07/31/2008 Contact:
Fred Baumann
Also available in pdf format
American Philatelic Center Celebrates
Stamp Collecting Month October 4
 To celebrate Stamp Collecting Month, the American
Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, will host a special
Stamp Collecting Open House on Saturday, October 4, from 9:00 a.m.
until 4:00 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public,
and the APC cordially invites you to come by for a visit.
Single-frame
stamp exhibits selected to appeal to both beginners and advanced
collectors will be featured in frames at various locations throughout
APC, which is housed in an old Match Factory building originally
constructed in 1899. Tours of this fascinating structure that has
become the home of stamp collecting in America will be conducted
as visitors arrive throughout the day.
Visitors to the APC also
will enjoy an Open House at the new home of the Headsville, West
Virginia, Post Office, on loan from the Smithsonian’s National
Museum of American History. After operating from 1860 to 1914 in
the northeastern West  Virginia hamlet of Headsville, this 540-square-foot
board-and-batten structure served as an exhibit and a working U.S.
Post Office for 35 years at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
Today, with its original store counters and Franklin-style stove,
this rural post office offers 21st-century contract post office
service to patrons in Centre County.
Also during the Open House,
visitors can take advantage of the availability the American Philatelic
Research Library — the
largest library of its kind in this hemisphere — and members
may purchase worldwide stamps from the APS Sales Division.
Those
who may have inherited or otherwise encountered an accumulation
or collection of stamps and would like to know more about them
can visit “Stamps in Your Attic,” which will be set
up in Sundman Hall during the Open House. Experienced staff will
answer questions about the stamps you have and provide a general
assessment of their condition and likely market value.
 The American
Philatelic Society — America’s Stamp Club,
with members in 110 nations around the world — will have
a booth available with information for interested collectors in
the APC Lobby.
All day long there will be stamp collecting fun
for children in the Center’s Sundman Hall. As children complete
activities at various learning stations, they will discover the
enjoyment of the stamp hobby while having fun with postage stamps.
Parents are welcome to join them, or can attend the Adult Beginner
Class that gets under way at 1:00 p.m.
The following special presentations
will be given upstairs in the Education Wing of the APC during
the Saturday Open House:
10:00 a.m. The History of Mail (Ken Martin) – Hennig
Room
From early days on the American frontier, where mail delivery was
a rare event, to the nationwide reliability of the modern, highly
mechanized U.S. Postal Service, the history of mail is a colorful
saga with lessons for everyone.
11:00 a.m. The Pony Express (Fred
Baumann) – Airmail Society
Room
Carrying urgent mail between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento,
California, relays of intrepid express riders crossed the west
in 1860-61, completing the first reliable transcontinental messaging
system since the days of ancient Rome.
1:00 p.m. ‘CSI:
Bellefonte’ (Mercer Bristow) – Airmail
Society Room
The American Philatelic Society has provided philatelic authentication to the
hobby since 1903. Delve into the process of “expertizing” philatelic
material and learn about the process that the examiners use to form their opinions.
1:00
p.m.–3:00 p.m. Stamp Saturday Beginner Course for Adults
(Gretchen Moody) – Educational Meeting Room
Whether you’re
15 or 75, Stamp Saturday is your introduction to the basics of
the hobby! Discover where to find stamps, how to safely store and
handle your collection, how to soak (and when not to!), how to
use a stamp catalogue, tricks for identifying stamps, and much
more, with APS Director of Education Gretchen Moody.
 2:00 p.m. Stamp
Fakes & Forgeries (Bill Dixon) – Hennig Room
Learning about fakes and forgeries is valuable for anyone interested
in collecting stamps. This presentation will introduce you to some
of the tools used by experts to spot counterfeits, as well as provide
you with information to help you avoid buying them.
For the past
27 years, National Stamp Collecting Month has been celebrated each
October to raise awareness about the recreational benefits of stamp
collecting for all ages, with a special emphasis on introducing
children to this popular and informative hobby. Early in the month,
the U.S. Postal Service releases new stamps and postmarks designed
for their interesting subject matter and appeal, while many of
the America’s hundreds of local and
regional stamp clubs put up displays, host demonstrations and shows,
and spread the word about the pleasures and virtues of “the
hobby of kings and the king of hobbies.”
 This year, the USPS
will issue a pane of ten Great Lakes Dunes stamps in its Nature
of Americas series on October 2. On October 3, the Postal Service
will release Tailfins & Chrome stamps
showcasing four stylish cars of the late 1950s: the 1957 Chrysler
300C; 1957 Lincoln Premiere; 1957 Pontiac Safari; 1957 Studebaker
Golden Hawk; and the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado.
The American Philatelic
Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
year round. For additional information, call the APC at 814-933-3803,
or visit www.stamps.org
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