vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 26, 2019 14:24:58 GMT
Moderator Note: This thread was originally titled Exhibiting is not for everyone. but was re-titled when new posts were added from another thread in an effort to broaden the possibilities for discussion on philatelic exhibiting.
I had a PM from stanley64 who is thinking about exhibiting some of his material. I can’t find a specific thread on exhibiting onTSF abut perhaps I have not looked deep enough. Exhibiting has a definite place in stamp collecting and in many collector’s personal development. It is not for everyone, many collectors are solitary animals, not all want to get involved in “organised philately” some have tried and been disappointed with a critical appraisal, some even get upset and rail forcefully against “competing” and “ judging” and we must accept that. So for those who want to try, how do we begin? My first suggestion is to join a local Stamp club if one is nearby, or a wider study group of like minded collectors who might have occasional meetings. Such meetings will have displays by members and you will have a chance to put up a few sheets as a display to fellow enthusiasts .As a collection display grows and matures you may want to display to a wider audience at a provincial show. presenting a display is not the same as Exhibiting. The format is much looser, you can display what you like, but for an exhibit that is to be judged there are rules for you and for the guidance of the judges. Each spring the 30 Scottish Philatelic societies have a Congress and I tried a one frame topical exhibit on Volcanoes. I don’t remember even getting a bronze level award......it did not follow the rules for Topical as it was just stamps and nothing by way of development . A big disappointment but not a complete turn off. My first display of Denmark 1851-64 , traditional philately a study and plating of the Square Stamps met with approval of a fellow member of the Scandinavia PS in Britain and at her suggestion I exhibited 4 frames at Scottish Congress getting Silver at provincial level. Two years later I entered at Stampex with 5 frames and internationally at Nordic in Denmark and London 1990 I got useful critiques and guidance which eventually led to large vermeil (silver gilt) international. To to move the exhibit to Gold would have needed more rarity and usage on covers than I could afford even if such items came on the market, and after a few more years when I displayed rather than exhibited the collection kind of got stuck and I sold. more to follow.
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 26, 2019 14:52:17 GMT
For any exhibit I suggest displaying to a local club and getting suggestions for exhibiting.
Then get hold of a copy of Exhibition rules. If you are playing golf, you can go round a course hitting a ball into the 18 holes and have fun, but if you are in a club competition or just a match with some friends there are “rules”, and you will be penalised if you do not follow the rules.
about 7 years ago I started looking at a Thematic/Topical collection on The History and use of Tobacco and enter a 4 frame Thematic exhibit . It got praise for the idea but slammed for not following the rules. I had postcards, invoices, letters and ephemera which did not fit the fairly rigorous conditions for inclusion philatelically in Topical Exhibit.
fortunately one of the wise judges pointed out that a new competitive class was getting accepted for Exhibitions, sometimes called Social philately or the Open Class where up to 40% of the material could be non philatelic and I was on my way to large Vermeil International grade London 2015 and Finland Nordia.
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stanley64
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What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Nov 26, 2019 14:53:17 GMT
I recall doing a search of the TSF site for "exhibiting" and did not find anything, hence the PM.
I look forward to you sharing additional views and hopefully hear from others as well who have exhibited or are interested in this aspect of the hobby.
For myself, currently the goal of exhibiting is not for the medals, although that would be nice, I would like to say I did it...
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 26, 2019 14:54:58 GMT
Exhibition rules are there for a reason, so stray from them at your peril.
Two things to remember for starting to prepare an exhibit:
Eye appeal is important . There are usually 5 marks for Appearance so make the best of your display, print and layout are important , mount items carefully ( one of our eminent members never exhibited again when his specialised Canadian Admirals got marked down for misspellings and untidy Biro writeup).
Have a clear idea what you are exhibiting with your Title. Begin with a single introduction page which should have a plan of what is in the exhibit and how the pages develop your title ...... and stick to the plan, again this is worth 5 marks.
You are going to tell a story to the judge so do think beginning , middle and end . If you have any rare items ,mention them here so the judges can find them in the exhibit , if you have done original research mention it .Blow your trumpet in the intro, there will be marks later on for rarity and research
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stanley64
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Post by stanley64 on Nov 26, 2019 15:04:11 GMT
As stated, whether it be a traditional exhibit or a topical one, there are rules; here are a few sources I have found for guidance:
Traditional Philately - Rules & Regulations of Exhibiting
British Thematic Association (BTA)
- includes rules, guidance and examples
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 26, 2019 15:17:05 GMT
I recall doing a search of the TSF site for "exhibiting" and did not find anything, hence the PM.
I look forward to you sharing additional views and hopefully hear from others as well who have exhibited or are interested in this aspect of the hobby.
For myself, currently the goal of exhibiting is not for the medals, although that would be nice, I would like to say I did it...
Yes my exhibiting is like my golf . I compete with myself for the satisfaction of doing a good job and hoping that others will enjoy looking at my efforts. It is not for the medals as such it is a self examination to improve my score/ grade |
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stanley64
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Post by stanley64 on Nov 26, 2019 15:41:12 GMT
Indeed, exhibiting like golf or any activity of "play" should be enjoyable and personally rewarding! Your advice and input as someone who has already been down this path has proven useful vikingeck , if not invaluable.
So far, it seems similar to working on one's advance-degree thesis and then having it examined and critiqued - hmmm, been there, done that ;-)
As you say, it may not be for everyone, but I am not deterred yet...
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 26, 2019 19:27:28 GMT
I like the look of your penguins Topical pages . I rea.ise it is an article but if you replace the colourful front page ( maybe incorporating a reduced version at the top of the sheet) and prepare an outline plan of the story you are heading for an exhibit ...........
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan on Nov 26, 2019 21:04:12 GMT
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stanley64
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Post by stanley64 on Nov 27, 2019 7:34:38 GMT
The Mongolian souvenir sheet is the size it is; I would need to find an alternative piece of philatelic material as the frontice piece if I was to include such on the title/plan page. Again, good feedback!!
At the same time, I am beginning to realise there is a difference between the pages produced for one's own enjoyment and those created for exhibition...
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angore
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Post by angore on Nov 27, 2019 10:59:36 GMT
Except for a newsletter I had edited and submitted o an APS shown competition, I have not been involved in exhibiting. The feedback I got was not especially useful - like I needed an index so lost points for that. I have been to a few shows over the years but find viewing exhibits tiring. There is a lot of standing and sometimes poor lighting. I have little background to appreciate the majority and the write ups do not really help at times. My idea of viewing exhibits would be watching a presentation in a sit down environment. Traditional exhibiting is all about what YOU own to get medals. For some reason, an authoritative article on the same subject using material the writer did not own, can tell a fuller story so seems more important to me. I am interested in the story and not just personally owned artifacts, That is, a book on the same subject never gets the attention that the traditional exhibit does - no tuxedos, no best of show awards, etc.
For example, I would consider some of Ken Lawrence's articles medal worthy for philatelic research.
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 27, 2019 12:17:26 GMT
“My idea of viewing exhibits would be watching a presentation in a sit down environment.” This is the normal format at our club meetings , but is not possible with 100 exhibits at a show. There you need to look only at entries from the show catalogue which interest you Traditional exhibiting is all about what YOU own to get medals. I have to disagree that exhibiting is just “all about what you own.” A large part of exhibiting is the use you make of your material , the ability to demonstrate study and knowledge and presentation of a subject in a meaningful way .
Of course rarity and hence in some cases the depth of the owners pocket is the goal of some trophy hunters, however , many exhibitors show because they enjoy it. Exhibit once , don’t be discouraged , take on board the judging crit , go home reflect and improve the exhibit for a higher grade next time. In many cases this need not involve expense, just tweaking the presentation , highlighting the unusual items which may not be recognised at the first showing , sometimes clarifying the index and sticking to the exhibit title will be enough to improve. I note that you felt aggrieved that you “lost marks because you didn’t have an index” . One of the points I made earlier was that any exhibit needs an index introduction to tell the judges what you intend with the exhibit. It is a cardinal rule . Ignore it at your peril. in this case you did not “lose marks” , five marks where available, without an index there are no marks to be awarded. |
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stanley64
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Post by stanley64 on Nov 29, 2019 10:04:47 GMT
I like the look of your penguins Topical pages . I rea.ise it is an article but if you replace the colourful front page ( maybe incorporating a reduced version at the top of the sheet) and prepare an outline plan of the story you are heading for an exhibit ........... As for an outline plan, I have worked on one this week,
and although still an effort in progress, it is coming along... Now, does it spark one's curiosity or entice the viewer to want to see more? Any and all feedback is welcomed!
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angore
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Post by angore on Nov 29, 2019 11:41:04 GMT
vikingeck The 24 page newsletter had a table of contents but they noted a lack of an index so yes I did not get the full points. I did not feel upset (was not expecting much) and did not see the value in the exercise of submitting it based upon feedback. "A large part of exhibiting is the use you make of your material , the ability to demonstrate study and knowledge and presentation of a subject in a meaningful way ." This applies to any research based item (formal exhibit, article, or a book). Of course some people hire people to assist with their exhibits to get better awards. There is a lack of recognition of great works.
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Nov 29, 2019 12:51:51 GMT
vikingeck ). Of course some people hire people to assist with their exhibits to get better awards. There is a lack of recognition of great works. I’m certainly not in that league! For these Big Game Hunters looking for trophies and prestige in that way I can only feel pity and a degree of contempt. The satisfaction whatever grade I have achieved is the knowledge it is all my own work and the challenge to meet criticism head on and try to improve where the crit is justified |
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stanley64
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Post by stanley64 on Dec 13, 2019 7:06:20 GMT
Kudos to vikingeck and anyone else who has tried organising their collections for exhibition; it is not a simple task!
As I continue to work on my own pages and story, "Penguins Don’t Fly, They Swim… A Philatelic Rookery", I have found this site useful - American Topical Association
I must say though, it has been an enjoyable experience thus far and again, my compliments to those that have traveled this path before me...
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stanley64
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What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Dec 22, 2019 18:25:06 GMT
Indeed, exhibiting is not for everyone. However if you choose to follow this path, the following American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors (AAPE) may be of interest - Getting Started in Philatelic Exhibiting.
For myself and with the recent posting of my initial exhibit - " Penguins & Their Environs: A Philatelic Rookery", I have made it through sixteen of the "21 Suggestions For Getting Started With Your First Exhibit"; the question is now whether to proceed or not onto no.17 and beyond...?
Happy collecting!
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Post by nbstamper on Apr 23, 2020 1:48:33 GMT
I've been to three or four major shows and enjoy looking at the exhibits. I admire the work that's been invested. I particularly remember one large exhibit of early material from St. Pierre & Miquelon and was amazed at the volume of material the collector had accumulated; many multiples of stamps and covers that are hard to find as quality singles. I'm afraid this is not for me; I'd love to own that material but it is out of reach. I like expanding my collection by adding interesting pieces here and there as I come across them, but I never think of exhibiting any of it; would require too much time, effort and money to fill in holes and put something together that others would find interesting. I don't mean to imply my acquisitions are completely random; there is a method in my philatelic madness. I do enjoy posting pictures of some of my stamps here.
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stanley64
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Post by stanley64 on Apr 24, 2020 7:09:50 GMT
I too enjoy looking at the exhibits and am still exploring what it takes to develop my own pages for exhibiting. Like anything new, there are skills to develop and guidelines to follow and as part of my initial endeavour, I would come to learn the difference between displaying and exhibiting one's collection.
Taking advantage of the " Title and Synopsis Critique Services" from the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, I submitted my title and synopsis pages for my proposed exhibit. Within a few days, it was returned with the recommendation that I read additional materials available from their website - Exhibiting and re-submit my title and synopsis page as my initial effort needed some work to meet expectations in terms of style and format.
With that, as I have yet to be deterred and perhaps even encouraged, I have done my readings, looked at other examples and am currently working on updating my pages. But as mentioned there is a difference between displaying one's collection and exhibiting it. Upon reflection, it makes sense; one goes to to a museum or exhibition for a reason: best of class, novelty, etc. and a philatelic exhibition is no different.
So in addition to learning the rules, creating pages that meet judging criteria, and are of general interest, the additional challenge is to do this with limited funds and materials available. After all the intention with this undertaking is not to break the bank, but instead enjoy the experience and given the evaluation criteria with its large percentage of points available for condition and rarity one needs to have realistic expectation for the initial outing.
Source: Manual of Philatelic Judging Sixth Edition
For now, I have reset my expectations and continue to work on my exhibition pages with personal self-satisfaction goals in mind: a personal pat on the back for completion, the joy of seeing one's pages in the exhibition hall and if ever, I will be happy with an exhibitor-participation certificate...
Happy collecting!
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Beryllium Guy
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Aug 23, 2023 19:36:04 GMT
After seeing the exhibit, I was left with the distinct impression that he was playing a much, much different game than I was. I enjoyed viewing it, then went back to my penny stamps and buck a cover boxes.  Thanks for your comments, Mark. I especially appreciate the portion that appears in the quote above. I have felt exactly the same way when looking at exhibits at major stamp shows. One that particularly comes to mind was the exhibit on Cape Triangles by Joseph Hackmey that Alex ( vikingeck ) and I viewed together at the London StampEx in Feb-2022. Hackmey had a couple of items that were each worth orders of magnitude more than my whole collection! To put that in perspective, I have some respectable stamps in my collection, including a complete unused set of Canada 1897 QV Jubilee stamps, a mostly complete unused set of US 1892 Columbians, and several dozen very nice Cape Triangles, to name just a few. When it comes to stamps, I still consider myself more of a blue-collar collector than a white-collar one, especially if you consider guys like Hackmey, Richard Debney, and others who exhibit at the national and international levels. They are indeed playing a "much, much different game" than I am. And although I have probably spent more money on my collection over the years than I care to admit, I haven't always spent it so wisely, so I still find myself going back to the bargain boxes, just like you do!  |
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Aug 23, 2023 20:03:59 GMT
I’m entirely with you both , Beryllium Guy and madbaker. Way back in 2000 I had a very good Denmark 1851-64 square stamps collection which I exhibited to 83 points Large vermeil grade ( a couple of points below Gold medal) I saw a superb large Gold exhibit in a show in Malaga and realised just what would be involved to move up a grade, and I couldn’t possibly afford it even if I could find it. I wasn’t discouraged , but the collection was stuck. 5years later I sold it for £20,000 and moved off to form a couple of new collections , pastures new, where the hunt and the chase could start afresh. My interest now are much more focused on postal history . |
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philatelia
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Post by philatelia on Aug 23, 2023 21:37:13 GMT
And that’s why I have NO desire to get into exhibiting. How can someone with my limited income hope to compete against the über wealthy who hire buyers to find the necessary items, research assistants to determine what items must be included and layout designers to do the actual exhibit pages? But the “exhibitor” get the ribbon because - oh right - because they provided the money. What a racket.
Now if a limit was placed on the VALUE of the exhibit - ie - no items worth more than a hundred dollars or so permitted - then the playing field might be made a squeak more level.
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Aug 23, 2023 22:11:36 GMT
At the risk of derailing this Postal history thread There’s a lot more to exhibiting than that Terri philatelia . It’s not entirely a money centred chase for trophies , though that can become the ugly side of the higher levels of international Exhibitions. I have gained large silver gilt grade at international level for my “Counterblaste to Tobacco” and there are few if any items included anywhere near the £100 purchase level. Mostly relatively inexpensive items telling the story of the tobacco trade phenomenal rise and decline . I have seen other folks get Gold with modern material relatively modestly priced but researched and well presented. Rarity and quality play a part but originality, research,flyspecking and presentation are equally important and recognised. In exhibiting , initially we are set a challenge, how well can we satisfy the judging criteria? In a sense we are competing ourselves against the rules of entry, like the golfer we try to score to the best of our ability, never going to be a Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy and win the Open or the Masters. If our exhibit is scored as a bronze , how can I improve to a bronze-silver, or silver , or vermeil(silver gilt) etc? it is also a chance to let other collectors see one’s material, show off a bit maybe , and make philatelic contacts in a way not possible to the stay at home collector. |
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philatelia
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Post by philatelia on Aug 24, 2023 2:18:39 GMT
vikingeck This is the first time I’ve ever heard an exhibitor speak in an enthusiastic voice about their experiences. Perhaps that is why my perceptions of exhibiting are so strongly skewed to the negative. Maybe our moderators can move these comments to a new thread where others can share their, hopefully, positive thoughts and counteract the negativity I’ve encountered.
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JeffS
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Post by JeffS on Aug 24, 2023 2:46:51 GMT
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Beryllium Guy
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Aug 24, 2023 4:27:16 GMT
vikingeck This is the first time I’ve ever heard an exhibitor speak in an enthusiastic voice about their experiences. Perhaps that is why my perceptions of exhibiting are so strongly skewed to the negative. Maybe our moderators can move these comments to a new thread where others can share their, hopefully, positive thoughts and counteract the negativity I’ve encountered. Based on your comments, Terri, I decided that a new thread might well be in order, but then I discovered that there was an inactive thread from 2020 started by Alex ( vikingeck) on this very subject, so I have moved over the last few posts from the Postal History thread to put them into this one about philatelic exhibiting. I have also taken the liberty of renaming the thread just to keep that positive side of it alive! |
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan on Aug 24, 2023 5:34:15 GMT
My favourite dealer (back in the day when I attended stamp bourses frequently) often recounted the "best" exhibit he had ever seen, put together by a junior collector - women on purple stamps! ha ha
This would be the level at which I could fancy myself exhibiting, something offbeat (or, given my predilections, borderline inane). Stamps made out of unobtanium wouldn't be my focus ...
Ryan
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Post by michael on Aug 24, 2023 7:28:54 GMT
Alex, vikingeck, what happened to the Denmark collection you sold? Did it continue to be exhibited? If so, would it get lower marks if the judges realised that the exhibit had previously been exhibited by a different person rather than being the new owner's original work? |
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Aug 24, 2023 7:56:33 GMT
It was a detailed study of about a dozen stamps The Square stamps issued between 1851 and 1864. It included printing details, postmarks and covers illustrating the usages. After an exhibition I was offered a fabulous sum for one cover ( which was apparently a unique usage and which I had previously bought for a modest sum). That was the trigger to sell the rest. The bulk of it went to Postiljonen Auction in Sweden. Some of the better pieces were lotted individually , but by and large it was broken up and I have to believe a number of collectors were able find bits and pieces for their own collections. I still have half a dozen examples of Denmark #1 and#2 but the rest is dispersed world wide. I don’t know the answer to your last point michael but it is customary to add notes to highlight unusual items either by indicating it has rarity “only 3 known examples” , a certificate, or note the provenance if it has previously been in a noteworthy collection. Eg “ex Burrus” “ex Lichtenstein” etc. such “trumpet blowing” is expected and does draw the judges attention and may gain the odd extra point. |
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philatelia
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Post by philatelia on Aug 26, 2023 12:24:58 GMT
OK You Exhibitionists - wait that isn’t the right term is it LOL . Well - what happened? I posted that I would be happy to amend my thinking about exhibiting and would welcome reading your posts enthusing on the process but other than a somewhat silent but implied “tut tut you naughty girl for dissing what you don’t understand”, I haven’t read anything that would convince me to agonize over showing my stuff in public. My goodness! So let’s hear from you gold ribbon chasers. What is the catnip?
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