Album Closed Robert Henry Endt, Lt. Col (USAF Retired)
On August 7, 2021 the Club lost one of its senior members, Robert “Bob” Endt. Robert was Ocean Springs, MS born and raised. After college and career in the United States Air Force, he came back to serve in his home town. He became a high school teacher and also a member of the School Board. Part of his tenure on the School Board was that of Board President. Robert was active in veterans affairs as a member of the local American Legion and 40 and 8. Rising through the ranks in the American Legion, he became State Commander and went to Washington D.C to lobby on behalf of veterans.
As a longtime member of the Gulf Coast Stamp Club Robert served as a Club officer for many years. At one time he served as the assistant circuit manager. He was active in the Club until health issues forced him to cut back. Germany, where he was stationed at one time, was one of his favorite collecting interests. Always a gentleman and all around nice guy, he will be missed. Album closed on Robert Endt.
Album Closed Jim Currie
Jim Currie was a Gulfport native and Biloxi resident for 37 years, a fervent Christian who PRACTISED his beliefs. He was one of the first Handsboro Baptist Church’s members who welcomed me into their church in late 2013. He taught adult Sunday School, was a member of many local groups, including Antique Auto, Mustang club , Exchange Club, and when I learned he had been President(twice) of the Gulf Coast Stamp club, we really ‘hit it off’!
He had retired from Miss. Power Co., after a stint in the Air Force, then Scoutmaster and Cubmaster, coached Little League, and on and on.
Two years ago, we thought we had lost him to kidney failure, but an enormous output of prayers from the entire church body pulled him through. Prayer IS powerful!
We all are going to miss him, but WON”T forget him!
Dr. John Barrett
We are now putting together our Fall 2021 Stamp & Post Card Show for October 1st and 2nd. We need dealers to step forward and make that commitment to bring their products to our members and general public. The GCSC is willing to make the commitment to secure the space and provide the services needed to serve our dealers. Give GCSC President Rob O'Dell a call, 228-235-1506, or email (gulfcoaststampclub@gmail.com) today to get your name and business published as a vendor and attendee on our web site.
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Gulf Coast Stamp Club
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The GCSC will be alternating meetings between the Mercy Housing Center in Gulfport and the St. Martin Library in St. Martin. Meeting places and times will be posted on the web site.
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The September 11th meeting of GCSC will take place at Mercy Housing, 1135 Ford St., Gulfport. The Board Meeting will be at 1:30 pm with a 2:00 pm Member Meeting.
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New Releases From The USPS
Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses Forever Stamps
August 6 | Highlands, NJ | PSA pane of 20
The long-running series celebrating American lighthouses continues with five new stamps. The mid-Atlantic lighthouses featured in this issuance are: Thomas Point Shoal, MD; Montauk Point, NY; Harbor of Refuge, DE; Navesink, NJ; and Erie Harbor Pierhead, PA. The late Howard Koslow was the artist for these stamps as well as previous issuances in the Lighthouse series. Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses were the last stamps he illustrated for the Postal Service. The art director was Greg Breeding.Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses Forever Stamps. http://www.stampnewsnow.com/uspsnewissues.html
Missouri Statehood Forever Stamp
August 10 | Jefferson City, MO | PSA pane of 20
This stamp celebrates the bicentennial of Missouri statehood. Missouri became the 24th state in the Union on Aug. 10, 1821. The stamp art is an existing photograph of Bollinger Mill State Historic Site by noted landscape photographer Charles Gurche. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp. http://www.stampnewsnow.com/uspsnewissues.html
Backyard Games Forever Stamps
August 12 | Rosemont, IL, at APS Show | PSA pane of 20
These stamps capture many of the games Americans play for outdoor fun. A pane of 16 stamps features eight unique designs including: badminton, bocce, cornhole, croquet, flying disc, horseshoes, tetherball and a variation on pick-up baseball. Greg Breeding was the art director. Mike Ryan designed the stamps with original artwork by Mick Wiggins. http://www.stampnewsnow.com/uspsnewissues.html
Important August Days To Remember
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Gulf of Tonkin - Aug. 2, 1964 |
Invasion of Kuwait - Operation Desert Shield - Aug. 2, 1990 |
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U. S. Coast Guard Birthday - Aug. 4 |
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Purple Heart Day - Aug. 7 |
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V. J. Day - Aug. 15, 1945 |
Some show event information prepared by the American Philatelic Society
AIRPEX 2021 August 27 - 28, 2021
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Birmingham Stamp Show
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Greater Houston Stamp Show Sept 17-19
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SEAPEX
The NOJEX - ASDA Postage Stamp event.
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Memphex 2021 Stamp & Postcard Show September 25 - 26, 2021
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Listed Stamp Shows by iStampShows.com Click on the link
The Origin and Progress of the Postal Service by C. E. Swope.
Written for the Toronto Philatelic Journal
(The Toronto Philatelic Journal, May 1885)
According to the most authentic information obtainable by the most careful and accurate research in history, the first postal service was invented by Cyrus, King of Persia, on his Scythian expedition; he established one hundred and eleven posts from the shore of the Ægean Sea to Susa, the capital; each a day’s journey from the preceding.
Though, generally conceded by historians that posts were well-known among the Romans, it has been too difficult to trace with any degree of certainty, the exact period of their introduction. It is a well-known fact, however, that Augustus instituted them along all the large roads of the empire, and hired young men to deliver his dispatches from post to post until the place of destination was reached.
Shortly afterward, the same Emperor changed this method of delivery to that of sending all his messages and dispatches by means of charioteers, in regular chariots, with relays of horses at each post. This was kept up by his successors for a number of years, although slight information can be obtained concerning them up to about the year 807 A.D., when the Emperor Charlemagne established three public posts – one each in Italy, Germany and Spain – in order to facilitate his communication with those three countries, which he had placed in a state of subjection to his dominion. With his death, however, these were soon dropped, and no further traces of them can be discovered up to about 1470, when Louis XI., King of France, owing to his suspicious and restless nature, and also to his eagerness for a quick and certain knowledge of what was transpiring within his kingdom, established them throughout the whole civilized portion of France.
From France, his method gradually spread to other portions of Europe; Count Taxis settling them at his own expense in Germany, for which the Emperor Matthias, in 1616, gave the position of postmaster to him and his descendants. In England, the earliest accounts indicate that Edward III set up some species of posts, but nothing definite has ever been ascertained concerning them. In 1548, during the reign of Edward VI., an Act of Parliament was passed, making the rate of post-horses at one penny per mile.
The first chief postmaster of England was Thomas Randolph, appointed by Queen Elizabeth in 1581. James I appointed Matthew De L’Equester, postmaster for the control of correspondence to and from foreign parts, about the time of his accession to the throne in 1603. This office afterward was claimed by Lord Stanhope, but Charles I continued it to William Frizel and Thomas Witherings in 1632. Witherings ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together... In 1640, ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together... control of his office, ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together... under ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together... superceded by Philip Burl...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together...the direction supervision ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together... principal Secretary of ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together... office ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together... 1656, a new and general post of ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together...as established by the authority of the ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together... Parliament, and very nearly upon the same model as has been since adopted ...illegible due to paper being ripped and taped together... Ralph Allen, about 1720, instituted a series of cross-posts, which were found to be of great convenience to the public, as also to the government; and in 1782, a plan was suggested by John Palmer, by which the mails were to be carried in stage-coaches under guard. This plan met with a great deal of opposition at the start,
but gradually overcame it, until about 1784, when it came into very general use. The penny post was first started in London by Mr. Robert Murray, an upholsterer, about the year 1681, who assigned his interest in it to Mr. Dockwra in 1683.
This causing a confliction with the government, it was, on a trial at the King’s Bench Bar, adjudged to belong to the Duke of York as a branch of the general service, and was, therefore, annexed to the Crown in 1690. This was mad a two-penny post in 1794. Mails were first carried on railroad trains in 1830 by the overland route to India, which method was found to be a much cheaper way of transporting them.
In 1837, Sir Rowland Hill offered his plan of penny postage, which was adopted in 1839 by the House of Commons after a full thorough investigation. In December, 1839, the four penny, uniform rate per letter, came into operation as an experiment; and in January, 1840, the uniform rate of one penny per letter of half an ounce weight was adopted; and finally, in May 1840, the widely celebrated stamped envelopes, designed by Mr. W. Mulready, first came into existence.
From this time on the postal service made rapid strides toward perfection. To show with what rapidity it progressed, a few figures will not be amiss. The number of letters delivered in 1839 was 82,470,596; in 1840, 168,768,344; in 1851, 360,651,187; in 1856, 478,000,000; in 1859, 545,000,000; in 1860, 564,000,000; in 1861, 593,000,000; in 1862, 605,000,000, and in 1865, 679,000,000.
In 1855, the English Treasury issued a warrant, providing for the carriage of books, pamphlets, etc., by post under certain restrictions – four ounces for one penny, eight ounces for two pence, etc.; and in the same year street letter-boxes were instituted, the first one being placed at the corner of Fleet and Farringdon streets, London.
The postal guide first appeared in 1856, and during the same year London and vicinity was divided into districts for the convenience of the postal department, viz.: east, west, etc. The money order service was originally started in 1792, but was comparatively little used until 1839 when 188,291 money orders were issued, amounting to £14,616,348.
The above facts show with what great rapidity the postal service has progressed, and it has, at the present time, reached about as high a degree of perfection as can possibly be attained. We now have simply to stamp our letter, drop it into some street corner letter-box, and after that our great postal system takes control of it, and it is forwarded with the quickest possible dispatch until it is finally delivered either into the hands of or to the house of the party to whom it is directed. It is truly wonderful to note what a great system our postal service is, and how accurately and correctly all letters are delivered. Time certainly works wonders, and we may yet see many more astonishing improvements made in this already great system.
However, let us watch and wait, who knows what the future may bring forth.
