FORTHCOMING MEETING 14TH DECEMBER
We will be holding an informal three sheet competition at our next meeting on Thursday 14th December and will be judged by members attending.
All members are encouraged to submit and entry for this, even if they have not considered doing so before.
There will be no restrictions on the entry subject matter. The entries must however be three pages only.
Voting will be carried out by members present against three criteria only. These are the visual appearance of the entry, the quality of the material displayed and the information provided in the write up of the entry.
Competition results for our last year’s 2022/2023 programme
The main club competition took place on 13th April and the exhibits were of a high standard. The competition was judged by members present and the results are listed below:
Postal History Mark Ladd
Stamps Class Jim Drummond
Thematic Tim Harrison
Open Class Gordon Jeffreys
Postcards Chris Marsh
Novice Steve Newman
An informal three sheet competition will be held at our next December meeting. Further details to follow.
Rules for Society’s Annual Competitions
These rules shall apply for all competitions run by the Amersham and District Philatelic Society and will be effective for all competitions from 1 April 2022.
Classes and Frames
The competitions run by the Society shall comprise the following FIP (Federation Internationale de Philatelie) recognised classes:
- Traditional Philately;
- Postal history;
- Thematics;
- An Open class (that covers revenue, aerophilately or postage stationery classifications or Cinderella or ephemera items and allows up to 50% non-philatelic material);
- Postcards;
- A novice competition for entries of any philatelic class; and
- A three sheet competition of entries from any of the first three classes.
General Regulations
- Entry is open to all members with a limit of one entry per member per class;
- All classes shall be of 9 sheets, except the specific 3 sheet competition;
- Exhibits must be bona fide property of the exhibitor and compiled by them;
- Exhibits must consist of original material, with electronic reproductions and facsimiles as cameos to augment the write up of the exhibit;
- Neither the name of the entrant nor any indication of the value of the contents should appear on the entry;
- Each entry shall have an introductory page with a plan of the exhibit as the first sheet. This plan should show how the exhibit has been laid out, what it includes and how the subject has developed. The exhibit itself should have a beginning, middle and end. This rule applies to all classes except the three sheet competition;
- The entrant must identify the display sequence number on the reverse of the sheets;
- Entries should be enclosed in a protective cover and on sheets no more than 295mm long and 245 wide;
- Substantial material from winning exhibits may not be entered in the same category for the following three years;
- Entries for the Novice prize can be any of the three recognised classes but eligibility is restricted to members who have not previously won a major award in any former competition of the Society.
Judging and Marks for Evaluation
Judging in most years will be carried out by members of the Society present at the meeting. Judging of entries should, in principle, be based on the ABPS allocation of marks for the respective classes as set out below.
Traditional and Postal History Classes
| Treatment | 20 | and importance | 10 | = 30 marks |
| Knowledge | 20 | and research/personal study | 15 | = 35 marks |
| Condition | 10 | and rarity | 10 | = 20 marks |
| Presentation | 15 | = 15 marks | ||
| Total Marks | = 100 marks |
Thematic Philately
| Treatment: Title and plan | 15 | Development | 15 | Innovation | 5 | = 35 marks |
| Knowledge: philatelic | 15 | Philatelic | 15 | = 30 marks | ||
| Condition | 10 | and rarity | 10 | = 20 marks | ||
| Presentation | 15 | = 15 marks | ||||
| Total Marks | = 100 marks |
Open Class
| Treatment | 20 | and title and plan | 10 | = 30 marks |
| Knowledge: philatelic | 20 | Thematic | 15 | = 35 marks |
| Condition | 10 | and rarity | 10 | = 20 marks |
| Presentation | 15 | = 15 marks | ||
| Total Marks | = 100 marks |
Postcards
| Ideas and plan | 10 | Treatment | 20 | = 30 marks |
| Knowledge/research | 20 | Thematic | 15 | = 35 marks |
| Condition | 10 | and rarity | 10 | = 20 marks |
| Presentation | 15 | = 15 marks | ||
| Total Marks | = 100 marks |
For the open class the title and plan should explain the philatelic nature of the exhibit, (ie whether it is a revenue, Cinderella, social, etc exhibit)
The 3 sheet competition shall be marked according to the nature of the type of entry.
The judge’s decision shall be final and there will be no appeal. If the judges consider an exhibit is better allocated to another class, they have the right to reallocate it.
Awards
The winners of each class shall be awarded a trophy to be retained for one year and must be returned at the end of that year. The trophies, which remain the property of the Society are:
| Class | Trophy |
| Traditional | Chiltern Cup |
| Postal History | Greenhill Trophy |
| Thematic | Bridger Cup |
| Open | Derek Chandler Trophy |
| Novice | Chubb Bowl |
| Postcards | Taylor Trophy |
| Three Sheet | Ruby Trophy |
The first three places will receive Certificates of merit and a financial award.
NOTES TO ENTRANTS TO COMPETITIONS
These notes have been prepared to assist exhibitors to prepare exhibits so as to focus on how and what Judges should/would look for in considering entries.
They have been divided between the key areas where marks would be allocated.
Treatment
The subject of the entry should be carefully chosen so it is appropriate to the class entered.
An introduction sheet that sets out how the entry has been laid out, is now essential. This should cover what the entry includes and how the subject is developed. The entry should have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
In this way, the sheet should ensure that a reader or a judge who may be unfamiliar with the subject, can understand what is being displayed.
Philatelic Knowledge & Personal Study of the Exhibitor
The entry should demonstrate a full and accurate appreciation of the subject, including some detailed information thereon, add some new information and show overall that the entrant is demonstrating a knowledge of the subject.
Originality and Philatelic Importance of the Subject
The philatelic relevance of the subject should be clearly demonstrated in the exhibit, even if the philatelic content is limited.
The originality of approach to a subject, especially the open class, is important.
Relative Condition and Rarity
The condition of the material being exhibited is really important. Age and rarity may be taken into account.
Generally, on the Presentation, Write up and Arrangement
The positioning of material relative to sheet and frame level is important to make the presentation attractive.
Entries can be on album pages or sheets of relevant-sized paper.
The write-up must be legible and can be of any means – hand, printed/typewritten (with spelling vita) and the entries must be securely mounted. Arrows are useful to indicate a specific point, error etc
Postal history exhibits may need a map to explain a route taken. All pages should be numbered on the back to facilitate displaying in the correct order.