The United States Stamp Society (USSS) is the largest
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 dedicated to the research and study of
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 ...
postage and revenue stamps
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal syst ...
. The Society is a non-profit collector-based organization with a world-wide membership of over 1700. The USSS is Affiliate #150 of the
American Philatelic Society
The American Philatelic Society (APS) is the largest nonprofit stamp collecting foundation of philately in the world. Both the membership and interests of the society are worldwide.
History
The organization, originally named the ''American Phil ...
(APS). Since 1930 the Society has encouraged philatelic study through voluntary membership in specialized committees, including those for specific stamp issues like the
Washington-Franklins, the
Prexies
The Presidential Issue, nicknamed the Prexies by collectors, is the series of definitive postage stamps issued in the United States in 1938, featuring all 29 U.S. presidents who were in office between 1789 and 1928, from George Washington to Calv ...
or the
Liberty Series, and areas of U.S. philately such as
Plate Numbers, Marginal Markings, Private Vending and Affixing Perforations, Booklets and Panes, and
Luminescence
Luminescence is spontaneous emission of light by a substance not resulting from heat; or "cold light".
It is thus a form of cold-body radiation. It can be caused by chemical reactions, electrical energy, subatomic motions or stress on a cryst ...
. Research is made available through published books, research papers and articles in the monthly journal, ''The United States Specialist''.
History
The Society was founded as the Philatelic Plate Number Association in 1926. The name was changed in 1930 to the Bureau Issues Association, recognizing the Association’s enlarged scope of interest as the entire philatelic output of the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is a government agency within the United States Department of the Treasury that designs and produces a variety of security products for the United States government, most notable of which is Federal Rese ...
. At that time the Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced all United States postage and revenue stamps. Instead of plate numbers only, the Bureau’s output of postage and revenue stamps, coils, booklets, possessions, paper, gum, marginal markings, as well as methods of manufacture became subjects of study and collection.
In 2000, the organization became the United States Stamp Society. The new name reflects the society’s continuing focus on U.S. postage and revenue stamps while recognizing the role of non-Bureau contract security printers in stamp design and production.
Members of USSS receive the authoritative monthly journal, ''The United States Specialist'', which is devoted to all aspects of U.S. philately. Over the years ''The Specialist'' has been especially strong in reporting on stamp printing technology, plate varieties, plate layouts, marginal markings and plate numbering. Many important discoveries in U.S. collecting have been published in its pages which have resulted in new and variety listings in the
''Scott Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps and Covers''.
See also
*
Postage stamps and postal history of the United States
Postal service in the United States began with the delivery of stampless letters whose cost was borne by the receiving person, later encompassed pre-paid letters carried by private mail carriers and provisional post offices, and culminated in a ...
References
*Rodney A. Juell & Steven J. Rod, editors ''Encyclopedia of United States Stamps & Stamp Collecting'' (Kirk House Publishers, 2006)
chapter 56
External links
United States Stamp Society website
{{Authority control
Philatelic organizations based in the United States
Organizations established in 1926
Philately of the United States