Well, it is never to soon to start planning, especially when pictorial cancellations have to be planned and so on.

2011 will mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and will begin a five year long era of sesquicentennial covers, giving me ideas for local post covers, mailer's postmark anniversaries and so on.

Southwest Missouri is grounds for event covers.  The Battle of Carthage (also known as the Battle of Dry Fork) was listed in the New York Times as the first major land battle of the Civil War. The claim is disputed, but it is actually the first battle where opposing forces marched a considerable distance with the purpose in mind of engaging the enemy.

So I have at least one event cover planned, the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Carthage, on July 5, 2011, Lord willing and the creek don't rise.

Time for you to start planning too?

I have created a new page for my local post.

You can find it at http://www.qsl.net/kg0yh/SpringRiver.htm

Check out my oceanographic group for several new postings. I received a nice cover from the R/V Thomas Thompson for Deep-Sea hydrothermal vent work using the ROV Jason.

A great cover opportunity is aso coming up from the Norwegian Navy.  Check it out!

Have fair winds and following seas....

I have made several updates to my Brook Hill Local Post page, which you may find of interest.

 http://www.qsl.net/kg0yh/BrookHill.htm

This is still relevant; came across it when I was updating my web page today.

I vote thumbs down on philatelic snobbery!!

This is the text of message #1340 dated January 1, 2001.

To Michael and the group:
 
With regard to Mr. Julian's earlier post, I must say that
I have quite a different 'take' from his position, and perhaps I am in the minority.  What better time than the New Year to take a moment for some self-examination of one's leisure time activities, of which I count Polar Philately in the top three or four...
 
I wasn't quite sure if it was the sheer abundance of information that was the main concern or if it was because that this seems to be an active group at time.  I love this hobby and personally, I am grateful for Steve's McLachlan's and the other folks' postings of fresh, hot-off-the-press; hold-the-phone type of reporting of Antarctic happenings.  I have been known to post a few things here myself.  I don't get a lot of feedback pro or con, so I have no idea if my postings really get perused and put to use for the intended purpose or not.  Some of it could, in fact result in someone sending off for a cover on their own, after picking up a lead from the article, if they are so inclined.  That is what I often do, and have made some great contacts and got some great polar covers doing exactly that. 
 
The internet, and e-Groups in particular- via this mechanism-the Polar Philately group- has become a great leveler of the playing field, so to speak, in the hobby of polar philately.  No longer is it just the philatelic elite with personal connections, or friends in high places, who are able to get the information to send for their own covers... now it is potentially anyone who is a member of the group.  In 1985, I had to go to U.S. Senator Danforth to be able to get basic information about the US Geological Survey's activities in Antarctica.  Lord knows I would have never gotten such information from the philatelic organization I belonged to, that was verboten... Such activities should have been public record, as my tax dollars helped pay for them; and I was close to having to file a FOIA request to get a simple news release about who was going to Antarctica.  Note that at the time I lived in the same town where the US Geological Survey Mid Continent Mapping center was based.  So let me preface my comments by stating that I absolutely hate it when I can't get simple information. 
 
What bothered me just a bit with that message was that it seemed to me to smack of the "philatelic snobbery", as I call it, that seems to have become so common in many organized groups of philately.  I recognized that trait over ten years ago, when I was a member of such a group that I will leave unnamed here.  I was told by one its prominent members that I should watch whom I associated with, implying that there was some perceived riff-raff in the group.  Never once did I ever receive any cover leads or tips or anything remotely similar from the group itself, except for a short time when they had a notification service, which was later disbanded.  I have read countless articles lecturing or condemning someone who would have the audacity to suggest publication of some addresses for sendings, but if you looked at their publication, it seemed like it was only that 'inner circle' who ever obtained the truly spectacular covers.  What a tight-lipped and clanish bunch!  It almost seemed like there was an unwritten code which said that any information about polar cover sendings was to be closely guarded under lock and key and not shared with the common membership. (Read "riff raff")   How ridiculous, I thought at the time.  Even us lowly collectors, with common working stations in life, should have a chance to develop those same contacts for covers, I felt.  I recall that I received a personal contact from one of the prominent officers of the group, but only because he wanted to try to sweet-talk me out of a duplicate cover that I had (which he really wanted), and he proposed a trade of some other lesser valued covers for it.  Being nice, I agreed to the exchange, of course, so no one to blame but myself, but it has always grated me over the years that I never heard from him ever again.  It was as if I was somehow viewed as being of a lesser caste, and once the exchange had been made- I had served my purpose.  It was irritating, in retrospect. It almost seemed as if some of the inner circle of the group wanted all the "cool covers" for themselves.  Both Irene Fager, publisher of the mainly oceanographic-oriented One Half Fathom newsletter, and Si Steinberg, a former columnist there, had told me how they often were chastised by that (unnamed group's) ranking self-appointed "information police" or whatever you want to call them, for having publishing addresses for polar cover sendings, in that newsletter.  (BTW, of which I am not sure if OHF is still in existence or not...)
 
I am well aware that cover sources get abused; I even wrote a letter to Ice Cap News over 15 years ago condemning such practices... but I have always been told by folks who were in Antarctica or wherever, on board a cutter or such, that they got a slew of covers ANYWAY, whether anything had been published ahead of time in the news media or not.  In some cases, I understand dealers in Europe would send boxes of thousands of covers for servicing, which I suspect got the deep six...  (as they should have been)
 
I am just concerned about anything that tends to squelch a free exchange of information in this forum. Michael you are the list owner, and of course, are free to set up such guidelines as you see fit, but I for one, hate to see the group place any sort of restrictions upon an exchange of helpful information.  Count me as one who votes for total freedom in this group for all polar philatelists, not just the chosen...
 
I don't mean to offend anyone, but that's my position on it.   Thanks for taking the time to read this missive; I didn't intend for it to be so long!  Happy New Year 2001

Received a beautifully documented cover today from the NOAA Vessel Oscar Dyson (R-224).

You can see full details at the Oceanographic cover group here on StampWants.

I have ran across several articles on the web about the "postmark" provided at Noel, Missouri 64854, during the holiday season.

Back in the 1930's the city began publicizing its connection to the holidays by offering a remailing service from there.  Local residents do not pronounce it Noe-ell, as in the way the Christmas word is pronounced, they pronounce it as in the grassy thing in Dallas/ think: JFK      Knoll.

BUT, what they are offering is not a postmark, it is a "cachet." I know this distinction is lost on the general public, but at least we postmark collectors know the difference. Right?

When I mailed items from there this past December, even the USPS employees didn't seem to understand the distinction and gave me a very strange look.  They have a volunteer table set up right up at the front of the post office, where they apply the cachet with large die-type rubber stamps, the professional variety.  I had that done, and then took the items up to the window and asked to receive a postmark (as well).  She looked at me like I was crazy, having seen me just leave the cachet table.  Well, anyway, the item I got in the mail several days later had received a machine postmark, looked like from the '60's, and it was totally illegible.  I understand they have a new postmaster who perhaps might understand the difference between a cachet and a postmark, but I don't know.  I have my doubts...

I suspect that in the old days, items sent there for remailing probably did receive a Noel postmark in addition to the cachet, but I think that due to the volume nowadays, they just let the volunteers apply the rubber stamp, and then they send everything on to Springfield, MO (65801) for the jetspray, thinking that most people that send items in for remailing probably won't even catch the difference, and they are probably right!

Small towns are losing their identity anyway, and a large bureaucratic organization like the USPS doesn't really care that a town doesn't postmark their mail, and probably feel that no one gives a rip in the first place. Again, here is where a Mailer's Postmark Permit (MPP) could come into play.  I have thought of securing a permit from there and to service covers for collectors who would like a Christmas theme postmark on all of their holiday mail.  Any interest out there?

I try to educate where I can, so I have been trying to post a comment on the various blogs I find which discuss Christmas time postmarks (even the USPS has a list on their site) and point out the difference between a cachet and a postmark.  Wish me luck.

Limited edition combo cover I made up on Friday, May 8, 2009 in commemoration of Harry S Truman's 125th Anniversary of Birth.  Dual cancellation, Independence and Lamar, Missouri.  More information in forum post, same date.

There were only six of these created. If interested in purchasing one, PM me here.

Full-size link at <http://www.qsl.net/kg0yh/ComboTruman_050809.jpg>

Second cover from ICEX '09 received today.  This one is from the USS Helena SSN-725, one of two submarines that participated this year.

I had received one a few weeks back from one of the ASL members, with ASL cachet only.  This one has the small ASL (Arctic Submarine Laboratory) cachet on the reverse.

I owe this tip to my wife, Gaye, who was a dyed-in-the-wool (rubber) stamper before I even met her.

They take a piece of shipping wrap, the foam kind that is very soft, and place it underneath the card or item they are applying a rubber stamp to.  I don't know why I had never thought of this over the years, but it works great.  I would apply my "Project" cachet, the one I got from Irene Fager years ago, and one or two of the words would not make full contact with the envelope, and I would end up having to pencil in one or two of the words.

I don't have any trouble now.  I suppose I could spend big bucks and get one of the new self-inking stamps and then I wouldn't have to worry, but it would detract from the fun of playing post office and messing with all my rubber stamps with a knob.  Rubber stamps need a knob, you know. I guess I am a purist when it comes to that.

Nice item from the Detroit River Station mailboat... I sent it to the Wescott II, but not sure which vessel actually handled this one.  They have been around a long time.  I hadn't seen this "paquebot" marking before, though.

Mail in a pail... how cool is that?

FYI, just in case for some reason you are seeing this on the blog rather than on the philatelic forum; be advised:

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      Joplin, MO

I will be issuing a local post stamp from my Local Post, Spring River Local Post, and will service covers from his birthplace, Lamar, Missouri. Covers will be postmarked with my Mailer's Postmark Permit #1 from Lamar, 64759. 25 years ago, I had my first day of use of that same mailers postmark permit at Lamar, on the anniversary of Harry's 100th birthday.

If you would like to have this memento, you can send up to 10 covers or cards and I will service and return them through the live mailstream. FREE  An extra outer envelope for enclosure of your items is recommended, as I am not at all sure whether the KC mail center will postmark/spray them again. My guess is YES, so be forewarned.

To help me keep these separate, please send your items to the P.O. Box address I give on one of my webpages at <http://www.qsl.net/kg0yh/polarbear.htm>
For collectors near Independence, Missouri there will be a lot of related events at the Truman Library and Museum, including free birthday cake on May 9th! There are also local events in Lamar, MO the same day, parade, etc.

MPP, Truman, Event, Cover Service, Local Post, Spring River Local Post, Missouri Philately

I received a nice cover from the ARCSUBLAB rep who was at the US Ice Station located in the Arctic, some miles off of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.  The Prudhoe Bay postmark is hard to read given the dark stamps, but is probably late March, 2009. It was received on March 31.  (Also posted at the Polar Philately Yahoo groups page this date)

It's been a while since I had heard anything from the Arctic Sub Lab, so it was nice to open up the box and see this one!

Sending for your own is still as fun as it was when I was young; I still love to open up the mailbox.

I was looking through some covers recently and found tucked inside one, my original note which was sent to the postal clerk of a US naval vessel. The clerk had returned the note back inside the prestamped envelope I had sent to them for a naval postmark. It reminded of the success that seemed fairly certain when using the three magic items that Irene Fager placed in every issue of One Half Fathom.  When sending out a cover to a source, always remember the three magic words/phrases:

Please, I appreciate it, and Thank You.

Still good words, don't you think? Along with standards like- never send more than two covers at a time- it does seem to improve your chances at getting back a collectible cover.

You never get 100% returns. Mail gets lost. Some sources don't want to mess with collectors. Anything that remotely resembled collector mail used to get pitched routinely by one Antarctic scientist I used to read about.  He hated philatelists.

Anyone who has ever sent out their own covers to servicing sources already knows of the hit and miss aspect.  For some fields of cover collecting, it may only be like 1 out of 10... about the same odds I had when sending for autographs to public figures or celebrities. 

There are some collectors who send first day covers to a notable figure and ask him to sign it, usually something related to his field.  One of my favorites was the cover I sent to Red Adair, the oil field explosives expert. I sent him a FDC from the 3c Petroleum industry issue and got back a very nice autograph on my item, as well as a personal letter on his letterhead, which undoubtedly improved the value and collectibility of the cover, but more than that, I touched base with a real historical figure and expanded the hobby of collecting FDCs to mean more than what many experience-an accumulation of unaddressed, pristine envelopes, that may have never been in the mailstream and in some cases are essentially are untouched by human hands. You can call them a souvenir if you like, but I think finding an appropriate issue and getting a related autograph takes it to the next notch!