Robert G. Rufe has been selected to receive the Walter W. Hopkinson Memorial Award for the best article or series of articles published in The United States Specialist during 2007. The award is given annually by the United States Stamp Society and consists of an engraved plaque and an honorarium. The award will be presented at the Society’s Annual Meeting at NOJEX at the end of May.
Rufe’s articles on “The U. S. Special Handling Issues” appeared in three parts in the October, November, and December issues of The United States Specialist. These articles described, in detail, the many complexities and challenges faced by collectors of this “back of the book” issue, which is only given a half page of coverage in the Scott’s Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers.
The Spring Mega Show was once again held in Madison Square Garden in the heart of Manhattan. The show floor was occupied by 72 dealers, four postal administrations and eleven societies, including the United States Stamp Society. Our booth was staffed throughout the four days of the show and served as both a meeting place for current members as well as a means of attracting show attendees, resulting in four new members. Our Society banner along with a display of our current books, reprints and past copies of The Specialist made an attractive showing, resulting in good publication sales figures.
A special thanks goes out to Roger Brody, Tim O’Shea, Jerry Davis, Jacques Schiff, Jr., Steve Belasco and Jim Kloetzel for helping man the booth at different times. As always, we are deeply grateful to Tom Jacks of Mountainside Stamps for hauling all of our booth supplies to and from the show.
Just a reminder to start making plans to attend our next Annual Meeting, which be held at NOJEX in Secaucus, New Jersey during the weekend of May 23 to 25, 2008. The venue for the show will be the Meadowlands Crowne Plaza Hotel at 2 Harmon Plaza in Secaucus. Reservations can be made by calling either the toll free national number, 877-227-6963, or the hotel directly at 201-348-6900.
Since my message last month, NOJEX has announced that the APS Committee on Accreditation of National Exhibitions and Judges (CANEJ) has approved the Jury of Roger G. Schnell, Chief Judge (FL), Jay B. Stotts (TX), Martin D. Richardson (MI), Matthew W. Kewriga (MD), and Dr. Edward J. Andrews (PA). This is a well-rounded group with a strong background in judging U.S. material. If you intend to exhibit at the show, I’d urge you to submit your application now since the frames should fill up early. The Prospectus and Application can be found on the NOJEX website, which we have linked to our website under “Meetings & Events.” You can also obtain copies by writing to Glenn Spies at P.O. Box 1740, Bayonne, NJ 07002.
One especially noteworthy occurrence at this year’s Annual Meeting will be the release of the 2008 Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog. This edition will be very different from the previous ones – all in a good way. There will be many more illustrations, all of which will be in color. The size will change to an 8½ x 11 format because of the increased number of pages and, for the first time, the book will be available in both the usual perfect bound version as well as a spiral bound version to make it easier to leave open on a desk or at a show. The price of each version has yet to be finalized but will be announced in The Specialist prior to the Annual Meeting.
Over the years, the Society has earned a reputation of providing a strong slate of presentations covering a wide range of topics at our Annual Meetings. We would like to continue this at NOJEX, so please contact me if you would be willing to share some of your expertise with others. Also, if any of the committees or study groups would like to hold a meeting at the show, please let me know so I can schedule it with the show committee.
As many of you know, the Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting is now in its second printing. This second printing corrects several errors in the original printing. Owners of the original printing who would like a set of photocopies of the corrected pages from the second printing are invited to send a request to me, along with $1 postage. Just send the postage, not a return envelope.
Reminder postcards were sent out in January to those of you who have not paid your dues for 2008. If you do not respond promptly, this will be your last issue of The Specialist. The annual dues of $25.00 (foreign members extra for postage) buys you an excellent monthly journal on U.S. philately, discounts on Society books, two free ads per year in The Specialist, and access to research papers, reprints, and copies of member exhibits. Please renew now before you forget. You will be doing a service both to yourself and to the Society.
Nominations are now open for the first annual United States Stamp Society – Barbara R. Mueller Award for the best article to appear in 2007 in The American Philatelist, monthly magazine of the American Philatelic Society. The award includes a cash payment of $1,000 and recognition on a permanent plaque in the APS editorial offices at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. APS members can vote by completing and mailing the form available at the bottom of the inside front cover of the January, 2008 issue of The American Philatelist. Members can also vote online at www.stamps.org. For a list of the 78 articles by 46 authors in the 2007 American Philatelist that qualify to be considered for the award, go to the APS home page at http://www.stamps.org and scroll down to “Vote for Your Favorite AP Article.”
Votes for the best article of 2007 must be received by March 1, 2008. The USSS-Mueller Award Committee will select the winner from the top five as voted on by APS members and the top five as selected by the staff of The American Philatelist. The 2007 USSS-Mueller Award winner will be announced in the August, 2008 issue of The American Philatelist, and at APS StampShow 2008, on August 14-17, in Hartford, Connecticut.
The United States Stamp Society founded the award, not only to promote research and philatelic writing, but also to promote the USSS, its goals and its mission — to expand the study of and knowledge about U.S. postage and revenue stamps — to the more than 43,000 members of the APS, approximately 80 percent of whom collect U.S. material. The American Philatelist, which has been the journal of the society for the past 120 years, publishes articles on the stamps, postal history and collecting specialties of all nations, and goes to APS members in 110 countries around the globe. The award is named for the USSS and for one of its most prominent members, authors and editors, Barbara R. Mueller. Among her many other honors in six decades of devotion to philately, Mueller, a member of the Halls of Fame of both the USSS and APS Writers Unit 30, was the recipient of the APS John N. Luff Award in 1956 for Distinguished Philatelic Research.
Here are the United States Stamp Society medal winners that have been reported from recent shows:
Statue of Freedom Awards (National WSP Shows):
SHOW
WINNER
EXHIBIT
Aerophilately, Bellefonte
Patrick Walters
U.S. Government Flights, 1918-1927
Okpex
not awarded
Chicagopex
not awarded
Florex, Orlando
Ed Fisher
The First Fractional U.S. Stamps
President’s Awards (Regional/Local Shows):
SHOW
WINNER
EXHIBIT
Expo 2007, TX
Robert Benner
Benjamin Franklin, An American Icon, A Philatelic Treasure
Sunpex, CA
Paul A. Helman
.S. Postage Due – As Seen on U.S. Naval Covers
Award winners, please note: If you have won a USSS award and have not seen it reported here, it is because the show committee has failed to return the requested award report. If you would like to be listed, please send the information to Denise Stotts at P.O. Box 690042, Houston, TX 77269-0042 or by e-mail.
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 write to Denise Stotts, P.O. Box 690042, Houston, TX 77269-0042 or by e-mail.
NOTE: Awards were sent to the following shows, but no report was returned – if you have information about who won the award, please let me know:
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.
If you haven’t sent in your dues for 2008, please do so before you forget. You will receive a $3.00 discount off the $25.00 annual dues only if you pay by December 31st.
If you want a copy of the 2008 bound volume of The Specialist, pay for it now along with your dues. It will be mailed to you in the Spring of 2009. Lastly, don’t forget to send your free classified word ads directly to Leonard Piszkiewicz, the Editor of The Specialist.
The Society has a Hardship Fund for those who are unable to pay their annual dues because of a job lay-off or any other hardships. If you find yourself in one of these situations, let me know and I will arrange for your dues to be paid for 2008. We don’t want to lose any members because of unfortunate circumstances beyond their control.
The United States Stamp Society is in the process of planning for the 2008 Annual Meeting to be held at NOJEX, the annual stamp show sponsored by the North Jersey Federated Stamp Clubs. The venue will be The Meadowlands Crowne Plaza Hotel, Two Harmon Plaza in Secaucus, New Jersey. The show will be held over the Memorial Day weekend and will run from Friday, May 23rd, through Sunday, May 25th. This is the same location at which we held our 2004 Annual Meeting.
This show promises to be a blockbuster! In addition to the USSS, the United States Philatelic Classics Society and the Carriers and Locals Society will be holding their 2008 annual meetings at this show. I don’t believe that these three powerhouse societies have ever convened at the same show before. The exhibits should be spectacular and the 40 dealer bourse should be packed with those handling a full range of U.S. related material. In addition, the New Jersey Postal History Society will hold its annual meeting at NOJEX.
