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Tony Shields from Shields Stamps shared his passion for the Antarctic and philately in the recent PTS Handbook, you can read it here. He will also be heading to the Antarctic convention in Hobart later in the year where he will be one of the only philatelic retailers and you can hear more about this from his on our new PTS Trade Vlog which is set to launch this week. Sign up to the newsletter here.
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Stamp Active will publish a new “STAMP COLLECTING GUIDE”, to be launched at the London 2022 International Stamp Exhibition. The Guide has been partly sponsored by the Philatelic Fund and the Spear Charitable Trust.
Do you want to find out more about the PTS? Are you considering becoming a member? Why not join the Chairman and the Managing Director at one of the events below.
Judit Szendrei stamp artist’s new exhibition titled MoCoMo will be opened on January 29, 2022 in the Stockwood Gallery, Luton under the auspices of Culture Trust Luton and with the support of Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Centre.
The Philatelic Traders’ Society is delighted to announce the launch of a brand-new concept for Autumn Stampex 2022, the first ever Live Auction which will be held by one of our members during the show itself.
 November 2021: The Philatelic Traders’ Society is delighted to announce its new Chairman, Simon Carson. Simon Carson has been a member of the PTS Council since 2015 and has most recently held the position of Vice Chairman.
After 3 years as PTS Chairman, Suzanne Rae will take on a new role as the PTS’s Managing Director as of November 2021. Shifting the society’s organisational structure in this way recognises the need for this new senior professional position within the PTS team. Suzanne will report directly into the PTS Chairman and Council. In her time as Chairman, and working extensively with the PTS Council, Isobel and Helen, Suzanne has steered the society through a global pandemic, brought in new offers and initiatives such as Virtual Stampex, new physical Stampex concepts, the eBay Authorised Seller Partnership, the globally recognised PTS Awards, the PTS Collector Handbook, our ‘Look for the Shield’ and Proud Member campaigns and online Smiler Shop. Suzanne has worked with the team to streamline back office processes, grow our membership, improve member and external communication, promote our members in new and creative ways, integrate new technologies into how we do things, and positioned the PTS as the International Society for Philatelic Professionals. There is still work to do to ensure the society can thrive and the PTS Council is delighted that Suzanne will continue to drive forward the future agenda in this new role. The Council is also thrilled that Vice Chairman, Simon Carson will be stepping into the Chairman position to bring a fresh perspective and new energy to the society. Simon says: “I am so proud to be taking over the baton as PTS Chairman. I truly believe that we have a world class society and Stampex brand, with a host of remarkable and diverse members who all add something to who we are and what we do. I look forward to meeting many of our members and partners face to face and remotely over the coming months and welcome any ideas and feedback on how we can make our society even stronger.” Suzanne says: “It has been an incredible honour to have acted as PTS Chairman from 2018-2021. The society has taken up a lot of my head space over the past few years, but it has also taken up a lot of my heart space. I am excited about what and how I can deliver even more in my new role, hand in hand with Simon. I remain committed to delivering the best possible benefits for our members and to ensuring that the society remains bold, innovative, professional and community led in how it promotes its members, supports the trade and boosts the hobby.” From 20 to 25 September 2021 the eagerly awaited autumn auction of Germany's oldest stamp auction house Heinrich Koehler took place in Wiesbaden. The more than impressive auction programme, which had already caused a sensation in the run-up with a total of ten catalogues, offered many highlights and many a surprise that only very few would have expected. Rediscovered treasures, valuable rarities and remarkable items, among others from the ERIVAN collection, kept the philatelic public in suspense. Many of the stamps, covers etc. each told their own very interesting stories, which were able continually to captivate and motivate collectors. The high demand and the interest of the bidders once again resulted in exciting bidding "battles", breathtaking price increases and a number of top realisations. Highlights of the "ERIVAN - German States" Collection With the continuation of the "German States" auction series of the ERIVAN collection, once again an outstanding selection of covers was offered for sale, which had everything to offer for lovers of classic German philately. For the first time there were also ten covers with the first stamps of the German Empire, the "Shield" issues, which were in no way inferior in beauty and rarity to the lots of the German States collecting areas. The best example may be a first day cover of the German Empire, which caused astonishment and enthusiasm. This cover with a mixed franking of the Michel 1 (¼ groschen) and Michel 3 (½ groschen) from the first day of use, 1 January 1872, soared to an incredible 130,000 euros after a starting price of 5,000 euros. The combination of first day usage together with the Michel 1 on this cover motivated the bidders to "top performance". A truly remarkable result, surpassed only by a Hanover cover from the ERIVAN collection, which was knocked down at 145,000 euros. Here, too, a first day was involved, because the mixed franking of the 10 groschen, 1 groschen and (two) 3 groschen values on cover to Caldera, Chile was sent on the first day of use of the 10 groschen stamp, the highest value in the set. And these are only two examples of the lots from the ERIVAN collection that sold extremely well, without exception. Philatelic treasures, exciting backgrounds and stories A small sensation was already in the offing with the discovery of a very special cover. A letter from Bavaria, which had been lying dormant in a Franconian family archive, was offered at auction for the first time in 170 years and fascinated collectors. The cover with a strip of three black one Kreuzer, the “Schwarzer Einser”, and a blue three kreuzer stamp is a top rarity in Bavarian philately, as it is the only known coloured franking of the first issue of German stamps. This rarity had caused a sensation far beyond philatelic circles and appealed to the media and also to new interested parties. As luck would have it, the unique background story of the find left a lasting impression on the highest bidder, who won the cover for 54,000 euros (starting price: 25,000 euros). Overall, it was striking how much interest there was in the respective individual histories of the stamps and covers. Knowledge of the background, whether it be that of the cover itself or of its provenance, is of decisive importance to many bidders. It was also noticeable that a personal connection to the item was often linked to a personal auction visit in the case of the "great" rarities. Especially with the valuable items from the ERIVAN collection, the room was filled to capacity, aided by the relaxation in COVID-19 precautions - naturally in compliance with all safety requirements. Philately that inspires - from the auction room to the whole world Needless to say, the fascination with the major and minor rarities went far beyond the auction room. Thanks to the possibilities of online live bidding, collectors and dealers from all over the world vied for the philatelic treasures, among which the specialised collections of the collecting areas of the German States were just as much in demand as the lots from Europe and the wider world. An example of this was the "Bavaria from 1849 - The Eliahu Weber Collection (Part 1)", which was notable for remarkable bidding increases and top hammer prices. Also the lots from the "Duchy of Brunswick" and "Bremen: Hanover Post Office, North German Confederation und Shield Issue" collections of Friedrich Meyer were very popular. In the field of international philately, the "International Postal Connections via Trieste (Part 1)" and "Austria - First Issue Used in Hungary (Part 1)" collections of Rolf Rohlfs were impressive, as were the collections "Gems of Indian States 1864-1950" and "Dominican Republic from 1863 - The Hansmichael Krug Collection". All the results of the 377th Heinrich Koehler Auction are available online at www.heinrich-koehler.de. Further information at Heinrich Köhler Auktionshaus GmbH & Co. KG, Hasengartenstr. 25, 65189 Wiesbaden Telephone: +49 (0)611 3414 9-0, Fax: +49 (0)611 3414 9-99, Email: [email protected] Internet: www.heinrich-koehler.de Illustrations: The Rolf Rohlfs Collection Lot 8009: Austria 1861, 2 kr., 5 kr. and 15 kr. (5) on a cover from Teplitz via Trieste and Alexandria to Batavia. Starting price: 8,000 euros - hammer price: 25,000 euros The "ERIVAN – German States" Collection Lot 282: German Reich 1872, Small Shield ¼ groschen and ½ groschen with ELBERFELD horseshoe postmark of 1 January 1872 from the first day of issue of the "Breastplate" stamps. Starting price: 5,000 euros - hammer price 130,000 euros Main catalogue "German and International Philately Lot 1644: A sensational find! Bavaria 1849, strip of three of the "Schwarzer Einser" in a mixed franking with a 3 kreuzer blue on cover from Augsburg to Immenstadt. Sensational new discovery. Starting price 25,000 euros - hammer price: 54,000 euros North German Confederation Lot 8597: 1869, 5 groschen bistre, three singles with a perforated 2 groschen blue on cover from the well-known Apotheker Steudemann correspondence to Soerabaja, Java (Dutch East Indies). Starting price: 2,000 euros - hammer price: 7,500 euros Hanover Post Office in Bremen Lot 9738: German Empire 1872, ¼ gr., 1 gr. and 2½ gr. on cover from Bremen to Hawaii. Provenance: Silvain Wyler collection, Heinrich Koehler Auction (2013). Starting price: 5,000 euros - hammer price: 16,000 euros "Stars of India" – Indian Convention and Feudatory States stamps and postal history from 1864 Lot 10028: Barwani 1917, ¼ Anna blue, the first stamp of Barwani in a pair on cover. Unique item. Starting price: 9,000 euros - hammer price 11,500 euros Duchy of Brunswick – the "Victoria Luise" collection Lot 9372: The 'Alfred Krupp cover': provisional numeral cancellation "50" of the Braunschweig court post office on a vertical pair of 1 sgr. on yellow, on a 1 sgr. yellow postal stationery envelope to the well-known Krupp family of entrepreneurs in Essen. One of the great philatelic rarities of Old Germany; only one other cover known. Provenance: Pfaff Brothers (1904), 71st Corinphila auction (1984), 27th Kruschel auction (1988). Starting price: 40,000 euros - hammer price: 76,000 euros Postal History of the Faroe Islands in the Second World War - The Jack Petersen Collection Lot 6069: 1942, "Undercover Mail" via P.O. Box 506 from Copenhagen to Lisbon. Intercepted by the Germans and returned to the sender. Hammer price: 4,000 euros Dominican Republic from 1863 – the Hansmichael Krug Collection Lot 6593: British Post Office in Santo Domingo, 1877, GB 1s. (2) and 1d. (3) on cover to Italy. Starting price: 500 euros - hammer price: 9,500 euros Bavaria from 1849 - the Eliahu Weber Collection Lot 9009: 1 kr. black with open millwheel cancellation "418" of REGENSBURG on printed item dated 20 February 1858. Latest use of a "Black One"! Provenance: 10th Maier auction (1916), 6th Stock auction (1919). Starting price: 50,000 euros - hammer price: 75,000 euros  “The world’s most valuable stamp has been bought for $8.3m by Stanley Gibbons, which plans to offer investors a chance to buy fractional ownership of the unique asset.” Financial Times (9 June 2021)
On Monday 8th November the world’s most expensive stamp, the 1c Magenta, will be going on display as part of a free exhibition hosted by Stanley Gibbons, the world’s longest standing stamp merchant. Stanley Gibbons has created a series of exhibits around the 1c Magenta and its history displayed on the gallery floor of its head office at 399 Strand, London. Visitors can discover the full story of the stamp, and its owners, from schoolboys to shoe designers via governments and murderers. They will also be able to discover other members of this rare stamp’s philatelic family tree and join in the trend of signing the back with our communal wall mural. The exhibition will also introduce a limited-edition artwork of the 1c Magenta, by London-based sculptor Guy Gee. Renowned for exploring the merging boundaries between design and contemporary art Guy Gee has been working with Stanley Gibbons on a number of projects as an extension of his “Terrence Stamps” series. The Magenta piece will be the first exclusive launch from this collaboration. The exhibition will be open to the general public every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8th November to 17th December. There are also Saturday openings on November 20th and the 4th and 18th December. Opening times are 11.00 – 18.00 and the full address for Stanley Gibbons head office is 399 Strand, London, WC2R 0LX. ABOUT THE 1 CENT MAGENTA There are any number of 'unique' philatelic items, but only one which is accepted as being 'The World's Rarest Stamp'. The 1856 British Guiana ONE CENT black on magenta is indeed unique in that all other contenders for the title are errors or varieties of more widely available stamps or have been rendered 'unique' by their postmarks or postal use. It was first discovered by a local schoolboy, 12-year-old L Vernon Vaughan, amongst some family papers in 1873; he soaked it off and placed it briefly in his collection, before selling it to a local collector Neil R McKinnon for the sum of six shillings. Vaughan was apparently convinced that he would be able to find a better example of the stamp, but no one ever has. A few years later McKinnon sold his collection to a Liverpool stamp dealer Thomas Ridpath, for £120 and Ridpath subsequently sold the ONE CENT on to the renowned collector Philipp la Renotière von Ferrary, an Austrian living in Paris, for an undisclosed sum, believed to be around £40. Ferrary died in 1917, intending to leave his collection to the Postal Museum in Berlin. However, it was confiscated by the French Government as part of Germany’s war reparations and sold in a series of auctions between June 1921 and November 1925, with the ONE CENT going under the hammer on 6 April 1922, when it was bought by Arthur Hind, a British-born American millionaire for a total sum of £7343 including taxes, making it the highest price ever paid for a single postage stamp and leading to it being widely regarded as 'The World’s Rarest Stamp'. Hind died in 1933 and after a legal battle between his wife and his estate, the stamp passed to Mrs Hind, who attempted to sell in London in 1935 when it failed to reach its reserve. It was finally sold for a sum believed to be around $45,000 in 1940 to an anonymous buyer who was eventually revealed to be Frederick Small, an Australian living in the United States. His name did not become known until the stamp was next sold in 1970, but it was exhibited on a very few occasions, most famously at the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue Centenary Exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall, London, in 1965, the programme for which quoted a valuation of £200,000. This proved to be reasonably accurate, because when the stamp sold in New York on 24 March 1970 as part of the ‘Great’ collection it reached the equivalent of $280,000, the buyer being an investment syndicate one of whom was stamp dealer Irwin Weinberg. Ten years later Mr Weinberg, on behalf of the syndicate, again offered the stamp for sale at Robert A Siegel of New York and this time, including commission, the sum paid totalled $935,000. At first the name of the new owner was again a mystery but was eventually revealed to be John E du Pont, heir to the Du Pont Chemicals fortune. In 1997 du Pont was convicted of murder and spent the rest of his life in prison, dying on 9 December 2010. For most of its 30 years in du Pont’s ownership the stamp was in storage, but an extensive promotional ‘tour’ took place before it went under the hammer again, this time at Sotheby’s New York salerooms on 17 June 2014. This time the selling price was slightly more than ten times its previous peak, the buyer paying a total of $9,480,000. The new owner was shoe designer Stuart Weitzman. Over the next seven years the ONE CENT black on magenta remained in the limelight, being widely exhibited until it once again returned to the auctioneer’s rostrum, also at Sotheby’s in New York, on 8 June 2021, when it achieved a total price of $8,307,000. The buyer was Stanley Gibbons Ltd. who had proudly shown the stamp at its Catalogue Centenary Exhibition 56 years earlier, stating its value to be £200,000. Announcing the purchase, Stanley Gibbons stated that the ONE CENT black on magenta would once more be returning to the UK, where it would be made available for public viewing at its flagship store at 399 Strand, London. In addition, Stanley Gibbons also announced its intention to make ownership of the item, in part at least, available to a much wider audience through shared ownership – a concept which has become increasingly popular in recent years and will hopefully create greater enjoyment of this rarest of philatelic artefacts for a far greater number of people. For more information see: www.showpiece.com Information supplied by PTS Member Stanley Gibbons  David Feldman International Auctioneers announced the upcoming sale by auction on October 14 next of the fantastic Imperium collection of British Guiana, by far the most important and comprehensive assemblage of this famed British colony, one of the great classic collecting fields, ever presented for sale in a single auction. This unique and unreserved offering includes all of the items from the Grand Prix winning John E. du Pont collection sold by David Feldman S.A. in 2014, plus two of the most notable rarities that had been missing and several other pieces added to the collection over the ensuing years from both auction and private treaty purchases. The Imperium Collection was exhibited at the Jerusalem International Exhibition in 2016 where it was awarded the Grand Prix, as well as at Monacophil in 2017. This outstanding selection of world rarities, which are of extraordinary quality, boasts provenance such as, Count Ferrary, King Fuad, Burrus, Dale-Lichtenstein, Champion, Hind, Duveen, Townsend, Hubbard and of course du Pont. The collection is a pre-eminent study of the three key iconic British Guiana primitive stamps; the 1850 “Cotton Reels”, the 1852- 53 Waterlows, and the world-renowned 1856 Provisional stamps both on and off cover. Also included are a presentation of the pre-stamp period, the British Post office in British Guiana, Postage Dues, and the Inland Revenue issues. In particular, the legendary “Miss Rose” Cover, which is one of only two covers that exist with the 2 cents issue, and the unique “error of colour” or “2 cents instead of 12” cover, described by Robson Lowe in the 1963 Burrus auction catalogue as ‘as important as the 1856 “One-Cent on Magenta”’, which was the World’s most expensive stamp when recently sold at auction for $8.3m. Other highlights include a series of the 1852 “Tall Ships” issues of the One Cent and Four Cents in astounding quality, examples of the celebrated 1856 Four Cents on Magenta “Provisional” Issues as well as the rarer 1856 Four Cents on Blue. The Company commented: It is a great honour for the Company to have been entrusted with the unreserved offer for sale of this distinguished British Guiana collection, which is without doubt the most comprehensive we have ever presented, now eclipsing the John E. du Pont collection sold in 2014. It is decorated with great world rarities, including stamps of remarkable quality in the very scarce, and often fragile, primitive issues. It will be an auction of this territory which is unlikely to be equalled again for a generation, and a rare opportunity for any serious British Guiana collector to acquire elusive, unique and world-famous material. Indeed, as a collection at auction it is comparable in both stature and rarity to our offer of the legendary Kanai Mauritius in 1993,another one of the most significant territories of worldwide philately. Promotion in anticipation of the October 14 auction In the run-up to this prestigious auction and the availability of the auction catalogue, which is expected in September, David Feldman S.A. has a dedicated webpage for the Imperium Collection of British Guiana, where you can be kept informed of key information and important dates surrounding this historic sale, as well as high-resolution images of key items. For more information, visit: www.davidfeldman.com/the-imperium-collection-british-guiana The collection will also be presented at the Autumn Stampex Exhibition in London, from September 29th to October 2nd 2021; following the London show, the Collection will be taken to New York for viewing. The Collection then returns to Geneva in anticipation of its sale. The Imperium Collection of British Guiana is currently available to view in the online Museum of Philately website, having previously been kindly loaned for exhibition on this digital platform. Visit the site for further details: https://www.museumofphilately.com/collection/34  Stanley Gibbons are HIRING for a Specialist Auction Describer
A vacancy has arisen for the above role within Stanley Gibbons’ auction team, based on the Strand. This position involves the describing and processing of stamps and postal history for sale by auction and requires a thorough knowledge of philatelic material and postal history, including up to date values and keen commercial acumen. The successful candidate must have the ability to develop the Company’s activities in this area. In addition, they must understand and have experience of how a live auction works. This will be a full-time position based on 37.5 hours a week. (9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Monday – Friday). The role will be based in the Strand office but will be open to flexible working. If you would be interested in applying for this role please contact Samantha Eldridge, HR & Office Manager, on [email protected] attaching both your CV and a cover letter. GOOD LUCK Official press release from PTS Member Stanley Gibbons regarding the purchase today. Stanley Gibbons plc is delighted to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Stanley Gibbons Limited has purchased the world’s most famous and valuable stamp - the 1856 1c Magenta from British Guiana - the only one in existence.
The unique 1c Magenta was purchased at auction in the USA for a total consideration of US$8.307mn (including buyer’s premium and overhead fee) and as a result the world’s most valuable stamp will now be owned by the world’s longest established rare stamp merchant. The stamp will be displayed at the Stanley Gibbons flagship store at 399 Strand, London. It is also the Group’s intention to make it available for everybody to enjoy owning a piece of this unique and storied item through the increasingly popular concepts of fractional ownership and the creation of digital collections. The purchase will be financed through an interest free loan from Phoenix S.G. Ltd (PSG), the Company’s majority shareholder. The Group is also considering partnering with Castelnau Group Ltd (Castelnau), a company controlled by Phoenix Asset Management Partners, as Castelnau seek to develop a new digital platform on which to buy, sell and most importantly, enjoy collectible assets. The proposed partnership with Castelnau has the potential to provide the Group with a minority shareholding in the new digital platform at zero cost as well as cost free access to the platform itself. Any future agreement with Castelnau could constitute a related party transaction under the AIM rules and further updates will be provided in due course. For more details about the stamp and to register your interest in learning more about the possibility of purchasing a piece of history, please visit www.1c-magenta.com Graham Shircore, Group CEO said, ‘We are delighted to bring together the world’s largest stamp dealer and the world’s most valuable stamp’. We look forward to making this historic artefact available to a much wider audience than ever before, and to bringing it back to the Home of Stamp Collecting’. ‘We are also excited about the potential opportunity to work further with Castelnau in creating a world leading digital platform for collectibles and the significant benefits that this may bring to the Group.’ Harry Wilson, Group Chairman said, ‘This purchase represents a new and highly significant next step in the rebuilding of the world’s oldest stamp dealer. Not only does it demonstrate the belief of our majority shareholder in its prospects but also the Group’s increasing confidence in its own prospects.’ Great to have heard about the recent GBPS presidents display being both a psychical and virtual showcase. More from the GBPS is below.  Please see below update regarding Midpex 2021 from show organisers. The show is sponsored by PTS Member Cavendish Philatelic Auctions.
The prospects for this year’s MIDPEX, sponsored by Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd. are still looking good. Capacity has been limited to 70 Dealers and 40 Specialist Societies to ensure social distancing. Organiser, Steve Harrison, commented “Dealers are showing increasing confidence in our plans with more now signed up. If the current progress continues with the vaccination programme and cases remain low, there should be no problems in holding the event. All the appropriate procedures will be in place to make the event as safe as possible. I know many collectors are looking forward to meeting up with their philatelic friends.” MIDPEX is the biennial exhibition first held in 1995 and attended by stamp collectors from across the UK. It brings together Specialist Societies with local, national and international dealers covering all aspects of Philately. The venue is the same, although there has been a slight change of name. It provides an opportunity for Specialist Societies to show off their sphere of interest to other collectors, to recruit members and identify common ground with members of other Societies. It also provides an opportunity for Societies to promote their publications and research projects and for members to meet informally, particularly those members who find it difficult to get to meetings in London. This was first published in The Collectors Club Journal. We wanted to share as its a great documentation of going Virtual and pivoting a club when the pandemic first hit.
Wednesday, March 4th at 6pm saw a program given by Patrick Maselis, RDP at our Club house. The topic was The Medallion Issues of Belgium 1849 – 1866. The Club house was filled. The presentation a thoroughly excellent. As you would expect. After Patrick’s talk we strolled over to a local restaurant for dinner. A very good dinner indeed. The table conversation was engaging, in keeping with the company. The Collectors Club at its very best. In the week that followed, the news reports started to sound bad, very bad. What had been a single case associated with a gentleman from New Rochelle was spreading. Spreading very quickly. We did not know what it really was. The doctors did not know how to treat it. The hospitals were starting to see a dramatic uptick in cases. The city was getting sick. The city was a war zone and it was no longer deemed safe. We, in the New York metropolitan area, were at ground zero, again, but this time it was a disease and not 757s slamming into the World Trade Center. On Friday March 13th, we made the decision to close our Club house. Had we waited a few more days there would have been no choice. The state and city both mandated closure. Our next scheduled program was set for March 18: cancelled The program after that was scheduled for April 1: cancelled. We canceled all meetings in April. Then May. Before long we knew that the rest of the year was going to be wiped out. It was then that we made the decision to bring our programs to a virtual medium. Easier said than done. There were many issues to be considered. You just cannot bring a program to a virtual medium such as Zoom and expect it would “fly”. There were a myriad of questions:
This was the first fundamental issue: “how do we let people know what we are doing?”. Without communicating to our members, our audience, it would be like one hand applauding in a deserted forest. How could we let people know about this? We do indeed have a website, but a website is not a proactive mechanism for communications. It is reactive, people have to know to go there to read and observe what is new. We could not rely on that. We needed to reach out to our people. Problem: our email capabilities were extremely primitive and limited to very simple plain text messages. Not very appealing. In very short order we implemented a very commonly used mass emailing marketing tool. And in a near miracle of speed and dexterity, our VP & CTO, Joan Harmer, was able to get it up and running with all the email addresses we had for our members. An utterly amazing feat. Breath taking. At the very beginning of the pandemic, we looked at how other organizations were reacting. We noted that the Metropolitan Opera was offering free access. One opera recording a week. Each week a new opera. Free. The thought occurred that if this was good enough for the Met maybe it was good enough for the Collectors Club. Based on this “precedent” we started to post past program videos onto our website. Out in the open, available to anyone. A new video every week or so. Given all the stamp shows being canceled and the dislocation in people’s lives, isn’t this the least we could do? To let people know about this, we posted this news on a couple of philatelic bulletin boards. Now, if we were prepared to post previously restricted video out in the open, what about current material, the live events, the programs themselves as they were virtually delivered? If someone wished to attend a live program in the Club house, they were free to walk off the street and be there. We do have a pro forma requirement that limits people to 2 such events without joining but this policy wasn’t always applicable and maybe not always enforced assiduously. This matter was discussed with our Board and there was universal agreement: our virtual programs would be available to the entire philatelic community, members or not. Isn’t this really the least that we could do? Isn’t this really in the spirit of what we all stand for? But, to reach people, beyond those who were members, how would we reach them? A number of philatelic organizations agreed to help us spread the word. The APS has been steadfast at our side. Notices for our programs appeared in their weekly emails week after week. The USPCS, AAPE, US Stamp Society all sent emails to their members on our behave. We also prevailed upon a goodly number of major auction firms to support our efforts: Rumsey, Siegel, HR Harmer, Kelleher, and Harmer International were all truly our partners. A word or two regarding our commercial partners. Perhaps the most valuable asset an auction house has is its client list, its email list. We all know, too many emails, off to the junk folder, or even worse, unsubscribe. The auction firms had nothing to gain and something to lose. We are truly grateful for their support. With all this support and more, our email list grew. It now stands at almost 4 times from where we began. But still, a whole host of issues remained. What would a virtual program look like, how would we run it. How would people log on, how, how, how? Someone had to be the guinea pig and the Club’s president volunteered to go first, he had a presentation ready to go that had been given to a largely empty room at StampShow in Columbus. It was a quick matter to dust it off. Wednesday, April 13th at 6pm we hosted our first virtual program, “Introduction of Decimal Postage in the United Kingdom”. The video of this event is available in our video archive and it is clearly rough around the edges, but the principle was established. We proved we could create a viable and effective mechanism for a virtual program. More importantly, people came and stayed to the end of the program. We became committed to putting on virtual programs. Our programs chair, Steve Reinhard managed to quickly re-configure the program schedule to reflect our new found virtual medium. Most of the presenters who had been lined up to come to New York, agreed to join us on Zoom. The few that were not comfortable were deferred to the day when the Club house can be re-opened. We look forward to that day, but when they join us, their program will be live streamed. As the weeks and programs proceeded we began to realize that a virtual program is not the same thing as a program given from the Club house. We could compare the two experiences, in a sense, as being similar to the differences between a motion picture seen in a movie theatre or a TV program you watch in the comfort of your home. In virtually all cases, a virtual program’s presenter is seated at a desk or table. The presenter’s face and voice dominates the screen and you, the viewer, are frequently on your own. The impact is not unlike being invited into someone’s stamp room and being spoken to directly you, the viewer. It is a very personal and immediate experience. A very powerful experience. In short order we entered into a steady pattern of offering a virtual program every other Wednesday. Initially at 6pm, we adjusted our time to 5:30pm and by the end of the year we ended up providing a total of 21 virtual programs, including 2 special offerings at the APS virtual Grand American Stamp Show in August and the UK virtual Stampex event in September. Our presenters hailed from across the US and we have had 2 presenters from the UK. Our program schedule for 2021 will include multiple presenters from not only North America, but France, India, Thailand and Colombia. The virtual medium cuts through the barriers of distance. Beyond our presenters, we had attendees from not only virtually every state but from every continent aside from the Antarctic. Clearly most would expect attendees from the US and Canada, but we had people from Mexico, Bermuda, the UK, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, France, Spain, India, the Netherlands, Peru, Germany, Isle of Man, Italy,Uruguay, South Africa and many many points beyond. The numbers have been astounding. That very first program on April 13th, had only 81 people who registered. But these numbers grew very rapidly as our email list grew and we all became more comfortable. Today we typically have close to 400 people registering and close to 300 actually attending. As a point of comparison, our Club house can hold 50 people comfortably, 60 uncomfortably. We are reaching 6 or 7 times that number via Zoom. You have also seen a response that reflects more than an audience level. You’ve seen the reports on new members. In the midst of all the horror brought by the virus, we have gained numbers of new members without any recent precedent. All this has been very exciting. We are delighted with the reception our programs have seen and we would like more of our members to be there on the day. Failing that, one could view the programs in our video archive. The purpose of this article is to provide some context for all these virtual programs, the background to their genesis and an invitation to you, our members, to view them in the video archive. For more information on the collectors club head to https://www.collectorsclub.org We have recently heard these awards described as the Academy Awards of the philatelic world. We originally launched the awards to help celebrate the successes of 2020 and to keep inspiring people after such a tough year. 2020 has seen many companies think on their feet, take risks, pivot their business and come up with outstanding creative initiatives. We are delighted to be able to announce these winners and are thrilled to be showcasing the amazing work people have done within the hobby and the trade. All nominees will have the chance to use the PTS Awards nominee logo, will be included on the website and will receive a copy of the Philatelic Exporter. Category winners will have their business featured in the Philatelic Exporter, will be included on The PTS website, will secure a year's subscription to the Philatelic Exporter and an advert in the upcoming PTS Collector Handbook 2021. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the nominations and for joining in with the awards. Including the judges, Isobel for coordinating the whole project and The Philatelic Exporter. We were delighted with the feedback and a massive congratulations to all the winners and runners up. Suzanne Rae, Chair, PTS Ambassador of the Year - to celebrate those who are actively promoting the trade and the hobby in new, creative way
Winners (joint) Markand Dave
Bill Barrell
Runner Up StampIT
Legacy champion of the Year – to celebrate those who are actively investing in knowledge sharing and retention for the future Winner Exploring Stamps
Runners up Trevor Pateman,
CDDStamps,
Rushstamps
PTS contributor of the Year – to celebrate those who are actively contributing to the success of the society outside of the immediate Team and Council Winner Spink
Runner Up StampBoard
Stephen Taylor
Creative concept of the Year – to celebrate the best in innovations within philately – for the trade and the hobby Winner Conversations with Philatelists
Runners Up Royal Philatelic Society London
Museum of Philately
London July 2020: The Philatelic Traders’ Society are delighted to announce that Spink, the world's leading auctioneer of stamps and more, is the official sponsor for Virtual Stampex. During this time, when most people are lock downed, we thought we would share with you some tips and advice on how to network remotely.  The Philatelic Traders’ Society releases Spring Stampex 2022 to allow London 2020 to Set New Date19/3/2020 The London 2020 International, organised by Stamp World Exhibitions Limited, has been postponed from May 2020 to February 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic  The Philatelic Traders' Society is delighted to be able to announce they will be celebrating the 180th Anniversary of the Penny Black on stand at London 2020.  To celebrate this prestigious anniversary, The PTS will be showing two of the largest Mint Blocks of Penny Blacks. These blocks are both held in a private collection and are worth an estimated £1 million each. The Karl Louis Index states that there are only three blocks recorded. Two from plate 1b and one from plate 4. We will be displaying one block from Plate 1b and one block from Plate 4. These are amongst the most valuable Great Britain items in the world. The Penny Black, invented in Britain, was the first ever adhesive stamp. It revolutionised modern communication and went into circulation for the first time on 6th May 1840. ‘The World’s First Postage Stamp’ was created due to the need for messages to be transmitted rapidly and for an affordable price. The Penny Black inspired a revolution in the postal service led by Sir Rowland Hill & changed the way we communicate. Hill and his colleagues led a campaign in the late 1830s to abolish the old system, where postal charges were normally paid for by the recipient. Hill helped slash the cost of posting a letter. As a result, the pre-paid Uniform One Penny Post was introduced in the UK on 10 January 1840. It was an immediate success as the volume of mail being sent rose rapidly. To show the postage had been paid, Hill introduced adhesive postage stamps, using the skills of Perkins Bacon & Co who were leading printers of cheques and banknotes at the time, that could be stuck on the front of a letter. This proved to be such a simple and useful innovation that it spread around the world. Despite all the changes that have taken place in communications technology since, it remains in general use today – 180 years later. The Philatelic Traders’ Society will be at London 2020. London 2020 is held at the Business Design Centre in Islington from 2nd May - 9th May 2020. Entry is free apart from the first day when there is a £10 charge. For more information on THE PTS head to www.thepts.net  We recently announced that the dates for Autumn Stampex International have changed this was done for several reasons, but primarily to capture a wider philatelic audience as people come back from their Summer holidays. The new dates are 30th September 2020 – 3rd October 2020. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the show.
The show already has around 30 traders signed up and paid so if you want to join us please do get in touch as general sales have opened. We are delighted to have Samwells, JC Stamps, Heinrich Kohler, Grosvenor, Richie Bodily, Edmonds & Turner, Mayfair Philatelics, K & K Halls, Classic Phil, Bridger & Kay, The Stamp Centre, Argyll Etkin, Candlish McCleery, Anthony Baker, Alliance Auctions, Embassy Philatelics, Robert Uden, Mint GB Stamps, BB Stamps, Art Stamped, Martin Appleton, Christoph Gaertner, Stephen Taylor, John & Mark Taylor, Beckett Philatelics, Martin Townsend and Mark Harvey all in attendance this year. The exhibition committee at the ABPS is working hard behind the scenes to create a wonderful exhibition with one of the key focuses being presented by the British Thematic Society. Stampex & the ABPS are working hard to increase the awareness of competitive exhibitions as we aim to get more people to write up, show & overall celebrate their wonderful collections. We are delighted to confirm that after the success of Stamp Talks in September 2019, we will be hosting a new series at Stampex 2020. The full host of talks will be launched on our Stampex newsletter, to sign up for the newsletter please head to the Stampex International website. www.stampexinternational.com  We are delighted to let you know that The PTS Membership has opened for new members this year.
Membership is a great way to protect your business, you get listed on The PTS website and have the ability to connect with other traders. Members can also access a private Facebook group, are listed as an IFDSA member, can access the ‘red call’ service and receive advice and support within 24 hours. PTS Council Chairman Suzanne Rae says, ‘Amongst collectors, The PTS shield is instantly recognisable as a symbol of honesty and integrity. We thoroughly vet our members meaning collectors have trust and confidence in Traders who display the shield’. We have also opened a new way to pay, a direct debit scheme allowing people to pay just £12.50 per month. For more information or to become a PTS member visit www.thepts.net or email [email protected] |
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