The American Philatelist - July 2018

THE
JULY 2018 $4.95
AMERICAN PHILATELIST
MONTHLY JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY
HERE BE DRAGONS
Guide to Stampshow/NTSS
German
Currency
Reform
Remembering
Portugal’s
King Denis
AMERICA’S STAMP CLUB
WWW.STAMPS.ORG

CONTENTS • JULY 2018
HERE BE DRAGONS
August 9, 2018
STampshow NTSS Station
Columbus, OHio 43215
650 CHASING A
DRAGON?
By Jeff Stage
A knight in full armor
rode onto a set of Portuguese
stamps in 1953.
Who is this heroic knight
and could he have been
battling a dragon?
DEPARTMENTS
692 Books and Catalogs
690 Buy and Sell
708 Classifieds
686 Digital Discoveries
707 Index of Advertisers
VOLUME 132 • NO. 7 • WHOLE NO. 1,410
624 Letters to the Editor
712 Membership Report
712 New Stamps
634 Our Story
636 DRAGONS EXPLORED
By George DeKornfeld
Dragons have been terrorizing – or uplifting
or entertaining, depending upon your
point of view – postage stamps since the
19th century. Here’s a summary of more
than 100 years of dragon stamps.
666 DRAGONS DESCEND
This month we offer a guide to the 2018
StampShow / National Topical Stamp
Show, complete with a list of dealers,
participating societies, maps, mobile app
information and much more.
654 GERMAN CURRENCY REFORM
By Chuck Fisher
Post-war Berlin was in ruins as the U.S.,
British, French and Soviet governments
administered several designated zones. To
no one’s surprise, currency went through
many changes, which, naturally caused a
lot of changes in stamps. Here’s a look at
unraveling the mess and making sense of
the era’s stamps.
650 646 688
646 UNDERCOVER
COVERS
By Vincent Centozne
Here’s a look at a few WWII
postal cards that might
have served (they were
scrutinized) as a philatelic
conduit for secrets, espionage
and spy tactics.
694 Philatelic Happenings
688 EXPERTIZING BASICS
By Tom Horn
Learn the basics for identifying
the stamps in the world’s
longest running design
series. Norway’s Post Horns
hold three details that collectors
often miss.
620 President’s Column
704 Show Time
622 The Philatelic Experience
720 Worldwide in a Nutshell
THE
AMERICAN
PHILATELIST
Since 1887 — The Premier
Philatelic Magazine in the Nation
EDITOR Martin Kent Miller, ext. 221
martin@stamps.org • aparticle@stamps.org
EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES
Jeff Stage, ext. 222 • jstage@stamps.org
Doris Wilson, ext. 223 • doris@stamps.org
ADVERTISING MANAGER Helen Bruno, ext. 224
hlbruno@stamps.org • adsales@stamps.org
American Philatelic Society
American Philatelic Research Library
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814-933-3803 • 814-933-6128 (Fax)
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GENERAL INFORMATION apsinfo@stamps.org
ADDRESS CHANGES requests@stamps.org, ext. 201
DIGITAL STRATEGIES SPECIALIST Mara Hartzell,
ext. 207 | mhartzell@stamps.org
EDUCATION/YOUTH Cathy Brachbill, ext. 239
cbrachbill@stamps.org
EXPERTIZING/QUICK ID Thomas W. Horn,
ext. 205 | twhorn@stamps.org
FINANCE Rick Banks, ext. 216
rbanks@stamps.org
LIBRARY/INFO. SERVICES Scott Tiffney, ext. 246
stiffney@stamps.org
MEMBERSHIP Judy Johnson, ext. 210
judy@stamps.org
SALES UNIT Wendy Masorti, ext. 270
stampstore@stamps.org
SHOWS/EXHIBITIONS Kathleen Edwards, ext. 217
stampshow@stamps.org
SHOW TIME LISTINGS
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The American Philatelist (ISSN 0003-0473) is published
monthly by the American Philatelic Society, Inc., 100 Match
Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823.
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Distribution Agreement Number 40030959.
Opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are those of
the writers and are not necessarily endorsed by the society
and/or the magazine. The American Philatelist cannot be responsible
for the accuracy of any information printed herein.
Postmaster: Send address changes to:
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©2018, The American Philatelic Society, Inc.
618 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JULY 2018

THE PHILATELIC EXPERIENCE
Destination: Middle Earth
Preparing for the StampShow/NTSS Experience
One of the most enduring lines from the movie Wizard of Oz is when Dorothy
says to her dog, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” And, if you
have attended StampShow in previous years, you may get that feeling when
you arrive at StampShow/NTSS in Columbus, Ohio.
In keeping with the goal of developing a broader philatelic experience, the show
this year will be different in several aspects. Now, don’t worry. The bourse will be there,
the exhibits will be there, and the friends and activities you’ve come to expect will all
be there to continue the traditions and renew your passion. What we’re changing is the
way we introduce the hobby to casual collectors and stamp enthusiasts.
By now (hopefully) you have noticed a strong and pronounced
theme for StampShow/NTSS. “Here Be Dragons” ties together a
common subject for topical collectors, the new stamps scheduled
for release at the show, and an icon of popular culture. Beginning
several years ago with the Lord of the Rings movie franchise, and
continuing now with popular television programs like Game of
Thrones, dragons and the lore of medieval fantasy have developed a
strong following across important segments of our society. The inclusion
of these elements in StampShow/NTSS
is not about watering down philately, as some
might suggestion; it is about appealing to modern
culture through what can be found in our
hobby. It also provides a platform for introducing
the range of possibilities with topical collecting.
As I write these words, many of the plans are
still coming together. I hesitate to commit to details
so far in advance, but if everything falls into place, StampShow will do more to
attract the general public than any event we’ve ever undertaken. Using new tools for
media monitoring and outreach, we intend to attract the attention of local media on
a whole new scale. The show floor will have activities and experiences to rival the best
commercial trade shows. The U.S. Postal Service has committed to an incredible event
presence starting with the first day ceremony and carrying through to a virtual reality
experience at its booth. Several participating societies and study groups are coloring
outside the lines – turning ideas into actions that will be remembered for years to
come. Who knows, maybe we can even convince that flowered shirt crew to trade in
their Hawaiian garb for tunics of chainmail.
In all seriousness, StampShow/NTSS will be an experience to behold. Not just because
we say so, but because so many are working to make it so. We all know the urgency
of growth for the hobby and there are ideas galore for addressing this need. What we
must understand is that the ideas with the greatest impact and the actions required to
get us where we must go may leave us feeling like we’re not in Kansas anymore.
622 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JULY 2018
aps_stamps
@american.philatelic.society
Editor,
@APS_stamps
The American Philatelist
blog.stamps.org
................................................................................
BY MARTIN KENT MILLER editor
martin@stamps.org
wsradio.com/aps-stamp-talk
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