By Jeff Stage and Susanna Mills

As philatelists, we all know how important numbers are – from measuring perforations and sizes of circular date cancellations to plate numbers and denominations.

Here, though, we’re focused on the number 1,500 – the numbered issue of The American Philatelist you are now reading, plus all of those issues (1 to 1,499) leading to this benchmark.

Some sharp-minded philatelic historians out there might question whether this really is No. 1,500. History has shown some rifts in the timeline. For many decades, each new annual volume started with No. 1 in October, ending with No. 12 the following September. And, the earliest whole number (the total number of journals published) that we could find is No. 429, which is October 1936 (Vol. 50, No. 1).

We can’t discount the possibility of a misnumbering, deep in the AP’s history, although in our experience, when we have forgotten to update the whole number, we’ve caught the mistake within a few issues and corrected it.

No matter. Quibble if you must, but the staff of this journal is looking the other way and popping the champagne to celebrate January 2026 as No. 1,500!

We can confirm that The American Philatelist began with Volume 1, No. 1 on January 10, 1887, as an eight-page publication published in Altoona, Pennsylvania (the image is shown at the top left on our magazine’s cover). The American Philatelic Association (APA), what our society was then called, was the publisher. Founder John K. Tiffany was APA president, W.R. Fraser was editor, and E.A. Holten, of Boston, was named counterfeit detector.

Although it was the first American Philatelist, in truth, it wasn’t the APA’s first publication. Circulars were published in 1886, not long after the APA was founded in that September.

And the first lines of the inaugural AP are (sadly, for those here in editorial) an atonement.

“Some words of apology are due for the typographical errors that disfigured CIRCULAR No. 2 …” starts the lead article.

But there is good news in the first publication.

“The Association begins the new year with membership, in good standing, of 143 – a gain of 27 since the last report,” offers Secretary S.B. Bradt. Page 2 lists all the new accepted members since the prior publication, as well as the names of 17 prospective members.

Other pages include new issues from around the world, rules from the Exchange Department, news from the Library Department, and a review of how The AP will be created (to the printer on the fifth of each month).

Obviously, we cannot review all 1,499 issues since that first one. What we will do, however, is offer little glimpses into the magazine and the society by sharing the images of 44 past covers. Along with what you see on today’s cover, we offer a glimpse into the content of some of these issues. Consider this a snapshot – a postcard report if you will – from what we hope is your favorite philatelic magazine.

Skipping ahead nine months from issue No. 1, we find the black text on dark blue cover for the 20-page issue labeled Vol II, No. 1, published in October 1887. The masthead notes that The American Philatelist is a monthly journal edited by the Literary Board of the American Philatelic Association (of Philadelphia) along with a table of contents that includes entries of “New Issues”; “The Greenwood, Va., Local”; and “Reception to Mr. Tiffany,” a welcome event from the National Philatelic Society to Tiffany to be held October 5 at the Manhattan Café in New York City. Pages 17 to 20 are advertisements.

The January 1893 issue – noted as Vol. 7 and using the calendar-counting method making it issue No. 1, now has the society logo at the top along with a table of contents and a couple of advertisements stripped across the bottom.

The February 1912 edition – labeled as Vol. 25, No. 2 – now has a large image of the logo, bold, Gothic-style script for the title and a table of contents, which notes articles for “The London Stamp Exhibition 1912,” “King George Stamps,” and a list of members. The publication is now listed as a “quarterly journal published by the American Philatelic Society.”

The January 1918 journal features a more elaborate masthead with floral elements and around the logo and the title text includes a shadow feature. Horizontal lines from top to bottom could be a distraction but they do help frame the text-heavy center box that lists the board of directors, appointed officers and committee members. The president is J.W. (John Walter) Scott, yes, he of THE Scott catalog. Stamp dealer Eugene Klein is counterfeit detector.

The September 1920 magazine is one of the earliest to feature large images of philately on the cover, in this case a sheet of 12 Providence Post Office Provisionals. The stamps are noted in an article about the society’s 35th convention, which was held that year in Providence.

The president, Carroll Chase, pens a column on the second page, but doesn’t identify himself. He does note it had been a tough year for the society, which he pegged as “disorganized,” due to the death in 1919 of John W. Scott. Two key positions had been abandoned, including the editor. Joseph B. Leavy “refused to serve any longer at the meagre salary of $100.00 per year, which is the amount specified on our by-laws,” wrote Chase. Mr. Stone agreed to be the editor, despite the low salary, wrote Chase, who hoped the position’s salary would be increased.

The 68-page December 1932 edition shows soft, green highlights and a simple, but elegant, title treatment in cursive, including a long thin descending letter “P.” The society logo is at the bottom. Images are still uncommon on the cover, but shown at the lower right – 30 years before the U.S. issues a postage stamp for Christmas – is that season’s Christmas seal. Inside, the masthead indicates the price of $2.50 per year (which includes membership) and a long opening article about the stamps of El Salvador by Dr. Homer P. McNamara. The editor is Adolph D. Fennel.

At the height of Great Depression, the April 1936 edition brings readers a bright orange cover from Editor Ralph Kimble. There is another bold, flowery font for the text along with the society logo and a text reference to the upcoming TIPEX show May 9 to 17 in New York. Alongside is a pony express image, which is the logo for TIPEX.

Ten of the 21 full-time ads are at the front and include those from Raymond H. Weill Co.; H.E. Harris; and H.R. Harmer of London; 7 more ad pages and 2 covers at back (total: 21)

September 1942 marked the 500th issue! It’s a familiar cover treatment with the title in flowing cursive on bluish green background. Cover subtext notes that contents include Don Lybarger’s Convention Address; U.S. 1847 Stamps, by Brookman; Sweden, by Rydquist; U.S. Territorial Postmarks, by Chase & Cabeen; and Notes from the Cleveland Convention.

Lester Brookman, in his 10-page article regarding the 1847 stamps, including colors, papers, proofs, plates, demonetization and postal history, notes other philatelic well-knowns such as J. Murray Bartels and Dr. Carroll Chase.

Auctioneer Hugh C. Barr of New York City, has a full-page advertisement announcing, “The first portion of the Col. E.H.R. Green Collection will be sold at public auction Sept. 23, 24, 25, 26.” Among the items up for grabs is, “a mint copy of the famous 24c air mail invert.”

Likely reflecting a mood of post-war patriotism, the September 1948 cover features a dominant American eagle with a shield, arrows and olive branches at the top; the APS logo at the bottom and a box noting the contents of the 84-page edition. There are 18 pages of ads before the reader finds the table of contents.  Advertisers include Herman Herst Jr., Phillips Scientific Specialties and John A. Fox.  Articles include the “Famous Americans Series,” by George C. Hahn.

A huge image of Abraham Lincoln takes up three-quarters of cover of the November 1954 journal with the title of magazine and date stuck in lower right corner. The American Stamp Dealers Association is at the lower left.

The image of Lincoln is that found on the 4-cent workhorse stamp of the Liberty series (Scott 1036) formally issued Nov. 19, 1954. The magazine does not have an article about the Lincoln stamp (there is one about the 5-cent James Monroe of the same series), but there is a note that the stamp will be issued during the sixth National Postage Stamp Show Nov. 19-22 sponsored by the ASDA at the NYC Armory.

Editor David Lidman notes in his column that the society “condemns the practice of private individuals printing labels and selling them as postage stamps of alleged governments or political entities.” Specifically condemned were stamps alleged to have been issued for Free Croatia, Free Albania and South Moluccas. This was the start of the society’s Black Blot Program, which is explored more in an article in this month’s magazine.

Another very large image of stamp artwork – this one of Patrick Henry for the $1 stamp in the Liberty series – appears on the October 1955 cover, the first issue for new editor Charles Hahn.

The cover artwork for November 1955 includes a photo of the WWII aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga docked in Norfolk, site of 1955 APS Convention. Also shown is an inset of the U.S. 30-cent Robert E. Lee stamp from the Liberty series along with a note addressed from President Dwight Eisenhower to Rear Adm. Jesse G. Johnson, USN (ret.) that states, in part, “On the occasion of the issuance of the new Robert E. Lee stamp, please give my cordial greetings to the members of the American Philatelic Society …”

Inside is a roundup of the convention, including a four-paragraph story at the bottom right of the magazine’s 15th page. The 176-word brief offers a little insight into an event that continues to be news 70 years later – the theft of Ethel McCoy’s block of four Inverted Jennys, which later would be willed to the American Philatelic Research Library. One of the four remains missing.

The November 1960 edition – with a price noted of 75 cents – shows an image of an 1875 card proof of the 10-cent Washington stamp of 1861. At the bottom is a boxed promo for the American Stamp Dealers Association annual National Stamp Show.

The November 1964 issue – now with James M. Chemi as editor – features a large framed photo of President John F. Kennedy headlined “In Memoriam …” with his name, etc.

We could find no real mention of JFK or JFK philately throughout the issue, which possibly chose the image simply to honor the beloved president who had been slain 12 months earlier. A U.S. JFK memorial stamp was issued in May 1964 with different portrait artwork.

Chemi notes in his column the society has 14,000 members. The U.S. Chronicles section notes the new block of four Christmas stamps, marking the first time U.S. stamps were printed in se-tenant arrangement in panes of 100.

The August 1969 cover – priced at $1– is a blue-on-white palette showing a large image of a U.S. astronaut on the Moon. Sometime between November 1964 and this month, the annual numbering system changed to follow the calendar numbers, thus this is Volume 83, No. 8. The image honors the previous month’s first Moon landing and is the imagery that served for the creation of Paul Calle’s jumbo-sized First Man on the Moon stamp, which is featured in an article on Page 686. The article also notes how the spacecraft carried a “moon letter” containing a die proof of the 10-cent Moon stamp and notes how astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were to cancel the letter on the Moon.

The cover includes at the bottom a boxed promo to an article about collectors protesting about high value issues from El Salvador.

With Chemi as editor, the text and images for June 1974 were printed in some kind of garish-red (yikes). In real life, the Papua New Guinea stamps shown (Scott 399-401) are multi-colored. The cover price is now $1.25.

On page 486, Robert W. Murch, continuing with the black blot theme, takes on the recent U.S. stamp program, with his article, “U.S. Postal Union Eight-Stamp Issue Black Blotted.” Why wouldn’t we love the artwork of masters such as Raphael, Hokusai, and Goya? Murch calls the UPU issue (Letters Mingle Souls, Scott 1530-1537) an “ornate and overextended issue … The [Watchdog] Committee notes that … the large jumbo-sized multi-color block of eight stamps more closely resembles the flamboyant gravure stamp productions of the early Arabian Trucial States’ Shiekdoms than bona-fide United States postal issues.” (Hrrrrr-umph!)

The 84-page bicentennial edition of July 1976 – with now no price on the cover and produced by interim Editor David Lidman – somewhat surprisingly does NOT feature an ode to the American Revolution.  However, the new U.S. commemorative shown honors Clara Maass, a nurse who showed as much bravery and patriotism as anyone caught up in the founding of America.

An article summarizes the upcoming issuance of the 13-cent Maass commemorative that honors the 25-year-old Army nurse from New Jersey who worked in Florida, Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. To help research the cause of yellow fever, Maass volunteered twice to be bitten by a disease-carrying mosquito. She recovered from the first bite, but died August 24, 1901, 10 days after her second bite.

The issue also carried articles about the Interphil 76, the international stamp show in Philadelphia.

The December 1979 issue, with Richard Sine as editor, shows three images on a diagonal of the 1851 U.S. 3-cent Washington stamp, each overlaid with diagramming. The images refer to a feature article on Page 1092 about identifying major varieties of the stamp by W.K. McDaniel.

A 100-page issue in April 1981, still with Sine as editor, shows a pane of New Hampshire tobacco tax stamps on the cover, a promo to an inside article by Terence Hines. Other familiar contributing authors include Dr. James Milgram, Daniel Telep, and Steve Esrait, although all are identified by initials, not first names.

Sine notes he has added a feature of “how-to” items that appear where once appeared white space and he asks readers to share and submit their “how-to knowledge.” One tells of the first U.S. postal card, another about the first U.S. postage stamps depicting scenes, the pictorials of 1869. Sine titled these “Marginalia,” and he writes, “Who knows? This could take off to the point where we could publish a book of philatelic tips.”

The official 1,000th issue of The American Philatelist arrived in May 1984 and left no doubt of its significance. Against a steel-gray background (what, gold or shimmery weren’t available?), the number is encircled by olive branches. OK, it’s a dull cover, but it’s a 196-page blockbuster, likely the heftiest journal to that time. The content includes Editor Richard Sine’s review of the first 999 issues along with articles from Hall-of-Famers Les Winick William “Bill” Bauer and five full pages of new members!

January 1987 marked the society’s centennial and the journal is now under the guidance of Bill Welch, who took over from Sine in August 1985.

The cover image is a Belgian Congo stamp showing an okapi (Scott 151) and links to Peter S. Foden’s feature article, “Tracking the Congo Definitives, 1931-1937.” Other articles in 100-page issue look at WWI German occupation stamps; expertizing; and U.S. postage dues on documented covers. In his column, Welch notes the magazine entering its second century.

Welch writes, “As the American Philatelic Society enters its second century, the 150th anniversary of the postage stamp is just around the corner. Both our hobby and its raw material have shown remarkable staying power. Stamps are used and collected in every corner of the globe.

“And yet, the end of stamp collecting, and even stamps, is predicted.”

Welch writes about the receding popularity of novels, poetry and theater, “sharing time with other pursuits.”

“Stamp collecting continues to be a star, if one that must share a crowded stage. But our hobby must polish its act, learn new routines, new lines, if it is to continue in that role.”

Keith Wagner’s executive director’s report lists about 400 new members.

The January 1990 cover is a dark blue background with a new single stamp from the Marshall Islands that show skiers camouflaged in white and refers to an article about the history of WWII in Finland, “Postal History of the Winter War.” There is no price on cover and inside pages are all black and white.

Editor Welch writes that the 14-day World Stamp Expo 89 in November, which hosted 11 first-day events, attracted 125,000 to the show at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. Contributing writers include John Hotchner, Herman Herst Jr. and Fernand Serrane (1880-1932), who created a guide to worldwide forgeries. Welch, in a multi-year effort, arranged for the translation of Serrane’s work and its publication in serialized form.

Stampy words like “postage” “stamp,” and “cancel” spelled out on a Scrabble board with Scrabble tiles and postage stamps (such as the use of the Earth stamp for the letter “E”) make up the cover of the 100-page issue of January 1991. The magazine’s title runs vertically along the left edge.

Welch remains the editor. Clyde Jennings writes about the E stamp. Welch writes about how snakes (under human control), along with a hedgehog, were brought to the Florex show in Florida in hopes of attracting young people to a venue that also just happened to have a big stamp show going on. We wonder if the stunt worked.

The February 1994 cover focuses on the U.S. Liberty Series and the rare LOOK magazine postal cover. A blurred image of magazine in background with a cover in the foreground. Ken Lawrence presents an overview of the U.S. Liberty series of the mid-1950s. Lawrence co-authored a book on the series with C. David Eeles, and Anthony Wawrukiewicz.

The June 1996 cover shows bold, colorful images of Canada’s new stamps honoring superheroes, again with the magazine’s title set vertically along the left edge. The dominant image is a stamped and canceled first-day maxicard showing the Superman stamp from the set of five and includes an autograph from Richard Comely, artist and writer for Canadian comic book Captain Canuck. Most feature articles include color images, though most ads are still black and white.

The Canada article appears with images in full color, part of the approximately two dozen total pages in color.

Partial inside color appears to have started just two months earlier in the magazine. The April issue’s first inside color page about 32 pages in was an advertisement – for Heinrich Kohler auction house – and the following page featured full color was an article by Irving Whynot previewing the upcoming Capex show in Toronto.

Stacked pennies and three 1-cent stamps grace the foreground while a relatively gigantic piggy bank looms in the background in the cover art for the 100-page August 1999 issue, for which Bill Welch remains editor and future editor Barbara Boal serves as managing editor.

Welch reviews a professional marketing survey of members that shows the following: 615 of 1,000 randomly mailed surveys were returned. Results included – median age of respondents are 59.1 and less than 10 percent are women; two-thirds own a computer … stamp collecting is the most important hobby among two-thirds of respondents; more than one-third belong to other philatelic groups; members most regularly read Ken Lawrence’s column and the editor’s “letter.” Articles on U.S. are most popular with readers, most of whom collect U.S. They also enjoy history of the hobby, postal history and rarities.

By February 2001, the newsstand magazine price, $3.95, is back on the cover. The main cover image shows the non-denominated version of the Rose and Love Letter stamp issued January 19; another version, denominated 34 cents, was issued February 14. The design includes a detail of a letter from John Adams to his future wife, Abigail Smith.

The August 2004 cover honors the Pony Express and previews the upcoming StampShow in Sacramento, California. A large faded image of the 1960 stamp honoring the Pony Express sets in the background above text and a lone horseman on a hill before the setting sun. In her column, Boal, now editor, offers tips on what to look for at StampShow, including the 1-cent Z Grill then owned by Donald Sundman and Mystic Stamp Co. In what is epic U.S. collecting lore, a little more than a year later, Sundman swapped the stamp for a block of Inverted Jennys.

The cover of the May 2007 issue features the stamp that started an important new phase for the U.S. Postal Service: the Liberty Bell first class forever stamp. There is no denomination, just the word “forever,” meaning the stamp and all others like it will be forever equal to the domestic first class mail rate, for which you can send a standard letter.

APS President Janet Klug writes about the society’s mission and urges members to vote in that year’s election. National Postal Museum Executive Director Allen Kane announces that Cheryl Ganz, a future APS president, has been appointed acting chief curator and Daniel Piazza is the new Winston M. Blount research coordinator. Also in the edition, Dr. Thomas Richards has Part 2 of his philatelic movie props series, which continues today.

The April 2010 “Insuring the Future” issue, with a large image of the society logo surrounded by many hands, is the annual recognition edition, which thanks members for their contributions. APS President Wade Saadi writes about how “APS Plans Ahead.” The staff spotlight features Wendy Masorti, then APS complaint manager and webmaster, though today she is director of membership and shows. Writers include Steven J. Bahnsen, Steve Pendleton, and William Moskoff and Carol Gayle. Former APS Executive Director Bob Lamb’s “Worldwide in a Nutshell” column reviews Vatican City.

The March 2012 issue explores science as Robert M. Bell and Robert S. Blackett write about modern analysis of DNA on stamps. Other writers include Wayne Youngblood, who still has a column today;  postal stationery specialist Charles A. Fricke; and Noel Davenhill, who writes about the stamps of the British Commonwealth over several years.

At 196 pages, the May 1984 edition of The American Philatelist celebrating issue 1,000 was huge, but the May 2016 was just a tad huger!!!

Two pending events helped build this monster under Editor Jay Bigalke’s guidance. First, World Stamp Show NY-2016 was scheduled to start its eight-day run on May 28. Dealers, postal services and others invested heavily in advertising. Also, it was an election year for society officers. The contested election likewise drew a lot of ads. The result was a 200-page edition. Articles were contributed by Wayne Youngblood, Charles Posner, Douglas Muir, Paul Holland, Alex Gill, and Charles Epting.

Big news thrust America’s most famous stamp – the Inverted Jenny – into the spotlight on the June 2016 cover.

The background, up until then, was a block of the upside-down airplane stamps – error stamps of the 24-cent airmails of 1918 – was stolen from the national stamp show in 1955. The block was owned by Ethel McCoy, who later willed the stamps to the American Philatelic Research Library. Someone, unknown still to this day, snatched the block from a display and broke them up. Two of the stamps, no longer attached, were found in the late 1970s. The APRL kept one and sold the other. Then, after being missing for more than 60 years, one of the two final missing stamps was found and returned. 

Bigalke created a montage of the recovered stamp in the foreground superimposed on a grayed background that included images of McCoy and the block of Jennys. Ken Lawrence penned the story of the stolen stamps, the recent discovery by a young man from Ireland who collected a reward, and the stamp’s pending return. APS Executive Director Scott English accepted the stamp back at a ceremony at the international stamp show in New York City.

If the August 2017 cover from Bigalke looks a little freaky, well, it’s meant to. The stamps shown are not altered. The images show tagging, which is invisible to the naked eye and has been used for decades by postal services to align mail during processing. But the tagging, which shows up as fluorescent green under UV light, gets even stranger when there are errors involved, was Youngblood explains in his article about tagging errors, freaks and oddities.

Martin Kent Miller succeeded Bigalke near the end of 2017 and he had the pleasure of helping celebrate the 100th anniversary of U.S. airmail in the May 2018 edition. The simple, but effective, cover shows some of our earliest airmail stamps against an image of the blue sky and a few clouds. Contributors included Charles P. Wentz, Don Jones, Kathleen “Kitty” Wunderly, a former APS staffer, and Ron Breznay.

With dragons as a theme for the upcoming national StampShow and National Stamp Show that month, the July 2018 issue begged for something creative on the cover. Editor Miller responded with a huge orange dragon eye surrounded by scaly skin. Acknowledging a long-held interest from topical collectors, George DeKornfeld penned the lead article about dragon stamps from around the world.

Jeff has done an excellent job of recounting the first 130 or so years of The American Philatelist covers and now has handed your current editor-in-chief the reigns to discuss the issues I was here to help direct. I’ll start with the January 2020 issue, with its multiple articles on space and astrophilately, which was my first on the team as content manager under editor-in-chief Tom Loebig. I will be forever grateful to the authors who worked with me in my first few months on the job, brand new to philately, certainly untested as a philatelic editor, and – within 90 days of starting the role – struggling to edit a magazine with the finite resources I had at home during a worldwide pandemic. My full first year is seared into my memory – long, fruitful conversations with many authors, learning the ropes of what makes a successful issue of the AP, and figuring out my own editing style and philosophies.

I think every editor gets to indulge their special interests for at least one issue, right? Tom Loebig is a major baseball fan and the June 2020 cover proves it. One highlight was the interview with Baseball Hall of Fame Librarian Jim Gates, along with Joel Cohen’s excellent article on the Negro Leagues baseball legacy.

This was our second issue that we were working on during the early days of the COVID pandemic (the previous May issue was fewer than 100 pages in part due to pandemic-related challenges). At this point, we were still working from home, our beloved graphic designer Doris Wilson (who wore many hats in her time at the APS) was getting ready to retire, and Chad Cowder, our current graphic designer, was training to take her place.

The Stamp Collectors Buyers’ Guide, our May 2021 issue published under editor-in-chief Gary Wayne Loew’s direction, was likely our most ambitious issue together. Gary believes strongly in making the hobby highly accessible and mentoring future generations with practical, hands-on knowledge, which spurred this special issue, and the later Auction issue (June 2021), and Catalog issue (January 2022, his last as our editor). We spent many months in advance hunting down the perfect mix of collectors to contribute their knowledge, conducting interviews, and constructing it all into a coherent narrative.

The cover took that construction to the next level – literally. I wish I could remember who suggested the idea of using actual toy construction vehicles to “build” a collection (I hope it was me!), but the hard work of putting together the set, lighting, and photography was all done by Chad Cowder.

The February 2022 was my first as editor-in-chief, and our first welcoming Jeff Stage back to the APS as our senior editor. We had just switched the binding of the AP back from perfect bound to saddle-stitch (truly a significant cost-savings) and were handling some growing pains (two staples are less stable than three, we learned!). And Chad and I began to develop our unique design preferences for the covers of the AP – fewer collages, fewer stamps floating on a simple background, and more conceptual covers. This cover is a great example of our new style – the cover itself is “censored,” just like the mail discussed in the issue.

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite issue, and even harder to pick a favorite cover. But the May 2023 issue is top tier for me on both counts. Inside the issue, we have various articles on important philatelic basics, including a still-fantastic feature on understanding stamp condition by Tom Bieniosek. We used this feature to design our cover – a mint U.S. Scott 63 sits in the center of the page. Surrounding it, other examples of Scott 63, upon which Chad digitally reproduced various condition factors: a nasty tear, a well-placed cancellation, water and light damage, torn perfs and more.

Between the undeniable beauty of Scott 63, and the elegance of the final design – simple at first glance, but revealing layers of complexity as you look closer – this is by far my favorite cover designed with Chad.

I asked Chad to choose his favorite cover so far, and March 2024, the Art of Stamps, was his pick. This is yet another where we wanted the cover to do more than reflect a single feature article, but encompass the entire theme. Therefore, the cover itself is the artist’s workstation, and all of the usual cover elements are part of that workstation – the American Philatelist masthead painted on the scrap paper, the stamps.org and stamp burned onto the board. The stamps in the center are a pair by the designer Jean-Michel Folon, whose work was featured in the issue, and are positioned here as if Folon had just finished adding the final touches.

The final cover on our spread is very recent, November 2025. For our France and Colonies issue, who is a more iconic figure of French philately than the Sower, the symbol of the French Republic sowing the seeds of French ideals? Chad pulled the Sower off the stamp as if she came to life and started walking across the sunlit fields.

As of this issue, I have published my 73^rd AP as a part of the editorial team and my 48^th as your editor-in-chief. Chad has worked on 67 as your graphic designer. And Jeff Stage has completed 87 total issues, between his first and second stints on the editorial team. From all of us, most sincerely – it has been a dream come true to serve you and The American Philatelist, and continue its legacy. Here’s to 1,500 more issues!