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Essays, Proofs, and Other Exotic Material |
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in the Thematic Exhibit |
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Mary Ann Owens |
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The Columbo Chronicle, Vol. 1, Nr. 6, December 1991 |
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There are very few exhibitors at the international level who do not try to acquire a reasonable number of exotic items for their exhibits. Frequently it is the exotic, one-of-a-kind, hard to find, elusive, eye-catching items that can help to raise your exhibit's medal level above other exhibits in the same field of interest. |
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What is a reasonable number, you ask???? Like any of the other elements, the exotics should be seen & appreciated and done with good taste. They should be highlighted by the material surrounding them without overpowering the other material. Much easier said than done. It takes a variety of layouts and several showings to reach that ultimate goal - the right look. There is no finite number. It is whatever works the best with all your other material. |
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I work very hard in trying to spread them out among all the frames as much as possible. I will down a nice item if I feel it will overload a frame and hope to spend the same money in a frame that needs some more and better material. |
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Essays come in all sizes. One large one is usually sufficient for an exhibit whereas several smaller ones can be shown without any problems. Essays are normally done in small numbers and can be unadapted designs for issued items or can be for projected or unissued items. Most exhibitors will state in the text which type. |
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Proofs come in a variety of styles, sizes, and purposes. Again, try to buy the types that you do not already have whenever possible. They can come in both issued and unissued colors. They can be on cardboard, India paper, or even added to another piece of paper. They can be in all sizes imaginable. They can be a single stamp design or a sheet of the design or a multiple of designs usually from the same set. They can be progressive proofs showing the additions and corrections to the die work or the additions of colors. Proofs are prepared to see if the desired work is progressing favorably. |
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There usually are very few proofs at any stage in the production process because two will give the same message that 20 will. If one is lucky to see the entire production file, they will frequently see proofs with notations on them asking for an addition or correction and a follow-up proof to make certain that the suggestion was done properly. |
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Proofs are deposited in postal administration files, the printers, files, and in some artists' or engravers' files. They normally do not get on the public market at the time. Later on, artists and engravers die and their personal copies become available. In recent years, the working files of many of the leading printers have also become available like Christie's auction last year of the American Bank Note old files. Earlier Waterlow & Sons and De La Rue old and unneeded files were auctioned off. |
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Specimens again come in a variety of ways. The design can be overprinted "Specimen" normally in the native language or the language of the printing firm. The ink color is usually chosen so that it stands out from the color of the item. Or, "Specimen" can be perforated through the design sometimes in a straight line and sometimes in a configuration that does cross the main design image. Specimens can also be found with punched-holes in a variety of shapes. |
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OVERPRINTED PERFORATED PUNCHED-HOLES |
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OVERPRINTED (AFTER ISSUE) |
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There are two main types of specimens. The majority are those prepared prior to the issuance of the items for file copies and sent to UPU members and other interested parties. Some will be placed in Sample Books for salesmen to use for solicitation of future orders. Some postal administrations will also take an overrun or the unsold copies and overprint them with "Specimen" and sell them to the public. Again, the proper identification is necessary on the exhibit page. |
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Trial colors also come in a variety of sizes and shapes for which exhibitors have to be grateful. They are usually smaller than most proofs and can be used more frequently in an exhibit. The caution with multi-color trial colors is that they can look very much like imperf stamps and it will be necessary on your part to make certain that you are getting what you want from the dealer. |
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There are two paragraphs in FIP Thematic Guidelines that you should think about very seriously when acquiring and displaying these primarily pre-production items. The first is, "The relevant rarity or other unusual characteristics of proofs, essays, varieties, and similar items, can increase the philatelic level of the exhibit. Common varieties, e. g. minor color nuances, easily acquired color essays, etc. do not add to the exhibit and are likely to affect adversely the thematic development." |
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In other words, buy the essays, proofs, trial colors, specimens, etc. that are annotated in auction catalogs as one or very few known or from reputable dealers with the same cautions. Those items along the same lines that are offered week after week in dealer ads will not have the same admiration with the judges. |
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For your information, there was a move underfoot back in the early 70s to have the material printed by the Paris State Printing firm for the French community banned from thematic exhibits but there were not enough FIP Thematic Commission delegates willing to go quite that far. That was because it was felt that the majority of the post-war material that came on the market was produced for the collector market and not as an aid in the production of the material. Personally, I have found that the medal level for "The Elephant" exhibit went up as I decreased the amount of PSP material. I now have only a few color trials (because they do not take up much space) and one collective set (because the stamps are valid for postage when produced) left. All of the various die and artist proofs have been removed. And, I own enough of the material to do a whole exhibit with nothing but! |
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The second paragraph is, "Larger documents can sometimes adversely affect the thematic balance; it should be considered, therefore, if they present a greater rarity and condition than a single stamp or a cancellation on piece." |
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What that means is: Do the philatelic points that may be gained from the larger documents (same thought for unappreciated essays, proofs, etc.) more than make up for the thematic points that may be lost because the space was not used for further thematic development of your story line with several items and accompanying text. |
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The entire range of exotic material is helped considerably by remembering to give each item its Proper philatelic identification. Unlike issued stamps that usually identify themselves somewhere in the design, exotics go beyond basics. The proper identifications help to give the viewer a better appreciation of the items and also let the jury know that you know what you are showing. (Don't laugh, it frequently is not the case!). Buy cautiously and buy right! |
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e-mail: mary ann owens |
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copyright © 2000-04 fran adams |
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