Exhibits
Jay Stotts
The 5c General Kosciusko Stamp of 1933
Background
This exhibit was prepared by Jay Stotts and shown several times at philatelic exhibitions. It was however most notably shown at the Polish Museum of America in Chicago IL during their Kosciuszko Bicentennial celebration in 2017.
From the PMA website…
“Additionally, the Polonus Polish Philatelic Society, the oldest and largest philatelic organization dedicated to Polish philately in the English language, will present a Grand Award-winning philatelic exhibit of the United States 1933 issue 5-cent Kosciuszko stamp. An exact replica of the exhibit was provided by Jay Stotts of Houston, TX. Mr. Stotts is a well-known philatelic exhibitor and is an APS Accredited Chief Judge.”
Purpose:
This multi-frame exhibit studies all aspects of the 1933 Kosciusko stamp, but the emphasis is on the first day of issue cachets. The exhibit also thoroughly treats the stamp production and contemporary commercial usages.
The Stamp:
The United States issued a 5¢ stamp officially on October 13, 1933, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the citizenship of General Thaddeus Kosciusko. Kosciusko was a hero of the American Revolutionary War. He was a Polish patriot who fought for freedom here and became a naturalized citizen in 1783.
Through the efforts of the Polish National Alliance, the stamp became a reality. The Post Office Department originally identified three cities for the first day of issue – Chicago, Boston and Detroit. Two more cities were added on September 20th – St. Louis and Buffalo. Kosciusko, Mississippi, was added shortly thereafter and on October 7th, Pittsburgh was announced as a first day city.
Organization:
The organization follows that of a traditional exhibit, in that it starts with the stamp design and production, moves chronologically into the first day of issue, and finally on to commercial usages. Within the first day section, there are two categories, the cancel study and the cachet study.
Cancel Study:
During this portion of the classic period of first day cover collecting, cancels were produced from the devices available at the post office. The Kosciusko stamp debuted in seven official cities on October 13, 1933. The cancels of these cities, as well as those of Washington, D.C. and several unofficial cities are covered.
The definition of “unofficial cities” adheres to that of the AFDCS. They provide a list for each stamp of those cancellations that they regard as unofficial cities, and this exhibit follows that list. It is expected that some viewers will find it strange that, for example, St. Louis is an official first day city, but the St. Louis Air Mail Field cancel is classified by the AFDCS as an unofficial city.
The advent of internet sales has allowed the exhibitor to make extensive studies of the first day cancellations and show percentages of covers bearing specific markings that have survived.
This is original research by the exhibitor.
Cachets:
The cachet section of the exhibit is organized by the subject matter of the cachets, not by the cachet producer. This makes not only a more interesting study, but also is more pertinent to the subject, General Kosciusko.
Key Items:
Key items are annotated in bold italic text.
