Proposed changes to the American Philatelic Society’s guidelines for judging philatelic exhibits at APS World Series of Philately national shows have been under discussion by the APS Committee on Accreditation of National Exhibitions and Judges (CANEJ). Among the changes proposed would be a focus on exhibit classes rather than divisions by type or purpose, and an increase in the number of medal levels available for awarding, from five to eight.

Canada Post will continue its series of commemorative stamps honoring Canadian photography April 13 with seven new designs on stamps in booklets, in souvenir sheets and on international-rate postal cards. Now in its fourth year, the five-part series continues Canada Post’s stated goal “to showcase the best Canadian photographers and photography of the past 150 years, as chosen by leading curators and gallery owners.”

The 1936 16¢ Great Seal of the United States airmail special delivery stamp has one of the most striking and colorful designs of the era. It is a common and inexpensive stamp and easy to find in mint never-hinged, unused hinged, and used condition and as plate-number blocks of four.

In 1953, Angola issued one of collecting’s most attractive and popular African Wildlife sets (Scott 362-381). The animals featured on the stamps include elephant, lion, buffalo, kudu, giraffe, and hippopotamus. The sole reptile is the African crocodile.

The winner of nine Academy Awards, Hollywood composer Alfred Newman is part of a musical family that includes his brothers Lionel and Emil Newman.

The American Stamp Dealers Association is giving away yet another two-night stay in New York City duringWorld Stamp Show-NY 2016 at its show this weekend in the Chicago area.

The cover from Troy, N.Y., to Massachusetts has a nicely canceled 3¢ Washington (Scott 26) dated Sept. 10, 1858. The stamp is set into a fancy illustration of undetermined origin and meaning. What is puzzling is that the dealer selling the cover labeled it “Northern Protest.” I assume this has something to do with the design, but I see little in it that speaks to me of protest.

To me an unsolved philatelic puzzle is like a splinter under the skin. It needs to be dealt with or it becomes a permanent irritant. Such a problem is the Alaska-origin cover shown nearby. I obtained this cover for my collection of auxiliary markings showing delays in the mail. But what was the cause of the delay?

Most collectors are familiar with perforation gauges to measure the distance between stamp perforations. The Scott Multi-Gauge, for example, is accurate enough to measure perforations at least to the nearest tenth perf size. Perf size is defined as the number of holes or teeth within a length or width of 2 centimeters.

Canada's 24th governor general, Ray Hnatyshyn, held that position from 1990 to 1995 after having served in the country's House of Commons for 14 years.

Comments will be accepted until March 21 on the subject of a proposed rule change affecting the 2016 United States federal duck stamp art contest.

Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon, has also created paintings documenting American space travel. His artwork appeared on several stamps in 2009.

The upcoming Euro Cup soccer championship in Paris is honored on a pair of stamps from Northern Cyprus.

This example of the Plate 77 Penny Red stamp is one of five used examples known to philatelists, and is highly regarded as one of the most valuable stamps in the UK.

American railroad engineer Johnathan Luther "Casey" Jones sacrificed his life in an effort to save his train and passengers in a 1900 crash in central Mississippi.

As prime minister of the United Kingdom, Charles Grey oversaw the 1832 reforms that included the abolition of slavery.

A successful attorney and a member of the House of Commons, John Abbott was chosen as Canada's prime minister following the death of John A. Macdonald.

In 1992, shortly after regaining its independence after 50 years of captivity in the Soviet Union, Lithuania began a series of stamp issues celebrating traditional 19th-century dress in the country’s five ethnographic regions.

In our continued efforts to promote our brand and the stamp hobby, Linn’s sought approval and has been approved as a Google News publisher.

In its announcement of the panorama pane, Philately Liechtenstein pictured two examples, one of a photograph of a large group of people and the other showing an assortment of pastries.