Next meeting - MONDAY, january 6, 2025
Meeting minutes of the norwalk stamp club
December 2, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Rich Hoffman, Joel Thompson, Lesley Lorant, Robert Greenbaum, Rob Shulman, Arun Kapur, John Schwartz, Jane Snowdon, Bonnie Adams, Colleen Adams, Chris Calle, Mark Yurkiw, Ennis Granata, Michael Clark.
Meeting called to order at 7:55 PM
Business agenda:
- Revised minutes from the November 18 meeting approved.
- Ennis reports stable bank accounts – Checking $1774 Savings $2215.
- Plans for Holiday Party – December 16th. Assemble at the Senior Center at 6 PM. Martial Arts group have been notified. Bonnie passed around a “catering” list for people to tell her what they’re bringing to the party.
- Bill has been going through old club newsletters in hopes of creating a history of the Norwalk Stamp Club.
- Our website received a Large Vermeil from the APS. Bill has been reviewing their feedback for improvements to the site. He plans a program at one of the meetings to show to members who haven’t used the site yet.
- Another stamp collection has been donated to the club!
- Norpex – scheduled for March 8th, 2025. Norwalk Parks and Recreation have been notified. Contracts for vendors will be printed at the end of the month.
- Rob Shulman brought his November “Stamps for the Wounded” donation box – planning to ship this off and start a December box.
Program – well-attended program that was enjoyed by all. Summary courtesy of the speaker, Doug Quine.
Last night Douglas Quine, Ph.D. spoke at the Norwalk Stamp Club on Hiding in Plain Sight - Letter Mail Barcodes, Misdirected Mail, and Modern Postal History. He spoke about the Modern Postal History treasures that arrive in the daily mail. His 42 years studying USPS barcodes on letter mail resulted in a career change from biology to postal automation and the discovery of two common USPS barcodes. Although the USPS responded to two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests claiming they had no information about them, Doug illustrated and discussed the USPS International ZIP Code barcodes and the Flats Mail Identification Code System barcodes in detail. Attendees each received an International ZIP Coded cover as personal proof of their existence.
Dec 16 is the date of annual holiday party and gift exchange
Meeting was adjourned at 8:03 PM
Mike Clark
Secretary, Norwalk Stamp Club
November 18, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Rich Hoffman, Joel Thompson, Lesley Lorant, Robert Greenbaum, Rob Shulman, Arun Kapur, John Schwartz, Mark Yurkiw, Sheila Samuelson, Michael Clark.
Meeting called to order at 8:01 PM
Business agenda:
- Revised minutes from November 4th, 2024 meeting approved.
- The treasurer was not present for report. Treasury “in good shape” per Bill Armstrong.
- The annual Christmas party is scheduled for December 16th. A list will be circulated to keep track of what to bring – main meals, sides, accessories – to the party. The mechanics of the “Secret Santa” were explained to new members. The martial arts group needs to be notified that we will be starting earlier that night. Reminder that paperwork needs to be filed with the Norwalk Department of Recreation and Parks for our ongoing meetings and for Norpex.
- The club was contacted by a collector in France who is moving into the area and wished to join us.
- Fred Stunkel – his obituary suggested donations to the Norwalk Stamp Club – we have received two donations of $100 apiece. The group suggested further discussion with family members to decide how best to use these funds.
- The recent stamp show “Walpex” in Boxborough was discussed. There were less dealers and, overall, a less exciting show.
- Mention was made that Amos Media will soon be discontinuing Linn’s magazine, at least in paper form.
- “Around the Horn”
o Arun Kapur will offer a presentation about his stamp collection in the Spring – he travels to California in December.
o Mark Yurkiw returned after 3 weeks in Ukraine. He was very busy, distributing medical supplies but also got to interview the postmaster in Kiev – in January, the club will review the video that was made.
o Rob Shulman reprised his discussion about the Stamps for the Wounded program. This organization distributes stamps to various veteran organizations. He brought a donation box to the club and received a significant number of stamps from Bob Greenbaum to start things off. John Schwartz will notify his local American Legion post. The organization can be contacted at https://www.stampsforthewounded.org/
o John Schwartz reprised his advice about the soon-to-be-rare dollar bills.. He advises to look out for $1s and $5s Series 2021 with a star.
- Program
o Joel Thompson taught us about the “star cancels of Paris”, a 30-year study that Joel has made. It started with two large boxes bought from a dealer for $15! He showed us several scans, and Bill Armstrong added with several Balloon Monte covers.
Next meeting is December 2nd, where Dr. Doug Quine will present his studies on postal bar codes. He is also known as an expert in anthrax mail.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:32 PM
Mike Clark
Secretary, Norwalk Stamp Club
November 4, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Rich Hoffman, Joel Thompson, Lesley Lorant, Robert Greenbaum, Robb Shulman, Arun Kapur, John Schwartz, Paul Trapanese, Michael Clark.
Meeting called to order at 8:03 PM
Business agenda:
- Minutes from the October 16th meeting approved.
- Treasurer was not present for report. Treasury “in good shape” per Bill Armstrong.
- Mike Ventrella was a former member of the NSC in the early days. His daughter Maureen, who now lives in Canton, Georgia, forwarded one of the early meeting programs of the club. In April 1965, the club hosted the Connecticut Philatelic Society for what looks to be an early all-day Norpex. It also included notes on the early history of the club. Bill Armstrong reported that he plans to put together a more comprehensive NSC history at some point.
- The Garfield-Perry stamp club invited members to share their early stamp experience. Bill Armstrong’s essay was featured in the “Perryscope” of November 2024. Supported by his grandmother and living in an era of many storefront stamp stores, his is an interesting story – ask him for a copy!
- Bill Armstrong exhibited at Balpex recently with a harrowing tale of delayed Federal Express delivery. He received a Large Silver and the AAPE Jean Benninghoff Encouragement Award! Prior critiques commented that he had too much white space – the jury said this revision was too crowded!
- Scott English, the well-respected leader of the APS for the past 10 years, announced his plan to “move on”. He will be around until next year’s GASS as part of a transition team.
- Zach Strauss currently does not have access to transportation to get to our meetings. Bill Armstrong put out a request for anyone who could help.
- Unfortunately, Roland Troller and Joan Leskovsky continue to have medical issues.
- “Around the Horn”:
o Arun Kapur mentioned how much he is enjoying our club meetings!
o Bob Greenbaum reprised his story about the recent inverted Jenny biding. He has had several chances to “touch” the stamp. After MUCH discussion, he went ahead and placed a bid of $95,000 against a pre-estimate of $100,000. Several days later, he was outbid (it sold for $160,000 plus fees). He notes that he collects early US, sometimes in variable condition, and is not collecting as an investment as he feels that stamp values are and will be decreasing over time. Paul Trapanese had a good experience selling his father’s collection. All members stressed the importance of communicating valuations to heirs!
o Robb Shulman discussed his support for the Stamps for the Wounded program. This organization distributes stamps to various veterans organizations. He has set up a box in his local post office for donations and will be setting up a box for donations at our club meetings. They can be contacted at https://www.stampsforthewounded.org/
o Paul Trapanese showed early documents from the 1600s from his father’s collection. These were well-preserved! One appears to be a sales promotion. A number of early US Andrew Jackson stamps were shown – his expression changes based on the cancellation! Other stamps from Asia and Austria were shown.
o John Schwartz is also a paper money collector. He advises to look out for $1s and $5s Series 2021 with a star. This will be short-lived if Trump wins the election, since a new Secretary of Treasury will be appointed.
o Mike Clark talked about an upcoming Siegel auction with a full sheet of Red Cross stamps missing the cross. Catalog at $40,000, estimate $20,000!
o Duck Stamp exhibit again mentioned. Noted past efforts to include a hunter or hunting failed.
- Program
o Rich Hoffman showed “Weird covers from his collection”. A diverse presentation of first cachets by Iior, other Fleugel and Artcraft color variety cachets, a full story of the famous Nagano perfins, Canadian balloon post and Duck stamps, and bottle mail!
o Next meetings – November 18, – Joel Thompson – topic “Paris Star Cancels 1863-1875”. December 12 – Dr. Doug Quine, expert on Postal Bar Codes.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:46 PM
Mike Clark
Secretary, Norwalk Stamp Club
October 21, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Rich Hoffman, Joel Thompson, Chris Calle, Lesley Lorant, Colleen Adams, Bonnie Adams, John Passiglia, Terry Fitzgerald, Robert Greenbaum, Ray Memmel, Ed Jankowitz, Rob Shulman, Zach Strauss, Arun Kapur, Dave Dauplaise, Michael Clark. There was another attendee “Stu” whose name I didn’t catch.
Meeting called to order at 8:00 PM
Business agenda:
- Minutes from the September 16, 2024, meeting approved.
- Treasurer was not present, but Bill noted that our account remains stable at around $4000.
- Fred Stunkel – His recent passing was noted. Members described his active involvement in the Club, including a recent presentation of his Duck Stamp collection – a moment of silence was offered. Bonnie thanked the club for their thoughts.
- Duck Stamp exhibit - Thanks to Jane and Bill for initiating and organizing this event. Members offered praise for the Club field trip to the Bruce Museum for the Duck Stamp documentary and exhibit. The members were treated to an exclusive tour by the curator. The exhibition, which includes stamps and original artwork, is ongoing and highly recommended.
- Donations to the club – Thanks to Joe Holliday, a 30-year collector of UN stamp materials, for his donation of his collection to the club. A separate “UN only” auction is being considered. Bonnie offered to write a thank you letter as she has done so beautifully in the past. Ralph Petruzzo and his wife also stopped by briefly to have their collection evaluated. After review by Dave Dauplaise, they decided to donate the collection to the club. Much appreciated! Our website continues to attract potential collectors and others who wish to have collections evaluated and/or donated.
- “Around the Horn”
- Upcoming meetings – Balpex, Walpex, both scheduled for the October 26th weekend.
- Chris Calle designed 2 cachets for the Walpex show honoring the 100th anniversary of the Winter Olympics.
- Bill Armstrong will be exhibiting at Balpex. His exhibit was FedExed for 2-day service but has been in limbo as the mandatory delivery date approaches. Members described their experience with getting reimbursed for mail delays.
- Mike and Bill described their recent experiences with exhibiting, including the judging critiques that can be quite variable.
- Zach Strauss brought stamp pins from his late father’s collection to share with the club. Most of the collection has gone to auction houses or dealers but Zach brought some to donate to the club. Zach needs a ride to get to future meetings.
- Stu asked a question about removing self-adhesive stamps. Several members of the group had suggestions. Limonene is a citrus compound found in room sprays that will dissolve most of the self-adhesive glue of these stamps. Some of the gum will stay on the back of the stamp and needs to be removed separately. Some collectors are saving these as “cut squares” to eliminate the need to remove the stamp from the paper.
- Ray was also impressed with the recent Duck Stamp field trip.
- Joel is studying Spanish classics, particularly ways to differentiate genuine stamps from forgeries.
- Bob Greenbaum had 2 interesting stories. In one, he put together an envelope that had all the “letter stamps”. A friend was able to bring them to the local post office where they were hand-stamped! The second story revolved around a current auction of the “inverted Jenny” stamp. He has had several chances to “touch” the stamp. After MUCH discussion, he went ahead and placed a bid of $95,000 against a pre-estimate of $100,000. Several days later, he was outbid. No plans to up his bid but he’s interested to see what the stamp goes for.
- Terry Fitzgerald reviewed his collecting interests. He exhibited cross-border Vermont Lake Champlain covers in the past. Interested now in collecting the “ones and twos” of countries of the world.
- Chris Calle mentioned Dave Barrett’s Xmas seal collection may become available. Several members expressed interest.
- Program
- Donated material to the club – run by Bonnie and Colleen – a “pay what you think it’s worth” auction that appeared to be very popular with the members.
- Club swap – a few members had brought some material that was exchanged but the silent auction distracted from this effort.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:48 PM
Mike Clark
Secretary, Norwalk Stamp Club
October 6, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Ennis Granata, Rich Hoffman, Mark Yurkiw, Lesley Lorant, Jane Snowdon, Ray Memmel, John Schwartz and his 2 guests, and new member Arun Kapur.
Meeting called to order at 2:00 PM at the Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT
Business agenda:
- Jane Snowdon took minutes since Mike Clark was not present.
- The Norwalk Stamp Club paid for the cost of admission for members’ entrance fees to the Bruce Museum.
- We enjoyed an informative and entertaining screening of the movie The Million Dollar Duck, a documentary about the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, which is the only juried, art competition run by the U.S. government.
- The first Federal Duck Stamp was issued in 1934. All duck hunters must purchase the stamp. Over $1.2 billion has been raised for conservation and acquisition of more than 6 million acres of wetlands habitat on national wildlife refuges across the United States.
- Following the film, Daniel Ksepka, Curator of Science at the Bruce Museum, gave an engaging presentation and fascinating tour of more than 70 works of art representing the original winning designs for the Duck Stamp. All 91 Federal Duck stamps issued to date were exhibited in a matted frame with additional spaces for 9 more leading up to 2033 and the 100th anniversary of the Federal Duck Stamp program in 2034.
- Afterwards, some club members enjoyed viewing the other exhibits at the Bruce Museum.
- Dan invited the club to return to the Bruce Museum on Thursday, October 17, 6:00 – 7:30 PM for another film narrated by Michael Keaton called Wings Over Water, which tells the story of the epic journeys of three amazing bird families – the Sandhill Crane, the Yellow Warbler and the Mallard Duck – with extraordinary footage of their fascinating behaviors. Immediately following the film, Julie Hill-Gabriel, Vice President, Habitat Conservation, North America for the National Audubon Society will present on how Audubon protects water resources for birds and people, and why programs such as the Duck Stamp help conserve wetlands and protect habitat for these important birds.
o https://brucemuseum.org/whats-on/bruce-presents-wings-over-water/
- Meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM
September 16, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Ennis Granata, Rich Hoffman, Joel Thompson, Mark Yurkiw, Chris Calle, Lesley Lorant, Jane Snowdon, Colleen Adams, Bonnie Adams, John Schwartz, John Passiglia.
Meeting called to order at 8:00 PM
Business agenda:
- Jane Snowdon took minutes since Mike Clark was not present.
- Ennis Granata gave the Treasurer’s Report with $1,471.52 in checking and $2,140.32 in savings totaling $3,611.84. Bank statements were available for anyone to review.
- We welcomed guests Ranzi Bishuti, Ed Jankovic, Arun Kapur, and Robert Shulman and guest speaker Ken Sanford.
- Mark Yurkiw offered to pickup a donation from Matthew Harrison in Westport.
- Mark will be traveling to Ukraine from October 15 to November 6 and we wish him safe travels.
- Bill circulated a member roster and requested everyone to add their APS member number.
- Bill announced the APS email concerning fraudulent stamp stores. Ken announced the problem with counterfeit Forever stamps being sold on eBay and by dealers.
- Plan for Fall Programs:
o Sunday, October 6 at 2:00 pm at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich for the Million Dollar Duck movie showing and tour of the Federal Duck Stamp exhibit. Please let Bill know if you want to attend.
o Monday, October 7 – No meeting.
o Monday, October 21 – Auction
o Doug Quine - an expert on postal bar codes
o Larry Lyons - Exec Dir of The Philatelic Foundation who lives in Norwalk
- Ken Sanford, Past Director and President of AAMS, and author / editor of a 2,400 page book on air crash mail, gave a fascinating talk on “Collecting Air Crash Covers,” which was previously offered as an APS slideshow with narration.
o The book “Air Crash Mail of the World,” edited by Kendall C. Sanford and published in 2023 incorporates full covers in color for USA, Canada, and Mexico from the American Air Mail Catalogue, 6thEdition, Volume 1 and a 2-volume book “Recovered Mail” by Henri Nierinck which includes covers from the rest of the world, cachets, and labels in black and white. Ken sold copies of the push out USB version of the “Air Crash Mail of the World” book to a few NSC members for $30.
o Ken has been collecting crash mail for 30-40 years. His collection spans Imperial (BOAC, BA) and Pan Am flights until 1940 and recovered/salvaged mail from damaged aircraft.
o Ken shared examples of crash mail organized according to his collection by airline, by aircraft type, military, by stamp, pilot autographed covers, crashes involving terrorism. He also presented a list of reference books for those interested in the subject.
o The earliest crash covers are from the Siege of Paris, 1870-71 for 6 months.
o The earliest US crash cover was Government Air Mail Services in 1918 from Washington to Philadelphia to New York.
o The earliest airline service crash was London to Paris on August 22, 1920 at Eltham, Great Britain.
o Ken showed some interesting cachets including from the San Juan, Pam Am flight of Feb 19, 1934.
o A humorous story shared involved the Pan Am crash of August 15, 1928 in the Gulf of Mexico where the mail was dried out in a local bakery.
o Crash covers collected by stamp included the 5 cent Beacon stamp (12/22/1930) and the 5 cent Winged Globe stamp (05/16/1932).
o An amazing story shared was the crash cover with a bullet hole in it from November 1939 that had been shot down by the Japanese (Imperial Dardanus).
Meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM
September 2, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Rich Hoffman, Joel Thompson, Mark Yurkiw, Chris Calle, Lesley Lorant, Jane Snowdon, Colleen Adams, Bonnie Adams, Fred Stunkel, John Schwartz, John Passiglia, Vinny Riley.
Meeting called to order at 8:00 PM
Business agenda:
- The 63rd season of the Norwalk Stamp Club kicked off on Monday, September 2, 2024.
- Jane Snowdon took minutes since Mike Clark was not present.
- There was no Treasurer’s Report since Ennis Granata was not present.
- We welcomed a guest, Vinny Riley, husband of Betsy Riley, who inherited a collection from her great grandfather that she’d like us to examine.
- We held a moment of silence in honor of two of our members. Bob Wolkwicz passed away over the summer. Ted Strauss passed away earlier today. We send our heartfelt condolences to Bob’s family and to Zach.
- The minutes with 2 minor updates from our last meeting on June 17, 2024 were reviewed and approved.
- Norwalk Stamp Club’s new nametag lanyards were distributed to all paid-up members. The green and white colors just happen to match the Norwalk High School Bears’ school colors. The NSC colors are gold and black, which will be considered for future lanyard orders as needed.
- Club members Mike Clark, Lesley Lorant, and Jane Snowdon were congratulated for winning awards for their exhibits at the Great American Stamp Show (GASS) 2024 in Hartford, CT. Lesley and Jane shared their stories, experiences, and insights for exhibiting.
- The Norwalk Stamp Club and CT Cover Club shared a booth and a table at GASS 2024. The physical location, along with other club booths, was at the outer edge of the exhibit floor facing a wall, which unfortunately received low traffic. A full-color, 4-page, folded brochure about the Norwalk Stamp Club was created and distributed to prospective members. The amount of effort to man the table was high and the revenue generated was low at $35, which did not cover the $55 cost of the table for the 4-day show.
- A member’s proposal to broaden our club’s reach by having “hybrid meetings,” i.e., in-person with additional option for Zooming in, was discussed. Because our club’s membership is local with the majority attending in person, and there are no national members, the club did not support having Zoom meetings.
- John and Joan Leskovsky are setting up the Oyster Festival in Norwalk.
- We discussed candidate themes and objectives for NORPEX 2025. Two ideas proposed were the semiquincentennial Continental Congress and Samuel Ashbow Jr., who was a Mohegan Indian from Connecticut and the first Native American killed in the battle of Bunker Hill. Following the fighting at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, Samuel Ashbow Jr. was one of up to 16,000 people from Connecticut to volunteer in response to the call by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress to fight at Cambridge.
o https://ctssar.wixsite.com/ctcongress2025
o https://www.nps.gov/articles/samuel-ashbow-a-forgotten-casualty-of-bunker-hill.htm
o https://nativenortheastportal.com/bio/bibliography/ashbow-samuel-jr-1748-1775
- We have exciting plans and ideas for Fall programs:
o Monday Sept 16: Silent Auction (the remaining donated items from Bob Wolkwicz’s estate, and mounts acquired at NORPEX.)
o Sunday Oct 6: 2:00 – 6:00 PM: Field Trip to the Bruce Museum in Greenwich for the screening of the Million Dollar Duckfilm and viewing the Federal Duck Hunting Permit Stamp Exhibit of 70 original artworks and stamps.
§ https://www.fws.gov/event/million-dollar-duck-movie-screening
§ https://brucemuseum.org/whats-on/conservation-through-the-arts-celebrating-the-federal-duck-stamp-2/
§ Please contact Bill if you are interested in attending:
· Yes: Bill, Les, Mark, John Schwartz, Rich
· Maybe: Bonnie, Colleen, Fred, Chris, Joel, Vinny
· No: Jane (away on vacation)
o Monday Oct 7: No meeting (Field Trip instead)
o Bill talked with three experts at GASS who live in Connecticut and are willing to make presentations to our club. Bill will be contacting them to ask about their availability.
§ Doug Quine - an expert on postal bar codes
§ Ken Sanford, AAMS Member - expert on crash mail who lives in Oxford
§ Larry Lyons - Exec Dir of The Philatelic Foundation who lives in Norwalk
o Jeopardy!
o (From the last meeting) “Swap sessions” with members bringing in duplicate/unwanted items to give/trade/sell to other members who were interested.
- Norwalk Stamp Club Finances
o Our club is not a 501c3 organization.
o Bill filed the club’s annual corporate registration with the State of Connecticut.
o The club discussed the desirability of having a written bank statement distributed at every meeting as part of the Treasurer’s Report.
o The club discussed and agreed that purchases on behalf of the club should be reviewed and approved in advance by the executive committee.
o One member requested that the $50 purchase of mounts made at NORPEX in March on behalf of the club should be auctioned at the next meeting for the benefit of club members.
o Bonnie has been writing thank you notes to people who have made donations to the club. In some instances, she has given estimates for the donated items. In most instances, the value is up to the donor to determine.
- A new member from Ridgefield has applied via the club’s website.
- Mark will be traveling to Ukraine from October 15 to November 6 to award the Postmaster General a model of the Titanic lifeboat in recognition of the Ukraine’s Crimean Bridge stamp. Mark will also be traveling to the front line to deliver chest compression bandages. He will also be filming a video for the APS. We wish Mark safe travels.
- Meeting adjourned at 9:05 PM
- Bob Wolkwicz’s widow very kindly donated his holdings to our club, and we conducted a SILENT AUCTION of some of his material. The remainder will be auctioned at the Sept. 16 meeting.
June 17, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Rich Hoffman, Joel Thompson, Mark Yurkiw, Chris Calle, Lesley Lorant, Ray Memmel, Mike Clark.
Meeting called to order at 8:05 PM
Business agenda:
- Minutes from June 3 meeting reviewed and approved with minor edits – Chris did not stay for the meeting and John/Joan Leskovsky were not going to NAPEX this year.
- NAPEX 2024 – Bill Armstrong attended with his daughter and granddaughter Amelia. She is 5 years old but has already started a stamp collection and is very organized – the NAPEX dealers were happy to help this young collector and had lots of material to add to her collection. She also spent time at the Young Collectors’ booth there.
- Bill made an interesting acquisition at the show – several flight covers – that he had made during a 17 hour, 515 mile balloon flight from Cleveland to Northborough, Massachusetts, in 1986!
- Rich Hoffman handed out GASS advertising cards that he received from the APS. More are ordered and he plans to offer them at the Fourth Sunday New Haven show.
- Chris Calle described the daily show cachets for the upcoming GASS show. – Charter Oak Day, Roger Sherman Day, and Mark Twain Day. There will also be 2 USPS first day cover ceremonies – Pinback Buttons and Autumn Colors.
- Program idea – Ray suggested that one of our programs could be “swap sessions” with members bringing in duplicate/unwanted items to give/trade/sell to other members who were interested. The group thought this was a good idea.
Meeting adjourned at 8:27 PM
Program:
- The usual technical glitches, but an interesting video from the Smithsonian – an interview between Igor Smelyansky, Director of the Ukrainian Postal Department, and Elliot Gruber of the Smithsonian. Clearly the Post Office has played a crucial role in maintaining communication and sustaining morale during the prolonged conflict with Russia.
June 3, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Rich Hoffman, Lesley Lorant, Jane Snowdon, Bob Wolkwitz, Bonnie Adams, Fred Stunkel, Colleen Adams, Joel Thompson, Mark Yurkiw, Chris Calle, Ray Memmel, John Schwartz, Stuart Zaiman, Bob Greenbaum, Sheila Samuelson, Roland Troller, Joan Leskovsky, John Leskovsky
Meeting called to order at 8:05 PM by Bill Armstrong. Minutes from 5/20/24 approved.
- Secretary – Jane Snowdon recorded the minutes because Mike Clark was not present.
- Finances – No Treasurers report this meeting because Ennis Granata was not present.
- Attendees – It was a great pleasure to welcome back Joan and John Leskovsky! They thanked the NSC for the get-well card, which they found very uplifting. They plan to attend NAPEX 2024 in McLean, VA on June 7-9. Bill Armstrong also plans to attend.
- Website – Bill asked Ray Memmel to writeup a paragraph about his talk “Back of the Book, Back of the Book” collections on Lock Seal, Philatelic Truck and Ekko Radio Cinderellas to post on the NSC website. Bill will post that the NSC is attending GASS 2024 on the NSC website.
- GASS 2024
· Rich reported NSC and Connecticut Cover Club will have 2 tables and share Booth 133. The New Haven Philatelic Society and the Thames Stamp Club in New London will share an adjacent booth, also with 2 tables.
· All members are encouraged to email Brain Magee (brian.magee@cox.net) to volunteer to man Booth 133. Two people are needed to man all 4 tables at any one time.
· Bill will create a NSC brochure for Booth 133 and bring 200 copies.
· Jane distributed the GASS 2024 Program / Schedule with the meeting notes.
· All members are encouraged to volunteer to help APS at GASS. To sign up, either complete the online form: https://stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/volunteeror fill in the attached form (2024Volunteer.pdf)
· A Hartford shuttle bus will circulate around the hotels and the convention center.
· The American FDC Society will have an estimated 150 silent auction lots.
- Rich announced Maurice Bessette will hold a June 23 (4th Sunday) sale in New Haven of flags and commemorative sheets.
- Bill announced that Ennis has a friend with a bus that could be used to transport members to the Bruce Museum in Greenwich for the Duck Stamp Exhibit in the Fall.
- Bill expressed concern that www.uspssales.com is advertising and selling Forever Stamp fakes online.
- Joel discussed a book on new issues of Mexico and upcoming Collectors Club meetings: June 18 in-person with speakers Bob Gray and Larry Haber, and Nov 6 with 1-frame exhibits by members.
- Donated Items – Bonnie, Colleen, and Fred did a heroic job in sorting stamps from 245 countries into bags for auction. Minimum price was $2/bag for most bags with the exception of 2 bags of rare stamps with higher assigned prices. The auction took place following the program presentation. All proceeds benefit the NSC.
- Program – Mark Yurkiw gave a heartfelt, and at times sobering, talk on Ukrainian war stamps, which was amplified by a display of painted works of art. He read aloud letters from Ukrainian citizens about daily life and shared how selling stamps on eBay is often their only form of income. He offered Ukrainian stamps and covers for sale with proceeds going towards the purchase of medical bandages to be shipped overseas.
· A selection of the Ukrainian war stamps Mark showed included:
§ Putin’s fleet ship
§ Blowing up the Crimean Bridge with homage to the Titanic
§ Young lady cartoon with the world’s largest airplane built in a hangar issued on the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from Russia. Russia bombed the airplane.
§ Ukrainian tractor pulling a Russian tank
§ Jack Russell Terrier named Petron sniffing out landmines
§ Ukraine Free Unbreakable Invincible Stamp Sheet
· Mark shared several links for further information:
§ NY Times: Measuring What Ukraine Has Lost https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/06/03/world/europe/ukraine-destruction.html
§ Elliot Gruber interview with Igor Smelyansky, Ukraine’s Postmaster General, at the National Postal Museum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bofh2A9yLNk
§ Rachel Morgan’s article on “Delivering Under Pressure: How Igor Smelyansky Has Adapted Ukraine’s National Postal Service to the Chaos of War,” https://msb.georgetown.edu/news-story/delivering-under-pressure-how-igor-smelyansky-mba05-has-adopted-ukraines-national-postal-service-to-the-chaos-of-war/
- June 17 Meeting – Program to be announced.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jane Snowdon
March 4, 2024
Present: Bill Armstrong, Rich Hoffman, John Leskovsky, Joan Leskovsky, Colleen Adams, Bonnie Adams, Fred Stunkel, Joel Thompson, Bob Greenbaum, Chris Calle, Lesley Lorant, Jane Snowdon, Zach Strauss, Mike Clark.
Meeting called to order at 8:05 PM by Bill Armstrong. Minutes from 2/19/24 approved.
- Finances – No Treasurers report this meeting. Colleen reports that the last silent auction netted $50. Another silent auction of donations scheduled for tonight – leftovers will be offered at Norpex.
- Norpex: Thus far, vendors’ checks have totaled $810 (and we have one cover order for $3!)
· Vendors – So far no word on Kuntzer. Custis tentatively a yes if back from St. Lucia.
· Table count – we’ll need 26 – 28 tables for vendors, 24 noted in the racks in the meeting room. Mike will contact Beatrix for any additional tables in this center or the South Center.
· Table cards and Club name tags – Bonnie has the name tags. Mike will make up the table tent cards.
· Exhibits – we decided on 8 frames (4 “easels”) – Les, Bonnie, and Bill (and possibly John) will exhibit.
· Ukraine – Mark has Ukraine Cinderellas to hand out to Club members who have bought Ukraine material in the past. He will have them at the Ukraine table at Norpex.
· Additional ideas for next year – add vendor dealer addresses to our postcard mailing list. Cards should include a notation to bring your card to be included in a raffle. Fee for needing assistance with set-up and take-down should be included in the contract.
· Road display signs – to go up on Tuesday – Rich and John in charge.
· Food – Ennis getting Friday night pizza and Saturday bagels and breakfast fixings.
· Lunch for dealers – Mike will talk to Country Convenience – had good feedback last year.
· Assistance with set-up – Sheila will talk to Spencer to help out on Saturday – tentative $20 per hour plus tips.
- Program – Mark read some interesting sections from the 1924 Scott catalogue that he found in the closet. Mentioned stamp shows on the radio. John and Rich recounted how the Norwalk Stamp Club had a local radio show that was the longest radio show in the country.
- Members catch-up – News on Ted (doing better). Hadn’t heard from Dave in a while so planned to call him.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 PM.
February 5, 2024
Present: Ennis Granata, Bill Armstrong, Rich Hoffman, John Leskovsky, Joan Leskovsky, Colleen Adams, Bonnie Adams, Fred Stunkel, Joel Thompson, Mark Yurkiw, Bob Greenbaum, Chris Calle, Lesley Lorant, Jane Snowdon, Zach Strauss, Mike Clark. Guests – Stamp album inheritors for evaluation (Michael, Jill?)
Meeting called to order at 8:05 PM by Bill Armstrong. Minutes from 1/16/24 – to be approved next meeting.
- Treasurer – Club liability insurance paid. Reminder to pay dues.
- Senior Center news – A computer-ready TV monitor was made available by the Center coordinator. In return, we are in discussions to place an ad in the Senior Center newsletter.
- Norpex: 6 dealers confirmed – Al Curulli, George Papandreu, Irv Miller, Dutch Country Auctions, Maurice Bessette, Victoria Kunzer.
§ Tentative – Larry Volvoski, Steve Nudelman.
§ Publicity – Committee to work on language for a press release. Rich announced that the event is already listed on the ASDA and APS calendar. On Feb 22, the event will listed for 3 weeks. Maurice Bessette has already announced the event in his monthly stamp offerings.
§ Mailing list – edited by Brian Adams; many on the list have passed away. Mike brought this year’s postcards and the group labelled and stamped the cards after Bob Greenbaum had the stamps organized.
- Hartford GASS 2024 – Table to be manned by Norwalk Club and Connecticut Cover Club. Brian Magee is in charge of coordinating staffing for the 4 days. Chris Calle will be producing the show cachets as well as the Boston 2026 labels.
- Donations – we continue to be contacted to evaluate collections and donations – we need volunteers for that. Bill evaluated a collection from a Navy buddy who had passed away, but thought it was “a starter collection”. Don Stegler, an FDC maker and member of the club in the 1960’s has over 100,000 FDCs that he would like to sell. He has donated empty FDC albums to the club, along with stamps on paper, some mounts, and glued together stamps.
- Honorary membership – Scott English, Executive Director of the APS, reports that he is a member of over 90 stamp clubs and to remind him when to pay dues. Chris Calle made a motion to make Scott an Honorary member of our club. Passed unanimously.
- Programs – Jane Snowdon at next meeting for her talk on gliders. Jeopardy games requested by Chris Calle at future meetings.
- Auctions – Mark Yurkiw reported on his evaluation of our auction process. Right now, the club’s income from the auctions comes from club members, not a long-term solution. He concluded that our best option would be to starting listing lots on ebay. Extensive discussion around risks and benefits including lot description, postage costs, ratings, customer complaints. Chris Calle and Ennis Granata agreed to test the process with our club’s covers in stock.
- Ukraine trip – Mark will be traveling to Ukraine in the summer, and hopes to present an award (a model lifeboat from the movie Titanic) to the postmaster for his initiatives and innovative stamp program. He will contact Scott English to learn if he can go as an official APS representative.
- Program – Silent auction organized by Colleen and Bonnie Adams – slated to end at 9 PM. Joel Thompson to evaluate the collection brought in by our guests.
- NAPEX 2024 – Bill Armstrong attended with his daughter and granddaughter A. She is 5 years old but has already started a stamp collection and is very organized – the NAPEX dealers were happy to help this young collector and had lots of material to add to her collection. She also spent time at the Young Collectors’ booth there.
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