Monday Morning Brief | Linn's WSS-NY 2016 Preview

Good morning and welcome to the Monday Morning Brief for April 4.

Linn’s World Stamp Show-NY 2016 Special Preview

Packaged with the April issue of Linn’s Stamp News monthly magazine is Linn’s World Stamp Show-NY 2016 Preview. The preview provides readers with a sneak peek into the many events, exhibits and entertainment planned for the first international stamp show to be held in the United States in 10 years.

The preview provides tips on how to prepare for the show, what to take along with you, and what freebies will be available. Notable collectors share their experiences from previous shows. In addition, the preview includes lists of show events; postal administrations, dealers and societies who will participate; and a host of exciting activities.

Linn’s Stamp News and Scott catalog in cooperation with the show will give away a show passport. The passport is designed to allow collectors to purchase stamps from postal administrations at the show and affix them to the appropriate page in the passport. Some postal administrations will offer special cancellations, too.

The highlights featured in the preview are just the tip of the iceberg. The show committee adds more events and participants daily, and Linn’s promises to keep you informed.

William H. Gross collection

Linn’s has learned that the William H. Gross collection of Switzerland will be auctioned May 29 by Siegel International at World Stamp Show-NY 2016. The May 29 auction will be the eighth sale of philatelic material from the Gross collection to entirely benefit charity.

Gross and his wife Sue have donated millions to numerous organizations worldwide over the years, including his alma mater Duke University and several hospitals.

You might recall that a $10 million donation to the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., made it possible for the museum to construct a spectacular new street-level stamp gallery bearing his name.

Charles Shreve of Siegel International, Gross’s top philatelic advisor, told Linn’s that the auction will include gems of Switzerland’s cantonal issues as well as top early classics of the federal administration.

Among the fabulous items in the collection is the black-on-yellow green mint block of six of the 1843 10-centime Double Geneva stamp (Scott 2L1), the first of several stamps issued in the Geneva canton, or state, in the southwest of the Swiss confederation. Shreve refers to the block as “one of the rarest and most important philatelic items in the world.”

The sale also will feature a cover franked with a pair of the beautiful 1845 2½-rappen Basel Dove stamp.

The sale is one of six public auctions to be held during the international show. The spectacular eight-day show will take place May 28-June 4 at the Javits Center in New York City.

For the most up-to-date stamp news, visit Linns.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For Linn’s Stamp News and Scott catalogs, I’m Donna Houseman. Enjoy your week in stamps.