Philatelic Society of Lancaster County

The James Buchanan Chapter #173 of the American Philatelic Society
Chapter #118 of the American Topical Association

Welcome – Enjoy your Visit!

The Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PSLC) is an award-winning, non-profit community organization dedicated to promoting stamp collecting as a hobby for education and fun, from teens to adult, from beginners to postal historians, serving members from south central PA, Northern Maryland and beyond. For Membership Benefits and/or to become a member, click JOIN US.

2024 SOCIETY PROGRAMS

We meet in-person the second Wednesday of the month at Landis Homes, 1001 E. Oregon Rd., Lititz, PA (Directions below). Doors open 6:30 PM. We hold a brief business meeting, followed by keynote speaker, then Show, Tell & Ask, where members & guests share their favorite stamp, cover, or philatelic item. There are refreshments, snacks, and a bourse. Come early: share, buy, sell, or trade.
* Added bonus to all far & wide, we host a Virtual meeting via Zoom on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Visitors always welcome! Contact Paul Petersen at +1 (717) 299-5640 or pcpetersen@comcast.net for more info or to sign-up to present.

November 27: “Analysis of New York City Postmarks on Transatlantic Stampless Letters to Foreign Destinations: The Uncommon Use of “APL” for “April” in lieu of “APR”, by Dr. Charles J. DiComo.

Dr. D will review cancellations and postmarks of New York City during the 1800’s, based on the seminal work of Hubert Skinner. He will highlight an odd and uncommon circular date stamp (CDS) used by most likely one clerk to abbreviate the month of “April” with an “APL” (Skinner 52-3) instead of “APR”. He will present evidence that more than one “type” or “subtype” of canceling device was used to create the New York “APL” postmark, for both domestic and transatlantic mails. His years of searching have turned up over 175 folded letters, covers and stamps with a red or black “APL” CDS. The period of use was 21 years, from 1834, up to and including, 1855. The red ink was predominant on stampless and stamped letters up to 1851. Then, in 1852 and continuing through to 1855, black ink was used. He will focus on a broad array of transatlantic stampless letters with varying rates, routes and markings to multiple European destinations.

December 11: Society Holiday Dinner. Where: Landis Homes, Large Conference room, First deck (where we often hold our Auction). Times: Arrive at 6:30 p.m. EST or thereafter, with dinner (Self-serve buffet) to start at 7:00 p.m. Tentative Menu: Fresh bread ‘n rolls, Chicken Marsala, Sliced roast beef au jus, Risotto with asparagus, Vegetable Medley, Green Garden Salad with choice of dressings, Chocolate cake, Delicious Apple Pie, Coffee, Herbal Tea, Iced Water. Cost: $15 per person, paid at the door. Nota Bene: There will be party favors, door-prizes, give-away items, and the Entertainment Committee is working up this year’s plan. You don’t want to miss it. It’s our first catered December Dinner since 2019 at WoodCrest Villa’s Garden Cafe.

December 25: No Meeting this Date. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year – See you in 2025!

Storm Cancellation Policy: Should there be a storm or the forecast of such on our in-person meeting, the PSLC Board will make a decision on the status of the evening’s session. When this is decided, they will inform Paul Petersen who will send out an all-PSLC email. Those not on email should call him at +1 (717) 299-5640 for further information regarding that night’s meeting.

2024 REGIONAL SHOWS, BOURSES & GATHERINGS

November 22-23, 2024: K2 Lancaster Stamp Show being held on Friday & Saturday from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM at the Farm & Home Center of Lancaster County, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Affiliated Dealers: K2 Stamp Mobile (K2 Stamps & Collectibles), Doug McCullough, Frank Soeder, Lesley Botte, Hugh Clark, Jack Houser, Bill Snyder & Jack Zerby. Table fee is $120 for 8 feet “L’s” (8″ front & 8″ side) with an 8″ back table. Setup starts 8:00 AM. For more info, contact Kevin Kellman at k2stamps@gmail.com or +1 (301) 524-9562.

December 21 & 22: K2 Lancaster Stamp Show being held on Saturday & Sunday from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM at the Farm & Home Center of Lancaster County, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Affiliated Dealers: K2 Stamp Mobile (K2 Stamps & Collectibles), Doug McCullough, Frank Soeder, Lesley Botte, Hugh Clark, Jack Houser, Bill Snyder & Jack Zerby. Table fee is $120 for 8 feet “L’s” (8″ front & 8″ side) with an 8″ back table. Setup starts 8:00 AM. For more info, contact Kevin Kellman at k2stamps@gmail.com or +1 (301) 524-9562.

2025 SOCIETY PROGRAMS

8 January: Society Auction
22 January: (Zoom) Foreign Christmas Seals, Stanley Jones
12 February:
26 February: (Zoom) Join the Flying Postmen to Celebrate Stamp Day in France, Larry Rosenblum Blurb ‘n image sent to CJ/SN on 9 July
12 March:
26 March: (Zoom) “A Republican Soldier in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939),” by Jaume Balsells. The Spanish Civil War remains a pivotal chapter in European history, characterized by intense ideological conflict and international involvement. The war pitted the Republican government, supported by leftist militias and international volunteers, against General Francisco Franco’s Nationalist forces, backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The discovery in 2005 of an intact archive of correspondence between a Republican soldier and his family made it possible to study his experiences spanning the entire length of the conflict. This presentation reconstructs those experiences through the philatelic records and offers a rare glimpse into the postal history of the losing side of the war.
9 April:
23 April (Zoom)
14 May:
28 May: (Zoom)
11 June: Club Auction
25 June: (Zoom) ?Rob S. on Earthquakes
9 July:
23 July: “Rounding Up [Texas] Post Offices: Identifying And Locating All The Sites That A County Has To Offer,” by John Germann via Zoom
13 August: Club Picnic
27 August: (Zoom)
10 September: Club Auction
24 September: (Zoom)
8 October
22 October: (Zoom)
12 November: Open House; One-Page Exhibits
26 November: (Zoom)
10 December:
24 December:

2025 REGIONAL SHOWS, BOURSES & GATHERINGS

February XX, 2025: K2 Lancaster Stamp Show being held on Friday & Saturday from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM at the Farm & Home Center of Lancaster County, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Affiliated Dealers: K2 Stamp Mobile (K2 Stamps & Collectibles), Doug McCullough, Frank Soeder, Lesley Botte, Hugh Clark, Jack Houser, Bill Snyder & Jack Zerby. Table fee is $120 for 8 feet “L’s” (8″ front & 8″ side) with an 8″ back table. Setup starts 8:00 AM. For more info, contact Kevin Kellman at k2stamps@gmail.com or +1 (301) 524-9562.

For existing members who want to renew their membership for 1 or more years, and/or make a donation to support our Society activities and programs, you can use PayPal-Friends by remitting payment to President Charles J. DiComo, PhD at charlesdicomo@gmail.com and denote in Notes section the reason for payment, your name, and now many years. Venmo can also be used @charlesdicomo. For new members, please mail/email your Membership Application along with a check or money order to Treasurer, Lou DiFelice.

MEETING LOCATION

The Crossings Meeting Room and/or High Conference Room at Landis Homes on 1001 East Oregon Road, Lititz, PA (Directions below).

The Society meets in person monthly on the 2^nd Wednesday (except August).
Doors Open at 6:30 PM. Visitors Welcome!
Come Early to Share, Buy, Sell, and/or Trade.
Contact Paul Petersen at (717) 299-5640 or pcpetersen@comcast.net for more information

DIRECTIONS TO MEETING LOCATION

Landis Homes is located on 1001 East Oregon Road, also known as Route 722. Route 722 runs in a somewhat East-West direction between the Lititz Pike (Route 501) and the Oregon Pike (Route 772). You can easily reach this facility from either direction.

(1) From the North or the South via Lititz Pike: Take Lititz Pike (Rt. 501) toward Neffsville. Just 0.3 – 0.4 miles north of Neffsville is a traffic light at East Oregon Road (Rt. 722). Turn east, and it is two miles to Landis Homes, which is on the south side.
(2) From the North or South via Rt. 222: Take exit for Oregon Pike (Rt. 272). On Oregon Pike, turn north for 0.3 miles. Turn left on Creek Road for 0.3 miles, and then left on Oregon Road. Landis Homes is about 0.8 miles on the south side.
(3) Entering the Facility: Off Oregon Road there are three entrances to Landis Homes: an (1) East, (2) a West entrance, and (3) a middle or Main entrance. Enter here at the Main Entrance, the large building right in front of you is the Calvin and Janet High Learning and Wellness Center (this is the purple building on the map with #5 attached). Park here. The Crossings Meeting Room is on the second deck of this building, and is there is an elevator which you can take up one floor. The High Conference Room is on the first floor just past the front desk on your right.

Below are the driving directions from the Landis Homes website www.landishomes.org.

From Lancaster: Take Route 501 North (Lititz Pike) through Neffsville. At traffic light, turn right onto East Oregon Road (Route 722 East). Continue 2 miles to Landis Homes entrances on the right.
From Lititz: Go south on Route 501. About one mile past the Lancaster Airport turn left at traffic light onto Route 722 East (also known as East Oregon Road) and continue 2 miles to Landis Homes entrances on the right.
From Harrisburg: Take Route 283 East, approximately 30 miles, which leads directly onto US Route 30 East. Follow Route 30 East to the Lititz Pike Exit (Route 501 North). At the stop light, turn left onto Route 501 North. Follow 501 North through Neffsville. At traffic light for East Oregon Road (Route 722 East) turn right. Continue 2 miles to Landis Homes entrances on the right.
From Philadelphia: Take Reading exit (Old exit # 21, at milepost 286) off the PA turnpike at US 222 South towards Lancaster. Continue south on US 222 to the Brownstown Exit. Go right (Route 772 West) a short distance to Rt. 272, which is at a traffic light. Turn left onto Rt. 272 South for 1.8 miles and turn right onto Rt. 722, East Oregon Road. (Speedway gas station is at the intersection.) Continue 1 mile to Landis Homes entrances on the left.