‘Masonic philatelists will meet again’

    

Smithsonian

The first post-pandemic meeting of the George Washington Masonic Stamp Club is scheduled for three weeks from today at the Washington Masonic Memorial in Virginia.

That’s Sunday, February 26. Meeting at 2 p.m., but the brethren gather to socialize at 1:30. If there be anyone in waiting to receive the Master of Philately Degree, it will be conferred. (Contact Secretary John Allen here if you expect to receive the degree.) By 4:30, everyone will head to Theismann’s Restaurant and Bar, near the train station, for a no-host meal.

I wonder if changing up the day’s agenda might spark things for the club. You’d think the proximity to Washington might inspire them to host speakers from the Postal Service or the Postal Museum or a historian or something.

     

‘Quiet enjoyment of this interesting hobby’

    

Happy New Year! And I insist on making the first edition of The Magpie Mason of 2022 a benign post to ballast the recent news of death and destruction that made last month a grim conclusion to a year that wasn’t all that great to begin with.

Nevertheless, it was that obituary of Tom Jackson the other day that prompts this post. I had mentioned how Brazil’s postal service issued a stamp several years ago honoring Tom, and that reminded me how, despite many posts on Masonic philately over the years, I never told you about The MPC Magazine.

Originally, in 1976, the Masonic Philatelic Club of Great Britain, and, later, the Masonic Philatelic Club, it today is the publisher of the quarterly magazine. Membership is open to all who seek the “furtherance of Masonic research via the media of postage stamps, the dissemination of knowledge gained, and the quiet enjoyment of this interesting hobby.”

And, really, who couldn’t benefit from quiet enjoyment of just about anything right now?

The January issue is available, and on the cover is none other than Bro. Harry Houdini, a historic Freemason from St. Cecile Lodge 568 in Manhattan. Bro. Howard Thurston (thanks, Brent!), a historic Freemason from Manitou Lodge 106 in Manhattan.

The annual subscription costs £15 for us Americans.

     

‘Sign of Distress from the Stamp Club?’

     

Following the demise four years ago of New York Masonic Stamp Club, the last vestige of Masonic philatelic fraternalism in the United States is the George Washington Masonic Stamp Club in Virginia. For now.

This club will host its annual meeting next Sunday but, in a message to the membership, President Walter Benesch forecasts an uncertain future for the club. But first, this meeting:

George Washington

Masonic Stamp Club

Sunday, February 23

2 p.m.

George Washington

Masonic National Memorial

Alexandria, Virginia

Come to the North Lodge Room for the usual cover-and-stamp exchange at 1:30 p.m. The annual meeting will begin at two o’clock. The Master of Philately degree will be conferred on members who have not yet received it, and Master Mason walk-ins are welcome too. Life Membership costs $20.

There will be a number of door prizes. Some albums and special philatelic items may be up for sale as well. Do not miss this wonderful annual opportunity to mix with your fellow Freemason philatelists. The meeting usually adjourns by around 4 p.m. to reconvene for dinner.

Following the meeting, a no host dinner will be enjoyed at Joe Theismann’s Restaurant (1800 Diagonal Road, just at the bottom of Shooter’s Hill). Every effort will be made to reserve a table in the “upper deck.” Dinner orders will be off the menu.

While the kitchen prepares the dinners, the program of the evening will be presented: a talk based on some of the ideas in astrophysicist Lisa Randall’s Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs. Dr. Randall describes the fact dark matter and dark energy make up more than 85 percent or more of our universe. She cited a particular episode of the original Star Trek TV show called “Wink of an Eye.” Could this have implications to Masonry and our spiritual beliefs? This will be explored in the talk.

For questions, to confirm that you will be present, and/or especially if you would like to receive the Master of Philately on February 23, please contact Secretary John R. Allen here.

This may be a tipping point for the club. Those of us loyal supporters must face the fact that stamp collecting and cover cachets are not attracting interest by younger members, and has lost older members in varied ways. The famous New York Masonic Stamp Club, which helped found our club, is no longer. Their wonderful magazine has ceased to exist. Bob Domingue, the Philatelic Masonry editor, continues to publish a wonderful news letter informing the declining number of Masonic philatelist what is happening related to Masonic stamps around the world. Truly a hero trying to keep the interest alive. Yet in his Blue Friars talk a few years ago, he admitted there is no chance the interest and value of stamp collecting will recover.

Even the GWMSC, which once held as many as seven meetings a year, has only one meeting a year now. Yes, we continue to offer the Master of Philately, the last source for the degree, but can we continue without an increase in membership and leadership?

I am therefore appealing to the members to either step up or ask if the GWMSC should close and our efforts be cancelled like the stamps on an envelope. That and the election of officers will be the focus of our meeting this year. If there are new members, or old members who have not received the degree, the degree will be offered. There is no extra fee to receive the Master of Philately degree, although you must be a GWMSC Life Member.

Please attend. The club needs you most urgently.

Fraternally,
Walter Benesch, President


I collected stamps, mostly first day covers, in my youth, but I don’t know how many of today’s 35-year-olds are continuing the hobby—especially as Freemasons—so perhaps this club has run its course. The U.S. Postal Service does a poor job of communicating our country’s history through its stamp releases, and it seems very rare to find a new stamp that has some relevance to the Masonic world. But maybe I’ll be proven wrong next Sunday. Perhaps a coterie of educated Masons from Virginia and DC will surprise the club at its meeting with that much-needed infusion of fresh blood. You research lodge guys, you observant lodge guys, you historians, art mavens, and other traditionalists have heard the call.
     

‘Masonic philatelists to meet’

     
It seems like I’m writing only about Virginia these days, but here’s one more event. The George Washington Masonic Stamp Club will meet Sunday the 25th for its annual meeting. From the publicity:

George Washington

Masonic Stamp Club

Sunday, February 25

1:30 p.m.

George Washington Masonic

National Memorial

Alexandria, Virginia

1:30 – Review covers, socialize.

There will be a number of very valuable collections available for sale, including one that was turned over to your president last summer. Though not well organized, there are many Masonic covers and cachets with a significant collection of Isle of Man stamps. Two additional Isle of Man celebration sheets, obtained at the United Grand Lodge of England, will be available for $30 each. There will be a number of albums up for sale, many belonging to your president, that have been collected over the years. There will be many items of interest for club members to purchase. Of course, we will have the usual door prizes.

2 p.m. – Meeting, including Master of Philately Degree and election of officers for the ensuing two-year term.

If you have not received the Master of Philately from the GWMSC, you may receive it at this meeting. Please reserve in advance with Bro. John Allen so we’ll have your certificate for you. Applicants for membership may attend and receive the Master of Philately, subject to favorable vote into membership. Candidates should bring their current lodge dues card. With the demise of the Masonic Stamp Club of New York last year, the GWMSC is the only group conferring Master of Philately now. Qualifications: You must be a GWMSC member, be present at the Annual Meeting, and not have received it from the GWMSC already. There are no added fees for this degree.

4:45 – Gather at Joe Theismann’s Restaurant. Dinner at 5:30. Ladies and guests welcome.

Speaker: Walter Benesch, club president, on his experiences attending the tercentenary celebrations at the United Grand Lodge of England last fall.

In case you are not aware, on October 31, 2017, the United Grand Lodge of England celebrated its 300th anniversary. The Royal Albert Hall, which seats more than 5,000, was the focal point of the celebration, with the overflow crowd, of which your president was part, seated in the Grand Lodge, watching a live telecast. The program was outstanding. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that hopefully will be of interest to all at dinner. Remember, wives and non-club members are welcome to attend. (A separate tercentennial slideshow has been developed, should any of your Masonic bodies wish a more formal presentation.)

It is hoped many of you within a 75-mile radius will be able to attend the Annual Meeting. It should be fun. There will be at least one candidate for the degree and the fellowship is always enjoyable.

Fraternally,
Walter Benesch, President
     

‘Philatelists to meet in Baltimore next month’

     

The George Washington Masonic Stamp Club, the last group of philatelist Freemasons in America I know of, will meet next month in Baltimore. Club President Walter Benesch shares this message:


For those who missed the Annual Meeting in February, we had a wonderful time.

The plans for Michael, our Cachet Maker and Cover Chairman, to be succeeded by Assistant Cachet Maker Casey in 2018, hit a snag. Casey has moved to New Jersey, and we are not sure if he will be able to take over. Think about next year. February 2018 will be our next election. We need volunteers to fill the various offices. Your president and many of the other officers are getting up in years. If the club is to continue we’ll need younger blood to take on some of the roles.

Our summer meeting will be at BALPEX on Saturday, September 2 at 1 p.m. in Salon C at the Baltimore Hunt Valley Inn. The program will be “Actors in World War II and in Philately.” Mind you, not all the actors mentioned will have been Masons, but they are included as a reminder of how Hollywood served our country. Still there will be a number of them who will be seen on various stamps, some from other nations.

The Baltimore Hunt Valley Inn is located at 245 Shawan Road, Hunt Valley, Maryland, just off I-83 at Shawan Road (Exit 20 East). There is plenty of free parking. There is a quality restaurant in the hotel, but if there is enough interest, we may go as a group to Outback for an early dinner around 4 p.m. I want everyone to have enough time to review the exhibits at BALPEX as well as to talk to some of the vendors and add to your collections.

Let me remind you the club is dependent upon new members. Remember to talk up the George Washington Mason Stamp Club at your lodge and other Masonic bodies. If you don’t have an application they are available here, and we can vote in new members at BALPEX.

Over the past few years, the number attending BALPEX has been very low. If we wish to continue meeting there, it is up to you to support the club by attending. Remember this is not just for members, but for the whole family and any friends interested in stamps, Masonry, or would just like to get away for a Saturday. All BALPEX programs are totally open. Hope to see many of you there.

Fraternally,
Walter Benesch
President
     

‘Thoreau bicentennial celebration in Wallkill’

     
The School of Practical Philosophy continues its bicentennial commemoration of the life of Henry David Thoreau, this time with a study meeting on its beautiful property in the Hudson Valley. (Sorry to say I cannot attend. I’ll be at the School’s townhouse on East 79th for the Plato class.) From the publicity:

Thoreau Bicentennial Celebration

in Wallkill

Saturday, June 3

7 to 9:30 p.m.

The School of Practical Philosophy

846 Borden Circle in Wallkill, NY

$10 tickets here

Henry David Thoreau’s life embodies the Transcendental vision of self-reliance and a love of freedom. His great experiment at Walden Pond was focused on living simply and deliberately. His example teaches us to crave reality by embracing the present and to follow the voice of conscience.

From Walden:

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived…. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”

Come and join us in celebrating this great American philosopher, whose influence has powerfully shaped the 20th century through the work of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Discover how relevant his ideals are today.

We will explore selected passages from his masterwork, Walden, and selections from the essay “Civil Disobedience.” There will also be a short walk on the beautiful Wallkill property.

If you missed the recent Thoreau Study Day in New York City, this Wallkill event presents the perfect opportunity to appreciate this revolutionary spirit in an appropriately Waldenesque setting.

Family and friends are welcome. No prior study of Thoreau is required.

Tickets cost $10, which includes study materials and light refreshments, and may be purchased here pending availability. Tickets also will be available at the door on June 3.

We hope to see you there.


As this edition of The Magpie Mason goes to press, there are 75 openings remaining.

In other Thoreau news, today was the day the U.S. Postal Service released its Henry David Thoreau Forever Stamp. Here is the press release, with links and art added by me:


The U.S. Postal Service celebrates writer, philosopher, and naturalist Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) on the bicentennial year of his birth.

The forever stamp will be formally celebrated May 23 in an 11 a.m. ceremony at the locale to which Thoreau is most connected: tranquil and picturesque Walden Pond State Reservation (at the Visitors Center) in Concord, Massachusetts.

Thoreau’s personal example of simple living, his criticism of materialism, and the timeless questions he raises about the place of the individual in society and humanity’s role in the natural world, he continues to inspire new generations to assert their independence, reinterpret his legacy, and ask challenging questions of their own.

The stamp features and oil-on-panel painting by contemporary artist Sam Weber of Brooklyn, New York. The painting is based on a famous 1856 daguerreotype by Benjamin Maxham. On the right side of the stamp is Thoreau’s signature of his last name. Below the signature is a branch of sumac leaves. Art director Greg Breeding, of Charlottesville, Virginia, designed the stamp. Weber also was the artist for the 2015 Flannery O’Connor 3-ounce stamp.

1967 five-cent stamp.

This is the second U.S. commemorative for Thoreau. A stamp for the 150th anniversary of his birth issued in 1967 features a drawing by sculptor and illustrator Leonard Baskin.

The first-day ceremony is free and open to the public.

Those expected to be on hand include Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Leo Roy, U.S. Postal Service General Counsel and Executive Vice President Thomas J. Marshall, Select Board Town of Concord Chair Michael Lawson, and Walden Woods Project Board Member, environmentalist and actor Ed Begley, Jr.

Walden Pond, known as a kettle hole in geological terms, was formed by glaciers about 11,000 years ago. Thoreau lived on the northern shore of the pond for two years starting in the summer of 1845. His account of the experience was recorded in Walden (or Life in the Woods), and made the pond famous. The land at that end was owned by Thoreau’s friend and mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
     

‘Making the good Isle of Man post better’

     

Philatelist Freemasons have something more to look forward to this spring. Isle of Man Post Office will release six postage stamps commemorating the tercentenary of the establishment of the Grand Lodge of England. And there are secrets! From the publicity:

300 Years of Freemasonry Set

This set of six 300 Years of Freemasonry stamps (20p, 1st, 50p, £1.30, 1.74, £3.40), have been printed with gold foil highlighting HM Queen’s head and the words ‘Isle’ and ‘Man’. Each stamp features a badge of office for senior officers within the lodge. There are additional discreet references to six important locations at the top of the stamps and other hidden mysteries, including some visible only under UV light.

The sheet sets contains six sheets, made up of ten of each design.

 

 

Both the sets and sheet sets are available in Mint condition and cancelled to order.


International purchases are welcome. Click here to buy yours. (Images courtesy Isle of Man Post Office.)
     

‘Masonic stained glass stamps mark tercentennial year’

     
Masonic philately is alive and well at the Royal Mail, with help from the Masonic Philatelic Club. The club has designed new stamps to commemorate the tercentenary this year of the formation of the first Grand Lodge of England. From the publicity:

Click to enlarge.

300 Years of English Freemasonry

News has been received of a new entrant to the Business Customized stamp sheet world in the guise of the Masonic Philatelic Club, with a little help from John Chapman of Bletchley Park Post Office fame it would appear.

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the formation of the first Grand Lodge in England. To commemorate this event, The Masonic Philatelic Club, in conjunction with The Royal Mail, are releasing a beautifully designed commemorative sheet of ten images of Masonic stained glass windows and ten Royal Mail stamps, with an additional printed sheet with background information on the two Churches featured.

The stamps and images of the stained glass windows are framed beautifully by a classic piece of Masonic art, forming the background to the whole sheet. The two churches whose windows are featured could not be more different. The first is Kingston Parish Church in Jamaica, and the second, a little closer to home, St. Peter’s Church in Leicester.

Ken Elston, Chairman of the Masonic Philatelic Club, is responsible for the design and image research for the project, ably assisted by the Masonic Philatelic Club Magazine graphics team. “When starting this project we explored a number of options for the images on the sheet, but our choice was made easier when we came across the two stained glass windows in Leicester and Kingston, Jamaica,” Elston said. “As well as the team at the MPC magazine, we are indebted to Dr. Andrew Green, an Assistant Professor at The University of Nottingham, for his invaluable background information on St Peter’s Church and its Masonic stained glass window.”

Another driving force behind the project has been John Chapman, former Director of the world renowned Bletchley Park Post Office. “The dedicated work of Ken and his team and Andrew Green’s expert background history has allowed us to produce a truly unique commemorative sheet to mark the 300th anniversary of Freemasonry in England. It represents an opportunity for Masonic stamp collectors and general stamp collectors the world over to add a unique piece of Masonic postal history to their collections.”


And:


A total of 500 sheets are being printed and more than 300 sheets have already been pre-ordered. The sheets are priced at £45, and any orders of two sheets or more are reduced to £40 each, plus £2.50 for postage.

For more details, contact John Chapman on email.
     

‘February philatelist degree and meeting’

     
The only remaining (I think) Masonic stamp club will hold its annual meeting next month, including its Master of Philately Degree. From the publicity:

George Washington Masonic

Stamp Club

Sunday, February 26

1:30 p.m.

George Washington Masonic

National Memorial

Alexandria, Virginia

The club will convene its meeting in the North Lodge Room. At 1:30 p.m. there will be a social gathering and review of covers, with the meeting to begin at two o’clock. The Master of Philately Degree will be conferred during the meeting.

At 4:45 everyone is welcome to assemble at Joe Theismann’s Restaurant, located at the bottom of the hill at 1800 Diagonal Road, for a “no host” dinner at 5:30 that is open to ladies and guests. Bro. Jacob Bressman will be the dinner-speaker (topic TBA).

Click here for membership information and other news about the club.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours cost $10 per person, and will be available before the meeting, and possibly a four o’clock tour could be taken if the meeting concludes in time.
     

‘CANCELLATION: Masonic Stamp Club of New York’

     
After posting yesterday about the George Washington Masonic Stamp Club’s latest news, it occurred to me to have a look at the website of the other Masonic stamp club I know, and I found this sad announcement of the pending controlled demise of the Masonic Stamp Club of New York:

Click to enlarge.

It’s a sorry sign of the times that speaks to, yes, the shrinking of Masonic membership, as this announcement notes, but also to the indifference of society beyond the lodge doors toward philately. And frankly, the U.S. Postal Service does neither itself nor anyone else any favors by producing too many stamps today that lack artistry and that pander to short-term attention to fads.

I happen to be one of those few Freemasons who recognize the need, justifications, and advantages of Masonic groups voluntarily closing down. Look at one of those diagrams of the “Masonic family tree” and see where you’d start pruning. And where you might stop. The Sciots was founded in San Francisco to help Masons recover from the earthquake and fire that destroyed the city. Why it exists eleven decades later, and has spread to locales far beyond California, is beyond my abilities to explain. (I’m always picking on the Sciots—and offered a small joke at its expense yesterday in The Past Bastard comments—but there are others worthy of being taken off life support.)

But a stamp club is something that ought to appeal to all kinds of people. To collect stamps is to collect art. A collection may be as large or small as desired, just as a stamp club can be intimate and portable as its members please. Participation requires no formal education; collecting imparts an education. It’s not necessary to spend much money; depending on what is collected, there could be great value to have in the future. Philately is a pursuit one may enjoy solo; it also lends itself wonderfully to a club setting. To see this club—the Masonic Stamp Club headquartered in New York City—go dark is to witness a eulogy that laments much more than the decline of interest in a hobby. It is a cancellation of what was a cultural cornerstone in our society.
     

‘Freemason Sibelius and his Opus 113’

     
The George Washington Masonic Stamp Club will meet in September in Baltimore. The keynote speaker for the meeting will be Walter Benesch, past president, who will discuss “Jean Sibelius: The Great Finnish Composer and Mason and the Strange History Behind His Opus 113.”

From the publicity:

George Washington Masonic Stamp Club

Meeting at the Baltimore Philatelic Exhibition

Saturday, September 3

1 p.m.

Wyndham Hunt Valley Inn

Salon C

245 Shawan Road

Hunt Valley, Maryland

Summer 2016 message from the President

For those who missed the Annual Meeting in February, it was a delightful meeting.

There were four new candidates for the Degree of Philately. This was followed by our election. Yours truly was re-elected President for another two years. Our new First Vice President is Ralph E. Olson. Dr. Rudy Krutar continues as our Second Vice President. John Allen and Sherrill Watkins continue as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. Michael Aulicino was re-elected as our Cachet Maker-Cover Chairman. But what is good, we now have an official Assistant Cachet Maker, Casey Polowitch. Hopefully Casey will be ready to take over at the next election in 2018. It is always great to see our younger members step up to help out.

Our summer meeting will be at BALPEX on Saturday, September 3 at 1 p.m. in Salon C. The program will be Part Two of last year’s presentation on Jean Sibelius, the great Finnish composer and Mason, but this talk will be on the strange history behind his Opus 113—his “Masonic Opus.” You will hear brief excerpts, and learn one of the strangest histories of any musical composition, including why the Grand Lodge of New York holds the copyright. There will be the traditional door prizes and sale items. Your President is attempting to lessen his collection, so there will be several valuable binders offered to Club members.

BALPEX is held at the Hunt Valley Inn. There is plenty of free parking and a quality restaurant in the hotel, with other restaurants down the road. If there is enough interest, we may go as a group for an early dinner at around 4 p.m. I want everyone to have enough time to review the exhibits at BALPEX, to talk to the vendors, and add to your collections.

Remember, the Club depends on new members, so talk up the George Washington Mason Stamp Club at your lodge and other Masonic bodies. If you don’t have an application, click here.

The next Annual Meeting will take place Sunday, February 27, 2017 at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.

     

‘Masonic stamp club celebrates 50th’

     

Celebrating its golden anniversary in 2016 is the George Washington Masonic Stamp Club, which will hold its annual meeting in February. From the publicity:

George Washington Masonic Stamp Club

Sunday, February 28

George Washington Masonic Memorial

Alexandria, Virginia

1:30 - Social/Cover Exchange
2 p.m. - GWMSC Opens (no officer elections this year)
Cancelled Covers: Ken Hanson, Past President, Truman E. Boutar, Huge A. Schwen, and Dr. Allan Boudreau
2:30 - Reading and vote of applications
2:45 - Special Acknowledgment of Robert Domingue, newest member, Society of Blue Friars.
2:50 - Degree of Philately
3:30 - Door prizes awarded
4 p.m. - Close of GWMSC meeting
4:30 - Adjourn to Theismann’s Restaurant for “no host” dinner.
4:40 – Introductions
4:50 - Guest Speaker Mark Wright, PM, Federal Lodge No. 1, on “Native Masons,” with illustrations of Native American stamps.
5:20 – Dinner
6:30 - Adjourn

About Our Speaker:

Mark A. Wright, 32°, KCCH

His family has a long history of Masonic memberships documented back at least to his great-grandfather Samuel Long, principal chief of the Wyandotte Tribe of Indians, who was a Shriner and Knight Templar. His Masonic career in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, when he received the degrees of the Order of DeMolay in Howard Weber Chapter on June 10,
1972. He is a past grand commander of Nation’s Capital Court of Chevaliers and a past dean of Nation’s Capital Preceptory, DeMolay Legion of Honor.

Initiated an EA in Bartlesville Lodge No. 284 on March 8, 1980; passed to FC in Lawrence (Kansas) Lodge No. 6 (as a courtesy) in 1980; and raised a MM by his father, Luther A. Wright, Jr., on August 5, 1980. Federal Lodge No. 1 elected him to dual membership in 2007. Federal Lodge No. 1 elected Mark Aaron Wright on November 12, 2012 to serve as its 153rd Master.

Tulsa Consistory elevated him to the 32° of Scottish Rite Masonry in 1980, and he was invested a KCCH in 2011. He serves the Valley of Washington as general tiler since 2010, and chairman of membership and development since 2011. He was exalted in Bartlesville Chapter No. 55, Royal Arch Masons; greeted in Bartlesville Council No. 41, Royal and Select Masters; and knighted in Cavalry Commandery No. 26, Knights Templar. Mark was hailed a prophet in Kara Grotto, Mystic Order of the Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm; and initiated into Topeka (Kansas) Council No. 1, Ancient Toltec Rite. He was created a noble in Akdar Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, in 1982, and currently belongs to Almas Temple.

Mark served as a Justice of the Supreme Court for the Sac and Fox Tribe from 1991 to 1999, taught Indian law at colleges in Oklahoma. Came to Washington during the Bush Administration to serve in the Department of the Interior as Indian probate program national director.
     

‘Postal Service to issue Richard Allen stamp’

     
While at the local post office Tuesday afternoon, I spotted the promotional poster on the wall announcing the upcoming issue of a stamp commemorating Richard Allen as part of the Black Heritage series. From the publicity:

Courtesy USPS

A 49¢ Forever stamp.    

Richard Allen: Preacher, activist, and civic leader Richard Allen (1760-1831) was an inspiring figure whose life and work resonate profoundly in American history. This stamp coincides with the 200th anniversary of Allen’s founding of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the most important institutions in African-American life, as well as his election as its first bishop.

The stamp art is a portrait of Allen, a detail from an 1876 print titled “Bishops of the A.M.E. Church.” Featuring Allen in the center surrounded by ten other bishops and six historical vignettes, the print is from the collection of the Library Company of Philadelphia. The noon ET February 2 First-Day-of-Issue ceremony will take place at the Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church in Philadelphia.


In Freemasonry, Richard Allen was a member of African Lodge No. 459, the original Prince Hall Masonic lodge in Boston, and it was he who founded a daughter lodge in Philadelphia also named African Lodge. This event ignited the process of the Boston lodge becoming a grand lodge, and the rest is history. I do not know if any of that would be significant in the eyes of the U.S. Postal Service, but I recall there was a petition several years ago to create a stamp commemorating Prince Hall himself. I don’t know the disposition of that, but I hope there is such a stamp in production.