Conversations with Philatelists

Constanze Dennis, Managing Director of Grosvenor Auctions, discusses her unusual pathway to her current position, and the responsibilities and challenges that come with it. She also discusses the pleasure of in-person auctioneering, and how to get younger generations involved in philately.

Dr. Joseph M Adelman, an associate professor of History at Framingham State University, discusses his book, Revolutionary Networks: The Business and Politics of Printing the News, 1763-1789, and the influence that postmasters had in the distribution of news in the late 18th century.

Lawrence Haber, President of the Collectors Club of New York, discusses how the club has adjusted during the pandemic, the numerous resources they offer to the philatelic community, and his 1909 collecting interests and exhibits.

Rick Barrett discusses how he first became involved in philately at a young age, and the influence that teachers, stamp shops, and libraries had in his engagement in the hobby growing up. We also talk about Barrett’s book: Buffalo Cinderellas: The Gentleman, the Huckster, and the Pan American Exposition.

Simon Martin-Redman discusses his extensive exhibiting experience across the world, shares stories about the quirks of being a philatelist in modern times, and talks about his personal collecting interests, including the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Cameron Blevins teaches American History and Digital Humanities at the University of Colorado Denver. His new book, Paper Trails: The US Post and the Making of the American West (Oxford University Press 2021) presents a spatial interpretation of the nineteenth century American State by mapping the sprawling infrastructure of the nation’s postal network.

Join us as we speak with Cameron about the inspiration behind the book, discuss several topics that the book covers, and how the research of past philatelists fueled some of the core datasets.

Carol Bommarito talks about how she got involved in philately later in life, and how flexible and accessible the hobby is for anyone to join at any age or stage in life. She also discusses her specific collecting interests, her role in the Classics Society, and her success as an exhibitor.

In this special episode, Tobias Huylmans discusses the rigorous testing measures that philatelists must go through to become a certified expertiser of the Bund Philatelistischer Prufer (BPP), and walks us through several in-depth visual examples of how to identify the finite discrepancies that give away forgeries. 

This week, Chris King discusses how participation with organized philately improves the overall experience, the details behind the relocation of the Royal Philatelic Society of London, and how he foresees the future of international philately.

In this special episode, Charles goes on location and films at the St. Louis Stamp Expo with a special appearance from Alex Haimann. We discuss both participant and dealer attendance, overall atmosphere, and what shows may look like in the future.