Stamp Gathering
Postal History Sunday #188
One of the earlier events of my life involving philately (stamp collecting) was the one and only trip where my Dad took my sister and I to a stamp show. Both of us were showing interest in collecting as elementary school-aged kids. And, there was going to be a stamp show that would be held only thirty miles away from where we lived.
I no longer remember how we learned about the event. I don’t recall if our parents heard about it somehow or maybe I read about it somewhere and asked to go. I am not sure. But I do remember that we were pretty excited to go, even if we didn’t know what to expect. I had five dollars to spend - and I was going to make very careful decisions about how it would be spent.
I suspect we had outsized ideas of whaat we could do with our minimal buying power, but I have very positive memories of the show. One stamp dealer in particular was very kind to us and took the time to show us around and tell us about how things worked at a show. He learned that I liked the designs of the 1934 US National Parks postage stamp design and helped me learn how to judge the quality of the potential candidate purchases I could make with my five dollars.
It would be many years before I attended another stamp show. And, of course, the circumstances at the second show were as different as they could possibly be. I was no longer a child (at least by physical appearance) and my goals were different. On top of that, I had no real experience about how these things worked. I didn’t have any sense of where to go and what to do at a show.
If you add in the underlying feeling I had, for whatever reason, that a hobby wasn’t supposed to be given too much of your time, resources, or attention - you might begin to understand why my second show visit is not remembered as fondly as the first. But, I still had a desire to enjoy this hobby and share that enjoyment with others. So, even though my second trip wasn’t all that wonderful, I would try again, and again. Since that time I have been able to attend two, and rarely three, shows most years.
Over time, I’ve developed a sense of purpose and even belonging at these events.
A Trip to Cleveland
I mentioned my early history with stamp shows because we attended the Garfield Perry March Party in Cleveland just last week. I mentioned to a couple of people that I had not written last week’s Postal History Sunday entry - and it was Saturday. More than one person suggested that I just write about the show. Well, I managed to get something else written for last week, which gave me time to think about this one a bit more!
Now, before you get too confused, the image above is from last year’s Great American Stamp Show at a different, larger venue in Cleveland. It’s there to help you understand how a show could have been overwhelming to me when I was a less experienced participant. It’s also there to remind me that individuals often do have different levels of comfort at any event. If I am comfortable, then I feel I have some responsibility to be ready to help those who do not. And, I hope I have done my part to help others out when I am able.
That picture is also there because I neglected to take an image of last weekend’s show.
This most recent trip provided me with an opportunity to share my postal history exhibiting project that features the 24-cent 1861 stamp design. This is a project that I started many years ago and it continues to challenge me and provide me with enjoyment to this day. It’s at events like Garfield Perry that I get to show my progress with others who have an interest in philately, postal history, deltiology (post cards) and fiscal history (because I don’t want to forget my friends who collect and study revenue stamps and documents).
I had the pleasure of giving directed tours of my exhibit to some interested persons and I was also able to ask other participants about the items they were showing. I was able to dig into the boxes of postal history that the dealers brought to the show for people like me to consider buying and I found a few interesting items for future Postal History Sundays (good news for everyone who likes PHS!). I even surprised my introverted self by being involved in far more personal interactions than I typically expect.
There’s another reason I talked about levels of comfort and experience at the beginning of this article. I’ve found that introverts become more willing to participate when they have a higher level of familiarity with the surroundings. Similarly, I’ve found that extroverts are typically more willing to listen… even to the introverts. The trick is somehow getting past the initial discomfort that comes with new people, places and events.
Looking at What Others Shared
I certainly did my level best to give every exhibit at the show some of my time. But, I don’t think it would be a surprise to you if I said that I favored postal history exhibits that showed material prior to 1900. I am constantly looking for more knowledge and information about that period of postal history, so it makes sense to spend time looking at exhibits where those things might be found.
One display that really connected with me was Paul Goodwin’s exhibit that featured postal items related to the guano trade in the mid-1800s. If you were paying attention to the image from my own exhibit, you might notice that it also mentions the removal of guano from the Chincha Islands. There’s nothing quite like seeing direct connections with something you’ve personally done some research on!
Sadly, the glare from the plexiglass made most of the images I took of this exhibit unusable. But, maybe I’ll have another chance to view this work again in the future.
Another way to get my attention is to appeal to my professional capacity as a small-scale, diversified farmer. The mailed printed matter item shown above in Andrew Kelley’s exhibit is a neat item because it isn’t all that often that you can find an intact mailpiece that was this heavy. It just gets doubly interesting to me because I now want to READ the contents and see what sort of interesting innovations were the hot items for agriculture in 1918.
I spent some quality time viewing Andrew’s exhibit for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a quality effort that recently won a grand award in another show (congratulations again, Andrew!). Second, it’s well organized and easy to follow - even for a person, like me, who hasn’t spent much time on this topic. And third, he has located some items like this one that have a broader appeal while also serving the exhibit’s purposes.
This item actually represents for me one of the shortcomings that exhibiting often has. This is not a specific critique for this individual, but more a general comment about the activity (unless he sees this as a positive challenge for his own work!). Andrew’s exhibit has a stated focus (the offset lithographed Washington-Franklins) and the material and any text on the pages focuses on that topic. But, there are so many potentially interesting side-bars that come up when you look at good material. The Guano War in my exhibit and the state of agriculture in 1918 in this one are prime examples.
The trick is figuring out how to acknowledge these additional items of interest without distracting from the main purpose.
The Bottom Line
My approach for providing additional information in my exhibit has been to reserve the space at the bottom of the page for “color commentary” or “side-bar story lines.” This gives a nod to the breadth of history that is connected to the postal items. It also provides a hook that might stop a person to look more closely at what I am showing.
A new addition to the exhibit has been the creation of QR codes that link to appropriate Postal History Sunday articles. I haven’t really checked to see if their appearance generated any views or not. But, it certainly seemed like a way to give people an opportunity to learn more if they wanted to.
One never knows what’s going to get a viewer’s attention. But, if you don’t provide some variety, it becomes pretty certain that the only people who will really look at what you have will be those who are already inclined to like your subject specifically - or those who must view your exhibit (the judges).
Shown above is another way a person can attract the attention of a person who might be strolling by. Jere Dutt provides us with a map of Benin (Dahomey), an area that many of us in the United States are unable to visualize without help. Then, instead of just showing us postage stamps with postmarks from the various locations, they also provide us with an arrow to point us to WHERE that postmark is from.
To be perfectly honest, I have minimal knowledge of the stamps and postal history for Dahomey and Togo. And, if I were given the choice to view either a postal history exhibit and this one, you know which one I would choose. But, Jere grabbed my attention with a map and showed an interaction with the stamps. It slowed me down and encouraged me to look at this exhibit MORE than I would have otherwise.
I call that a win.
If all this exhibitor wanted to do was to show us that they had accumulated postmarks from every post office during this time period, they could just line them all up in rows with a label under each with the name of the post office. That could be impressive, but likely only appreciated by those already with the knowledge to appreciate it. Instead of relying on the audience having the knowledge, Jere invites us in and gives us some foundation to work from.
Other Ways to Grab Attention
Those who exhibit fiscal history (revenue stamps and documents) often have a leg up on the competition when it comes to fancy, flashy and large items that are hard to ignore if you walk by them. And, John Lighthouse’s exhibit was full of this sort of thing.
I suspect that those of you who read Postal History Sunday, but are not postal history hobbyists, will see some of the appeal. There are interesting and different typefaces for the lettering and plenty of color for an old document. It’s pretty easy to see where a person who loves history could go if they wanted to learn more too. They could explore the company’s history and the overall history of steamships in the 1860s. They could try to learn more about the people who signed the document. Plenty of opportunities are right there for the taking.
You could also go for some potty humor if you want to draw attention to your exhibit. Charles Eckstom must have been flushed with excitement as he put his single frame exhibit together showing items that illustrated the develoment of the toilet. In fact, I noticed the area around his exhibit frame was periodically clogged with interested viewers.
However, rather than spending time plumbing the depths to which I will go to make a pun in a Postal History Sunday. The number one thing I like about this exhibit is it flows from cover to cover, showing the progress of technology. And number two, this is a solid example of how a unique topic can bowl you over.
And no, I am NOT sorry.
Ok, let’s take the plunge and look at something else.
I found myself spending some time with Eigil Trondsen’s exhibit because they were showing some Norwegian postal history that falls into the 1850-75 period I enjoy so much. I willingly admit that my knowledge of Scandinavian postal history is lacking. The good news is that I do have a base of knowledge to work from in US and European postal history during that same time period.
Of all of the examples shown so far, this might illustrate one of the biggest reasons I enjoy viewing other people’s exhibits. It’s an opportunity to learn more. Each exhibit typically represents many, many hours of research and knowledge acquisition and that effort is on display. I am grateful that so many people are willing to share.
My goodness, look at the time! Before I close this entry of Postal History Sunday, I want to send out my gratitude to all of the people who worked to make the Garfield Perry March Party a worthwhile event. Similary, I appreciate those who volunteer their time as judges for the exhibits. Your efforts do not go unnoticed.
I hope you have a fine remainder of your day and a good week to come.
Additional Reading
If you haven’t had enough, here are some additional related entries you might enjoy:
Showing Off - PHS #52
Guano Wars - PHS#152
Display - PHS#153
Postal History Sunday is featured weekly on this Substack publication. If you take this link, you can view every edition of Postal History Sunday, starting with the most recent publication. If you think you might enjoy my writing on other topics, I can also be found at the Genuine Faux Farm substack. And, some publications may also be found under my profile at Medium, if you have interest.
This is a nice philatelic article. Was a pleasure to meet you in Cle. Thanks for the kind words about the show. Look forward to reading more of these.
Jere Dutt
You are “punny”. You provide some fascinating history. Now to search for more information on guano wars.