The Carroll Chase Cup
Jan Hofmeyr
The Dr. Caroll Chase Cup is awarded to authors of articles, books, or other studies concerning any U.S. stamp issued prior to 1894, including postmaster’s provisionals, locals, carriers, and back-of-the-book material. For 2023, the Chase Cup is awarded to Jan Hofmeyr, for his work Understanding the Grill Stamps of the United States.
It has been many years since there has been a major original book on a facet of United States classic stamps. This year we are fortunate to have Jannie’s work on the grilled issues of the United States. The “grills” are one of several complex areas of 19th century classic philately related to the prevention of reuse of stamps. Hofmeyr starts at the beginning by covering the historical context of the grills, a survey of what prior experts have said, explaining the various experiments that lead to the issued “A” through “Z” grills and the ultimate demise of the grilled stamps. Appendices cover relevant documents and correspondence from 1861-73. Unless one is a student of essays and proofs, most collectors have never seen the material presented in his book.
As an aside, Jannie’s work was self-published using Amazon to produce this four-color book on demand. It should serve as a template for future authors as to what can be done, since the days of societies publishing great numbers of books is in the past.
The U. S. Philatelic Classics Society congratulates Mr. Hofmeyr for his important contribution to the study and collecting of classic stamps.
The Richard Winter Cup
Ardy Callender
The Richard Winter Cup is awarded to authors or creators of print, electronic or digital media concerning United States postal history from the colonial period to 1900. For 2022 the Winter Cup is awarded to Ardy Callender for his Supplementary Mail Service of The New York City Post Office, 1858-1873.
Callender’s book is the culmination of 35 years of study and census recording for the octagonal Type A supplementary mail handstamp and the associated cancellations. But he goes far beyond the markings and provides a wealth of historical information and background. Chapters cover the philatelic history of New York supplementary mail research, operations of the supplementary mail service, fees, the markings, steamship lines, major correspondences and even the harrowing account of the gun-point theft of the author’s collection. Extensive appendices cover chronological listings of the covers, data tables, “suspect” and fake covers and timelines.
The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society congratulates Mr. Callender for his outstanding work, which will greatly further knowledge and appreciation of this aspect of U.S. postal history.
Tracy Simpson Cup
Carol Bommarito
Carol also conceived, organized and promoted the exhibit exchange between the USPCS and the Royal Philatelic Society in London. Carol initially proposed the idea about eight years ago. After a lot of effort planning an exchange to take place at the August 2021 mini-international that was to take place in Chicago, followed by an exhibition in London later that year, world events interrupted her plans – several times. The exhibit exchange finally took place in London in May 2023 and Cleveland in August 2023. To say that the exchange was an overwhelming success would be an understatement. Carol arranged a special visit to the Postal Museum in London the day before the exhibit exchange where our members were treated to a view of world-rarities in the museum vault. Twelve USPCS members displayed about 50 frames of material covering the breadth of Classic United States Philately to roughly 120 members and guests at the Royal. In August, members of the Royal exhibited 50 frames of material in Cleveland. The exchange was such a success that Carol is working with the Royal and the American Philatelic Society for a repeat exchange in 2025.
Susan M. McDonald Award
Charles H. Buck
The McDonald winner for 2023 is Charles H. Buck, for his deeply researched and wonderfully illustrated article, Foreign Entries on United States Stamps, published in three issues of the Chronicle in 2022 and 2023 (February and August 2022, and February 2023).
In three installments, Buck listed, described and illustrated all the foreign entry varieties known on United States stamps—something that had never previously been done. The scope of his research embraced regular postage stamps, Officials, Match and Medicine stamps, and Revenues. Using massive high-definition color enlargements, Buck showed what these plate errors actually look like, and how it is possible to identify their source.
At the end of his investigation, Buck concluded that foreign entries have been found on 18 face-different U.S. stamps. The number of plate positions that show foreign entries is much larger, depending on how they are counted. Excluding perforation varieties but including stamps of different colors and paper types, it is possible to count 81 different foreign-entry varieties. Buck managed to condense all this into a table that could be published on a single Chronicle page. In an equally heroic feat, during the course of his research he managed to collect most of the known varieties, unrecognized for what they are, from eBay and other on-line stamp sources.
Foreign entries have always been highly prized by collectors for their distinctiveness and their rarity. Buck’s deep exploration of these errors, exploring the mechanisms responsible for their creation, connects his work to the pioneering studies of Carroll Chase and Stanley Ashbrook. More than just interesting oddities, foreign entries open a window on fundamental aspects of stamp production throughout the period of intaglio printing, each one presenting its own highly instructive puzzle to decipher.
Distinguished Philatelist
Kathy Johnson
Kathy, like many a budding stamp collector, started early; however, unlike many of us, she connected with “organized stamp collecting” at that time, eventually serving as President of the Junior Philatelists of America in the early ‘80s. Following the typical trajectory – college, job and family interrupted the hobby until Kathy re-connected with the organized side of philately at WE Fest I– the first highly successful gathering of Women Exhibitors which was held at the APS headquarters in Bellefonte in 2009. And, as the saying goes, “the rest is history”.
Kathy joined WE and AAPE and soon became an enthusiastic exhibitor, starting with her earlier interest area of Ceylon. One notable accomplishment in this arena was a pioneering exhibit that told Ceylon’s economic history using a combination of postal history and revenue material – before the advent of Open Philately.
In subsequent years, Kathy’s exhibits have won many honors – including six multi-frame Reserve Grands at WSP shows and multi-frame Grands in Ireland and New Zealand.
More impressive is that Kathy has created (at a minimum) 28 multi-frame & 14 single-frame exhibits! Most of us struggle to have more than 5 or maybe 3! Kathy happily enters these at shows where exhibits are needed!
Kathy is an APS accredited Chief Judge and an accredited FIP judge; she serves as a member of the APS Committee for Accreditation of National Exhibitions and Judges – known to most of us as CANEJ.
A prolific author, Kathy’s work includes a Congress Book article on Ceylon Postal History, numerous articles for The Philatelic Exhibitor (AAPE) and the Ceylon Study Circle journal and a multi-year monthly column in the American Philatelist.
When Kathy lived in the greater Chicago area, she spent a large amount of her time at the Chicago Collector’s Club assisting in getting their library organized. She also was actively involved in Chicagopex. In 2014, The Chicago Philatelic Society presented their Saul Newbury Award to Kathy. The award is presented annually to the Chicagoan who, over the years has contributed most to philately.
But it is in the area of service to organized philately, most specifically the APS, where Kathy really shines.
Kathy is currently APS Treasurer – now in her second term. She is a past Director at Large, a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee and Chair, Joint Finance & Audit Committee.
It was in Kathy’s first term as APS Treasurer 2014-16 that she brought her expertise from a successful career in commercial real estate and as a business owner of rental properties to focus on the financial difficulties the APS was then facing. It was largely due to her influence that the APS began its long journey to financial stability that it now enjoys. For this contribution, Kathy was honored with the John M. Luff Award for Service to the APS in 2019.
The United States Philatelic Classics Society is pleased to add to Kathy’s many honors by inviting her to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists.
Distinguished Philatelist
Ron Lesher
It would be the introduction to the late Ernest Wilkens that turned Ron on to exploring the back story of revenue stamps and led him to writing and researching the unexplored nooks and crannies, which would become the principal focus of his exhibiting and writing. Several explorations stand out. First was the discovery of the real use of the tapeworm revenues that led to an article in the 1990 American Philatelic Congress yearbook correcting the fantastic and inaccurate stories of the tapeworms written by Herman Hearst. Second was the combing of the records in the attic of the annex of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing that led to another American Philatelic Congress article in 2006 showing the chronological order of the Slaight lock seals.
Along the way were a series of articles in (Mid)Western Stamp Collector under the pseudonym, Roscoe Irwin, a name stolen from the District Collector of Internal Revenue of the 14th district of New York, who had produced a series of hand-stamped surcharges on federal beer stamps in 1914. Ron’s writings have appeared in almost every issue of the American Stamp Dealer & Collector revealing many rewarding back stories of state and federal revenues. The total number of his published articles is approximately 500.
Ron guest curated an exhibit in revenues about twenty years ago at the National Postal Museum and more recently went back to guest curate the revenues exhibited in the Gross Gallery.
Ron has served two terms on the board of the American Philatelic Society. He has also served two terms as the president of the American Revenue Association. At the international level, he has served two terms as president of the Revenue Bureau of FIP.
In 2021 Ron became a Luff Award recipient for Distinguished Philatelic Research.
