Amazing at it seems, it has been a full 10 years since the USSS’s Dummy Stamps Study Group published their first newsletter – Dummy News &Views. It has totally been a labor of love for me and the numerous other contributors of this newsletter. Those of you who have followed it since it’s inception know that it has very rarely been published on time. Even though it’s a quarterly newsletter, too many times that has not happened. No excuses as it lies entirely with me and my desire (or lack of) to work on them. It has actually been a very wonderful time in my life being able to share one of my loves – test stamps. Without the help of several fellow Dummy Stamps Study Group members, notably Mike Perry and Joann Lenz, a lot of this would have not been possible. I wish them to stand up and take a bow.

Dummy Stamps Study Group

The 2015 Annual Meeting of the United States Stamp Society was held at Philatelic Show in Boxborough. MA during the weekend of May 1st through the 3rd. More than 30 members from across the country attended the show and a good time was had by all.   The official business of the Society was conducted at the Board of Governors Meeting on Saturday morning and the General Membership Meeting later that day. The Board of Governors discussed a variety of issues at their early morning meeting. Although Treasurer Dave Sugar was unable to attend the meeting. He provided a summary of the Society’s financial position and the 2015 budget. both of which were very positive. Dave noted that this is due in large part to the generosity of the membership in terms of both annual and estate donations.   The Board authorized the Encyclopedia Committee to contract for a print run of 2.500 copies of the second edition of the Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting, which is scheduled for release at the 2016 New York international show. This edition will contain not only many updates to the 2006 edition. but also a number of new chapters. The Board also noted that the 2016 edition of the Durland  Catalog is well underway and may also be released at the international.   Longtime

Society Secretary Joann Lenz announced that she will be stepping down at the end of her current term this December and the Board expressed  its deep appreciation for her many years of excellent service. The Board also authorized the creation of a committee to study the suggestions of two board members as to how the Society may both improve its operations and attract new members. The committee will report back to the full Board at the conclusion of its work.   The General Membership Meeting was held on Saturday afternoon at which several important projects were discussed. The revamping of the  Society website is well underway and is anticipated to be fully functional by  late Summer or early Fall. Many of the existing fealllres will be improved and a host of new ones will be incorporated into it.   It was announced that there are presently two committees. the Marginal Markings Committee and  the Registered Mail Study Group. which need new chairpersons and that we would also like to create a 21st Century Committee to study and write about the stamps issued since the turn of the century. If you would be willing to  help out with any of these committees. please let me know.

One of the highlights of our Annual General Membership meeting is the presentation of the Walter W. Hopkinson Literature Award for the best article or series of articles which appeared in The United States Specialist during the previous year. Unfortunately. our 2014 award winner. James Robinson was unable to attend the meeting to accept the award for his article in the  April. 2014 issue … Unrecorded Early Use of the First Electric -Eye Issue – The Fourth Bureau 2c Washington Rotary of 1935.” However. the award plaque and honorarium along with our congratulations have been sent to Jim.   On Friday evening. more than 60 folks attended a joint USSS and Collectors Club Fellowship Dinner in the courtyard area of the show hotel. Inasmuch as there were a large number of folks who arc members of both organizations. it was felt that rather than force them to make a choice between which Friday night dinner to attend. it would be best to hold a joint function. This proved to be a great idea and resulted in an evening of good food and philatelic camaraderie. I want to thank our Vice President, Jeff Shapiro, for making the arrangements. not only for this dinner. but for all of the USSS activities during the show. Thanks to his continual attention to detail. all of our functions ran smoothly.

The exhibit frames at the show were filled with a wide array of material from Society members and included the stamps and postal history of everything from definitive and commemorative stamps from the first decade of the 20th century right through the Prexies and Canal Zone Airmails. The Grand Award was won by Nick Lombardi for his exhibit, ”The 1903 Two Cent Washington Shield Issue,” which also won the Society’s Statue of Freedom Award and the APS Research Medal. Lombardi also won the W. Wallace Cleland Award for the best single frame exhibit by a member at the annual meeting show for ··The U.S. Three Cent Jackson Stamp of the 1902 Series.” The Society’s prestigious Walter W. Hopkinson Trophy was won by Greg Shoults for his exhibit .. Washington & Franklin Coils. 1908-1924.” Although Bob Rufe’s exhibit U. S. Special Handling 1925- 1959: The Stamps and The Service” was not eligible for open competition at this show because it had won the Grand Award at the St. Louis Stamp Expo in March. it was awarded The Collect0rs Club award for the “Best Modern U.S. Exhibit” in that club’s annual multi-frame competition which was held at this show.

Our Society table was staffed continuously throughout the three days of the show. Members stopped by to purchase books, exchange information, or just to rest up. Special thanks go out to Jay and Denise Stotts. Kurt and Joann Lenz. Larry Ballantyne. Roger Brody. Bob Rufe and Ed Grabowski for helping man the booth at different times. as well as to Tom Jacks of Mountainside Stamps for hauling our booth materials to and from the show. Those members visiting the booth included:

Larry Ballantyne               Denise Stotts

Frank Braithwaite            Rod Juell

Roger Brody                      Charles E. Nelson

Edward Grabowski          Paul Ammons

Labron Harris                   Roger Skoyles

Andy Kupersmit               Ken Moreau

Joann Lenz                        John F. O’Keeffe

Kurt Lenz                          Douglas Horka

Rob Loeffler                      Brian Engler. Sr.

Nick Lombardi                  Stan Sablak

Robert Rose                      Bob Rufe

Phil Sager                          Jeffrey Shapiro

Greg Shoults                     K. David Steidley

Tom Jacks                         Lynn Batdorf

Jay Stotts                          Tony Bruno

Tom Corette                     Warren Manning

Irv Miller                           Decker Adams

Dave Wessely                   Bob Chipkin

Bob Trachimowicz

Our 2016 Annual Meeting will take place at World Stamp Show New York 2016 on Sunday. May 29th. at 1 PM and we are planning our annual Fellowship Dinner for Monday. May 30th. There will be a host of USSS  activities during the full eight day run of this international. so start making  plans now to attend as much of this great show as possible. We will be  providing more information about the Society’s activities as we get closer to the show.

James Robinson is recipient of the 2014 Hopkinson Memorial Literature Award, given annually for the best article or series published in The United States Specialist during the past year. The award, which includes a plaque and honorarium, is for his “Unrecorded Early Use of the First Electric-Eye Issue – The Fourth Bureau 2¢ Washington Rotary of 1935.” The article appeared in the April, 2014 issue.
 
The award has been given annually since 1954 in memory of the late Walter W. Hopkinson. It was established by his widow, Mrs. Constance B. Hopkinson, to honor her husband’s interest in philatelic scholarship and to support the dissemination of research and knowledge through the Society’s publications.
 

The selection committee was comprised, as usual, of the three most recent awardees: Kevin Lowther (acting as chair), Ken Lawrence and Richard Nazar. Robinson’s winning article, which was vetted by the Marginal Markings Committee, is a well-documented analysis of the introduction of stamps printed on specially-marked rotary press plates, using electric-eye technology to guide the perforating process. Although experimentation began years earlier, the first “electric eye” stamp issued — the then-current 2¢ definitive (Scott #634) — was not shipped to post offices until early February, 1935. This was done without public notice. Robinson’s well-researched article provides in-depth background on how this happened and why documenting early uses of these stamps remains a challenge. A list of previous winners of the award can be found here.
—Kevin Lowther
Chairman