May is one of my favorite months of the year – flowers are blooming, summer is right around the corner, and, of course, it’s the anniversary month of the first official air mail flight in the United States!

Whether you collect U.S. air mail stamps and covers or anything else on the philatelic spectrum, this month is the perfect time to learn more about how mail service in the United States and beyond was shaped by the invention and advancement of air travel. We’d love for you to visit us in Bellefonte to learn more about our hometown’s history as an air mail hub – and why not check out the Robert A. Mason Digital Library’s holdings related to air mail? From exhibits to journals (including the American Air Mail Society’s excellent publication, The Airpost Journal, which is also available via the society’s website), it’s easy to expand your knowledge of air mail from the comfort of your own home.

And this May, the APS is celebrating the legacy of air mail by inviting prospective members to “take flight with stamp collecting.” New members who join the APS in May will be entered to win an “air mail swag bag,” including assorted air mail stamps and covers selected by the APS Stamp and Cover Shop, a wristwatch featuring the 1938 6-cent Eagle U.S. Air Mail stamp (#C23), and a copy of APS President and Zeppelin mail expert Cheryl Ganz’s award-winning book U.S. Zeppelin and Airship Mail Flights. A winner will be drawn in the first week of June and notified via email, so please be sure to include an email address that you check regularly with your application!

Want to learn more about APS membership and which option is right for you? Visit our Join Now page for more information!

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