American
Helvetia
Philatelic
Society
The American Helvetia Philatelic Society (AHPS) is the largest group for collectors
of Swiss stamps outside Switzerland. The current organization dates from 1975
but traces its lineage back to 1938, when six Swiss and three Americans founded
the original Society for Collectors of Switzerland in Philadelphia.
Today AHPS offers a full range of services to some 325 collectors primarily in the United States, but also
in Canada, Great Britain and Switzerland, from new issue fans to international
exhibitors. The society is an important source of information and material on
the stamps, postal history and philatelic literature of Helvetia, as this
popular European country identifies itself on its stamps.
Our newest offer is a FREE introductory Swiss stamp album to help anyone
interested in Swiss stamps and culture.
For more details and a link to the free download, please click here.
Please click
here to download a pdf file with details about our newly published Guide to Swiss Stamps.
Please make your comments about this site to the webmaster .
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Pictorial Survey of Swiss Philately |
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A Pictorial Survey of Swiss
Philately Bruce Marsden, an AHPS member, has exhibited a very broad survey of Swiss
Philately that he names Swiss Fondue. He has earned awards at many
stamp shows for this exhibit. Click here to see
the Web version, lovingly formatted by AHPS member Steve Weston. The society's primary service is its bimonthly journal named TELL, after William Tell, the legendary Swiss folk hero.
This publication contains original research articles, translations, a
question-and-answer column, literature reviews, society news, and
advertisements from U.S. and foreign dealers. Click here
to see the tables of contents for the 1975-2005 issues in .pdf format. Click
here to see the index to authors for the 1975-2005 issues in .pdf format.
Click here to
see the index of Tell articles by Zumstein number in .pdf format. Click here to access a .pdf
library of back issues of Tell (Volume 1 - 1975 to Volume 30 - 2004). We now also have an archive of issues of the Helvetia Society, one of the
predecessor organizations to the AHPS.
The Helvetia Bulletin was published from 1938 to 1957. Click here to see
the tables of contents for the 1938-1957 issues in .pdf format. Click here to see
the index to authors for the 1938-1957 issues in .pdf format. Click here
to see the index of Helvetia Bulletin articles by Zumstein number in .pdf
format. Click here to access a .pdf
library of back issues of Helvetia Bulletin (Volume 1 - 1938 to Volume 20 -
1957). We now also have an archive of issues of the Swiss American Stamp Society,
one of the predecessor organizations to the AHPS. The Helvetia Herald was published from 1970 to 1974. Click here to see
the tables of contents for the 1970-1974 issues in .pdf format. Click here to see
the index to authors for the 1970-1974 issues in .pdf format. Click here to
see the index of Helvetia Herald articles by Zumstein number in .pdf format. Click here to access a .pdf
library of back issues of Helvetia Herald (Volume 1 - 1970 to Volume 5 -
1974). We now also have an archive of issues of the Helvetia Philatelic Society
of America, another of the predecessor organizations to the AHPS. The Helvetia Alphorn was published
from 1969 to 1974. Click here to
see the tables of contents for the 1938-1957 issues in .pdf format. Click here
to see the index to authors for the 1969-1974 issues in .pdf format. Click here
to see the index of Helvetia Alphorn articles by Zumstein number in .pdf
format. Click here to access a .pdf
library of back issues of Helvetia Alphorn (Volume 21 - 1969 to Volume 26 -
1974). We now also have an archive of issues of the Swiss Philatelist, the house
organ published by noted Swiss stamp dealer Heinz Katcher of London. The Swiss Philatelist was published
from 1951 to 1986. Click here to access a .pdf
library of back issues of the Swiss Philatelist (Number 1 - 1951 to Number 91
- 1986). An AHPS cumulative index, starting
in 1938, lists articles published in all the U.S. society publications for
collectors of Switzerland up to 1985. A supplement covers 1986-1997. AHPS Research Resource: Essays and Proofs AHPS member Dick Hall has compiled the writings pertaining to Switzerland
of George W. Caldwell as published in the Essay Proof Journal between 1945
and 1961. London. Click here to access a .pdf
library of the table of contents and each part/chapter. Membership and Annual Dues AHPS annual dues are $23 in the U.S., $25 in Canada and Mexico, or $30 overseas.
Membership information is available from the secretary, Richard T. Hall, P.O.
Box 15053, Asheville, NC 28813-0053 or by e-mail at secretary2@swiss-stamps.org . Click here for a membership application form that
can be printed and mailed; we welcome new members! AHPS members have said, in a past survey, that they collect Swiss stamps
for one of four reasons: family ties to Switzerland, the experience of living
or visiting there, the fine design and printing quality of Swiss stamps, or
the country's solid reputation for a conservative stamp-issuing policy and
hard currency. Click here to see a
geographical profile of the AHPS membership. Affiliate of APS and Union of Swiss Philatelic
Societies AHPS is Affiliate No. 52 of the American
Philatelic Society . It is also a member of the Union of Swiss Philatelic Societies , giving
AHPS members access to the union's monthly journal Schweizer Briefmarken
Zeitung (SBZ) and the opportunity to
exhibit in Swiss shows. AHPS national conventions are held in different parts of the country every
9 to 18 months. Convention exhibit awards include a best one-frame award, a
novice award, and the Felix Ganz Memorial Grand Award, named for a past AHPS
member, internationally-known researcher, prolific writer and frequent
exhibitor. The last AHPS National Convention was at PIPEX 2009 in Portland, Oregon, May
22-24, 2009. The next one will be at the Minnesota Stamp
Expo in July 2010. Our subsequent convention schedule includes attendance
at NAPEX (Washington DC) in 2011 and WESTPEX (San Francisco) in 2012. Swiss-designed medals for exhibit awards are available to all U.S. shows
for the best exhibits of Switzerland, Liechtenstein and international
organizations based in Switzerland. Other AHPS awards include the Sophie
Buser Memorial Youth Award, named for one of the society's 1938
founders. Click here to see recent
awards to AHPS members. On an experimental basis, AHPS members have the opportunity to volunteer
their exhibits for display at this AHPS website. Click
here to see sample exhibits of AHPS members. Click
here to email an inquiry -- anything about Swiss philately! -- to one of
our knowledgeable members. Of course he may forward your query to
another member who may be better equipped to answer. Please note that
this is not an expertising service giving certified expert opinions; this is
just one collector doing his best to answer a question from another!
You don't have to be an AHPS member to send an inquiry. Mail auctions are held every four months. The auctions listings are
included in Tell; they contain both popular and specialized stamps
and postal history covers. These auctions, open to all AHPS members, are also
available on-line with computer-scanned images of the lots in color. Click here for a more detailed report on the
conduct of AHPS auctions. Auctions are held every four months. Click here to see the current
auction. Sales circuit books are distributed to members with material matching
their specialized interests as a service to both buyers and sellers. Click here for a more detailed report on AHPS
sales circuits. Six AHPS slide shows and a video film are available on loan to any
organization. An introductory show is called "Switzerland: A Panorama of
Its Postal History and Stamps." Another describes the history of the St.
Gotthard Railway from 1882 to 1982 though philatelic material. AHPS also distributes
a member's CD-ROM on forgeries of early Swiss stamps. An affiliate of AHPS is Liechtenstudy for collectors of Liechtenstein.
This group has grown to be a major organization in its own right, with
official assistance from the Principality of Liechtenstein. Click here to visit the Liechtenstudy
website.
Below
are the regular advertisers in TELL, who thus show that they are serious
about catering to the needs of collectors of Swiss material.
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