Celebrating
125 Years!
T
here were many local philatelic groups in the United States prior
to 1886. From New York to Denver, Philadelphia to St. Paul,
Nashville to St. Louis, collectors were actively joining their local clubs.
Like today, no one really knew the number of active collectors, so the
plan to establish a national organization for stamp collectors was truly
a remarkable idea. However, on September 13, 1886, in New York, a
committee of collectors met to do just that, and the American Philatelic
Association was formed. The following day, a constitution and by-laws
were adopted making September 14, 1886, the official birthday of our
Society. John K. Tiffany of St. Louis was elected president. During the
1908 annual convention in Columbus, Ohio, the APA changed its name
to the American Philatelic Society.
Little did the founding fathers know how far we would come.
Today the Society serves members across the United States and around
the world. The APS offers a wide variety of services — buying and
selling, expertizing, educational opportunities, an information-packed
website, and a monthly magazine, just to name a few.
The Society has survived wars, economic troubles, scandals
and scoundrels. It has grown with the times while sometimes being
challenged by new technology. One thing that hasn’t changed is our
members’ passion for collecting.
Here are some of the many memories from the APS archives.
840 American Philatelist / September 2011
John K. Tiffany
For more information on the Society’s history,
visit www.stamps.org/Historical-Information.
1887 Convention • Chicago, Illinois
1908 Convention • Columbus, Ohio
J.W. Scott
George Linn
September 2011 / American Philatelist 841
In 1958 the APS moved the Sales Division to Central Office in State College,
Pennsylvania, under the watchful of eye of the executive secretary,
Clay Musser. The APS was located above Kaye’s Corner Grocery Store
at the corner of Beaver Avenue and Allen Street.
This cover was canceled in Arlington, Virginia, December 31, 1947,
the last day of the free mail privilege for the Armed Services. Note that
(then) Major James T. DeVoss signed his name above the return address.
Cover courtesy of Brookman, Marrett, and Worthen.)
Clay Musser
Col. James T. DeVoss
Executive Secretary 1963–79,
Executive Director, 1979–81.
On September 12, 1972, the American
Philatelic Building was dedicated
on Frasier Street in State College,
Pennsylvania. For a decade this was
the home to the American Philatelic
Research Library on the First Floor
and the American Philatelic Society
on the second. In 1976 The American
Philatelist also moved to State College,
joining the Sales Division and the
Expertizing Service. Many of the
current staff began their careers with
APS on Frasier Street.
842 American Philatelist / September 2011
As the Society and Library grew, so did the need for more space. In early 1981 the services and
staff made the move to a new American Philatelic Building at 100 Oakwood Avenue in State College.
APS Life-member, Astronaut
Henry W. Hartsfield Jr.
More than 600 people jammed the American Philatelic Building on
January 23 for the first day ceremonies for stamp collecting booklet.
On the same date, Sweden issued a Stockholmia 86 booklet also
saluting stamp collecting. The two booklets have one stamp
with a common design by Eva Jern of the Swedish Philatelic Service.
Happy 125th & Many More!
Once again the need for space necessitated the move to a new home in
2003— the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
September 2011 / American Philatelist 843