Links
Links
Here are some links to other philatelic sites I find interesting and useful, with some annotations.
Society Websites
American Philatelic Society: The national stamp collecting organization. If you're a collector, you should belong to this organization. Includes dealer listings, club listings, new collector resources, and much more.
American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors: If you are an exhibitor, or want to be one, join this organization.
United States Philatelic Classics Society: Focus on 19th century US. Tremendous resources online, including digitized books such as the American Stampless Cover Catalog.
United States Stamp Society: US specialty society with focus on the bureau issue of 1894 and later. Excellent for collectors of 20th century material.
Ohio Postal History Society: I'm biased, I'm the president. If you collect Ohio, this is the Society for you.
Machine Cancel Society: If you are interested in postal markings by machine, take a look.
Mobile Post Office Society: If you are interested in RPO, railroad, streetcar, or other transit based postal markings.
American Airmail Society: The premier society for those interested in airmail.
American Revenue Association: All things in US revenues.
American Stamp Dealers Association: Dealer listings, resources on buying and selling, and a particular tip of the hat to their monthly magazine. You don't need to be a dealer to subscribe.
Youth and New Collectors
APS Young Collector Resources: Various activities and materials, notably including a link to information about Young Stamp Collectors of America, a youth stamp club organized by APS.
Stamp Collecting for Kids and Adults Alike: short article and link aggregation with lots of good resources for collectors.
Starting a Collection: It's easy to start a stamp collection - just watch for stamps on your incoming mail. But this APS link has some additional thoughts and resources.
Research and Resources
US Postal Bulletins: Original source for post office openings and closings, postal regulation changes, and much more. Also has searchable Postal Laws & Regulations for those seeking a deeper understanding of mail handling.
US Post Office Listings: Created by dealer Jim Forte, this is a searchable list of PO names with year dates of operation and counties. Particularly useful for the ability to search partial names.
USPS Postmaster Finder: USPS research on historical names of postmasters. Highly incomplete but sometimes will return impressive detail.
Doane Cancels: Listings of Doane cancels from all 50 states with reported periods of use, along with other information.
North Carolina Postal History Society Catalog: Remarkable listing of NC postal markings, frequently updated.
National Postal Museum Research Links: In particular, the NPM links page lists most state postal history societies.
Philatelic Forums
Philamercury: Hosted by Richard Frajola. High level postal history discussion.
Delphi Stamp Forum: Long-lived forum, with particular interest in first day covers.
Stamp Collecting Family: Large and vibrant forum covering a wide variety of US and international topics.
Stamp Collecting Spot: New forum with additional social media capabilities. Worth a look.
