We will be one of the convening societies at Chicagopex this coming November. In addition to hosting a dinner, we will also be sponsoring a series of talks. When I approached one of our members, asking him to speak, his reply touched on his travel fatigue. He had recently attended Westpex. That was quickly followed by a trip for the joint USPCS/Royal event in London. There was his sojourn to Boxbough, and he looked ahead to further continued travels in pursuit of his multi-varied philatelic endeavors. Clearly, he had concerns regarded more travel and another commitment. My response to him was exactly what I would hope we would all want, specifically, asking him to consider the opportunity but no problem if he needed to decline. We totally understand.

Stepping back a bit and looking at this situation, I came to realize that, in many respects, we are back. The hobby that is. Or, at least the public aspect of the hobby. The private aspect of the hobby had remained strong and gained strength during Covid. Shows, at least the strong ones are up and running, and philatelic travel is on the rebound. This is good. At the end of the day, the personal contact and personal exchanges that occur, in real time and space are essential for the long-term health of the hobby. In my opinion, that is.

Let’s ask a few questions that might arise about all of us getting fully back on track.

• When is the new clubhouse at 58 West 40th Street going to open?

We get estimated and projected dates, but we are dealing with the imponderables of construction in midtown and a building department that has outsourced the permit and inspection process to Franz Kafka. It will be 2024, we hope early in 2024, but there are no guarantees in Mr Kafka’s universe. As things proceed, we will update you.

• What are the Club’s plans for attendance at shows?

We have tried to increase our presence at shows. In addition to the annual Great American Stamp Show, we have recently been at the Sarasota, Westpex, and Nojex shows. It is essential for us to be out there. Why? Because, to quote the first clause of our mission statement, “The Collectors Club brings members and friends together…”. Looking forward, we will be a convening society at Chicagopex in November 2023 and at San Diego in February of next year. I would fully expect additions to this schedule as we see the year progresses.

• All there be a Lichtenstein Awards dinner?

We last held a Lichtenstein Awards dinner in May 2022 at the Harvard Club. By all accounts, it was a splendid event. Attendance was excellent, and the food and ambiance of the venue was perfect. People truly enjoyed themselves. We took a bye on a dinner during 2023. To have proceeded would have put us into overload, given all the other tasks on our list.

But, we’re very pleased to share our plans to host a Lichtenstein Awards dinner on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The location will be in midtown New York and although we have not yet selected a specific venue, you can rest assured it will be excellent and very special. The evening will be very special as we formally bestow the Lichtenstein Charles Verge, Randy Neil, and Trish Kaufman. There may also be an additional award recipient by the time we reach May.

• I really enjoyed the Club’s single-frame event. It hasn’t been held for a while. Any plans for that competition to be resumed?

Between Covid and the relocation of the Clubhouse, the single frame event has fallen by the wayside. We are looking at our options and we would hope to hold a SFE event later in the year.

Leaving these questions aside, you recently should have seen an email regarding the Lichtenstein Award nomination process. If you have someone you think is worthy, we urge you to submit the nomination. We want your participation.

Lastly, I hope you all have a fabulous summer and that we will have a chance to meet either personally or virtually over the course of the next few months.

 

–Lawrence Haber