Anyone Remember Herman Herst Jr.?

I just got back from the post office.
It is 99 degrees F out there today!
Your book will still be warm when it gets to you, bobgggg!

t360, did you include a warm pie with that?!

In July of 1965, I won the following three U.S. stamps at a Herst
auction. Here they are as described by Herst in the auction catalog.
Guess how much I paid for them!

Lot 202 "#1 5c very fine used single, four fine margins"

Lot 204 "#1 5c very fine used, four fine margins, neat red grid"

Lot 225 "#7 1c Ty.II, fine used single, close margins but still fine"

$60
$65
$15

Tom, those were pretty impressive guesses, if a bit too high.
Here's the statement. It's all relative, though whenever I chance
across an auction catalog (don't get many) aside from price, the
same degree of quality for the 5 cent Franklin isn't there.

1965 was the summer between high school and college. I was 18 and
had a job with the county highway department patching roads and
swinging a scythe that paid, I believe, about $1.65 an hour. Say "a
couple dollars worth" and a gas station attendant (there was no
self-serve) would put about 10 gallons of gas in your car.

GEEEZ, now I'm really sounding like an old guy!

Oh, yeah, why two copies of the Scott 1 Franklin?

That's easy. I really wanted a copy so I overbid on two!

Yes, that is his dog Alfie who carried letters for the Shrub Oak Local Post that he created.
I've seen several examples on cover. Herst knew how to have fun.

"Herst's Outbursts" was a 12 or 16 page 6x9 inch magazine or "house organ" published quarterly (at the time). Here's "Pat" Herst on the front page of the Christmas 1965 issue.

Since the numbers show this is, at least, being read -- here's the scoop on Herst's Outbursts...

"A philatelic house organ, edited and published by Herman Herst, Jr., Shrub Oak, N. Y. 10588. Now in its twenty-sixth year [1965], this little magazine has the largest circulation of any philatelic house organ in the world, over five thousand. Frequency of issue is uncertain, usually four to six a year. Subscription, $1 per year plus six stamped envelopes for those who wish to pay for it; only the six stamped envelopes for those who don't wish to remit the dollar. In either case, when the last envelope is used, an expiration slip will be enclosed so that similar renewal, with or without the fee may be obtained. The subscription fee is used towards the maintenance of three children, who have been formally adopted by HERST'S OUTBURSTS under the Foster Parents' Plan, Inc."

Another great surprise! Thanks bobgggg for sending me the Alfie stamp!
This could be the start of a Shrub Oak Local Post collection!

Is there anyone producing a newsletter like Hurst's these days?

None of which I'm aware.

After completing college in Oregon, Herst came back to New York wanting to be a journalist -- this was during the depression. About as close as he got was selling newspaper advertising. So he took a job on Wall Street and kind of got into dealing in stamps sideways from there. I don't believe any other stamp dealer was as much or as prolific a writer. His writing, starting with columns in Western Stamp Collector, built his business.

"Herst's Outbursts" was actually a vehicle for soft-selling collectors who supplied the SASE's for copies of what was, in essence, a very attractive advertising medium. Many if not most of the articles led up to an item Herst offered for sale, and the last page of each issue had an order form for the items mentioned at the end of the article. Very clever marketing. For example, the Christmas issue, shown above, listed on its order form the following items related to articles inside:

"Wine Stamps", by Bidwell ($3.00)
"No Tip Tokens" ($1 per 10 plus stpd. envelope)
"Jiffy" Identifier ($1 ea., 11 for $10)
Lindbergh Pair of Covers ($2.50)
Used Duck Lot of 8 ($3.00)
Pickering Papers: Supplies ($3) Pay ($5.00)
Ditto. One Receipt of Each ($7.00)
"Nassau St." ($5) "Fun & Profit" ($3.95) Both ($7.50)
Albania Labels (5c Commem Pl. No. blk + Envelope)
Swedes and Finn Pl. No. Blk. of Six ($1.10 + env.)
Discount Postage ($5.25 for $5; $10.75 for $10)

Today, he probably would have had quite a philatelic website filled with google loving original content. And an even larger email list of subscribers to his "Outbursts" being electronically soft-sold in the same way.