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 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] |
