‘A Confluence of Glorious Circumstance‘

 

Sounds like a chapter from a Victorian novel- guaranteed to contain excitement, high emotion, grand events and, of course, a bit of wanderlust!

First off, we congratulate our board member Daniel Ryterband on achieving the Stockholmia 2019 Grand Award for his exhibit, A Country Divided; Effects of the American Civil War on the Mails. Dan is the featured speaker at our regularly scheduled June 19 Wednesday evening meeting. The video of his presentation is also available on our website (www.collectorsclub.org) as a member benefit.

Our landmarked Clubhouse has seen more philatelic activity in the past few months than in a long time. We encourage its use by members and related groups as both a member benefit and continued support for the greater collecting community. In this vein, we welcome the Bronx Coin Club members who now meet monthly in our home. There is some cross membership between our groups, and I foresee the likelihood for combined programs in the future.

At the wonderful awards dinner held this May, in which Christopher M.B. King, RDP, received the Lichtenstein Award, we inaugurated a proper tribute in the form of the newly named Robert P. Odenweller “Best Article Award.” Aside from being a past president and long-serving governor, Bob, as editor of the Philatelist has set a very high standard for all who follow.

We also recognized several very deserving CCNY members for longstanding accomplishments (also on our website): Alan Warren is now an RDP signatory, and both Debby Friedman and David Steidley received the President’s Medal for their long and varied service to both the Club and philately in general.

Debby has kick-started and maintained our ongoing youth and beginning
adult collector outreach. One of Debby’s youth group members presented at our most recent annual meeting to great acclaim! David’s board service over many years has been low-key, yet essential. He is our longest-serving board secretary; his shoes are hard to fill. In his role as club archivist/historian David has coordinated activities with various community groups. As a result, we are proud members of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association.

Our re-imaging has gotten off to a good start. As time progresses you will see more consistency over all our platforms: physical facility, print, electronic and outreach. This is a continuous work in progress.

Aside from generously sponsoring our Awards Dinner, H.R. Harmer/GPN has held sales viewings and auctions at the Club in both May and June, and have also committed to multiple events going forward. The Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries made use of our facilities for some of the Gross sales. The firm also provided assistance with general building refreshment and upkeep. In addition, Kelleher and Harmers International, among others will have a presence at the end of June and during July.

Why is there an uptick in activity at the clubhouse? Whether based locally or farther away, each one of these organizations appreciates the club’s illustrious past and its importance in the philatelic world today. We benefit in turn by their providing our message to their clientele as part of our ongoing outreach. Their support also allows us to devote additional resources to both our building and member services in a fiscally responsible manner.

Our website continues to add further functionality on a regular basis. Though it may not be visible to the casual user, this greater communication ability will be more representative of our needs going forward.

Library users have complimented us on how the library continues to better meet their needs. Thanks to Andrea Matura and a dedicated team of volunteers, we continue to enhance the library’s overall usefulness. We welcome members and nonmembers alike to make use of our resources. And, as activities bring greater traffic into the building, we anticipate that membership will also benefit.

Please refer to our website or the recently provided meeting listing ( enclosed with the May/June 2019 Collectors Club Philatelist) for upcoming activities and join us in person, or from wherever you happen to be.

Our programs, building activities and outreach result from the hard work of many people. Please enjoy the benefits of your association with us to the fullest.

–Mark Banchik

‘Honoring Our Heritage, Positioning for the Future’

 

When people are asked what visual image comes to mind when speaking about The Collectors Club, our iconic building façade is usually front and center (no pun intended). However, when asked what our current conjoined ‘CC’ logo conveys, many are less certain.

Ideally, one’s logo expresses a sense of purpose along with a distinct identity. It is the public manifestation of what we are distilled into a succinct package. One glance should serve to both identify an entity and convey its mission or key purpose. Though having served us for many years, our current ‘CC’ falls short in conveying a sense of purpose.

As noted in earlier letters, we unearthed several iconographic items from our past during the most recent renovation, which included various documents and building fixtures. The first fruits of these discoveries were the recently distributed membership certificates, whose central globe image is mirrored in the recently recovered and remounted center hall light fixture near the meeting room entrance.

During this period the Board was actively exploring various ideas to connect with our heritage, convey our mission, and present a uniform image across all platforms. We noted that with time there has been a gradual divergence of image between print, electronic, and other outreaching efforts, due in part to a continued evolution of technology and communications not even anticipated when the current logo was first employed.

These goals, to create an updated image of who and what we are and to unify our message across platforms, involve a process which, in an ideal world, would seem straightforward, but which actually isn’t. After Board approval, this important project was spearheaded by Matthew Healey. A series of working sessions in conjunction with past Governor (and design specialist) Niko Courtelis produced, after much discussion, a globe image representing the worlds of collecting and knowledge. Work on unifying design elements continues–compare the visual appearance of this journal issue with those from a few years ago.

Our new logo will be formally introduced at the 2019 Annual Dinner on May 8th. It is only fitting that as we honor our awardees we also look forward to our approaching 125th anniversary in 2021. Over time the web site, stationery, outreach materials, and branded items (ties, pins, other items) will reflect the design that we will proudly present in May. We expect this image to convey what we are about and to unify our message throughout the CCP, the website, and outreach materials, with our ultimate goal being to exceed member expectations.

–Mark Banchik

‘On the Road Again’, and a ‘Mea Culpa’

 

Let’s start off with the mea culpa. Generally these missives are written several weeks prior to the issue’s cover date. This means that sometimes comments about some activities or results are based on ‘best knowledge’ or ‘project timelines’ which usually are pretty close to how things usually pan out. Thanks to the good graces of our Editor, I can usually slide these writings in after his preferred deadline which helps to minimize unplanned differences between what is written and what actually occurs.

Thanks to a series of deferred promised delivery dates combined with my overly optimistic view of technology, I had publicized the ‘go live’ for the searchable online ‘Collectors Club Philatelist’ before it was actually possible. Now that our technical gurus have completed the actual scanning, conversion, and uploading processes we are very close (if not already live) to fulfilling the promise. Yes, the CCP will be available in a searchable format on our website (www.collectorsclub.org) in the very near future!

I take full responsibility for the premature setting of expectations. My hope is that the final results exceed expectations in usability and ease of function. The Board of Governors has decided that more recent content (both journals and videos) are best placed in a ‘members only’ area with older material freely accessible to all. This is a prerogative of membership, yet allows reasonable access for others to enjoy past material.

Only a few short weeks ago The Collectors Club participated at the Sarasota National Stamp Exhibition (SNSE). A number of our members live and vacation in Florida, and several were able to help staff our table.

Turnout for the Club meeting/presentation was better then expected with several new faces in the audience. The overriding theme was ‘How the Post Office handles major change’. It was noted in the introduction that the Post Office could be both the most traditional, and yet most progressive of organizations. For example, without Post Office support our air transport system would have developed much differently (if at all). I started off with ‘How the Mexican Post Office made the transition from collect to mandatory prepayment of mails’. Wade Saadi then continued the theme by demonstrating how both changes in technology and demand for services drove stamp production as demonstrated by evolution of the U.S. Liberty Series. Larry Haber concluded the program with an insightful presentation on how the British Postal Service dealt with the conversion from Sterling to decimal currency. Each short presentation was self contained, yet demonstrated how a government entity dealt with, and ultimately succeeded in dealing with major change.

Several new and reinstatement membership applications were received, and many old friends stopped by our table. A great thanks goes to the SNSE show committee for hosting us, and the volunteers who put their best foot forward during the show. The exhibits were a marked highlight with Dr. Daniel Knowles (U.S. Classic), Larry Haber (U.S. Modern), and Sandeep Jaiswal (Foreign) winning the Collectors Club Multi Frame awards. Please join us at our Annual Awards Dinner on May 8, 2019 at The Cornell Club to congratulate them, and our other deserving awardees.

–Mark Banchik

Near and Far

 

Those whom live in the New York Metro area, or visit are welcome to take advantage of the Clubhouse and it’s varied activities. When located further away, the connection is via the Collectors Club Philatelist (CCP), video meetings/web site, and our various outreach activities.

Recently we completed the labor intensive project of producing and mailing membership certificates for the entire membership. Many have expressed thanks to Irene and the leadership team for this unexpected bonus. While Resident members said an occasional ‘thank you’, it is our non-resident member base who penned (or emailed) the most heartwarming responses. Several expressed delight with the feeling that they are indeed a part of our family. Though separated by distance, they feel that our efforts make them feel ‘at home’, or ‘included’ enhance the perceived value of CCNY membership. A sense of being included is behind our outreach efforts.

Continuous upgrades/enhancements of the web site (www.collectorsclub.org) [whether visible of behind the scenes] are performed on an ongoing basis. Our goal is allowing members and visitors to enjoy a Collectors Club experience wherever they may happen to be.

Please share thoughts and suggestions for website, CCP, and other outreach activities with us so that we can better meet expectations is a changing environment.

This May we will honor our Chris King, 2019 Alfred P. Lichtenstein Award recipient at our annual Awards Dinner. Details will be shared shortly. (See related item in this issue).

We will also honor Robert P. Odenweller, RDP by naming our annual ‘Best Article in the CCP’ award in his honor. Bob is probably the main force which brought the CCP to it’s level of recognition. Besides having been a past CCP editor, Bob currently is a member of the Editorial Board. As past Collectors Club President, Board member, author, presenter, and ambassador at large, Bob has contributed greatly to enriching the Collectors Club (and philately as a whole) experience.

Please join me in congratulating our ‘near and far’ members, award recipients, and volunteers. Opportunities to help us go forward take many forms; leadership, volunteering, financial, and support in kind.

Best for the the new year,

–Mark Banchik

What have you done for your Club…Today?

 

We are fortunate to have a wonderful building which houses our award winning library, meeting rooms, and like minded organizations. France and Colonies, NY Chapter of the US Philatelic Classics Society, British Empire Study Group, and the Philatelic Foundation among others all call 22 East 35th Street home.

Managing the Collectors Club and maintaining the physical plant takes the dedicated support of many people. Yes, there are compensated support and maintenance teams (Irene Bromberg (Executive Secretary); Andrea Matura (Library Associate); Parras Cara and Anthony Taylor (Facilities Maintenance), and Wayne Youngblood (CCP Editor).

However, volunteers make up the backbone of the Club. Without the Board of Governors and dedicated Committee chairs/volunteers our Club would be a mere shadow of what it now is. There are 15 Governors, and each and every one supports the Club in varied ways. Besides the basic time commitment for meetings and general oversight, each Governor oversees committees which are essential for Club function. As part of their responsibilities they also provide needed financial support at various levels for both routine and special programs.

There are other dedicated members who volunteer their time, efforts, and resources to better the overall experience. Club members are invited to volunteer to help us fulfill our mission, and maintain our historic home. Opportunities exist in many areas such as:

– Youth Stamp Club and Adult Beginners (Debby Friedman)
– House Committee (Larry Hunt)
– Library Committee (Bob Gray)
– Outreach (Wade Saadi)
– Program (Steve Reinhard)
– Meetings and Single Frame (Lou Pataki)
– Development (Larry Haber)
– CCP Editorial Board (Wayne Youngblood)
– Technology Committee (Joan Harmer)
– Membership (Larry Hunt)
– Hospitality (Mark Banchik)

The Club is always seeking to recruit volunteers in various areas. Please consider giving back to the Club so that we can continue to meet, and exceed your expectations! Contact us at info@collectorsclub.org with your thoughts, and desires to contribute going forward. If you perceive a particular need, or can offer assistance not noted above please feel free to explore opportunities with me at your convenience.

I look forward to seeing you at a meeting, NY Holiday reception, on the road (Sarasota, February 1-3, 2019), or wherever we can meet.

Until then,

Respectfully submitted,

–Mark Banchik