APHV president to step down after 15 years

FOR some time now the outgoing president, Carl-Heinz Schulz, of the German dealers' society APHV has made it known that he was to step down. Now he has officially and publicly announced that he'll do so in March 2007 after 15 years as president, adding that he'll be resigning at an age at which one becomes president of other societies!

His designated successor is Dieter Michelson of the auction house Heinrich K ö hler of Wiesbaden. "When I leave the board in 2007 the rejuvenation will be complete as the oldest member will be in his mid fifties." ...

The great surprise that was Mare Balticum 2005

I AM sure that every stamp dealer in the UK read about, or at least heard of, Mare Balticum '05, the three-day international stamp exhibition in Mariehamn, capital of the group of islands known as Å land, situated between Finland and Sweden. So, although British dealers must have heard of the show, maybe even considered going there, they apparently decided against it because not one single British stamp dealer came to Mariehamn. What a pity, what a misjudgement!

There was tremendous business waiting for dealers in Mariehamn, not only the British dealers missed the snow, but also the Germans, for whom it is almost next door, but even the Swedes missed the boat ...

THE PICTURE POSTCARD SHOW 2005

OWING to a family bereavement I was unable to attend the first day of the Picture Postcard Show this year. It turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year and, as everyone knows, London is particularly uncomfortable during a heatwave.

However collectors from all over the country did as usual descend on the capital and made their way to the Royal Horticultural Society's Lawrence Hall in Westminster. Numbers were down this year due not only to the heat but also to the aftermath of the London bombings in July. I myself felt nervous travelling on the tube especially when I spotted a ruck sack here and there. But then I was also wearing one! Only one of the dealers pulled out because of the situation ...

Sheet Sprint

IT'S said a week is a long time in politics.
If that is the case, a fortnight must seem like an aeon for Royal Mail when it comes
to 'fast track' issues. In this period of time it appears that they not only announced
the release of a previously unscheduled issue, they also printed, distributed, and released it!

When I left the country for a fortnight in the sun at the end of July, I was happy that we seemed to be up-to-date with preparation of all our fdc and cards for the forthcoming 'Changing Tastes in Britain' issue (due for release over four weeks later) was in hand, allowing us a little breathing space to take a much needed summer break.

However, when I returned to the office at the beginning of the second week in August, my post box was full of miniature sheets to mark the award of the 2012 Olympics to London and my e-mail in-box contained multiple missives from Royal Mail about them ...

Katrina calamity and chaos

HURRICANE Katrina is the only news in the United States. The subsequent floods know no boundaries nor can they discriminate stamps from newspapers.

I questioned three national organisations one week after Katrina hit to find out what they knew about the philatelic materials held by their members.

The American Stamp Dealers Association stated that none of their members reported any loss. The National Stamp Dealers Association did not reply. The American Philatelic Society wrote that one member lost his collection when the bank vault he kept his material was flooded. That brings up an interesting question re insurance. Perhaps a reader could tell us whether normal coverage includes water damage or must there be a separate rider for that possibility.

The week after the flood struck the southern states, a spokesperson from the USPS Media Relations reported that “Of the 6000 employees that work in the area impacted by Katrina, we’ve only been able to locate 3000 ...