Courses are held at the APC and prior to WSP shows throughout the year. Topics vary, but have included identifying fakes and forgeries, how to become a dealer, stamp technology, and more. If you would like to request an On-The-Road Course for your event please fill out this form.
The Summer Seminar on Philately features four days of classes, workshops, general sessions, and camaraderie. It offers attendees the opportunity to learn more about the hobby from knowledgeable collectors - authors, judges, exhibitors, expertizers, etc.
C3a – Collecting and Connecting Central, is an on-demand, online learning tool containing videos, learning modules, and resources that cover a wide variety of topic and interest areas. Already familiar with C3a? Head directly to the C3a site
Learn how to prepare a thematic exhibit or how to improve your thematic exhibit for competition at the national level in North America. The course is suitable for novice or advanced exhibitors and will enable judges to more effectively evaluate thematic exhibits.
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to accomplish the following:
Day of Course: Thu, 25 Apr 2019, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Taught by: Phil Stager
Location: WESTPEX - The San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront, 1800 Old Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA 94010
Cost: $45 for members, $95 for non-members
Registration Deadline: 03/30/19 11:59 p.m.
Course Info
Registration Closed
Investigate the different designs, perforations, printing methods, and watermarks of the 1908-1922 series of U.S. Definitives known as the Washington-Franklins. Learn to identify different varieties with hands-on practice. Students should bring the basic tools needed to handle and identify stamps, as well as any W/F they wish to identify.
Learn how to:
Day of Course: Thu, 6 Jun 2019, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Taught by: Guy Gasser
Location: Napex
Registration Deadline: 05/19/19 11:59 p.m.
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Discover the Rich History of the Seaposts
Explore the many aspects of how mail was transported across the oceans. Examine the “four pillars” of postal history: rates, routes, means, and marks. Delve into the technological and postal innovations that enabled the explosive growth of European empires beginning with the Age of Exploration. Traverse through the rich history of the Seaposts while learning more about the ships that sailed, postal contracts, and the role of the Universal Postal Union. Topics will include:
Day of Course: Thu, 25 Jul 2019, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Taught by: Gary Loew
Location: Americover - Renaissance St. Louis Airport 9801 Natural Bridge Rd St. Louis, Missouri 63134
Registration Deadline: 06/30/19 11:59 p.m.
Explore the different facets of the Holocaust during World War Two, through covers and correspondence from the period. Walk through the origins of this period, the laws passed, the treatment of the Jews, and the establishment of ghettos. Learn about concentration camps and other camps of inmate labor and death. Discuss the model ghetto Theresienstadt, the liberation from camps, and the establishment of Israel. This history creates rich opportunities to collect compelling and meaningful postal history.
Day of Course: Thu, 1 Aug 2019, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Taught by: Justin Gordon
Location: StampShow - CHI Health Center Omaha 455 N 10th St Omaha, NE 68102
Registration Deadline: 07/10/19 11:59 p.m.
This “On-The-Road” seminar will focus upon Railway Post Office (RPO) history in five sections:
RPOs were considered to be the “Backbone of the Post Office Department” for more eleven decades. Understanding RPO functions yields a fuller appreciation of postal markings that survive on covers. A portion of the coverage will focus upon the postmarking devices that produced these cover markings.
After providing background on railway en route distribution activities, discussions will focus upon information resources that can support RPO research. The session will conclude with examples of how primary sources can guide reconstructing a routing from sender to recipient through the Railway Mail Service network.
A seminar participant will be at the grade crossing of postal history and railroad heritage for five hours. The 1869 completion of the “transcontinental railroad” is being celebrated by the Union Pacific at its Omaha headquarters and likewise commemorated by this APS show. This program will illustrate how mail transportation was an important aspect of railroad operations as well as fulfilling the Post Office Department’s role of “binding the nation.”
Day of Course: Fri, 2 Aug 2019, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Taught by: Dr. Frank Scheer
This course will use the Trans-Mississippi stamps to demonstrate how different specialized fields of study are interconnected, and will explain how to research stamps from different collecting angles.
Day of Course: Sat, 3 Aug 2019, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Taught by: Casey Jo White
Day of Course: Thu, 19 Sep 2019, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Location: Milcopex - Crowne Plaza Milwaukee Airport, 6401 South 13th St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53221
Cost: $25 for members, $75 for non-members (a portion of this course is being subsidized by a private donation)
Registration Deadline: 08/18/19 11:59 p.m.