Memphis Stamp Collectors Society

As announced at our February meeting, MSCS received a
donation with a mix of stamps including several with high
catalog values. The club has obtained APEX certificates
for some of these stamps.

In accordance with club auction rules, MSCS will auction 

the stamps as Club Lots at regularly scheduled meetings  

for attending members and guests beginning with our March 2023 meeting.  Meetings are the 1st Thursday of the month, at St Luke's United Methodist Church, 480 S Highland St, Memphis, Tennessee 38111.  Socializing begins at 6:00PM, and the business meeting begins at 7PM.

"In January 1994 the Postal Service announced it was creating a set of 20 stamps titled “Legends of the West,” featuring “broadly defined, American-themed subjects.” Sixteen of the 20 stamps honored people associated with the exploration, settlement and development of the American West.

One of the people to be featured was black rodeo star Bill Pickett. The remaining four stamps, located at the corners of the sheet, featured conceptual designs: Home on the 

Range, Native American Culture, Western Wildlife, and Overland Mail....The stamp featured the wrong man!  That was the first mistake."  

Family complaints to the Postmaster led to order to recall and destroy the error sheets.

"Before the recall, 186 error sheets were sold by postal workers - Before the official 'first day of issue'.   This was the second mistake.  

Several weeks later the U.S. Postal Service announced that 150,000 error sheets would be sold at face value by means of a mail order lottery.   

This unprecedented move was made with the permission of Frank Phillips, Jr., so the Post Office could recover its 

printing cost and not lose money. Sales were limited to one per household. The remaining stamps were destroyed.

The Legends of the West error was one of the biggest stamp stories in years. "  

Story is by Mystic Stamp Company, please see them for additional details.

Stamp Sheets from Ron Williams, MSCS Member