Reference Collection

The Society maintains two reference collections of philatelic material — one for fakes and forgeries and one for genuine stamps and postal history.

Many items that have been judged “not genuine” subsequently have been donated to the APS Reference Collection of Fakes and Forgeries. Established and managed by the late James Beal in the 1970s, we continue to add material to this 38-volume display of spurious stamps and covers.

The APS Collection of Genuine Stamps and Postal History was created in the early 1990s and separated into two groups. The United States collection is housed in 42 albums. All other countries are arranged in alphabetical order in over 400 binders. All the contents come from generous contributions by thoughtful APS members.

These collections provide a clearinghouse of resource material for philatelic researchers visiting the American Philatelic Center.

Each month we are happy to provide a glimpse of a portion of the collection.

Aden -- (Posted October 2015).

Aitutaki --  (Posted July 2011)

Alexandretta, Cilicia, & Hatay --  (Posted July 2010)

Andorra --  (Posted April 2012)

Argentina -- (Posted September 2015).

Australia--  (Posted January 2013).

Austria --  (Posted March 2010).

Bahrain -- (Posted July 2013)

Belgium Semipostals 1910-1940 -- (Posted May 2015)

Belgium - Regular & Commemoratives (Posted March 2015)

Berlin -- A revisit (Posted Feb. 2017)

Berlin --  (Posted Dec. 2009)

Bolivia -- (Posted Feb. 2015)

British Antarctic Territory -- (Posted July 2009)

British Honduras -- (Posted February 2013)

Burma -- (Posted July 2019)

Canada -- (Posted August 2018)

Canal Zone --  (Posted June 2012)

Cayman Islands -- (Posted June 2015)

Chile --  (Posted January 2011)

China -- (Posted May 2018)

Columbian & Bureau Issues -- (Posted February 2018)

Costa Rica -- (Posted Oct. 2016)

Cyprus --  (Posted Oct. 2010)

Czechoslovakia -- (Posted Jan. 2017)

Danzig -- (Posted March 2019)

East Germany -- (Posted Feb. 2012)

Estonia -- (Posted Jan. 2015)

Faroe Islands -- (Posted Dec. 2016)

Finland -- (Posted April 2015)

France -- (Posted Oct. 2012)

France - Semi-postals & Airmails -- (Posted July 2017)

French Morocco -- (Posted Aug. 2015)

French South and Antarctic Territories -- (Posted Aug. 2010)

German City Posts -- (Posted May 2011)

German Empire -- (Posted Jan 2016)

German Local City Posts -- (Posted Feb 2014)

Germany -- (Posted December 2012)

Gibraltar -- a British overseas territory. (Posted Feb. 2009)

Gilbert & Ellice Islands --  (Posted Nov. 2011)

Great Britain -- (Posted May 2013)

Greenland (update) -- (Posted April 2016)

Greenland --  (Posted March 2009)

Grenada -- (Posted Oct. 2013)

Guadeloupe -- (Posted Sept. 2012)

Guatemala -- (Posted March 2016)

Hawaii --  (Posted Sept. 2009)

Hunting Permit Stamps -- (Posted May 2010)

Iceland -- (Posted May 2009)

India -- (Posted April 2011)

Inini -- (Posted Sept. 2012)

Iraq -- (Posted March 2012)

Ireland -- (Posted August 2013)

Israel Tabs -- (Posted November 2016)

Italy -- (Posted March 2017)

Italy, Islands A-L -- (Posted December 2018)

Italy, Islands N-S -- (Posted January 2019)

Japan (2014 Update) -- (Posted Dec. 2014)

Japan --  (Posted Aug. 2009)

Joint Issues (Posted November 2018)

Kiribati -- (Posted Oct. 2011)

Korea --  (Posted May 2012)

Labuan and North Borneo -- (Posted May 2014)

Laos --  (Posted Aug. 2012)

Lebanon 1864 - 1923 PART II -- (Posted September 2014)

Lebanon 1864 - 1923 -- (Posted August 2014)

Leeward Islands --  (Posted Nov. 2009)

Liechtenstein -- (Posted December 2013/March 2011)

Malta -- (Posted March 2018)

Manchukuo -- (Posted January 2012)

Martinique -- (Posted May 2017)

Mexico -- (Posted June 2018)

Monaco (Posted Dec. 2015)

Morocco -- (Posted July 2012)

Mozambique Company  -- (Posted April 2019)

Namibia (Posted April 2014)

Nepal -- (Posted April 2010)

New Hebrides -- (Jan. 2010)

Niuafo'ous -- (Dec. 2011)

North Korea -- (Posted June 2010)

Norway -- (Posted Sept. 2016)

Oman -- (Posted June 2016)

Papua New Guinea -- (Posted April 2018)

People's Republic of China -- (Posted November 2012)

Peru -- (Posted December 2017)

Pitcairn Islands -- (Posted June 2011)

Poland -- (Posted March 2013)

Postage Stamp Printing Methods -- (Posted August 2017)

Postage Stamp Printing Methods Part 2 -- (Posted September 2017)

Postal Stationery/Cut Squares (Posted October 2018)

Republic of China, Taiwan -- (Posted July 2016)

Revenues -- (Posted June 2014)

Russia & USSR -- (Posted May 2019)

Ryukyu Islands --  (Posted November 2010)

Saarland --  (Posted April 2009)

Saint Lucia -- (Posted November 2014)

Samoa -- (Posted February 2019)

San Marino -- (Posted November 2017)

San Marino - Back-of-the-Book -- (Posted October 2017)

Saudi Arabia 1916 - 1955 -- (Posted April 2013)

Saudi Arabia -- (Posted Feb. 2010)

South Georgia Islands -- (Posted December 2010)

Souvenir Cards (Posted January 2018)

Souvenirs of International Philatelic Exhibitions -- (Posted May 2016)

Spain -- (Posted June 2017)

St. Pierre & Miquelon -- (Posted June 2009)

Sweden -- (Posted September 2013)

Switzerland -- (Posted July 2014)

Syria -- (Posted April 2017)

Thailand -- (Posted March 2014)

Trinidad and Tobago -- (Posted August 2019)

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Posted Sept. 2010)

Uruguay (Posted Sept. 2018)

USSR -- (Posted Aug. 2011)

U.S. Back of Book -- (Posted Oct. 2014)

U.S. Classics -- (Posted Oct. 2009)

U.S. Counterfeit and Altered -- (Posted Nov. 2013)

U.S. Commemorative Plate Blocks -- (Posted Jan. 2014)

U.S. Plate Blocks -- (Posted Sept. 2011)

U.S. Plate Number Coils Strips (Posted Nov. 2015)

U.S. Postal Cards (Posted June 2013)

Vatican City (Posted Feb. 2016)

Venezuela (Posted July 2018)

Victoria --  (Posted Feb. 2011)

Yugoslavia-Jugoslavija --  (Posted June 2019)