After a little more than a year at the helm of the Washington-Franklin Head Issues Committee, life has gotten in the way and Paul Bourke has announced he is stepping down as Chairman of the committee.  Happily, it is a good thing for Paul. His new position as an adjunct professor of history in the Massachusetts Community College system has enabled him to earn a living working at something he really enjoys.  Unfortunately, for us, the time required has left him little for anything else.

However, it is my pleasure to announce that longtime Committee member Gerald Nylander has offered to take on the job.  Jerry has been a member of the USSS (formerly the BIA) since 1975.  He is also a member of the APS, the Auxiliary Markings Club, Chicago Philatelic Society and the Collectors Club of Chicago.  He was a member of the Essay Proof Society and the Society of Philatelic Americans until they disbanded.

Jerry has written several articles for The Specialist and for Auxiliary Markings, the journal of the Auxiliary Markings Club.  He also authored one of the chapters in the Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting.  Most recently, he and Larry Weiss co-authored the series of articles about the newly discovered patterns of the double line USPS watermark.  For their discovery and articles, Jerry and Larry were selected to receive the Walter W. Hopkinson Memorial Literature Award for the best article or series of articles published in The United States Specialist during 2009.

Jerry has been collecting Washington-Franklins since 1974 and has worked with the Committee for many years helping to edit articles and furnish images for use in those pieces.  I wish to thank Jerry for taking on this role and I’m certain the USSS and the Committee will be well served.

—Nick Lombardi
President

This year more members than ever are making contributions to the USSS. All contributions beyond the regular annual dues of $25 qualify under current IRS guidelines as a tax deductible charitable contribution.  We acknowledge all contributions of $5 or more with a written receipt.

It has come to our attention that your contribution may be eligible for a matching grant from your employer.  Many companies have matching programs for contributions made by employees to eligible, recognized charitable organizations.  If you have recently made a contribution to the USSS and your company has such a program, please consider applying for a matching grant.

— David S. Sugar
Treasurer

Here are the United States Stamp Society medal winners that have been reported from recent shows:

NOTE: If you have won a USSS award and have not seen it listed here, please let
me know and I will see that it is recorded.

Show Awards Chairs, please note:
USSS AWARDS PROGRAM

The USSS Gold Statue of Freedom Medal is sent automatically to all APS World Series of Philately shows.

The USSS Silver President’s Award medal is available upon request to all local and regional shows.

For more information, or to request an award, please contact me by e-mail or write to P.O. Box 690042, Houston, TX 77269-0042.

—Denise Stotts, Awards Committee

The American Philatelic Society is offering the Washington-Franklin Issues course, taught by APS Instructor Dennis Gilson, June 2-3, 2010 prior to NAPEX as part of its continuing education series.

This class is not just for the expert collector, but for anyone who has collected, wants to collect, or is a bit intimidated by the thought of collecting these classic issues.  Included will be hands-on sessions where you will use a variety of stamps from the series and be guided through the identification process.  You will leave the course with resource materials to use for future collecting of the Washington-Franklins.

Dennis Gilson will teach this special two-day course using the latest technology to bring students the clearest understanding of the differing types of stamps in this series. The first day will include instruction on identifying the 2¢ and 3¢ types, use of the Micarelli guide and time to examine the stamps.  The second day will emphasize recognizing fakes and forgeries.  By the end of this course you will be able to accurately identify 200+ varieties of the Washington-Franklins, and correctly sort the stamps by Scott numbers.

While there are no prerequisites, a basic understanding of perforations, watermarks and the different printing methods and papers used during the early U.S. stamp period will make it easier for you to learn all that this course covers.  The introduction to the Scott U.S. Specialized Catalogue will provide participants with much of the basic information.

The cost of the course is $195 for APS members and $295 for nonmembers and will be held at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.  Register for this course at the American Philatelic Society website, www.stamps.org on the Education page or by contacting Gretchen Moody, APS Director of Education, 814-933-3803.  A $15 discount is available until March 31, 2010.  NAPEX, June 4-6, 2010, is a World Series of Philately stamp show hosted by D.C. area collectors beginning in 1950.

Note: The Washington-Franklin Issues class is full.  But learn about other “On the Road” courses at the APS website.