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Confederate Stamp and Postal History Exhibits

ryterband-2021-cofc-w640.pngThis page offers an ever-increasing selection of Confederate and Civil War stamp and postal history exhibit pages, most award-winning and some strictly informative. All are helpful to your understanding of the Confederate postal system. I hope they educate you, inspire you, and give you pleasure.

If you have a .pdf file of your exhibit, past or present, that you'd like to share, please let me know. If you have image files, I can work with that too. My thanks to Mike O'Reilly for converting some of the image files to .pdf single document format.

At the bottom of the page are links to organizations that help exhibitors prepare and improve their exhibits as well as links to organizations specializing in Confederate States material.

The exhibit at left is the Champion of Champions winner for 2021 at the Great American Stamp Show in Chicago in the World Series of Philately. Because of the many Covid-caused stamp show cancellations, this prestigious competition encompassed both 2020 and 2021 Grand Award winners - the best of the best.

The 2021 Champion of Champions title went to Daniel J. Ryterband for his spectacular showing entitled A Country Divided: Effects of the American Civil War on the Mails Massive kudos, Dan.

 Confederate and Civil War exhibits hosted on the Kaufmann website 

 Confederate and Civil War exhibits hosted on other websites 

  • ​​​​​​A Country Divided: Effects of the American Civil War on the Mails - Daniel J. Ryterband, 2021 APS Champion of Champions. Courtesy Civil War Philatelic Society and Dan Ryterband​.
  • The American Civil War 1861-1865 - Anders Olason. This 8-frame exhibit was shown at Nordia 2015, put on by Swedish Philatelic Exhibitions. It describes the political events preceding the war, mobilization, organization of supplies and transports, military developments, and finally the aftermath of the war. The American Civil War had an important impact on postal services and much of the story is told by contemporary material. 
  • Confederate States Postmasters' Provisionals - D.K. Collection (name withheld). Courtesy Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.
  • Confederate States of America 1861-1865 - Benjamin Wishnietsky exhibit. Winner of countless CSA awards over the years. Courtesy Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.
  • Charleston, South Carolina, The First Year of Secession - Richard L. Calhoun exhibit. Winner of countless CSA awards over the years. Courtesy Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.
  • Special Postal Routes Across the Lines During the American Civil War - Steven C. Walske. Winner of numerous CSA awards. Courtesy Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. This exhibit was first shown in 2003 in St. Louis where it won the Grand Award. It also received a Large Gold (98 points) with Special Prize and Felicitations of the Jury at the Washington2006 International, runner-up for the Grand Prix National, which was won by William H. Gross.
  • Telegraphy in the Confederate States of America - George Kramer. Gold at ARIPEX 2012; Single Frame Reserve Grand and Gold and American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors Creativity Award at APS Ameristamp 2012; Vermeil, APS StampShow 2013. Courtesy of the American Philatelic Society.
  • Confederate Navy Covers - James Myerson. Six frames. Courtesy of Richard Frajola.
  • Civil War Blockade Run Mail, 1861-65 - Steven C. Walske. Two frames. Courtesy of Richard Frajola.
  • Edged in Black. Mourning Covers in the Confederacy - Paul Bearer. One frame. Courtesy of the Mourning Stamps and Covers Club.
  • Tales from the Blockade - Richard Frajola. One frame.
  • The Battle of Hampton Roads - James Myerson. One frame. Courtesy of Richard Frajola.
  • Mobile, Alabama CSA Provisional Issue - Van Koppersmith. One frame. Courtesy of Richard Frajola.
  • The Buck Boshwit Collection - Confederate Tennessee Postal History exhibit (as well as Arkansas and magnificent adversity covers) formed by the late Buck Boshwit of Memphis. Buck won virtually every one of the Confederate Stamp Alliance exhibit awards including the coveted CSA Trophy, as well as many national philatelic exhibit awards. Prior to the auction of most of his collection, the Boshwit family allowed Buck's collection to be scanned by the Shelby County Archives Department of the County Register so that it would remain available to future students and researchers.
  • The William H. Gross Stamp Gallery of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum - the world’s largest gallery dedicated to philately. It provides an experience available nowhere else and offers something for everyone, from casual visitors to experienced collectors. This is a link to the opening gala event with further links to the museum itself. On display is the Confederate "Lost Plate" as well as numerous Confederate postal history rarities such as the largest known used block of of CSA 8 on cover. There are pull-out frames containing more than 20,000 objects, providing ample opportunities to view noteworthy stamps that have never been on public display.
     

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     For more information on exhibiting 

    American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors - The name says it all. This group exists to share and discuss ideas and techniques for improving standards of exhibit preparation, judging, and the management of exhibitions. They serve the entire range of people who work or have an interest in one or more of these fields; whether novice, experienced, or just beginning to think about getting involved. The goal is to encourage your increasing participation and enjoyment of philatelic exhibiting, and to ensure the health of this part of our hobby. One of their many outstanding online exhibits is How to Build a Philatelic Exhibit. They even have an exhibit feedback service which is an excellent tool for beginner and experienced exhibitors alike. Their journal is a quality thought provoking magazine initially edited by Randy Neil, one of AAPE founders and one of the best-known editors in the hobby.

    American Philatelic Society - Exhibiting - If you have never exhibited and have no clue how to start, this would be an excellent starting point. The APS has an all important downloadable Manual of Judging which explains what judges are looking for. There are articles, seminars and online exhibits to peruse. The American Philatelic Research Library has over 750 exhibit reproductions, nearly 100 of which are digital scans with the remainder being paper copies. While most are not Civil War, they will give you an idea how your material may be shown effectively. 

     For more information on collecting Civil War postal material 

    Civil War Philatelic Society - The Confederate Stamp Alliance was founded in 1935 as a non-political organization dedicated to fraternity, research, and cooperation among collectors of Confederate stamps and postal history. On November 21, 2020, the Alliance membership voted to change the name to the Civil War Philatelic Society to encompass the full scope of postal history during the war, both North and South. Advantages of membership include an authentication service and an award winning quarterly journal, the Civil War Philatelist (CWP). Click here to download a CWPS membership application in PDF format. There is a members-only section which allows searchable/browsable access to back issues of the journal, a valuable tool for researchers and, coupled with the quarterly journal, well worth the annual dues. 

    CSA Catalog and Handbook - In 2006, the Confederate Stamp Alliance acquired the rights to the New Dietz Confederate States Catalog and Handbook, last published in 1986. The Confederate States of America Catalog and Handbook of Stamps and Postal History (commonly know as the CSA Catalog) is in much demand by collectors, serious students and dealers. It sold out only three months after publication (November 2012). For an illustrated more in-depth look at both the history of prior catalogs and the extensive changes in this 2012 edition, see A 21st Century Confederate Catalog

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