Four American publications win prizes in Gaertner philatelic literature contest

Philatelic Foreword — By Jay Bigalke

American philatelic literature is alive and performing quite well, especially if one takes into consideration the results of the fifth annual C.G. Award 2017 competition for philatelic literature.

Auction house Christoph Gaertner has sponsored the competition since 2013. The 2017 awards were presented during the Monacophil 2017 stamp show in the Top Cars Museum.

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The Collectors Club of Chicago won first place with an award of €2,000. The American Philatelic Research Library, with its Philatelic Literature Review journal, took fourth place (€700); the Rossica Society of Russian Philately’s Rossica took fifth place (€600); and the American Philatelic Society’s The American Philatelist took 10th place (€100).

Representatives from all four societies were present to accept the awards.

I am certain all four of the organizations appreciate the recognition through these awards, in addition to the financial element of the contest.

There were 35 entries in the competition. Eight entries were from the United States.

One element of the contest also focuses on the promotion of youth philately. A stamp club in Germany won the prize through a book detailing how the club was able to convince local members of parliament to get a stamp issued for the Rhon sheep.

The book showcased the steps club members took, and the celebration of the souvenir sheet that was ultimately issued Sept. 1, 2016.

The photos in the book show that the celebration was a wonderful community event that helped bring awareness of philately to a general audience. Congratulations to the Stamp Collectors Club of Meiningen for the creative thinking that inspired this project.

A detailed list of the winners and point totals is available on the contest website.