Westmoreland County Philatelic Society - November 2007 Newsletter

Club Votes to Begin Subscribing to APS Circuit Books

It was voted at the October meeting to begin a subscription to the APS circuit books. It is expected that books will be available beginning with the January meeting. The books will be available to members at the meeting to purchase stamps to add to their collection. The application asks that you state your collecting interests. Please let the club know what your collecting interests are if you are planning to use these books. If you missed the November meeting please contact the club immediately to include your interests in the application.

December Meeting – Dec. 9

Please bring cookies for the table. Drink will be provided. The hall is open from 1 pm - the meeting starts at 2:15pm. The Christmas-New Year Party will be January 13.

Cranberry Stamp and Postcard Show - Sunday, December 9, 2007; 10:00am - 4:00pm. Four Points Sheraton Inn, 910 Sheraton Drive, Cranberry, PA (North of downtown Pittsburgh, at the interchange of I-79 and the PA turnpike) About 8 stamp and cover dealers from the local area, good selections, a nice program. Sponsored by Sandra & Jan Harris. Call 412-851-1674 for more information.

“Greater love hath no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for friends.” When the troopship USS Dorchester was torpedoed in the North Atlantic on February 3, 1943, the four military chaplains on board — Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Father John P. Washington, and Reverends George L. Fox and Clark V. Poling, who had become friends while classmates at the military chaplains school — strove to calm the troops and offer encouragement as they led them from the battered, darkened hull to the wave-ravaged deck. There, they helped organize the launching of lifeboats and distribution of life jackets. When the supply of life jackets ran out, the four chaplains removed their own and gave them to others. As the Dorchester sank with almost 700 of its 900-plus troops, the four chaplains linked arms, and many around them heard their voices strong in song and supplication, offering strength and support at the hour of greatest need. These four men symbolized for the nation the sacrifices the war required, when citizens of different backgrounds, of nonmilitary professions, became soldiers and sacrificed their lives so that others might live. Chapels at the Pentagon and at West Point have stained glass windows commemorating the four chaplains, and in 1960 Congress posthumously awarded them a special medal — the Four Chaplains’ Medal.

During World War II, many families displayed a banner with a blue star for each family member serving in the armed forces and a gold star for any member who had paid the supreme sacrifice in the war. Accordingly, the term “gold star mother” referred to any woman who had lost a child in defense of the country. This stamp was issued in tribute to all those mothers and the sacrifices they and their children had made.

The above two articles came from the 44 page USPS publication "Veterans and the Military on Stamps" . To view the entire publication click here. It will take a while to download (2009 Kb) or right click and save it to your computer.

I didn’t know what Kriegsgefangenen-post meant when I found this postcard at a flea market but discovered that it meant prisoner of war post. The post card is dated December 10, 1918 from Basel Switzerland and is a free frank. The message reads, “Dear Cousin Sue: I arrived in Switzerland at 8 am this morning and received a wonderful welcome. Am feeling fine and I am in the best of health. Sincerely yours, Paul”.

Paul had just been released from a POW camp into neutral Switzerland after WWI had ended and this was his first correspondence home.

The recent fires in Southern California resulted in the closing and temporary relocation of fourteen post offices. All post offices were expected to return to their normal locations the week of October 29th. Mail never stopped moving during the wildfires in Southern California and the Postal Service did everything possible to get customers’ mail into their hands. All residents are being asked to check their mail daily, especially customers who have Post Office Boxes. Accumulated mail volume is filling mail receptacles beyond capacity. Extra staffing has been scheduled at Post Offices impacted by the fires to deliver the mail and accommodate customers who are returning home. Residents experiencing damaged or destroyed homes or businesses and can no longer receive mail there have been asked to contact their local Post Office to make alternative arrangements. Mail that is undeliverable due to property damage will be held for pick-up at local Post Offices or wherever mail is available for that ZIP Code.

Six new stamp puzzles featuring John Wayne, Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn are now on sale at $14.95 each. These 1,000-piece puzzles are manufactured in the United States by White Mountain Puzzles. The “Hollywood Legends Puzzles” are licensed by the U.S. Postal Service. The “Hollywood Legends Puzzles” can be found at specialty retailers including: It’s a Puzzle stores, Go! Games stores, and at http://whitemountainpuzzles.com

A new play featuring a philatelic theme opened on Broadway on October 4 at the Biltmore Theatre. The plot - Jackie and Mary are half-sisters whose mother’s death leaves them in possession of a rare stamp collection. But which sister actually owns the stamps? Which of three dealers can be trusted with their sale? And where do we choose to live: the present or the past? Tightly woven and ever surprising, this sinister comedy marks author, Theresa Rebeck’s first collaboration with the Manhattan Theatre Club, as well as her Broadway debut. For more information or to buy tickets click here.

Pittsburgh has been a city of “Streetcars” since 1859, but few people realize that a horse drawn car operated up until 1923 over the South Side’s Sarah Street, thirty four years after the city’s first electric trolleys were put into service! The tiny line ran 16 blocks between Twelfth and Twenty-eighth Streets.

Northern Nigeria

Scott 18a

SCV $27,500

The Smithsonian National Postal Museum has announced it will sell a portion of a comprehensive international collection and use the proceeds to expand and improve its philatelic exhibitions. The collection was donated in 2002 with the understanding that the museum would select items for the national collection and sell the remainder for the benefit of the museum. The collection is an exceptional and comprehensive international collection consisting primarily of British Commonwealth countries with additional material from German states and colonies.

The collection of mainly mint singles includes approximately 150 countries or postal entities, at least 110 of which are considered complete from Scott No. 1. Examples of exceptional items include Grenada Scott 8-19 mint; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania Scott 38-41c mint; and Sierra Leone 63 and 63A.

The Smithsonian issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for philatelic auction services for the sale on October 22, 2007. The museum anticipates selecting a winning proposal by January 2008. The actual sale is expected to take place in May 2008.

The museum is selling only a portion of the collection. It will retain the British North America section, which includes Canada and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The museum is also retaining several rarities from other countries, including two Cape of Good Hope triangles.

According to the museum’s director, Allen Kane, “The sale of a portion of this international collection will result in significant improvements to the museum’s philatelic galleries and the philatelic exhibitions that are created for our visitors. In addition, the gift has greatly enhanced the museum’s British North American holdings and has added several new rarities to the national collection. Thanks to this generous donation, stamp collectors can look forward to an even better philatelic experience at the museum.

Pittsburgh Post Office Offers Photo-matted Steeler Artwork and Collectable Cachets

The Allegheny Station, a branch of the Pittsburgh Post Office, hosted an open house on November 5 to celebrate the 75th anniversary season of the five-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers by offering an exclusive line of limited edition collectable Steeler merchandise produced for the U.S. Postal Service and available only in Pittsburgh. Photo covers of Troy Polamalu, Willie Parker, Hines Ward, James Farrior, and, an aerial shot of famed Heinz Field will be on sale along with specially designed 75th anniversary Pittsburgh Steeler cachets. The exclusive Steeler postal items can be shipped easily to Steeler fans right from the Allegheny Station or any Pittsburgh Post Office.

Not a USPS Motto!

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” These words, inscribed at the top of the James A. Farley building in New York City, are often considered to be the motto of the Postal Service. In fact, it isn't a motto at all. The phrase is the translation of an ancient Greek work of Herodotus describing the Persian system of mounted carriers, c. 500 B.C.

Free mail to UK Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan

From Monday 3rd September 2007, Royal Mail customers can send items to friends and family serving in Iraq and Afghanistan for free. From Thursday 8th November 2007, the service will be supplemented by the standard pre-Christmas free postage scheme, operated by the British Forces Post Office to wider destinations. Relatives and friends in the UK may send items only to named service personnel or entitled Ministry of Defence deployed civilians at specified BFPO numbers. The free service applies to first class items up to 2kg, not including Special Delivery. All items must be posted via Post Office counters, and should not be posted in pillar-boxes.

1864 Sanitary Fair New York

(Sc. WV8) SCV = $250

Have you ever wondered if the parlor game "Post Office" had anything to do with stamp collecting? It certainly does and can be traced back to the Civil War.

Troops were not issued the comforts such as soap, stationery and other personal necessities. President Lincoln approved the United States Sanitary Commission on June 13, 1861 with the purpose of dealing with the health and general comfort of Union troops. The work of the Commission was to be supported by public contributions.

"Sanitary Fairs" were organized to raise funds for the Sanitary Commission. These fairs are similar to church sales and bazaars that are held today. One of the booths at a Fair was a Post Office. A personable young lady, known as the "Postmistress," was on duty. A gentleman in the crowd was told that mail was waiting for him at the Post Office. It was the task of the postmistress to get as much money out of the young man as possible. The young lady would deliver a blank envelope for a donation, and then would state that there was also a "postage due" charge. Upon payment of the additional fee, she would kiss the gentleman, to the cheers of the watching crowd.

The Post Office proved so popular, that "Sanitary Fair Stamps" were issued. Although these "stamps" were not valid for postal service, they were sold at the fair "Post Office” with the approval of the local postmaster. Sanitary Fair Stamps were applied to letters along with other stamps that actually paid the postage.

Many of the letters that were postmarked at these Fairs are worth several thousand dollars today.

Ed: The above article was written by Les Winick and provided with permission by the Chapter Activities Committee of the American Philatelic Society.