Bibbo Family Stamp Collection Opens January 20th at the US Postal Services National Center for Educational Development in Norman, Oklahoma
NORMAN, OK- On January 20th the Bibbo Family Stamp Collection opened for public display at the US Postal Services National Center for Educational Development at its Norman campus. The collection was donated by Ted Bibbo his Alma Martyr the University of Oklahoma last year and the US Postal Service agreed to put it on public display at their training center near the OU campus.
The Bibbo Family Stamp Collection is one a few complete collections of Non-Cancelled US Commemorative and US Air Mail Stamps issued by the USPS and only the third complete collection on public display in America was originally started by Mr. Bibbos father, Dr. James V. Bibbo, Jr.
As a youth, back in the mid 1920s Dr. Bibbos father owned a chemical company in New York City with correspondence from all over the world. Dr. Bibbo was fascinated by the different stamps and started collecting them from discarded envelopes in his fathers office. Dr. Bibbo started collecting US Postal Stamps about the same time. As the Post Office issued new stamps, he received uncancelled singles and blocks of four from his father for the collection.
Dr. Bibbo over the years continued his collection, especially the Commemorative and Air Mail stamps, filling in the missing issues until the collection was complete. In 1947, he added Full Sheets to the Single and Blocks of Four collections. His wife Ruth also showed interest in stamp collecting. She started a First Day Cover collection when her son George Edward Bibbo, fondly known as Ted, was born in June of 1948. She later passed the collection on to her son in the early 1970s and he continued collecting the First Day Covers until 1986 when he took over his fathers collection of Commemoratives. The Air Mail Collection was passed along to his sister Jo Ann Pedrotti and the Sheets to his brother James Vincent Bibbo, III.
Mr. Bibbo continued collecting while his siblings stopped. He purchased the Air Mail collection from his sister in 2001 when she was going to sell it over eBay. Upon learning in 2008 that his brother was using the Full Sheets for postage, Mr. Bibbo bought his brothers collection from him, reuniting all of Dr. Bibbos collection again.
Mr. Bibbo had been in discussions with the University of Oklahoma for several years about donating the US Commemorative and US Air Mail Collections. In the summer of 2008, Mr. Bibbo contacted the US Postal Service in Norman, where Postal Service had their National Center for Educational Development, about possibly housing the collection for the University to display. The manager for the center Scott Morgan thought it was an excellent idea and had a new building that was perfect for the collection. The Center has over 20,000 trainees going through their doors every year, and countless bus tours of tourists and schoolchildren. The addition of the Bibbo Family Collection will now be available for viewing by all those passing through.
The collection is the third complete collection for display in America today. The other two are at the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC, a part of the Smithsonian, and the Francis Cardinal Spellman Stamp and Postal Museum at Regis College in Weston, MA. Cardinal Spellman was the Archbishop of New York from 1939 until his death in 1967.
It is with great pleasure that I give this unique collection to the University of Oklahoma and deep gratitude to the US Postal Service for giving it a great space for display. I can think of no better place for this collection to be housed then their facility, Mr. Bibbo stated. The collection will be enjoyed by so many now instead of being locked away like so many private collections. I know my father and mother would be as honored as I am.
Mr. Bibbo continued, The beauty of this collection is its completeness. The Commemorative Stamps capture moments in our history as vignettes, recording them for all time. This collection will continue to grow as it is a living collection with the Postal Service continuing to produce new stamps commemorating more moments in our history every year.
My being a Fine Arts major gave me a greater appreciation for composition, color, and design that goes into each and every stamp. In my eye I see each stamp as an exquisite work of art. Mr. Bibbo added, I am always amazed to see how many variations of George Washington, Ben Franklin, Abe Lincoln, the Statue of Liberty and the American Flag there are in the collection and they still continue to produce new ones every year, each in their own unique design, making them different from those before them. Today there are over 45,000 stamps in the collection that will be exhibited in a rotating display.
You can help support this collection with a tax-deductible donation by sending a check or money order to the University of Oklahoma Philatelic Collection Fund, The University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc., 100 Timberland Road, Norman, OK 73019-0685 or by calling toll free 1-866-321-1174. Your support will help insure that this collection will continue to grow and be cared for years to come.
You may visit the collection at the US Postal Services National Center for Educational Development located at 2701 East Imhoff Road, Norman, Oklahoma off Highway 9. Please call 405-366-4302 to reserve a tour.
