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Headline Story/March 20, 2006
Rarities Will Abound at
Washington 2006
Not one, but two
copies (the ONLY two) of the renowned
"Z Grill" stamp will be on
display at WASHINGTON 2006.
Rarities Around Every
Corner at Washington 2006
TThe gems of philately are coming to Washington 2006, and many of them can
be found in the non-competitive Court of Honor, Invited and Special
Exhibits at the world philatelic exhibition taking place May 27 through
June 3 at the Washington, D.C.
There are two Court of Honor exhibits, The Royal Philatelic Collection of
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and The Collection of His Serene Highness
The Prince of Monaco, Albert II. They are but small selections of these
two great collections.
Highlights from The Queen’s exhibit cover mostly items from the Caribbean,
but also include the 6 May cover bearing 10 Penny Blacks and one page of
Perot Provisionals from Bermuda. Some of the material presented has not
been shown before in the United States. The Prince’s exhibit honors the
50th anniversary of the marriage of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace
and many issues dealing with the Royal Family, and also includes early
philatelic items from the Principality.
Invited exhibits range from individual items to multi-frame displays.
Individual U.S. items include the reuniting of the Alexandria “Blue Boy”
cover with its content, a love letter penned in 1847; the proof panes of
the 5 cent and 10 cent U.S. 1847 issue; and the Dawson Hawaiian Missionary
cover of 1852 bearing a 2 cent and 5 cent Missionary stamp with pair of 3
cent
U.S. stamps.
Single and multi-frame displays of U.S. material cover more than two
centuries of philatelic history, starting with the tax stamps used in the
Americas by the British that sparked the American Revolution. Pony Express
mail is represented, as are facets of philately from traditional to postal
history. Notable is an exhibit of fascinating archival items presented by
the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum ranging from 1847 essays to a
rare block of 1 7/10¢ wine revenues.
This year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Ben Franklin. Near
the show’s entrance will be portions of the former Postmaster General
Benjamin Franklin Bailar’s collection, “Collecting Franklin — Vignettes of
American History,” honoring his predecessor and namesake, which includes
two commissions signed by the elder American statesman.
Aerophilately and astrophilately are present in six different exhibits.
Perhaps most famous are blocks of the “Inverted Jenny” issue of 1918 in a
display showing 16 of the 100 known examples. These will be complemented
by plate proofs of the issue’s vignette and frame courtesy of the National
Postal Museum. Viewers will also see mail carried on the Hindenburg and in
space.
Collectors of non-U.S. material will not be disappointed in what will be
on display.
David Feldman of Switzerland will display eight world-class items in an
exhibit entitled, “A Treasury of World Rarities,” including the Mauritius
Post Office proof, India’s 1854 inverted head, and Western Australia’s 4d
swan issue with inverted frames.
Exhibits of non-U.S. material will include multi-frame exhibits of French
military mail, classic Jamaica and Japan, Roman States, Tasmania, revenues
of the Cape of Good Hope and Finland, the Sardinian Cavallini letter
sheets, and a comparative study of European postal rates from 1840-1871.
A number of special exhibits will be presented by others attending
Washington 2006.
The National Postal Museum will have John Lennon’s boyhood stamp album on
display as well as its online philatelic research tool, Arago. The
“Inverted Jenny” plate block can be seen at Mystic Stamp Company’s booth.
Selections from the Postmaster General’s Collection will be located at the
U.S. Stamp Printers booth.
Specific web pages covering this material include:
Court of Honor:
http://www.washington-2006.org/wcourtofhonor.htm
Rarities:
http://www.washington-2006.org/wrarities.htm
Invited and Special Exhibits:
http://www.washington-2006.org/wspecialexhibits.htm
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