Background/Charge to the Committee

At a national (WSP) stamp show in late 1999, the jury gave the Reserve Grand Award to an exhibit of Christmas seals.  A "traditional" collector/exhibitor then raised the question of what was acceptable in a philatelic exhibition.

A sub-committee of three CANEJ members was appointed to establish recommended guidelines to judges and exhibitors about what is "philatelically acceptable" in a philatelic exhibit.  The chair of CANEJ instructed the subcommittee to be careful "not to disenfranchise collectors and to be cognizant of what is acceptable in FIP and the classes we have in the USA (such as FDCs) that have not been embraced as yet internationally but are recognized in this country."

• Postal Division
  Appropriate Philatelic Material - Material issued, or produced in the preparation for issue, used, or treated as valid by governmental, local or private post agencies, or by other duly commissioned or empowered public or private authorities, as postage for the purposes of transmitting mail or other postal communications, and postmarks, directions and markings required or used by postal agencies.
  
  Intent of Exhibit - Study of appropriate philatelic material, e.g., development, design, production, and availability, and/or the postal uses of such material.
  
  Sections
  • Traditional
  • Postal History
  • Aerophilately
  • Astrophilately
  • Special Studies, e.g., separation, prevention of fraud/deceit
  • Postal Stationery
  
  
• Revenue Division
  Appropriate Philatelic Material - Material issued, or produced in the preparation for issue, used, or treated as valid by a governmental or other empowered public or private authority for the purpose of confirming payment of a required tax, fee for service, or permit, or to indicate exemption from tax or fee, and cancels, directions and markings required or used by revenue/fiscal/postal agencies.
  
  Intent of Exhibit - Study of appropriate philatelic material, e.g., development, design, production, and availability, and/or the revenue uses of such material.
  
  Sections
  • Traditional
  • Revenue History
  • Special Studies
  
  
• Thematic Division
  Appropriate Philatelic Material - Material of any other Division except as proscribed by the accepted exhibiting guidelines for a thematic exhibit.
  
  Intent of Exhibit - Use of the illustrated (visually apparent) subject(s) on appropriate philatelic material to develop and illustrate an exhibit theme or subject.
  
  The distinction of a Thematic exhibit is its focus on the illustrated subject of the philatelic material rather than the philatelic material per se or its use.
  
  
• Illustrated Mail Division
  Appropriate Philatelic Material
  • Advertising Covers
  • Patriotic Covers
  • Corner Cards
  • Cacheted, Illustrated, and Imprinted Covers/Cards (e.g., commemorative)
  • First Day Covers (stamps, markings, cachets, and paraphilatelic material)
  • Maximaphily (exhibit composed solely of maximum cards)
  
  The distinction of Illustrated Mail is its focus on the illustration or illustrated subject of the philatelic material, i.e., the advertising, patriotic message, or corner card or cachet subject, rather than its postal use.
  
  
• Charity / Promotion / Cinderella Division
  Appropriate Philatelic Material
  • Charity: Material which, for the purposes of indicating voluntary support for charitable cause, has been issued, or produced in the preparation for issue, used, or recognized for such purpose by a non-profit organization dedicated to such cause.
    Examples: Christmas seals, charity seals, wildlife conservation stamps.
  • Promotion: Material which, for the purposes of promoting or encouraging business or trade, or participation in special events, has been issued, or produced in the preparation for issue, used, or recognized for such purpose by private businesses, trade groups, or special events. Examples: Trading stamps, promotion/advertising stamps/labels.
  • Cinderella: Bogus and phantom issues, registration labels, etiquettes, vignettes, and labels.
  
  
• Display Division
  Appropriate Material - Primarily appropriate philatelic material of all other divisions, supplemented/supported by the inclusion of non-philatelic items (i.e., items not of the type prescribed for such division/sub-division) in the frames that do not dominate or overwhelm the philatelic aspects of the exhibit.
  
  The distinction of a Display exhibit is the liberal allowance for non-philatelic collateral items supporting the development of the subject, with the constraints that such items must be in the exhibit frames and not dominant.
  
  In Europe (and FIP), the Display Division is referred to as "Open Class." To avoid conflicting terminology and confusion, the usual and traditional use of the word "open" in the United States as referring to unrestricted entry in the exhibition is changed to "general."

National World Series of Philately exhibitions and others are free to designate the Divisions that will be accepted.  There is no mandate for the acceptance of all, or even most, Divisions at any given show. Exhibition committees will continue to have the freedom to accept or reject any exhibit(s) without explanation to the applicant.

National, WSP, exhibitions shall have only one grand award for the best exhibit in the General Class (regardless of Division).  Awards for "Best in Class / Division / Section" may be awarded at the discretion of the Exhibition Committee.