Choosing your target

The most likely candidates are those individuals who have already prepared a display for the benefit of the members.  The fact that the display does not conform to other philatelic standards is irrelevant.  What matters is that the person has managed to remove the shackles of "collecting by catalogue number". Any one who has taken the trouble to tell THEIR story with stamps needs to be encouraged to continue on that path.

Typically collectors gather items together, which interest them. In many cases there is an element of personality involved.  For example an interest in flowers, music, theatre, cars, dolls costumes or history may start of a collection.  Alternatively there is a political element such as women, miners, children or communities.  Further some prefer specific events such as scouting jamborees, Olympic games, sport, queen's birthday etc.

It matters not what the collector gathers together. All collections are equally valid.  What makes the difference is the novel way that the collector uses skills to demonstrate their topic and get others involved in their hobby. The very idea of the novelty creates intrigue.  That in turn causes the viewer to pay more attention and once their concentration is involved they too will be hooked!

The difference between a display and an exhibit

For a display there is the added benefit that the collector can explain to the audience what the aim of the collection is and point out some highlights whilst introducing the topic.  With a formal exhibit it must be recognised that the actual entry is SILENT and must be made to speak through the presentation only.

Additionally in a display there are no formal rules. You can do whatever you like, your audience will indicate their interest by the time they spend looking at your entry.  With an exhibit there are rules that must be followed, because that's how points are allocated for your entry.  The trick then is to know the rules and to use them to your advantage.

How to 'Pull" your audience.  The opening gambit in an exhibit is the title page.  This performs two functions.  The primary one is to invite the viewer to the exhibit so it must have some attraction.  Filling a page with facts alone is not going to invite the casual viewer unless a truly challenging statement is made.  Think of advertisements that draw you in what is it that caught your attention?

The secondary function but equally important is to inform the viewer what they are going to see in the rest of the entry.  It needs to briefly describe the subject and draw the navigation map for the viewer to follow.  The rest of the pages should have a "road sign" as the heading to tell the viewer that they are on the right path and where they are being led.  If the road signs are logical the viewer will be able to follow the flow of your exhibit. If the road signs are confusing they will be confused and give up!

A word about rules

One of the charming things about stamp collecting is that you can do whatever you like.  It is only when entering a competitive exhibit that rules come into play.  The reason for the rules is actually to provide a level playing field.  If you and the judge had differing opinions about your subject without rules you would score a low mark because of subjectivity. With points being allocated for specific reasons it is the aim of the judge to score you as honestly as is possible.

One-frame issues

A frame is merely the container that houses your exhibit.  It consists of a specially constructed housing that caters for philatelic album pages and holds the pages down by a strip of plastic along the bottom edge of each album page.  The entire frame is covered in plastic or some other clear protective media so that members of the public cannot touch the stamp.  Because of the particular construction of the frame, rules apply to size of the album page.  Clearly the space is limited to about one square meter.

Number of pages

For a one frame exhibit the first rule is the number of pages shown. Depending on the style of frame used, the number is either 15 (3 rows of 5) or 16 (4 rows of 4).  Another rule is the size of your page.  That depends again on the frames used and the prospectus in each case will stipulate the maximum size of the page that can be accommodated by the frame.  A further rule is that each page must be presented in a protective sleeve to prevent damage to the stamps or exhibits themselves.  So much for the physical side of the exhibit

Content of the exhibit

The rest of the rules relate to the actual exhibit and its content.  The first rule is that an exhibit must tell a complete story in the one frame.  This is both a benefit and a handicap. The benefit is that the collection is limited in size and like a short story must be punchy to get the message across.  The handicap is that you may have more material than you have room to display.  Your skill in juggling the available collection into one frame can have a major impact on the viewer.  You need to choose your subject carefully and deliberately.  So don't display "Australia 1900-2000" as this is far too big a topic.  Instead choose say, "The stamps designed by George Hamori", "the Explorers" or "The electrical revolution" and demonstrate your knowledge by selecting items that develop your theme.

Balance

Perhaps the second rule is the display needs to be balanced both in content and in the way that you mount the items on the page.  Too much white space detracts from the exhibit but so does overcrowding.  When you stand back from the frame, the whole thing should be pleasing to the eye.  First impressions gained by making it pleasing play a large part in determining your score.  It heightens interest and invokes a positive response from both the viewer and the JUDGE! When preparing your exhibit place the pages on the floor, as they would be in the frame and view them from some distance back.  This will help you determine whether balance is achieved or not.  Some exhibitors make their own frame up to view their effort before they submit it to the competition. Anything to improve your display technique will help you gain higher marks.

Another aspect of balance is the strength of your exhibit.  By this I mean that you don't have one gem and the rest paste jewellery.  Each page ideally has an equal amount of quality material, which adds equally to your story.  One expensive item does not impress anyone.  Value is not important clever use of your material is.

Title Page

As already mentioned above the title page is a very important part of the exhibit.  It guides the viewer and describes the content.  It is a must in every exhibition.  Additionally it is current practice to send a copy of the title page in ahead of the actual exhibition so that copies can be made of it and distributed to the judges.  This allows them to preview the entry and if necessary to "bone up" on the topic concerned.  Those who fail to enter a title page ahead of time do themselves a great disservice as it can only mean that the judges have less of a chance to arrive at a beneficial conclusion.  The title page -not being philatelic- is not actually judged for content and this means that you can use the page to illustrate an item that is not philatelic. That's a trick of the trade!

Avoid extraneous matter

A further rule is to only use items that are philatelic. Avoid the use of photographs or maps unless they are essential in telling the story.  Postcards and other illustrations do not help in a philatelic exhibit unless you are entering the Social or Open classes where such ephemera are permitted in a limited way.  Especially in thematic exhibits but also in other ones try and make use of as many different elements of philately as possible.  This means do not only show stamps but also postal cards, covers, tags and cancellations that relate to your topic.  It is through choosing such items carefully, that the amount of effort you have gone to impresses judges, and you will be suitably rewarded.

Show your personal effort

A collection which represents every stamp of a country or a period and nothing else does not demonstrate personal involvement despite the effort it may have taken for you to assemble them.  Using commercial illustrated sheets from an album equally does not impress the jury or the audience.  It is using the philatelic material in a personal way that you demonstrate to the viewer your art and skill.

Read the rules

There is only a one page of rules for One Frame Exhibits, take particular note of the make up of the 100 points.

Presentation:

You will see that presentation only provides ten points yet if the exhibit is shoddy or badly balanced it will influence other factors because the judges are only human and will carry their negativity into other sections.

Treatment:

Notice also that treatment provide fifteen points and this is mainly determined by what you say in your title page.  The criteria for treatment is "Did the exhibitor do what he said he was going to do?" and "Does the exhibit follow a logical progression

Importance:

Importance is a difficult issue receiving a maximum of ten points.  It is the exhibitor's responsibility to "talk up" the importance of their subject. Were the key items of the subject selected?  To some extent the importance should be in the wider philatelic world.  Was the issue important and if so why.  Did it demonstrate a new printing technique, paper variety, watermark or design concept?  Does the subject make a significant contribution to philately? If you address these topics correctly you will score well.

Knowledge:

Knowledge and research are two areas where you, the expert in your specifically chosen field, can gain a lot of marks.  Philatelic knowledge must be demonstrated by showing that you understand how to use the various terms within your normal exhibit.  Personal study may be annotated to make the viewer aware of your contribution.  Other research should lead to a new piece of information to gain points.  One quarter of all marks are garnered here.

Condition:

Condition refers to the quality of the items shown. Tattered torn, stained, creased, heavily marked items etc will result in a low score. Using "clean" material will help in condition but the use of say only mint unhinged stamps is to be avoided.  Fifteen points is the maximum score for this category.

Rarity:

Rarity is indicated both by a small quantity of the item existing and demand for the item concerned. As an example the 5/- Sydney Harbour Bridge is desirable but not rare as many copies exist and one can buy a mint or used copy any day of the week provided you have sufficient cash.  Thus the Harbour Bridge stamp is NOT rare. Neither is the first stamp issued the British Penny Black as there were literally millions produced.  The question asked here is how difficult is it to obtain this item or alternatively for the whole exhibit how hard is it to duplicate this exhibit.  The answer to that question determines the score.  Note it is not money rather the availability that determines rarity and the ability to get ten marks.

Philatelic Interest:

Since this is a stamp exhibit you would expect that the material shown will engender interest. Do this by choosing a variety of elements such as covers, cancellations, booklets, part sheets, blocks, imprints corners, gutters, specific date or commemorative cancellers, taxed items, crashed or undeliverable items, postal stationery, in fact to make it as varied as possible whilst sticking got your theme or topic. A novel approach helps boost the mark for this section where fifteen points are available.

Attend shows - look and learn

One of the best ways to get a grip on the concept is to attend a philatelic show and to imagine yourself as the judge. Don't come to a decision in five seconds. Take your time but remember that judges will only have ten minutes or so maximum to view any exhibit. They must use their experience to cover the field quickly. Don't just view topics which interest you, they are easier to judge. Instead have a go at a topic about which you have no idea and then see if the exhibit can draw you in. It will give you a different perception.

Lastly - ask and listen

There are plenty of exhibitors who would love to tell you why they collect what they do. They will also be prepared to tell you some of the tricks of the trade that they have developed over the years. Most philatelists love to share their knowledge but you must make the approach. At exhibitions the names of the individuals are usually recorded in a catalogue. Always buy a catalogue, as without it you will not understand what is going on. Then use the catalogue to discover the organisers and exhibitors and start asking. You have nothing to lose but your inhibitions!

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Ed Wolf has been involved with the long running Northern Beaches Stamp Expo, a New South Wales one frame State level exhibition which again will be held this year on the second weekend in September. This year, Stamp Clubs and Societies are invited to enter teams of five with the winning team being the one with the highest aggregative point score.

EDITORS NOTE: Special regulations for the evaluation of One-Frame exhibits at APF Exhibitions can be found at www.apf.org.au by clicking on the "Exhibition Classes" tab and then following the various links which will provide in depth details regarding the various classes.