Postmark Atlanta Atlanta Stamp Collector’s Club #0357-031583 February 2020 Newsletter New Meeting Site for 2020 JavaVino 579 North Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 will host our club meetings starting in January 2020. Note that, from the Atlanta Library where we were meeting, people can go two blocks--one more stoplight out of town on Ponce de Leon turn right on N Highland go a little past the next stoplight and JavaVino is on the left. We will meet upstairs, stairway in back of room, and JavaVino sells coffees and wine (of course) and also pastries, sandwiches, breakfast food. The food menu can be found here: http://javavino.com/docs/JavaVino_FoodMenu_2018.pdf. Bus 102 has bus stop almost right in front of JavaVino (on the other side of Babbette's Cafe) and one about a block down in front of Buddy's. You should park in the back of JavaVino (driveway down on the left side of bldg). NOT IN MANUEL'S TAVERN PARKING (They do boot cars and charge $75). If you feel you can't park in JavaVino's lot, you can find parking in the small neighborhood across the street. I’ve enclosed a map. Thanks to Vincent Rehder for his presentation on stamps in occupied East Germany 1945 – 1947. He presented an interesting Flyspeck way of collecting and says he has duplicates if anyone is interested. UPCOMING EVENTS January 31 – Feb 2, 2020 Southeast Stamp Expo 2020. Hilton Atlanta Northeast, 5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Peachtree Corners, GA. See article below for details. February 4, 2020 Regular Atlanta Stamp Collectors meeting and Auction. JavaVino, 579 North Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 February 7 – 9 Sarasota National Stamp Exhibition. Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, 801 N Tamiami Tr. Sarasota FL www.sarasotastampclub.com/exhibition-info February 18 Regular Atlanta Stamp Collectors Club meeting and presentation. March 7 Stamp Trading at home of Don Laberteaux, 5008 Brandlwood Ct., Lilburn, GA from 9 – 11 a.m. Coffee, talking and stamps. Call Don at 770-381-7114 for details. March 7-8 KnoxPex 2020 Holiday Inn Knoxville West, 9134 Executive Park Dr. Knoxville, TN www.knoxstamps.com April 17 – 18 GwinnPex Fall Stamp Show at Mountain Park United Methodist Church, 1405 Rockbridge Rd, Stone Mountain, GA 30087 August 20 – 23, 2020 The Great American Stamp Show. Combined show American Philatelic Society, American Topical Association and American First Day Cover Society. Hartford Connecticut Verified Reception Stamps – Part 1 by Steve Swain This article is the first of two exploring the cinderella stamps known as verified reception stamps, first made available in the 1920s by the EKKO Company of Chicago, IL. The stamp collector purist will sometimes scoff at the mention of cinderella stamps, derisively calling them “labels” or ‘stickers” having no legitimate postal value or purpose. But many such stamps easily rival authentic postage stamps in design, printing quality and collectability. Such are the Verified Reception Stamps first printed in the 1920s for the Chicago-based EKKO Company. The EKKO Company chose the American Bank Note Company to print their stamps. Similar in size and quality to U.S. commemorative postage stamps, the intaglio-printed EKKOs featured a perched bald eagle flanked by two radio towers emitting stylized lightning bolts. In addition to a station’s call sign, each stamp bore the phrase “Verified Reception Stamp.” EKKO stamps are the broadcast radio's equivalent to ham radio's QSL cards. The term “QSL” comes from the international Q code and means “I confirm receipt of your transmission.” A QSL card is a written confirmation of either a two-way radio communication between two amateur radio stations, a one-way reception of a signal from an AM or FM radio, television or shortwave broadcasting station or the reception of a two-way radio communication by a third-party listener. A typical QSL card is the same size and made from the same material as a typical postcard, and most are sent through the mail as such. In the 1920s, radio stations desired a means to enable them to determine the size and location of their listening audience. In that way, the stations would have solid data to support decisions about expanding – or limiting – their broadcasting strategies, essentially to attract and maintain sponsors. Leveraging off the popular stamp collecting hobby at the time, EKKO’s idea for radio stations to obtain the data was for the stations to give verified reception stamps to their audience when listeners provided the stations with proof they listened to broadcasts. For $1.75, the EKKO Company offered an album to the collector of the stamps. The album contained pages (the Florida page seen below) printed with an outline for each of the stamps currently available, a listing of broadcast station call letters and wavelengths and a nice map on the inside cover showing the locations of these stations. "Proof of Reception" cards (below) were furnished with the album. Listeners needed only to send to the radio station a completed card with a few facts about when and where on the dial they had heard a broadcast, plus ten cents to cover mailing costs. The station checked the card against their broadcast log for accuracy, and the listener was mailed a stamp with the station's call letters imprinted on the stamp. Over 700 stations, ranging from KDKA, broadcast radio's pioneer station, to little KFXF in Colorado Springs, Colorado, participated in this promotion. Interest in the hobby became so widespread that the February 1925 issue of Radio News (image below) featured the EKKO stamps on its cover. There were stamps for stations from nearly every state, as well as Canada, Cuba, and Mexico. Shown below are stamps from Edmonton Alberta and Winnipeg. The broadcasting station verified reception stamp craze was so popular that it prompted other companies to issue their own stamps. Part 2 of this article will explore those stamps, including those issued for Atlanta’s own WSB radio station, “The Voice of the South.” Southeast Stamp Expo So many events rolled into our upcoming Southeast Stamp Expo. The theme of the show is 19th Amendment and worldwide Women’s Suffrage. ALSO, the France and Colonies Philatelic Society will meet during the expo and France Friday will include several presentations. Please check out www.sefsc.org/fcps and look at the offerings and REGISTER. They want to plan large enough rooms for these presentations. Saturday will include a Women Leaders in Philately Meet N Greet at 2:00. Check out www.sefsc.org/women-in-philately.html for a list of expected attendees and come join the conversation. Also meeting during the Expo are the Ebony Society for Philatelic Events and Reflections, the Georgia Postal History Society and the American First Day Cover Society. American Topical Association has made Southeast Stamp Expo one of their first Hot Spots and will have officers manning a booth as well as presentations and a member dinner. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Our club provides staffing for the registration desk at the Southeastern Stamp Expo as well as the Youth Explorers table. If you are able to volunteer for any of the dates, please contact Scott Holmberg at [email protected] * * * * * * American Topical Association has moved their offices to P O Box 2143, Greer, SC 29652-2143. Jennifer Miller is the new Executive Director. If you are interested in volunteering for them, talk to Barbara Asher. She is now coordinating Taste of Topicals for ATA. * * * * * * Please complete the member form and renew your membership for 2020. Our Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs includes our club’s page. The main site is www.sefsc.org. Our club’s page is at www.sefsc.org/atlanta-stamp-collectors-club.html. But be sure to check out all the other information on the site. New clubs were added to the Federation in January 2019. Check out where meetings are so you can visit as you travel. * * * * * * If you are interested in writing for our newsletter or presenting to our club at one of our monthly meetings, please contact me at the email below or Scott Holmberg at [email protected] with your ideas. LeA Coe, Secretary [email protected] Atlanta Stamp Collector’s Club Membership Our meetings are held at JavaVino, 579 North Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 at 7:00 on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Membership includes our monthly newsletter with upcoming stamp collecting events in the area. The First Tuesday meeting includes a stamp auction. The Third Tuesday meeting will have a featured speaker or presentation on a stamp collecting related topic. Annual Dues of $12.00 entitles you to our monthly newsletter and participation in all club events. You can pay your $12 dues to our Treasurer, Barbara Asher at the next meeting or mail to her at: Barbara Asher, 1633 Adelia Pl, Atlanta, GA 30329. Name: ________________________________________________________ Mailing Address for Newsletter: __________________________________________________________________ Email: _________________________ Phone _____________________________ Are you a member of American Philatelic Society? ____________ Are you a member of American Topical Association? __________ Stamp Collecting Interest_____________________________________________ We want to have a list of members with their interests so that those who bring material to the auction know what other members are interested in. If you would like the newsletter in email form rather than snail mail, let me know. The newsletter is usually a PDF file and easily emailed.