Tip Index to The Path to Gold: 175 Proven Stamp Exhibiting Tips - by Steven Zwillinger

Download as a PDF.

Chapter 1 - Creating Your Exhibit
Tip #	Title	Page
1	Enjoy yourself	2
2	You can put descriptions above the stamps as well as below	2
3	Tell a story!	2
4	Plan your exhibit template and write it down	3
5	The most important pages of your exhibit are not mounted in the frames	4
6	Don't unduly limit font size for headings	8
7	Learn from sale auction catalogs	9
8	If you are considering a thematic exhibit, consult Wikipedia	10
9	Try to answer the question 'How much is too much?'	10
10	Just because you can create an exhibit, doesn't mean you should	12
11	Consider carefully if you want to exhibit unattractive items	13
12	Use "bookends" for an exhibit: start with a clear beginning and end with a strong closing	14
13	Distinguish between text on exhibit pages that serve different purposes	15
14	Don't neglect your title page	16
15	Consider what an exhibit can cost	16
16	Consider to what extent can you get help with your exhibit?	18
17	Make a Plan	20
18	Know your Exhibiting Goals	22
19	Laying out Exhibits: Make the exhibit pages come out the way you want them to	24
20	Know when it is time to let go and stop working on an exhibit	25
21	Describe, don't politicize	26
22	Don't settle - Keep on Improving	28
23	Remember that 'perfect' varies by exhibit	29
24	Download the APS Manual of Philatelic Judging	31
25	There can be several possible ending points for an exhibit	32

Chapter 2 - Using Techniques That Work
Tip #	Title	Page
26	Content matters more than format	36
27	There is no one right way to lay out a page	38
28	Never cut a mount with a stamp in it	38
29	Don't use black mounts for stamps	39
30	Address all aspects of the material in your exhibit	40
31	Keep the emphasis on philatelic material	40
32	Don't artificially limit how many covers you show on a single page	41
33	Consider showing cancels and overprints on your pages	41
34	Use the appropriate number of covers on a page	42
35	Consider using a consistent format across exhibits	43
36	You can use Microsoft Word for making exhibit pages	44
37	Start with a small step and use a template	45
38	Be pragmatic in laying out out your exhibit: use page layouts to meet your needs	47
39	Less is more and more is less	47
40	Make edges look better	48
41	"Preservation" is more important than "Pretty"	49
42	Use Highlighting	50
43	Consider different levels of mats to showcase philatelic material	51
44	Start your exhibit now; your exhibit pages do not have to be the same as your collection pages	52
45	Don't wait - Start now	53

Chapter 3 - Constructing Engaging Pages
Tip #	Title	Page
46	Consider low tech solutions to display challenges	56
47	Remember there is more than one way to prepare an exhibit page	56
48	Don't leave half pages empty	57
49	Turn an exhibit sheet sideways	57
50	Try to make exhibit pages balanced	58
51	Symmetry	60
52	Mount coins or medals on your exhibit pages if they fit with your theme	61
53	Use photocopied material when it is appropriate	62
54	Yes, you can show the picture side of a postcard	62
55	Create more space	63
56	Use 'Negative Space' on your exhiibt page if you are displaying a large item	64
57	Don't emphasize imperfections	64
58	Don't shortchange your exhibit; use all available tools	65
59	The half page - not a full page - is the smallest unit of layout design	66
60	Learn from other's mistakes, not just their successes	67
61	Use legal size paper to create a neat and attractive layout within a frame if you have a series of large items	68
62	Use large paper for large items	68
63	Don't be afraid to exhibit large philatelic pieces	70
64	There's more to big pages than big paper	71
65	Learn Rates	74

Chapter 4 - Building on Great Design
Tip #	Title	Page
66	You don't always need margins	78
67	Don't be trapped in the horizontal; think vertically where it meets your needs	79
68	Don't be a victim of conventional approaches to horizontal and vertical planes	79
69	Include gum and paper variations in your stamp exhibits	82
70	Use color to your advantage	82
71	Don't be afraid to be bold and create a striking impression	83
72	Be creative in exhibiting long envelopes	84
73	You can mount almost anything on your exhibit pages	85
74	You can exhibit three-dimensional material	87
75	You can mount very thick material	90
76	Construct a display box in your exhibit page	91
77	Be creative in showing your material	93
78	Use all available resources in showcasing your material and your knowledge	94
79	Use the reverse of a philatelic item to enhance your presentation of philatelic information	95
80	Address the source of a stamp's design in your commentary	96
81	The necessity for clear communication in an exhibit is inversely proportional to a viewer's familiarity with the material.	96
82	Clarity reduces complexity	97
83	Do-overs are free	98
84	Copy Shamelessly	98
85	Avoid "Train Tracks" on Exhibit Pages	99

Chapter 5 - Including Graphic Elements
Tip #	Title	Page
86	Learn from the masters	102
87	Don't just describe - emphasize!	103
88	An illustration can't be too big or too clear; it's all in how you use it	104
89	Consider using a timeline	106
90	Don't compare tiny things; compare big things	108
91	If something important might be too small or too hard to see, use a diagram to call attention to it.	109
92	Tell your viewers what they are seeing	110
93	You can show "Invisible" tagging patterns	111
94	Sometimes extraordinary material outweighs traditional approaches and assumptions	111
95	Fill in the blanks: Provide information that would otherwise be missing	112
96	The more complete your presentation of appropriate data, the better	113
97	Graphics do not have to be limited to subordinate positions	114
98	You can illustrate the exhibit plan on your title page	114
99	Don't be afraid to defy expectations	116
100	You can show partial postal or fiscal markings	118
101	The more complex the issue, the greater the value of an explanatory graphic	118
102	The more complex the issue (such as overprints and surcharges), the greater the value of an explanatory graphic	120
103	Some New Yea's Resolutions as they pertain to our exhibiting world	121
104	CHANGE: How it affects the philatelic exhibiting world	123
105	See how the Champion of Champions did it	126

Chapter 6 - Enjoying Stamp Shows
Tip #	Title	Page
106	Show your exhibit at a local club	132
107	Consider - if your home situation allows - acquiring an exhibit frame	132
108	Provide clear instructions for mounting exhibits in frames	133
109	Provide clear instructions for mounting large pages in frames	134
110	Thanking volunteers	134
111	If you have the opportunity, mount your exhibit at a show	135
112	Use your cell phone or digital camera to capture information from exhibits	135
113	Bring an Exhibiting Repair Kit for when you mount your exhibit	135
114	[If you are as compulsive as I am,] Bring back-ups	136
115	Understand what medal levels mean	136
116	Yes, Stamp Exhibiting is a hobby, but it's also more	137
117	Don't argue with the Judges at the critique	138
118	Take advantage of opportunities	138
119	Make judges' lives easier: Use 3-hole punched paper when you submit a title page and synopsis for a show in which you will exhibit	139
120	Keep your budget priorities straight	139
121	Enjoy the rewards of exhibiting	140
122	Talk to Dealers	141
123	Anticipate how judges will judge your exhibit	141
124	If you know how judges will review and assess your exhibit, make it easy for them	142
125	It's not true that all 'good' exhibit subjects cost too much	142

Chapter 7 - Resources and The Next Steps
Tip #	Title	Page
126	Talk to your friends and family about your exhibit	144
127	Try a new exhibiting area	144
128	Consider broadening you collecting and exhibiting activities	144
129	Share a copy of your exhibit with the American Philatelic Research Library	145
130	Join AAPE	145
131	Borrow, buy or read The Philatelic Exhibitors Handbook	145
132	Don't forget to visit the AAPE website	145
133	Go to Exponet and learn from over 500 online exhibits	145
134	Identify the worst looking item in your exhibit. Take it out.	146
135	Don't neglect the American Philatelic Research Library (APRL) as a source of information about and examples of exhibits	146
136	Prepare for the worst	147
137	Experiment with exhibiting techniques in your other hobbies	147
138	Organize	148
139	We all need to be organized	148
140	More organizing techniques	149
141	Focus attention and guide the viewers' eye by hiding unnecessary portions of material	149
142	Plan for the Summer	150
143	Plan for the longer term	150
144	Don't be intimidated by information or by those who have it (or think they have it.)	150
145	The QR code and the Future of Philatelic Exhibiting	151
146	There really aren't any ugly stamps - just ugly exhibits	152
147	Beware the Seven Sins of Exhibiting	155
148	Choose your palette	156
149	Take 10 weeks for a better exhibit	159
150	Follow your muse	163

Chapter 8 - More Content
Tip #	Title	Page
151	Don't minimize the importance of a great title	165
152	An outline and introductory material don't have to be limited to your title page	166
153	Help judges prepare for your exhibit with a strong reference section of your synopsis	168
154	You don't have a problem when a full mounting strip is too short for a long itme	169
155	Some pages don't work; accept it and move on	169
156	Don't confuse people	170
157	Catch the viewers eye: Make them stop in their tracks and look at your exhibit	171
158	Planning starts with an outline - even if some topics appear too complicated for an outline	172
159	Show production-related aspects of your stamps	174
160	If you've never seen it before and you have a chance to acquire it, get it	175
161	Consider bi-lingual headings	176
162	When you are looking for a connection with your audience, consider their frame of reference	177
163	Use a checklist when you mail your exhibit to a stamp show	178
164	Try to have realistic expectations for your exhibits	178
165	Be complete in your narrative	179
166	You don't have to do what a judge says	180
167	Trying things you haven't done before may permit you to see opportunities for improving your exhibit	182
168	Wait to exhibit an item until you know how you want to exhibit it and have the material to tell the story you want to tell	184
169	Be ruthless when you prune your exhibit	184
170	Display stamps in groups or in sub-groups in ways that suit your needs	186
171	Try to avoid showing stamps on the image side of a postcard	186
172	You can expand your collection without everything fitting into your exhibit	187
173	When necessary, you can mix mint and used stamps on the same page	188
174	Review everything	188
175	You can't please everybody	189

	Appendix - Exhibit Page Production	191