New Member Introduction

Hi everybody; I am excited to be part of the Forum and look forward to connecting with many of you. Some background on me…I’m 64, been collecting since I was 10, am a 40 year APS member, worked in a stamp store for 3 years as a teenager and also did my first classified ads in Linn’s in the early 70s. (I believe selling 2c Cape Hatteras plate blocks was one of my first offerings.) I have collected U.S. stamps for most of the past 54 years, gravitating to interesting postal history. A continuous interest of mine has been souvenir stamps and ephemera from Buffalo, New York, my hometown. I self published my first book, Buffalo Cinderellas, documenting the cinderella stamps issued for the 1901 Pan American Exposition, as well as the life stories of two men most associated with those collectibles. The high quality hardcover won two gold medals for philatelic literature, and while doing research for six years for the book, I acquired an intense passion for reading old stamp journals, particularly from the 1880s and 1890s. My interest in old journals has regularly uncovered topics I’m particularly drawn to, and I enjoy preparing fascinating presentations for in-person or zoom meetings several times a year. I sense that connecting with members in this Forum will be a wonderful way to enhance those presentations, and I appreciate in advance any help and guidance you provide. Finally, if I can assist you in any way, I am always happy to do so!