Society Meetings

Washington 2006 Retrospective

by Daniel A. Piazza

The first general membership meeting of the Vatican Philatelic Society since BALPEX 2003 was held on May 27, the opening day of the Washington 2006 international philatelic exhibition. 

Approximately 20 people convened at 2:00 p.m. in Room 158A of the D.C. Convention Center and heard president Greg Pirozzi report on the state of the society and the slate of officers and propositions for the July 1 election. Of particular interest was the announcement that a new printer, Zander Press of Wisconsin, has been selected for Vatican Notes and that color will be introduced over the next eighteen months, a prospect that pleased the members in attendance. 

Discussion then turned to the future of Vatican Notes in general. There was general consensus that content has been lacking and that Roman States and postal history had come to dominate recent volumes of the journal despite the fact that most members collect Vatican stamps. The editorial staff was encouraged to make a concerted effort to see that Vatican stamps — including topicals — are better represented in future editions. The quality of images has also been poor and must be addressed.

The meeting adjourned and was followed by Greg Pirozzi’s lively and entertaining presentation on “The Holy See and Communications During World War II.”

Outside of the meeting, VPS activities at W2006 centered on the Society’s booth, #2550, shared with the Society of Israel Philatelists. It was manned by members throughout the week; hundreds of showgoers visited and took Society literature and membership applications. Many members also visited the Vatican post office at booth #1933.

Roman States collectors who attended the show had the opportunity to visit three outstanding exhibits: "Roman States" by Dr. Saverio Imperato in the FIP Championship class; "Letter Mail from the Roman States to Foreign Destinations, 1852-1870" by Thomas Matha in the European Postal History class; and “Forgeries of the Roman States 1 Scudo” by Sergio Sismondo in the Single Frame class.

Also of interest to Vatican collectors was an illustrated lecture titled "Pope John Paul II Postage Stamps of the World," presented on May 30th by Arkadiusz Walinski, Vice President of COROS. 

Click here to see photographs of Society participation in Washington 2006. 

Reprinted from the November-December 2006 issue of Vatican Notes.