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 the teenager to adult, from the beginner to postal historian, serving members from south central PA, Northern Maryland and beyond. For Membership Benefits and/or to become a member, click JOIN US.

For existing members who want to renew their membership for 1 or more years, and/or to make a donation to support all of our Society activities, you can use PayPal-Friends & Family, by remitting payment to President Charles J. DiComo, PhD at charlesdicomo@gmail.com and denote reason for payment, your name and now many years in the Notes section.

2021 SOCIETY PROGRAMS

We are planning to hold Virtual Bi-Monthly Meetings until further notice, which shall begin promptly at 6:30 PM and run for ~90 minutes via Zoom video conferencing. For details to attend these meetings please contact Paul Petersen via email (pcpetersen@comcast.net) or call +1 (717) 299-5640. We usually hold a brief business meeting led by President DiComo, followed by our keynote speaker(s) and a Show & Tell, where Members & Guests can share in a few minutes their favorite stamp, cover, or other philatelic item(s) and take a question or two. We look forward to seeing you! And it is never too late to start planning ahead – speakers are requested.

December 8:

U.S. International Stamp Shows: Part-II: 1956-1976

The every-ten-year worldwide philatelic gathering which started in 1913 is the recurring hallmark of U.S. Philately on the international stage. As such, there are years of prep and marketing to host the largest stamp shows in the world. Prior to and during each show, the U.S. and other stamp issuing entities prepare postage stamps, souvenir sheets, Cinderellas, post cards, catalogs, and a host of other ephemera in anticipation of the big event. These items will be used to illustrate the history of the three shows in terms of their venue, exhibits, bourse, societies, and a variety of special events. There is data on the bourse, exhibits, awards, and venues. International shows are colorful events which remain with us through the stamps and other souvenirs which are quite collectible today. Join our speaker in a quick spree down philatelic memory lane of the mid-twentieth century emphasizing 1956, 1966, and 1976.

December 22: Transparent Motto Wafers Seals on U.S. Folded Letters and Covers, 1840 – 1860’s, by Charles J. DiComo, PhD.

When writing letters was primarily reserved for Royalty, the custom was to seal letters with wax using a hand-held, wooden & brass sealer. In England after 1635, when the Post Office was no longer serving only the Royalty, the upper classes took up that sealing method. Eventually, transparent motto wafer seals were developed as a solution to sealing letters. They were small, symmetrically-shaped pieces of colored paper, gummed on the reverse. Initially popular in Britain, they depicted a wide array of images, initials, mottos, phrases and scenery. They eventually made their way to the U.S. in the late 1830’s. At the Great Exposition of 1851, De la Rue demonstrated a practical envelope-making machine that could simultaneously fold and gum. It was this availability of gummed envelopes that eliminated the need for wafer seals – however use continued until the 1860’s. This presentation illustrates an assortment of these wafer seals utilized in the U.S. from the 1840’s through to the 1860’s.

2021 REGIONAL SHOWS, EXHIBITIONS & GATHERINGS

Some Sunday (& Saturday) Stamp Show

Kevin Kellman

k2stamps@gmail.com

2022 SOCIETY PROGRAMS

January 12: The Postal History of Lititz, Pa., by Dick Colberg
January 26: Early French Definitive Stamps, by Larry Rosenblum
February 9: The Five Cent West Point Stamp of 1937, by Mick Zais

February 23: Alfred Hitchcock on Stamps, by Ron Breznay. A favorite movie maker of the speaker, Alfred Hitchcock directed 53 films, two short subjects, and twenty television episodes. Ron has copies in his collection of all but one film, one that has been lost. And he seen each at least three times and viewed eight on the big screen though in times after the release dates. A collection of Hitchcock on stamps came naturally.

His collection expands beyond the images of Hitchcock on stamps, as there really aren’t that many. Included, therefor, are stamps that depict the films Hitchcock made, the actors and actresses who stared in his movies, and some of the behind-the-scenes people.

Finally, Ron will show stamps that contain images of places and items that were used in Hitchcock’s films. This is a fun and challenging aspect of his collection, as it requires having knowledge of the films in order to seek out appropriate stamps.

March 9: The Domestic Postal History of Postal, Postal-Reply and Postcards, by Tony Wawrukiewicz

March 23: The Reading Newspapers in John Lewis Krimmel’s Downington Tavern Post Office. Postal historians, editors, and independent researchers, Diane DeBlois and Robert Dalton Harris will analyze an 1814 painting to conclude that the artist was picturing Downington, Chester County, Pennsylvania, on the Lancaster Turnpike.

April 13: Postal History that Sizzles, by Bill Schultz

April 27: A Thematic Collection on the International Geophysical Year, 1957-58, by Rob Sternberg. The International Geophysical Year, the scientific year of 1957-1958 was an ambitious and successful cooperative enterprise by scientists from of sixty-seven nations who agreed to observe the earth’s surface while taking measurements with the state of the art instruments of the earth’s changing characteristics across the globe. They desired to then compile and analyze this descriptive data for its value in projecting future trends in the earth’s surface as it applies to a host of other sectors such as space and undersea exploration, for example. Geophysicist Rob Sternberg will tell the story of the IGA thought his stamps, covers, and other related ephemera.

April 30: 37th LANCOPEX Stamp Show & Exhibition. Click LANCOPEX 2022 for more information.
May 11: Still Available
May 25: Still Available
June 8: Spring Club Auction. For more information, visit Auction Instructions. Download the Auction Lot Form HERE
June 22: Still Available
July 13: Still Available
July 27: Still Available
August Picnic
September 14: Fall Club Auction. For more information, visit Auction Instructions. Download the Auction Lot Form HERE
September 28: Still Available
October 12: Still Available
October 26: Still Available
November 9: Still Available
November 23: Still Available
December 14: Still Available
December TBD: December Holiday Dinner

2022 REGIONAL SHOWS, EXHIBITIONS & GATHERINGS

Some Sunday Stamp Show

Kevin Kellman

k2stamps@gmail.com

April 9: DELPEX 2022, hosted by the Brandywine Valley Stamp Club. The show will be 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the NUR Shrine Center, 198 South Dupont Highway, New Castle DE 19720. We expect to have 20 dealers, the USPS Substation, a Bid Board Auction and plenty of Exhibits. Theme to be announced. For more information, visit DELPEX 2022.

DATES TO BE DETERMINED: LANCOPEX 2022 37th Annual Stamp Show & Exhibition. Click LANCOPEX 2022 for more information.

June 19: Some Sunday Stamp Show 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. 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 information, contact Kevin Kellman at k2stamps@gmail.com

August 28: Some Sunday Stamp Show 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. 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 information, contact Kevin Kellman at k2stamps@gmail.com

October 9: Some Sunday Stamp Show 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. 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 information, contact Kevin Kellman at k2stamps@gmail.com

December 16-17: Some Sunday Stamp Show 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. 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 information, contact Kevin Kellman at k2stamps@gmail.com