While every society and every philatelic gathering has been challenged over the past pandemic year, philately has undergone many changes. While a substitute allowing for some philatelic interchange and exposure, virtual meetings allow us to undertake the day-to-day business, and while internet sales have an important place in the life of many philatelists, there’s nothing so satisfying as meeting friends for those little side discussions not possible via Zoom, or fingering through a new-to-you box of covers, or the experience of browsing a newly found piece of literature. For the free and easy interchange of philatelic social life, it is far superior to have in-person gatherings. Unlike last year, when there was no physical meeting, we anticipate with pleasure joining in the annual gathering of events around the philatelic assembly of the American Philatelic Society in August. Hopefully, you will be able to join us at our author talks—always so interesting—and our social times.
Our significant change, joining two similarly oriented groups, has renewed our strategy for a stronger future for research in philately to continue in the following years. The absorption into the American Philatelic Congress of the Postal History Society means your membership will, besides our award-winning hardcover original postal research tome, entitle you to a quality softbound journal based on worldwide postal history. We are very thankful for the generosity of many members, making it possible to keep the dues within a reasonable range.
Our Editor, Seija-Riitta Laakso, has done wonders in preparing quality articles for the 2021 Congress Book and working with printers to produce the worthy volume you hold in your hands. Diane DeBlois and Robert Dalton Harris will continue to provide a quality softbound journal with shorter articles focusing on postal history in the APC Postal History Journal.
I look forward to seeing you at the author presentations, where we can enjoy the opportunity to actually interact with these experts. And then there is the wine and cheese gathering, generously underwritten by Schuyler Rumsey, where our literature awards will be presented—for both the 2020 and the 2021 works of note.
See you there!
Nancy B. Clark, FRPSL