Would you want to live in Crabbottom?
 

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[October 05, 2015] LINCOLN - CHAMPAIGN - Would you want to live in a town named Crabbottom? Or Tomato? Or how about Alone, Shy Beaver, Omps, Turnip Hole, Scary, or even Rabbit Hash?

If these seem improbable names for communities, you should know that communities with all these names have had working post offices. And, you can view mail from these and other oddly named communities at CUPEX 2015, the 42nd annual stamp show sponsored by the Champaign-
Urbana Stamp Club. The show will be held at the Urbana Civic Center (108 East Water St., Urbana) starting 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 10. The show breaks for the night at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and reopens from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Parking and admission are free.

Other scheduled exhibits will explore tigers, souvenir sheets from the Soviet Union and Belgium, American automobiles, air mail topics, and post cards from prisoners in Germany during World War I.

Mike Carson, the Exhibit Chairman for the show, notes that the 2015 stamp show has an unusually wide range of exhibits. “There will truly be something for everyone, even those who are not stamp collectors.” Carson points to the fun of the exhibit on unusual town names and the exhibit on tigers as two examples of the diversity of this year’s topics. Transportation (by car and air) will be covered, and, on a more serious note, there will be an exhibit on World War I POW post cards sent from German prison camps. Attendees can take their time at the show since good food will be available on site from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. both days.

Stamp collectors will have the opportunity to search the stock of dealers from Illinois and Indiana as well as ones from Kansas City, Missouri; Buffalo, New York; Louisville, Kentucky; Elyria, Ohio; and Middletown, Maryland. Show Chairman Louise Toft notes that several of the participating dealers have unusually large stocks. “Area collectors have an opportunity to search the stock of dealers they might not normally see. Every collector has something they’re searching for to complete some aspect of their collection. This is a great chance to locate that elusive item.” The Urbana Post Office will also be participating in the show on Saturday.

The Champaign-Urbana Stamp Club will be welcoming the American Topical Association (ATA) to the show. Traditional philatelists often collect their materials based on country, dates, or other similar criteria. Topical collectors are interested in the illustrations on the stamps. They might, for example, specialize in tigers or dogs or some personality. Among the popular topics for such collections are flowers and Christmas. ATA members will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The meeting is open to all attendees. Also, dealers catering to the collecting patterns of topical collectors will be at the show.

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Estate managers and heirs of stamp collectors will appreciate the Saturday morning seminar called “What Do I Do with Grandpa’s Stamps?” Toft notes, “A great many of today’s estate managers have never been stamp collectors. This means they have no knowledge of stamp collections or how to sell them. They often over-estimate collection values or, more often, under-estimate them. This seminar will have useful information and tips for both heirs and estate managers.” The seminar will be led by an experienced stamp collection manager.

Other popular aspects of the stamp show include the hourly silent table auction and the 3¢ table. “These are both excellent sources of inexpensive stamps,” says Toft. “We don’t make any special effort to sort out the stamps on the 3ȼ table. Every once in a while someone finds something worth quite a bit more than expected,” Toft explains. “So it’s worth taking some time to search these sources of bargain-rate stamps.”

“Attendees should not feel rushed,” advises Toft. “Our caterer will have a selection of traditional and vegetarian offerings available just steps from the exhibits and dealers. Soups, sandwiches, muffins, and other tasty items will be available both days during lunch time. The prices are moderate.”

Stamp collecting—or, more formally, philately—involves not only stamps but also all aspects of the sending of mail. Toft explains that “Some philatelists collect not just stamps but the envelopes on which they are used. These are called ‘covers.’ This aspect of philately is termed ‘postal history’ and includes not just stamped mailed but also items from before the first stamp was issued in 1840.” Two of the dealers this year specialize in postal history and others include postal history in their stock. “These postal history dealers have fascinating items from around the world,” says Toft. She notes that the exhibit on unusual town names was gathered from postal history dealers.


“Stamp collecting is a great hobby for those on a limited budget,” says Toft. “Most stamps are very inexpensive and there are so many options for what and how the individual collects. It’s certainly a lot less expensive than many hobbies. And, it’s something you can continue long after the ten minute mile is a fading memory.” She encourages individuals to check out stamp collecting at the show.

[Louise Toft, CUPEX Show Chairman, Champaign-Urbana Stamp Club]

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