About American Philatelist

American Philatelist

American Philatelist is the official journal of the American Philatelic Society (APS), published monthly from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and delivered to the society's members. With its first issue having appeared in January 1887, it is the oldest continuously published philatelic journal in the world — a distinction that makes it, in the American Philatelic Society's words, one of the world's oldest philatelic magazines still in operation. The journal marked its 1,500th issue in January 2026.

The 1887 First Issue and a Record of Longevity

American Philatelist began in 1887, its first issue dating from January 10, 1887. The magazine's publication history is unbroken since: through two world wars, the Great Depression, and the digital revolution, the journal has appeared every month for nearly 140 years. Early issues survive in public archives — HathiTrust holds freely readable volumes 1–3 (1887–1889), 8–9 (1894–1896), 23–28 (1909–1915), and 31–43 (1916–1930), while the Internet Archive holds volumes 14–19 (1900–1905) and volume 36 (1922–1923) — making the journal's complete run one of the best-documented records in the history of any hobby.

The journal's claim to longevity is carefully stated: it is the oldest continuously published philatelic journal in the world. The distinction matters because older stamp journals have appeared and vanished, while American Philatelist has never missed a beat. The Federation of European Philatelic Associations has noted its standing among the world's oldest philatelic magazines still in operation, and the APS itself bills the journal as "the oldest continuously published philatelic journal in the world, the first issue having appeared in January 1887." The July 2017 issue — released online for free to celebrate Canada's sesquicentennial, with features on Expo 67, Canadian wildlife stamps, and organized philately in Canada — showed a publication confident enough in its heritage to share it freely, even as the journal remains a members-only benefit in print. The Online Books Page's serial archive notes that no issue or contribution copyright renewals were ever found for the serial — a quirk of its nonprofit society publishing — and its full run remains a primary source for historians of both philately and American associational life.

The American Philatelic Society invites collectors to "start receiving the award-winning American Philatelist" — recognition that reflects the journal's standing in the hobby press. Its combination of member scholarship, professional production values, and continuous publication has made it the benchmark against which other philatelic journals are measured.

The 1,500th Issue

In January 2026, the journal published its 1,500th issue — volume 140, number 1 — a milestone few publications in any field reach, in the same month that the journal has appeared in since its debut 139 years earlier. The milestone testifies not only to the journal's endurance but to the American Philatelic Society's ability to sustain a monthly print-and-digital publication across generations of collectors, from the Victorian-era stamp enthusiasts of 1887 to the online-savvy philatelists of the 2020s.

The House Organ

As the society's official journal, American Philatelist serves as its house organ: monthly departments cover APS news and activities, along with a president's column and other society business. For members, the journal is the primary channel through which the society communicates — announcements, elections, convention news, and the business of organized philately all flow through its pages. The journal is published monthly and free to members of the American Philatelic Society.

The Core: Five to Ten Articles

The magazine has the appearance of a standard glossy color magazine, typically running about 100 pages per issue. The core of the magazine consists of 5–10 articles on subjects related to philately, ranging from highly technical subjects such as "Accra overprints on Gold Coast stamps" to the fictional stamps and envelopes that have been used as movie props. All articles are written by APS members and feature colorful illustrations — the journal is, in effect, a member-written showcase of philatelic scholarship, from deep postal-history research to popular collecting topics.

The Departments

Beyond the feature articles, the journal's regular departments include "The Glassine Surfer," a column reviewing online resources for collectors; book reviews; and coverage of U.S. new issues. Long-running columns have their own followings: "Stamp Classics" explores classic issues (as in the July 2017 "Isolated Colonies — Just a Few Stamps"), "Expertizing" delves into authentication studies ("A Study in Carmine"), and "Worldwide in a Nutshell" profiles countries and regions for the general collector ("Newfoundland"). These departments keep readers current on the hobby's digital tools, its literature, and the stamps coming out of the U.S. Postal Service. The magazine takes both display advertising and classified advertising, and its ads — from stamp dealers, auction houses, and supply companies — are themselves a window on the commercial side of philately.

The Editor

The journal's editor is Susanna Mills. Under her editorship the magazine has maintained its blend of member scholarship, society news, and collector services, appearing in both print and digital formats for maximum flexibility and access — and carrying the world's oldest philatelic journal into its 140th volume and beyond.

Writing for the Journal

All of the journal's articles are written by APS members — a distinctive editorial model that makes American Philatelist a showcase of the society's own scholarship rather than a staff-written magazine. The society actively solicits contributions through its "Write for The AP" program, inviting collectors to turn their research into publishable articles. The result is a journal whose bylines read like a who's who of organized philately: specialists in postal history, thematic collecting, expertizing, and exhibiting, all sharing their knowledge with fellow members. Advertisers, too, are part of the ecosystem — the society offers display advertising in the journal and on the APS website, stamps.org, reaching the hobby's most engaged audience. For members with deep expertise and a story to tell, the journal offers one of philately's most prestigious bylines.

Print and Digital

The journal is published monthly and free to members of the American Philatelic Society. The magazine is available in print and in digital formats for maximum flexibility and access. Members can access the current version and back issues online; several full sample issues are available to non-members as a taste of the membership's value, and non-members can purchase select issues. To read back issues published before 2021, members visit the Robert A. Mason Digital Library and search "Journals" for "The American Philatelist" — a digital archive that, combined with the HathiTrust and Internet Archive holdings of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century volumes, makes the journal's full run remarkably accessible.

The APS and Organized Philately

The American Philatelic Society, the journal's publisher, is the largest stamp-collecting organization in the United States, and the journal is its flagship publication. The magazine's pages have chronicled the society's conventions — including the annual StampShow, held in cities such as Richmond, Virginia — and the broader world of organized philately, from expertizing and judging programs to the national and regional societies that make up the hobby's institutional fabric.

Official Website

American Philatelist is published by the American Philatelic Society. Its official web presence is at https://stamps.org, where the journal's page offers sample issues, advertising information, and guidance for members on accessing current and back issues. Those interested in writing for the journal can find submission information through the society's site, and advertisers can reach the magazine's readership through display and classified placements.