NORWALK STAMP CLUB COMMEMORATES WORLD WAR ONE CENTENNIAL, HONORS NORWALK HERO AT SHOW ON MARCH 8

NORWALK, Conn. -- Stamp collectors throughout southwestern Connecticut and dealers from across the northeastern United States will gather in Norwalk on Saturday, March 8 as the Norwalk Stamp Club commemorates the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War with a special cachet and cancellation at its annual Stamp Show at the Norwalk Senior Center, 11 Allen Road.

Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, a U.S. Navy veteran, will arrive about 11 a.m. and receive the first official commemorative envelope before touring the exhibits and meeting collectors.

The souvenir envelope created by nationally prominent stamp and First Day Cover designer Chris Calle honors a Norwalk hero from that war. Army Lieutenant Frank C. Godfrey was killed on Aug. 30, 1918, as he led an assault on German machine gun nests in northeast France. American Legion Post 12 in Norwalk is named for him. Calle will be on hand to autograph copies of this year’s show cover. His postal stamp designs include such popular works as the 25th Anniversary of the Moon Landing and Connecticut Statehood.

The Norwalk Philatelic Exhibition (NORPEX) is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A special booth will cater to young people and beginners.

The U.S. Postal Service will be on hand with many unusual philatelic items, as well as to offer current commemorative stamps.

          As many as 20 stamp dealers with a world-wide inventory of more than 750,000 stamps and other philatelic material will set up booths to serve the needs of collectors, said John Leskovsky, the club’s president.  The dealers will offer a wide variety of postal collectibles from world-class dealers, including U.S. and world-wide stamps, first day covers, topical and collateral material for beginners to advanced collectors, as well as supplies needed by the collectors. Dealers and club members will be on hand to evaluate collections brought in by the public.