{"id":206593,"date":"2015-07-30T06:00:19","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T20:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=206593"},"modified":"2015-07-30T06:00:19","modified_gmt":"2015-07-29T20:00:19","slug":"cnmi-postal-history-featured-in-rotary-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/cnmi-postal-history-featured-in-rotary-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"CNMI postal history featured in Rotary meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Postage stamps and how they can show a place\u2019s history were the talking points in the Rotary Club\u2019s meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan last Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"Steven<\/a>
Steven Connor, founder of the new Mariana Stamp and Coin Club, speaks of the CNMI\u2019s postal history during the Rotary Club of Saipan\u2019s weekly meeting last Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Saipan. (Frauleine S. Villanueva)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The club\u2019s guest speaker for their weekly meeting was Steven Connor, founder of the new Mariana Stamp and Coin Club.<\/p>\n

In Connor\u2019s presentation, postage stamps could be seen as little trinkets of history that traveled from one place to another.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Stamps] are little artifacts that are part of history, that some information can be gleaned from these relics,\u201d Connor said. \u201cYou\u2019re able to see these and understand a little bit more of history by looking at this. It\u2019s a different layer of history that you can look at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using old stamps to illustrate his point, Connor showed the relationship the CNMI has had with the Philippines, Spain, Germany, Japan, and the U.S. throughout its colonial history, through World War II until the islands became a trust territory of the Pacific and when it became a Commonwealth.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernments can fight, governments can have war but the postmasters are dedicated to helping keep the lines of communication,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

At the time, stamps were accorded a measure of respect, he said. \u201cStamps were looked at like somebody\u2019s flag. Don\u2019t trample on my stamp, don\u2019t trample on my flag.\u201d<\/p>\n

One stamp even showed an original figure of Pagan before a part of it was \u201cshaved off\u201d by the Japanese who wanted to build an airfield.<\/p>\n

Connor also showed how stamps were able to display the culture back then as well as the mood of the times toward the colonists.<\/p>\n

The presentation, which is part of Connor\u2019s paper on the postal history of the CNMI, is a preview of his presentation at the 3rd Annual Marianas History Conference that will be held in September.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re promoting the premise that [stamps] can be a primary tool for historical research,\u201d Connor said.<\/p>\n

He is inviting members of the public who are interested in stamps and coins to attend their organization\u2019s first meeting on Aug. 1, 10am at the Joeten Kiyu Public Library.<\/p>\n

Stamp collecting is called philately; coin collecting is called numismatics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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