Fourth Bureau Issue Committee

2004 Annual Board Meeting Committee Report

The committee currently has three regularly participating members, keeping in touch by mail and email.  Current research includes a census of auction lots of major items such as imperfs between, etc.

We published the discovery of plate number 4946 on the blue paper 13¢ Washington, Scott #365, in the March, 2004 issue of The Specialist.  Jay Stotts is writing the weekly column "Stamp Facts" for Linn's Stamp News.  The column as offered by Jay commenced with Scott #551 and is continuing into the Scott #700s.  Jerry Katz is a regular contributor to First Days.

Jay Stotts exhibits Fourth Bureau Issues, Rate Usages of the Fourth Bureau Issue, The Great Americans, Early U.S. Airmail on Worlwide Routes, A Natural History of Mountains, Usages of the Austrian Costume Series and a multitude of single frames.  Jerry Katz exhibits various aspects of the 11¢ Hayes flat plate printings.

2003 Annual Board Meeting Committee Report

The committee has four regularly participating members, keeping in touch by mail, email, phone, newsletter.  Current research includes the following: Jerry Katz continues to do research on early FDCs, especially those of the Fourth Bureau Era.  In 2003, he was named the winner of the 2002 Philip H. Ward, Jr. Award of Excellence in FDC Literature for his June 1, 2002, First Days article titled "FDCs of the Special Delivery Issue of 1922."

Rod Juell presented a talk entitled "Collecting the U.S. Stamps of 1921-32: The 4th Bureau Era" at StampShow 2003 in Columbus with the "byline" United States Stamp Society.

2002 Annual Board Meeting Committee Report

The committee has four to five members, keeping in touch by mail, email, phone, newsletter.  Current research includes the following: Jerry Katz is doing extensive research on early First Day Cover cachet makers, especially Henry Hammelman.  His latest research deals with Hammelman's servicing of reciprocal first day of service for international special delivery between the U.S. and foreign countries.  Jay Stotts continues his 18-year census of key Fourth Bureau Issue items sold through auction.

2001 Annual Board Meeting Committee Report

The committee has approximately five members but is relatively inactive.  Committee members include Jay Stotts, Gary Griffith, Tony Callendrello, George Wagner and Jerry Katz.

The Fourth Bureau Issue Committee has been very active in the last decade, with many articles in The Specialist, especially by Jay Stotts on rates and usages and by Gary Griffith on the stamps, proofs, etc.; thus almost all possible discoveries have been made and reported.  By late 2000 or early 2001, Griffith's second book, published by Linn's, on the U.S. stamp issues of 1927-33 will appear.  This book will contain some new data on our issues.

2000 Annual Board Meeting Committee Report

The FBI Committee is currently dormant, although the committee members individually are very active.  George Wagner (imperforates), Jerry Katz (11¢ Hayes), Pat Walters (Kans. & Nebr.) and Jay Stotts (Fourth Bureau production & rates) all actively exhibit nationally.  Gary Griffith (2¢) currently exhibits internationally.  The Fourth Bureau News has been discontinued for some time now.