The Collectors Club, often referred to as the Collectors Club of New York, is a
private club
A club is an voluntary association, association of people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities. There are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, po ...
and
philatelic society in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Founded in 1896, it is one of the oldest existing philatelic societies in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Its stated purpose is "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".
In its building at 22 East 35th Street in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, the club maintains a philatelic library of approximately 150,000 volumes which are available for research or study by scholars, historians, and philatelists. ''The Collectors Club Philatelist'', published by the club since 1922, is currently published bi-monthly and contains scholarly articles on philatelic subjects.
Clubhouse
The club is located in a five-story brownstone at 22
East 35th Street between
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
and
Park Avenue
Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...
s in the
Murray Hill neighborhood of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. It was originally the house of
Thomas and Fanny Clarke and was built in 1901–02, designed by the firm of
McKim, Mead & White
McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...
, with
Stanford White
Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in additio ...
as the partner in charge. The architecture is a combination of
Colonial Revival style
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...
with medieval-inspired windows which recall those of
Richard Norman Shaw
Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...
, the avant-garde British architect of the late 19th century.
The building was purchased by the Collectors Club in 1937, and was designated a
New York City landmark
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
on September 11, 1979.
Members
The Collectors Club membership of over 750 includes stamp collectors from the
tri-state area of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, and
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, as well as members elsewhere in the United States and in other countries.
Many prominent and world-famous philatelists have been members, including:
Alfred F. Lichtenstein,
Harry Lindquist,
John Luff,
John Walter Scott of
Scott catalogue
The Scott catalogue of postage stamps, published by Scott Publishing Company, now a subsidiary of Amos Media, is updated annually and lists all the stamps of the world that its editors recognize as issued for postal purposes. It is published in f ...
fame,
Lawrence L. Shenfield
Lawrence Lewis Shenfield (October 5, 1891 – October 9, 1974) was an advertising executive who was instrumental in promoting the development of radio broadcasting during its golden age of the 1920s and 1930s. Larry lined up sponsors to help f ...
,
John J. Britt and
Theodore E. Steinway. Prominent stamp collectors named as honorary members include
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
and the
26th Earl of Crawford.
Awards
The
Alfred F. Lichtenstein Memorial Award for Distinguished Service to Philately, established in 1952 in honor of Alfred F. Lichtenstein, is an award issued annually by the club to a living individual for outstanding service to philately.
"Alfred F. Lichtenstein"
on the Philatelic Foundation website
See also
* Collectors Club of Chicago
The origins of the Collectors Club of Chicago (CCC) are traced to the informal meetings during the 1920s of specialized Collecting, collectors residing in the Chicago area.
The CCC was incorporated in accordance with the General Not For P ...
* List of American gentlemen's clubs
The following is a list of notable traditional gentlemen's clubs in the United States, including those that are now defunct. Historically, these clubs were exclusively for men, but most (though not all) now admit women.
On exclusivity and as ...
*
*
References
Notes
External links
*
Collectors Club video channel
Vimeo
Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...
{{Authority control
Clubs and societies in New York City
New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
McKim, Mead & White buildings
Murray Hill, Manhattan
Philatelic organizations based in the United States
Gentlemen's clubs in New York City