Welcome to the Mid-Cities Stamp Club Website, where our goal is to provide an interesting site, make available useful information for club members, and promote the hobby of stamp collecting. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us.

The The Mid-Cities Stamp Club, now in its 43rd year, is one of the largest and most active local stamp clubs in Texas. MCSC counted 107 members as of December 7, 2017. The club hosts two meetings a month (one in Arlington, one in Euless) in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We also have an affiliate club in Granbury, TX., which meets once a month. More.

MCSC EXPO 2018

Grapevine TX

NOV 9-10    More.

MCSC MEETINGS

ARLINGTON - AUG 1

See Sept 5 meeting info in next column.

The next Arlington meeting for 2018 will be held on August 1. The program for this meeting will be a Club Auction, preceded by a short talk by Gene Pfretzschner on a topic to bedetermined.

This meeting will be held at the Bob Duncan Community Center in Arlington. The street address is 2800 South Center Street, in Vandergriff Park (MAPSCO 97A). The regular meeting begins at 7:00 pm (note new start time for 2018); however the room may be accessible earlier.

NOTE: MEET'N'EAT is at Jay Jay Café, 1001 S Bowen, Arlington, TX 76013, 817-861-1060. http://www.yelp.com/biz/jay-jay-cafe-nbr-2-arlington . The group will gather between 5:00 and 5:30 PM, and finish around 6:45 PM.

See Sept 5 meeting info in next column.

EULESS MEETING - AUG 15

See September 19 meeting info in next column.

The next Euless (formerly Irving) meeting for 2018 will be held on September 19. The program is to be determined. APS sales books will be available at this meeting.

This meeting will be held at Central Station Marketing, 12750 S. Pipeline Road, Suite #1C, Euless, TX 76040. The meeting room is under a striped awning toward the back of the Dalworth Rug Cleaning building. Look for Dalworth Cleaning sign along the road. The entrance is off South Pipeline Rd. This section of Pipeline is between Highway 157 (Industrial Blvd) and Euless South Main Street. Be aware that street addresses are "irregular" in this area of South Pipeline Rd. Nearby addresses are in the 400 and 600 ranges. Make sure you are not on West Pipeline Rd. Meeting begins at 7:30 pm. The room will be available from around 7 pm.

MEET N' EAT is at On the Border, 2500 Airport Frwy., Bedford, TX 76022-6025, 817-438-4560. The group will gather between 5-530pm, and finish by 645pm.

See September 19 meeting info in next column.

GRANBURY MEETING - JUL 24

See Aug 28 meeting info in next column.

The next Granbury meeting for 2018 will be held on Jul 24. The program is to be presented by MCSC member Gary McNamee, on Album General. Bring something for SHOW & TELL. Also, bring any philatelic literature you may be willing to share with other members. Denny Ludlow is looking for auction lot #69 (US Face $58) from the June auction. If you find it, please return to Denny. MEET'N'EAT will be at Willie & Dicks Grill @ 424 Fall Creek Hwy at 5pm. To reach the eating location: from FW turn left at the 1st traffic light coming toward Granbury onto RT. 167 toward Acton, then go about 1/4 mile, restaurant on the right; Coming from Granbury go to last traffic light leaving Granbury past the car dealerships, turn right at RT. 167 toward Acton, then go about 1/4 mile, restaurant on the right;. This meeting will be held at the Bentwater Activities Center, 1800 W Emerald Ct, Granbury TX, adjacent to the Bentwater Marina northeast of Granbury. The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm.

Directions to Bentwater Activities Center .

View the Remaining Granbury 2018 Program Schedule as a WORD document, or as a PDF file.

See Aug 28 meeting info in next column.

VISITORS WELCOME

MCSC MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY

MCSC Secretary Ben Termini advises that the latest club membership directory is now available. A copy has been emailed to each member. We are not making the directory available online, but you can email Ben with any updates you may have.

MEET'N'EAT

ARLINGTON - AUG 1

Jay Jay Café
1001 S Bowen
Arlington, TX 76013
817-861-1060.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jay-jay-cafe-nbr-2-arlington .

EULESS - AUG 15

On the Border
2500 Airport Fwy.
Bedford, TX 76022-6025
817-438-4560.

2018 - More details.

NEXT (SEPT 5) ARLINGTON MEETING

The next Arlington meeting for 2018 will be held on September 5. The program for this meeting will be a presentation by MCSC President Ray Cartier, on The French Navigator and Explorer - Jacques Cartier. As a reminder, Club Officers will be voted on in October. Please consider serving as an officer of the club. October is also the time for our Annual Picnic. APS sales books will be available.

This meeting will be held at the Bob Duncan Community Center in Arlington. The street address is 2800 South Center Street, in Vandergriff Park (MAPSCO 97A). The regular meeting begins at 7:00 pm (note new start time for 2018); however the room may be accessible earlier.

NOTE: MEET'N'EAT is at China Harbor Super Buffet, 3512 South Cooper Street in Arlington (817-466-3888), (1 block north of Spring Creek BBQ on west side of Cooper St.). NOTE: The group will gather at 4:30pm due to a BOARD MEETING at 6 PM. The Board meeting will take place at the usual club meeting location.

NEXT (SEP 19) EULESS MEETING

The next Euless (formerly Irving) meeting for 2018 will be held on September 19. The program is to be determined, but members should bring items for a Show and Tell session, as that may be the actual program. APS sales books will be available at this meeting.

This meeting will be held at Central Station Marketing, 12750 S. Pipeline Road, Suite #1C, Euless, TX 76040. The meeting room is under a striped awning toward the back of the Dalworth Rug Cleaning building. Look for Dalworth Cleaning sign along the road. The entrance is off South Pipeline Rd. This section of Pipeline is between Highway 157 (Industrial Blvd) and Euless South Main Street. Be aware that street addresses are "irregular" in this area of South Pipeline Rd. Nearby addresses are in the 400 and 600 ranges. Make sure you are not on West Pipeline Rd. Meeting begins at 7:30 pm. The room will be available from around 7 pm.

MEET N' EAT is at Pizza Garden, 217 Harwood Road, Bedford. Phone (817) 281-7627. The group will gather between 5-530pm, and finish by 645pm.

NEXT (AUG 28) GRANBURY MEETING

The next Granbury meeting for 2018 will be held on Aug 28. The program is to be presented by MCSC Director Alliene Franklin, on War Ration Books & Stamps. Denny Ludlow is looking for auction lot #69 (US Face $58) from the June auction. If you find it, please return to Denny. Meet'N'Eat will be at Grumps, 3503 E. Highway 377, Granbury, 76049, at 5pm. This meeting will be held at the Bentwater Activities Center, 1800 W Emerald Ct, Granbury TX, adjacent to the Bentwater Marina northeast of Granbury. The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm.

Directions to Bentwater Activities Center .

View the Remaining Granbury 2018 Program Schedule as a WORD document, or as a PDF file.

DUCK STAMP ART CONTEST SEP 14-15

Dealer Bob Dumaine (Sam Houston Duck Co.) advises us of a Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest Sept 14-15. Includes live streaming and viewer participation.

NYT OP-ED on STAMP COLLECTING

TSDA dealer Jonathan Topper has forwarded us a link to a New York Times op-ed that highlights, unfortunately, the decline of stamp collecting in this country.

MCSC HISTORY

MCSC President Ray Cartier has put together an interesting writeup detailing the history of the Mid-Cities Stamp Club. The document can be accessed here as a PDF file.

QUICK INFO LINKS

Meet'N'Eat 2018
            dates and locations
Newsletter
            full-graphics vers.
Stamp Show
            EXPO 2018 Info

BOD & EXPO MTGS

BOD 01-13-2018
              notice
EXPO 05-20-2017
              notice

MINUTES OF MTGS

None available.

TSDA STAMP SHOWS

The Texas Stamp Dealers Association (TSDA) sponsors a series of stamp shows in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

NEXT SHOW

Dallas - Dec 7-8
Richardson Civic Center

Houston - Nov 2-3
Crowne Plaza Hotel >>>Same Location as 2017

San Antonio - Oct 13-14
Norris Conference Center
across San Pedro from NorthStar Mall

For more show information (addresses, hours, maps, etc.).

NEW TSDA Website

TSDA Schedule of 2017-2018 Stamp Shows

OTHER SHOWS

Greater Houston Stamp Show
Sep 21: 10a-6p
Sep 22: 10a-6p
Sep 23: 10a-4p
Humble City Civic Center
8233 Will Clayton Pkwy.
Humble, TX 77338

Mid-Cities EXPO 2018
Nov. 9: 10a-5p
Nov. 10: 9a-4p
Grapevine Convention Center
Grapevine, TX
Sponsored by Mid-Cities Stamp Club

CHRISTMAS FEATURED IN NEW TPA PUBLICATION

MCSC Director Stanley Christmas contributed a headline article for the Feb 2018 edition of the new TPA publication Journal of Texas Philately and Postal History. Christmas's article Building a Single-Stamp Exhibit with the 1938 4 1/2c Prexy Issue chronicles his 8 year oddyssey, from early collecting and exhibiting experiences through his recent gold medal award at an APS World Series of Philately show.

US STAMPS - SPECIALIST LIST

John Hotchner has made available lists of US Stamps and corresponding specialists in that particular stamp. The lists are divided between Definitives and Commemoratives. Hotchner advises that the lists are updated monthly. We will attempt to post the latest available information (the lists below are current as of January 5, 2018). MCSC Newsletter Editor Peter Elias is listed as a contact for Computer Printed Postal Labels. Also, club Director Stanley Christmas is listed as a contact for the 4 1/2c Prexy issue.
View the Definitive list as a PDF .
View the Commemorative list as a PDF .

JOIN MID-CITIES STAMP CLUB

Would you like to join the Mid-Cities Stamp Club ? Download our Membership Form as a PDF file, fill out, and send to the address indicated on the form. Print using Landscape orientation.

EXPO 2017 DEALERS

The EXPO 2017 Dealer List is being made available until the new (2018) list is published. Most of the dealers on this list will be returning.

EXPO 2018
QUICK INFO LINKS

Items Currently Available:

President's Letter    
Advance Flyer    
Official EXPO 2018 Hotel    
Exhibits (Gen. Info)    
EXPO 2018 Prospectus    
Dealer List   
Giant Mixture Pick      
Beginning Collectors Center
Chance Board      
Silent Auction News      
MCSC 2018 Officers     
Info for EXPO Dealers   

APS SURVEY

Houston TSDA dealer Jonathan Topper has forwarded a survey on stamp collectors, the APS, and stamp shows. The document is 129 pages, but easy to read. The survey involved 3,000 APS members and 800 non-members, a fairly large sample for the stamp collecting population.

A new book, by H.K.Petschel, on The Rondout Train Robbery, is available as an Amazon e-book ($7.00). Rondout was the largest robbery in US history and might be of interest to those studying in postal history, the inspection service, or the railway mail service. Mr. Petschel is a former US Postal Inspector, and has written books about counterfeit stamps.

2017-18 MID-CITIES STAMP CLUB
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

Ray Cartier - pres
Ray Moyer - 1vp
Richard Hildebrandt - 2vp
Benedict Termini - sec
Judy Christmas - trea
Mike Smith - ipp
Alliene Franklin - v/dir
Ralph Poore - v/dir
Ken Wills - v/dir
Stanley Christmas - nv/dir
Peter Elias - nv/dir
Jeff Jessup - nv/dir
Bob Weidman - nv/dir