The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has announced three recipients of the 2008 Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Awards  — W. Wallace Cleland, Bernard A. Hennig Sr. and Gordon Morison.  Wallace Cleland and Gordon Morison are longtime USSS members.

The Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award celebrates outstanding lifetime accomplishments in the field of philately, including original research that significantly advances the understanding of philately and postal history; exceptional service to the philatelic community; and the overall promotion of philately for the benefit of current and future collectors. The honorees were selected by the National Postal Museum Council of Philatelists, a 29-member body of American and international philatelists, from open nominations submitted this past year.

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The United States Stamp Society released the new 2008 Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog at the Society’s Annual Meeting at NOJEX May 23, 2008.

The 2008 Durland edition is the eighth produced by the USSS and its publication celebrates the 58th Anniversary of the introduction of the Standard Plate Number Catalog.  The Sterling Stamp Co. published the first Plate Number Catalog, Vol. 1, in 1950 and in successive years through 1981.  Clarence B. Durland himself initially edited the catalog with William Patten editing the later editions.  In 1984, under the leadership of the late George Godin, the BIA began editing, publishing and expanding the coverage of stamps.  The Society produced subsequent editions in 1986, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2005.  The new 2008 edition has been reformatted and digitized by Len Piszkiewicz and is edited by Wallace Cleland.

The new Durland is unlike any previous edition.  In addition to an all-color presentation, we have changed the traditional two-column 6” x 9” format to a three-column 8½” x 11” format that is available both perfect and spiral-bound.  The larger size will make the catalog easier to handle as the numbers of postage stamp and back of the book listings continue to grow.

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The following errors in the new 2008 Durland catalog were discovered after it had gone to press.  Please correct your copies.

On p. 236, Marvel Comics should be #4159, not #4157.  Also, the following were inadvertently omitted:

Except for the plate numbers, the major difference between the two versions of the Patriotic Banner Coil is in the die cuts (rounded corners perf 11 for #4157 and peaks perf 12 for #4158).