“To find what you seek, leave no stone unturned.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Auction catalogs often a treasure
One of the lesser known but critical assets within the holdings of the American Philatelic Research Library (APRL) is one of the largest collections of worldwide philatelic auction catalogs and name sales.
Researchers often consult auction catalogs to identify certain philatelic items as to their value over time, their provenance or to see items that, if it were not for philatelic auctions, would be unavailable for public viewing. Auction catalogs provide a history to the commerce of the philatelic world for both the hobbyist and the serious philatelist.
Back in 2018 I had the opportunity to interview Andrew Titley, a lifelong collector and regular APRL patron who works as a philatelist with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, one of the world’s highest-grossing stamp auction companies and the largest in the U.S. As an experienced philatelist at Siegel Auctions, he recognizes the important role that the APRL plays and its significance in providing the resources necessary in his work.
“There are times, when a consignment arrives, that the need for additional research is required,” Titley said. “Whether this is searching for a reference to a single item that hasn’t been seen in generations, the plating of an overprint or stamp, or even just basic information on a general topic, auction descriptions are often times more than just about condition. Specialized sales can also include lengthy introductions about the printing process, general use of the issue, and reasons behind their issuance.”
The resources of the APRL, in addition to auction catalogs and name sales, provide a wide range of critical information for the professional philatelist and the beginner hobbyist.
“The amount of resources the APRL provides in their large repository of publications allows auction describers to take a description just that much further,” Titley said. “There have been numerous times over the years where the APRL has provided much needed references, books and even something as simple as prices realized from sales decades ago. All of this translates into the high-quality descriptions that thousands of collectors read in each of the sales we hold.”
Whether searching for a particular lot description in an auction catalog or discovering a specialized collection in a name sale, the APRL leads collectors and specialists alike to the many unique resources found only in the world of philately.
Postal History Symposium around the corner
Hosted by the Smithsonian National Postal Museum on December 8 and 9, Winton M. Blount Postal History Symposium is taking shape and will include 15 presentations by 17 speakers.
For more information about each session, visit the APS website, which offers several pages about the symposium and its speakers. You can easily find them all by using the Search Function at the top right of the APS home page and searching “2022 Winton M. Blount.” Here is an abbreviated list of the sessions alphabetically by author:
Alison Bazylinski
Zach Agatstein: “Hitler’s Mundane Messengers: The Banal Nationalism of Third Reich Postage Stamps.”
Alison Bazylinski: “Rethinking Postal Politics: The National Association of Letter Carriers Ladies’ Auxiliary, 1905-1925.”
Diane DeBlois and Robert Dalton Harris: “Big Mail: from Public Good to Private Profit.”
Laura Goldblatt and Richard Handler: “The Eagle, the Rocket, and the Moon: US Postal Iconography at the End of History.”
Pérola Goldfeder: “Gathering Vassals Around the Throne: The Political Economy of Postal Communications in 19th Century Brazil.”
Rebecca Brenner Graham: “The End of Sunday Mail, 1888-1912.”
Aristide M. LaVey: “Politico-Philatelic Semiosis in Russia’s 2014 Crimea Issues.”
Rocio Moreno Cabanillas: “The Reform Postal Systems in the Process of Structuring and Construction of Imperial States in the 18th Century.”
Francesco Morriello: “From Three Months to Three Seconds: The Evolution of Mail Delivery from the Renaissance to the Present Day.”
Guillermo Navarro Oltra: “Historical Figures on Franco’s Postage Stamps: The Catholic Monarchs.”
Daniel A. Piazza: “The “Fascist Style” in Italian Philately, 1922-1941.”
Rebecca Brenner Graham
Mark Piper: “Camaguey 1994-1995 Mother’s Day Cards: Structural Adaptions at the Cuban Ministry of Communications after the Dissolution of the USSR.”
Andrea Rusnock: “Postal Politics: Soviet Stamps of World War II.”
Roger Santala: “Lion or Eagle: Sovereignty, a Postal Authority, and the Mails, Finland 1890-1918.”
From left to right: Richard Handler, Guillermo Navarro Oltra, Earl Troops
Earl Toops: “Regime Change in Vietnam: Issues of the Provisional Revolutionary Government and Restoration of Postal Services in the Defeated South.”
This year’s symposium – scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time each day – will be a hybrid event with the opportunity to attend either in person or via Zoom. However, due to event restrictions at the NPM only a limited number of spaces will be available, on a first come first serve basis, for those wishing to attend in person.
If you are interested in attending the event in person please contact NPM Research Chair Susan Smith ([email protected]). For those wishing to attend via Zoom, registration can be done via the NPM’s Symposia and Lectures page (postalmuseum.si.edu/symposia-and-lectures). In either case, registration is required whether attending the symposium in person or via Zoom.