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Society News Archive (2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dec 24, 2005 |
From The Executive Secretary If you haven't sent in your dues for 2006, 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 2006 bound volume of The Specialist, pay for it now along with your dues. It will be mailed to you in the Spring of 2007. 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, a victim of one of the many hurricanes this past season, 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 2006. We don't want to lose anyone because of unfortunate circumstances beyond your control. - Larry Ballantyne |
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Dec 24, 2005 |
Moving ?? The notice "Address Changes" appears in every issue of The U.S. Specialist requesting members to notify the Executive Secretary 30 days in advance of an address change. Many members have become so accustomed to the notice that they do not realize the importance of it to both the society and themselves. In order for your Executive Secretary to ensure the timely delivery of your journal, the lead time required with the printer forces notification to them by mid-month before the month of issue of The Specialist. This in turn requires the member to notify the Executive Secretary no later than the second week of the month for the coming month's issue. To account for mail deliveries and other delays, that's how your society arrived at the "30 days" requirement. However, there is another factor that enters the picture that is costly to your society and not merely an annoyance for the member who misses an issue of the journal; that member should stop to consider the ramifications of moving and forgetting to notify the USSS. The Specialist like most periodicals carries a notice that the publisher wishes notification by the U.S. Postal Service that address changes have occurred should delivery not be completed. Hence, for every issue that is undeliverable, the mailing label from The Specialist is returned to the USSS with a service fee of $0.70 charged your society. Merely notifying the post office of your move only forwards the mail for a limited period of time; you must eventually notify the USSS. When an issue is undeliverable and a request is made by a member for its eventual replacement, additional costs are then incurred by your Society, as the replacement copy cannot be mailed using the bulk-mail rate as the printer did in its initial mailing. In order to keep the journal at the lowest possible price, the USSS prices its membership at less than break-even cost, with the idea of making up the difference with book sales and member donations. Your cooperation in keeping these costs down with timely notification of address changes is appreciated by all.
- Larry Ballantyne |
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Dec 24, 2005 |
Show Report: New York Mega Show October 20-23, 2005 By Nicholas Lombardi The Fall Mega Show was held in late October in Madison Square Garden in the heart of Manhattan. This is now the fourth consecutive time that this four-day show has been held in "The World's Most Famous Arena" and both the show attendees and dealers have expressed their pleasure with the arrangement. The central location with easy access via public transportation has proven to be the magnet for drawing large crowds. The show floor was occupied by one hundred dealers, postal administrations/agencies and societies, including the United States Stamp Society. Our booth, located near the front of the hall, 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 new members. Our new Society banner along with a display of our current books, reprints and past copies of The Specialist made an attractive showing and resulted in the recruitment of seven new members along with good publication sales figures. The show served as the venue for the First Day ceremony for the Holiday Cookies issue. The ceremony was well attended and the USPS was kept busy selling the new stamps during the entire show. Although the Fall Mega Show is not a World Series of Philately show, it did feature a competition composed of 22 exhibits of Middle Eastern subjects, one of the 1849-1852 Ceres Issue of France, and seven thematics. The Philatelic Foundation also presented an exhibit of Fakes and Forgeries from its reference collection. Unfortunately, there were no U.S.-related exhibits on the show floor. As mentioned earlier, our booth was a popular place for members to get together and exchange information. Although most of those who stopped by were from the immediate area, we were pleased to meet members from as far away as Florida, Arizona, Louisiana and Ohio. Those visiting the booth included:
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Dec 24, 2005 |
Wawrukiewicz Wins Grand With Liberty Series
The Philatelic Jury of SESCAL 2005, held in Los Angeles, CA, October 7-9, 2005, voted the Grand Award to USSS member Anthony S. ("Tony") Wawrukiewicz for his exhibit titled "Uses of the 1954 Liberty Series." Tony's exhibit also received the USSS Statue of Freedom Award and the APS Research Medal 1940-1980. According to the collective memory of all attending, this is the first time an exhibit of "modern" material, from this late in the 20th century, had received a Grand Award at a national level show. The fine showing of this material has shown that "modern" U.S. philatelic material has "come of age" and can be successfully exhibited at the highest level. Yes, it can be done! |
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Dec 10, 2005 |
Dues Mailing You will soon be receiving your 2006 membership dues notice. We would appreciate your help in sending in your 2006 dues early before you become too busy with the holiday season. You can also order a bound volume of the 2006 United States Specialist for delivery in 2007. Please remember that The United States Specialist and USSS membership is on a calendar year basis. To avoid missing an issue of the journal, please renew before the end of the year and take a $3 discount from the yearly dues of $25. Many members give additional contributions for the work of the society. The continued generosity of our members who make additional contributions allows our society to provide monthly the in-depth research information you have come to expect in The United States Specialist as well as the popular Research Papers, Reprints and books published for our members' use. We would like to recognize those members who contribute to the Sustaining, Contributing, and Patron levels by listing them in our journal. If, however, you wish to contribute but remain anonymous, there is a place to so indicate on the dues notice. Your Society's operations require four to five weeks to process address changes and renewals. When members do not renew until February or March, continuation of The Specialist is not guaranteed. The restarting of the journal to a delinquent dues payer adds expense. Please let us know if you plan to drop your membership, too.
- Larry Ballantyne |
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Dec 10, 2005 |
Recent Winners of USSS Medals Here are the United States Stamp Society medal winners that have been reported from recent shows:
Show Awards Chairs, please note: USSS AWARDS PROGRAMThe 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. |
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Oct 28, 2005 |
Help Needed from Jerry Nahmias' Reporters! In the 2000 and 2005 editions of the Durland, we have published in Appendix N a listing of the maximum reported percentage of plate numbers on rotary press coils. The early 170 subject plates originally had plate numbers only in the top margin for side coils, but later plate numbers were entered in the bottom margin as well. This arrangement continued for 384 subject coil plates, but on the 432 subject coil plates the top plate number was moved to the bottom margin, so that the plate numbers of adjacent plates on the press were next to each other, separated by the joint line. One would think that percentages for these coils would be listed only in the B/R column of Appendix N. However, percentages are listed for 432 subject coils plates in both the T/L and B/R columns. Appendix N was compiled by Jerry Nahmias, who unfortunately is no longer with us. Thus we would like anyone who contributed data to Jerry for this listing to explain to us why percentages are reported in both columns. Do the numbers in the T/L column represent plate numbers on the left side of the joint line, and those in the B/R column numbers on the right side of the joint line, or what? Please contact Wallace Cleland, 1710 University Ave., Madison, WI 53726 or by e-mail. |
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Oct 28, 2005 |
Your Excess Postage Can Help Our Society A major expense for the United States Stamp Society is postage. Each year the official business of the USSS requires approximately $2,000 in postage. Discount postage usually sells for 75% of face value. Any member who wishes to make a contribution of discount postage will receive a tax deductible contribution for the full face value of the postage plus mailing costs (including insurance). Please mail discount postage to the Treasurer for distribution, or drop it off at any show where the USSS has a Society table. A receipt indicating the amount of your tax-deductible, charitable contribution will be sent for all contributions in excess of $5. We wish to thank several members who have made generous donations of postage to the USSS.
- David S. Sugar, Treasurer |
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Oct 28, 2005 |
Roger Brody Delivers 4th Annual Maynard Sundman Lecture
USSS Chairman Roger S. Brody gave the 4th Annual Maynard Sundman Lecture on Saturday, October 15, 2005, 2:00-3:00 PM, at the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. His lecture, titled "Second Purpose," detailed how U.S. stamps tell the story of great changes in American culture and history. Admission was free and open to the public. An abstract of the lecture follows. (more...) |
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Oct 6, 2005 |
Volunteers Needed For New Positions At the Annual Meeting of the Society last month in Indianapolis, the Board of Governors approved the creation of two new positions which together will increase the visibility of the USSS and enable it to thrive. We now need interested individuals to fill these positions. The first is that of the Society Publicist. We are all aware of the great things our Society has to offer and the contributions it makes to philately. However, most of this information is found within the pages of The Specialist and only occasionally finds its way into the general philatelic press and even less often into the mainstream press. The mission of the Society Publicist will be to trumpet our accomplishments and let the rest of the world know what a vibrant organization we are. This will involve working closely with the Society officers, committee chairpersons, and our Specialist editor to determine what newsworthy activities are forthcoming and then establishing contact with the philatelic and non-philatelic press to get the word out. Contacts with various internet-based groups and organizations could also prove beneficial. With the forthcoming release of the Encyclopedia and a number of other anticipated publications, as well as our planned activities at Washington 2006, there will be much to publicize. The second position is, I believe, critical to maintaining our status as the premier organization for United States philately. During each of the past five years, our membership has decreased. This trend has also been experienced by most of the other philatelic organizations, but we hope to reverse that through the work of a Membership Committee Chairperson. Although we have had an excellent Recruiting program in place for some time, we haven't concerned ourselves with determining if we have met the needs and expectations of people once they have joined. Nor have we made an effort to uncover any concerns or desires of those members who have been with us for many years. The primary mission of the Membership Chairperson will be to determine why members leave the Society and to develop strategies for increased retention. As with the Society Publicist, the Membership Chairperson will work closely with the officers and other leaders of the Society. If you think you may be interested in either of these two important positions, please contact me by e-mail or at P.O. Box 1005, Mountainside, NJ 07092. We all know the benefits our Society provides. Now we want to tell the rest of the philatelic world and at the same time be responsive to the needs of the membership. The Society can use your help!
- Nick Lombardi |
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Oct 6, 2005 |
Dummy Booklets Study Group Name Change by Terry R. Scott A recent poll of the members of the Dummy Booklets Study Group has indicated that the focus of the group needs to be expanded beyond just dummy booklets. Ever since the Krause-Minkus Catalogue began listing test stamps, there has been a steady rise in the interest of all types of dummy/testing material and the group would like to expand their area of study and research to include all types of dummy material. Choosing a new name for the group was no easy task. There are a lot of collectible items that one would fit into the dummy/test stamp category but seem to be just out of reach of the true meaning. It was decided that a new title for the group of "DUMMY STAMPS STUDY GROUP" would cover all aspects of dummy material. We will not let the title of the study group limit the scope of our interests. (more...) |
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Oct 6, 2005 |
James "Jimmy" Galceran 1910 - 2005
First and foremost for Jimmy was the collecting of stamps. He started with precancels and once was awarded a six-foot trophy for having all 520 precancels of all the known post offices in California. Then it was on to plate blocks. And was he involved! Jimmy had to have all the numbers and positions. He is probably the only one to have all the numbers of the 10¢ Crossed Flags. Then he moved on to PNCs and finally to Bullseyes. One of his enduring pursuits was to complete a collection of plate blocks of the 1968 Christmas issue, a pursuit that remained unfulfilled. Jimmy was a long-time member the BIA/USSS and was one of the most prolific recruiters on record for the Society. For his long service to our Society, he was the first recipient of the Society's Century of Service Award in 1999. He was also a lifetime member of the Southern California Precancel Society, and he wrote several articles in Linn's Stamp News. Jimmy lived in the city of Covina for over 30 years and attended every stamp show he could. He lived a long life - 94 plus years - and will be missed at least for trying to make "everyone happy." |
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Oct 6, 2005 |
USSS Awards at INDYPEX '05 The two highest exhibiting honors the USSS awards were presented in July at INDYPEX '05, site of the USSS 2005 Annual Meeting. The Hugh Southgate Memorial Award for best U.S. 19th Century Exhibit was awarded to Irvin Heimburger for "The U.S. 'Pictorial' Issue of 1869." The Walter Hopkinson Memorial Award for the best 20th century U.S. exhibit was awarded to Hideo Yokota for "U.S. Airmail Special Delivery Issues of 1934-1936." Also, the INDYPEX Grand Award was won by USSS member Arnold Selengut for "150 Years of U.S. Precancels. |
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Oct 6, 2005 |
Recent Winners of USSS Medals Here are the United States Stamp Society medal winners that have been reported from recent shows:
Show Awards Chairs, please note: USSS AWARDS PROGRAMThe 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. |
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Oct 6, 2005 |
Show Report: APS StampShow August 4-7, 2005 The annual APS StampShow was held at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. StampShow is the nation's largest annual stamp event. There were 150 dealer booths, four first day ceremonies, several postal administrations, a cachetmakers' bourse, about 13,000 pages of exhibits, a youth area, society meetings, and society booths, including one for the United States Stamp Society. The USSS booth was staffed the entire four days of the show; many members met at the booth and twelve new members signed on. Some of the Society publications were on display and for sale; the most popular item was 2005 Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog, which was first on sale in July at the USSS Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. All in all, it was a great success. (more...) |
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Aug 31, 2005 |
INDYPEX '05 Hosts Annual Meeting The United States Stamp Society held its Annual Meeting at INDYPEX '05 in Indianapolis, Indiana, which took place between July 8th and 10th, 2005. The Indiana Convention Center was an ideal venue for the show and the INDYPEX Show Committee went above and beyond to provide the Society with everything needed for a productive and enjoyable philatelic experience. Fifty-one members signed in at the Society table, which was prominently located at the entrance to the show, and each received a ceramic coffee mug featuring the Society's revised logo and an inscription commemorating the Society's 75th anniversary. The geographic representation of the attending members was excellent, with folks from Texas, Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, and Washington, DC. A list of the attendees appends this report. (more...) |
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Aug 31, 2005 |
Chairman's Report The Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors was held at INDYPEX '05 in Indianapolis on Saturday July 9th. Traditionally after the minutes of the previous year's meeting are approved, The Governors receive reports from the Society officers, Committee Chairmen, The Specialist Editor and the Society's Webmaster. The Governors have the responsibility of overseeing the activities and finances of the Society. This year, 2005 is the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the United States Stamp Society which was incorporated as the Bureau Issues Association in 1930. The Society entered this anniversary year with a talented and dedicated group of officers and chairpersons as well as strong treasury. I would like to share with you the highlights of the meeting as well as several important decisions that were made by the Board. First, I am happy to introduce the new Society Logo (see above) that was approved by the Board. Next month's Specialist will feature the story behind the design and engraving of the new die by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Chief Engraver Thomas Hipschen. (more...) |
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Aug 31, 2005 |
USSS General Membership Meeting Minutes President Nick Lombardi called the meeting to order at 1 PM. He welcomed everyone present and then asked all to introduce themselves by stating name and collecting interests. Nick encouraged all members to sign in at the USSS table; they would then receive a 75th anniversary coffee mug. John Larson moved to waive the reading of the minutes of the May 30th meeting in Secaucus, NJ in 2004, and to approve them as published in the July, 2004 issue of The United States Specialist. Second, Jeff Shapiro; passed. (more...) |
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Jul 23, 2005 |
New Indexer for the Society It is my pleasure to announce that Lynn R. Batdorf of Bethesda, MD has volunteered to become the new Indexer for the USSS. Lynn has been collecting U.S. stamps since before he was a teenager in the 1960s. While only a USSS member for two years, he has contributed three chapters for the Encyclopedia of United States Stamp Collecting and is involved with the editing process of the book. In the area of indexing, he has created three indexes encompassing 35 years of the quarterly journal of the American Boxwood Society. He is looking forward to the challenge of indexing The United States Specialist and welcomes any suggestions and/or comments members may have regarding it. Just drop him a line at the address shown on the Committee Chairs page. Or better yet, stop by the Society booth at our annual meeting at INDYPEX and say "Hello" in person.
- Nick Lombardi |
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Jul 23, 2005 |
USSS to Provide Washington 2006 Award by Jay Stotts The United States Stamp Society will present a major item of art to the Washington 2006 committee for use as an award. Washington 2006 is the international, FIP sanctioned philatelic exhibition to be held next year in Washington, D.C. The eight-day event is scheduled for May 27 to June 3, 2006, at the Washington Convention Center in the heart of the city. The United States hosts one such FIP philatelic show just once each decade, the last being PACIFIC '97, held in San Francisco in 1997. Major awards for the exhibiting portion of the show are typically donated by international governmental postal agencies and prominent national and international philatelic organizations such as the USSS.
The USSS will present a 12" high, solid bronze reproduction of Frederic Remington's 1909 sculpture Trooper of the Plains. Remington (1861-1909) is one of America's premiere western artists who is also famous for his sculpture and writing. He is known for his lively depiction of characters of the old west and was honored in 1961 when the United States Post Office Department issued a stamp in his honor (Scott #1187). The stamp depicts a portion of his painting The Smoke Signal. In 1981, the Postal Service issued an 18¢ stamp (Scott #1934) depicting Remington's 1902 sculpture Coming Through the Rye. Remington's likeness appears on the 10¢ stamp in the Famous American Artists issue of 1940. Remington completed only one more sculpture, The Bronco Buster, before he died. Trooper of the Plains was modeled in 1908 and he hoped that someday a city would commission a large sculpture of it. Remington had practiced his craft of casting bronzes by the lost wax method since 1901. In his work, he experimented with textures, contrasting the taut skin of the muscular horse with the smooth skin of an Indian or the deep free flowing depressions in a buffalo hide. This sculpture is most notable for Remington's unusual support of the horse and rider. Three hooves of the horse are suspended in mid-air above a clump of sagebrush. The sculpture presented by the USSS to Washington 2006 is a lost wax bronze casting from the F&R Bronze Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma, notable for their reproductions of over 1000 different sculptures by famous western artists. For PACIFIC '97, the BIA, forerunner of the USSS, presented the international show committee with a Remington sculpture, The Cheyenne. Trooper of the Plains represents Americana by one of the United States' leading artists and appropriately will represent the USSS as a premiere society for U.S. philately at Washington 2006. |
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Jul 23, 2005 |
Recent Winners of USSS Medals Here are the United States Stamp Society medal winners that have been reported from recent shows:
Show Awards Chairs, please note: USSS AWARDS PROGRAMThe 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. |
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Jun 25, 2005 |
Getlan Wins 2004 Hopkinson Memorial Literature Award Melvin Getlan 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 2004. The award is given annually by the United States Stamp and consists of an engraved plaque and an honorarium. Getlan's article, "Follow-up On Early Usage Of Dummy Test Stamps," analyzed available stamps, covers and ephemera regarding the Mail-O-Meter/Schermack Company attempts to develop commercially viable stamp affixing machines during the early part of the twentieth century. The article appeared in the October 2004 issue of The United States Specialist. The selection committee noted the article's interesting, well-illustrated presentation advancing the incomplete state of knowledge on the dummy stamps and their uses. The selection committee consists of the last three living winners of the award. The committee for the 2004 award consisted of chairman Larry S. Weiss, 2000 winner for "Detecting Watermarks," Wallace Cleland, the 2002 winner for a series of articles on plate numbers and plate markings, and Roger S. Brody, the 2003 winner for "Raymond Ostrander Smith Pencil Drawings - Series 1902." The 2001 winner, John S. Meek, for his series on "Twentieth Century Marginal Markings," has passed away. The award has been given annually since 1954 in honor of Walter W. Hopkinson. It was established by his wife, Mrs. Constance B. Hopkinson, in view of Hopkinson's interest in philatelic scholarship and the dissemination of research and knowledge through the Society's publications. Hopkinson was a plate number specialist as well as a long-time member and vigorous supporter of the Bureau Issues Association, as the Society was then named. A list of all previous winners of the award may be found on the Society's website. Click on "Feature Articles and Links" and then "Description of Awards given by the Society." |
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May 26, 2005 |
Last Call for Encyclopedia Donors Have you made your contribution of $100 or more toward the forthcoming Encyclopedia of United States Stamp Collecting? All donors who contribute before June 30 will have their names listed in the book as its benefactors. In addition to being recognized in the Encyclopedia, donors of $100 or more will receive a copy of the book when it is published next May and may designate a library of their choice to receive a second copy. As of late-May, approximately 250 donors had made their contributions toward this unprecedented publishing event. To be included in this list of benefactors of the hobby, send your contribution to the USSS's Executive Secretary before the end of June. Remember that no one is being compensated for his work on this project, so all contributions go directly to underwrite printing costs. If you need a donation form, please send an email or download the online donation form. Thank you for your support.
- Rod Juell |
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May 26, 2005 |
Recent Winners of USSS Medals Here are the United States Stamp Society medal winners that have been reported from recent shows:
Show Awards Chairs, please note: USSS AWARDS PROGRAMThe 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. |
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Apr 25, 2005 |
Indexer Needed for The U.S. Specialist As you noticed, the February issue contained the Index for the twelve issues of The United States Specialist published during 2004. For the past fifteen years, Richard T. Hall has performed the task of compiling each year's index, which serves as a valuable research tool for our members. However, as you also may have noticed in his introduction to this year's edition, Richard has decided that the time has come to pass the torch. If you have ever thought that you may want help the Society in some way, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. This valuable contribution can be done at your own pace and only requires that you have some knowledge of the Access database program. Richard will work with you to bring you up to speed as to the database structure and how he has compiled the Index each year. If you would be interested in assuming this important Society role, please contact me at P.O. Box 1005, Mountainside, NJ 07092 or via email. Your Society can use your help.
- Nick Lombardi |
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Apr 25, 2005 |
Encyclopedia Update Final editing of The Encyclopedia of United States Stamp Collecting is well under way as you read these words. The completed manuscript will go to the designer shortly after our annual meeting in July at Indypex, and the hardbound, full color Encyclopedia will be released next year during Washington 2006. We can report to you that a special release ceremony for the book will be held at 2PM on the opening day of the international show, May 27, 2006. Washington 2006 will be the philatelic event of the decade, and we are looking forward to releasing our new book at this event. Many people are contributing financially to help subsidize the cost of publishing this monumental work. Your gift will help us achieve the widest possible distribution at a price that will be attractive to beginning or intermediate collectors. If you give a gift of $100 or more, your name will be listed in the book as one of its patrons. Donors of $100 or more will receive a copy of the book when it is published, and may specify a library to receive an additional copy in their name. Let's flood our nations libraries with hundreds of encyclopedias! Donors will also receive a special BEP engraved certificate of appreciation, and will, of course, be honored at the May 27 release ceremony. But most importantly of all, donor will have the satisfaction of making a positive contribution to the future health of the hobby. It is worth emphasizing no one is being compensated for their work on the Encyclopedia, so 100% of your contribution will go directly to underwrite production costs. Contributions must be received by the end of June 2005 in order for donors' names to be listed in the book. Download the donation form and send your gift to the U.S.S.S. Executive Secretary, P.O. Box 6634, Katy TX 77491-6634. If you have any questions, contact me by e-mail. |
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- Rod Juell Project Manager |
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Tentative Table of Contents
![[Table of Contents]](image/right.jpg){kind=small}
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Apr 25, 2005 |
Contributors to USSS The Executive Committee and Board of Governors would like to thank all individuals who have donated funds to the Society. Donors are listed in the April issue of The Specialist. These contributions insure that we continue to provide the quality monthly magazine that you have come to expect. It also provides money for the Hardship Fund. In addition, 216 individuals have contributed so far to the Publication Fund for the Encyclopedia of United States Stamp Collecting to be released at Washington 2006. Those individuals will be listed in the Encyclopedia as Benefactors. If you would like to contribute to the Publication Fund and be listed as a benefactor, we need to receive your gift by June 30, 2005. Contact either Rod Juell or the Executive Secretary for a Publication Fund form. |
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Apr 25, 2005 |
Show Report: New York Mega Show - March 3-6, 2005 By Nicholas Lombardi If it's springtime in New York, it must be time for the Mega Show at Madison Square Garden in the heart of Manhattan. Just like last spring, the four-day show been held in "The World's Most Famous Arena." The show floor was occupied by more than one hundred dealers, postal administrations/agencies, and societies, including the United States Stamp Society. Our booth, located near the front of the hall, 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 new members. Our society banner along with a display of our current books, reprints, and past copies of The Specialist made an attractive showing and resulted in six new members. The show served as the venue for the First Day ceremony for the Northeast Deciduous Forest issue, an attractive mural sheet containing ten different stamps based on drawings made by John Dawson. The ceremony was well attended and the USPS was kept busy selling the new stamps during the entire show. Dawson was on hand Thursday to sign covers, sheets of stamps, and other philatelic items. (more...) |
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Apr 25, 2005 |
Recent Winners of USSS Medals Here are the United States Stamp Society medal winners that have been reported from recent shows:
Show Awards Chairs, please note: USSS AWARDS PROGRAMThe 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. |
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Apr 7, 2005 |
Luminescence Study Group Readers may have noticed in the February issue that the position of Chairman of the Luminescence Study Group was no longer filled. This was due to the departure of longtime Chairman Gene Paquette, who decided it was time to pursue other interests. Although I hated to see Gene leave, I am very pleased to announce that Wayne Youngblood has agreed to take over the Chairmanship of the Luminescence Study Group. As you probably know, Wayne is the former editor/publisher of Stamp Collector newspaper. He is also a former APS Board member and has taught a course titled Stamp Technology for more than a dozen years at the APS summer seminar series. In addition, he has written a number of books including All About Stamps: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Philatelic Terms and Stamps That Glow. Wayne brings a wealth of knowledge with him to this position and will certainly be an asset to the Study Group, in particular, and to the Society, in general. I urge any member with an interest in learning more about luminescence to contact Wayne using the address shown on the second page of this and subsequent issues of The Specialist.
- Nick Lombardi |
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Apr 7, 2005 |
Encyclopedia Contributions Several members have recently inquired as to the amount of the charitable contribution deduction allowed by the IRS for those who have made contributions to support the upcoming publication of The Encyclopedia of United States Stamp Collecting. IRS rules require that the amount of any goods or services received in conjunction with a contribution be deducted from the total amount contributed in determining the tax deductible amount. Since each member who made a contribution will receive a complimentary copy of The Encyclopedia, $25.00, the price to members, has been subtracted from the total contribution in order to arrive at the tax deductible amount. If members have further questions regarding the allowed charitable contribution, I recommend consulting your tax advisor.
- David Sugar |
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Apr 7, 2005 |
George W. Brett, 1912-2005 Our friend and mentor, Society Governor, President, Chairman of the Board and Chairman Emeritus, George W. Brett has passed away at age 92. George W. Brett was born May 30, 1912 at Spirit Lake, Iowa, son of John and Jessie (Cummings) Brett. George was raised and educated in Spirit Lake. He worked as an R.P.O. clerk during 1936-42. He married Louise Schindler in Chicago, Illinois May 10, 1941; they divorced shortly thereafter. He then went to the Republic of Panama working for the government as a fiscal accounting clerk when he entered the U.S. Navy. He continued his work in Panama until 1949. Afterward, he continued his education at the University of Chicago, receiving a B.A. in 1953, and his M.S. in 1961. George worked as a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington, D.C., where he retired in 1979. He enjoyed travel, photography, mountain climbing and studying postage stamp production. George passed away Friday, January 14, 2005, at Hilltop Care Center in Spirit Lake. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers John and W. Glade, and sisters, Elizabeth and Charlotte. He is survived by a niece, Mildred Bryan, and a grandniece and a grandnephew. (more...) |
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Feb 22, 2005 |
George W. Brett 1912-2005 Governor - President Chairman of the Board - Chairman Emeritus USSS/BIA Hall of Fame It is with great sadness we report that our Chairman Emeritus, George W. Brett, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, has passed away. His contributions to the Society and to philately are legendary. In his 71 years of Society membership George Brett served on and chaired several research committees. He was a member of the Board of Governors, served as President and Board Chairman and for the last 24 years as Chairman Emeritus. As a philatelic researcher and writer he was a prolific contributor to philatelic literature, authoring important studies and papers for the American Philatelic Congress, The Essay-Proof Journal and the Society's monthly journal, The United States Specialist. In that publication alone, George contributed over 350 articles and 200 additional reports. The consummate philatelic student, George was unquestionably the authority on United States stamp production. George had served on the expert committees of the American Philatelic Society and the Philatelic Foundation. He was a great teacher willing to share his knowledge and offer suggestions to researchers and writers. George served several years as a member of the Postmaster General's Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee. Among his many honors, George was awarded the American Philatelic Congress McCoy Award, the APRL Cryer Award and the APS Luff Award. In 1983 George received the prestigious Alfred F. Lichtenstein Award of the Collectors Club. This past year, in accepting the National Postal Museum Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award, George said, "The world of philately has been my world since I was a school boy in Iowa over 80 years ago." His guidance, advice and knowledge will truly be missed. The Board of Governors learned of the loss as The Specialist was going to press and a remembrance will be featured in the next issue. |
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Feb 22, 2005 |
From the Executive Secretary Reminder postcards were sent out in January to those of you who have not paid your dues for 2005. 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. - Larry Ballantyne |
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Feb 22, 2005 |
Updated Online Glossary of Terms The online version of the Glossary of Terms for the Collector of United States Stamps has been updated. With this update the online version catches up with the 3rd edition of the Glossary released in June, 2004 and includes all new terms to be published in the next print edition. The online Glossary now contains 1060 definitions and cross-references. It includes a search capability and pop-up links to related terms. Terms may be linked to articles published on the USSS website or other web sites. If you have published an article on the web and would like to link to definitions found in the Glossary, contact webmaster Mike Lampson for more information. Corrections and suggestions for any terms should be sent to the Glossary editor, Rod Juell. The Glossary may be accessed from a link on the USSS website, www.usstamps.org, or by directly entering http://glossary.usstamps.org/ into your web browser.
- Mike Lampson |
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Jan 30, 2005 |
From the Executive Secretary Dues for 2005 are $25.00 when paid after December 31st. While most members have paid their dues, several members have not. Please renew ASAP as it costs the Society money to send out reminder notices. More importantly, we really don't want to lose you as members. So if you have set aside your dues notice, please pull it out and mail it along with your dues today. Some members have asked about membership cards. We no longer issue membership cards. In case you need your membership number, it is on the address label of The United States Specialist in the upper left-hand corner with the letter B in front of it. - Larry Ballantyne |
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Jan 30, 2005 |
Marginal Markings Committee Website The Marginal Markings Committee is pleased to announce a Marginal Markings internet website that can be accessed from Marginal Markings Committee page on the USSS website or directly at http://marginal-markings.usstamps.org/. The site is intended to share knowledge of marginal markings on U.S. stamps and encourage the reporting of and research into marginal markings. Comments and questions are welcome! Committee membership is open to all interested members of the United States Stamp Society. The eventual goal of the web site is to address the full range of marginal markings on U.S. stamps. - Doug D'Avino Marginal Markings Chairman |
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Jan 30, 2005 |
Want To Know More? If you are interested in a particular area of U.S. philately, take a look at the second page of The Specialist (also here - ML). There is probably a committee or study group that is right for you. Contact the committee chair for more information about joining. It's easy - just express your interest, and you're in the committee. And best of all, it's free! |
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Jan 30, 2005 |
Recent Winners of USSS Medals Here are the United States Stamp Society medal winners that have been reported from recent shows:
Show Awards Chairs, please note: USSS AWARDS PROGRAMThe 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. |
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Year 2004 Archives
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