1898 Trans-Mississippi essay eye candy, ‘First Days’ editor Sol Koved: Inside Linn’s

By Charles Snee

The ravages of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have hit close to home here in Sidney, Ohio, as we’ve received word from hobby customers and friends in the affected areas. Our updated story about these epic meteorological phenomena and a plethora of other fascinating features await you in the Sept. 25 issue of Linn’s Stamp News that will go in the mail to subscribers Monday, Sept. 11. If you’re a digital subscriber, rejoice because you get early access Saturday, Sept. 9. To tide you over until your copy arrives, we offer this trio of teasers. Happy collecting!

Appreciating the beauty of stamp designs that never made it to the printing press

In this month’s Essays and Proofs column, James E. Lee introduces us the beautiful bicolor die essays and proofs featuring the designs used for the marvelous set of stamps issued in 1898 to celebrate the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition held in Omaha, Neb., from June 1 to Nov. 1 of that year. The actual issued stamps, of course, are monochrome, and, as Lee explains, a significant event prevented the use of two colors for these iconic stamps. Read the entire column to learn more.

Remembering Sol Koved, a pillar of the AFDCS and ‘First Days’ editor

Lloyd de Vries, in his First-Day Covers column, pays tribute to Sol Koved (1922-2017), who died Aug. 23 at the age of 95. Mr. Koved was a demanding editor during his 30 years at the helm of First Days. “As editor, he insisted authors and contributors meet every deadline — or feel his wrath,” writes de Vries. If you collect first-day covers, you won’t want to miss de Vries’ touching tribute.

The ‘L’ and ‘A’ overprints on Colombia’s airmail stamps of the early 1950s seem incongruous

So begins Thomas P. Myers’ tantalizing Stamps of Latin America column, in which he explores these highly collectible stamps born out of fierce competition between an upstart new airline and Avianca, the “de facto national airline” of Colombia, according to Myers. Aviation topical collectors take note — this column is worth saving for future reference.

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