The work of editing a philatelic magazine is not without its fun – I’ve received letters pointing out mistakes that I can’t help but laugh at, like a misplaced number that suggests a historical figure seemingly lived a miraculous 300 years. Just this month, our graphic designer, Chad Cowder pointed out that the symbolic title of one article, “Collecting ‘Everest’,” about the Greek Large Hermes Heads stamps would be much more appropriately titled “Collecting ‘Olympus’” – and Jeff Stage and I, so myopically close to the article that we couldn’t see the forest (or the mountain) for the trees, had to laugh and agree.
This issue has its share of lighthearted and serious articles. The theme – Analytical Philately and Expertizing – may seem to tread on the more serious side. Or maybe you read that and think, “expertizing and analysis doesn’t apply to me and my collection.” But analytical philately and expertizing are really just about research. To quote John Barwis in “Beyond Expertizing,” who himself quotes Peter McCann: “Why do philatelists do research?” “Because we like to find things out.”
We like to find things out – I think we can all relate to this. There’s nothing better than scratching an itch of curiosity. Some itches (aka research projects) take years to satisfy. The best itches connect you to other collectors with similar itches and then – you’ve joined a specialty society.
As mentioned, John Barwis discusses the Institute for Analytical Philately in “Beyond Expertizing: Opportunities for Collectors’ Use of Technology.” John argues that there are still mysteries left in philately, and that they can be understood through primary technical research. The IAP is dedicated to helping researchers use scientific methods and technology to dive deeper into philately than was previously possible.
Rex Bishop is an expert of U.S. material for the Philatelic Foundation and Professional Stamp Experts and has devoted the last 14 years to expertizing. In “Follow the Evidence,” Rex likens expertizing to being a detective – evidence is king, and a hunch or a clue is not evidence.
In “Expertizing the Typographic Kraków Overprints of Poland,” Thomas Bieniosek takes his experience as an APEX expertizer for Poland and applies it specifically to one set of frequently fraudulent overprints. Tom arms collectors to better understand what they are buying in a market diluted by forgeries.
Finally (specific to the theme), APS director of expertizing Ken Martin reintroduces the American Philatelic Expertizing Service (APEX) in his column “Adventures in Expertizing.” Maybe you are a new APS member, or a collector who is newly considering authenticating items in their collection. Ken explains APEX’s specialties, the step-by-step process when an item is reviewed by experts, and what clients should expect.
Also in this issue
The Everest – I mean the Olympus of collecting must surely be the first issues of Greece, the Large Hermes Heads. Visually stunning, deliciously difficult, and – for the postal history collector – enormously diverse in their usage. Kyriakos Papathanassiou is not only a leading expert on these issues but shares what he knows with contagious passion.
Wayne Youngblood’s latest column, “What’s on the Menu Other Than Stamps?” is a fun romp through overprints created by philatelic societies for events or promotion – have you ever seen “Sea Food Cocktail” overprinted on a stamp? How about “Christmas Dinner?”
We also welcome Don Getzin and Wade Saadi, promoting collecting U.S. classics, with “The Trime: The Coin that May Have Saved a Stamp.” My thanks to Don and Wade for sharing this slice of philatelic history about the 3-cent Washington of 1851, a 3-cent coin, a silver shortage, and a new postage rate.
Justin Gordon is a scholar of Holocaust-era philately. He published the book Holocaust Postal History in 2016 and since then has shared his expertise with APS staff for the Holocaust philately exhibit built at the APC. In this issue, his article “Postal Cards to Nazi Labor Camps” shows examples of censored messages received by women in three textile factory labor camps in occupied Poland. In this article, Justin shares a meaningful connection – the postal cards and photos shown were from his good friend Morris Rosen. For those don’t remember, in April 2021 Scott English wrote in memory of Morris Rosen, who was not only a Holocaust survivor and collector but a dedicated volunteer preserving the stories of Holocaust victims. “In Memory of Morris Rosen and the Stories He Carried” has been re-published on stamps.org – it’s a moving story.
In 2020, volunteers from the APS staff began working on a permanent exhibit at the APC, building upon the Holocaust Stamps Project – 11 million stamps collected by Foxborough Regional Charter School students from 2009-2017). Now, over two years later, the final pieces have come together and we are proud to present “A Philatelic Memorial to the Holocaust” – a project combining the 11 million stamps with postal history evidence connected to real events and locations of the Nazi regime. On a personal note, I can attest that my fellow committee members and the project’s leader Dr. Cathy Brachbill took this responsibility very seriously. We thought it would be a wasted opportunity to build the exhibit around the Holocaust Stamps Project alone – as impressive as it was – when we had the resources and expertise to do much more. There was also a shared understanding of current-day implications, with Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism on the rise. And we owe our gratitude to everyone who helped make the exhibit possible.
Finally, I will draw your attention to two other major APS events and projects. The first is Great American Stamp Show 2022, to be held in Sacramento in late August. On page 578, learn about the pre-show learning event “Essays and Proofs” taught by James Lee, see updates about the show’s events, buy a ticket for the Celebration Banquet, and more.
The second, page 552, is the anticipated launch of the new APS website. A cleaner, easier to use, more robust version of www.stamps.org will be here in June! We are excited to unveil new possibilities and make your experience using the website more rewarding. With new features and capabilities, www.stamps.org will deliver APS services online like never before. While not completed at the time of my writing (early May) be sure to be on the look out for an official launch in June! More to come!
2022 AP reader survey
As I mentioned in my May column, we need your responses to the 2022 AP Reader Survey. Your feedback is essential for us and our development of the AP over the next several years. What columns do you read, and which are less relevant to you? Is the information we share valuable to you? Even if you don’t have a strong opinion, every bit of information counts – and the survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Please visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/H79K9VC or aps.buzz/2022ReaderSurvey.
The survey will be open until midnight tomorrow, June 30. Participants are eligible for a giveaway. Thank you for your participation and for helping the AP grow and improve.
Please keep your feedback coming and share your views. Remember: if you wish to see an always-improving American Philatelist, you – our readers and APS members – must become a part of this exciting journey. Reach out with your questions, concerns, and suggestions. Write a letter to the editor ([email protected].) More importantly, volunteer to participate. This is your American Philatelist. My email is [email protected]. Letters by regular mail are always welcome and will be responded to in kind.