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The London Philatelist

From the Editor.
Towards a (Virtual)New Normal.

Tony Bard FRPSL

he term ‘new normal,’ according to one Roger McNamee, is defined as ‘a time of substantial
Tpossibilities if you are willing to play by the new rules for the long term. In the new normal it
is more important to do things right than to succumb to the tyranny of urgency.’ Well, prior to my
taking on the role of Editor of this venerable publication, nobody (particularly my wife!) had ever
accused me of succumbing to anything remotely like urgency. Now, however, I am a (willing) slave
to deadlines! As I complete my seventh LP, the sensation of panic, that characterised my first four
or five attempts, have ever so gradually reduced. I now approach the almost monthly task with an
outlook that could be described as one of positivity, as I open the first blank page on my laptop each
month. So in a year’s time, or two or three, what will my ‘normal’ approach be like then? Watch
this space! The same could be said about the changing world of philately. Do you remember what
passed for normal less than six months ago? It seems like the distant past, rooted as it was in the
longstanding ways that we indulged our hobby - we could be as sociable as we liked, visit local stamp
shows, society meetings, the occasional much-awaited International, all of this enhanced by email
contact with fellow collectors anywhere and everywhere. Then came the seismic shock in mid-
March which threatened to eradicate everything (almost) that we had taken for granted for so long.
The first version of the new normal came with the unprecedented (for most of us) realisation
that philately was the perfect antidote to lockdown. Even better, there was genuinely very little
resistance from our nearest and dearest to us hunkering down to spend hours on what we all love
doing best. Definitely new normal mark one. Then came the advent of webinars, Zoom meetings
and the like, where we could fill our own little rectangle on the screen and marvel at the range of
different backgrounds that decorated fellow attendees’ own rectangles - their studies, living rooms,
gardens, etc. We could, over time, fleetingly meet various members of their family, their pets, admire
the diversity of their sweater collections, be intrigued by ‘noises off’ and admire their hair growth!
New normal mark two. Fast-forward a few weeks and we find another element has entered our lives
- the virtual exhibition. Now we can show the world what we have been up to during lockdown, by
entering our virtual exhibits and even possibly winning a virtual award from the virtual judges for
our efforts. New normal mark three, soon to be enhanced by a virtual Stampex with dealers (virtual
of course) in virtual attendance! What next?
Well... there are signs that the ‘old normal’ may be nudging its way back into our new philatelic
world. Look at the Gazette this month. From the sparse content of a few months back, we have in
this issue something approaching the level of content last seen in February. There is a full programme
for our new Season, now bolstered by online displays. Covid permitting, your philatelic diary could
be the fullest it has ever been. In addition to meeting non-virtual members at Abchurch Lane or in
your Region, you could attend online presentations from different societies at breakfast, lunch,
dinner or in the middle of the night if you so desire. New normal mark four! Long may it continue.
One constant throughout is the LP; although it may arrive with less of a ‘thump’ than the July-August
edition, this issue is still packed with great reads. We conclude BoŠtjan Petauer’s ‘Chainbreakers’
study and begin Keith Klugman’s three-part of the use of the embossed stamps of Natal. Another
multi-part contribution begins with Richard Scott Morel’s research on the history of the Tapling
Collection, while Jim Taylor notches up another fascinating addition to St. Pierre et Miquelon’s
postal history, a territory whose philatelic specialists’ output is in hugely inverse proportion to its
actual size! David Beech recalls the Williams Brothers and we have a full (virtual) post bag of Letters
to the Editor. Enjoy!

129 – 314 September 2020