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April 18, 2008
NTSS2008 (PORTLAND, ORE.) TO FEATURE US AND FOREIGN FD ISSUES
The annual National Topical Stamp Show (NTSS) will feature a first day of issue set of stamps from Sierra Leone honoring Oregon Explorers and
their Discoveries at 9:15 AM on Friday, June 13th. The first of the featured stamps will show Joel Palmer pointing the way through the
Cascades for the end of the Oregon Trail. The artwork for this one stamp was provided by stamp artist, Paul Calle, who’s signed and numbered
print, Beyond the Ridge will be awarded to the show’s Grand Champion winner on Saturday evening. The other three stamps on the miniature
sheet will feature: Capt. Robert Gray who first sailed up the Columbia River, which he named after his ship; Sir Francis Drake who first
scoured the fabulous Oregon Coast; and Lewis and Clark whose expedition discovered the second highest waterfall in North America – Multnomah
Falls, which will also be one of the many sites seen on the Monday, June 16th bus tour. The Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation is
responsible for the creation of this commemorative sheet to help the ATA publicize its show and location. Oregon Historian, Richard H.
Engeman will present a short program on these historic personages.
The United States’ first ten commemorative sized coil stamps featuring flags of the United States will be released on Flag Day, Saturday,
June 14th. A first day of issue flag ceremony with a Boy Scout color guard will be held at noon at the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas, Oregon,
the site of the NTSS. Stamps and first day covers will also be available for this event. The USPS booth will be open from 10AM to 2:00 PM
on all three days of the show.
In addition to these two First Day of Issues, the NTSS will have a different cancel and special cover for each of the three days of the show.
The Friday cancel and cachet pay homage to the 50th Anniversary of the launch of Explorer 1, America’s first entry into the space race. On
Saturday the 100th anniversary of Robert Peary’s adventure to discover the North Pole will be commemorated. Sunday’s cancel and cachet honor
the 150th anniversary of Dr. Livingston’s starting his journey up the Zambesi River to explore the “dark continent” as it was then called.
All covers and cancels will be available from the ATA during and after the show. Their website,
www.americantopicalassn.org will have more information on these.
In keeping with the show theme of Exploration and Discovery, philatelic talk show host, Nancy Clark will give her presentation detailing the
explorations of Lewis and Clark starting at 9:00 AM on Saturday. This audio visual presentation was originally prepared for teachers and was
widely seen at Washington 2006. Mrs. Clark’s radio show can be heard by viewing
www.wsradio-com/apsstamptalk .
Carol J. Edholm, executive director of Youth Stamp Conductors will conduct an Educator’s Workshop from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Saturday. This
workshop will provide a materials packet, new ideas for using philatelic material in an educational setting and copies of new philatelic
projects developed by her. This workshop is of value to teachers, home school educators, Scout and other youth group leaders along with
coordinators of youth stamp clubs.
ATA Executive Director, Ray E. Cartier, will speak at a meeting of the American Airmail Society at 11:00 AM on Saturday, covering the history
of the aircraft built at what is today, Lockheed Ft. Worth, starting with the B-24 bomber through the newest US military aircraft: the F-35
stealth fighter. The American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors will hold a seminar of exhibiting at 3:00 PM on Saturday. ATA Director,
Dalene Thomas will present a seminar on Sunday at 10:00 AM on Postal Stationery as Part of a Topical Collection. Other specialty meetings,
all open and free to the public, include a meeting of Women Exhibitors, gatherings of the Americana Study Unit, the Biology Unit, the Medical
Study Unit, the Butterfly Unit, Cats on Stamps Unit, the Lighthouse Stamp Society, Ships on Stamps Unit and a forming Penguins on Stamps
Unit. A Graphics Artists meeting is still pending as of this time.
Dealers from all walks of philately will be on hand to help attendees with both topical and other philatelic needs. The Oregon Stamp Society
is lending many helpful hands to assist in this show.
To entice more attendees to view the exhibits, a search among the 184 frames to find a stamp honoring the Oregon Trail will result in one
lucky person winning $25 for his or her efforts.
Two tours have been scheduled with the first being an afternoon half day tour on Thursday called the “City of Roses Tour”, in which attendees
will hone in on the highlights of Portland, Oregon. On the Monday following the show, a full day, Mount Hood Loop Tour is to be held,
featuring a bus tour through the Cascade Mountains and the famous Columbia River Gorge. The bus will stop at several waterfalls and scenic
areas, including Multnomah Falls which appears on one of the four stamps released on Friday. Other stops will include a Nature Center, stop
at the Bonneville Dam where participants may see migrating adult salmon in the fish ladders, lunch at the Hood River Valley, a drive up Mt.
Hood’s southeast flank and the vast ecosystems along the way, with a final stop at Timberline Lodge, 6,000 feet up.
Information and/or tickets for the tours, the President’s Reception, and the Awards Banquet where Dennis Dengel will be given the
Distinguished Topical Philatelist award are available on-line at the aforementioned ATA website, or from the ATA Central Office, PO Box 57,
Arlington, TX 76004-0057. Telephone hours are from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, weekdays, at 817-274-1181.
For information on the world’s largest all-topical philatelic organization, contact the ATA
Central Office, P.O. Box 57, Arlington, Texas 76004-0057 (telephone: 1-817-274-1181; email
americantopical@msn.com; or visit their
website at
www.americantopicalassn.org.
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