Milwaukee Hosts Stamp Collecting Convention This Weekend

Thousands of stamp collectors are expected in Milwaukee this week, for a gathering of the American Philatelic Society.

Collectors say they’re trying to adjust to the national fascination with email and other rapid ways of sending messages.

The U.S. Postal Service is putting out a greater variety of stamps, and today in Milwaukee unveiled “A Flag for All Seasons” – a set of four stamps showing the U.S. flag with different seasonal backgrounds. USPS Stamp Services Director Susan McGowan says the set continues a long tradition of stamps honoring Old Glory.

‘The first stamp that featured the flag was featured in 1869,” she says. “The stamp also featured a shield and an eagle. In 1957, the flag was the sole subject of a stamp for the first time. The postage, by the way, was just four cents.”

McGowan spoke at the American Philatelic Society convention in Milwaukee. The group says it has about 32,000 members, but society executive director Ken Martin says he’s worried about a decline in membership as more people send messages via email and social media, or buy rare stamps without joining his group.

“I still don’t know of any hobby collecting organization with a similar membership,” says Martin. “For example, the coin collectors – the American Numismatist Association – is about 26,000. So we’re a little bit above them.”

Martin says the society is working with elementary school teachers to teach kids about arithmetic and U.S. presidents using postage stamps. He says these days, children see little in the way of U.S. mail that bears stamps.

Martin says stamps are often beautiful pieces of art that show little bits of history, geography and popular culture.