive feedback!

WESTERN EUROPE, EUROPA, UNITED STATES, UNITED NATIONS, ZEPPELINS, COVERS. TOLL FREE in All North America 1-800-527-8893 FRANK J. BUONO Box 1535, Binghamton, NY 13902 607-724-4444 Serving Collectors Since 1966 Liberty Bell — Continued from Page 26

One tricky Ashton Potter ID: The 2009 Ashton Potter ATM stamp, Scott 4126d, has the same die-cutting gauge as the booklet stamps, a departure from the typical ATM stamp that Avery Dennison die cuts around 8. Off paper, this variety is easy to spot, since the paper is thin and semi-transparent. If you keep the new stamps on closely trimmed paper, the decidedly shiny surface of Ashton Potter’s ATM stamp will help you sort. Make a gauge with any 2009 copper date stamp by trimming horizontally through the yoke. Make two piles — wide yoke and narrow yoke. Then look in the wide yoke pile for that shiny surfaced ATM stamp. They are not common. ◾ The Author Rudy de Mordaigle of Olancha, California, is “Modern U.S. Varieties” columnist for U.S. Stamp News.

28 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012  ROPEX 2012 • Rochester National Stamp Show

May 18-20 Hours: Friday 11-6, Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-3

The Sports Centre at MCC 2700 Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Rd. $3 Daily Admission, Free Parking Youth under 18 Free

100th Anniversary of the Titanic and the Rochester Numismatic Association

Featuring 30 US and Canadian Dealers Selling and Buying Exhibits from the Finest Collections Youth Activities Saturday and Sunday US Postal Service, Cancels and Cachets Bring Your Items for a Free Informal Appraisal Restaurant On Site

585-752-6178 http://www.rpastamps.org [email protected]

How Kodak Assisted Police Searches By Albert W. Starkweather eginning in the late 19th century police departments and detective agencies relied on postal Bcards and postcards, often with pasted-on photographs, in their efforts to located missing persons, run-aways, and criminals. In the early twentieth century, the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester simplified the process, allowing images to be printed directly on postcards. Postal cards, introduced in 1873, could be mailed for one cent. Before July 1, 1898, postcards only could be mailed at the first-class letter rate; they were first authorized for use at a rate lower than the letter rate on July 1, 1898, according to the National Postal Museum. An October 27, 1882, missing person postal card (above) from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Dav- enport, Iowa, had an image pasted to the reverse of a US postal card (Scott No. UX7) which had a two-cent banknote added to meet the letter rate (Scott No. 178 or 183). It is impossible to determine the paper type of the banknote as the card was laminated by a previous owner. Kodak introduced Azo photographic paper in 1904. This was one of the popular papers used for producing real photo postcards. Azo was suitable for making contact prints for which the source of light would be much weaker, rather than enlargements. Azo double-weight cards had the words post card in outline sans serif type on the upper reverse andcorrespondence here and name and address here separated by a short vertical line below. Azo was available in a variety of sizes, up to 20 by 24 inches, for small to large format negatives. Unused cards may be further identified by place a stamp here box at the upper right surrounded by the word azo on all four sides (below). These may be roughly dated by corner devices: four triangles pointing up from 1904–1918, diamonds from 1907–1909, two triangles up and two down from 1918–1930, no corner devices from 1922–1926, and square boxes from 1927–1940. Kodak discontinued Azo in 2005, but dropped the postcard paper years earlier. Continued on Page 32

30 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Twelve Monthly Issues $25/year (USA only) SUBSCRIBE TODAY 888-698-0734 www.journalofantiques.com

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SEE ME AT ROPEX TABLE 9 McCloud Stamps & Covers WANTED Large Stamp or Coin Collections Stamps, Covers, Postal History, Postcards, Coins, and Autographs Call JOHN STOLTZ 585-507-3533 WE’LL TRAVEL TO YOU! WESTERN–UPSTATE NEW YORK

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 31 Photo Postcards — Continued from Page 30 The card depicting a farmhouse near Watertown, New York (above), would be from 1904 to 1918. The absence of utility lines suggests the earlier date. Although the area was not electrified until shortly before Charles A. Lindbergh’s 1927 flight to Paris, A photo- graph taken around 1918 of my father who lived on the same road clearly shows poles with telephone lines. Postcards and postal cards were extremely popular around the turn of the twentieth century for both advertising and private use. It has been suggested that these were the e-mail of the day. The lower cost was one factor, although travelers and others soon fell in love with the picture postcard. Itinerant photographers often photographed rural farms and offered photo postcards to the owners. A missing person card, supplied by Bob Bramwell of the Empire State Postal History Society, was mailed by Schenectady’s police chief on March 2, 1918. The two-cent postage was required during the World War I surcharge period from November 2, 1917, to June 30, 1919. It is interesting that Lloyd Vrooman’s description was typeset, while his name was rubber-stamped. Cards of these types were commonly mailed to every police department within the area. It is unknown if either of the persons on the cards shown here were ever located. Kodak also offered its Velox paper line, created for negatives taken by amateur photographers. Defender Photo Supply, also of Rochester, New York, produced similar postcard paper. Defender was acquired by DuPont in 1945. Ansco of Binghamton had its own line of postcard paper. Ansco, later renamed GAF (General Aniline & Film), ceased operation in the early 1980s. Azo cards appear to be the most common. ◾

32 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 RN TE FED S NE ★ E A MAI MA E ★ S R H T SA A U C T T IC H T U I R C S O E E O N N T N N T S O

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★

T W

N Please Come

O H

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M R

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O ★ L

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H E O

F D S To Boxborough

S T B A M P C L U Philatelic Show May 4 – 6 e Largest Stamp Show & Exhibition in New England Holiday Inn Boxborough at Route 111, Exit 28 o I-495, Boxborough, Massachusetts Friday: 11 – 6 Saturday: 10 – 5 Sunday: 10 – 4 Admission: $3.00 daily, $5.00 all 3 days, Sunday free

495 ↗ LOWELL, LAWRENCE, AND HAVERHILL ← FITCHBURG 2 111 EXIT 28 BOSTON AND BOXBOROUGH LOGAN AIRPORT → Holiday Inn CONCORD AND 495 LEXINGTON → ✈ ↙ WORCESTER, MASS. PIKE & NYC MARLBOROUGH 290 20

70 dealers • 230 frames of competitive exhibits Auction on Saturday at 2 p.m. • Youth area activities & exhibits USPS and UNPA • Show cover & cancellation • Show banquet Door prizes • Surprises • Free parking Seminars and specialist society meetings P .. Sponsored by the Northeastern Federation of Stamp Clubs An APS World Series of Philately Event Farewell To Alplaus Post Office

34 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 A Photo Essay by Ronald K. Ratchford

Residents of Alplaus, a Schenectady County, New York, hamlet, gathered on April 28 to bid farewell to their Community Post Office, which had been shut down by the USPS on January 8. Office manager Kathy Boyle said residents, particularly senior citizens, are taking the USPS’ action very hard. The boxes below the mural and other fittings had already been removed. Even the future of the building, which is owned by Alplaus Fire Company, is uncertain. Residents can get boxes at the Rexford Post Office about a mile away or put up a rural mailbox. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 35 Blue Collar Stamps with Dirty Faces The Used Definitives By Jim Hannah any collectors focus on Mthe rare and the beautiful, and rightly so. Stamps such as the US Columbians, the Graf Zeppelins, Cana- da’s Bluenose, and similar magnificent old stamps are a delight to the eye and well worth the effort and cost of collecting. The same holds true for stamps from the early or classic period. Modern definitives, in contrast, are often over- looked as possible collection subjects. In comparison to the commemoratives, they are usually small and may carry simple, uninteresting designs. Definitives are printed in huge quantities. They are the grunts of our modern postal service issues. Their function is to show that the correct postage has been paid, and little else. Postal services do not expect to sell a significant percentage of definitives to collectors. You may have purchased some definitives recently. Chances are good that it was for postage and not for adding them to your collection. So why collect used definitives? First of all, there’s a certain dignity that attaches to a stamp that has completed its mission. Its purpose may have been humble, but it did it and did it well. Its face may be dirtied by a cancel, but the marks are honest dirt. A used definitive is often a bit tattered around the edges, but it is a real stamp that served a real and useful purpose. Used definitives are generally cheap. A great source is inexpensive kiloware. You are not looking for mixtures with many commemoratives so you do not have to buy the higher-priced as- sortments. Individual stamps you are seeking usually are common variations. It is not profitable for a dealer to pick them out of a mixture. They are buried in the mix, waiting for you to identify them. For the collector who wishes to keep the cost down while still enjoying the thrill of the chase, used definitives can provide an interesting alternative to their high-priced cousins. Most used definitive stamps fall into the lowest price category. Because of this, for simple economic reasons, used definitive dealers are thin on the ground. There are a very Continued on Page 38

36 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 T H E N G W I O V R R L E D One Word for the Future — S Worldwide Postal History AmericanTopical Association with some USA items

Y F L Aero : Polar : Military : Maritime : Commercial TOPICALS! T E H T E A M L for education, creativity, fun A I T I C P H Mail Bid sale o ers interesting items every 2 months. American Topical Association Catalogues have a diverse mixture of Covers / Cards. P. O. 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008 SIDNEY FENEMORE [email protected] Wallasey CH HL England UK WWW.AMERICANTOPICALASSN.ORG www.sidneyfenemore.com : [email protected]

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Join the American First Day Cover Society The Empire State Postal History • Get a unique perspective on stamp collecting Society Wants You! • Learn about first day cover collecting • Enjoy FIRST DAYS magazine Join today and receive the biannual journal — • Contact us today! EXCELSIOR! and the quarterly Bulletin AFDCS, P.O. Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732-6277 George McGowan, P. O. Box 482, East Schodack, NY 12063-0483 Phone 520-321-0880 • Website www.afdcs.org www.esphs.us • APS Unit 28 UPSTATE’S LEADING UNITED STATES DEALER For over twenty years STEVE MALACK STAMPS has been in business BUYING and SELLING Quality U.S. Stamps and Coins. Whether you are BUYING or SELLING contact STEVE MALACK STAMPS today! SEE OUR WEBSITE with over 15,000 FULL-SIZED COLOR PHOTOS and 3,000 AUCTION LOTS WWW.MALACK.COM INTEGRITY – VALUE – SERVICE – QUALITY STEVE MALACK P. O. Box 5628 • Endicott, NY 13763-5628 607-862-9441 (phone / fax) [email protected] BUYING / SELLING U.S. STAMPS and COINS

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 37 Dirty Faces — Continued from Page 36 few dealers who specialize in series such as the British Wildings or the Machins. Locating these dealers can be an interesting search in itself. Do not be surprised if a dealer carries only mint copies. There is little profit in maintaining stocks of stamps which retail in the 25-cent range. Modern definitives may be issued in various formats, such as sheet, coil and booklet, increasing the number of separate, distinct collectable variations. In limiting a collection to used stamps, certain differences which distinguish subtypes of mint stamps can be dis- regarded. The first which falls by the wayside is gum. Paper types often can be ignored, especially those which are identified by surface sheen. This leaves face (design, including value), edge (perforated, imperforate, and cut), color, phosphor and, for some issues, watermark as the primary means of identifying a particular copy. Learning your way about a group of definitives can be relatively easy (the 15-cent US Oliver Wendell Holmes, Scott No. 1288) or it can lead to a study requiring years to master (the British Machins.) So where is the challenge? There is learning about the variations of a particular stamp, of course. Definitives which were printed over a long period of time in different formats can provide a rich assortment of subtypes. In addition, it is not at all unusual to find that locating a particular used definitive stamp for a specialized collection is a harder task than finding any number of better-known, somewhat rare and expensive stamps. It is easy to locate dealers who stock the US Columbians and complete sets of the 1930 Graf Zeppelins. Copies of Canada’s Bluenose, while not a dime a dozen, are available from many sources. If, on the other hand, you try to locate used copies of the various face, edge, color and phosphor com- binations of some of the Machin definitives, your search will not be nearly as easy. Bagging a used 1989 issue ‘1st’ black Machin, lower right position from booklet DP129 isn’t exactly a piece of cake. And it is a cheap stamp — easy to identify and not at all rare. You probably already have all the gear you need to get started. The basic equipment for identifying and collecting the sub-types of modern used definitives are a perforation gauge, a good magnifying glass, watermark detector or fluid and short- and long-wave UV lights and. (Note: Follow the safety instructions included with UV lights.) If you’re working with stamps on paper, develop a simple soaking technique. Placing the soaked stamps face up on waxed paper and covering them with blotting stock is one way to go about it. Use whatever works for you. (See Oswego page on dealing with self adhesives.) Generally speaking, there are no catalogue pages available which fit the needs of a used definitive collector. Remember, you’re defining the collection, not the album publisher. A simple, free computer page program such as AlbumEasy will allow you to create excellent pages to show your collection to advantage. Usually, all of the stamps in a definitive collection will be identical in size. This makes page lay-out a relatively easy process. When you complete a collection of used copies of a specific definitive or set of definitives, the vast majority of your stamps will be worth very little in terms of resale value. On the other hand, the collection will have cost far more time than money to put together and it will have rewarded you handsomely with many hours of collecting enjoyment. If you are so inclined, the commemoratives and duplicates you have accumulated in working with kiloware can be contributed to junior stamp clubs. ◾

38 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Amberman Postal History ◆ We sell U.S. & worldwide postal history — Postal History Documents, specializing in Ephemera & Covers illustrated advertising, Box 477, West Sand Lake NY 12196, 518-674-2979 town cancels & [email protected] territorial. PLEASE JOIN the ◆ POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY John B. Amberman III Just $35. a year! P. O. Box 4700 Clifton Park, NY 12065 518-280-2125 [email protected]

Think Advertising! There is no be er time or way to reach potential buyers than by advertising in the Stamp Insider • Reach more than 2,000 serious collectors with each issue • Have our staﬀ customize your message to meet your needs • Ads in full color cost no more than those in black & white • Beneﬁt from great rates for individual or yearly contracts Contact Advertising Manager George McGowan [email protected] • --

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 39 BA1296 10x7.5 get best deal_Layout 1 3/30/12 6:51 AM Page 1

Be sure you get the best deal when you sell your stamps... Call Mystic ystic spent more than $15 million to buy stamps last Myear – and we’re ready to pay high market value for stamps again in 2012. If you’re ready to sell your stamp We’re looking for collection or dealer inventory, there’s never been a better time to call Mystic. the following: Thousands of collectors and dealers trust Mystic when it’s o Worldwide new issues time to sell their stamps. They know Mystic has 89 years of o Rare/High-quality U.S. and foreign stamps experience – plus the expertise and resources to evaluate your o U.S. collections of all qualities collection and give you a check on the spot. o Entire dealer stocks, store inventory, show Don Sundman, President Our Head Stamp Buyer will even travel to your dealer and mail order dealer stocks Mystic Stamp Company hometown and meet with you personally for collections o British and European colonies valued at $10,000 or more. You’ll appreciate the respect and honesty you receive – and o Worldwide collections and the generous amount we pay. accumulations Mystic is America’s Leading Stamp Dealer and our family of collectors continues to o China stamps (all Asian stamps) grow. So we need all types of stamps and stamp collections – U.S. and worldwide stamps, rare and common stamps plus topical stamps. o Accumulations and mixed collections (they don’t need to be organized) Ready to sell your stamp collection? Call today – and learn why experienced collectors recommend Mystic. o All coins including accumulations

America’s Leading Stamp Dealer Call Mystic Stamp Company Today – Mystic 1-800-835-3609 We Pay More For Your Stamps 9700 Mill Street, Camden N.Y. 13316 [email protected] BA1296 BA1296 10x7.5 get best deal_Layout 1 3/30/12 6:51 AM Page 1

America’s Leading Stamp Dealer Call Mystic Stamp Company Today – Mystic 1-800-835-3609 We Pay More For Your Stamps 9700 Mill Street, Camden N.Y. 13316 [email protected] BA1296 All Welcome at Ropex 2012 ochester Philatelic Association is sponsoring Ropex, central New York’s only na- Rtional level show, on May 18–20 at the Sports Centre at Monroe Community College. Hours are 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–5p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday. Daily admission is $3, with youth under 18 free. The building is handi- capped accessible. Ropex features 25 dealers from across the US and Canada selling and buying all types of stamps, covers, postcards, supplies and related material. The RPA invites the public to bring in stamp-related items for a free evaluation of their value and can recommend dealers on the show floor that might be interested in them. The USPS will have the latest issues. Collectors from the U.S., Canada, the Philippines and Greece are planning to fill 125 frames of competitive exhibits, vying for bronze through gold awards and the opportunity to win the best in show Grand Award. Major show prizes this year feature an assortment of antique stamp boxes. The Grand winner will represent Rochester and Ropex in the World Series of Philately Champion of Champions competition in August in Sacramento, California. The show plays host to several specialty societies holding regional meetings throughout the weekend. These include the Empire State Postal History Society, American Asso- ciation of Philatelic Exhibitors, and ACE (Art Cover Exchange). The American Philatelic Society will be present with a display table selling books and other collector items for members and non-members alike. — Buying & Selling — Two centennial anniversaries will be commemorated at Ropex, the maiden voy- age of the Titanic and the founding of the Digger’s RPA’s sister coin club, the Rochester Numis- matic Association. Special cacheted envelopes and cancels are available, including a Antiques, special Titanic dual-cover. A fully staffed youth area will be manned Stamps & Saturday and Sunday introducing the hobby to beginners and offering activities for more advanced youngsters. Kids of all ages Collectibles can participate in stamp games and pick Look for the church through free stamp bins. Show details, including a schedule of events, Karl Dubshinski list of participating dealers and exhibitors and 1312 State Route 10 much more can be found on the RPA web site Jefferson, NY 12093-3916 at www.rpastamps.org. Questions may be [email protected] e-mailed to [email protected] or 607-201-8980 sent to RPA, P, O. Box 10206 Brighton Station, — Call for Hours — Rochester, NY 14610-0206. ◾

42 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Philatelic Potpourri Thomas Auletta 3 Curry Road, PO Box 745 Round Lake, NY 12151-0745 518-899-3027; [email protected]

Seeking the Elusive Watermark atermarks have been Wan important factor for collectors since the early days of philately. Although not every stamp has a watermark, it is an integral part of the manufacture of many of the papers from which stamps are printed. It is very important to identify a stamp by its watermark or lack thereof to establish its value. While some watermarks are easily seen holding the stamp up to a light or by plac - ing it on a dark surface, most will require a watermark tray and a fast-evaporating detection fluid. Modern trays are usually small black plastic items. The stamp is placed face down in the tray and a small amount of the detection fluid is applied. These include Carbona®, benzine, or any mixture of suitable aliphatic hydrocarbons. These must be handled carefully and used only in small quantities in a well ventilated area. Trays have not changed much since the early days of philately. They have been made of black cardboard, metal, glass, or plastic, and even combined with perf gauges, magnifiers, and the boxes hinges came in. The two metal boxes (1 and 2), probably dating from the 1930s, contain rectangular plastic watermark trays. Instructions for use are on the cover, and one has an advertisement for “New England Stamp Co.” of Boston. The next two metal boxes (3 and 4) are probably from the same period and contained 1000 hinges. However, turn the box over and you have a handy metal watermark tray on the bottom. Next are two high quality black glass trays (5 and 6) that came in a plain black box with directions on the inside cover. Another detector from the 1940s (7) is also high quality glass and came in a box with watermark detector / a necessity for stamp collectors imprinted on the cover. One of the most unusual watermark detectors that I have encountered is called the Roto- Gage (8). This multipurpose device is combination magnifier, ruler, perforation gauge, and watermark detctor. The tray is located at the front of the base. Even though it dates from the 1940s, I have a place for it on my desk and actively use it. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 43 Exploring Deltiology Ruth L. Sabo 51 Island View Road Cohoes, NY 12047-4929 518-785-1330; [email protected]

Those Wondrous 50 Cent Boxes n January–February I wrote about the excite- Iment and pleasures of attending postcard shows and finding those holy grail cards one has been seeking for years. While I was inten- sively searching dealers’ inventory in Pennsyl- vania and Florida for new treasures, my hus- band found some fabulous additions for his extensive World War II cover collection. When he finished his cover search, he went to the post card tables and sat for hours perus- ing the 25- and 50-cent and $1 boxes. He purchased scores of cards that he knew I would enjoy — mostly newer (less than 50 years old) comic, political and social commentary cards that brought broad smiles to our faces. A century after Margaret Sanger was ar- rested for handing out birth control information to women I thought readers would delight in this reproduction of an early twentieth century advertising card for Wales-Goodyear Shoe Company’s rubbers. The men depicted are wearing their shiny rubbers over their shoes. The recent reproduction of the card by Vintage Images has some added touches. On the top front of the card there is a delightful subheading: “Practicing Safe Sex in Savannah, GA.” The back of the card reads: “An Ounce of Prevention. Due to excessive company loy- alty and exaggerated medical fears, most of the men wore them at all times.” If that does not put a smile on your face, consider the next card, which is especially ap- propriate in this election year. The Curteichcolor card, posted in 1983 from Rapid City, South Dakota, and delivered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, depicts what I believe many Americans are feeling about now of some of those politicians from whom we cannot escape this year. I am looking forward to meeting you at the next show! ◾

44 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Youth & Philately Robert Finnegan 10 O’Neill Drive Oneonta, NY 13820-1154 607-432-8141; [email protected]

Google and Index Cards s stated in so many columns that I have contributed to in the past, I love to con chil- Adren into reinforcing their skill set with stamps as the backdrop. I have not used this next activity with any of my club members presently or the past, but after conjuring up this activity it would easily further develop the concept of greater than and less than, a primary concept indeed. In the old card game of War two competitors would simply place a playing card from their stack and see if it was greater than in value than the playing card placed on the table in front of them by the opposing player. We can simply create our own deck of playing cards by utilizing a computer; 3 × 5-inch index cards and some glue stick. By going to Google and pressing the images link, one can type in postage stamps. You would then save the images of stamps you want to use in making the cards. After you have created a multitude of cards let the fun begin. Share the cards among competitors, two or three at a table. The players lay out one card at a time on the table and the higher valuation (denomination) wins both cards to increase the size of the deck. I would allow that competitor with the higher valuation to also take a free stamp from a pile. The game ends when one player owns all the cards. The winner of the game could be awarded 25 additional free stamps from the pile. During the course of the game both players will have earned additional stamps for their collections as well, and best yet, you had them further develop a fonder understand- ing of greater than and less than. To serve your older students have them place two cards out at a time and add their values and then the opposing player would do the same. The higher total valuation gets to keep all four cards. See below:

Making the cards is timely. I try to laminate such cards so that they can last from one year to the next. Try this quick and familiar game and obviously have lots of free stamps available for the contestants. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 45 Fillmore the Filatelist David A. Kent PO Box 127 New Britain, CT 06050-0127 860-667-1400; [email protected]

Scott Listing Misses the Site have a bone to pick with the Scott Catalogue folks. They claim that the stamp for the I bicentennial of the Battle of Oriskany (Scott No. 1722) was issued in Utica. I say the official first day city was Herkimer, and I’ve got covers to prove it. New York was a key area during the American Revolution, lying between the rebellious areas of New England to the east and Pennsylvania to the south. If the British could gain control of New York, they could cut off contact between the other two areas. Several important battles were fought in the Mohawk and Hudson River valleys that were won by the revolu- tionaries, and helped shape the course of the war. One of these was the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777, where forces led by Nicholas Herkimer defeated the British in a particularly bloody battle. Herkimer was wounded in the battle and later died of his wounds. What probably confuses Scott’s editors is that the stamp design is based on a painting by Frederick Yohn, now on display in the Utica Public Library, maybe a dozen miles away from Herkimer. Yohn made the painting in 1901, and got one historical detail wrong — Herkimer’s fatal wound was in his other leg. Celebrating Bicentennial events was very popular in the 1970s among both collectors and others interested in history. It was especially convenient that August 6 fell on a Saturday, free- ing collectors to engage in philatelic activities. There was a stamp show in Rome calledCinco - pex, an annual event that rotated among several clubs in the area for years. My first day cover with this postmark is dual-canceled with the official first day postmark from Herkimer, and has an attractive cachet by Gamm Covers, the product of cachet maker Gerry Adlman. Collectors also managed to arrange a pictorial postmark for the bicentennial of the battle, in the village of Oriskany. My cover with this postmark has an overall cachet of the Yohn painting. The design extends to the back of the envelope, showing that it was printed on a larger sheet of paper and then cut and folded into an envelope. Sadly, it is notsigned , so I do not know who made it. Cachet makers should be ordered to sign their work. I’ll have to contact the people at Scott and advise them of this error. ◾

46 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 First Day Coverage Glenn A. Estus PO Box 451 FIRST DAY OF ISSUE Westport, NY 12993-0451 [email protected], 518-962-4558

More Revenue FDCs evenue specialist Bob Hohertz sent me Ra number of interesting first day usage examples including the ones shown here. Hohertz wrote: “Here are first days of the 1914 revenue stamps ( Scott No. RB33, 36, and 38) on a bottle of Massatta sachet powder. At least, I assume the stamps are single-line watermark, although I haven’t done the research to find out whether those came first or there wasn’t any known se- quential relationship between those and the double-line watermark stamps. “Single-line is USPS rather than USIR, and was used intentionally first in 1914. It seems less likely that the first stamps issued were on USIR paper and then some were printed later on USPS stock than that USPS paper was used at first, until supplies of USIR paper could be obtained.” In 1962 the Internal Revenue Service celebrated its 100th anniversary. Documentary stamps were still needed on certain items and a commemorative ten-cent stamp (Scott No. R733) was issued. Although July 1 was the actual anniversary date, it was a Sunday so the stamps were issued on Monday, July 2. The cropped cover, right, is an illegal use of the revenue to pay postage. The cover should have had five cents in postage added. This is the only commemorative US government revenue stamp printed. In 1963 the stamp was issued with the wording “Estab- lished 1862” removed (Scott No. R734). Such stamps were not needed after 1967. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 47 Communications Share your opinions! Send to: Albert W. Starkweather 5668 Tranquility Oaks Dr., Unit 208 Tampa, FL 33624-5849 813-962-7964; [email protected]

A Tribute to John A. Lange, Jr. had learned that John A. Lange, Jr., a long-time member of the Schenectady Stamp Club, I died on February 6. I had met him probably more than a half century ago. Although I was a teenage collector of postage stamps, I came to know this older and much more experienced philatelist as one who was both considerate and helpful to collectors of various ages and levels of experience. One example of his helpfulness was his willingness to make purchases, probably back in the 1960s, on behalf of others at the Philatelic Sales Agency while on a personal visit to Washington, D.C., or perhaps to offer to pool orders for others with his own when making a mail order purchase. I recall that John had meticulously prepared a wooden sign for the Schenectady Stamp Club. I remember the sign as having edges simulating the perforations of a giant postage stamp with the identity of the club boldly presented on the carefully routed surface. Un- fortunately, this magnificent piece of his woodworking talent was apparently taken from its place on the outside of the building which was used for the club’s meetings. John’s interest in and knowledge of Saratoga County postal history might be described as legendary. He possessed a phenomenal collection the 1851–1857 three-cent imperforate United States issue and was interested in US classics of the nineteenth century including proofs and essays. — Ronald K. Ratchford, Federation Secretary and Schenectady Stamp Club Historian Suggestions for the Stamp Insider Because the “pages” are standard not landscape I can see some might have trouble with Insider. Here are some bullet points on how to improve presentation: • I have 20/15 vision so full screen mode makes the current font readable for me. • The average stamp collector is retired and needs a larger font. maybe 16 point? • Don’t limit ourselves by what we used to do. • Since no Real hard copies printed use landscape mode to make best use of 16:10 or 16:9 monitors. • At current much of screen is not used because even at double pages it is more the old 4:3 ratio. • How about streaming video of shows, clubs, ads, and how about a “monthly” demonstrations video (perfing, soaking, color guides, etc.) In general we can think outside the page that has boxed us in. — John E. Traver by e-mail ◾

48 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Glens Falls, New York Adirondack Stamp, Meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at Crandall Library, City Park, 251 Glen St. Post Card & Joseph Kopczak, 44 Surrey Fields Dr., Queensbury, NY 12804-8708 [email protected], 518-792-1659 Ephemera Club

Speakers Address a Variety of Topics ur March meeting featured a presenta- Otion by member Bill Hart on the Great Americans series. In addition to describing it in detail and the need for many values, he had sample covers of all 43 values. The series included many tagging varieties that Hart illustrated with a portable black light box. George McGowan was our speaker in April. We appreciated his comments about the history and status of the Federation, including many memories about experiences with late George McGowan has the attention of president John Nunes. McGowan also gave a member Gene Slavin. history lesson on the War of 1812 with emphasis on Oliver Hazard Perry’s leadership. He also had many covers and cards illustrating the events related to the war and Perry’s involvement. In May, member Gene Slavin will speak about the Great Britain omnibus issues. In June we will have another of our popular auctions. Catalogues for Library: We wanted to be sure Crandall Library had a reasonable collection of the Scott catalogues available. The members agreed to fund the purchase of new books, if necessary. We found out that it had a 2008 set available for circulation and a 2010 set plus a Scott 2006 Classic Specialized Catalogue: Stamps and Covers of the World Including U.S. 1840-1940 in the Reference Room — not for circulation. One of our dealer members will donate a 2010 Classic Specialized and 2010 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers to update the Reference Room set and add to the circulating set. The library should be in good shape to support collectors in the area for the next few years. Tips to Sellers #3 Be realistic in your expectations on the value of your collections. As a dealer, I see many estimates prepared by collectors to let their heirs know the value of their collections. These estimates are usually based on catalogue values and are very unrealistic. They fail to realize that a dealer is seldom able to find a customer willing to pay the full catalogue price. For older stamps that have higher catalog values, condition and demand for the stamps are very important. En- joy your stamps and don’t expect to make a significant profit on them unless you purchase high quality items at bargain prices and are able to keep them for many years. Many better stamps do appreciate but they are definitely in the minority. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 49 T H E N G W I O V R R L E D Carterville, Illinois S

http://americantopicalassn.org AmericanTopical Association American Topical Association Executive Director O

Y F L Vera Felts, PO Box 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008 T E H T E A M L 618-985-5100; [email protected] A I T I C P H

Christopher Columbus Philatelic Society he Christopher Columbus Philatelic So- Tciety (Sociedad Filatelica Colombina) is a not-for-profit, educational organization for the study of philatelic and allied material related to the life and voyages of Chris- topher Columbus; its collecting sphere also includes those around Columbus and the World Columbian Exposition of 1893. Ronald Maineri first proposed formation of the CCPS in 1981. It was founded in Puerto Rico a year later, on October 12, 1982, the 490th anniversary of Columbus’ landfall in the Americas, and today has an international membership of more than 100 philatelists. The first issue of Discovery!, the society’s journal also appeared on October 12, 1982. Donald Ager became its editor in 1983, a position he still holds. Discovery! is now in its 29th volume. The study unit was chartered by the American Topical Association on December 7, 1982. Maineri was president from 1983 until 1987 and again from 1991 to 1992. David E. Nye has served as president since 1993. Nye also edited ATA handbook 121, Christopher Columbus in Philately, published in 1992. The handbook is still available from the ATA. The study unit held its first international seminar in the Dominican Republic in 1994. Annual membership dues are $15 in the United States, and $20 elsewhere. Membership applications may be requested from the CCPS secretary, Leslie Seff, 3750 Hudson Manor, Terrace E, Bronx, NY 10463-1126. Back issues of Discovery! are available for $5 from the editor, Donald R. Ager, P. O, Box 71, Hillsboro NH 03244-0071 USA. The cost per issue when ordering five or more is $4. The editor’s e-mail address is [email protected]. David Nye’s address is: P. O. Box 1492, Fennville MI 49408-1492. His e-mail address is [email protected]. — Bruce L. Johnson, ATA Director of Study Units ◾

50 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Buffalo, New York www.buffalostampclub.org Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first & third Fridays, except June, July, and August, at VFW Leonard Post, 2450 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga Alfred Carroccia, 152 Windmill Road, West Seneca, NY 14218-3776 [email protected], 716-674-0302

Bufpex Pleases Dealers and Collectors ufpex 2012 on March 3 Band 4 was another suc- cessful show. The dealers reported steady activity on both days. The USPS table was also busy with collectors seeking new issues and postal stationery. Thanks to those who helped with setup and tear down and volunteered at the hospitality table and to Theresa Meegan for her ink drawing for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery pictorial postmark. For the second year the covers sold out before the show ended. Ada Prill’s Star Cancels of Delaware County won the Founder’s Best in Show Award, Joseph Romito Award for the best cancellation exhibit, and the Bredl Cover Award for the best postal history exhibit. Her Uh-Oh! Mistakes in U.S. Auxiliary Markings won the Dan Cunningham Award for the best US Exhibit and the single-frame award. George Gate’sNyasaland Covers, 1945–1953 won the Best Foreign Exhibit Award, Walter Grotke Award for the best British Colonies exhibit, and the Emil Auer Award for best first-time exhibit by a club member. Theresa Meegan’sFoxes won the Topical Award and the Larry Manno Award for most popular exhibit. Postal History Presentation At the March 30 meeting Dave Przepiora gave a presentation on early Buffalo postal history. David began with the first post office at Buffalo Creek and progressed through the end of the 19th Century. He displayed examples of covers that include Buffalo manuscripts, first postmarks, War of 1812, Black Rock, Steamboat, independent carriers, circulars, Buffalo to foreign destina- tions, Millard Fillmore, machine cancels, and collection and distribution wagons. Przepiora has an extensive Buffalo postal history collection and is an expert in this area. He also is president of the Empire State Postal History Society and maintains the Buffalo Stamp Club website. Directors To Be Elected Elections for Board of Directors will be held prior to the auction on May 4. The club con- stitution mandates that four directors be elected each year to three year terms. Board members whose terms expire this year and are incumbents for reëlection are Alan Davis, Casey Kielbasa, Tim Carey, and Bennie Passantino. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 51 Hamilton, New York Meets at 7:45 p.m. on the first Monday March–December at Hamilton Public Library on the Green, 13 Broad St. Braden Houston, 2063 Spring St., Hamilton, NY 13346-2259 [email protected], 315-824-2237

Museum Dedicated To Black History By Braden Houston uring February, my wife and I visited Dfriends in the delightful small city of Thomasville, Georgia. While there, we took a tour of the recently established Black His- tory Museum where we were given a warm welcome and a private two-hour tour by the president and creator of the museum, James “Jack” Hadley. The museum was established to educate individuals with regard to the history and culture of African Americans. Hadley has preserved more than 2,000 artifacts that commemorate the lives and accomplish- ments of Thomasville’s first black achievers, as well as state and national figures. Among the fascinating exhibits are the Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen; Black Slavery and Africa; Blacks in the Military from the Spanish-American War to Desert Storm and Iraq Wars; African American Life on the Southern Hunting Plantations; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and James “Jack” Hadley of the Black History Museum of Thomasville, Georgia, displays the Civil Rights Movement; Black Women a poster depicting the USPS Black Heri- Achievers; and 1993 Heisman Award Win- tage stamp series. ner, Charlie Ward, Jr., who grew up in the Thomasville area. I very much appreciated the section on philately, with special attention given to the Black Heritage stamps, up to and including John H. Johnson, the 35th stamp in the series, which began with Harriet Tubman in 1978. Hadley served in the US Air Force for 28 years and then was employed by the USPS as a city letter carrier for 12 years before retiring in April 1997. More information about him and the

museum may be found at www.jackhadleyblackhistorymuseum.com. ◾ Braden Houston photo

52 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 t C cu ov i e t r c New Haven, Connecticut e C

n Meets at 9:30 a.m. on the third Sunday l

n u

at the Super Stop and Shop, 112 Amity Road b

•

Joseph Connolly, 571 Treat Lane, Orange, CT 06477-2739

o 6 0

[email protected], 203-795-3718 o 0 0 n 2

d d u e 0 nded 2 The Best of the Best By Joseph Connolly n the eighth grade I had to write a report Iabout the Battle of Midway, a World War II turning point, that sparked my interest. The Japanese wanted to occupy the atoll in the Pa- cific. We broke their code and surprised them. Our carriers Enterprise and Hornet survived, but the Yorktown was lost. Japan lost its four carriers. We held Midway. Richard Halsey Best, a 1932 Naval Academy graduate, was a naval aviator was sent to the Enterprise, commanding Bombing Squadron Six which flew dive bombers. As an Enterprise Air Group member, he participated in raids against Japanese-held islands. TheEnterprise served as escort for the Hornet for Lt. Col. James Doolittle’s April 18, 1942, air raid on Japan. Best made two flights during Midway on June 4, 1942. The Enterprise Air Group si- multaneously arrived with the Yorktown Air Group over the Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu. He attacked the Akagi with the two other planes from his (1st) Division. The planes in his 2nd Division attacked the Kaga. Best began his dive at about 15,000 feet. The Japanese did not have time to react.Akagi ’s yel- low flight deck with its rising sun insignia got closer. At 3,500 feet he looked through his sights and saw a Zero taking off! At 2,000 feet he dropped his bomb which hit forward of the bridge and tore up the flight deck. The bombs from the two planes following him also struck the carrier. Best landed safely on the Enterprise, but only four of his 18 planes were operational afterwards. That afternoon 24 dive bombers were launched from Enterprise against the carrier Hiryu. The Japanese now had their guard up. The planes were attacked by Zeroes. Best dropped his bomb but did not see if it hit, as he had to maneuver to avoid antiaircraft fire. This was his last mission. During the morning flight a faulty canister in an oxygen line caused him to inhale toxic caustic soda which damaged his lungs. After his second flight, he returned to the Enterprise coughing up blood. This caused an unsuspected case of latent tuberculosis to reactivate. He took a disability retirement in 1944. Best was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism. He was also awarded the Distin- guished Flying Cross for his exploits, inducted into the Naval Aviation Hall of Fame and was a guest at ceremonies at the Midway Memorial at his alma mater. After the war he worked at Douglas Aircraft and as a security manager for the Rand Corporation. He died in 2001 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 53 Poughkeepsie, New York Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first & third Mondays at the Friends Meeting House, corner of Hooker Avenue & Whittier Boulevard Cliff Foley, 3 Short Court, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590-3515 [email protected], 845-297-1875

National Parks: A Collecting Idea he National Park Service (www.nps.gov) was established in 1916. Its mission is to T“care for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.” The NPA’s establishment had been championed by naturalist John Muir, who is depicted on the 1964 five-cent Scott No. 1245 and 32-cent No. 3182j of 1998. The first national park was Yellowstone, established by Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. Its 100th anniversary was celebrated with the eight- cent Scott No. 1453. It appears on a cover (top left) with the five-cent Scott No. 744 which was part of the 1934 national parks set. The other cover features a block of four five-cent Scott No. 1314. This marked the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service. The year 2016 will be the centennial of the NPS. Each NPS unit, and there are about 400 of them, has a special handstamp that visitors can put in a passport book. Pictured are impressions from the Weir Farm National Historic Site near Ridgefield, Connecticut, and Yellowstone. The property belonged to American impres- sionist painter J. Alden Weir. These stamps are also available at other sites included in the Hud- son River Valley National Heritage Area (www.hudsonrivervalley.com) and the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor (www.eriecanalway.org). As a collector visiting NPS sites, why not make up some special covers or pages that include the dated stamps from each historic venue you visit. It is an idea and would be a challenge to see how many of our treasures you could get to. ◾

54 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Elmira, New York Meets at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6) the third Tuesday at Steele Memorial Library, 101 E. Church St. Stamp Circuit Available Alan Parsons, 809 Holley Road, Elmira, NY 14905-1212 [email protected], 607-732-0181 Elmira Stamp Club

Club Having Annual One-Page Night he club will have its annual one-page exhibit night at the May meeting. Members are Tencouraged to bring a single page of stamps, covers, or other philatelic items to hang on a line for viewing before the meeting starts. During the meeting they will have an opportunity to speak briefly about their collecting interests. Show theme: The theme for Stepex 2012, the club’s annual show October 19–20 at the Big Flats American Legion Post, will be Chemung County’s role in the Civil War. Elmira was chosen in 1861 as one of only three New York cities for mustering and training troops prior to departure for battle and, in 1864, as the site of a major prison camp for Confederate soldiers. Slide shows disappearing: In an effort to increase attendance at its non-auction meetings beginning October, the club will try a variety of programs instead of the APS slide shows it has used for many years. This was announced at the April meeting and members were urged to either present or suggest programs for future meetings. Programs May 15 — One-page exhibits and auction night May 18–20 — Ropex 2012, Rochester June 19 — APS slide program: Black Gold Meeting Notes February —10 attended. Alan Parsons reported on arrangements for the annual St. Patrick’s Day cover at Erin on March 17 and on Gordon Stratton’s recovery from his bad fall. The meeting concluded with the APS slide program: Postal Stationery of the Canadian Pacific Railway. March — 15 attended. Two new members were announced: Pete Durocher, a local collector who attended the meeting, and Tim Carey of Clarence, who has committed to exhibit at Stepex 2012. The meeting featured a 23-lot auction, with 17 lots selling for $114.75. Eight were club lots bringing $55.75; sales of the non-club lots brought $59. The total on the club lots plus the commissions on the non-club lots and a donation of $2.20 enriched the club treasury by $63.85. April — 12 attended, including Gordon Stratton, recovered from his accident, and his daughter, Vickie. A 2012 first quarter financial statement for the club was distributed even though Don Dolan was unable to attend. Parsons urged those in attendance to bring one-page exhibits to the May meeting and to suggest meeting programs for non-auction nights beginning with the October meeting. The popular APS slide show Bird Boo-Boos, Ballyhoo and Balderdash: Design Errors on Bird Stamps closed the meeting. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 55 . P. H . APS Unit 28 . S S . EMPIRE STATE E www.esphs.us FOUNDED POSTAL HISTORY Meets twice annually Membership info: George McGowan PO Box 482, E. Schodack, NY 12063-0482 1 7 SOCIETY 9 6 [email protected], 518-479-4396

NRA Propaganda on Business Mail By Maris Tirums hese covers mailed from New York post offices bear the National Recovery Administration Tblue eagle. NRA implemented the National Industrial Recovery Act adopted June 16, 1933. Similar covers from large and small businesses in the early 1930s show use of mail to propagan- dize a government program. NIRA was passed during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first 100 days as president. The New Deal legislation included union collective bargaining rights expansion, fair competition industrial codes, and regulation of working standards and some commodities. The NRA emblem has an eagle with outstretched wings. One claw holds lightning bolts while the other holds a cog representing business and industry. Above the eagle isnra member while we do our part is printed below. Businesses were encouraged to display the emblem as a sign of coöperation with the NRA and as a patriotic gesture. Commercial mail from 1933–1935 often includes the emblem as an adhesive label, printed on the envelope, or hand stamped. The first cover is machine canceled buffalo, dec 13 1933, n.y. on a three-cent Washing- ton regular issue (Scott No. 720). The sender, Direct Sales Company, used a blue handstamp of the NRA eagle which appears under the circular date stamp. The second cover, machine canceled andover, dec 19 1935, n.y. on a three-cent Michigan statehood centenary commemorative (Scott No. 775), was sent by the Dairymen’s League Co- Operative Association and has a printed NRA eagle below the mailer’s logo and address. The Supreme Court had declared NIRA unconstitutional on May 27, in a case brought by a New York City poultry company. This had little practical effect as NIRA would have expired in June without congressional reauthorization. By then, Congress was very unlikely to have done so. The Post Office Department issued a stamp (Scott No. 732) publicizing NIRA. FDR drafted a sketch for its design. This chapter of US history can be studied through this issue and several other stamps with subjects associated with New Deal legislation and personalities. Likewise, postal history items paint an interesting picture of this chapter of our history. ◾

56 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 R L Geneva, New York G E A N K Meets at 8 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays at the I E F S Sawdust Café, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, except for second Wednesdays only from November–February S James Darnell, 136 Lock St., Clyde, NY 14433-1117 T B A L U [email protected], 315-923-7355 M P C

Member Shirley Stowell, left, applied the February 14 Town of Galen bicentennial pictorial postmark. Members look through a tableful of stamps at the April 11 Kiloware Scramble. Finger Lakes’ Youth Clubs Growing s a result of the continuing efforts by Jim Snow, our newly formed youth clubs in Seneca AFalls, Waterloo, and Geneva have grown to 15 active members. In June each member will be creating Independence Day-themed philatelic exhibits in their towns’ libraries. Covers Available We already have created three first day covers this year — one for the April 24 Cherry Blossom Centennial stamps and two for each of the Civil War stamps issued exactly one month later. To order the Cherry Blossom cover at $2.50 and each Civil War cover at $2 each, send payment and an sase to James Darnell, 136 Lock St., Clyde, NY 14433. Programs May 9 — APS program: Postal History of West Germany: U.S. & British Occupation May 23 — annual banquet with program The Philatelic Sherlock Holmes by Joe Coppola June 13 — auction June 27 — U.S. Revenues by Jason Blowers ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 57 Albany, New York Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second & fourth Tuesdays except June–August at Bethany Reformed Church Community Center, 760 New Scotland Ave. Maris Tirums, PO Box 5475, Albany NY 12205-0475 [email protected], 518-438-1657

Members Enjoy Speakers and Annual Auction n February 28, member Elwyn Doubleday (above left) spoke on the long-time benefit Oof the franking privilege. Along with presidents, presidents’ wives, senators, members of Congress, and other selected government officials, any mail to or from a postmaster also traveled with the free marking. He related several stories of abuse of this privilege and limiting the practice through postal reforms. On March 13, member Jerry LaMastra (above right) presented a geographical and historical story of Romania before, during, and after World War I. He also outlined in detail the postal ramifications of the conflict. Auction Twenty-five members and guests gathered for our annual club auction on April 10. Auction manager Maris Tirums assembled about 150 lots and donations. Auctioneer Joe Rudnick executed each lot with speedy efficiency. Just a few more than 50 percent of the lots sold and the club profited about $71 and change from the 10 percent com- Auction helpers: From left, Maris Tirums, mission and the donations. Christine Zimmer, Joe Rudnick, Jim Kirby, Programs and Tom Auletta May 8 — Pink Cancels by Anne Doubleday

May 22 — Annual meeting and club banquet ◾ George McGowan photos

58 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Rome, New York STANWIX STAMP Meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Thursday, except January and February, at Rome Municipal Building, Second Floor FORT Fort Stanwix Stamp Club, PO Box 734, Rome, NY 13442-0374 Patricia A. Hash, 315-339-1019 CLUB

Finding a Long-Sought Set By Stephen Stawiarz found a set of stamps I had sought for 11 years in a 50 percent off box at a show in April. IThey were included with a Mint Stamps of the World, Peoples Republic of China, Fleetwood album page that pictures the six stamps and souvenir sheet of mei (plum) blossoms issued in 1875 (Scott No. 1974–1980). The stamps were described on the back. In 2000 a professor friend went to Taiwan and China to work on a student exchange program. I asked him to bring me some Chinese stamps if he had time. Besides a sheet of the new millennium stamps, he brought me a brochure (shown cropped beneath actual stamps) that included color photos and gold foil versions replicas of the release. I have always wanted to find the actual stamps. The brochure states only: “The Wintersweet of the marsh gold-plating stamp is made by modern chemical etched technology. It’s metal stamp, It’s outside is 24k gold-plating, the stamp is imitated 1:0.9 [reduced] according to real stamp.” The Fleetwood page included the six stamps, souvenir sheet, and mounts in the plastic bind- er. I will frame everything. The gold stamps are as beautiful as the color stamps. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 59 Cooperstown, New York LeatherÇocking Meets at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday, except January Stamp Club and February, at the Tillapaugh home, 28 Pioneer St. of Cooperstown Ellen Tillapaugh, 80 Beaver St., Cooperstown, NY 13326-1202 [email protected], 607-547-5646

Dealers Respond To Show Invitations here has been a nice response to the mailing to the dealers. In mid April we were at five Tdealers who had reserved ten tables for the joint stamp bourse with the Tri-County Stamp Club on October 13 at the Holiday Inn, Route 23. Oneonta Information was sent out to 20 different dealers. Any dealers reading this who would like to claim a table or two can contact Rob- ert Finnegan of the Tri-County Stamp Club at [email protected] for an information packet. Meetings Resume At our first meeting after the winter hiatus on March 1 we welcomed five members. Tim Walker reported that two post offices in Otsego County are probably sched - uled for closure later this year. They are Milford Center and Portlandville. He will keep us posted. We enjoyed a great program by Al Keck titled Steroid Hurdles with a nice assortment of the baseball covers he has created over the years. Peter Craig provided the treasurer’s report. We have a balance of $659.35 which includes $224.62 in Junior Club funds. Income has included dues payments and our only expense was $20 for the mixture purchase from Ashmead Collectible. This mixture will be sorted by members at our May meeting. Time To Pay Dues Our very reasonable dues of $3 for 2012 are due. Please bring your payment to the next meeting. Programs May 3 — Stamp Purchase & Swap for members (club is purchasing a large mixture for fun and sorting pleasure} June 7 — Vatican Philatelic Society by Bob Holstead July 16 — joint meeting with Tri-County Stamp Club at Sidney Civic Center at 7 p.m. August 2 — host Tri-County Stamp Club in Cooperstown September 6 — TBA October 4 — Stamp Collecting Month — What do you Have? (public invited to attend and bring their questions & stamp material) October 13 (Saturday) — joint Tri-County Stamp Club and Leatherstocking Stamp Club bourse, Holiday Inn, Route 23, Oneonta November 1 — TBA ◾

60 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Plattsburgh, New York Meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday in the second floor meeting room of Plattsburgh Public Library, 19 Oak St. Glenn A. Estus, PO Box 451, Westport, NY 12993-0451

StampClub

[email protected], 518-962-4558 NorthCountry

Closing or Not? ate last year the USPS, under pressure from LCongress, placed a moratorium on clo- sures until at least May 15. In mid April, it confirmed that the Port Kent and Severance offices in Es- sex County and Schuyler Falls in Clinton County would close soon after May 15, leaving four other area offices, North Hudson, New Russia, Moriah Center, and Ellenburg, in limbo. The Port Kent office (top) was authorized on May 27, 1826, with Elkanah Watson as postmaster. He had organized the first county fair in the US at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1819 and actively promoted canal building in New York. The office has an officer-in-charge. The Severance office (middle) was established on January 14, 1892. Box holders will receive their mail via rural delivery or at the nearby Schroon Lake Post Office. Severance has had an OIC since 2009 when the postmaster left to take over the North River post office in Warren County. Schuyler Falls (bottom), a few miles outside of Plattsburgh, began as a post office in 1833. The first postmaster was Hiram -Ever est. Schuyler Falls has been managed by a OIC since 2009. The Postmaster Finder website shows that of the four other offices, only North Hudson has an OIC. The other three have tenured post- masters: New Russia (1979), Ellenburg (1992), and Moriah Center (1999). ◾ Glenn A. Estus photos

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 61 EAN A L R Olean, New York O E

A Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Monday

S at Bethany Lutheran Church, 6 Leo Moss Drive T

B Ronald J. Yeager, PO Box 774, Bradford, PA 16701-0774

U P

C [email protected], 814-362-4471

Club Holding Informational Night he Olean Area Stamp Club is seeking beginners, intermediate, and advanced collec- Ttors who want to broaden their collecting experiences. Come join us at 7 p.m. on Mon- day, May 14, as we highlight the club and its activities. The president and some members will be available to answer all your questions. If you wish, please stay for our short business meeting and then join us in our program for the evening which will be our annual Spring Auction. The club meets at the Bethany Lutheran Church which is located at 6 Leo Moss Drive in Olean,. Take Exit 25 from I-86 and proceed one block east. For further information, contact President Ron Yeager at 814-362-4471. ◾ First Days Digital Archives Available digital archive of the American First Day Cover Society’s First Days journal from the A first issue in 1955 through 2011 is available from the AFDCS in a searchable PDF format. A postpaid copy on DVD is $79 or on a USB flash drive for $89. Included are 34,736 pages of material from 395 issues, invaluable for researchers, authors, exhibitors, philatelic judges and just about anyone who enjoys collecting FDCs. Each page appears as it did when it was issued, but is searchable. Even if articles are scat- tered throughout the nearly 60 years the journal has been published, they all can be found in a matter of seconds. For example, want to find all the articles on Dorothy Knapp? Just type “Dorothy Knapp” in the search box and you’ll receive a list of every article on her. Then click on the link to read the article. With back issues provided by Foster Miller and Alan Warren, as well as his own library, project manager Todd Ronnei was able to scan all 57 years in about six months. “The best part was finding information on cachet makers whose name I knew but about whom I knew almost nothing,” Ronnei said. “Dick Monty’s lengthy profiles of cachet makers and others in the FDC hobby are pure gold.” “We’re indebted to Todd Ronnei for making this valuable resource available,” said AFDCS President Lloyd de Vries. “We’ve already used this digital archive to settle a dispute.” The archive is also a time capsule of stamp collecting history, The First Days digital archive is available from the AFDCS at P. O. Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732-6277 or online at the AFDCS website, www.afdcs.org. ◾

62 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Oswego, New York Meets at 6 p.m. on the fourth Monday, except July and August, at Faith United Church, 12 Mark Fitzgibbons Drive Leigh LeClair, 212 Murray St., Oswego, NY 13126-4032 [email protected], 315-342-5653

Club Treasurer Matt Roy Dies arryl Matthew Roy, 62, of Minetto, Ddied on April 14. He was treasurer of both the Oswego Stamp Club and Oswego County Numismatic Association. Roy, a Fulton native, had been employed as a utility technician at the Constellation Nuclear Plant in Scriba until his retirement in August 2010. Roy served in the US Navy from 1968–1972 and was stationed on the USS Con- stellation during the Vietnam War. Contributions may be made to the Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, NE 68410 or www.arborday.org. Removing Self Adhesives Members experimented with removing modern self-adhesive stamps from paper at the March meeting. Member Sewall Oertling demonstrated his success using methods discussed in the American Philatelist. We used Pure Citrus® orange air freshener spray to remove stamps from various backings. The best method was to spray the back of the paper, wait a short time, and gently peel the stamp away. Spraying the front of an envelope or stamp smeared spray cancels. We found the spray works well on envelopes, took a big longer, on thin cardboard such as priority boxes, and did not work on bubble-lined mailers. It could not penetrate the latter even when the lining was removed, likely because an adhesive of some sort remained on the envelope’s interior. Rubbing a bit of baby powder on the gum side easily removes any residue. Club members tried this on a variety of recent stamps starting with those with heavy du- plication and little value. Long-term effects of using Pure Citrus on the stamps is unknown. As a postal history buff, I hope that people would leave modern examples on cover; if they do not, I believe many will continue to simply cut around the stamp, leaving it on paper. The topic provided an interesting hands on topic for our meeting yielding surprisingly good results. Pure Citrus can be found in most stores that sell air freshening products. Sewall found it at a local Home Depot. I found the same product on sale at our local Walmart for $3.92. — Heather Sweeting ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 63 Rochester, New York www.rpastamps.org Meets at 7 p.m. on the second & fourth Thursdays except July and August at Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church, 1200 S. Winton Road Thomas M. Fortunato, 28 Amberwood Place, Rochester, NY 14626-4166 [email protected], 585-225-6822

Ropex 2012 is Here ll Federation members are welcome at A Ropex 2102 May 18–20 at the Sports Cen- tre at MCC in Henrietta. Hours are 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday. We will have 25 dealers and 125 frames of competitive exhibits. New Life Members RPA has two new life members. Jim Sands and Frank Tritto were honored at our annual banquet on March 8. Sands was still in Florida and received his plaque on his return in April. Banquet attendees are shown below. All Welcome to Our Auction New Life Member We can conduct our annual business meeting RPA Vice President Ray Stone, left, pres- in about five minutes, leaving the rest of the ents a life member plaque to Recording night for a live auction. Lots can only be en- Secretary Frank Tritto. tered by RPA members, with a maximum of five lots each. Ten percent of the proceeds go to the club treasury. All collectors are welcome to attend and bid. Programs May 10 — Masonic Stamps and Envelopes by Don Osborne May 24 — Great Britain’s Penny Reds by Larry Rausch June 14 — Annual business meeting and live auction June 28 — Season end Strawberry Festival ◾

64 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 DY S TA TA C M Schenectady, New York E P

N C E L

H U Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday in March–May, SCHAU-NAUGH-TA-DA

C B

October–December at Union Presbyterian Church, 1068 Park Ave. S Ronald K. Ratchford, 1105 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308-2805

[email protected], 518-374-3776 O 0 RG 93 ANIZED 1

Mohawk & Hudson Sesquicentennial played a part in arranging for approximately 20 special postmarks over a period of I about three decades — some related to the Schenectady Stamp Club, some related to the Schenectady County Historical Society, and some related to my parish Church of Saint John the Evangelist. Additionally, some pictorial postmarks pertained to some particular aspect or event of Sche- nectady history. One example of the later type was for the 150th anniversary of the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad (or perhaps more precisely Rail Road, using the spelling of the era). On Sunday, August 9, 1981, there was a special commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the initial trial trip by rail from Albany to Schenectady. The US Postal Service applied the special postmark to a substantial number of items at a site that approximated the western terminus of the 1831 trip. This was atop what once was known as Engine Hill along the current Crane Street in Schenectady. The original train would not have to traverse a relatively steep hill to get to the downtown portion of the city. For a similar reason the eastern terminus was located in what now might be known as the Pine Hills neighborhood of Albany — at a considerably higher altitude than the riverfront portion of the Capital City. Regular service between Albany and Schenectady began on September 24, 1831. A circular postal marking was obtained in both cities on the 150th anniversary of that event. The cachet was printed on a small letter press in the basement of my home after my father set the type for me. Note also the use of an USIRS cigarette tax stamp depicting DeWitt Clinton, former governor of New York State and namesake of the 1831 locomotive. — Ronald K. Ratchford, Club Historian Program A single page night meeting of the club is planned for October 1. There will be no meetings during the summer. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 65 Elkland, Pennsylvania www.stampcampusa.org Conducts youth-oriented activities and adult leader workshops throughout the United States and Canada Laurie A. Kring, 117 Court St., Suite A, Elkland, PA 16920-1447 [email protected], 814-258-5601

Stamp Camp Offers Preschool Curriculum fter months of develop- Aing and testing a new curriculum designed to introduce preschool children to the world of stamps, Stamp Camp USA has announced that the Chil- dren Learn Through Postage Stamps curriculum is being printed and orders are being taken. This is the only pre- This is one of the 40 Pennsylvania Head Start classes that school program based on were involved in testing the new curriculum. philately to ever be offered. The project was headed by Cheryl Edgcomb, former Stamp Camp CEO, and Gretchen Moody, APS Director of Education. Research was prepared to identify subjects in which preschoolers would gain the most benefit. Mathematics, science, physical/health, social studies, technology, and literacy were chosen. Test pilot programs found these skills were strengthened by using the curriculum. Positive feedback from preschool teachers and par- ents was appreciated and helped bring the project to fruition. This has been a costly venture and could not have been accomplished without the aid of grants and donations. Dominion Gas Transmission Corporation was first on board with the project, followed by The Deerfield Charitable Trust, Ian Thom Foundation, Voic- es of the Blue Ridge, and many of our philatelic friends and educators. We are profoundly grateful for this support to produce the first ever preschool stamp collecting curriculum. Orders for the curriculum are being accepted by contacting Stamp Camp. Further information will be available by visiting our www.stampcampusa.org. Stamp Camp has been actively putting together camps with our local girl scouts, a nearby home school organization, and our local private school. All of the 3-D exhibits completed in the next month during these camps will be taken to Rochester where they will be on display at Ropex 2012 stamp show. Stamp Camp will be in Denver for the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show on May 18–20 and in Washington D.C., from July 24–26 to host a congressional stamp camp. Stop by and see us if you will be attending either of these venues. ◾

66 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Staten Island, New York www.sistamps.org Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first & third Monday, except July and Staten Island August, at Messiah Lutheran Church, 195 Jefferson Blvd., Annadale Philatelic Society Charles R. Carlson, 30 Hopping Ave., Staten Island, NY 10307-1219 [email protected], 718-984-7880

The German SA/SS Stamps Controversy have been studying the German,SA/SS I stamps on cover, which are quite contro- versial even after 67 years. I have been reading about them in recent Germany Philatelic Soci- ety journals. There have been an ongoing series of articles about these, and the controversy surrounding them just does not seem to go away. The latest article seemed to hinge on the definition and translation of some bizarre and rare postal language found in the 1945 postal regulations as the Third Reich burned to its demise. The stamps apparently were issued primarily in Berlin, unlikely elsewhere, as the Russians surrounded the city. It seems bizarre to me that anyone was interested in philately as their house burned and their family died. Was it even possible for these stamps to be used to send mail to anyone? Did anyone really send birthday greetings to Tante Emilie as your world was crashing to a pile of rubble? Or, even less likely, was anyone mailing in his party dues or paying an electric bill in late April 1945? Apparently, some who think these covers are legitimate believe that indeed this hap- pened. Possibly some fanatical collectors wanted examples of these soon-to-be politically incorrect items with postal cancels, or possibly a stamp dealer in April 1945 wanted some of these postally used so he could sell them as rare items decades later, or possibly they are all contrived or forged which seems more likely. I do not have any of them on cover or even used. I do have a single stamp, the Oldenburg issue, cancelled on May 5, 1945, in Enns, Austria, on the day that the US Third Army entered the city. It was a Sunday, but possibly someone wanted to send birthday greetings to a cousin or pay his party dues, his phone bill, or, more likely, a philatelic GI gave a postal clerk some cigarettes to provide a back dated philatelic souvenir of his entry into the city. In any event, I have the sole certificate in my collection, based on a photo copy of the cancelled stamp, saying that as far as can be determined from a photo copy, the cancel is legitimate. Possibly. All I was asking was if the expert might provide an expertization of such a loose, off paper (no gum) stamp. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 67 Syracuse, New York www.syracusestampclub.org Meets at 8 p.m. the first & third Fridays at the Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Ave.

Organized 1919 Allen Swift, PO Box 593, East Syracuse, NY 13057-0593 APS Chapter 50 [email protected], 315-457-3201 Honoring Richard Netzband ichard Netzband joined the stamp club in February R1977. He was vice president in 1983–1984. He has probably attended more meetings than anyone in the last 35 years. Netzband has been our “facilities manager” and librarian since 1986 when club meetings were moved to the Reformed Church of Syracuse on Teall Avenue. He sets up the tables and chairs and makes all requested facilities available for meetings, presentations, etc., including fresh coffee. He has assisted set up and take down for most Syrapex shows. Netzband started collecting stamps in 1937. He collects a variety of philatelic items but mainly stamps from the United States, Canada, Spain, Ireland, Australia, and Great Britain. He turned 84 last month, so wish him a happy birthday. Remembering Lynn Goodfellow Lynn Goodfellow, 59, of North Syracuse died on March 1. He joined the club in 2000 and served as its president from 2002 to 2006. He was the committee chairman of Syrapex 2003 and 2005. Goodfellow has not been an active member the past few years due to his illness. He retired from Nationwide Insurance in 2002 following 25 years of service as an un- derwriter. Contributions may be made to the Humane Association of CNY, 4915!/™ West Taft Road., Liverpool, NY 13088 Pizza Remember that in addition to obtaining more stamps for your collection and learning more about the hobby, you can also eat well. At the May 4 meeting we will be having a variety of pizzas and drinks. Come and join us. Programs* May 4 — Topical Collecting by Dan Kay; pizza and drinks May 18 — auction Jun 1 — British West Indies by John Davis Jun 15 —Syracuse Covers by Mike Ammann Jun 29 - auction; no business meeting July 6 — Swap and Shop * Remember that the club auctions off ten lots every meeting night ◾

68 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Ticonderoga, New York Meets at noon on the fourth Wednesday at Emerald’s Restaurant, Rt. 9N, Ti Country Club Stan Burdick, 129 The Portage, Ticonderoga, NY 12883-1414 [email protected], 518-585-7015

The Man Behind Willie and Joe he most loved, most accomplished World War II editorial cartoonist, Bill Mauldin T(1921–2003), created the famous pair, Willie and Joe. We find them first as depicted in the World War II block of 10 stamps (Scott No. 2765h) and later shown with Mauldin himself on Scott No. 4445. His work appeared in Stars and Stripes and was syndicated in stateside newspapers. Needless to say, the shenanigans, the hopes, the frustrations, the humor portrayed so fittingly by Mauldin’s pen-and-ink renderings during the war years brought immeasur- able joy and relief to battle-weary GIs in the trenches at the time. On a personal note, I had the chance to meet Mauldin in his last years at a National Car- toonists Society (NCS) event in California, where hundreds of comic fans came to meet their hero and pay their respects. Alzheimer’s and complications soon shortened his life. Mauldin has the distinction of winning a 1945 Pulitzer at the age of 23, In 1961 he was given the NCS Reuben, the highest award for cartoonists. Stamps, comics and history make a good interest combination for me. How about you? Club Going Strong The club is more than a year old and going strong. Evidence of this is an all-time good attendance at our holiday meeting of close to 20 people. The secret there was to invite friends and spouses. That worked so well we encourage friends and spouses to come to each meeting, and we average 12 to 15 monthly. Featured at meetings are speakers on stamps and history, lunch, auctions, show-and-tell, other club reports, business, and a nice door prize each time. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 69 Sidney, New York Meets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday, except January and February, September–June at Sidney Civic Center, 21 Liberty St., and July–August at Sidney Memorial Public Library, 8 River St. Robert Finnegan, 10 O’Neill Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820-1154 [email protected], 607-432-8141

Working With Students Jeanne Doelger (left) and a parent working with students, with Spike Paranya at a back table at the March meeting, when the club resumed meeting. Steven McCarthy and Bob Rightmire working with other students (right). Club Hosts School Club Members he Tri-County Stamp Club began its new calendar year by hosting the Sidney Elemen- Ttary School Stamp Club’s 16 members. Robert Finnegan got lots of help from the membership in providing a high octane meeting whereby the budding philatelists had the opportunity to pursue four different activities during the two-hour affair. Prior to the meeting with the children business included more preliminary plans for the upcoming October 13 stamp bourse being held at the Holiday Inn in Oneonta. Pres- ently we have five dealers who have reserved ten tables. We hope to contact additional dealers to participate. The club will be busy this summer during the months of July and August in unison with the Leatherstocking Club of Cooperstown, but more of that in the July–August Stamp Insider. The April meeting of the club met for another APS slide presentation, this one dealing with Irish Philately. The May meeting was to be developed by Steve McCarthy and the topic was to be The Use of Computers with Philately. Program Ideas Sought The Program Committee will be entertaining suggestions for next year’s program. Finnegan has put together a Power Point Presentation that needs some finishing touches on the topic titled Bastards and Philately. It is hoped that other members will step forward

with sharing their expertise or interest with the rest of us. ◾ Robert Finnegan photos

70 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 M STA Troy, New York A M S P Meets at 7 p.m. on the first & third Wednesdays March–May and E C L

September–November and the first Wednesday December–February L

at Holiday Inn Express, 400 Old Loudon Road, Latham B

Terrill S. Miller, 604 Sand Creek Rd., Albany, NY 12205-2435 T R . [email protected], 518-869-6872 OY, N.Y

Stamp Stories and the Lindbergh Booklet n March 21 guest Maris Tirums (left) recollected five unusual stamp stories. The first Owas the Dag Hammarskjöld invert. Following the unexpected death of the United Nations Secretary-General on September 18, 1961, the US Post Office Department issued a commemorative stamp in his honor on October 23, 1962. After a sheet of a color invert was discovered, the POD, stating that it was not in the business of making people rich, reissued the stamp with all sheets having the same color inverted. Next, Tirums detailed the recalled Legends of the West sheet, expanding on the reason for the recall, and the lottery involved in getting an example for one’s collection. Following came the German debacle with the Audrey Hepburn stamp and its relationship to smoking, which easily merged into number four and the USPS’ move toward political correctness and the absence of smoking on any US postage stamp. Finally, the last story was the World War II 50th anniversary sheets and the one stamp depicting the atom bomb. After protests from many sectors, the stamp was changed to a scene with President Harry S. Truman on the stamp. A Short Life At the April 4 meeting, local aviation historian Jim Kirby (right) gave the history of Scott No. C10a, the ten-cent Lindbergh booklet stamp, which had a very short period of usage as the USPOD soon would lower the rate to five cents. Any of these on cover during the correct period are rare. Kirby has been collecting this issue for a long time and displayed many fine examples on and off cover. One of the highlights is a perfin stamp used on cover during

George McGowan photos the correct time period. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 71 ER U AT T I E C Utica, New York R

A Meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday, except January G and February, at New Hartford Town Library, 2 Library Lane S Joseph F. Kalynycz, 7539 Rickmeyer Road, Rome, NY 13440-0454 T B A U M P C L 315-338-0590, [email protected]

Club Resumes Meetings pring has once again arrived and with it begins our annual meetings. Members are re- Sminded that the club has changed its meeting night from the first Tuesday to the second Monday, except for the May meeting which will be on the third Tuesday, the 15th. Video Presentation In March we began the season with a video presentation titled American Stamps. This half- hour show that was shown on PBS depicted some of the US stamp designers and also the design process a stamp goes through from stamp suggestions by the American public to a final design. An art director develops concepts for the stamps then chooses a designer who would best depict the image. Research for stamps was discussed and this included the Legends of the West error sheet. The documentary’s producers have posted the video on YouTube. It is now embedded on the Stamp Insider home page. More information about the program may be found at www.pbs.org/americanstamps. Circuit Books I missed our April meeting due to illness, but planned for the night’s program was a circuit book sale. The American Philatelic Society provides circuit books for stamp sales and these are managed by our club’s Phil Kane and Steve McCarthy. In the past I have been able to purchase some very nice Austrian and Bosnian- Hersecovinian stamps. Also, I received a good value on pre-1900 US stamps and one purchase of 107 used Celebrate the Century stamps out of the 150 in the complete set. Good values indeed. ◾

Shameless Promotion — Newspaper publishers in the nineteenth and early twentieth century often offered a variety of services. In addition to daily and weekly papers, this Utica printer also offered book and job printing.

72 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 W M Spencerport, New York P S ORGANIZED FEB. 7, 1961 http://westernmonroephilatelicsociety.blogspot.com APS 560-44599 Meets from 6:30–9 p.m. on the second Tuesday at Ogden Farmers’ Library, 269 Ogden Center Road Gary Musante, 107 Sherwood Drive, Brockport, NY 14420-1451 585-637-9091, [email protected]

Migratory Bird Hunting Stamps By Gary Musante gave a presentation on the Migratory IBird Hunting Stamps, more commonly called duck stamps, at a recent meeting. I have a few in my collection but knew little about them. I was surprised on how much I learned in preparing my program. First issued in 1934 and not valid for postage, mint and used copies are collected in many of the same ways as postage stamps. FDC covers and commemorative panels are available for recent issues. Since 1949 the government has held an open design competition. A special relationship between collectors and designers has developed. It is popular to collect designers’ autographs on the stamps. Original artwork and reproduction prints are sold in many formats. Calendars, posters, coffee mugs, T-shirts, and other items can be found. An option is to obtain stamps which have received an artist’s remarque, which is an additional painting done directly on the printed stamps. Those by the stamp’s original designer are the most prized. There is a single cover with the first issue (RW1) used as postage and sent on theGraf Zeppelin to Brazil in 1934. A more affordable collecting opportunity is to collect the duck stamps used on the various state hunting license forms. With the success of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamps many states and foreign countries now have programs of their own. In many cases the money raised is used to help protect various wildlife habitats and fund educational programs. A comprehensive history and more information can be found on the government’s site (www.fws.gov/duckstamps), as well as on design contests and the Junior Duck Stamp program and design contests. Additional information about collecting duck stamps can be found on the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society site (http://ndscs.org) and the Smithson- ian Arago site http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=4&cmd=2&eid=369&slide=toc and

Images Courtesy Smithsonian National Postal Museum http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=1&tid=2039670. ◾

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 73 o ion f Ne at w r Y e o Schenectady, New York d r e k F Meets biannually to conduct Federation business

. . P . Federation Secretary h c i n Ronald K. Ratchford, 1105 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308-2805 la I t s, el ie [email protected], 518-374-3776 ic Societ

Free Old-Style Frames To a Good Home he Federation has eleven of the old style nine-page wooden exhibit frames available to any TFederation organization who wants one or all. These include extra plate glass. Those interested may contact George McGowan at [email protected] or 518-479-4396. A monetary donation to the Federation is suggested. The frames were donated by the Newburgh Stamp Club to the Federation for the Stamp Expo 400 show in 2009. Annual Meeting Reminder The 2012 annual meeting of the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies will have a new venue and later date this year. The business meeting will be conducted at the Northeast Postal History & Ephemera Show at 1 p.m. on August 4 at the Polish Community Center at 225 Washington Avenue Extension in Albany. The agenda will include discussion of ideas to promote growth of member organizations and revenue generation ideas. For the past several years the meeting had been conducted at the Ropex show in Roch- ester. Dwindling attendance at that meeting prompted the change. See the advertisements on page 23. Other Federation Member Clubs

ILATEL PH IC M SO A C Founded N IE T 1976 T U Y

❍ ❍

AP 1 S Chapter 106 Fulton Stamp Club John A. Cali, P. O. Box 401, Fulton, NY 13069-0401, phone 315-592-4441 is the Fulton Club contact. Meetings are on the third Wednesdays, except July and August, at different locations. Ithaca Philatelic Society Yoram B. Szekely, 104 Klinewoods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850-2229, [email protected], 607-257-5346 is the Ithaca club contact. Meetings are on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in Morrison Hall Room 384, Cornell University. Putnam Philatelic Society Drew A. Nicholson, 18 Valley Drive, Pawling, NY 12564-1140, [email protected], is the Putnam club contact. Meetings are on the first and third Fridays at 7 p.m. in the third floor cafeteria of Guideposts, Seminary Hill in Carmel. ◾

74 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Philateli-Calamity By Stan Burdick

Advertiser Index 1847–1950 Mostly Stamps...... 5 McCloud Stamps & Covers...... 31, 76 aGatherin’...... 39 E. Joseph McConnell, Inc...... 9 John B. Amberman...... 39 Mystic Stamp Company...... 40–41 American First Day Cover Society...... 37 N.E. Postal History, Ephemera Show...... 23 American Topical Association...... 37 Nassau Street Stamps & Collectibles...... 13 Art Cover Exchange...... 37 Nojex 2012...... 19 Azusa Stamps and Collectibles...... 17 Ropex 2012...... 29 Frank Bachenheimer...... 25 Stamp Insider Advertising...... 31 Frank J. Buono...... 27 Subway Stamp Shop, Inc...... 14–15 Capital District Monthly Show...... 7 Suburban Stamps, Coins & Collectibles...... 77 Champion Stamp Co...... 21 Syracuse Stamps & Collectibles Show...... 9 Cover Connection...... 7 Thousand Islands Show...... 76 Digger’s Antiques, Stamps, Collectibles...... 40 Harry Tong...... 19 Elwyn Doubleday...... 5 Vidiforms Company...... Back Cover Empire State Postal History Society...... 37 Virtual Stamp Club...... 37 Federation of NY Philatelic Societies...... 23 Washington Press...... Inside Front Cover Sidney Fenemore...... 37 Douglas Weisz U.S. Covers...... 76 Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc...... 11 West Seneca Shows...... 77 Journal of Antiques & Collectibles...... 31 John L. Leszak...... 25 Click on an ad to visit a website or Lincoln Coin and Stamp Co...... 77 contact an advertiser. Let them Know Lindner–USA...... Inside Back Cover Steve Malack Stamps...... 37 You Saw It in the Stamp Insider!

May / June 2012 • Stamp Insider / 75 34th ANNUAL Shows

1000 ISLANDS INTERNATIONAL COIN, E-MAIL: g STAMP, POSTCARD, GEM, MINERAL, & Bourses PAPER, AND COLLECTIBLES SHOW May

CLAYTON ARENA [email protected] 4–6 — Boxborough, MA ROUTE 12E Northeastern Federation of CLAYTON, NEW YORK 13624 Stamp Clubs Philatelic Show JULY 28–29, 2012 2011, Holiday Inn at Route SATURDAY 9 A.M.–5 P.M. SUNDAY 9 A.M.–2 P.M. 111, Exit 28 off I-495. 11–6 SET UP NOON–7 P.M. JULY 27 May 4, 10–5 May 5, 10–4 May FOR BOURSE SPACE AND TABLE PRICES 6. www.nefed.org. CONTACT: GEORGE A. MINGLE 6 — Dedham, MA BOX 4, CAPE VINCENT, NY 13618-0004 First Sunday Stamp & Coin 315–654–2370 Show, Holiday Inn, 55 Ari- adane Road. 9–3:30. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, ROPEX Table 3 [email protected]. 13 — Meriden, CT Douglas Weisz U.S. Covers Second Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Comfort Inn, Buying & Selling 900 East Main St.. 9–3:30. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, FDCs, Flights, Events, [email protected]. 15 — Northampton, MA Postal History & Stationery Third Tuesday Stamp & P.O. Box 1458-I Coin Show, World War II Veterans Association, 50 Conz McMurray, PA 15317-4458 St. 10:30–7. Harry Tong, 603- 773-914-4332 978-3459, [email protected]. 18–20 — Rochester www.douglasweisz.com RPA Ropex 2012, ESL Sports [email protected] Centre, Monroe Com- munity College, 2700 Brighton–Henrietta Town ROPEX Table 9 Line Rd. 11–6 May 18, 10–5 NOW BUYING: U.S. & THE WORLD! May 19, 10–3 May 20. stamptmf@frontiernet. MMcCloudcCloud net, www.rpastamps.org. Stamps & Covers 20 — Albany Capital District Monthly Coins & Sports Memorabilia Stamp & Collectibles • Estate Appraisals Show, Best Western Soveri- • Liquidations gn, 1228 Western Ave. 10–4. • Large & Small Collections Thomas Auletta, 518-899- • Stamp & Coin Supplies 3027 or George McGowan, CALL for an APPOINTMENT or 518-479-4396. WE’LL TRAVEL TO YOU! 27 — West Seneca Call Today! 585.507.3533 Stamp, Coin, Postcard & Rochester, New York Collectibles Show, Harvey D. Morin VFW Post 2940, 965

76 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 Center Rd. 10–4. Bourse. Vic- tor Drajem, 716-656-8080. Stamp, Coin, Postcard June & Collectibles Show 3 — Dedham, MA SUNDAY Hours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. First Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Holiday Inn, 55 Ari- May 27, June 24, adane Rd. 9–3:30. September 23, October 28, Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, November 25 & december 9 [email protected]. 3 — Syracuse Free Admission & Parking! Syracuse Stamp, Coin & Harvey D. Morin VFW Post 2940 Collectibles Show, Carrier Circle Hotel, Thruway exit 965 Center Road, West Seneca, NY 35. 10–4:30. Bourse. Ed Contact: Victor Drajem • phone: 716-656-8080 Bailey, 315-452-0593. 10 — Meriden, CT Second Sunday Stamp & Coin Show, Comfort Inn, Lincoln Coin and Stamp Co., Inc. 900 East Main St. 9–3:30. Complete Line of Coin & Stamp Supplies Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected]. We Buy Stamps, Coins, Picture Post Cards, 17 — Albany Old Envelopes, Capital District Monthly Pan American Expo Material Stamp & Collectibles Show, Best Western Soveri- Come In and Look gn, 1228 Western Ave. 10–4. Around Thomas Auletta, 518-899- Free Parking 3027 or George McGowan, 33 West Tupper St. 518-479-4396. at Pearl Street 19 — Northampton, MA Buffalo, NY 14202-1710 Third Tuesday Stamp & Coin Phone 716-856-1884 Show, World War II Veterans Assn., 50 Conz St. 10:30–7. Harry Tong, 603-978-3459, [email protected]. Suburban Stamps, Coins 23 — Quechee, VT & Collectibles Vermont Philatelic Society Always Buying & Upper Valley Stamp Club Vermont State Stamp Show, 315•452•0593 Mid Vermont Christian School, 399 W. Gilson Ave. 9–3. John Open: Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Lutz, [email protected]. Saturday 9 a.m.–1 p.m. 24 — West Seneca 120 Kreischer Road Stamp, Coin, Postcard & North Syracuse, NY 13212-3251 Collectibles Show, Harvey D. Morin VFW Post 2940, 965 Just off Taft Road 1⁄2 mile east of Rt. 81 Center Rd. 10–4. Bourse. Vic- Mark Szuba • Edward Bailey tor Drajem, 716-656-8080. ◾ ROPEX Table 14

May / June 2012• Stamp Insider / 77 The Last Words Heather Sweeting, Associate Editor 14329 Victory St. Sterling NY 13156-3172 315-947-6761; [email protected]

The Secrets To Happy Bidding ROPEX ! ave you bid in an auction lately? They can be both fun and challenging. Think Come Visit Us At Hof the term BIDDING for some tips to use while participating in both online Booth 29 and live auctions. B: Buyer beware / Buyer premiums. Most online dealers are extremely trustwor- thy, but there are many fakes and forgeries of high-value stamps. It may be better to buy high-priced items from a reputable auction house or dealer rather than from an unknown online seller. Magnify scans to twice the size, if necessary. If you are looking for jumbo margins and grading certificates, it may be better to preview the stamps in person. Live auctions have buyer premiums, which mean there will be an additional fee of 5–20 percent of the winning bid. There might be a discount for paying in cash. I: Investigate the items. This can mean reading descriptions, examining photos, compar- ing catalogue values to estimates in live auctions, digging through box lots, etc. For online auctions, check other sales and dealers for recent prices realized and rarity. Knowledge is key. It may be possible to get further information or scans via e-mail from a larger auction house. D: Determine your highest bid. Don’t bid excessively or get caught up in a bidding LINDNER Publications has all of your stamp supplies and accessories. war. Bid the highest price you are willing to pay for the item. D: Don’t bid early. Those who do often ending up bidding against themselves, driving up Check out our great deals on Stockbooks, Magniﬁ ers, FDC-Albums, the final price. Put items you are interested in on a watch list. If possible, place your first bid in and so much more! the last 30 seconds. Know that many sniping programs will jump in with bids in the last ten seconds. If you aren’t able to be at the computer at the end of the auction you might consider using a sniping program to place a bid in your absence. These are programs that will bid for you We have the storage solutions for YOU. for a small fee. Don’t bid excessively. Patience is the key. You might place a small bid in the last 30 seconds, as a test to see if a previous bidder has bid higher. If you really want an item in an online auction, bid slightly more than you think you will need to in the last ten seconds. I: Inquire about shipping policies. If shipping and handling cost more than the item, it might not be worth buying. Does the seller offer a return policy if you aren’t satisfied? N--Negative feedback. Some online auctions have a way to rate sellers. Often buyers leave comments about their purchases, such as if the items arrived safely packaged, etc. You might not want to deal with a seller wo has a great deal of negative feedback. Check carefully though; a seller who has sold 20,000 items and has one to five unsatisfied customers, might still be worth dealing with. Read the negative comments, which might involve postal damage, delivery issues, etc. If a seller has only 20 feedbacks and five are negative, you might not want to bid. LINDNER Publications, Inc. 800-654-0324 G – Go ahead and bid. You might get some great bargains for your collection! ◾ PO Box 5056 Syracuse, NY 13220 · www.lindner-usa.com 78 / Stamp Insider • May / June 2012 SAVE NOW ! Order now and save 20% off our catalog prices. Please use Coupon Code: MP909 to save !

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