Across the Fence Post Newsletter of the Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs 2023 October—November—December 2023 Volume 45, Issue 4 I attended the Great American Stamp Show held in Cleveland, Ohio, August 10-13 and had an awesome experience! I was part of the large crowds that attended each day from the time that the show opened, right up to the end of day. I was also able to talk with collectors and dealers from across the country about their thoughts on the show as well as about the hobby in general. All were positive! In addition, East Central Regional Vice President Bill Manka and I talked with APS and ATA staff about a WFSC matter and found them to be open and engaging. Inside This Issue From the Editor 2 Closed Albums 2, 3 Federation News 4-5 Connecting with Clubs 6 My Path to . . . 7 News & Notes 8 Member News 9 Topical Topic 10 Notes from a Magpie 11-12 Rhyme Time People Quiz 13 Show Calendar 14 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2023 OSHKOSH STAMP BOURSE MOTHER THERESA CENTER OF FATHER CARR’S PLACE 2B 1062 NORTH KOELLER DRIVE, OSHKOSH HOURS: 9 A.M. TO 3 P.M Information: Dave Carney, 920-750-3117, [email protected] P By Gregg Greenwald New Location! Overall, a highly successful show for all involved. Next, I want to give kudos to Joe Kowalski for putting together another great issue for all of us to enjoy. One new feature that Joe has introduced is “My Path to…” We all have a story of how we got into the hobby or the impetus to start a new kind of collection. Please give some thought about writing it down and sharing your story with the rest of us! Have you noticed that, with every issue, this little vertical slot among our affiliated logos is changed? Quarter 2 had two 1932 Washingtons; Quarter 3’s was a French inverted se-tenant. This issue features 1924 Christmas seals. What’s next???
2 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 Across the Fence Post is the official publication of the Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The WFSC is a life member of the American Philatelic Society (since 1953), and a chapter member of the American Topical Association. For more information about the WFSC, please visit the website, www.wfscstamps.org. ATFP is currently published four times a year: January, April, July and October. News of Wisconsin collectors, club news and other gratis original features are welcomed. The editor accepts submissions in any format, but prefers email if possible. The editor reserves the right to make picky changes to submitted copy. Material appearing in ATFP not carrying an individual copyright notice may be reproduced only by not-for-profit organizations, provided the author(s) and ATFP receive credit or attribution. All materials carrying an individual copyright notice are the sole property of the author(s). Unless explicitly stated by an officer in conjunction with official WFSC business, opinions expressed by the editor or individual authors are not necessarily endorsed by the WFSC. Submission deadlines for editorial and advertising materials are the first of the month preceding the month of publication. (December 1 for the upcoming Jan-Feb-Mar issue.) Editorial matter should be sent to: Joe Kowalski, ATFP Editor, Send advertising material to Brian Liedtke, Advertising Manager, ATFP, 4625 South Scot Dr., New Berlin, WI 53131, 414-731-9794, [email protected] . For a complete list of advertising rates and policies (display, classified, and listings), request a copy from the advertising manager. WFSC OFFICERS PRESIDENT Gregg Greenwald 2401 Bluebird Ct. Marshfield, WI 54449 [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT Brian Liedtke 4625 South Scot Dr. New Berlin, WI 53131 [email protected] SECRETARY Clarence Davis W4022 Linden Dr. Malone, WI 53049 [email protected] TREASURER David Rees P.O. Box 401 Bloomington, IL 61702 [email protected] VP YOUTH DIVISION MaryAnn Bowman P.O. Box 1451 Waukesha, WI 53187 [email protected] EAST-CENTRAL REGION VP Bill Manka [email protected] Fond du Lac Stamp Club Kettle Moraine Coin & Stamp Club Manitowoc Philatelic Society Sheboygan Stamp Club SOUTHEAST REGION VP Anna Trischan [email protected] American Topical Association No. 5 Milwaukee Philatelic Society Waukesha County Philatelic Society Wauwatosa Philatelic Society NORTHEAST REGION VP Ray D. Perry [email protected] Bay de Noc Stamp & Coin Club Green Bay Philatelic Society Northwoods Philatelic Society Oshkosh Philatelic Society Wisconsin Postal History Society CENTRAL REGION VP Chuck Rebek [email protected] Central Wisconsin Stamp Club Chippewa Valley Stamp Club Coulee Region Stamp Club Lakeland Stamp & Coin Club Wisconsin Valley Philatelic Society SOUTHWEST REGION VP Bill Lothary [email protected] Badger Stamp Club Baraboo Stamp Club Coulee Region Stamp Club Janesville Stamp Club Monroe Stamp & Postcard Club Rockford Stamp Club Tri-State Stamp Club Verlys Marquardt (1940-2023) Verlys Marquardt of Markesan, Wis., passed away on July 26, at the age of 82. A longtime member of the Fond du Lac Stamp Club, her philatelic interests included all years of U.S. commemoratives, first day covers and her favorite subjects—Hollywood and Elvis Presley (whom she met, twice!). Our stamp club members will miss her warm smile and friendly conversation. —JK Closed Album F By Joe Kowalski T wo tweaks I’ve been trying with this newsletter: · Increasing the size of most text. My first two issues were mostly in 11-point size, with some 10-pointers when space was tight. (The fine print boxes on this page, at a measly 6 and 8 points, will change with next quarter’s issue. For now, good thing stamp collectors all have magnifying glasses!) I hope you find 12-point Calibri a bit easier to read. 14 soon? · I’m also attempting to give our dealers more breathing space around their ads by “unclumping” them or moving them to different pages. Feel free to offer your own typographical suggestions.
3 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 Closed Album Over the years, he contributed many articles to Across the Fence Post and to the American Philatelist, journal of the American Philatelic Society. He served as secretary, treasurer, and president of the Wauwatosa society, president of the American Topical Association Chapter 5, and vice president of the Polish-American Stamp Club. Art was a former WFSC certified judge. He won a variety of awards for his own Irish and education exhibits. He was also a member of the WFSC Speakers Bureau and presented programs at local stamp club meetings and WFSC conventions, as well as at non-philatelic gatherings. Here is Art is with his wife Nancy. He’s shown at a philatelic event, wearing his Inverted Jenny tie. Arthur (Art) Schmitz (1923-2023) Art Schmitz, a member and past president of the Wauwatosa Philatelic Society, passed away on August 18 at the age of 99. He was a resident of Milwaukee. The published World War II veteran started collecting stamps as a child, developing into a specialist in worldwide education stamps and a judge for many shows. A high school special ed teacher, Mr. Schmitz also wrote poetry and started stamp programs at the local YMCA. Art served as a model WFSC region Vice President for 19 years. He served SoutheastWisconsin, faithfully visiting and reporting on as many as nine clubs in his area. He was even an active member of many of them. Art received a WFSC President’s Award in 2005. In 2006, he was inducted to the Wisconsin Philatelic Hall of Fame. During the period of runaway inflation in Germany, it became harder and harder to cram enough stamps onto letters and documents to pay for postage or revenue stamp fees. According to sources, one Swiss document had to be sent with 10 feet of paper attached to it, just to hold the required amount of revenue stamps. Eventually, the situation became so bad that Germany temporarily stopped requiring stamps to mail letters. Instead, they allowed customers to pay for postage in cash at the post office, and officials would simply mark the letters as paid.
4 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 Executive Meeting via Zoom August 5, 2023, 10:00 a.m. Online: MaryAnn Bowman, Clarence Davis, Gregg Greenwald, Joe Kowalski, Karen Weigt, Brian Liedtke, Bill Lothary, Bill Manka, Greg Riesterer, Jim Stollenwerk, and Zoom hosts Doug Henkle and his helpful wife Mary. HIGHLIGHTS OF SECRETARY DAVIS’ MINUTES Treasurer’s Report (David Rees): None. Old Business, Committees and Appointee Reports Across the Fence Post Editor (Kowalski): After a proofing visit with the Middleton printer, pictures in the Quarter 3 issue had better contrast than in Quarter 2. Writers and advertisers were eBlasted a reminder of the September 1 deadline. Quarter’s 4’s is expected to be 12 pages long. Advertising Manager (Liedtke): Show dates for David Alex’s and others’ ads will be updated. Wiscopex 2024 Planning (Stollenwerk): • Venue will be Fond du Lac’s Radisson Hotel and Conference Center. • Nearby Radisson partner hotels, Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express have slightly less expensive rooms. • Returning show managers are John Paré (exhibits and awards), Kowalski (promotion, show cover, post office liaison and programs), Bowman and Aimée Devine (Society and Youth tables), Anna Trischan (silent auction), and Manka (bourse; latter states that seven dealers are so far interested). • Other activities will include door prizes, seminars, free items, a business meeting and a banquet with speaker. • Chairman Stollenwerk discussed revenues and expenses. NEW BUSINESS Wiscopex 2025 Location (Greenwald, Liedtke, planning committee): Madison and Rockford were discussed as possible alternatives to Fond du Lac. Davis noted that, while other cities Federation News have their individual shows, the Fond du Lac Club has chosen to focus on Wiscopex. Hall of Fame Reunion (Bowman, Weigt): Various possibilities were raised, including a Sunday luncheon at Wiscopex. Weigt will email current members to ascertain interest. Greenwald will remind Dave Carney to send Fence Post a call for Class of 2024 nominees. Federation Nominating Committee for Secretary and Treasurer (Liedtke, Weigt): Davis agreed to serve another term as Secretary if re-elected; Liedtke will investigate the Treasurer position. WFSC Single Frame Exhibit Award (Weigt): Discuss with Paré the establishment of such an award. Need for a new Zoom license (Henkle, Davis): The Henkles’ license for the online meeting service expires on March 1. Manka would investigate possible Federation piggybacking with the APS and ATA. The next Wiscopex ‘24 planning meeting will use Google Workspace, free to nonprofits. (continued on next page)
5 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 Honoring Ken Grant: Several suggestions came up, including naming the one-frame exhibit after him. A move to contribute $100 to APS in his name failed for lack of a second. VICE PRESIDENTS’ REPORT Southwest Region, Bill Lothary Went to some of Rockford club’s well-attended meetings; Tim Wait elected new treasurer; new venue, Hoffman House/Holiday Inn, for its March 9-10 show. Janesville club is doing well; summer get-together at Olive Garden; new treasurer, Richard Mayo. Badger Stamp Club has really good attendance, including some new members. Bill says he needs to attend meetings at Baraboo, La Crosse, Dubuque and Monroe next quarter. East Central Region, Bill Manka Visited all his region’s clubs except Kettle Moraine which does not meet in summer. Longtime Fond du Lac club member Verlys Marquardt has passed away. Northeast Region, Ray Perry Visited Northwoods Philatelic Society in Iron Mountain, Mich.; all is well there. Attended Green Bay monthly meetings; attendance better lately; no business meetings in summer. Attended Oshkosh Philatelic Society; things See what our advertising dealers have to offer! going well; no summer meetings. Need to attend Bay du Noc Stamp and Coin Club next quarter; annual show scheduled for August 19. Ray also talked with APS president Cheryl Ganz about a proposed commemorative for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League; she pointed out the complications of such a proposal. Central Region, Chuck Rebek No report. Southeast Region, Anna Trischan Attended meetings of the Milwaukee and Wauwatosa clubs, as well as the joint picnic of Waukesha and ATA Chapter 5. Milwaukee held a pizza and ice cream social in July; on track for hosting Milcopex on September 22-23 in Brookfield. Wauwatosa is preparing for Tosapex on August 19-20 in St. Francis. NEXT MEETING (Greenwald): November 4, 2023 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. ADJOURNMENT (Greenwald): Meeting ended at 11:20 a.m.
6 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 A tip: Some clubs with a large number of lots have potential bidders mark lots they are interested in with a bingo or poker chip. Only one chip is necessary to indicate that there is someone interested in bidding on the item. Lots that have no chip are skipped over, as it is deemed that no one was interested in bidding on that particular lot. That way auctions can operate more quickly and smoothly. We will continue the discussion of auctions in the next column, in which we will explore some modifications that clubs might use in order to add variety to their club programming. Does your club have another type of auction? If so, I’d love to hear about it and share it with our members and clubs. Write to me at P.O. Box 1451, Waukesha, WI 53187 or email [email protected]. Philata-Fact: 102 countries’ postal systems have issued 145 pandemic-related stamps. Not on that list: USPS. A s I write this, Milcopex has yet to take place. However, the financial and inkind donations received have made a big difference and were greatly appreciated by the host club which has had to absorb losses the last few years. A big THANK YOU to the following WFSC clubs for their generous contributions: American Topical Association Chapter 5, Badger Stamp Club, Baraboo Stamp Club (in memory of Ken Grant), Green Bay Philatelic Society, Sheboygan Stamp Club, TRIPEX funds, Waukesha County Philatelic Society, Wauwatosa Philatelic Society and the Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs. Stamp auction commissions are a major source of revenue for some clubs. From newsletters, it appears that most clubs have auctions on a regular basis. Both the Milwaukee Philatelic Society and the Waukesha County Philatelic Society have auctions at most, if not all of, their meetings. Some are miniauctions, in that the number of lots is limited to three items per individual; lots do not need to have a minimum catalog value. Several times a year they have what is called a Major Auction, typically held in the spring and fall of each year. With this kind of auction, members can submit up to 10 lots; each lot must have a minimum catalog value of $5. Clubs handle the receipt and payment for these lots in different ways. Some clubs have runners who deliver the lot to the new owner immediately upon a successful bid. Other clubs wait until the end of the auction and require payment by the bidder who then receives a listing of their successful bids. This list is given to the auctioneer and/or the helpers who pick up the items and give them to the bidder. By MaryAnn Bowman, WFSC VP Youth Division, Publicity and Public Relations Chair
7 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 My path begins at school with the World Explorers Club, a subscription service. Members received a packet each month featuring an item, usually a toy or stamps, with several pages, all relating to a specific country. The first shipment featured the USA and came with the starter album. I would go to the local pharmacy and buy collectible stamps from a Post Office vending machine there. High school and college put collecting on hold, but when my father died, I got his collections: a small worldwide group from his high school days, and a larger U.S. set he gathered as an adult. He subscribed to Mystic's Heritage collection of mint commemoratives and used the Liberty album for general U.S., 1935 to 1985. I have been working on completing the pre-1935 commemoratives. Dad's Liberty album came with the United Nations pages he had never tried to fill. My first new collection was the UN and I continued to add to Dad's U.S. album. At some point, due to my ancestry, I began to collect English definitives. All of England was too much. At the Cenwispex bourse, a dealer was offering a set of French coat of arms stamps for a couple of dollars. That caught my eye. Research showed only one CoA cataloged over $5. Most were at the catalog minimum. I have completed France and Monaco and am working on Andorra and the French colonies. I am lucky to have JadeCo Stamp and Hobby right here in Stevens Point. My latest philatelic passion began on Thursday, February 6, 2020. At the February meeting of the Central Wisconsin Stamp Club, J.D. of JadeCo offered a box of worldwide stamps for $5. Inside were handfuls of Colombia stamps. The family of my favorite singer, Sofia Carson, comes from Colombia, so I thought it would be fun to collect that South American country. Its stamps are now housed in their own binders. I found no album dedicated to British definitive stamps or to the French “coats.” A commercially-published Colombia album was beyond my means, so I created my own. Starting with Great Britain, I found there were several standard stamp sizes. So I took press board—the kind that back legal pads—cutting them into page-wide strips about two inches high. I then drew outlines of stamps for each size and cut stencils. This simplified page layout. French stamps used the same stencils. By the time I made Colombia pages, I progressed to using a ruler to space the lines and spacing the stamps by eye. But In 2021, my wife Cindy was Christmas shopping at Jadeco. J.D. recommended a device called the Fila-Framer. This consists of two aluminum L-shapes, slotted. They fit together to make a rectangle matching various stamp sizes. Using a T square, pages can be laid out very quickly. This has been a godsend for album making. I know there are software programs to make pages, but I love the hands-on aspect of making pages this way. My next adventure: Learning Spanish so I’m able to read a Colombia revenue catalog! My Path to Stamp Collecting By Thomas Hosking, Central Wisconsin Stamp Club
8 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 Kindly get your ads, articles, columns and other contributions to the editor by December 1st. Re-Clip & Re-Save USPS threw a curveball just after the Quarter 3 print deadline. Here are the revised revised rates: • First Class domestic letter, one ounce, 66¢ • International letter, one ounce, $1.50 • Additional ounce, domestic or international, 24¢ • Large envelope, one ounce, $1.35 • Postcard stamp, 51¢ For the complete list of new rates, go to usps.com/ business/prices.htm Classified Ad Benefit Any WFSC member may submit two free classified ads per calendar year; $5 each for additional listings. Your description may be up to 40 words, not including the name of your home club (required) at the end of the ad. Text only, please. Make check payable to WFSC and mail it to Brian Liedtke at 4625 South Scot Drive, New Berlin, WI 53131. Deadline for the next issue: December 1. Questions? 414-731-9794 or [email protected] Unsold Wiscopex Silent Auction Lots For Sale Ten catalogs $3.00 each (1986- 2004), books, collections, supplies, stamps on and off paper, and covers. Will travel to your club meeting if there is sufficient interest. Individuals/clubs, contact Anna at [email protected] for a list of available lots. Anna Trischan is Southeast Regional Vice President and a member of the Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, and Waukesha County Societies. Scammers have again been using members’ names to try to trick us into buying gift cards for the WFSC’s President. Be careful not to fall for it. What do you call a stamp collector specializing in commemoratives honoring twodimensional objects? A flatelist
9 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 The American Philatelic Society has honored Anna and Keith Trischan with one of its six 2023 Nicholas G. Carter Volunteer Awards for Local Service. The Trischans are active members of several southeast Wisconsin, state and national societies. They put in many hours at area and statewide shows. They have already signed on to be silent auction co-chairs at Wiscopex 2024. See page 644 of the July American Philatelist for more of the couple’s accomplishments. Other WFSC members who have received the Nicholas G. Carter Volunteer Recognition Award in the past are Kurt Albrecht, Jay Bigalke, Dona Fagan, Cheryl Ganz, Alex Gill, Rob Henak, Brian J. Liedtke, Robert Mather, Michael Mules, Chuck Shoemaker, Tim Wait, Darlene Waterstreet, Karen Weigt and Maurice Wozniak. The WFSC recognizes up to three prominent Wisconsin philatelists per year for their contributions to the hobby. Nominations for 2024 candidates for the Wisconsin Philatelic Hall of Fame are due December 31, 2023. Please note the following when submitting nominations: • Contributions of a purely local club nature shall not be the sole reason for selection to the Hall of Fame. • A deceased philatelist may not be nominated or considered until three years after his/her death. Only WFSC member clubs may submit nominations and each nomination must be seconded by two other member clubs. • The nominating club is responsible for making arrangements with the seconding clubs to provide those seconds. The nomination and seconds should be sent together to the chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee. (See below.) • A nomination should include a statement identifying the nominee, a short philatelic biography, and the reasons why that person should be selected for the Wisconsin Philatelic Hall of Fame. Send the nomination and seconds to David Carney, 313 Red Cedar Pkwy., Kimberly, WI 54136, 920-750-3117, [email protected].
10 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 Monroe Stamp & Card Show Oct. 7 CHICAGOPEX Nov. 17-19 SUPEX Countryside, Ill. Nov. 25 Left to right, top to bottom: Canada, U.S., Spain; Poland, U.S., Finland, Great Britain; New Zealand, Germany, France; Liechtenstein, Japan, U.S., Great Britain.
11 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 For medical reasons, this might be one of the last of Peter’s entertaining “Magpie” articles. —JK Have you ever, while inspecting your precious stamp collection, thought, “I’ve done it all wrong. I’ve bought the wrong things. My collection is a mess. I’ve missed out on great opportunities.” As I recounted a few issues back, Ann and I became stamp collectors, at least in part through the actions and influences of our parents. We have continued to pursue the hobby for somewhat more than 50 years. Now this extensive track record implies that we have always known what to do. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our first bungle had to do with the acquisition of stamps. We began by purchasing the largest general packets of stamps that we could afford in our areas of interest, and more of the same as soon as we could afford them. This provided us with a good representation of the cheapest stamps in each area. The very, very cheapest stamps and a glut of them! Having, however, found that there was no market for this heavily duplicated “wallpaper,” we knew we had to cut our losses and move on. For some time we kept careful track of garage sales and the like, but with limited success. Few stamp collections showed up at all. The worst ones contained little we could use, and the better ones were usually snaffled off by dealers. We also learned that condition is everything. All too often in our earlier collecting days, we learned that although a stamp cataloged hundreds of dollars, once it was damaged, it became only a valueless space filler. Our next bobble was in our choice of albums. At that time Minkus catalogs and albums were a viable choice, even being sold by major department stores! And Scott was too expensive for low budget beginners. Later the decision of what album to use was taken out of our hands when my darling wife spilled a cup of coffee on my part of our collection. Luckily, the damage was much more to the album than to the stamps themselves. Besides, for years I could bring up that long lost album as my defense for spending a little bit beyond my fair share of the stamp budget, especially when I looked wistful enough. In actual practice, choosing Minkus was a mistake because they soon went out of business and an updated catalog was not available. It would have been much easier for us to have gone with Scott in the first place. I made the great leap to Scott, though my wife still struggles with the differences between Minkus and Scott catalog numbers. Our third blunder had to do with the choice of stamp mounts. The first kind we used was the tried and true stamp hinge. Initially we thought, along with many other collectors, that any premium for never hinged stamps was just a passing fad. It wasn’t! Since hinges, especially peelable ones, were becoming harder to obtain, we had to make a decision as to what mounts to use. We tried Crystal mounts, but they curled the stamps and bled onto the pages. We tried Buxton mounts which were excellent, but were only on the market for a short time then went out of business with our last order still unfulfilled. We tried at least one other type of mount, which shall be nameless (because I no longer remember the name of the company), which failed to hold the stamps securely. There is nothing worse than opening an album to a prized stamp and finding only an empty mount with the stamp having gone we know not where. At least we didn’t use Scotch tape which, after a few months, bleeds all over the stamps and pages. Even Magic tape leaves permanent residue on the stamps, according to our archivist friends. We now use Scott or Showgard mounts, even though they are expensive. An ongoing caveat that I must tuck in here is the simple dictum “Impatience damages stamps.” The first, fairly valuable, German Eagles set had an embossed center. (continued on next page)
12 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 Beware of stamps in old albums. Just because it was collected in the 1920s doesn’t make it genuine or valuable. My favorite example was a dealer who advised me that certain early stamps were surely genuine because his mother had looked at them and she was an honest person. Fake stamps bought and sold in perfectly good faith fall into the bobble category. When the entry in a reputable catalog says fakes abound, they generally know what they are talking about. If you are selling stamps, you will seldom, if ever, get what you paid for them. It is a blunder to ask for outrageous prices, just as it would be to ask for outrageous discounts when buying. Dealers will often ask you what you want for your stamps. I’ve found that saying “Give me half of what you would sell them for” is a good basis for negotiation, yet it is a cardinal blunder to expect a return on anything like the prices in the printed catalog. And there you have it. Some bungles, bobbles and blunders that can make your chosen hobby less rewarding and therefore less fun. And if you start thinking about your stamps less as a way of having fun and more as an investment, therein lies ruin. However if you see philately primarily as fun, a lifetime of pleasure awaits you. (continued from previous page) My blunder was trying to remove one of these stamps stuck down in an album by brute force. The whole center ripped out. Next, we must advise you to be careful of what you wish for. When working on “little blue fleas,” i.e., German Notopfer postal tax stamps, I casually mentioned that if I had more of them I could find more plate differences and errors. My darling wife found an eBay seller with a collection of hundreds (or was it thousands?) of the little blue fleas. I still have nightmares about the damn things. I also almost went blind checking the tiny plate numbers on GB Scott 33 Queen Victorias. And I did go mad separating litho from photo Queen Elizabeth Machins. Another key bobble, a very expensive one, was becoming enamored with all the new electronic toys developed for stamp collecting. We own three lighted electric watermark detectors, one of which even has the ability to illuminate the stamp with different background colors. We have an attachment that turns your computer into a gigantic programmable magnifying glass, and another machine that even electronically measures the stamp to a fraction of a perforation size, but only if you can hold the stamp just so. The cost for these items and many, many more (including at least 100 magnifying glasses of various sorts) can run into the thousands of dollars. We have owned them all. Perhaps someday we will learn to use them or better yet, just buy stamps. Another blunder is to allow your pets to have ready access to your collection. One of our cats would delicately pick up stamps in her teeth not even hurting the neverhinged items. Our current cat likes sitting on the stamps as we are working on them, to tell us that it’s dinnertime. That beats biting our knees, but not by much. It’s also karma that a certain dog—you know who you are—will clean off any paper from the top of a table if the owner’s collection is left within reach. We hesitate to think where the residue of these stamps ends up. Stamp shows have brought their own set of goofs. Never go to a stamp show without a want list. Frequently I have bought expensive stamps only to find that I already have them. Also watch out for exchange rate differences. I once charged a $200 stamp to find out later that it was 200 British pounds. I do trust dealers, I do trust dealers, I do, I do, I do trust dealers. Dealers have to know their material to stay in business, but if it looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is. In practice the Web has no rules. Dealers do. They have professional associations but more importantly they have reputations to maintain.
13 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023
14 Across the Fence Post October—November—December 2023 o Check wfscstamps.org for updates. Send new show listings to Greg Riesterer, [email protected], 608-520-0560. 1. CHERYL GANZ, APS President 2. JAMES FARLEY, FDR’s Postmaster General 3. GEORGE THE FIFTH, King of England* 4. KAREN WEIGT, WFSC Past President and Secretary 5. RAY PERRY, WFSC Northeast Region Vice President 6. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, 32nd President of the U.S.* 7. BRIAN LIEDTKE, WFSC Vice President 8. GREGG GREENWALD, WFSC President 9. CHECK REBEK, WFSC Central Region VP 10. JAY BIGALKE, Amos Media Editor in Chief * . . . and voracious stamp collector February 24-25, 2024 Milcopex 2023 Milwaukee Philatelic Society Now Two Days Long Brookfield Conference Center 325 South Moorland Road Brookfield, Wis. Friday noon to 6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (MaryAnn Bowman, [email protected] bourse, judged exhibits, seminars Monroe Stamp and Postcard Show Monroe Stamp and Postcard Club Monroe Moose Lodge 639 Third Avenue Monroe, Wis. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Randy Riese, 608-558-6430, [email protected]) bourse only CENWISPEX Central Wisconsin Stamp Club The Elks Club 1132 Clark Street, Stevens Point, Wis. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (J.D. Manville, 715-498-1111, [email protected]) show Oshkosh Stamp Bourse Mother Theresa Center of Fr. Carr’s Place 2 Be 1082 North Koeller Street Oshkosh, Wis. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Dave Carney, 920-750-3117 [email protected]) bourse only November 17-19, 2023 November 25, 2023 MDSA Chicagoland Show Midwest Stamp Dealers Assoc. College of DuPage Student Resource Center 425 Farwell Blvd. Glen Ellyn, Ill. Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-3 bourse only CHICAGOPEX Westin Chicago Northwest 400 Park Blvd Itasca, Ill. Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-4 bourse, judged exhibits, seminars September 9-10, 2023 SUPEX 2023 Suburban Collectors Club Holiday Inn 6201 Joliet Road Countryside, Ill. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. stamps, coins, cards, ephemera October 14, 2023 November 11, 2023 September 22-23, 2023 October 7, 2023 WFSC CLUB SHOWS OTHER SHOWS Janesville Annual Exhibition and Bourse Janesville Stamp Club Holiday Inn Express 3100 Wellington Place Janesville, Wis. 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Aimée Devine, 608-758-1354) spanishmoss72@ sbcglobal.net) bourse, exhibits February 10, 2024 STAMPFEST 2024 Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. St. Francis Community Center 3476 East Howard Avenue St, Francis, Wis. (Keith Trischan, [email protected])