by Lloyd A. de Vries, The Virtual Stamp Club

These notes are not meant to be comprehensive; for more detailed reporting, see Foster Miller’s live blogging from the meeting in The Stamp Collecting Forum. (This link takes you directly to those messages). Unless otherwise attributed, all views and observations are those of the author.

Some highlights — Shows:

StampShow 2022 will be held in Sacramento, Calif. Previously set are 2019 Omaha, 2020 Hartford, Conn., and 2021 in the Chicago area.

The American Topical Association, which is holding its National Topical Stamp Show in conjunction with APS StampShow this weekend in Columbus, Ohio, has asked to do the same next year, in Omaha. I believe the National Model Railroaders Association also will be meeting in conjunction with StampShow next year in Omaha. APS executive director Scott English said at this meeting that the Union Pacific Railroad is a sponsor of StampShow 2019.

2019 is the 150th anniversary of the “driving of the Golden Spike,” the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, or the ability to take a train from one side of the U.S. to the other. The Central Pacific Railroad headed east from Sacramento; the Union Pacific headed west from Omaha, and UP still exists as a company today.

English is going to Omaha next month to explore other community involvement for the show.

AmeriStamp Expo in Birmingham in February lost $45,000, even more than the most-pessimistic predictions. English hopes StampShow 2018 will make up most of that, but it won’t make up all of it.

English calls this weekend’s joint APS/ATA show “historic.”

“I believe there is no wrong way to get into stamp collecting,” he said.

Finances:

Treasurer Bruce Marsden reports the APS is financially strong. However, it has $4.1 million in “designated funds,” and he recommends the Board take a look at how that money is allocated. For instance, the “insurance fund” (for circuit sales, I believe) has about 10 times as much in it as is ever used.

The APS and American Philatelic Research Library, which owns the American Philatelic Center (“Match Factory”), have an operating agreement dating back to 2005. However, Marsden says most of it has never been followed: There is no lease, no rents collected, no certainty of which organization promotes rentals to outside groups. The operating agreement also predates the completion of the Library facilities. He recommends re-examining this agreement, too.

English does not recommend a dues increase. The APS raised dues by $10 twice in a five-year period, 2003 ($25 to $35) and then again in 2008 ($35 to the present $45). The latter had a strong effect on membership.

The average cost per member is about $40. Dues account for only about 21% of APS revenue. Eliminating the never-financially-successful AmeriStamp Expo winter show will save about $2 per member! No dues pay for American Philatelist, the journal: It is supported by its advertising revenue.

The APS has reduced its debtload by almost $2 million in the three years since English became executive director.

Library:

Chief librarian Scott Tiffney, subject of our current audio feature, says reference request and usage of the APRL is up. Donations of materials to the Library are also up, but he is trying to be more selective so as to speed the inclusion of new materials into the Library. (He talked about this in our interview.) About 37% of the donated materials are added to the Library’s holdings.You can search online for duplicate materials that are for sale.

85% of all issues of American Philatelist, the journal of the APS, are now available online through the Library, and Tiffney expects that to be 100% by late September.

There are also more philatelic exhibits online.

Website:

English said he does not apologize for calling the current APS website, stamps.org, “garbage” in an article that appeared in Linn’s Stamp News. (You can read it here.) He says it was good once, given the state of the art then and what the APS could afford, but it no longer is adequate.

Martin Miller, editor of American Philatelist, is the project manager on revamping the website. You will see changes shortly.

Sales Taxes:

Society attorney Kathleen Yurchak is keeping an eye on South Dakota v. Wayfair, a recent Supreme Court ruling that said states have the right to collect sales taxes from Internet merchants, even if they do not have a physical presence in those states. (Read more in Forbes as well as other publications.) English says there are 5,000 taxing jurisdictions in the U.S.

From my own experience, customers in White Plains, NY, pay city, county and state sales taxes, while those in nearby towns may only pay county and state.

Membership Survey:

All APS members for which the society has e-mail addresses were invited to take the survey, which was written by a professional firm. About 15% did, which is much higher than the usual response to online surveys of 3-4%.

54% of those responding collecting only stamps.
40% collecting stamps and covers.
The other 6% were dealers, advertisers and institutions.

The strongest responses were from the Southeast and Midwest.

77% read every issue.
More than 81% consider it a source of continuing philatelic education for them.
Less than 27% share it. Miller wants to change that: “The recruitment value of ‘AP’ is incalculable.”

Not surprisingly, the interest in online features increases as the age of the member (or, at least, the members’ length of time in the APS) decreases. Some members only do eBay and Facebook online.

85% of AP’s readers read the ads.
60% say they have discovered new dealers through reading American Philatelist.
63% are more likely to support an advertiser over a non-advertiser, that is, whom to patronize or give their business.

The survey respondents overall gave high marks to American Philatelist 3 the highest scores the analysis group had ever seen for an organization!

Miscellany:

There is an eBay seminar at StampShow at 3 p.m. on Friday; I believe someone from eBay HQ will present it. Based on the eBay seminars in the late 1990s at StampShow, this one may be mobbed!

Five dealers are participating in an eBay auction that will close during StampShow. It is a joint project of the APS and American Stamp Dealers Association. We hope to have a report on it after it closes.

Both English and APS president Bob Zeigler are left-handed.

This show marks English’ 3rd anniversary as executive director.

English called the “Stamp Soiree,” a high-donation reception this year being held in the Ohio State Capitol, the “Ziggy Experience.” At that, Zeigler put his head in his hands.

Zeigler will not be attending StampShow this year; his son is getting married this weekend in Seattle.