The Philatelic Foundation is a
philatelic
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...
organization granted a charter in 1945 by the
University of the State of New York
The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state of New York (state), New York's governmental umbrella organization for both public and private institutions in New York State. The "university" is not an educational institution: it i ...
as a Nonprofit Educational Institution.
Location
The Philatelic Foundation is located at 341 West 38th Street, 5th Floor,
New York, NY
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 ...
10018.
Philatelic expertise
The Philatelic Foundation maintains a reference collection of
postage stamps
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
and is a major source of authentication of rare and valuable postage stamps for stamp collectors who wish to know if the “valuable” stamp they have is authentic or
counterfeit
To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...
, and, if it is authentic, whether it is free of defect.
The Expertizing Process.
The Philatelic Foundation, 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012
/ref>
If the stamp submitted is authentic, a certification, containing a photo of the stamp and related technical details, is issued and sent to the person submitting the stamp.
Obtaining a certification of a valuable postage stamp by a stamp collector or a stamp dealer may be done for various reasons:
* personal satisfaction that the stamp purchased is authentic
* ease of subsequent sale of the stamp with its certificate of authenticity
A certificate of authenticity (COA) is a seal or small sticker on a proprietary computer program, t-shirt, jersey, or any other memorabilia or art work, especially in the world of computers and sports. It is commonly a seal on paper authentic ...
Publications
The Philatelic Foundation issues various publications on philatelic literature, including, for example, Analysis and Counterfeit Leaflets, quarterly magazines and bimonthly newsletters.
The Philatelic Foundation has long encouraged the creation of a diverse group of publications. This includes the “Opinions” books (I-VIII), ''The Pony Express – A Postal History'' by Richard C. Frajola, George J. Kramer and Steven C. Walske and ''Hawaii Foreign Mail to 1870'' by Fred F. Gregory.
As part of being a non-profit, The Philatelic Foundation also keeps an up-to-date website which features various free resources for collectors. This includes recently expertized items, research articles, a section on fakes and forgeries, among much more.
Other experts
Although the Philatelic Foundation is a recognized major source of philatelic
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...
expertise, especially of stamps issued in the United States, there are numerous other philatelic experts listed in stamp catalog
A stamp catalog (or stamp catalogue) is a catalog of postage stamp types with descriptions and prices.
The stamp catalog is an essential tool of philately and stamp collecting. Stamp catalogs are part of philatelic literature.
Similar catalog ...
s of various countries.
See also
* Philatelic expertisation
Philatelic expertisation is the process whereby an authority is asked to give an opinion whether a philatelic item is genuine and whether it has been repaired or altered in any way.
Forging and faking, regumming and reperforating of stamps is ...
* Philatelic literature
Philatelic literature is written material relating to philately, primarily information about postage stamps and postal history.
Background to philatelic literature
Philatelic literature is held by stamp collectors and dealers, philatelic soci ...
References
{{commons category, Philatelic fakes and forgeries
Philatelic organizations based in the United States
Philatelic fakes and forgeries