Type | not-for-profit organization |
---|---|
Location | |
Area served | United States and Canada |
Key people | Rudi Anders, president |
Revenue | Membership fees |
Website | http://www.germanyphilatelicsocietyusa.org (Germany Philatelic Society USA) |
The Germany Philatelic Society is dedicated to the documentation, preservation, advancement and promotion of the stamps and postal history of Germany and its related areas through education, study, research and services.
The society maintains chapters and study groups. Chapter may be formed by five or more members of the GPS after making application for admission and charter by the society. Study groups may be formed by ten or more members subject to the provisions of the by-laws.
Chapters are located in various parts of the United States and Canada:
GPS maintains study groups on the stamps and postal history of Buildings, German Colonies, Early Empire, GDR, HOPs (hand overprints), Inflation, Stadtpost, Color Studies and the Third Reich.
Any person of good character interested in the postage stamps and postal history of Germany may join. The society headquarters is located at P.O. Box 6547 Chesterfield, Missouri.
A reduced membership fee schedule is available to all younger collectors, under the age of 21.
PayPal is accepted as of July 1, 2015.
The Society's journal is The German Postal Specialist which is published and issued twelve times during the year (September through August). It also offers books and CD-ROMs on studies already completed.
The society offers a number of services, such as identification & translation services, the loan of items from its literature libraries, etc.
In 2014 the Society's entire Audio/Visual library was digitized and converted into DVD format. Single program or 3-4 multiple program are available for sale to all philatelic groups and individuals within the United States for nominal prices.
The society maintains a staff consisting of: president, vice president, secretary/treasurer, a director of international affairs, an audio-visual librarian, literature librarian, publicity director and web master. The current president is Rudi Anders. The GPS is governed by its set of by-laws, dated August 2012 and revised in 2014.
Philately is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection, appreciation and research activities on stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps. For instance, the stamps being studied may be very rare or reside only in museums.
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is related to philately, which is the study of stamps. It has been one of the world's most popular hobbies since the late nineteenth century with the rapid growth of the postal service, as a never-ending stream of new stamps was produced by countries that sought to advertise their distinctiveness through their stamps.
Philatelic literature is written material relating to philately, primarily information about postage stamps and postal history.
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is attributed to Robson Lowe, a professional philatelist, stamp dealer and stamp auctioneer, who made the first organised study of the subject in the 1930s and described philatelists as "students of science", but postal historians as "students of humanity". More precisely, philatelists describe postal history as the study of rates, routes, markings, and means.
The American Philatelic Society (APS) is the largest nonprofit stamp collecting foundation of philately in the world. Both the membership and interests of the society are worldwide.
The American Topical Association (ATA) is a US-based philatelic society and the largest organization devoted to topical stamp collecting. It was established in 1949 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Jerome (Jerry) Husak. It currently serves members in over 60 countries. ATA publishes Topical Time, its bimonthly journal. It also publishes numerous handbooks and maintains many checklists listing hundreds of stamps by topic. The organization runs the National Topical Stamp Show as well as supporting 50+ study units on various topics and 40+ local chapters.
The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) is the oldest philatelic society in the world. It was founded on 10 April 1869 as The Philatelic Society, London. The society runs a postal museum, the Spear Museum of Philatelic History, at its headquarters in London.
The postage stamps and postal history of Israel is a survey of the postage stamps issued by the state of Israel, and its postal history, since independence was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. The first postage stamps were issued two days later on May 16, 1948. Pre-1948 postal history is discussed in postage stamps and postal history of Palestine.
Percival Stuart Bryce Rossiter was a renowned British philatelist and postal historian who wrote extensively about British postal history and postage stamps of British colonies in Africa and was involved in numerous philatelic institutions. In his Will he created The Stuart Rossiter Trust which has become a leading publisher of books on postal history.
Hiram Edmund Deats was an American philatelist, historian and publisher from Flemington, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. He was especially acclaimed for his collection of revenue stamps.
Society for Czechoslovak Philately (SCP) is a philatelic organization dedicated to the collection and study of the postage stamps and postal history of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Patricia A. (Trish) Kaufmann of Lincoln, Delaware, is an expert on the postage stamps and postal history of the Confederate States of America (CSA), and has written hundreds of articles on the subject; she is known as a diligent researcher who brings postal history to life. She is also a speaker on the subject.
The China Stamp Society is a philatelic organization dedicated to the appreciation of the postage stamps and postal history of China, including the Treaty Ports, Foreign Offices in China, the Japanese Occupation, Hong Kong, Macao, Manchukuo and Tibet.
The Scandinavian Collectors Club is a United States-based philatelic society dedicated to the collection and study of the postage stamps and postal history of the Scandinavia region, including the geographical regions of Åland, Aunus, the Danish West Indies, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Karelia, North Ingermanland, Norway, Slesvig, and Sweden.
The Rossica Society of Russian Philately is a society founded for the study and appreciation of the postage stamps and postal history of Russia.
The British Society of Russian Philately is a philatelic society dedicated to the study of postage stamps and postal history of Russia and Russian-related countries.
The Western Philatelic Library is located in Redwood City, California.
The Gibraltar Study Circle is a global non-profit society based in the United Kingdom, founded by Walter (Wally) Jackson in 1975. Its aim is to expand the knowledge of the philately of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The study circle looks at the philately of Gibraltar in all its forms for the benefit of collectors (philatelists) from all walks of life. This includes studying the postal history, postage stamps, revenue stamps, postal stationery and associated overprints from Gibraltar and any of these used in Morocco. Any new information is shared with the membership via its quarterly journal, "The Rock", which has been published since 1975, showing articles of interest not only to philatelists but also historians, artists and sociologists.
The Crawford Library is a library of early books about philately formed between 1898 and 1913 by James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford. By the time of his death in 1913, Crawford was thought to have amassed the greatest philatelic library of his time. Today, the library is part of the British Library Philatelic Collections.
The St. Louis Bears are a set of Provisional stamps issued by the St. Louis Post office in 1845-46 to facilitate prepayment of postal fees at a time when the United States Post Office had not yet issued postage stamps for national use. St. Louis, whose postmaster, John M. Wimer, instigated the production, was one of eleven cities to produce such stamps. Bears were offered in three denominations: 5¢, 10¢ and 20¢; the earliest known postmark date on a stamp of the issue is November 13, 1845.