At a meeting held in the back room of a coffee shop
on First Avenue in New York City on an autumn day in 1940, the Society's
membership decided to initiate a Sales and Exchange Department.
There is nothing mysterious or complicated about the Society's Sales
Circuit. Originally a sales and exchange; it is now only a sales circuit.
Only philatelic material of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, The Czech Republic,
Eastern Silesia, Silesia, Carpatho-Ukraine and Bohemia-Moravia is accepted.
Since early Czechoslovakian postal history includes combined frankings
and different town cancels, this material is also permitted. It accepts
stamps, miniature sheets, covers, postal history and stampless covers
from the above mentioned areas. Any of these may contain special cancellations,
plate numbers, errors and varieties as listed in specialized catalogs.
With the exception of covers and postal stationary, all material submitted
must be mounted in the Society's approval books each of which has ten
pages of 5 x 8 inches in size and holds 120 stamps. They are available
from the Circuit
Manager (CM) at $1.00 each; post-paid. Covers and postal stationary
may be submitted un-mounted, but each cover or card must have the sales
price written in pencil in the lower right-hand corner. A list must be
generated by the owners, identifying each cover in some small way, and
then including this typed list with the lot when it is sent out to the
sales circuit.
A suggested format would be something like:
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Austrian field post
card, 8 Jul. 17 |
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Slovak cover, 14
Aug. 42 Nitra |
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Czech cover, 9 Mar.
47 Brno |
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The CM then batches them and inserts them into a pouch
with a similar front and rear cover information. This lot is then combined
with other philatelic material for sale on a circuit.
When a "seller" or "owner" applies for and receives
his approval books, he fills them with his stamps, prices each item
in the spaces provided, totals the value of each book's contents at
the end and returns the books to the CM. The CM then sorts the newly
received books into groups on not less than six and not more than ten
and begins circulating them among those members who have applied for
the service. They are the "buyers"
or "purchasers". Thus a so-called "Circuit"
may be defined as a grouping of six to ten circuit approval books submitted
by owners which travel by mail from buyer to buyer according to a Routing
List accompanying each grouping. Only Society members in good standing
may participate in our sales circuit and only if they apply as a purchaser
or owner or both. Those who apply as purchasers and wish to receive
groups of approval books are placed on a mailing list by the CM and
have a different spot on each routing. This is done to prevent the
same member from having poor material selection opportunities by constantly
being near the bottom of the list. Purchasers are required to pay $2.25
into the insurance fund for each circuit they receive, whether they
bought anything or not. This supplements the insurance purchased through
our independent insurance provider and assures full coverage.
After a circuit is retired, the CM totals the sales and returns the
books to the owners. They receive a check for their sales less 15%
commission if the owner is a member, 20% if a non-member and 1% of
the gross value of the book for insurance and cost of return postage.
On the buyers end of the process, a check from the buyer (payable to
the CM) for purchases
made is sent to the CM as soon as the buyer mails the books on to the
next person on the routing sheet.
The department estimates handling on the average of twenty circuits
a year or approximately one every 18 days, naturally depending on the
amount of material submitted. These circuits help form the lifeline
of our Society. Ever since its inception in 1941, the Department has
been a constant supplier of funds and has aided immeasurably in maintaining
the solvency of our Society's treasury. Even during the war years there
was no interruption of service. By making purchases from these circuit
books, members not only serve their own philatelic needs, but also
give financial support to their Society.
The following are the rules and regulations governing
the use of circuits:
- Stamps must be mounted in the Society's sales books which can
be obtained from the CM for
$1.00 each. Only good peelable hinges or non-destructive mounts
are to be used. Un-used spaces are to be blocked out to prevent
mistaken blank spaces. Covers may be supplied in a 6 1/2" x
9 1/2 " clasp envelope but each item must have the sales
price marked in pencil on the front lower right corner.
- The Society takes no responsibility for the quality or genuineness
of the stamps and materials offered.
- Scott's current catalog numbers are to be used. If you use
any other specialized catalog, you must identify it and it must
be in the current year catalog. Enter in the proper spaces the
catalog number, catalog value and the NET price at which you
want to sell. Total net value of a book may not exceed $800.00.
- All books must remain in the Sales Department for at least
one circuit routing.
- After the books are retired from the circuit, they will be
checked and the proceeds less charges will be paid to the owners.
Charges include 15% for the service for members, 20% for non-members,
return postage on the books, money order fee for payment of proceeds
(if any) and 1% of the total original value of each book for
the insurance fund (or $2.25 which ever is greater).
- Upon obtaining a mailing of circuit books, a buyer must first
check the number of books received and their contents. If one
finds any empty unmarked spaces, they must notify the sender
of the circuit as well as the CM.
In each such space, the buyer should write "Found Empty"
and include your name and membership number. The prices of those
stamps will then be charged to the member who had the books before
them. Do not hold up the circuit for this process.
- A buyer must sign (use a felt-tip pen or a rubber stamp so
not to "emboss" the stamps on the next page) every
space from which he or she removes a stamp and place their membership
number there. The buyer must mark the Report
Sheet and the back of the book with the total amount removed
from that book.
- DO NOT HOLD BOOKS FOR MORE THAN FOURTEEN DAYS. A fee of 50
cents per day will be assessed for holding of a circuit beyond
the 14 days. After removing what material you want, send the
books by CERTIFIED; FIRST CLASS mail to the next
member whose name appears on the Routing
List accompanying each circuit. Try to use postage stamps
when forwarding the circuit, the next member appreciates receiving
used US stamps also. At the same time, send the filled out the Report Sheet and the amount due (there will
always be an amount due) to the CM.
- Switching of stamps, or substituting poor copies for better
ones is stealing and will be dealt with as the offense warrants.
- Each member is responsible for the full amount of the circuit
as long as it is in their possession and until they receive
the certified receipt from their post office or, if delivered
personally, until they receive a receipt from the next member.
Members should save all postal receipts for at least six months
in case of a loss in the US Postal system. The $2.25 insurance
fee on the Report Sheet must
still be paid even if the circuit is properly hand delivered
to the next mailing list recipient.
- Minimum value per circuit booklet accepted is $40.00.
- Checks or money orders must be made payable and sent to: H.
Alan Hoover, 6070 Poplar Spring Drive, Norcross GA 30092-1383.
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