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Our web site has a number of important  updates this time.
With the help of Society Member Dan Nelson, our Books of Interest page has received a colorful and much needed update. Thanks for the cover scans Dan! If there are other books which our members think should be listed, please send them along with scans or links to cover images. Society Member Tom Herzeth from Norway is making a number of duplicates available on the CartoPhilatelic Exchange. Be sure to check out the gallery of Tom's duplicates to see if there is anything you can exchange with him. Volker Woesner has sent a scan of a review for "America on the Map" which appeared in the February 2008 issue of the German stamp magazine "Philatelie." With all of the recent reviews and comments about the Society's new publication, sales of "America on the Map" have been brisk. Get your copies now, while they last. Martin Oakes is our new Editor of the New Cartophilatelist. Now would be a good time to keep that New Year's resolution and write an article for the NCP. The 3rd Society meeting that took place during the first weekend of February at the Sarasota Show went very well. A report of the meeting will be forthcoming. Our president David Wolfersberger will be reporting later on his visit to the Festival of Map taking place in Chicago USA. Until then David has submitted a new Marginalia entry. We are looking for a list or site detailing all of the new International Polar Year (IPY) stamps. If you know of a list or web site, please send us that information. As always, we look forward to hearing from our online members. Please contact us with your comments and suggestions. -- web admin.
 Themes for the New CartoPhilatelist Journal (2008 - 2009)
Part of an author's challenge is knowing what to write about, so we have decided to adopt themes for the next several issues of the NCP and see if that will help provide our members with a bit of CartoPhilatelic inspiration! Of course this does not exclude articles on other cartophilatelic topics, which are always welcome in the NCP.
The themes for the forthcoming NCP Journals are:
- July 2008 "Up in the Air" satellites, eclipses, weather, air routes etc.
- October 2008 "Islands" Pacific, Bahamas, Indian Ocean etc.
- January 2009 "The Changing Earth", natural and human induced changes such as volcanoes, tectonic plates and political borders.
- April 2009 "Out of Africa" CartoPhilatelely related to Africa
Please email any questions or suggestions to our Editor, Martin Oakes. [now would be a perfect time to start doing some research on a forthcoming article for the NCP. Help support our Society, write an article! -- web admin]
New Items Posted to the CartoPhilatelic Exchange
 Be sure to check out the new ad in the CartoPhilatelic Exchange from fellow member Tom Herzeth. Tom is looking for a number of items missing from his collection and has posted a significant number of duplicates for which to exchange or sell. Tom has made use of Google's Picasa which could be a useful resource for fellow members to showcase items for sale, exchange or even presentation.
German Review of "America on the Map"
Fellow Society Member Volker Woesner from Germany has sent us a new review of "America on the Map" which appears in the February 2008 Issue of the German magazine "Philatelie." Its not to late to purchase your copy of "America on the Map,"
French Translation from "America on the Map" Appears in AFPT
 Society member, Pierre Moïse of France, has told us that his article, "And Meanwhile, Leonardo Was Painting the Mona Lisa…" from the Society's First Occasional Publication, "America on the Map" was translated and appeared, in the December 2007 issue of the French Topical Association's, monthly publication, Association de Française de Philatélie Thématique (AFPT). Pierre, a member of AFPT, submitted the translation of his article to the Journal has also informed us that a review of "America on the Map" also appeared in the same issue. AFPT may be contacted at: AFPT 2 rue de Berry 86170 Avanton France. [ many thanks for the great news Pierre! -- web admin.]
New Issues from Sweden, France, Romania and Ecuador
Mark Honig, our European Representative has alerted us to some relevant new map related issues released during 2007 which some of us may have missed. Described here are issues from Sweden, France, Romania and Ecuador. The French and Romania issues are mini-sheets. The November 12, 2007 issue from France entitled "Les Phares" (The Lighthouses) shows a set of six (0.54EU denomination) stamps with a background of a nautical chart, fishing vessel, compass and other navigation instruments.
The November 14, 2007 issue from Romania depicts Danubian Harbours and Ships. There are two denominated stamps on the sheet, and two additional non-denominated labels. Two non-map related stamps picturing ships were also issued with this set.
Sweden issued an Ocean Search and Rescue topical during the spring of 2007. This coil issue from March 22nd, 2007 depicts a rescue boat and nautical map in the background. Another set from Ecuador, issued on January 16, 2007 is a joined pair of 40cent stamps, along with a single $1 stamp, from a set of 9 (strip of 6, this pair, and a single). The stamps show a portrait of Sir Francis Drake and the Galapagos islands on the left stamp, while the right stamp shows a map of Golfo and the Ecuadorian coastline with a sailing ship. The $1 item shows a similar coast line motif with a portrait of William Dampier, English buccaneer, explorer and sea captain. Dampier was the first person to circumnavigate the globe three times. [ there were 3 stamps in this series with maps. thanks to Mark Honig for bringing this to our attention. -- web admin. ]
More Reviews for "America on the Map"
More reviews have come in at the first of the year for the Society's First Occasional Publication, "America on the Map."
These most recent reviews are from, The Philatelic Literature Review, Quarter 4, 2007; Stanley Gibbons, Gibbons Stamp Monthly, January 2008; The American Topical Society's Topical Time Magazine for Jan, 2008; and a very special review by Volker Woesner, of the German Cartophilatelic Society, Motivgruppe und Arbeitsgemeinschaft des VPhA im BDPh "Landkarten - Vermessung - Entdeckungsgeschichte der Erde" and who first proposed the creation of this special publication.
Submissions Deadline for TNCP #21
Our new editor, Martin Oakes, has fixed the deadline for submissions to The New CartoPhilatelist as March 3rd, 2008. The date for publication will be in early early April 2008. Please see the Journal page and the section regarding Submissions. Lets help Martin with his first issue as editor by supplying him with a large amount of new articles to work with!
Special GSM Article on Errors of Design in Map Stamps
 A new detailed article by Oliver Andrew in the January 2008 issue of Gibbons Stamp Monthly looks at a number of exciting design errors on map stamps. A full color download of the article is available on the Gibbons Stamp Monthly web site. Those of you tracking errors on maps stamps may find many new ones described in this article. Definitely worth reading.
Also, fellow member and past editor of the NCP, Dan Nelson has been working for a long time on his own search for errors on map stamps. For those of you unfamiliar with Dan's research, have a look at his exquisite and frequently updated web site, Dans Topical Stamps.
If you know of any additional design errors not mentioned in these references, please let us know.
 New Historical Map Issues from Uruguay
 Mark Honig, our European Representative and "New Issue Tracker" has submited scans of two issues from Correo Uruguayo issued during 2007. The April 12, 2007 issue (below) commemorates the centenary of the National Cadastre system.
The larger issue, a souvenir sheet (on the right) issued on July 19, 2007 was described as the 200th anniversary of "La Estrella del Sur [The Southern Star]" Newspaper and shows an historical map of Montevideo. This stamp was designed by artist Carlos Menck Freire and was inspired from the first page of the original1807 edition. The stamp represents the Montevideo’s map and its fortifications at the beginning of 19th century. The printing house of The Southern Star was established in Montevideo on May 9th,1807 with the authorization and under the protection of his Excellency Sir Samuel Auchmuty, a nobleman and Admiral in Chief of British sovereignty in South America. On May 23rd, 1807 the first issue of The Southern Star (La Estrella del Sur) newspaper was published. It was written in English and Spanish and comprised of four pages, the first page being decorated with the British Royal Coat of Arms. [ thanks to David Wolfersberger for supplying the additional translation. ]
Reviews Come In For "America on the Map"
A number of reviews from the philatelic press about "America on the Map" have been received at the Society. Thank you to all of our members who have supplied copies of the reviews.
There have been reviews in Scott Stamp Monthly, the November-December 2007 issue of "The Collectors Club Philatelist" , the December 10th issue of Linns Stamp News, the December 2007 issues of the French "L'Echo de la Timbrologie" and "Timbres". Mark Honig, the Society's European representative has sent us a review from the October 2007 issue of Filatelie from Holland. Also Volker Woesner, of the German CartoPhilatelists has told us of the coverage the stamp and the new publication has been receiving in their Journal. [ If any of our other members know of other reviews in your local stamp publications, please send us a scan or email -web admin]
A limited number of "America on the Map" were printed, so be sure to get your copy soon before supplies run out. As more reviews will be forth-coming, demand is expected to increase more after those reviews are published.
To order copies of "America on the Map" please visit or our Occasional Publications page or click the blue banner on the right.
Change of Editorship for the New CartoPhilatelist
Dan Nelson, the editor of the New CartoPhilatelist has informed the Society officers that he will be retiring in early 2008. Since 2005, Dan has helped guide the Journal to be one of the premier philatelic society Journals, garnering much praise from other societies and philatelists alike. The officers of the Society wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to Dan for his hard work and professionalism in helping provide continuing momentum to the CartoPhilatelic Society.
David Wolfersberger, Society President, has informed the officers that Martin Oakes, a long time member and cartophilatelist has agreed to become the thrid editor of the Society's Journal. Martin began stamp collecting in 1961, influenced by a co-worker who was an avid collector. Born in London, England, Martin moved to the United States in 1967 because of his job. Martin is now retired and lives in Illinois. Martin and his wife enjoy traveling, hence his interest in cartophilately. His preference is for those stamps that are geographically correct, tell a historical story, or show the technical aspects of map making. He is a member of the APS and GBCC.
[ Lets welcome Martin as the new Editor of The New CartoPhilatelist. I am confident he will maintain and improve the excellent quality of our journal as established and nurtured by Bill Critzer and Dan Nelson. -- David Wolfersberger ]
Now would be the perfect time to get to know Martin by providing plenty of content for his first issue with the submission of a new an article for the New CartoPhilatelist!
Society Meeting Scheduled for Feb 2008 in Sarasota Florida
While this meeting is still some time off, just a reminder to mark your calendars for Feb 2nd, 2008. We are in the final stages of planning a meeting at the Sarasota National Stamp Exhibition (Feb 1-3, 2008). The event is being organized by the Sarasota Philatelic Club. More information will be forthcoming in the NCP and on this web site. Plans are being finalized, so be sure to read more about this forthcoming meeting on our Events page.
Countries Mark the International Polar Year With New Stamps
The International Polar Year is a large scientific program focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009.
 A new article about the stamps of the current and past International Polar Years is available in the January 2008 issue of Topical Time, from the ATA. This four page article describes the history leading up to the founding of the collaborative scientific efforts behind the International Polar Year. A number of stamps and postal history of the previous IPYs is described in the article.
IPY, organized through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), is actually the fourth polar year, following those in 1882-3, 1932-3, and 1957-8. In order to have full and equal coverage of both the Arctic and the Antarctic, IPY 2007-8 covers two full annual cycles from March 2007 to March 2009 and will involve over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics.
To commemorate activities with the IPY, some participating nations have issued stamps, and some of them featuring maps will be of interest to our members. Shown below are a few of the IPY cartophilatelic issues. On February 12, 2007 eight countries issued stamps related to their national research projects carried out during the IPY.
Below on the left is Canada Post's issue for the IPY. The mini-sheet freatures two 52cent stamps separated with a special Maple Leaf perforation in the center. The first stamp in the sheet features a male king eider. This avian species is native to Canada, Alaska and Greenland, its migratory patterns are being studied as part of the 2007/08 IPY. The stamp on the right of the sheet shows a brilliant-red deep-sea jellyfish that was just recently discovered on a subarctic polar expedition. The jellyfish appears in actual size -about the size of your thumb. A map focusing on the north pole is situatined in the lower right of the mini-sheet.
  
Above on the right is Iceland Post's issue for the IPY. This mini-sheet also features two stamps with values of 75 ISK and 95 ISK respectively. The images on sheet depict a volcanic eruption in the Vatnajökull glacier and the Radio-Echo Sounding equipment being used to map the landscape beneath the ice-cap. In the foreground a 3 dimensional surface map is shown.
More information about various polar stamps can be found on Top of the World Stamps [ http://www.topoftheworld.nu ] a portal of joint nordic stamp issues, owned and operated jointly by the postal authorities of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Aland, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. [astute internet users will recognize the .nu TLD is for the pacific island of Niue. However, a bit of investigation shows that "nu" means "now" in Danish, Dutch and Swedish and is a very popular TLD to use for nordic web sites. -web admin]
Stamps commerating the IPY were not limited to the Arctic regions. This stunning cartophilatlic issue from Argentine Post shows the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic continent. A single $4 (ARS) triangular stamp is centered on Aregentina's Antarctic claim, which contains most of the Antarctic Penninsula and covers the area between 25° West and 74° West longitude and the from 60° South latitude extending to the South Pole. [unfortunately, I could not find very much information about this issue on the web, one forum web site, said the date of issue was June 2nd, 2007. If any of our members have more information about this issue, please contact me or any of the society officers. - web admin.]
Festival of Maps Opens in Chicago, USA
 
Beginning in November 2007, the city of Chicago will be hosting a large, multi-venue event called the Festival of Maps. The festival is a citywide collaboration of more than 30 cultural and scientific organizations unified with the theme of Exploration, Discovery, and Mapping. Through maps, globes, artworks, and artifacts, Chicago’s Festival of Maps will: celebrate mankind’s greatest discoveries; highlight advances in modern cartography as they apply to our earth and the skies above. A deatiled brochure about the Festival provides an overview of all of the events and venues. Of special note, is the expansive exhibit at the Field Museum called "Maps: Finding our Place in the World." This exhibit deals with exploration, cartography and mapping, and is considered one of the main events during the Festival.
The exhibit web site is wondefully designed and easy to navigate. An online reference of the complete works in the exhibit is also available.
[ Although this is not a specific philatelic related event, there has been a lot of interest in this and a number of Cartophilatelic Society members will be planning to visit Chicago personally to take in the festival. We thought our members may be interested to know about this event, and the number of wonderful web sites devoted to the festival. The resurgent interest in maps and a better promotion of spatial understanding is welcome. Somewhere in all of those maps and exhibits there has to be a couple of cartophilatelic items. Perhaps our members who visit the festival will provide us with a report in a forth-coming issue of the NCP. --web admin. ]
CartoPhilatelic Exchange
A new buy or trade request has been posted to the CartoPhilatelic Exchange. Please check your stock and help a fellow member by finding these items. The CartoPhilatelic Exchange is a great place for member to post your For Sale and Wanted ads. Place see the Exchange page for more information.
Complete PDF Archive of The CartoPhilatelist Ready
The entire PDF archive of the Society's original Journal, the CartoPhilatelist is now complete. Details on how to get your copy are in the April 2006 (No. 13) issue of the NCP. This all-digital archive provides a wealth of research material about cartophilately and the founding and growth of our Society. More information will be forthcoming on the web-site.
Marginelia Article:
The Marginalia page has received a new article courtesy of David Wolfersberger. We are looking for more content for our web site. Please consider to write an article or even put together some pictures and a wirte up of an exhibit you may have given, or some images from a group of stamps which are of special interest to you. Send your submissions to the web site administrator.
Previous Items Of Note...
The Society publishes a quarterly journal, The New CartoPhilatelist, which is free to all members. The first issue was published in April 2003.
Be sure to check out the Maps on Stamps Checklist, and CP Index, two ongoing projects of the Society.
New members are always welcome.
We are affiliated with the American Philatelic Society and the American Topical Association
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