My email inbox is generally not a source of great surprise, but a bolt out of the blue appeared the other day. Please don’t worry, it was a good surprise. As President of the Collectors Club, I received a note from Jean Voruz informing me that the journal you are now reading, The Collectors Club Philatelist, was awarded the European Philatelic Press Award 2023. Jean is the President of the AEP, the European Academy of Philately. I was further informed that “this award is intended to distinguish a magazine of a high philatelic standard with a wide European circulation.” And “this is the first time that a non-European journal has been awarded this distinction in its 20-year history.” Naturally, we are all delighted and appreciative of this recognition. In particular, it is very pleasing to see the efforts of our editor, Wayne Youngblood, being rewarded.

There is no way we can ascertain whether the efforts of our Publication Committee played a role in our being honored, but I do hope that is the case. About a year ago, it was felt that the “connectivity” between this journal and its membership needed to be deepened. We then reconstituted our Publication Committee, the members of which can be viewed on our masthead. Our first obligation is to help source impactful articles to assist Wayne. This journal should be a reflection of the membership, both its needs and its capacity to provide insightful copy. This journal is expected to provide scholarly material and, at the same time, help inform the membership on Club and philatelic matters. The goal is to tie us better together as we pursue our shared passion. If this journal is to provide material, there clearly must be a supply. That is not just my job or Wayne’s, but our communal job. We look to you for your efforts and your insights. That frequently means we ask you for a submission.

When we speak to prospective authors, the most frequently asked question goes along the lines of “I write on the post history of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, why should I publish my article with you? Wouldn’t it fit better for the Grand Fenwickian Postal History Journal?”

Our response is pretty simple: as a generalist society with a generalist readership, if you would like to reach non-specialists in your area, if you would like to educate judges, if you would like to expand interest in your area, then send the article to us. If your article has applicability beyond your immediate area and has meaning as a lesson for other disciplines, we are the best place to publish. In other words, we are the place if you want to reach beyond your bubble. We are the place if you would like to reach people who do not yet share in your particular passion.

The two-part article we ran last year from Steve Roth is a case in point. The Carriage of Mail by Eastern Stage Lines Before 1860 was awarded the 2022 Robert P. Odenweller Award for Best Article in the Collectors Club Philatelist. If you still need to read this article, please go to your copy or our online archive and read this. It has broad applicability that goes far beyond the specifics. We are grateful for having had the privilege to have been able to share with our members its deep insights. Reaching a broad and appreciative audience and expanding the group is precisely the reason to publish with us rather than the Grand Fenwickian Postal History Journal.

One of the things I tell our Zoom series presenters is that we provide an opportunity to make converts out there. That someone out there watching the program will make the decision to take on the challenge of your topic. Not a soul disagrees or challenges that formulation. I am sure they want me to be correct about this. Realistically, we do not have armies of people taking up a discipline they hear about from our programs. There may be only one individual who takes up the opportunity. But if it is just one, isn’t that marvelous? Now, if that is true of a Zoom program, why wouldn’t it be true for an article? Curiously, I get no arguments from our Zoom presenters, but I frequently do when asking for a written article.

There isn’t a soul reading this letter who could not give us an article. Try it.

While we are discussing the written word, let’s talk a bit about our library. With our move coming to 58 West 40th Street, we will soon have room for additions to our library. So please think of us when looking at books you wish to de-accession.

Not everyone could be out at our annual meeting. Please view the video in our online archive if you did not attend our annual meeting. In addition to the updates on Club activities, we discuss our move to our new home on 40th Street.

Speaking of our new location at 58 West 40th Street, we are making excellent progress on the design work with our architects. We are close to finalizing the floor plan. We will share our progress as we proceed. Finally, and most importantly, our enthusiasm and optimism about the future of the Club remains. It is going to be very special.

 

–Lawrence Haber

We begin a new year, and with that comes the promise of new beginnings. We turn the page saying goodbye to the past. The future lies ahead as we await the new year’s promises. This is very true for our Club. On November 15th, we closed the sale of our old clubhouse at 22 East 35th Street. Before the end of November, we signed a 15-year lease on our new clubhouse.

Closing the sale of 22 East 35th should be no surprise. The sales process was run with professionalism by our team at Cushman & Wakefield, and the price we obtained was full value. The building had innumerable memories, but the time to move forward has arrived and turn that page.

So, where are we going? Our new home is at 58 West 40th Street. That places us where we belong: between Penn Station and Grand Central terminal. Our 40th location is between 5th and 6th Avenues, on the south side of the street overlooking Bryant Park. Bryant Park itself is immediately behind the main New York Public Library. Technically, we have moved from Murray Hill to Midtown South.

Our new building was built in 1921 and has 17 stories. We occupy the entirety of the 1st-floor mezzanine. There are no other tenants on our floor. Each floor in the building has only one tenant. Our floor features floor-to-ceiling windows along the entire building width on 40th Street. The view overlooking Bryant Park is outstanding.

Although the building was built a century ago, our space is entirely up to date. High-speed internet: no problem. Capacity to carry the weight load of the library: no problem. Modern heating and cooling. Easy access for mobility-challenged individuals: no problem.

The space measures 7,480 rentable square feet. More important than some abstract measurement is the fact that we will fit the space and we will fit it well. Our architects measured the spaces we used at 22 East 35th and overlaid that onto 50 West 40th. The only thing we will lose is underutilized space or space that was wasted due to the design of the old clubhouse. The old clubhouse’s floor plate was designed as two spaces, one in the front and one in the back, joined by the elevator and staircase lobby. Much of that connective tissue could not be used. Our new space is shaped like a rectangle, and very little space will be wasted. The elevators and restroom are on one side of the floor, maximizing space utilization.

You enter the building into a small marble lobby. This is not some vast NYC building with 55 stories and floors that occupy a city block. This is a “family” building, and we think you will feel the intimacy of the building as you enter. There is 24/7 reception, and the elevator will take you one flight up. The elevator will open, and you will be in the Club when it opens—no doors to open or corridors to walk down. As you turn to the right, you will enter our main lounge, where you will meet other members and be able to look out over Bryant Park. If, alternatively, you had turned left, you would have been led to our new library space. In the center, between the library and the lounge, will be the presentation room, fully outfitted with the latest technical equipment allowing us to reach members both in the room and across the world. Beyond these spaces, we anticipate two seminar rooms where small groups can gather, a modern pantry, and restroom access that meets ADA standards.

We do not yet have a full design. We will have to build out the floor to our design. We are working with our architects and are working on the design now. Much work remains. But we did have a test fit run to make sure this space would work, and it will work. For those who can join us for in-house programs, the evening will begin in an elegant area to socialize with your friends; once the time is reached, we will walk across the room through a set of wide doors and enter the presentation space. The simplicity and ease we will walk about may be startling at first. We have become very used to broken-up and disconnected spaces and awkward flows, that will not be the case here. We anticipate that the flow in the building will be very natural and smooth. It will be very exciting.

As the design firms up, we will share this with you and look forward to your reactions as we build our new home.

 

–Lawrence Haber

In a matter of days, we will finalize our program for next year, calendar 2023. Hopefully, by the time you read this, the full program will be listed on our website. Did you know that you can register for a program now, even for a program scheduled months away? If your plans change, that’s no problem, and more likely, when the automated reminders come, there may be a pleasant surprise, a pleasant reminder.

Contrary to any suspicions, our annual program is not assembled in the middle of the night with a Ouija board at hand. Rather much work goes on in the background. We have a great program committee comprised of Steve Reinhard, Wade Saadi, Kathy Johnson, Kimberlee Fuller, and Behruz Nassre. This is a superlative group that has not only worked hard to craft an exciting season of programs, but they worked together seamlessly.

We seek to construct a balanced calendar. We are balanced between US and non-US presenters, a good mix of topics that span between and amongst traditional stamp-focused presentations, postal history, and topicals and thematics. We also want to ensure we insert presentations from specialist societies and national postal museums. We want a varied and diverse set of programs and presenters. Ultimately, the test and whether we succeed is your response. There are two ways we can judge whether we are pointed in the right direction. One is from the number of registrants we have for these programs, and the other is your feedback. You should “know” that the “numbers” are holding up very nicely, and we consistently attract many people. Yes, this is down from where they had been at the pandemic’s peak when everyone was locked up. We believe ours is the largest live philatelic audience. Consistently. Now, in terms of feedback, we get emails and comments from folks after every program, but I would encourage you to let us know what you might like to see. Maybe you could even volunteer yourself or someone else. One of the obvious delights of the virtual Zoom environment is that there is no cost of travel or lodging as there would be for a visit to New York.

We were very disappointed that we had to cancel our annual single-frame competition. This has proven to be one of the most popular events we hold, but with everything going on with the old clubhouse, it was impossible. We very much want to find a way to hold this event in 2023.

Turning to New York, we are fully moved out of our old clubhouse at 22 East 35th Street, and most of our “stuff” is safely in storage. Our office is fully operational and running at our temporary offices at 11 West 42nd Street. We do have facilities to host local meetings of New York chapters of large national groups; the first amongst these will be the New York chapter of the American Revenue Association. We expect that as the pandemic continues to recede, in-person meetings will start to resume. We hope this will be slow at first, but there is a natural need, tendency, and desire for the social element of our hobby. But, doubtless, it will take a while.

We continue to plow forward on the process of moving into our next home. We are exchanging draft lease contracts with a landlord and hope this will be rapidly concluded. Once we have a signed lease, we will proceed to a build-out of the space to suit our needs. Much of New York real estate in midtown is focused on offices and the like. We are a meeting place, a library, and much more, such as a classroom-like setting. Nothing would ever be “move-in” for us. The design will need to be custom. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding. This has proven to be a massive operation that has been subjected to the complexities of governmental oversight and multiple parties we have had to contract with. We are committed to doing this right and are very excited about the opportunity to bring all of this to completion.

Lastly, before this message concludes, I wish you a wonderful holiday and a safe, healthy, and philatelically rewarding new year. Please also make sure you join us for the last program of 2022, a holiday triple header with short programs on Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza-related philately. I cannot wait.

 

–Lawrence Haber

As stamp collectors, philatelists, many of us manage several collections—all seemingly simultaneously. I have always been in awe of those able to keep multiple things straight. My mind is much too cluttered to permit this particular form of mental gymnastics. It is easier for me to keep things simple and focus on just one collection at a time. Although I have several collections, I focus best on one at a time. Consequently, I frequently forget what I have lurking in the albums lining the wall in my stamp room.

The other day, I pulled out a couple of albums that hadn’t seen the light of day for a few years. I wanted to show some of my “stuff” to friends. As I turned the pages, I experienced a sense of wonder. As it was turned, each page showed new surprises and delights. Is wonderment the word? It was fun recovering my memory and enjoying this wonderful hobby.

We had the same experience of rediscovery as we packed up the Clubhouse for the movers. It is one thing to be aware of our material and books. It is an altogether different experience to handle the material personally. To hold the books in your hands. Sure, you knew we had the items in the library at the Clubhouse, but encountering them anew is a special feeling.

There are wondrous items in our Clubhouse. Old albums and catalogs from before the turn of the 20th century. Photographs of Club dinners from the 1910s. A Confederate adversity letter written on repurposed wallpaper. A treasure trove of John Luff’s philatelic medals. The gold medallion signifying Alfred Lichtenstein’s selection as the leading philatelist of the first half of the 20th century. Wow! Plus, we had a lot of philatelic material, i.e., stamps, stored in the Clubhouse vault—some exceptional collections donated by members years ago.

Amongst all this, we came across something extraordinary. We found a portfolio containing a group of hand-drawn images of architectural details, mostly lighting fixtures. The firm that produced them, “Cassidy Company, 101 Park Avenue, New York City,” was stamped in the upper left-hand corner of each page. One of the images we found was a lighting fixture in the form of a globe. This may have been an early drawing of the lighting fixture that hung in the center of the 2nd floor of 22 East 35th, between the front lounge and the presentation room. This globe forms the basis of our Club’s logo today. The drawing is exquisite and has multiple colors and fanciful images drawn into it. Not having been around at the time, we surmise that this was an early sketch that eventually led to the final design. This sketch is to be treasured and preserved. We hope to display this in our new Clubhouse and not have it just squirreled away in a vault.

Why do I bring all of this up? What does it have to do with anything?

We recognize the mixed emotions many of you have regarding this move. Many of our members have great affection for the stairs, the columns, and the very fabric of the building. There are memories of conversations with many greats of our hobby. So, there is a natural fear that with our leaving the building, we will lose sight and contact with our past.

This is not going to happen.

Let’s take, as an example, the Luff medals. They were in a display table in the 2nd-floor lounge. A lamp rested on top of the glass. We needed a locksmith to open the display table. There was no “write-up” for the medals. I don’t think people “knew” they were there. I doubt any attention was paid to them. At least for a long time. Unfortunately, the medals have deteriorated. We will need to have them conserved. We will do this. But, more importantly, they will be displayed appropriately. These things matter.

There were some real treasures in our vault. But no one saw them. They were locked away. Because of our move, we recognize these items anew and will make them accessible. Could we all agree to make precious philatelic material available for viewing or returned to the philatelic market? Sitting in a vault, unseen, does no one any good.

Our Library was split into four separate rooms. In our new home, it will be united into a single space. It’s that the way it ought to be? I was speaking with a member the other day, and it became clear that this division of the Library was not helpful. I asked him to imagine the entire Library on the same floor. The word is accessible. Our truly amazing collection of journals will no longer be figuratively buried in the basement, and our rare books in a rarely visited 3rd-floor room. And we now have control over our auction catalogs. Plus, they are now being properly stored.

We all collect stamps and covers. By nature, we seek to preserve and retain. We have been doing this at the Club and will continue to do this. But we will make these gems available and visible.

We have started to discuss details with our architect, and our new home will be an extraordinary place. Promise. What will make it even better will be your plan to see the Clubhouse in our new space? Stay tuned. Good things are worth the wait.

 

–Lawrence Haber

We are coming back, aren’t we? Familiar pre-pandemic in-person meetings and shows are returning. Of course, there is a certain degree of trepidation, but it is beginning to look safe or, at least safer, to come out and say this out loud. In the US, the regular routine of stamp shows are now back at their usual time slots. Back in late July 2021 we were at Westpex, and this year it was good seeing Westpex return to its usual time in April 2022. Similarly, Napex was, where it belongs, in early June. And, after several years of cancelations, Nojex is on the schedule for October. Internationally, London 2020 turned into London 2022, and a very successful show it was. I recently returned from Lugano Switzerland, attending the Helvetia 2022 World Stamp Expo, and the reports from Toronto speak to great success for the first-ever single-frame-only international, at CAPEX, Canada’s international show held once every ten years.

Closer to home, we held our first post-pandemic in-house program in April and this was quickly followed by our second in May. These programs were in-person from 22 East 35th and simultaneously live-streamed via Zoom, providing a chance for all members to enjoy the benefits of our fine talks and club comradery. It was wonderful being back in the Clubhouse and we are grateful for those who presented, Steve McGill and AJ Valente. Importantly, we are grateful to those in the room and watching live on Zoom.

It is highly probable that these may have been the very last live programs from 22 East 35th. We are in contract to sell the building and although there are a few contingencies, we do not expect any issues. We will, in short order, start the actual relocation. It is an inevitability given the challenges of selling a building, negotiating and signing a long-term lease, and fitting out new premises, we will not have a fixed abode for a short period of time. You may recall that in 2000, during extensive renovation, the Club needed to vacate, and similarly, when the Royal transitioned from Devonshire Place to Abchurch, they were without their usual home for an extended period.

As to our new home, we are targeting a wonderful site on West 40th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, and are in lease negotiations now as this is being written. We hope to conclude these quickly so we can continue to proceed. We will keep members updated as we make further progress.

One of the best experiences many of us have had with the post-pandemic return to business was the Lichtenstein Awards dinner held on May 8th at the Harvard Club in New York. There were more than 80 members and guests in attendance. The reports that reached my ears were all positive and it was a true delight to finally be able to honor our four recipients: John Barwis (2020), Patrick Maselis (2021), Mark Banchik (2021), and Chris Harman (2022). This celebration was all very much overdue and each honoree was able to attend. We enjoyed the pleasure of watching them accept their medals.

The dinner also was an opportunity to honor our other award winners. These are mentioned either at our annual meeting or at a Club show, but it was a great chance to mark their accomplishments without “distractions”. These other award winners included the Robert P. Odenweller Award for Best Article in Collectors Club Philatelist winners James P. Mazepa (2019), Lin Yangchen (2020), and David Zemem (2021). You are invited to read their wonderful articles in your Collectors Club Philatelist issues.

We also marked the winners of our Best Meeting Presentation: Nicholas Kirke (2019), Daniel Piazza (2020), and Patricia Kaufmann (2021). We have an extraordinary video archive and I’ll take this opportunity to mention that you catch each of these superlative presentations from our website presentation archives.

The Annual One-frame competition is a feature of our calendar and our winners were Barry Schwartz (2019) and Vernon Morris (2020). Our reserve grand winners were Michael Beck (2019) and Steven Walske (2020). We also made note of the winners of the Friendship Cup, which was given by Alan Holyoake in recognition of the friendship between collectors in the US and Great Britain: Scott Trepel (2019) and Roger Brody (2020).
We rounded out our awards with the President’s Medal for Outstanding Service to the Collectors Club to Joan Harmer (2020) and Irene Bromberg (posthumous) (2022).

Beyond being a splendid evening, it was a very special opportunity to mark a return to something much closer to philatelic normalcy. A night we all enjoyed!

Speaking of dinners, we will be holding a tripartite dinner with our close friends, the Royal Philatelic Society of London, and the Boston 2026 Organization Committee. The dinner is set for Wednesday, August 24th evening prior to the official beginning of the Great American Stamp Show in Sacramento California. We start at 7 pm, immediately following the APS’s Tiffany event. We invite you to reserve a spot; we would love to see our members joined together for an evening dinner. If you cannot find an email invitation, please call or email the office. During the show, we will be sharing a table with our friends at the Philatelic Foundation. We look forward to greeting you in Sacramento.

Here is something to ponder: A great friend of our Club offered us a manuscript on an unusual colonial topic. The work is a very interesting exploration and is the result of a tremendous amount of original research. In manuscript form, it runs somewhere in excess of 15 thousand words. Dropping only the text into my version of InDesign, this translated into some 44 pages, before images. We could easily see this running 60 to 75 pages. That would be a bit more than what could be typically handled by our, or any other philatelic journal. But, it falls into a size range that is less than what the typical book runs.

We are all familiar with the massive philatelic tome that lands on the desk with a thud and might weigh in at 4 or 5 or even 10 pounds. Works this size are difficult projects. They are expensive to edit and produce. And, very time-consuming.

We suspect there are many projects that do not require 800 pages split into 2 volumes. Important work needs to be published. Important research or insight will vanish into mist if not published and there is a gap between the large magisterial opus and the much briefer journal article, even broken into 2 or 3 parts.

We believe there is a need that is not yet being addressed. A work, such as the one we were presented with is much easier to bring to the press and not nearly as daunting a project. Much less expensive to edit, produce and acquire. We hope to explore this further. What suggestions do you have?

 

–Lawrence Haber