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Job well done.

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

The American Philatelic Research Library — the top stamp collecting reference facility
in the country — is now in its new home.

It’s part of the American Philatelic Center, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, near State
College. The building also houses the American Philatelic Society, the nation’s overall
stamp collecting organization. “Philatelic” is the fancy word for stamp collecting.

Some 15 years ago, the A-P-R-L and A-P-S bought a rundown factory complex that had once
made matches — The Match Factory, as it was called. It was actually a collection of more
than a dozen brick buildings, about a century old. The two closely-related groups had
outgrown their previous headquarters, the library especially.

Not everyone believed The Match Factory would work. But over time, parts have been
renovated and rebuilt, and today, it’s all but done.

It's beautiful, as well as state-of-the-art functional.

At the recent dedication for this last major piece, there were most of the people who
had made it a reality, from donors and architects to project managers and others.

We can all pat ourselves on the back… for a job well done.

I’m Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting,
and photos of the new library and its dedication, visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

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