The Central Oregon Stamp Club held its fifth annual Stamp Show on Saturday at Redmond’s Zion Lutheran Church, a chance to meet dealers from across the Northwest and to buy, sell and trade stamps and share an interesting hobby that mixes history, geography, and more.

BY STEVE KAUFMANN | Thursday, October 5th 2023 | Central Oregon Daily

Central Oregon Stamp Show is about more than stamps. It’s a history lesson.

philatelist (noun): one who collects or studies stamps

The Central Oregon Stamp Show was held last weekend in Redmond. The show, hosted by the Central Oregon Stamp Club, offers a chance for collectors and dealers to discover hidden gems.

Club member Terry Shaw’s niche is covers — postmarked mail.

“If you have what’s a really rare postmark in a town that only existed a few years in the 1880s then that’s a good postmark,” Terry said. “I get intrigued by the history. That’s why I like reading a little bit about the towns.”

The past is a throughline for these collectors.

“Whether it’s different people that are important to that country, geography, you can learn about land disputes,” said Central Oregon Stamp Club President Bryan Nielsen.

It’s a discovery that goes deeper than finding a perfectly perforated piece of paper.

“History that got put on a stamp that may not be part of the curriculums right now that they get curious about and we go look up and they learn something new,” said stamp collector Erin Wilson.

And then there’s the O.G. of stamps. The Penny Black, issued by the United Kingdom in 1840, is considered world’s first postage stamp. It features Queen Victoria.

“One of the first stamps I bought when I stared my collection.”Dennis Wood picked up the hobby at age 12,” said Dennis Wood. “So that would have been 70 years ago.”

Down at the post office, the times have changed. Fewer letters, more packages.

“Now that people don’t mail as much it gets hard to find some of the modern stuff,” Nielsen said. “You don’t often receive a package anymore, or anything with a stamp on it.”

Putting philatelists in a pinch for their product.

“The internet and email communication has really reduced the number of covers,” Shaw said “I’ve heard stories that some kids don’t know where to buy stamps.”

But the club is working to get all ages involved.

“Young to old, it is the king of hobbies, as they say,” said collector Miles Wilhelm.

While some might toss this stuff out like junk mail, it’s so much more.

“It’s history. It’s geography. It’s art. It’s getting to have fun collecting. It’s finding new things,” said collector Eleora Wilson.

Collectors say stamps saw a surge in popularity during the pandemic, including an increase in prices.

The Central Oregon Stamp Club holds meetings throughout the year.

Pony Express Mail Service – 1860-1861

Our own Marv Mondy gave a wonderful presentation on the history of the short lived Pony Express Mail Service from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA (with branches to additional cities).

Marv has traveled across the entire United States more than 20 times in his life and became interested in the Pony Express after seeing road signs mentioning mail stops, and then learning his wife’s great grandfather worked on Buffalo Bill’s ranch.

He discussed the Butterfield Stage route, the USS California Steamship, the requirements for Pony Express riders, hazards along the route, and the quick demise of the venture due to the telegraph and Railroad completion. He also showed off a 19th century pistol that riders would have carried and an assortment of stamps and covers depicting the Pony Express.

Holiday White Elephant Gift Exchange

Looking back on a busy 2022, we sat down and enjoyed time with fellow stamp collectors and exchanged the best (or worst) gifts we could find for $10. Several classic philatelic items were repurposed and laughs were had by all.

The club is already planning an informative and active 2023 with more presentations than ever, possibly buying a World Wide collection for the club to “pick” through, and an expanded stamp show (borse) in the early fall.

The Boer War (South African War of 1899-1902)

Our final presentation of 2022 was given on Saturday, November 5th at 10am. Peter Melz discussed the Second Boer War, better known as THE Boer War or the South African War, that took place in South Africa between 1899 and 1902. For more information visit: The Anglo-Boer War Philatelic Society

The club also enjoyed a silent auction of both donation items and member items. This was the most attended meeting of 2022 and great fun for all!

Our October Meeting of the Central Oregon Stamp Club took place at Redmond’s Zion Lutheran Church on October 1st.

We reviewed the remaining 2022 calendar of events that includes Pete’s presentation about the Boer War on November 5th, and the annual holiday white elephant gift exchange at our December 3rd meeting.

Our monthly presentation was given by dealer Bob Beale, who discussed appraising and expertising philatelic items. He told stories of successes and failures at estimating the legitamcy of past philatelic items, the cost of having something appraised including the commission price, and mentioned a few of the great expertising organizations  around the world.