The American Philatelic Research Library, the American Philatelic Society and the Smithsonian National Postal Museum jointly produce the Postal History Symposium, which has been held since 2006. The symposium provides a forum for philatelists, academic scholars, postal historians, and the interested public to discuss and present research that integrates philately or the history of postal operations into the broader context of world history.

2024 Postal History Symposium

The thirteenth biennial Postal History Symposium will be held November 15 & 16, 2024 at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. The theme for the 2024 symposium will be "The Universal Postal Union: Connecting the World by Mail," commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Bern.

The event will feature an international slate of speakers, non-competitive exhibits of UPU, and a dealer bourse and social events hosted by the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society and Collectors Club of Chicago.

This event is free and open to the public. 

See below for presentation details, list of dealers, and non-competitive exhibits.

 

Schedule of Symposium Presentations

Click here to download

Speakers

Opening Remarks and Dinner Keynote Speaker

Benjamin Combes, Philately and IRC Programme Manager, UPU International Bureau (bio)

Friday, November 15

10:00 am - 11:00 am Eastern

“The Empire State, the UPU, and Global Maritime Empire”

Diane DeBlois & Robert Dalton Harris, Jr. (bio and abstract)

Can't attend in person? Register for the Zoom webinar.

11:00 am - 12:00 pm Eastern

"Public Health and the Post: The Universal Postal Union’s Role in Promoting Public Health"

Steve Kochersperger (bio and abstract)

Can't attend in person? Register for the Zoom webinar.

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Eastern

"Matter for the Blind: Franking Privileges and the International Construction of Accessibility"

Amelia Kiddle (bio and abstract)

Can't attend in person? Register for the Zoom webinar.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

"The Postal History of the Universal Postal Union: The Postal Card, Worldwide, 1869-1974"

James P. Gough (bio and abstract)

Can't attend in person? Register for the Zoom webinar.

Saturday, November 16

9:00 am - 10:00 am

"A Historical Analysis of Türkiye's Declaration at the Bern Postal Congress"

Mehmet Şükrü Yaman (bio and abstract)

Can't attend in person? Register for the Zoom webinar.

10:00 am - 11:00 am

"Effects of the German-Austrian Postal Union on Rates under the U.S. Postal Conventions with Bremen and Prussia"

Heinrich Conzelmann & Dwayne Littauer (bio and abstract)

Can't attend in person? Register for the Zoom webinar.

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

"UPU’s Regulations on Offensive Postage Stamps and Postal War"

Jan Heijs (bio and abstract)

Can't attend in person? Register for the Zoom webinar.

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

"UPU British Empire Security Protected Specimen Stamps 1884-1948"

Robert Myers

**This event will not be streamed via Zoom and is an in-person only event.

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

"Letters Sent to/from the United States Under the GPU/UPU Regulations 1875-1881"

Jeffrey C. Bohn (bio and abstract)

Can't attend in person? Register for the Zoom webinar.

 

Dealers

Bourse Hosted by U.S. Philatelic Classics Society

HB Philatelics

Specialties: Quality U.S. material, Federal and State Hunting Permits, Proofs and Essays, Revenues


Harmers International, Inc.

Specialties: Auction, British Commonwealth, U.S. and Foreign material


Triple S Postal History

Specialties: Worldwide Postal History, British Colonies, U.S., and Europe Colonies


Mountainside Stamps, Coins, and Currency

Specialties: U.S. Single stamps – new and used, U.S. Plate Blocks, U.S. and Foreign covers, Worldwide stamps on covers


Robbins Stamps

Specialties: U.S. Covers/Postal History from 19th and 20th century


Kurt Schau

Specialty: Worldwide Postal History


James Taff

Specialties: Confederate States, German Area, U.S. and Worldwide, British Commonwealth


Joseph Volutza - JSV Philatelics

Specialties: U.S. Covers, Space Events, Covers by topic

Non-Competitive Exhibits

Frames
Exhibit Title
Exhibitor
1-12 Commemorative Stamps from UPU Member Countries Marking Major UPU and UN Anniversaries UPU
13-17 UPU British Empire Security Protected Specimen Stamps 1884 – 1948 Robert Myers
18-20 Inward Mail to Hawaii under the UPU 1882 - 1900 Gus Clark
21-22 UPU: Century of Postal History and Philately Ravindra Vore
23-30 The First U.S. UPU Postal Card of 1879 Mark Schwartz
31 TBA Charles Briggs

Past Symposia

Papers and Presentations

2022 - "Political Systems, Postal Administrations, and the Mail"

"Political Systems, Postal Administrations, and the Mail"

The Twelfth Winton M. Blount Postal History Symposium

December 8-9, 2022

Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Washington, DC

Sponsored by

American Philatelic Society, American Philatelic Research Library,

Smithsonian National Postal Museum

 

Thursday, December 8  

SESSION ONE

"The Varying Purposes of Stamp Messaging"

 

Moderator: Elizabeth Brown

 

  • "Postal Politics: Soviet Stamps of World War II" - K. Andrea Rusnock (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

  • "The Eagle, the Rocket and the Moon: U. S. Postal Iconography at the End of History" - Laura Goldblatt (bio) & Richard Handler (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

  • "Politico-Philatelic Semiosis in Russia’s 2014 Crimea Issues" - Aristide LaVey (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

 

Discussant: William Moskoff

 

SESSION TWO

"Postal Networks and the Flow of Information"

 

Moderator: Susan Smith

 

  • "The Reform Postal Systems in the Process of Structuring and Construction of Imperial States in the 18th Century" - Rocio Moreno Cabanillas (bio)

(abstract | presntation | video)

  • "Gathering Vassals Around the Throne’: The Political Economy of Postal Communications in 19th Century Brazil" -  Perola Goldfeder (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

  • "From Three Months to Three Seconds: The Evolution of Mail Delivery from the Renaissance to the Present Day" - Francesco Morriello (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

 

Discussant: Richard Morel

 

SESSION THREE

"The Postal Service in American Life"

 

Moderator: Jennifer Lynch

 

  • "Why the U. S. Ended Sunday Mail in 1912" - Rebecca Brenner Graham (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

  • "Rethinking Postal Politics: The National Association of Letter Carriers Ladies’ Auxiliary, 1905-1925" - Alison Bazylinski (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

  • "Big Mail: From Public Good to Private Profit" - Diane DeBlois & Robert Dalton Harris (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

 

Discussant: Lynn Heidelbaugh

 

Friday, December 9

SESSION FOUR

"Regimes in Flux: Their Impact on Postal Operations and Stamp Design"

 

Moderator: Scott Tiffney

 

  • "Lion or Eagle: Sovereignty, A Postal Authority, and the Mails. Finland 1890-1918" - Roger Santala (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

  • "Regime Change in Vietnam: Issues of the Provisional Revolutionary Government and Restoration of Postal Services in the Defeated South" - Earl Toops (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

 

Discussant: James Grayson

 

SESSION FIVE

"Stamp Iconography in Fascist Regimes"

 

Moderator: Sheila Brennan

 

  • "The ‘Fascist Style’ in Italian Philately, 1922 – 1941" - Daniel Piazza (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

  • "Hitler’s Mundane Messengers: The Banal Nationalism of Third Reich Postage Stamps" - Zachary Agatstein (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

  • "Historical Figures on the Postage Stamps of Franco’s Spain: The Catholic Monarchs" - Guillermo Navarro Oltra (bio)

(abstract | presentation | video)

 

Discussant: Stanley Brunn

 

2020 - "Postal Innovation of the Classic Era"

"Postal Innovation of the Classic Era: Evolution Leading to Modernization"

11th Postal History Symposium

October 26-30, 2020
American Philatelic Center, Bellefonte, PA

Symposium Day 1: Monday October 26, 2020
  • Keynote Address: "Postal Innovation in the Classic Era" - Scott R. Trepel
    (video)
  • "Rise of the American Post 1639-1781" - Timothy O'Connor
    (video)
  • "Postal History of the Issue of 1847" - Gordon Eubanks
    (presentation | video)
Symposium Day 2: Tuesday October 27, 2020s
  • “Early Railroads Carry the Mail" - James Milgram
    (video)
  • "The British Colonial Post Office Controversy: A Letter from the Constitutional Origins of the American Revolution" - Anthony Gallagher
    (abstract | video)
  • "Steaming Mail: Introduction of the First High-Tech Postal Service" - John Laurence Busch
    (abstract | video)
Symposium Day 3: Wednesday October 28, 2020
  • "Mails of Navassa Island, The Original Overseas United States Possession, 1876-1898" - Ken Lawrence
    (abstract | video)
  • "Government Post in Hawaii: Creation and Reform – 1849 - 1859" - Fred Gregory
    (video)
  • "U.S. Post Riders in Spanish West Florida, 1801-1810" - Yamil Kouri, Jr.
    (video)
Symposium Day 4: October 29, 2020
  • "Evolution of Intercity Mail Transportation Modes 1840-1880: Insights from Postmaster General Annual Reports" - William DeWitt, III
    (abstract | presentation | video)
  • "Toll Gates & Toll Houses: Assistance or Hindrance for Mail Delivery Modes" - William Schultz
    (presentation | video)
  • "Blazing Trails for the Westward Expansion" - Steven Walske
    (presentation | video)
Symposium Day 5: October 30, 2020
  • "Confederate States of America: Postal Innovation during the Civil War" - Patricia Kaufmann
    (video)
  • "The “Special” Postalization of Locale" - Diane DeBlois and Robert Dalton Harris
    (abstract | presentation | video)
  • "The New York Postmaster Provisional" - Mark Schwartz
    (presentationvideo)
2018 - "WWI and its Immediate Aftermath"

"WWI and its Immediate Aftermath"

10th Postal History Symposium

November 1-2, 2018
Smithsonian National Postal Museum, Washington, DC

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2018 Symposium:

Symposium Session 1: Postal Employees and Communication Networks
  • "Civilian and Military Organization of Mail Operations for the American Expeditionary Forces" - Lynn Heidelbaugh
  • "The First World War, Female Telegraphists and the General Post Office’s Employment Priorities" - Joanna Espin
  • "U.S. Army Signal Corps Telephone & Telegraph in the Great War" - Diane DeBlois and Robert Dalton Harris
  • "World War I Impacts on Chile's Security Printing Plant Development" - Bill Lenarz
Exhibit Presentations
  • “War Savings and Thrift Stamps-Helping Fund the Great War” - Harry Charles
  • “Red Cross Activities Before, During and After WWI (1912-1923)” - Jack Elder
  • “Prisoner of War Camps in Japan, 1914-1920. Opportunities for Exploration, Research and Study” - Harold Krische
  • “The Versailles Peace Treaty: The Role of Diplomatic and Military Mail” - Ravi Vora
Symposium Session 2: Censorship and Surveillance
  • "Zanzibar Mails – WWI" - Gary DuBro
  • "Civilian Postal Censorship in India During the World War I Era" - Robert Gray
  • "Postal Censorship of the Press during World War I" - Nancy Pope
  • "The Revolution Will Not be Mailed: The US Post Office’s Role in Antiradicalism During and After World War I" - Adam Quinn
Symposium Session 3: The Mail
  • "The Mail of Prisoners of the Great War: Picture Postcards and Aid-Related Cards" - Alexander Kolchinsky
  • "Returning to a Country They No Longer Recognized" - Kevin Lowther
  • "Write that Letter Home: Senders, Recipients, and the Content of World War I Correspondence” - Jim Miller
2016 - "How Postal Treaties Influenced Post Office Reforms"

How Postal Treaties Influenced Post Office Reforms

9th Postal History Symposium

June 2, 2016
Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York City

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2016 Symposium:

Symposium Keynote
  • James Peter Gough RDP FRPSL
Symposium Session 1
  • A Non-Treaty Postal Agreement of the United States Post Office Department with the British Post Office as a significant early step towards the development of United States airmail to foreign destinations - Murray Abramson
    (read abstract | presentation)
  • Newspapers in the Mails: Postal Unification of the British American Colonies - Diane DeBlois & Robert Dalton Harris
    (read abstract | presentation)
  • 1836 Anglo-French Postal Convention (AF1836) - Geoffrey Lewis
    (read abstract | paper | presentation)
Symposium Session 2
2014 - "Development of Transoceanic Air Mail Service"

Development of Transoceanic Air Mail Service

8th Annual Postal History Symposium & Aerophilately

September 12-14, 2014
American Philatelic Center, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
The 2014 Symposium was held in conjunction with a philatelic exhibition hosted by the American Air Mail Society.

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2014 Symposium:

Symposium Keynote
  • “A Pan Am Flight Cover Literally Changed My Life” by Jon E. Krupnick (YouTube Video)
Symposium Session 1
  • German Trans-Atlantic Airmail Services 1929–1939 - James W. Graue (YouTube Video)
  • Aeropostale and Air France: A Decade of South-Atlantic Airmail - Daniel V. Gribbin ( YouTube Video)
  • L.A.T.I., Linee Aeree Transcontinentali Italiane: The Italian Air Service to South America, December 1939–December 1941 - Samuel J. Pezzillo (YouTube Video)
Symposium Session 2
  • The Bathurst Connection: The Centrality of Gambia to the Development of Transatlantic Air Mail- Gary Wayne Loew
    YouTube Video)
  • Development of Transpacific Airmail Routes by the Naval Air Transport Service - William Fort
Symposium Session 3
  • "The Veil has been Lifted" Fisherman’s Lake, PAA Builds a Seaport in the Jungle - David E. Crotty
  • Development of WWII Transpacific Airmail Service by the U.S. Army - William Fort
  • The Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the South East European Air Mail Connection to North America (1939–1941) - Ratomir Zivkovic
    (YouTube Video)
2012 - "Blue & Gray: Mail and the Civil War"

Blue & Gray: Mail and the Civil War

7th Annual Postal History Symposium & U.S. Classics 2012

November 2-4, 2012
American Philatelic Center, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
The 2012 Symposium was held in conjunction with a philatelic exhibition hosted by the United States Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS).

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2012 Symposium:

Postal History Society Talk
  • The Fort Sumter Issue of 1961: A Commemorative in Conflict – David M. Frye
Postal History Symposium Session 1
  • How the Post Office in Elmira, NY met the challenges of the American Civil War – Alan Parsons
  • Decorated Envelopes as Weapons of War – Ken Lawrence
  • American Civil War Postage Due: North and South – Harry K. Charles, Jr.
  • Balancing the Books: Newspapers & the Postal Business of the Confederacy – Diane DeBlois & Robert Dalton Harris
Postal History Symposium Session 2
  • The Madison, Florida Postmaster Provisionals: Anatomy of a Postal History Research Project – Patricia A. Kaufmann
  • “Cold Mountain”: Philatelic Props Developed for the Movie – Thomas J. Richards
Postal History Symposium Session 3
  • Confederate Generals’ Mail, 1861-1865 – Brian Green & Alexander Green
  • Economic Activity Following the Civil War Indexed by Postal Money Order Data – Terence Hines & Thomas Velk
  • Union and Confederate Soldiers’ Stationery: Their Designs and Purposes – Steven R. Boyd
  • Where are the Confederate Route Agents? – Douglas N. Clark
2011 - "How Commerce and Industry Shaped the Mails"

How Commerce and Industry Shaped the Mails

6th Annual Postal History Symposium

September 16 – 18, 2011
American Philatelic Center, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2011 Symposium:

Postal History Symposium Session 1
  • No Fries ’Til Mail—How tourism brought mail service to the Grand Canyon – Marjory J. Sente
  • The U.S. Special Handling Service - “Live Chicks” - And so much more - Require First Class Treatment – Robert G. Rufe
  • Promotion of Air Mail in the U.S. by Government and Industry – Arthur H. Groten M.D.
  • The Standardization of American Mail Order, 1860-1900 – Sarah A. Johnson, Ph.D.
  • Order No. 10 – Post Office Protection of the Express Cartel – David L. Straight
Postal History Symposium Session 2
  • How Postcards Saved The Rural Free Delivery – Dan Gifford, Ph.D.
  • Stamp Cancellations at a Rural Post Office in the 1940’s – Erick Lee Erickson, Ph.D.
  • Antebellum Transformations in Postal Architecture – Katherine Miller
  • Postal History and Network Art – Andrew Oleksiuk
  • Parcel Post Postage Due Stamps – Harry K. Charles, Jr., Ph.D.
  • “It’s in the Bag” – The Shape of Turn-of-the-Century Mail – Robert Harris & Diane Deblois
  • Role of the US Postal Money Order System in the Creation of the Mail Order Business – Terence Hines & Thomas Velk
  • Business Reply Mail Service – Richard D. Martorelli
  • Commerce, Industry, and Communications – David Hochfelder
2010 - "Stamps and the Mail: Imagery, Icons, & Identity"

Stamps and the Mail: Imagery, Icons, & Identity

5th Annual Postal History Symposium

September 30 - October 1, 2010
Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2010 Symposium:

2009 - “Postal Reform”

“Postal Reform” 

4th Annual Postal History Symposium

October 30 – November 1, 2009
American Philatelic Center, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2009 Symposium:

2008 - "When the Mail Goes to War"

When the Mail Goes to War

3th Annual Postal History Symposium

September 26-27, 2008
Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2008 Symposium:

 

2007 - "Technologies, Technologists & Networks"

A Symposium on the History of Communication Technologies

2nd Annual Postal History Symposium

September 30, 2007
Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2007 Symposium:

2006 - "What is Postal History"

What is Postal History

1st Annual Postal History Symposium

November 3-4, 2006
Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Use the link noted here to view select papers from the 2006 Symposium:

 

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