The American Philatelist - July 2018

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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 100 Match Factory Place • Bellefonte, PA 16823 814-933-3803 • 814-933-6128 (Fax) STAMPS.ORG • STAMPLIBRARY.ORG EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Scott English, ext. 219 scott@stamps.org CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Ken Martin, ext. 218 kpmartin@stamps.org 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 showtime@stamps.org The American Philatelist (ISSN 0003-0473) is published monthly by the American Philatelic Society, Inc., 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823. Periodicals postage paid at Bellefonte, PA 16823 and at additional mailing office. Price per copy $4.95. Canadian 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: The American Philatelist 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823. ©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 APS Official Family 2016–2019 PRESIDENT Robert Zeigler ziggy_travesty@yahoo.com BOARD OF VICE PRESIDENTS Jeff Shapiro dirtyoldcovers@aol.com Patricia (Trish) Kaufmann trishkauf@comcast.net SECRETARY Stephen Schumann stephen.schumann@att.net TREASURER Bruce Marsden mail@brucemarsden.com DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE Michael Bloom mbloom@sinotech.com Rich Drews richbear427@hotmail.com Peter P. McCann ppm103226706@aol.com Mark Schwartz mark.schwartz1@verizon.net IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Stephen Reinhard sreinhard1@optonline.net STAMP THEFT COMMITTEE Nicholas A. Lombardi P.O. Box 1005, Mountainside, NJ 07092 stamptheft@stamps.org APS INSURANCE PLAN Hugh Wood Inc., 220 Match Factory Place Bellefonte, PA 16823 Toll Free: 888-APS-6494 Phone: 212-509-3777 Fax: 212-509-4906 aps@hughwood.com ADDRESS CHANGES To change your address online visit stamps.org and log into your My APS account. Or mail your new address information to APS, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823 (Fax: 814-933-6128). Please try to give us four weeks’ notice. You can also add an e-mail address or website to your APS record. CONNECT ONLINE aps_stamps @american.philatelic.society @APS_stamps blog.stamps.org wsradio.com/aps-stamp-talk @Stamplibrary blog.stamplibrary.org
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The American Philatelist - July 2018

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