No Black Blots!
The International Churchill Society was founded because Richard M. Langworth did not want to buy phony stamps.
Following the death of Sir Winston Churchill in January 1965, a rash of commemorative stamps was produced in his memory. The major issuers were the quasi-autonomous Arab sheikdoms Ajman, Fujiera, and Sharjah, which printed countless different designs, called “black blots” by philatelists, that were always intended to bilk collectors rather than to frank envelopes. Each design deliberately included many variants so as to entice those obsessed with having “complete” collections.
The American Topical Association, the presiding US authority on thematic stamps, appeared indifferent to this obvious charlatanism. After contacting other members of the ATA who had expressed an interest in Churchill, Langworth organized the Winston S. Churchill Study Unit (WSCSU) for the purpose of identifying and distinguishing between legitimately issued stamps and black blots.
Finest Hour began as a bi-monthly newsletter for the WSCSU. Dated “May-June 1968,” the first issue ran to seven, mimeographed pages including a three-page checklist of stamps. Annual dues were $2.
In the early issues, most of the articles focused on stamp collecting and included prodigious warnings about those ubiquitous black blots. There was, however, an early movement to publish more generalized information about Churchill. Crucially, the organization reached out to establish a link with the Churchill family from the very beginning. Comments from Randolph Churchill were published in the first issue, and he was made Honorary Member Number One before his untimely death. His mother Clementine and son Winston became Honorary Members Two and Three respectively.
The International Churchill Society
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