// JOURNAL OF SPORTS PHILATEIY VOLUME 35 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1996 NUMBER 2 Post and Communications at the 1996 Centennial Olympics NAURU Atlami M Nauru's First Olympics Nauru competed in the Olympics for the first time at the 1996 Games. This small island nation in the Pacific Ocean commemorated its participation with a first-day-of-issue ceremony on July 21 during Olymphilex '96. TABLE OF CONTENTS ARTICLES Post and Communications at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games Thomas Lippert 4 1998 Commonwealth Games Postcards Lim Lik 14 Spiridon Louis and the 1896 Olympic Marathon Race Laurentz Jonker 16 Billiards: Variations on the Game Dominique Hardy2 0 REGULAR FEATURES & COLUMNS President's Message Mark Maestrone 1 Letters Mark Maestrone 2 Auction News Mark Maestrone 24 The Sports Arena Mark Maestrone 26 SPORTS Reviews of Periodicals D. Crockett & M. Maestrone2 8 PHILATELISTS News of Our Members Margaret Jones 31 New Stamp Issues Dennis Dengel 32 INTERNATIONAL Commemorative Stamp Cancels Mark Maestrone 34 SPORTS PHILATELISTS INTERNATIONAL 1996 ATLANTA PRESIDENT: Mark C. Maestrone, 2824 Curie Place, San Diego, CA 92122 VICE-PRESIDENT: Charles V. Covell, Jr.. 2333 Brighton Drive, Louisville, KY 40205 OLYMPIC GAMES SECRETARY-TREASURER: Peter Meade, 401 E. Burnsville Pkwy, #112, Burnsville, MN 55337-2844 DIRECTORS: Glenn A. Estus. P.O. Box 451. Westport, NY 12993 Norman F. Jacobs. Jr., 2712 N. Decatur Rd.. Decatur, GA 30033 m John La Porta, P.O. Box 2286, La Grange, IL 60525 Sherwin D. Podolsky. 3074 Sapphire Avenue. Simi Valley, CA 93063 Jeffrey R. Tishman, 37 GriswoW Place. Glen Rock, NJ 07452 Robert J. Wilcock, 24 Hamilton Cres., Brentwood, Essex, CM 14 5ES, England AUCTIONS: Glenn A. Estus, P.O. Box 451. Westport, NY 12993 MEMBERSHIP: Margaret A. Jones, 5310 Lindenwood Ave., St Louis, MO 63109 1998 COMMONWEALTH SALES DEPARTMENT: Cora B. Collins. P.O. Box 21B3. Norfolk. VA 23501 GAMES Sports Philatelists International is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and collecting of postage stamps and related collateral material dealing with sports (including Olympics) and recreation and to p. 14 the promotion of international understanding and goodwill through mutual interest in philately and sports. Its activities are pbnned and carried on entirety by the unpaid, volunteer services of its members. Annual dues: $ 12.00 U.S. membership, $ 18.00 foreign (Surface Mail), $24.00 foreign (Airmail). JOURNAL OF SPORTS PHILATELY SPIRIDON LOUIS PUBLISHER: John La Porta, P.O. Box 2286, La Grange. IL 60525 p. 16 EDITOR: Mark C Maestrone, 2824 Curie Place, San Diego, CA 92122 ASSISTANT EDITOR: Sherwin D. Podolsky, 3074 Sapphire Avenue, Simi Valley, CA 93063 ASSOCIATE EDITORS: James Bowman, 3459 Township Avenue, Simi Valley, CA 93063 Dennis M. Dengel, 17 Peckham Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 Glenn A. Estus, P.O. Box 451, Westport, NY 12993 AD MANAGER: Stephen Rock, 3300 Waterman Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23452 CIRCULATION: Margaret A. Jones, 5310 Lindenwood Ave., St Louis, MO 63109 PUBUCITY: Glenn A. Estus. P.O. Box 451, Westport, NY 12993 BILLIARDS ADVERTISING RATES: Cover $35.00: Full Page $32.00; Half Page $ 17.00; Quarter Page $ 10.00. Advance payment for all advertising must accompany copy. Camera ready copy must be supplied by the advertiser. Publishing deadlines; Jan. 15, Mar. 15, May 15, July 15, Sept 15, Nov. 15 for the following Issue. Single copy p. 20 price $2.50 postpaid. APS Affiliate Number 39 ISSN 0447-953X. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and they do not necessarily represent VOL 35, NO. 2 those of die editor, the officers of SPI or the position of SPI itself. All catalogue numbers quoted in this publication are from Scott's Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue unless specifically stated otherwise. SPI and JSP do not guarantee NOV-DEC 1996 advertisements, but accept copy in good faith, reserving the right to reject objectionable material. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE by Mark Maestrone So Where Does SPI Go From Here? A new board of directors took office on Septem­ Visitors to our expanded web site can find out ber 1, and I'm sure that all of you join me in wel­ more about our society, view a list of our house coming our new Vice-President, Charles Covell, and publications and cacheted covers for sale, partici­ Board Member, Jeffrey Tishman. Understandably, pate in question and answer sessions, and much it's difficult to get excited about a slate of candi­ more. Further improvements will hopefully include dates running unopposed, so I'm pleased that 53 reproductions of articles from our journal and up-to- members took the time to send in ballots. date philatelic news of interest to sport and Olym­ Getting right down to work, our first board pic philatelists. letter was circulated on September 20. In it, I set I mentioned earlier that one of our five goals is forth five goals for this two-year term: the promotion and use of more sport and Olympic related cancels in the U.S. Taking the bull by the 1 Adopt new by-laws to augment a revised SPI horns, SPI will be sharing a meter machine with our constitution; publisher, Custom Impressions. Each year, we will 2 Establish a closer, and hopefully official, rela­ use two different meter die hubs on outgoing SPI tionship with the U.S. Olympic Committee; mail. These will honor a U.S. Olympic gold medalist 3 Continue to improve the content and appear­ who has never been philatelically commemorated. ance of our journal; To be fair in our selection process, one meter will 4 Coordinate a program of event cancels with honor a summer Olympian, the other a winter sport U.S. National (Sports) Governing Bodies; competitor. Our first honorees are: Carol Heiss 5 Develop more handbooks and monographs on (Ladies Figure Skating, 1960) and Duke Kahana- both individual sport and Olympic topics. moku (Men's Swimming, 1912, 1920, 1924). We're excited about the possibilities as we begin Your board welcomes any help from members this new Olympic quadrennium. We hope that wishing to assist us in furthering these goals. you'll join us by contributing your ideas, writing an We are also in need of a new JSP Advertising article for the journal, or volunteering some of your Manager. Our current manager, Stephen Rock (who time. has done a marvelous job, by the way), can no longer continue as he has been overwhelmed with Before closing, I'd like to offer my congratula­ business commitments. No artistic talent is re­ tions to SPI member, George Killian. At the recent quired. Interested? Please contact your President for IOC Session at Atlanta, George was named the more information. third U.S. member of the International Olympic Those members who "surf the net" may have Committee. He will serve in this position for the noted our web site address (shown at the bottom of duration of his presidency of FIBA (International this page) has changed. That's because we have a Basketball Federation). George also received the new Webmaster, Peter Laimins, who has donated Olympic Order from IOC President, Juan Antonio space provided to him by his internet server. Samaranch. SPI World Wide Web Site: http://www.concentric.net/~laimins/spi.html \ Journal of Sports Philately November/December 1996 I LETTERS by Mark Maestrone Olymphilex Selection Process Ex­ Olymphilex '96 Palmares plained Addendum I wish to correct something concerning the My collection entitled "Baseball," which was information you published on page 29 ["The Sports entered in the competitive class at Olymphilex '96, Arena," September/October 1996] on Olymphilex received a large silver medal (79 points). Unfortu­ 2000. nately, I did not see my name listed among SPI Olymphilex, a world exhibition of Olympic members printed in the Palmares in the Journal of philately organized on the occasion of a summer Sports Philately ("Olymphilex '96 Palmares," Sep­ Olympic Games, belongs to FIPO/IOC and conse­ tember/October 1996, pp 14-16). quently can be organized only by FIPO/IOC. Thank you for your attention. In organizing such an event, FIPO/IOC requires the collaboration of the Organizing Committee of Valentino Vannelli the Games (in this case, the Sydney Organizing Grosseto, Italy Committee for the Olympic Games, or SOCOG) and the inclusion of Olymphilex as part of the [Your editor regrets the omission, and congratulates Mr. Cultural Olympiad. Valentino on his excellent award.] Once the organization of an Olymphilex has been decided upon, FIPO/IOC and the Organizing More on Conan Doyle & Committee of the Games eventually contact the [host country] postal administration, in this case W.G. Grace Australia Post. In a second stage, contacts with the local Associ­ Thanks to the good offices of one of your ation of Olympic-sports philatelists (member of members, I have seen the article "Sherlock Holmes FIPO) and the national philatelic federation may be and the Sticky Wicket" which appeared in your taken, should the patronage of FIP be requested. January-February [1996] edition. Consequently, what you communicated in "The May I congratulate the author for producing Sports Arena" on Olymphilex 2000 is the result of such an interesting and well-researched article. an initiative taken by somebody who could not have I did however find one very important omission taken it! in the article, namely the lack of any reference to To complete the information, I draw your Doyle's greatest cricketing feat. On 25 August 1900, attention to the fact that next December I will go to Doyle dismissed the legendary W.G. Grace (see Sydney, together with Mr. Bergman, Coordinator of Figure 2 in the article). This occasion has been the IOC Commission of Olympic Collectors, in marked philatelically [Editor's note: a copy of a order to decide, together with those responsible in cacheted cover for the 95th anniversary of this SOCOG and the Australia Post, on the possibility event was enclosed, but a lack of space prevents of organizing Olymphilex 2000.