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American Philatelic Research Library

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The American Philatelic Research Library ( APRL ), based in Bellefonte , Pennsylvania , is the largest public philatelic library in the United States.

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16-573: The library serves the needs of the members of the American Philatelic Society (APS) – with which it is closely affiliated and shares premises – and the public. It has more than 21,000 book titles and 5,700 journal titles. Its current 19,000-square-foot (1,800 m) building opened in 2016. The library is a public library under Pennsylvania law and is registered with the United States Internal Revenue Service as

32-572: A 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Donations are treated as a charitable deduction for the purposes of United States federal income tax. The library is run by a nine-member Board of Trustees. Each member serves for six years. Three members are elected by the American Philatelic Society membership, three are appointed by the President of the APS and three are elected by the founders and patrons of

48-400: A large city. When he was elected APS President in 1943, he was able to turn his vision into reality. At the 1944 APS convention it was announced that the APS would accept applications for the position of Executive Secretary. H. Clay Musser of State College, Pennsylvania , was selected and the APS office was established there on April 1, 1945. As a testament to their leadership, the APS became

64-538: The National Museum of American History closed for renovations. The historic building was again disassembled and moved to Bellefonte on loan to the APS. It was reassembled and again operates as a contract post office. American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame The American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame award honors deceased philatelists who have contributed significantly to the field of national and/or international philately . The APS Hall of Fame award

80-526: The APRL. The library publishes a quarterly magazine , the Philatelic Literature Review , which includes book reviews, bibliographies, and other relevant content. This philatelic article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . American Philatelic Society The American Philatelic Society ( APS ) is the largest nonprofit stamp collecting foundation of philately in

96-449: The APS. There are APS members from 110 countries of the world. Individual membership reached a high of 57,815 in 1988 and stood at 24,421 as of April 30, 2023. The organization has two national events each year: APS AmeriStamp Expo is held each Winter and Great American Stamp Show is scheduled in the Summer. Both shows rotate to different locations around the country. The Summer event is

112-691: The US representative to the Federation Internationale de Philatelie in 1947. By the mid-1990s, the expanded services, staff and the American Philatelic Research Library had outgrown the facility in State College. A study determined that because of high local real estate values, it was not cost effective to expand the existing building. A search of alternatives identified a property ten miles (sixteen kilometers) from State College that

128-486: The field of philately. The American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame honors those now-deceased philatelists who have served philately. In addition, the society honors living distinguished philatelists for their contributions to the field with the Luff Award . Around 1970, numerous newly independent countries realized that issuing stamps was an excellent source of revenue. Because the stamps were sent to other countries, there

144-536: The largest annual national show with 150 dealers, 10,000 pages of exhibits, meetings of more than 25 national societies, and over 100 educational seminars. Local stamp clubs host smaller shows, some several times each year. According to the ARIPEX website, its 61st annual show to be held 15–17 February 2019 in Mesa, AZ, will be "the last winter show conducted by the APS." The society honors those who serve honorably and notably in

160-530: The world. Both the membership and interests of the society are worldwide. The organization, originally named the American Philatelic Association , was established on September 14, 1886 in New York City , and the following day elected John Kerr Tiffany as its first president. Voting membership was granted to 219 individuals who paid two bits (25¢) for the privilege. The organization's name

176-401: Was appalled and created the “ black blot ” program. The society published a monthly magazine for members and began to include a list of new stamp issues that were judged to be overpriced or unnecessary. A country with high illiteracy and a marginal postal service did not require 100 different stamps each year. However, many collectors rebelled at being told to reject some stamps, and the program

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192-689: Was basically sound and could be acquired for a reasonable amount. In 2002, after much discussion, debate and soul searching, the APS committed millions of dollars to purchasing and renovating what was known as the Match Factory in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania . The American Philatelic Center was dedicated in June 2004. The APS offers numerous services to its members: APS membership includes over 600 commercial stamp dealers and about 450 local stamp clubs. In addition, nearly 200 specialty societies are affiliated with

208-477: Was changed to its present name for a few months in 1897, then back, then permanently in 1908. Society membership reached over 4,000 in 1940 and included U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes . At the 1942 APS convention, board member Donald Lybarger argued for the creation of a central office near the geographic center of the philatelic community, but not in

224-532: Was eventually dropped. The original board and batten post office from Headsville, West Virginia , in service from 1860 to 1914, was purchased by the Smithsonian Institution in 1971, disassembled and moved to Washington, D.C. , reassembled and opened as an example of a country store-post office for the Smithsonian's 125th anniversary in 1971. It operated as a contract post office there until 2006 when

240-491: Was founded at the 1940 American Philatelic Society Convention. The award is intended to honor those deceased philatelists who have made significant contributions during their lifetime to the field of philately. The award is not to be confused with the society's Luff Award which is presented to outstanding philatelists who are alive at the time of award. Requirements for the APS Hall of Fame are: Philatelists who have received

256-425: Was little risk of the stamps actually being used for postage. Historically, a country issued stamps to commemorate an event or honor a national figure, but these new nations created stamps that appealed to popular collecting themes, such as Disney figures, airplanes or space, famous people in the world. Instead of releasing a single stamp, they would create a set, with values ranging from a penny to five dollars. The APS

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