The Collectors Club brings together people who wish to further the study of philately, promote the hobby and provide a social, educational, and non-commercial setting for the enthusiastic enjoyment of our common passion.

Founded in 1896, the Club counted among its members the leading—even legendary—names in philately. Today’s membership is no exception and includes some of the hobby’s best-known collectors, exhibitors, and authors. The vast majority of our group, however, are “regular” collectors who have one thing in common—a thirst to share their enjoyment of the hobby and a desire to learn more about collecting among others who take philately seriously.

Our physical “heart” is the Club’s landmark five-story brownstone, designed by famed architect Stanford White, located at 35th Street and Madison Avenue in New York City. A $1 million renovation was completed in 2000. Additional work was done in 2016 to ensure that the Clubhouse will meet our needs now and well into the future. While many of our members are from the tristate area, the majority come from throughout the US and many foreign countries.

• President’s Message – September/October 2018

  Treasurers From the Attic..

   

  While relocating library materials from areas now occupied by the Philatelic Foundation we came across several examples of formally issued Collectors Club documents. These engraved Membership, Award, and Presentation certificates printed on heavy stock have a gravitas not often associated with contemporary documents.

  Concomitantly with this find a recently elected member contacted Executive Secretary Irene Bromberg to enquire on the status of his membership certificate. Yes, the Club had issued membership certificates upon election to membership in past years. I personally am not sure when this practice faded out, but it is probably more than twenty years ago.

  Discovery of these documents combined with an expectation for recognizing the special recognition conferred by Collectors Club membership suggested a course of action: issue updated membership certificates!

  There were not enough original documents to satisfy our needs so we decided to have the image scanned, cleaned up, and reproduced on a heavy cream stock. We are proud to announce that all members will be receiving a new personalized membership certificate beginning with the most recent members. Several Governors were instrumental in getting this project off the ground.

  In the course of library reorganization we have noted an occasional discrepancy between our library catalog (both books and periodicals) and materials present. Items may have been borrowed, and for various reasons not returned as expected. We would appreciate return of any overdue items either in person or by third party to allow others access to the resource. As cleaning and reshelving of library material progresses we are continuously impressed with the depth of our collections.

  Members are our greatest treasures! Our dedicated library volunteers Alan Hoffman (current periodicals), Miklos Pinther (basement archives), and Bob Gray (catalogs) have performed minor miracles on a regular basis. Please visit and explore the library at your convenience.

  We continue to receive recognition in the media and from our peers. Local news channel NY1 recently interviewed several Officers, volunteers, and members for an upcoming cable TV broadcast. Debbie Freidman and the Youth Stamp Club feature prominently on page 4 of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors July 2018 issue of ‘The Philatelic Exhibitor’.

  Club members are well represented in internationally recognized philatelic awards: Cheryl Ganz (recent program presenter and Lichtenstein Award recipient, now RDP) signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. John Barwis (recent program presenter) and Wayne Youngblood (CCP editor) along with Denise Stotts received APS Luff Awards this August at their Columbus Ohio annual meeting.

  Now that Summer is over we have several exciting events coming up: Besides our regular meetings (see our web site for up to date information) we are participating at NOJEX/ASDA the weekend of October 19-21 with presentations and a dinner. Thanks to Bob Rose and Wade Saadi for extending the invitation and making arrangements. Our Single Frame competition coordinated by Lou Pataki is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7, 2018. Entry information will be released shortly. Our Sarasota, Florida meeting at SNSE is scheduled for February 1-3, 2019. Exhibit space is usually oversubscribed, so early entries are encouraged.

  The CCP has been undergoing gradual change under Wayne Youngblood’s editorship. Please let us know what you like, and what you would like to see going forward. Feedback helps us to better serve our readers and advertisers.

  Respectfully submitted,

  –Mark Banchik