PLEASE!!! Do not post replies to this message. It is intended to be used for official information relating to the tournament.
TOURNAMENT OF STAMPS-O-RAMA
Game Introduction:
Two members of the StampoRama community, Michael78651 and Lokos, have partnered to bring you the re-branded TOURNAMENT OF STAMPS-O-RAMA. Every registered member of StampoRama is eligible to play!
Over $700 in total prizes for this game are being provided, including the approximate $255 grand prize package.
The play is simple. Just be the first person to correctly identify the mystery stamp from a series of pictorial clues that are provided daily. The game consists of three rounds: Qualification Round; Semi-Final Round; Championship Round. Players who are good enough get the chance to move on to the next level up to the final round where the champion StampoRama stamp identifier will be crowned. There also is a Consolation Game that will be played at the end for those who just did not quite get there. So if you play, do not give up. There are plenty of prize packages to go around. The game is played in the Stamporama Tournaments Contests & Games Discussion Board. See below for complete rules on how to play the game and for more information.
One thing of note. Due to various reasons, the tournament is being re-branded here on StampoRama. However, it is already in progress. For the all-important Qualification Round, the tournament sponsors have added two more slots to give StampoRama members a change to go for the prizes as well as those who have already qualified.
PLEASE!!! Do not post replies to this message. It is intended to be used for official information relating to the tournament.
TOURNAMENT OF STAMPS-O-RAMA
Rules of Play (Apply to each Round in the Tournament)
1. Be the first player to correctly identify the mystery stamp from a series of provided clues. To be declared the winner, a player must make a valid identification of the mystery stamp in either one of two manners:
A - by stating the stamp issuing entity, catalog (Scott or Gibbons), and catalog number. For example, "Japan Scott 900". Guesses, such as "Japan 900" are invalid. In the event of discrepancies among catalog editions and possible numbering changes, Scott 2013 and Gibbons 2008 catalog numbers will prevail
B - by posting a picture of the mystery stamp (no catalog identification is needed with this option)
2. A game begins when the first clue is posted. During the game, clues will be provided from which players attempt to identify the mystery stamp. The clues will show a small image of the stamp. Only one clue is normally given in a calendar day.
3. In the event that an ineligible person posts the identity of the mystery stamp, a foul will be declared and the game restarted with a different mystery stamp.
4. There is no limit to the number of guesses a player may make, but each guess must be made on a separate post.
5. The game winner will receive the prize(s) stated for the game, or will gain a point to be used towards advancing to the next round, as applicable.
6. All prizes for the tournament are provided by Michael 78651 and Lokos
7. Michael 78651 is the sole judge for the tournament. In the event of any disagreement, his decision is final.
PLEASE!!! Do not post replies to this message. It is intended to be used for official information relating to the tournament.
TOURNAMENT OF STAMPS-O-RAMA
Here is how the tournament workS:
The tournament is played in a series of games in three separate rounds. The objective is for players to correctly identify the mystery stamps in order to win prizes and advance to the next round. Multiple wins by a player are necessary in order to advance in the tournament. The tournament continues until a champion is named. The three rounds are:
TOURNAMENT OF STAMPS-O-RAMA Round 1 (Qualification Round)
- open to every registered user on StampoRama
- 2 prizes per game (including the mystery stamp)
- the prizes for each game are announced when each game begins
- each game continues until a winner is declared
- the first 8 players to each win 3 games advance to the Semi-Final Round
- when a player wins 3 games, that player cannot play in another game in this round
TOURNAMENT OF STAMPS-O-RAMA Round 2 (Semi-Final Round)
- open only to the 8 players who qualified in the Qualification Round
- 3 prize packages to be awarded (see the prize list in the next post)
- each game continues until a winner is declared
- the first 3 players to each win 3 games advance to the Championship Round
- when a player wins 3 games, that player cannot play in another game in this round
- a player advancing to the next round wins one of the three prize packages
- the first two qualifying players pick which prize package they want, while the third qualifier gets the remaining prize package
TOURNAMENT OF STAMPS-O-RAMA Round 3 (Championship Round)
- open only to the 3 players who qualified in the Semi-Final Round
- each game continues until a winner is declared
- the first player to win 3 games is declared the winner of the tournament
- the champion wins the champion prize package (see the prize list for more information)
There is no rule preventing posting of questions relating to the mystery stamp. Appropriate questions posted in the game will be answered. The only stipulation is that questions about the mystery stamp must be posted in the game. A player with a question regarding a game rule or play may send that question through PM or email, or post it in the game discussion post.
Regarding the mystery stamps, since catalog identification is one way to win the game, the stamps used in each game have to be in the catalogs that I use. I have Scott 2013, and Gibbons 2008. This means that the cutoff year for stamps that I can use is 2006.
Remember that you can still play if you don't have a catalog. Simply post an image of the stamp. If it's the right stamp, you win the game. You'll have to find and post the image, and I can't guarantee that you'll be able to find it on Stamporama. I don't check for that when selecting a mystery stamp to use.
Stamps that have "look alikes" won't be selected as a mystery stamp. Take the Edison lightbulb stamp series, as an example, Scott #654-656, Type A197. Three stamps with the same design, color and value. Two sheet stamps with different perforations, and one coil stamp are in the set. Since the identification is made using the stamp design, you won't find these three stamps used in a game. That should help reduce the number of potential stamps you have to research.
There are plenty of ways that you can narrow your search for the mystery stamp. Here are some more tips:
- year of issue will not be newer than 2006
- definitive-sized, and smaller, stamps will most likely not be used
- higher-valued stamps ($5.00 and up in Scott) will probably not be used
- stamp designs must have enough elements to provide ample clues (one reason why the stamp has to be larger than a definitive)
- look-alike stamps (same design, denomination, color, but different watermarks, perfs, coils, etc., will not be used (this does not include joint issues, stamp-on-stamp or souvenir sheets)
- stamps must be listed by both Scott (2013) and Gibbons (2008)
- stamps must have a major catalog number in Scott (669A is a major number; 669a is not)
- back-of-book material is eligible if it meets the above criteria (a large percentage of this material is small-sized anyway, and will not be used)
If you follow these general tips, you'll eliminate thousands of potential stamps from your search. Now, please understand that these tips ONLY apply to the Qualification Round!
Here is what to expect once the Qualification Round has ended. Here is a quick list of what will happen:
- There will be one consolation game played after the Tournament Champion is crowned. Players ranked #9 and up on the Qualification Round Leader Board, the four players from the Semi-Final Round who did not advance, and the 2 players from the Championship Round who did not win are eligible to play in this final game. The consolation game will be similar to play as in the Qualification Round. The prize package will be announced before the consolation game begins.
- The Semi-Final Round mystery stamp games will provide 2 images per clue. One will be of the mystery stamp, and the other will be a decoy stamp image. This will be like a two-sided puzzle. Players must correctly identify the mystery stamp, not the decoy.
- The Championship Round mystery stamp games will provide 3 images per clue. Two will be of two different mystery stamps, and the third will be a decoy stamp image. Players must identify both mystery stamps, not the decoy.
- The decoy stamp images may or may not be of the same incorrect stamp.
- Yes, you'll have to work at it if you want to win it all!
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
Prize packages vary for each game. The prize(s) offered for each game is listed at the beginning post for each game.
Semi-Final Round
Prize Package #1 (est. value $35.00):
Guernsey Scott #446-448 mnh gutter pairs
Canada Scott #1812i mnh
Book - "Seasons of Fantasies and Dreams"
Prize Package #2 (est. value $35.00):
Canada Scott #1813i mnh
Guernsey Scott #426-430 mnh gutter pairs
Book - "Seasons of Fantasies and Dreams"
Prize Package #3 (est. value $35.00):
Canada Scott #1813i mnh
Macedonia Scott #75-76 mnh
Book - "Seasons of Fantasies and Dreams"
Championship Round (est. value $280.00):
Stanley Gibbons Color Guide
Package of Harco Stamp Hinges
Mongolia Scott #83 mnh
Canada Scott #50 unused
United States Scott #2216-2219 mnh
May 2008 CD of Steiner Worldwide Stamp Album Pages
Book - "The Whitechapel Fog"
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
Michael, some of the folks on your list are not SOR members, as far as I know; they got as far as they did on bidStart. Will they be removed from contention?
Peter, only 1 is not an SOR member. Everyone on the Leader Board was contacted prior to moving the tournament to SOR to see if that was acceptable to them. Rick and I decided that the vote had to be unanimous or we wouldn't move it. Everyone but one was either already an SOR member or has now joined SOR. The one "hold out" knows it is here, but thus far has elected not to join.
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
(3 wins are needed to advance to the Semi-Final Round. The first eight players to get three wins move on to the Semi-Final Round.) Every player who wins at least one game gets listed in the standings. Players ranked #9 and lower will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
We want to start the semi-final round when all eight players are available. I will be in contact to check on your summer/winter schedules depending on where you live. One player has already notified me that he will be on vacation until the end of July. Hopefully we can start the Semi-Final Round at the beginning of August.
Rick and I have decided that the Semi-Final Round to the tournament will begin on August 1.
About a week beforehand, I will post the rules for the semi-finals as a reminder. So you eight players mark your calendars and get ready as the price of poker has gone up! Only three of you will advance to the Championship Round. The other five, of course, will get to play in the Consolation Game.
At the request of two of the semi-finalists, the Semi-Final Round of our Tournament will begin on August 10. So you eight have a little more time to rest those eyes
Anyone else who posts guesses will cause the game in progress to be ended, delaying the continuation of the tournament.
Players, please read the rules at the beginning of this thread to refresh your memories, if necessary. Also, remember that the format for the Semi-final Round is different than that from the Qualification Round:
TOURNAMENT OF STAMPS-O-RAMA Round 2 (Semi-Final Round)
- open only to the 8 players who qualified in the Qualification Round
- 3 prize packages to be awarded (see the prize list in the next post)
- each game continues until a winner is declared
- the first 3 players to each win 3 games advance to the Championship Round
- when a player wins 3 games, that player cannot play in another game in this round
- a player advancing to the next round wins one of the three prize packages
- the first two qualifying players pick which prize package they want, while the third qualifier gets the remaining prize package
Also:
- The Semi-Final Round mystery stamp games will provide 2 images per clue. One will be of the mystery stamp, and the other will be a decoy stamp image. This will be like a two-sided puzzle. Players must correctly identify the mystery stamp, not the decoy.
Good luck to the eight players. Watch for the first clue to be posted on August 10.
The semi-finals have begun. Let's see who the players that will advance to the championship round will be.
A note to the eight players in the semi-finals is that the mystery stamps are not included in the prize packages. The three prize packages are already set and stated earlier in this thread. That means that the stamp can be anyone of the 300,000 in my collection! Have fun!
Also, remember that the five players not advancing will be eligible to play in the consolation game at the end of the tournament.
Three wins are needed to advance to the Championship Round. The first three to do so will advance. All other players will qualify for the consolation round to be played at the end of the tournament.
I am the person that added the Scott number to Jill's answer and would like to know why you consider entering the correct Scott number as interference, when Jill entered a SG number, probably because she is located in Australia and does not use the Scott's catalogue. It was obviously added long after her answer was posted and certainly should not be categorized as interference.
Mike
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"It's been three years now, since I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet..."
"Since Jill's post was edited by a third party, there is no way for me to know how Jill originally phrased her guess."
He had not seen Jill's original post before it was edited. The Scott number was not unambiguously added.
This reminds me of a post (not made by me) pointing out that many readers often have no idea what changes were made by moderators, because often no explanation/hiliting is provided. I had replied that it appeared most of the moderator changes were related to changing linknames. But beyond that, it really is anybody's guess.
So I can understand Michael#####'s position.
That being said, since he is the judge of the tournament, I have not problems with his current decision, or if he should decide to make a new ruling based on the new information.
Either way, whether it counts or not, still a very impressive round by Jill!
Kim and all. That's all right with your posting here. I only have a problem with one person. My full response regarding this is in the Semi-Final Game 2 thread.
Three wins are needed to advance to the Championship Round. The first three to do so will advance. All other players will qualify for the consolation round to be played at the end of the tournament.
Three wins are required to advance to the Championship Round. The first three players to do so advance. All other players qualify for the consolation round to be played at the end of the tournament.
Three wins are required to advance to the Championship Round. The first three players to do so advance. All other players qualify for the consolation round to be played at the end of the tournament.
Three wins are required to advance to the Championship Round. The first three players to do so advance. All other players qualify for the consolation round to be played at the end of the tournament.
Three wins are required to advance to the Championship Round. The first three players to do so advance. All other players qualify for the consolation round to be played at the end of the tournament.
Sorry, folks. Changes to my work and training schedules have prevented me from selecting a stamp and preparing the clues for game 8. I believe I will be able to get game 8 started on September 24. I don't know what my schedule will look like after that date, however.
Well, I did warn everyone earlier that things were going to be hopping for me in the fall. It is getting even more interesting with the hours starting now: 8 hours on, three hours off and 8 hours on; two on, 8 off, two on - all different hours too, and the next group of classes will begin in mid-October, which should help to slow things down a little.
From the calendar I will have October 1 and 2 off. Have to, or I'll be even more big time into overtime pay, and that isn't going to happen. Giving myself October 1 to relax and catch up on my sleep, I'm going to try to get Game 8 going on Wednesday, October 2. Thanks for your patience. Now, time for me to get to bed.
Congratulations to Kim as he has qualified to go to the Championship Round! He has Prize Packets 2 and 3 to choose from as his prize for winning in the Semi-Final Round.
One more slot to go. MDROTH has 2 wins. One more, and he will become the final player to advance. BUT...there are other players still out there, and they can put the brakes on MDROTH. What will happen next? We will see when Semi-Final Game #9 begins.
All remaining players get ready. It is sudden death now if Mdroth wins just one more game. Everyone else eligible to play needs to be in top form from now on!
Mdroth wins the third prize package (it was the only one left) for his qualifying for the Championship Round.
The Championship Round will begin in the near future as I get the logistics together for the round.
One of our players befell a serious malady and was unable to play in the Semi-Final Round. I am going to put together a small consolation packet for Lisa and send it to her.
The games played in the Tournament of Stamps-o-Rama Championship Round require the three players (jillcrow, khj and Mdroth) to correctly identify two stamps from the images displayed in each clue for each game of the round. Images provided will be from the two mystery stamps, and the third image will be a decoy Cinderella stamp image. Players must correctly identify the two mystery stamps (using the identification rules), not the decoy.
Note to the players: Just because there are three images per clue, it does not mean that all three images presented in a clue will be one each from each mystery stamp and the decoy Cinderella stamp.
The Championship Round is open only to the 3 players who qualified for the round. Each game in the round continues until a winner is declared. The first player to win 3 games will be declared the winner of the tournament.
The tournament champion wins the following prize package (estimated value $280.00):
Stanley Gibbons Color Guide
Package of Harco Stamp Hinges
Mongolia Scott #83 mnh
Canada Scott #50 unused
United States Scott #2216-2219 mnh
May 2008 CD of Steiner Worldwide Stamp Album Pages
Novel - "The Whitechapel Fog"
The Consolation game will be held following the conclusion of the tournament and is open to all players (except the champion) who won at least one game in any round of the tournament. The prize package for this last chance game will be announced following the conclusion of the tournament.
I have sent all of you a test email that contains a message and three images. If you do not see it in your in box, please check your spam filter. Please let me know if you did or did not receive my email.
Watch the drama and cheer on your favorite finalist. Who will take the crown as Stamporama's master stamp identifier: Jill? Kim? Michael? Stay tuned and find out right here!
I copied the process for the Championship Round to the official tournament post.
In each game, I will give you clues that contain three images. The three images will be from two Scott/Gibbons-listed stamps and one decoy that will be a Cinderella item not listed in the standard Scott and Gibbons catalogs. The images presented in each clue will come from just those two stamps and the one Cinderella. Your goal in each game is to correctly identify the two mystery stamps by naming the country and Scott or Gibbons catalog number. Posting an image of the stamp(s), as before, is also acceptable.
With that said, I may present the images in a varied manner as follows (stamp "A", stamp "B", Decoy "C"):
In the semi-final round, I often presented the decoy images from more than one stamp from previously played games. You won't get that in this round. The decoy images will be just from the one decoy item. The stamps/images from the previously played games will not be used in the Championship Round.
I will give the finalists a break from the catalogs. Game #3 will begin after we get past the holidays in the first week of January.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE, and a merry whatever you celebrate, but please (if you party) be careful as I'm sure all your friends on SOR want you back on January 2! Me, I'll be working on the holidays so I have to behave.
The Tournament of Stamps-o-Rama is now officially closed.
As stated before, there will be one consolation game that is open to all tournament players (except Kim) who won at least one game in any of the rounds.
Following the conclusion of the consolation game, I will run one more game for all SOR members.
Prizes for the remaining two games will be announced with the start of each game.
After that, I am going to take a long break from running any more contests, if you don't mind.
I want to thank all the players for their perseverance. I also want to give a BIG thanks to Rick for his help and support. The tournament would not have been as good without him. He gave alot of help behind the scenes, and also provided many of the prizes.
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 21 Jan 2014 12:50:33am
re: Tournament of Stamps-o-Rama Official Post
Congratulations, Kim!
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
Thanks for the congratulations Michael#####, Bobby, Dave, Nigel, Peter, Jill, and Michael (the other one)!
I really hadn't expected to win considering the competitors, but I caught a few fortunate breaks in the semi-finals and finals (see, selvage collecting does have its advantages!). So thanks to the many contest participants, especially Jill and Michael -- knowing both of you were competing made me work a lot harder than I originally planned! Also, special thanks to Lisa -- it often takes a new collector to remind us of how important enthusiasm is to our hobby.
Last, but definitely not least -- special thanks to Michael##### and Rick for running the contest and the great prizes; and special thanks, of course, to StampoRama for being the site host for the contest!!!
I thought I should post a Congratulations here as well as the message I sent you lest people thought I forgot about you Kim.
You played a great game and it was a well deserved win.
Congratulations Kim.
Congratulations to all the players and thank you for playing.
Let me slip in here and offer my congratulations, too! A well-played series of games by all, and a truly remarkable performance by you, Kim. Well done!
And Rick and Michael: thanks for a fabulous game and for your amazing generosity. And you guys hung in there when the going got tough and did what you knew was best. Again, thank you for a great time!
As fate would have it, I have exactly 2 mystery stamps remaining from the tournament, and two games left to be played. There are a few nice prizes remaining as well.
The consolation game is open to the following ten SOR members (don't worry, there will be one last game open to all SOR members):
The last two games will follow the basic rules used for the Qualification Round. Nice and simple.
The Tournament Consolation Game will begin on January 26, 2014. The open game will begin shortly after the conclusion of the Consolation Game. Prizes will be listed at the start of each game.
Stay tuned for the final "Open Game" of the tournament. All SOR members can play and try to win the prizes. I'll announce the starting date for the last game shortly.
Thanks Michael. But for we who are more "visually challenged" would you post a larger image than the first one? I can barely make anything out on that.
I presume your images are not to scale too; that is, you might show a corner as large as the whole bottom section of a stamp, right?