Society News Archive (2000)
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Society News Archive (2000) |
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Back to July-December 2000 Archives
May 29, 2000 |
Roger S. Brody Receives Walter W. Hopkinson Memorial Award The Hopkinson Memorial Award Committee has selected Roger S. Brody as recipient of the Walter W. Hopkinson Memorial Award for the best article or series published in The United States Specialist in 1999. The three most recent available winners of the Hopkinson Memorial Award made up the Selection Committee. The Committee Chair, Kenneth Diehl (1995), Brian Baba (1997) and James Patterson (1998) selected this year's winner on the basis of philatelic knowledge and research. Brody's series of eight articles titled "Y1.9K - Handling the Mails at the Turn of the Century" was a postal history study developed around the stamps of the Series 1902. The "Y1.9" title was a play on the over-hyped "Y2K" appellation associated with concerns about computer malfunctions as we moved into the year 2000. Brody described the work as a celebration of the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the entry into the 20th Century (Y1.9K). Using unusual covers and cards, Brody illustrated mail handling by the Post Office Department at the 20th Century's turn. Some of the topics covered in the series were the Universal Postal Union, Special Delivery Service on Domestic and Foreign Mail, U.S. - Germany Special Treaty Rate and U.S. Seapost, Supplemental Mail, Official Stamps and Official Penalty Envelopes, Mutilated or Defaced Postage and the Registry System. |
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May 4, 2000 |
United States Stamp Society I recently attended a monthly meeting of the New York Chapter of the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society at the Collectors Club. Our regular group had gathered to hear a presentation about the 1840's express, Pomeroy & Company. Seated at the table, across from me, was Harlan Stone. Harlan is one of the nation's finest philatelic editors and a world-renowned exhibitor of the stamps and postal history of Switzerland. Before the meeting began, Harlan asked me what the new name of the B.I.A. was going to be. I replied that the name was the United States Stamp Society. With a bit of a grin and that ever-present gleam in his eye, Harlan said that it sounded like we were attempting to cover the whole of U.S. philately. Fortunately, I had my most recent issue of The United States Specialist. I opened the copy to page one and passed it over to Harlan noting that for over a decade our new name has appeared just below the B.I.A. name. We have always been associated with the stamps of the 20th Century. It is well known that originally our primary focus, as our "Bureau" name suggests, was the product of the BEP from 1894. While U.S. stamp production has been changing for almost two decades and the BEP is no longer the sole designer and producer of U.S. postage stamps, the society will maintain and continue to build our close association with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. We would expect the USSS to be the primary source and repository for information and research of 20th and 21st Century U.S. postage and revenue stamps. Our new name permits us to be unbound by conventions of time. The United States Specialist will publish any worthwhile material relating to United States stamps and their uses. Our motto, "Know your country's stamps," has always meant and continues to refer to all United States stamps. This is not a new policy. For fifty years, our most prized contribution to philatelic literature has been The Durland Standard Plate Number Catalogue. The Durland is a unique reference for the entirety of United States and possessions definitive and commemorative stamps. The new 2000 Durland, edited by Kim Johnson, will be our sixth and best to date. With the addition of Revenues and other back of the book listings, the catalog will included plate number information on all US stamps now listed in the Scott Specialized catalog. Hundreds of dedicated men and women have woven the fabric of our society. Cooperative research published in the pages of The United States Specialist has enriched the hobby of stamp collecting. Barbara Mueller's fascinating five part encapsulation of our history, "Three Score and Ten Years for the BIA - A Remembrance" has given both seasoned and new members a glimpse or our rich past. As you have read in these pages over the last few months, we will celebrate our 70th Anniversary at the Annual Membership meeting in NAPEX, Saturday, June 3, 2000, where we will formally adopt our new name. On Friday evening an anniversary banquet is planned at the National Postal Museum. If you will be at the show or in the area, plan to attend. Our host, James H. Bruns, Director of the Smithsonian Institution National Postal Museum, will address the membership, and your Board of Governors plan to present special honors. Continuing our anniversary celebration over the next few months, the pages of The Specialist will feature articles about the Society's awards and honorees. We plan to pay tribute to those whose deeds have made important contributions to the Society and our hobby. I hope the membership will enjoy this link to our past. -Roger S. Brody |
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May 4, 2000 |
NAPEX 2000 Update: Last Call Last call for reservations for the special dinner and reception at the National Postal Museum; the cost is $40.00 per person. While not inexpensive, this price is certainly very reasonable when the choice of entrees (prime rib or salmon ) and the location is considered. At the invitation of James Bruns, NPM Director, your society was offered the NPM facilities as a setting for our 70th anniversary celebration dinner. The NPM has no food/cooking facilities; hence all the food, utensils and other items must be bought into the museum and the complete dinner has to be catered. Therefore, your society had to commit to a specific number of dinners and cannot accept reservations during the week of NAPEX. In order to accommodate as many members as possible, a deadline of May 23rd has been set to receive reservations and payment for the NPM dinner. NAPEX 2000 will host not only the BIA, but the United Postal Stationery Society will also hold their annual meeting there. The Souvenir Card Collectors Society, Machine Cancel Society, Scandinavian Collectors Club and others will hold meetings and give seminars during the three day show. Sixty dealers and close to 300 frames of exhibits will be on display. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing will have archival material on display and a booth to sell their currency and card products. A USPS and UN booth will also be there. The new edition of the Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog will debut at NAPEX 2000. The Durland editors will be in attendance as will be most of the Board of Governors and Officers. Special souvenir cards issued for our 70th anniversary and official name change will be on sale at the society's show table; there will be no mail sales. A cachet/cover will also be issued to mark this special event. NAPEX show attendees may ride a special bus to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for the public tour of the facilities or continue to the National Postal Museum. This bus will depart the McLean Hilton Hotel at 7:30 AM on 2 June and return by 12 noon. It will arrive at the BEP by 8:30 AM and free tickets may be obtained for the public tour, which will last about 20 minutes. These tickets are available at the ticket booth starting at 7:45 AM for the tours which start at 9:00 AM. The bus continues to the NPM and will arrive about 8:45 AM. The NPM does not open until 10 AM. However, the Union Station shopping complex is available for shopping and breakfast. In addition to the exhibits at the NPM, there is a Smithsonian book store and a USPS post office inside the NPM. All items listed as on sale from the Kansas City mail order facility maybe purchased at this philatelic post office outlet. The special bus returning to the McLean Hilton will depart the NPM at 10:50 AM and pick up show attendees at the BEP. -David Lee |
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May 4, 2000 |
BIA/NAPEX Covers
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May 4, 2000 |
From the Executive Secretary By now, you may have read about our special arrangement with Subway Stamp Shops. Co-owner, Mel Goldberg, is a BIA member. Your society no longer has access to the resources which have been donated willingly over the last several years by member (also former Board member and Officer) Mr. William Schuman. Mr. Schuman's storage and shipping efforts have allowed your society to offer quality reference literature at a relatively inexpensive price. We all owe Bill a debt of gratitude for his many years of service to our society. We hope that this new arrangement with Subway will continue the process and perhaps widen the exposure of our material to the collecting public. Please be aware that any order you place directly with Subway will be priced at their retail price and your name/address will be added to their mailing list. If you wish to purchase society material at the member price, you must continue to send your order to the Executive Secretary. Subway will process these member orders separately from their company business and maintain the integrity of our mailing list. We hope that Subway's involvement will improve the efficiency of our literature orders. Subway will be permitted to include promotional material when shipping society orders. However, you should not get any other Subway mail unless you are currently a Subway customer. -David Lee |
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May 4, 2000 |
Paris Revisited - Again In the January issue, we presented the story of the diversion of two copies of last September's Specialist that were missent to Paris, France. That issue had pictured on its front cover a postcard from the Canal Zone to Paris with a readily readable address. Apparently it was too readable. Tim Lindemuth described the journey of his missent copy and I recounted a second example. Since then, several more have come to my attention. Missent issues that went to Paris and that eventually found their way to their addressees included copies to BIA members in Arkansas (two members in the same town), Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi and Missouri. In addition, another copy without its mailing label was returned to the Executive Secretary from Paris. This totals eight copies known missent to Paris. In addition, some members failed to receive their copies at all. Were those also missent and lost? What does this mean? First, it is curious that the missent copies were addressed to the Midwest and South and not to the more populous Northeast and West. Since The Specialist is bundled by Zip code, it seems that the missending by the USPS was done at several widely separated locations, not at a single location. Finally, a lesson to be learned is that anything that looks like an address label should not be illustrated anywhere on the cover of the magazine! Apparently Murphy's Law is in full force in the USPS (and Murphy is working in several locations): If anything can go wrong, it will! -Leonard Piszkiewicz |
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Apr 28, 2000 |
New Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog The United States Stamp Society has issued a News Release announcing the release of the new Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog at NAPEX. |
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Mar 31, 2000 |
Notice to Members Concerning BIA/USSS Publications The Subway Stamp Shop Inc. has offered to store the inventory of BIA/USSS's published books and literature without charge. Additionally Subway will process and ship all member orders that are submitted to the organization's Executive Secretary, P.O. Box 2641, Reston, VA 20195. Subway has agreed to charge the USSS/BIA only for the cost of packaging and shipping. The BIA/USSS welcomes this special relationship with Subway Stamp Shop Inc. as it should result in substantial savings to the Society and faster processing of member orders. The BIA/USSS has given Subway permission to enclose a copy of their catalog with this order. It is important to point out that the names and addresses of BIA/USSS members, who order books and literature through the Executive Secretary, will be kept separate from and not be incorporated in the customer lists of Subway. Naturally, members wishing to do business directly with Subway will find their names on both lists. Many of our members are already customers of Subway and familiar with their wide variety of philatelic products. Reminder: Only member orders sent to the Executive Secretary will be afforded the members' literature discounts as advertised. |
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Mar 31, 2000 |
NAPEX Activities A full range of seminars will be presented by your society at NAPEX 2000. In addition, the United Postal Stationery Society will be holding their semi-annual meeting at NAPEX. The Souvenir Card Collector's Society will also be present. As this will be the 50th anniversary of NAPEX, Mr. Hubert Trenchard will present a special NAPEX historical lecture. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is scheduled to have an exhibit of material from their archives and the sales department will have a show table to sell their currency products and cards. For NAPEX attendees and their spouses staying at the show hotel, a special bus will be available to take anyone to the Mall area on the morning of 2 June (Friday) and return to the hotel by 12 noon. It should be possible to spend about 2 hours either on the Mall, at the National Postal Museum or Union Station. Should you wish to stay longer, you may ride METRO back later to the West Falls Church, VA station and take the free Hilton shuttle van back to the hotel. Contact the Executive Secretary if you wish to reserve a space on this bus for Friday morning and indicate where you wish to go. The McLean Hilton also operates a free shuttle van service between their hotel and the two large nearby shopping malls. - David Lee |
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Mar 31, 2000 |
BIA/NAPEX Souvenir Cards
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Mar 31, 2000 |
From the Executive Secretary Plans for our 70th anniversary celebration are well on their way. The special tour of the BEP was filled within two weeks after the notice appeared in The Specialist as it always is in high demand when we can make the necessary arrangements. Our special dinner and reception at the National Postal Museum has been finalized and the caterer is ready to go. If you are considering coming to the Washington, DC area for a vacation, this is the year!! There is much to see and do within an hour or two driving time of the show hotel: historical sites and battlefields, major shopping malls/outlets. The new edition of the Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog is set to debut at NAPEX 2000. You may puchase one at the society's show table. The Durland editors will be in attendance. As always, copies of all BIA reference material will be available. Reserve your place for the NPM dinner now. Space is limited. Send in $40.00 per person and indicate your choice of entrees for dinner: prime rib or salmon. Should you need a ride from the show hotel to the museum, also indicate. We hope to make arrangements for both the NPM book store and post office to remain open during the dinner/reception for our members to browse and purchase. - David Lee |
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Mar 8, 2000 |
Message from the Chairman The latest Message from the Chairman regarding our society is now available. |
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Mar 8, 2000 |
BIA/NAPEX Covers
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Mar 8, 2000 |
New Topic - Letters to the Editor Recent Letters to the Editor are now available on their own web page. |
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Feb 12, 2000 |
70th Anniversary Activities in Washington, DC Your society has finalized plans for our 70th anniversary at NAPEX 2000. The special tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing announced in the February issue of The Specialist has been approved and is pretty much full as of this writing. If you have confirmed space on this tour, send in your $10 per person to the Executive Secretary. A special BIA/NAPEX bus will take all attendees to the BEP leaving the McLean Hilton at 7:30 am on 2 June. Limited space is also available on this bus to carry NAPEX show attendees to the BEP for the public tour or to the National Postal Museum. You may also use this bus for getting to the Smithsonian Museum complex on the Mall. You must be ready to return to the McLean Hilton by 11 am or make arrangements to take METRO back to the Hilton at a later time. Please indicate if you will be using the special bus to and/or from the Bureau to the McLean Hilton. We have reserved this bus for only 5 hours on 2 June. The special dinner and reception at the National Postal Museum is scheduled for 7:30 pm on June 2nd. There will be a special beer/wine reception hosted by Mr. Jim Bruns, Director, National Postal Museum. Mr. Bruns has not only made available the facilities of the Postal Museum for this special dinner, but also a bus to carry attendees from the McLean Hilton to the NPM and return after the dinner. Space for the dinner and bus is limited. All members are invited and the cost is $40.00 per person. Choice of dinner entrees include either prime ribs with medallions of chicken or filet of salmon with medallions of chicken breast. The above entrees are served with a salad, rice primavera and oven roasted potatoes, beverage and dessert included. For those who prefer, an all vegetable meal maybe substituted. Join your Board of Governors, Officers and fellow members for this special ocassion in a very special place. Contact your Executive Secretary for reservations with payment and meal selection immediately if you are interested. Indicate whether you need to ride the bus to and/or from the NPM. If you should have to cancel and do it before 1 May, we should be able to refund your monies. NAPEX is always a good show with close to 300 frames of exhibits and 60 dealers. Admission, program and parking are all free. Join us for the 70th anniversary of your society and the new edition of the Durland is scheduled for release during the show. The BIA is planning on a full schedule of seminars and a special 70th anniversary engraved souvenir card only available at the show will be for sale at the society's show table. - David Lee |
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Feb 6, 2000 |
Name Change Voting Results All votes received as of 4 January's mail (the cutoff date was 31 December) have been counted. The following is the vote count in regard to the motion that the Bureau Issues Association change its name to The United States Stamp Society:
- David Lee |
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Feb 6, 2000 |
From the Executive Secretary Reminder postcards have been sent out to those members who have not paid their dues for 2000. Ignore the card if you have paid since the Holidays. A second and final card will be sent by the time you receive this issue of The Specialist. If you do not respond, you will be removed from the mailing list and this will be your last issue. Your society cannot continue to mail the journal to non-paying members after the first of the year. We operate very "close to the bone," only because of the generosity of many members who donate additional monies over and above the basic dues. The membership rate of $25.00 a year for 12 issues of a first class philatelic journal is the best bargain in the hobby. Please renew as we appreciate and need your support. - David Lee |
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Feb 6, 2000 |
Wanted: Modern Stamp Collectors With the flood of new issues in recent years from the U.S. Postal Service, there is much material to collect and study. Sadly, very little of this material has been described in The Specialist. Are you one of those collectors with an interest in this material in all its variety? We want to hear from you - to tell the rest of our membership about the interesting and collectible aspects of recent U.S. stamps. There are stories waiting to be told. You can be the one to tell the story of your favorite collecting specialty. Contact the Editor about your interests and tell us about your favorite modern U.S. stamps. |
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Feb 6, 2000 |
BIA Meeting At NAPEX 2000 Your society's 70th anniversary will be celebrated at NAPEX 2000 during the weekend of 2-4 June. NAPEX will be held at the McLean Hilton Hotel at Tyson's Corner, VA. Call them at (703) 847-5000 or use the national toll free number at 1-800-445-8667. Ask for the special NAPEX room rate. In addition to the BIA, NAPEX will host an annual convention of the United Postal Stationery Society. This year will be NAPEX's 50th anniversary; the BIA and NAPEX have celebrated a long history together. Plan your vacation for the nation's capital this year and enjoy the many sights available; weather during the early month of June is still very comfortable. A special BIA reception is being planned for the National Postal Museum with details to follow later. - David Lee |
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Feb 6, 2000 |
BEP Floor Tour for NAPEX A floor tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing has been approved for our society during the NAPEX stamp show. This special tour will take place on Friday morning 2 June with two groups of 12 members each being led onto the floor of the Bureau to see the latest equipment and what is currently being printed in the way of postage stamps. The tour is scheduled to start at 8:30AM and last for about 2 hours; a visit to the BEP's Historical Resource Center is included. This tour is available to any BIA member on a first come first served basis, with priority being given to authors and researchers who write for The Specialist. If you are interested, write to the Executive Secretary. Transportation to and from the BEP will be on an individual basis although we will attempt to work out car pools, etc. - David Lee |
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Feb 6, 2000 |
Web Site Update Our web site at www.usstamps.org has been active now for over 5 months. In that time, over 1,100 visits have been recorded to the site. The site is intended both to promote our society and to share information with the membership. If you haven't stopped by yet (or recently!), please do so. Information found on the site includes:
Almost all of this year's dues notices have now been returned to the Executive Secretary. This year's notices included a survey question on Internet access. Of those who answered the survey question, 651 (66%) have some form of Internet access. There were 538 notices returned without a response. As the majority of the non-respondents probably do not have Internet access, the actual percentage of the membership with access is probably closer to 50%. As the price of both computers and Internet services continues to fall, I expect this number will go up. I'm always looking for new ideas for the web site. If you have any suggestions or comments, send me an e-mail at webmaster@usstamps.org. - Mike Lampson, Webmaster |
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Jan 1, 2000 |
Show Report: New York Mega Show The following members stopped by the table to assist and/or visit: |
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Jan 1, 2000 |
Plastics Report for Stamp Use For those BIA members who may have missed the announcement in the philatelic press recently, the study by the University of Alabama on the safety of plastics for storing and displaying stamps is still available. Dr. William Souder of the Center for the Management of Science and Technology conducted one of the first scientific studies of plastic products for use in the stamp hobby. Dr. Souder, himself a stamp collector, presents results that indicate modern PVC plastics are safer than previously suggested and that much confusion exists in the plastics industry regarding this issue. The report is free and is available by request from:
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Jan 1, 2000 |
From the Executive Secretary The new year has arrived despite Y2K and the "sun also rises." Dues for the year are now $25.00 when paid after 31 December for the coming year. Please renew now; we need your support. BIA membership at $25.00 is the best bargain around. Planning is underway for our 70th anniversary at NAPEX this year. Schedule your summer vacation and join us in the Washington, DC area for this great show. NAPEX is always a good show with 60 dealers every year and we hope to make it even better. CJ Auctions, a Greg Manning Company, will conduct the NAPEX auction this year. Your society is now soliciting seminars and exhibits. The show is the weekend of June 2-4; the weather is great that time of the year and many attractions are within an hour or two driving time from Washington. As always, the Mall and its museums are in itself enough for most. The McLean Hilton Hotel at Tyson's Corner, VA is the show hotel, with two major shopping malls within walking distance of this hotel. Come and meet your Board of Governors and other members at the society table. You will definitely have a great time, both socially and philatelically. - David Lee |
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Jan 1, 2000 |
Reprint #4 Now Available A reprint of the articles by Gene Paquette on luminescents with an update by Ken Lawrence on the "Lenz" paper is now available as Reprint #4. It is entitled "Luminescent Tagging on U.S. Stamps" and is priced at $3.00, postpaid. Reprint #1 (Washington-Franklins), #2 (Perforation Measurements) and #3 (Small Die Proofs) are still available at the same price of $3.00 each, postpaid. Order from:
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