Treasurers From the Attic..

 

While relocating library materials from areas now occupied by the Philatelic Foundation we came across several examples of formally issued Collectors Club documents. These engraved Membership, Award, and Presentation certificates printed on heavy stock have a gravitas not often associated with contemporary documents.

Concomitantly with this find a recently elected member contacted Executive Secretary Irene Bromberg to enquire on the status of his membership certificate. Yes, the Club had issued membership certificates upon election to membership in past years. I personally am not sure when this practice faded out, but it is probably more than twenty years ago.

Discovery of these documents combined with an expectation for recognizing the special recognition conferred by Collectors Club membership suggested a course of action: issue updated membership certificates!

There were not enough original documents to satisfy our needs so we decided to have the image scanned, cleaned up, and reproduced on a heavy cream stock. We are proud to announce that all members will be receiving a new personalized membership certificate beginning with the most recent members. Several Governors were instrumental in getting this project off the ground.

In the course of library reorganization we have noted an occasional discrepancy between our library catalog (both books and periodicals) and materials present. Items may have been borrowed, and for various reasons not returned as expected. We would appreciate return of any overdue items either in person or by third party to allow others access to the resource. As cleaning and reshelving of library material progresses we are continuously impressed with the depth of our collections.

Members are our greatest treasures! Our dedicated library volunteers Alan Hoffman (current periodicals), Miklos Pinther (basement archives), and Bob Gray (catalogs) have performed minor miracles on a regular basis. Please visit and explore the library at your convenience.

We continue to receive recognition in the media and from our peers. Local news channel NY1 recently interviewed several Officers, volunteers, and members for an upcoming cable TV broadcast. Debbie Freidman and the Youth Stamp Club feature prominently on page 4 of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors July 2018 issue of ‘The Philatelic Exhibitor’.

Club members are well represented in internationally recognized philatelic awards: Cheryl Ganz (recent program presenter and Lichtenstein Award recipient, now RDP) signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. John Barwis (recent program presenter) and Wayne Youngblood (CCP editor) along with Denise Stotts received APS Luff Awards this August at their Columbus Ohio annual meeting.

Now that Summer is over we have several exciting events coming up: Besides our regular meetings (see our web site for up to date information) we are participating at NOJEX/ASDA the weekend of October 19-21 with presentations and a dinner. Thanks to Bob Rose and Wade Saadi for extending the invitation and making arrangements. Our Single Frame competition coordinated by Lou Pataki is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7, 2018. Entry information will be released shortly. Our Sarasota, Florida meeting at SNSE is scheduled for February 1-3, 2019. Exhibit space is usually oversubscribed, so early entries are encouraged.

The CCP has been undergoing gradual change under Wayne Youngblood’s editorship. Please let us know what you like, and what you would like to see going forward. Feedback helps us to better serve our readers and advertisers.

Respectfully submitted,

–Mark Banchik

Technology and The Collectors Club..

 

Over the past several months, through the generosity of NY 2016 and other donors, The Collectors Club has upgraded its web site and commenced work on enhancing the membership experience.

While these enhancements are progressing, their pace is slower than initially anticipated. It is almost a given that major projects come with a learning curve, unanticipated conditions, and timeline slippage. The results are worth the wait: Our regular meeting videos are already being posted to the upgraded website within 24-48 hours of the event. Work on and error-checking of the searchable digitalized version of the Collectors Club Philatelist are approaching completion as this is being written, with a planned midsummer 2018 ‘go live’ date.

We are proud to be able to provide meeting and other Club information to all members whether they reside locally or farther from our midtown New York Clubhouse through this upgraded technology. Indeed, some out of town members have been able to attend meetings in New York as part of related travel thanks to our proactive outreach with email meeting notices.

Work continues on the ‘membership only’ area of the website which will allow access to recent issues of the CCP, ability to complete membership transactions and other membership-related functions in a secure environment.

This naturally brings up the twin issues of security and privacy. While our technology team can better state the exact process, we will use a secure interface for financial transactions. We will require an email address for registration/access to the member functions area of the website. However, for those who do not want to share addresses, one suggestion is to create a unique address for Collectors Club functions.

We strive to keep membership information solely for legitimate Collectors Club activities. This includes, but is not limited to, meeting notices and other notifications, membership activities such as special events, dues/financial activity, and website membership area access.

As an example, The Collectors Club was recently approached by another major philatelic organization to share our membership information for recruitment purposes. Though there would have been a slight financial benefit to our Club, we respectfully declined because we feel that members’ privacy overrides any potential benefit.

Technology seems to advance at a greater pace than the social mores which define appropriate behaviors. Our goal is to balance the two to achieve enhanced benefits while maintaining a socially acceptable environment.

Respectfully submitted,

–Mark Banchik

Reaching Out….

 

In January 2018 the Collectors Club Board of Governors approved an Award of Recognition to be presented at World Series of Philately exhibitions. Currently it consists of a selected Collectors Club publication.

To date, three such awards have been presented: at SANDICAL (San Diego, January 2018), ARIPEX (Mesa, AZ, February 2018), and SNSE (Sarasota, February, 2018). Two additional shows have already requested them: WESTPEX (San Francisco, April 2018), and Philatelic Show (Boxborough, MA, May 2018).

Why give another award in an already crowded field? The Award of Recognition is bestowed at the total discretion of the show jury with one proviso: it is not a “best of,” and should not go to a Grand or Reserve Grand exhibit. It is for “merit,” as determined by the jury, however they choose to define it. We actually encourage the recipient to re-gift the award if they want, knowing full well that sharing is what this is all about.

Our first three winners were Jessica Rodriguex for her Costa Rica single-frame exhibit (SANDICAL); Gregory Shoults, Washington & Franklin Coils: Third Bureau Perforated Issue 1908 – 1922 (Sarasota); and Jon Krupnik for his 80c airmail (ARIPEX). Each of these exhibits are outstanding in many ways, a delight to explore, and deserving of recognition! Note how different each exhibit is, and we hope that this continues with future shows.

On May 2nd at our annual Awards Dinner we will also recognize our CCNY Single- and Multi-Frame Award winners, the Best Program and Best CCP Article for 2017 winners, and of course George Jay Kramer, the Lichtenstein Medal recipient.

We will also be awarding President’s Medals to Gene Fricks and Ed Grabowski for their years of service to the Club, and for supporting the hobby over the long term.

Our congratulations to all awardees!

Respectfully submitted,

–Mark Banchik

Out and About….

 

As noted in prior President’s letters, club board members have been attending various
events throughout the United States as part of our effort to reach out to those who do not get the
chance to visit New York on a regular basis.
 

We appreciate those who take the time to chat, and enjoy listening to how the club is perceived
from an “out-of-town” perspective. Past suggestions have included sending the regular meeting notices
to those residing away from the New York area. Though we realize that physical attendance at the
regular Wednesday meetings can be a challenge due to time and travel realities, an occasional
nonresident member has joined us. One member commented that he had to be in ew York for business,
and that the meeting notice was how he realized that he could partake in club activities.
 

The Collectors Club Philatelist is continuing to evolve under Wayne Youngblood’s editorship.
The journal’s look is being refreshed, and feedback to either Wayne or myself
(info@collectorsclub.org or president@collectorsclub.org) is helpful.
One benefit of attending many events is the opportunity to solicit both future speakers and material
for the CCP. A “Collectors Club Award of Merit” for APS World Series of Philately-level exhibitions
was approved by the board at its January meeting. This token of recognition (usually
a club publication) can be awarded by the show jury to any exhibit (preferably not
the Grand or Reserve Grand award winners) at the jury’s sole discretion. Membership in
The Collectors Club is not a prerequisite to receive this award. It is a continuing form of
outreach, and can even be regifted with our blessings if the recipient so desires.

Congratulations to Jessica Rodriguex, the first winner of the Collectors Club Award
of Merit, for her exhibit, Costa Rica: 1889 Soto Series. Jessica won the award at Sandical
2018, which was held Jan. 26-28 in San Diego, Calif.

Please continue to reach out and let me know how we can continue to enhance your
member experience!

–Mark Banchik

More For Our Members….

 

As I begin my second year as President it is a pleasure to announce that annual dues remain unchanged from last year. However, membership benefits have been greatly enhanced!

First, let me say that many on the Board of Governors have been contributed time, monies, and expertise in order to enhance the value of Collectors Club membership. Without their varied inputs we would not have achieved much of last year’s momentum. A special thanks are made to Irene Bromberg and Andrea Matura, without whom our Club and Library would be lesser entities. Miklos Pinther has taken on the herculean task of cleaning and reordering our lower level periodical archives without any personal expectation of reward except for the Club providing better area lighting.

Debbie Friedman, Alan Hoffman, and others continue to volunteer in various areas with their only reward being betterment of the Club and the sense of satisfaction in knowing that others have benefitted from their efforts.

Schuyler Rumsey has joined with the Club in supporting some of our activities at the upcoming ARIPEX meeting February 16-18 in Mesa, Arizona. There are special social opportunities, and new CCP editor Wayne Youngblood will be present. We hope to see you there! Please remember to thank our sponsors and CCP advertisers when you can. They help make our activities possible.

The Philatelic Foundation has ‘returned home’ to the building in which they got their start. Sharing of expenses and resources will allow both groups to thrive in a continuously changing environment. While enhancing visibility, our historic Clubhouse requires regular ‘loving care’ which is facilitated by our sharing of facilities.

Over the past few months our updated website has gone live, Club presentations are available online for all within a few days of meetings. This issue of the CCP has a new editor who is taking a close look at both visual, and editorial makeup going forward. We have received generous financial support for several projects including digitalization of the complete CCP in the immediate near term.
Please join me in thanking Gene Fricks for his years of service to the Club.

Your Board recognizes that we are in a fluid world with changing expectations for how we can fulfill your expectations. In order to meet the challenge Lawrence Haber (development@collectorsclub.org) has been named Director of Development. He is working with a talented team to identify strengths, and opportunities going forward. Please show your appreciation and support for his efforts on our behalf. Gifts of appreciated securities, sponsorship opportunities, and long term support are all areas in which Larry can work with you for our mutual benefit.

–Mark Banchik