Interactive
Philatelic Trivia Quiz: Prepared or pop quizzes can be administered to unsuspecting stamp club members, with simple awards (supplies, etc.) given to the top “scholars.”

Philatelic Bingo: Prizes to the winners. Bingo Card Generator.

Philatelic Scavenger Hunt: Bring 5 stamps which fulfill a list of 12 topics (List: stamp with cat, 1900 or earlier stamp, etc. (List given out a month in advance.)

Cover Contests: Some can be definitive, such as oldest cover, smallest, largest, traveled the farthest, highest face value, and most number of stamps on cover. Others might be subjective and voted upon: Prettiest, ugliest, strangest, most unique, funniest, etc. (Category list given out a month in advance.)

Single-Page Competition: Collectors can either choose a theme in advance and prepare a fun or serious one-page exhibit to be shown on the designated night, or prepare exhibits on the spot with stamps provided by the club.

Theme Night: U.S. Presidents, State, Holiday, Planes, Trains, Automobiles, etc.: Each member signs up to give a short presentation, through stamps, of his or her selected topic.

Scavenger Hunt: A list with unusual, esoteric and general items is provided to members in advance. Points are awarded for creatively fulfilling the tougher items on the list, with simple gifts provided as awards on a completely subjective basis.

Show and Tells
Clothes Line: Members bring in pages from their collections and along the wall put a string and with clothes pins (or large paper clips) attach the pages.

My Favorite (show and tell): Encourage members to bring one item of which they are particularly fond. Such items need not be rare or costly, just interesting for whatever reason.

“What the heck is it?” Like the “My Favorite,” members can bring mystery items from their collections that others might help identify.

Design Discussions (with examples): What makes a stamp beautiful? Ugly? Stately? Comical?

Presentations
Types of Presenters: Community member, collector, dealer, club member. Anyone who has a background, experience, or knowledge in a particular philatelic area.

Video: APS DVD, YouTube; Movie (The Million Dollar Duck); YouTube

Past Presidents Present: Each past president (or officer? life member?) gives a five-minute talk on a topic of their choice.

Other Hobby Night: Members show another hobby that they have (you will be pleasantly surprised at what this brings out.)

Demonstration of Philatelic Equipment: Electronic microscope, watermarking detectors, album page makers, online catalogs.

Getting to Know You Better (Member Profile): Three members give a 5- to 10-minute talk about their collections and a little about themselves.

Exchange Student Speakers: Consider regularly inviting exchange students. These activities help members learn about the countries they collect (or may wish to start collecting), and also give speaking experience to visiting students.

High-Tech Buy and Sell: Presentation on pros and cons of internet buying and selling.

Junior Collectors (Refreshers) Night: The focus is on young members and their friends, with various aspects of the hobby (and those who can give pointers) covered during the meeting by presenters. Many adults also benefit greatly from this type of refresher course approach.

How to Read a Stamp or Cover: A club member can explain and review all of the basics, unusual, and rare aspects of stamps and/or covers.

In addition to Buying/Selling: Have a 5-8 minute presentation before the buying/selling activity starts. You might have better attendance, while supplying program needs for as many members as possible.

Buying and Selling
Silent Auction: Bidder sheet and highest bid wins lot at the end of meeting.

Live Auction: Lots submitted by club members, donations, or outside consignments.

Swap/Sell Meet: Members rent a table, perhaps for a dollar or two, and sell their wares.

Mixture (Kiloware) Night: Clubs buy mixtures or large lots and allow members to buy stamps at low price (5 cents to 25 cents) apiece. Any remains could be sold at a live or silent auction.

Receive and circulate APS circuit sales books.

Dealer Night: Invite an area dealer to set up his or her wares, allowing members to experience a one-person bourse.

Mixture Pick: Spread stamps out on tables, one for US and one for the rest of the world. Charge 5 cents for each stamp. They started having a 5-8 minute presentation before the picking starts and they have better attendance, while supplying program needs for as many members as possible.

Mixture Pick II: Place stamps in bags and number them. Bags are passed out to members for browsing. When finished with a bag, members note their name on the bag so they do not have to look at the contents of that bag again.

Members-Only Garage Sale: Members pay $10 for a table to sell and buying members get some real bargains. Could expand this to an open-to-the-public event, with members getting in early.

Social
Hobby Reach-out: Have a joint meeting with another club or society, either stamps or other.

Holiday Party: Cake other treats. (we have a card exchange which includes 20 stamps that you would want to receive.)

Off-Site Pizza Party: (Or coffee, lunch buffet, dinner) Somewhere away from club venue.

Summer Picnic: Outdoor picnic; consider an order-out from a local BBQ joint or bring a dish to pass.

APS Assistance
The American Philatelist, the Society's official monthly journal could be passed around to members during the meetings. The AP may also be viewed online!

Stamp and Cover Sales Circuits can be requested and scheduled according to your needs as often as once a month. They contain material for purchase based on your chapter’s collecting interests. See the Sales Division online information for more details.

Research Library is available for chapter use. A nominal fee is charged to cover the costs of book loans, photocopies of short articles and scanning of articles for sending by email. The Library publishes a quarterly journal, Philatelic Literature Review, to which APS Chapters may subscribe. Any requests for book loans by non-APS members must be through an APS member in good standing who will be responsible for return of the borrowed materials or via inter-library loan. Visit the Research Library.

Online Exhibits may be accessed or, for the exhibits that have not been digitized, may be borrowed as you would a book. Click to view our current listing of online exhibits.