Since the inception of the Society, members have contributed journal articles and specialized research project that continue to be valuable philatelic resources. Some of these resources are available to the public via our website; Research Papers, Exhibits and Journal reprints are available online as a benefit of Society membership.
USSS Publications – Downloadable
USSS Publications are produced by specialists on a variety of philatelic subjects, and are limited in scope. The Board of Governors is grateful to those who have shared their research and studies with their fellow members. These publications have been made available online as PDF downloads as a benefit of USSS membership. These PDFs are readable online, however, to search, they must be downloaded and saved to your computer.
Research Papers
Special research papers on a variety of topics have been created by Society members. They are available as PDF downloads to USSS members.
Exhibit PDFs
Several members have provided copies of their specialized philatelic exhibits for topic and exhibition study. These exhibits are available as PDF downloads.
The Prexie Era
The Prexie Era edited by Louis Fiset, is the newletter of the Presidential Era Committee. Featuring original articles written by committee members, the newsletter is distributed quarterly. The complete run of The Prexie Era is available to USSS members as PDFs in “browse” and “search” formats.
Dummy News and Views
Dummy News and Views is the newsletter of the Dummy Stamp Study Group. The complete run is available as PDF downloads to USSS members
Registered Mail Study Group Newsletter
The Newsletter is produced quarterly by the Registered Mail Study Group The objective of the Group is to collect, organize, and disseminate information related to all aspects of the U.S. registry system to include, but not be limited to, labels, stamps, markings, and regulations. The Group has undertaken several projects, including a census database of known covers bearing registry exchange office labels, and a bibliography of literature related to all aspects of U.S. registered mail
Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting
This full color, hard-bound, 730 page book was written and designed to appeal to a wide spectrum of stamp collectors. Over 70 specialist in the field of U.S. stamp collecting provided a complete overview of stamp collecting for the beginner, yet also serves as a valued resource for the more advanced stamp collector. Though the 2006 edition printing of 8000 copies was sold out, a 2016 edition is currently being planned.
Glossary
The glossary is intended for use by the collector of United States stamps who wishes to better understand a term that is encountered while reading The United States Specialist or other philatelic publications. It is intended as a stand-alone educational tool that may be read in whole or in part to learn more about US philately.
Marginal Markings
Marginal Markings are any intentional marking found on a printing plate except for the stamp itself. Such markings will also appear on the printed sheet. Examples of marginal markings include Plate Finisher’s initials, Siderographer’s initials, plate numbers, BEP or Printer’s Logo Imprint, copyright notices and Mr. Zip logos. Other plate marginal marking may not appear on the perforated and trimmed sheet, such as guide lines, arrows, printer’s initials, electric-eye dashes or slugs and ink color markers.
The Shift Hunters Letter
The 91 Shift Hunters Letters were produced from August 1929 until February 1936 and were the origins of the Plate Varieties Committee of the Bureau Issues Association (BIA).
US Postal Bulletins & PL&R
This section links to the U.S. Postal Bulletins & PL&R website that provides digital browsing and searching of the Post Office Department and USPS Postal Bulletins and the Postal Laws and Regulations.
Hotchner Expertizing Columns on U.S.stamps – Linn’s Stamp News
The first 50 of John Hotchner’s weekly columns in Linn’s since 1986.
Featured Articles
From time to time this section features an interesting article originally published in The United States Specialist.
National Postal Museum – USSS Research Funding
The NPM – USSS Research Fund has been created for scholarly research of United States postage and/or revenue stamps or postal history leading to publication.
Reprints
Several in depth studies published in The Specialist in serial form, are available as separate PDF downloads to USSS members.
Plate Numbers 1 – 41303
Plate Numbers 1-41303 by Harold Nogle, Jr., is the postage stamp plate number series of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Plate Numbers 1 – 41303 is available to USSS members as PDFs in “download” and “search” formats.