SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN WOMEN: MANY ON STAMPS
By collecting, researching and sharing women’s history, we aim to tell a more complete American story and empower future generations.
Our new book “Smithsonian American Women” has more than 280 artifacts from 16 of our museums and archives. It’s available today from Smithsonian Books: womenshistory.si.edu #BecauseOfHerStory
October 2019 Events
October is National Stamp Collecting Month as well as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As of today, we have three events where we will have pop-up exhibits highlighting Hattie McDaniel who battled breast cancer. She was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. The organization started the Hattie McDaniel Breast Cancer Initiative in her honor. We are bringing awareness to disparities in diagnosis and treatments among women of color.
Hattie McDaniel won an Academy Award for Gone With The Wind but was not able to attend the Awards Show due to racism.
October 6 – Stridin’ and Survivn’ Pink Vendor Fair
October 15 – SIUE Diversity and Inclusion Day
October 19 – Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Bagels and Bras event. Hosted by Alpha Upsilon Sigma Chapter.
The items in the picture above will be on display along with some new pieces. This beautiful cover below can be purchased on Ebay for about $15.00.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-HERITAGE-Gone-With-the-Wind-Mammy-HATTIE-McDANIEL-Won-OSCAR-FDC/382893676524?hash=item59263dd7ec:g:wo8AAOSwOwNcoXEw
Stamp Show 2019 in Omaha, NE
We had an awesome time at the Stamp Show volunteering at the ESPER booth and sharing space with the Ethiopian, Haitian and Liberian Stamp Societies. Check out the highlights and more pictures from the ESPER – Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflection‘s website.
Atlanta History Center acquires rare battle flag of Civil War’s black troops
“We Will Prove Ourselves Men,” reads the inscription at the top of the regimental flag carried into battle by members of the 127th United States Colored Troops. To read more about click Article
Types of Stamps
Commemoratives – (for example – Black Heritage/Presidents)
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Stamps that honor anniversaries, important people, or special events.
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Sometimes issued in sets of stamps.
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Larger than definitives
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Printed in smaller quantities
Definitives – (for example – Flags/Butterflies)
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Regular issues of postage stamps, usually sold over long periods of time.
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No special purpose for the stamp except to pay postage.
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Smaller stamps
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Often printed in very high quantity – billions
Source The Magical World of Stamp Collecting. 2018, ATA
Stamp Collecting Tools
| Tool | Description |
| A. Stamp Tongs | I will use this to handle my stamps so that I don’t get them dirty or damage them. |
| B. Glassine Envelopes | If I want to store lots of stamps without having to get a stock book, I can use these see-through envelopes. |
| C. Mounts | I might use these to protect expensive stamps when I put them in an album. |
| D. Stamp Album | This is what I can put my stamps into once they are organized and I am ready to show them off. |
| E. Magnifying Glass | When I want to look at my stamps closely, I can use this. |
| F. Perforation Gauge | When my stamps have different sized perforations, I can use this to tell them apart. |
| G. Watermark Tray | When I have stamps that look the same, but may have different watermarks as pictured in a catalog, here is what I’ll use. |
| H. Catalogues | I need this to tell how old my stamps are, what their designs show, and what their values are. |
| I. Stock Books | I can use this to store my duplicates, or stamps waiting to be put into my album. |
| J. Hinges | I can use these to put my stamps into my album. |
Visit the ESPER Page to see new officers and member information
The Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections is still representing the hobby of stamp collecting and celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Esper Hayes. Visit the ESPER page for more information and consider joining (sponsor #810).
https://www.esperstamps.org/
Black History Trivia Quiz
Are you a history guru or a neophyte? Take the quiz to find out.
Click link to begin quiz: https://worldhistoryproject.org/quizzes/black_history
Malcolm X was born May 19, 1925 and assassinated in 1965. His stamp was issued in 1999 (Scott #3273)
Click link to learn more about Malcolm X – https://www.mysticstamp.com/Products/United-States/3273/USA/
Hiram Revels Becomes the First African American Elected to US Senate
Senator Hiram Revels may appear on a stamp some day. Here a brief summary of his life and a link to the full article.
Revels was elected by a vote of 81 to 15 in the Mississippi State Senate to finish the term of one of the state’s two seats in the US Senate left vacant since the Civil War. The seat had once been held by Albert G. Brown, who withdrew from the US Senate in 1861.
The election of Revels was met with opposition from Southern conservative Democrats who cited the Dred Scott Decision which was considered by many to have been a central cause of the American Civil War. They argued that no black man was a citizen before the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868. Because election to the Senate required nine years’ prior citizenship, opponents of Revels claimed he could not be seated, having been a citizen by law for only two years. Supporters of Revels countered by stating that the Dred Scott decision applied only to those blacks who were of pure African blood. Revels was of mixed black and white ancestry, and therefore exempt, they said, and had been a citizen all his life. This argument prevailed, and on February 25, 1870, Revels, by a vote of 48 to 8, became the first black man to be seated in the United States Senate.
Source: https://worldhistoryproject.org/1870/2/25/hiram-revels-becomes-the-first-african-american-elected-to-us-senate