American Philatelic Research Library

About This Association

Starting with a few enthusiasts in the 1850s, the hobby of collecting postage stamps and related items grew steadily for three decades. By the 1880s there were an estimated 25,000 stamp collectors in the United States. In 1886 several prominent stamp collectors began discussing the possibility of forming a national organization of philatelists. Thus by April of 1886 they had formed The Committee on National Organization (S.B. Bradt, O.S. Hellwig, and R.R. Shuman) and printed an announcement of the possible formation of a national organization.

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