The Vatican Philatelic Society held its Vatican Stamp Day event at the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History this past Saturday, October 19. It was a wonderful day and a great success, based on the feedback received from those who attended. Seven members of VPS were able to travel to the Museum for the day, and a number of fellow collectors and members of the general public also attended.
The event was staged in the main gallery of the Museum and consisted primarily of twenty-two exhibit frames spanning the history of the Roman/Pontifical States and Vatican philately. There was also an exhibit table set up with some interesting historical pieces. In addition, VPS Webmaster Marvin Lanahan compiled a slideshow covering a vast array of topics of interest in the world of Vatican City stamp collecting, which ran continuously during the course of the event.
VPS Members at Vatican Stamp Day:
Left: VPS Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Brady and VPS Webmaster Marvin Lanahan
Middle: Lou Giorgetti, Marvin Lanahan and Larry Trupiano
Right: Mike Giorgetti and Charlie Giorgetti
The exhibits presented included:
Two frames with items from the collection of Francis Cardinal Spellman and a history of the Spellman Museum. The crowning historical piece in this exhibit is the 1952 Centennial of Papal States Postage souvenir sheet signed by Pope Pius XII, the only documented philatelic item signed by the pope.
The postal history of the Pontifical States, including documents and covers dating to the 15th century, were shown in a four-frame exhibit. This included documents and covers from the eras prior to and including the Napoleonic occupation of the Italian peninsula through the 1870 unification of Italy, examples of covers showing disinfected mail, bisects and railroad mail, and an exhibit by VPS member Thomas Pratuch on the Papal States postal system.
Five frames from the 1959 Lateran Pact Anniversary Exhibition, hosted by Cardinal Spellman in New York, displayed virtually every stamp issued by Vatican City from 1929 to 1959, mounted on manuscript pages created by VPS member Thomas Boland for the exhibition.
A single-frame exhibit looked at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and featured memorabilia from the Fair, including programs for the opening of the Vatican Pavilion and the World’s Fair Grand Opening, as well as philatelic items from Vatican City and the United States.
One of the most strikingly-beautiful exhibits was a two-frame display of illuminated manuscript pages, again produced by Thomas Boland, showing the stamps from the Council of Trent issue.
A two-frame exhibit featured memorabilia from Ernest Kehr, a renowned newspaperman who covered philately for a number of publications both in New York and nationally. This exhibit had items from his collection while covering the papal travels of Pope Paul VI from 1964 to 1970.
Three frames were devoted to the Lavern Masterton Benoit collection of stamps and philatelic rarities from the Roman States and early Vatican City eras.
A one-frame exhibit presented memorabilia from the collection of Cardinal Spellman from his participation in the Papal Conclave of 1958, showing some truly unique items including a plaque signed by all the cardinals who took part in the Conclave, including Cardinal Spellman and Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII.
Left to Right: Dennis Brady, Lou Giorgetti, Charlie Giorgetti, Larry Trupiano, Mike Giorgetti,
Marvin Lanahan and Brian Howard (Executive Director of the Spellman Museum)
Following our day at the Museum we got together for a nice dinner at a local restaurant, where we were joined by Brian Howard, the Executive Director of the Spellman Museum. It was a wonderful way to cap off a very successful Vatican Stamp Day. We will be sharing more details of the event in future Daily Emails, as well as in an upcoming issue of Vatican Notes.
If you missed seeing the Vatican Stamp Day slideshows: Click Here
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