Before we get into the publication and what it is, I want to assure you that you don’t need to feel bad in the likely event that you don’t know what a philatelist is. It’s a pretty obscure term, and I imagine that there are even philatelists who don’t know what “philatelist” means. In a word or two, a philatelist is a stamp collector, and, whether or not you engage in philately, you might want to learn about the study of stamps and consider gracing your home with some literature from this venerable publication.

Postage stamps themselves are a fairly recent innovation — depending on how you define them, they are likely less than 200 years old — so philately, i.e. the study of stamps, is obviously a modern enterprise.

In light of that, the American Philatelist’s 130+ year history is nothing to sneeze at; the publication claims to be the “oldest continuously published philatelic journal.” Published monthly and sent to some 26,000 subscribers, American Philatelist is the official publication of the American Philatelic Society, which was founded in 1886 and issued its first journal the next year. Whether you’re an avid philatelist, more of a dabbler, or a total novice who wants to get up to speed, you’ll probably appreciate some of the stamp- and postage-related articles you can find in this magazine.

For example, recent issues featured articles titled:

  • “Philately and the Film Industry: A Marriage of Two Hobbies”
  • “Brushes with Celebrity”
  • “You May be a Closet Topical Stamp Collector”
  • “Buying and Selling at Auction”
  • “A New Season for the National Postal Museum”
  • “Moving from Intermediate to Advanced Collecting”

You can feel free to browse through recent issues on the American Philatelist website. To get it in the mail — and get access to all digital archives — you’ll have to join the American Philatelic Society.

Even if, like me, you’re not somebody who uses stamps often or studies their history with any sort of regularity, there’s sure to be something to enjoy in this magazine. Happy reading!