Westmoreland County Philatelic Society

This Newsletter is available in PDF format. The PDF version looks exactly like the printed version.

MEETING DATE

Next Meeting will be on June 8

The next meeting of the stamp club will be June 8. Please bring cookies for the table. The hall is open from 1 pm, the meeting starts at 2:15 pm.

Pittsburgh Area Stamp and Coin Show – Saturday, June 14, 2008; 10:00am to 5:00pm; Wilkins Township Fire Hall, 109 Powell St., (Just off Greensburg Pike) Sponsored by James J. Reeves. Call 800-701-7091 for more information.

SCOPEX - June 21-22, 2008. APS Building, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte. Sponsored by: Mt. Nittany Philatelic Society, Contact Chris Swavely, cbswavely@comcast.net; Tel: 814-237-5606.

This stamp was another of the sesquicentennial stamps of that era, marking the 150th anniversary of the “Battle” of White Plains. It was issued to promote a celebration commemorating the anniversary, not the battle itself. There was some disagreement as to whether the Post Office Department could afford to issue this stamp. Eventually, a compromise was reached in which the size of the stamp was reduced to lower production costs, an idea that was copied on many of the subsequent commemoratives, collectively known as the “two cent reds”.

The International Philatelic Exhibition was held in New York City that year and it was decided to issue First Day stamps from there as well as White Plains, N.Y. on October 18. Although “First Day” covers with October 16, 1926 date stamps are known, this is widely regarded as an error – it is believed the postal clerk simply forgot to change the date stamp – the stamps were officially issued October 18. First Day covers of this stamp were the first to be largely issued with artwork, what is known today as “cachets”.

Another milestone made by this commemorative was the issuance of souvenir sheet by the International Philatelic Exhibition. The 25-stamp souvenir sheet with marginal inscriptions listed with its own number in Scott as 630, was the first of its kind. Only a little over 100,000 were printed and many of those were subsequently broken down to sell as singles and blocks when the sheets proved unpopular with collectors of the day. Today, the sheet brings quite a premium over the fifty cents it originally sold for at the International Philatelic Exhibition in October of 1926. As a special feature of the exhibition, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing installed a hand-roller press and printed 700 sheets of White Plains stamps, containing four blocks of 25 stamps each, were not gummed or perforated, and none was sold. They were all returned to the BEP and destroyed by a special committee appointed for that purpose. At the same time, plate No. 18772, from which they were printed, was mutilated and later destroyed.

Scott 629, printed from plates of 400 subjects in four panes of 100 (40,639,485).

Scott 630 variety – “dot” over first “S” of “States” plate 18774 LL 9 or 18773 LL 11.

FDCs range from $3 to $400 for Scott 629. FDCs from the souvenir sheet (single stamps including a number or word from the margin are valued about 25% more than the regular stamp. Entire souvenir sheet with first day cancel is valued at over $1,500.

Ed: This is the text from the member presentation at the April meeting and is reprinted here for all those who missed the meeting.

New Issues

Purple Heart – April 30

On April 30, 2008, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service will reissue the Purple Heart definitive stamp with a 42-cent denomination. The stamp, designed by Carl T. Herrman of Bethany Beach, Delaware, goes on sale nationwide April 30, 2008. The stamp will be available in the following formats:

The Purple Heart stamp was previously issued with the same design and with a 41-cent denomination in 2007, with a 39-cent denomination in 2006, and with a 37-cent denomination in 2003. First day address:

All orders must be postmarked by June 28, 2008. There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

On May 2, 2008, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service will issue a 42-cent, Elk definitive stamped envelope. The envelope, designed by Carl T. Herrman of Bethany Beach, Delaware, goes on sale nationwide May 2, 2008. The stamped envelope features the silhouette of a bull elk set against a shadowy background of evergreen trees. The stamp art is by Tom Engeman of Brunswick, Maryland. The Elk stamped envelope will be printed by Ashton Potter USA and will be available in the following formats:

MeadWestvaco will print the Elk stamped personalized envelope initially, and a small quantity of each will be available through Stamp Fulfillment Services (SFS) in Kansas City. First day address:

All orders must be postmarked by July 1, 2008. There are six philatelic products available for this stamp issue. A first day cover in each of the six formats at $0.61 each.

On May 12, 2008, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service will issue a 59-cent, James A. Michener definitive stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps. The stamp, designed by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona, goes on sale nation-wide May 12, 2008. This stamp in the Distinguished Americans series honors James A. Michener who is best remembered for his novels, often multigenerational sagas that focus on the history of a specific place while spanning vast periods of time. Created by Mark Summers, the stamp art is based on a photograph of Michener from the late 1970s. In both the photograph and the stamp art, Michener is shown wearing a Hawaiian lei around his neck. First day address:

All orders must be postmarked by July 11, 2008. There is one philatelic product available for this stamp issue: First Day Cover, $0.97.

On May 12, 2008, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service will re-issue the non-denominated First-Class Mail definitive Forever Stamp (Liberty Bell) in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) double-sided booklet of 20 stamps. The stamp, designed by Carl T. Herrman of Carlsbad, California, goes on sale nationwide May 12, 2008. The stamp was first issued in 2007 as a double-sided convertible booklet of 20, vending booklet of 20, and ATM booklet of 18. First day address:

All orders must be postmarked by July 11, 2008. There is one philatelic product available for this stamp issue:

On May 12, 2008, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service will issue a 27-cent, Corinthian Capital definitive stamped card. The card, designed by Gerald Gallo of Bethesda, Maryland, goes on sale nationwide May 12, 2008. This stamped card features an ink-and-watercolor drawing of a Corinthian capital. The drawing — which was created in 1854, by Thomas Ustick Walter, during the enlargement of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC — is from the records of The Architect of the Capitol. The Corinthian Capital stamped card will be available in the following formats:

All orders must be postmarked by July 11, 2008. There are two philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

On May 12, 2008, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service will issue a 76-cent, definitive stamp, Edward Trudeau in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps. The stamp, designed by Howard E. Paine of Delaplane, Virginia, goes on sale nationwide May 12, 2008. The 11th issuance in the Distinguished Americans series honors Phthisiologist Edward Trudeau. Mark Summers of Waterdown, Canada, created the portrait on the stamp. As a reference, he used a photograph of Dr. Trudeau provided by the American Lung Association. First day address:

All orders must be postmarked by July 11, 2008. There is one philatelic product available for this stamp issue:

On May 13, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and New York, New York, the Postal Service will issue a 42-cent, Frank Sinatra commemorative stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps. The stamp, designed by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona, goes on sale nationwide May 13, 2008. With this stamp, the Postal Service honors Frank Sinatra, an Oscar-winning actor and a supreme interpreter of American popular song. Art director Richard Sheaff and stamp artist Kazuhiko Sano of Mill Valley, California, have chosen to present this iconic figure in a portrait based on a photograph by an unknown photographer. First Day address:

All orders must be postmarked by July 12, 2008. There are eight philatelic products available for this

On May 16, 2008, in Rochester, NY, the Postal Service will issue a 72-cent, definitive stamp, 13 Mile Woods, New Hampshire, in one design in a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps. The stamp, designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland, goes on sale nationwide May 16, 2008. This stamp, part of the Scenic American Landscapes series, features a photograph by Jerry and Marcy Monkman of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, of sunrise on the Androscoggin River in the 13 Mile Woods in Errol, New Hampshire. 13 Mile Woods is dedicated to wildlife conservation, outdoor recreation, and sustainable logging. First day address:

All orders must be postmarked by July 16, 2008. There is one philatelic product available for this stamp issue:

On May 17, 2008, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Postal Service will issue a 42-cent commemorative stamp, Minnesota Statehood, in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 462500). The ceremony will be held on the grounds of the Capitol during the Sesquicentennial Festival. The stamp, designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland, goes on sale nationwide May 17, 2008. With the issuance of this stamp in 2008, the Postal Service commemorates the 150th year of Minnesota’s statehood. The stamp design features a photograph by Richard Hamilton Smith of Park Rapids, Minnesota. The photograph shows a view northwest of the city of Winona. First day address:

All orders must be postmarked by July 16, 2008. here are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

On May 16, 2008, in Rochester, NY, and St. John, VI, the Postal Service will issue a 94-cent, definitive stamp, St. John, US Virgin Islands, in one design in a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps. The stamp, designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland, goes on sale nationwide May 16, 2008. This stamp, part of the Scenic American Landscapes series, features a photograph of Trunk Bay in the Virgin Islands National Park on the northern coast of St. John. St. John is known for its beautiful beaches, abundant plant life, and the coral reefs along its coast. The photograph was taken by George H.H. Huey of Prescott, Arizona. First day address:

All orders must be postmarked by July 16, 2008. There are two philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

On May 19,2008, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service will issue a 62-cent, definitive stamp, Dragonfly in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps. The stamp, designed by Carl T. Herrman of Carlsbad, California, goes on sale nationwide May 19, 2008. The issuance features the dragonfly, one of the oldest insects in the world. The highly stylized illustration of a dragonfly, with leaves in the background, is by Nancy Stahl of New York, New York. First day address:

All orders must be postmarked by July 21, 2008. There are four philatelic products available for this stamp issue: