APS Members Help Exceed Expectations
The first sale of the Alfred F. Kugel Collection closed with an impressive $1.3 million hammer price. The net proceeds of the sale, totaling $1.23 million, go to the American Philatelic Society.
The sale, held by Cherrystone Auctions on June 18 and 19, showcased a diverse range of items, including U.S. International Registration Exchange Labels, U.S. Intervention in Mexico and Registered Mail from U.S. Possessions, and selections of World War I British Occupation of Baghdad, Jordan, Salonika, Mafia Island, Saudi Arabia, plus elusive covers from the Austrian, British, Ottoman, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese Empires, among others.
“Since we announced the first sale, many APS members have reached out to share their memories of Al and his exhibits,” said Scott English, Executive Director. “We also heard from members who purchased items because the proceeds go to support the APS. Thank you to all the members who honor Al and support us.”
English has discussed how the Kugel Estate will be invested to support the APS membership, maintain the Match Factory, and build cash reserves. He will discuss this in more detail at the next General Membership Meeting, held during the Great American Stamp Show in Hartford.
The Kugel Collection, Part 2
Cherrystone has announced the next Kugel Collection Sale to be held on September 10 and 11, 2024. Before the sale, Cherrystone will host a viewing at its booth at GASS in Hartford. Auction catalogs will be available at the show.
To register for the next sale, view the catalog or order a copy, or learn more, visit the Cherrystone Auctions website at www.cherrystoneauctions.com.
About Alfred F. Kugel
Alfred F. “Al” Kugel (1930-2022) of Hinsdale, Illinois, died May 11, 2022, at 91.
Kugel was associated with many philatelic organizations, especially Chicagopex, the Military Postal History Society (MPHS), and the American Philatelic Society. He served as a director of the Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS) and as exhibit chairman and general chairman of Chicagopex. The CPS honored Kugel with its Saul Newbury and Aubrey Berman awards.
A Life Member of the MPHS, Kugel served as its director, vice president, and president. Kugel had the lowest membership number (434) of any active member at his death.
With his experience in the investment field, Kugel brought financial stability to Chicagopex, considered one of the best World Series of Philately venues. As an American Philatelic Society finance committee member, he advised the APS on its investment portfolio.
Kugel was an expert on military postal history and had more than 100 single and multiframe exhibits in this field. He contributed scores of articles in this area, many of them in the Military Postal History Society Bulletin. He also contributed to The American Philatelist; the Collectors Club Philatelist; the Postal History Journal; Rossica; and German Postal Specialist, among others. Kugel and co-author Ed Dubin received the United States Stamp Society’s Barbara Mueller Award for the best article in the 2017 issues of The American Philatelist.
Al was an APS-accredited philatelic judge and served on CANEJ. In 2005, he was awarded the John N. Luff Award for distinguished philatelic research, and in 2011, he was elected to the APS Writers Hall of Fame. He was a council member of the American Philatelic Congress, an officer in the Collectors Club of Chicago, a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, and he served on the Smithsonian National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists. The APS Board of Directors selected Kugel for the APS Hall of Fame in 2023.
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