ATA Logo

American Topical Association
P.O. Box 8
Carterville, IL 62918-0008
618-985-5100 * Fax: 618-985-5131 * E-Mail: americantopical@msn.com

 
The largest topical stamp organization in the world - making stamp collecting fun since 1949


Main Links

About the ATA

Benefits

Chapters

Member Links

Membership

News

Leadership Team

Preferred Advs.

Stamp Shows

Study Units

Topical Time

Related Links

Articles

Audio/Visual

Checklists

Exhibits

Handbooks

Radio Shows

Specials

T.T. Indexes

Other Links

Code of Ethics

Collecting for Seniors

Interactive ATA Course

Links



PWO


How many topics can you find in this picture?
Birds, art, trees, fruit, apple, UNICEF
Roll your mouse over the top of the picture for the answer (note, there may be other possible answers!)


This site uses forms saved in PDF format. If you do not have Adobe® Reader® software version 4 or later, you  need to download the FREE Adobe® Reader® software to read these files by clicking  the link below and following the instructions there.




 

Welcome to the American Topical Association Web Site

NATIONAL TOPICAL STAMP SHOW  CELEBRATES THE HORSEMEN WHO CONNECTED THE COUNTRY

                                                                               running horse

On April 3, 1860, a young man named Johnny Fry left St. Joseph, Missouri, on horseback as the first of a relay of riders on a new mail service to California.  The company he worked for was originally called the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company.  But it became better known as the “Pony Express” and was responsible for carrying letters and telegrams for 18 months until telegraph line technology surpassed their speed of transferring information almost 2,000 miles in 8 to 14 days.

Postage rates of $5 per half ounce of mail were later reduced to $1 per half ounce. Overall, 35,000 letters and telegrams were carried across plains and mountains to their destination in Sacramento, California.

For the sesquicentennial of that event, the American Topical Association will have the Pony Express as its theme for its June 25-27 annual show in Denver, Colorado. This year’s events will be held at the Crowne Plaza Denver International Airport Hotel, 15500 East 40th Avenue.  This World Series of Philately show is topical in its exhibits, meetings and management, but dealers from around the country will cover all aspects of philately, several bringing material that will be new to area collectors.  The National Topical Stamp Show (NTSS) stands out for not only giving thematic exhibits a singular place in which to compete on common ground but provides one of the most interesting and diverse grouping of exhibits for collectors and non-collectors to enjoy.  

Another aspect of the NTSS is that in each city in which it is held, the ATA offers two different tours. This year the Thursday afternoon half day tour will included stops at the Denver Mint,  the (Unsinkable) Molly Brown House, and a visit to the Miller-Coors Brewery.

The full Monday day trip will included panning for gold at the non-commercialized Phoenix Gold Mine and a visit to the nearby Idaho Springs Gold Mine Museum.  Visitors will be allowed to bring back rocks with embedded gold, sold at the mine.   The bus will then visit the Buffalo Bill Museum and gravesite.  He, as is well known, was one of those Pony Express Riders.  From there the group will enter the breathtaking Red Rocks Natural Amphitheater for a photo stop. 

To see a list of the Award winners from NTSS 2010 click here 

 Click Here To See all the  NTSS 2010 details


Our Mission Statement       ATA Bylaws       Code of Ethics


                                                                    PRESS RELEASE,  June 11, 2010

                                                                         ATA Releases Five New DVDs

 
The American Topical Association (ATA) has released five new multimedia presentations representing a variety of topics of interest to stamp collectors.  The DVDs are excellent for stamp club programs and for the enrichment of individual philatelists. Thirty DVD titles are now available from ATA.  Titles of the latest releases are:  Collecting the Presidents, My Eclectic Collection, Firemen on Stamps, Integrating the U.S. Navy, and When Presidents Die.

 

Melvin Morris, a member of the Americana Unit of the ATA, provided the philatelic material used for Collecting the Presidents and When Presidents Die.  Mel's contributions to philatelic literature are well known.  He edited the Americana Philatelic News from 1992 until early this year, and also wrote six ATA handbooks related to the American presidents.  A seventh handbook will be released soon.

 

Linda Geerlings, an artist and ATA member from Oregon, has contributed a lovely program called My Eclectic Collection.  Linda describes beautiful and interesting scented stamps and stamps made of unusual materials in this creative DVD.

surfing

The Fire Service in Philately Study Unit of the ATA and its member Edward Flory have contributed Firemen on Stamps to the ATA's new releases.  It is a welcome addition to the philatelic literature on a popular collecting topic.

 
Harvey Edwards, ATA member from Nevada, has written and illustrated a comprehensive DVD on Integrating the U.S. Navy.  Using both U.S. and international stamps along with covers and other philatelic material, Harvey brings history alive in the presentation.

doris

ATA DVDs are available to members and nonmembers alike for $10 each plus postage of $1.50 (U.S.), $1.75 (Canada/Mexico), or $2.25 (overseas).  Stamp clubs can lease the programs for $5 plus postage.  If more than one DVD is ordered, cost is $9 each.  Up to five DVDs can be shipped for the listed postage prices.  For a complete list of available DVDs, contact the ATA Central Office.

 The ATA Audio-Visual Program is conducted by Dennis Dengel of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., ATA Second Vice President.  Dennis is ably assisted by Harvey and Terri Edwards, who provide technical and narrative support.  Collectors who would like to share their collections through audio-visual means are asked to contact the ATA Central Office.

 All thirty DVDs in ATA's multimedia repertoire will be available at the National Topical Stamp Show in Denver, Colo., on June 25-27, and also at the ATA society table at APS StampShow in Richmond, Va., on Aug. 12-15.

 
To contact ATA about the Audio-Visual program or to order DVDs, e-mail americantopical@msn.com, call 618-985-5100, or write to PO Box 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008.  For more information, visit the website at www.americantopicalassn.org

  ATA Slide Shows Now Available as DVDs     Order Now

Keep up with ATA News ...

    To see all our press releases Please Click Here
         




                                                  Handbook News

            President Obama on Stamps     Press Release,     Handbook page  
            
 Marc Chagall on Stamps, by Mark Shleifer:     Press Release,     Handbook page.
             Watercraft on Stamps II, by Katherine A. Kirk:     Press Release,     SOLD OUT!  
             Civil War Handbook, by Larry Dodson:    Press Release,     Handbook page.
             Presidents of the 20th Century Handbook, by Melvin Morris:     Handbook page.
            Computers on Stamps II Handbook, by Larry Dodson:     Handbook page.




                                     The ATA's 60th Anniversary Celebration                                        
                                  

                         ATA Celebrates its 60th Anniversary The ATA  was founded in 1949 by Jerome D. (Jerry) Husak, at the age of 17 in his home town of Milwaukee. In the 1940s, topical or thematic collecting was largely unrecognized in the field of philately. As a young philatelist, Jerry recognized and publicized the creativity inherent in topical collecting. With the founding of ATA and the guidance of Jerry and other pioneers in the field, topical collecting has assumed its place as a significant area of philately.

ATA records show that more than 55,800 individuals have been members during the 60 years of the organization’s existence. Jerry Husak was the ATA’s first Executive Director; he continued in that role until 1984. Donald W. Smith, Douglas A. Kelsey, Paul E. Tyler, and Ray E. Cartier have also served in the post. The current Executive Director is Vera R. Felts. All former ATA executive directors are still living; they contribute fine “institutional knowledge” to the organization. Jack André Denys is President of the ATA Board of Directors.

ATA members enjoy outstanding connectivity with collectors of like interests. Approximately 25% of ATA members reside internationally, in 60 different countries. The bi-monthly ATA journal, Topical Time, has a distinctly international flair. The organization offers checklists on 540 different philatelic topics in a member-to-member service coordinated by Karen Cartier. Some 60 handbooks and 25 DVDs are available to any collector.

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US!



From 1996-2001, Topical Time ran a column by ATA past-President Don Beuthel which answered reader questions about topical stamp collecting and exhibiting. Now you can get a selected compilation of these columns in the newly published Topical Helpline, available through the ATA.

Download the order form as a WORD document, or as a PDF file.


                                                    SPECIAL   MONEY   SAVING   OFFER   FROM   THE   ATA
                                                      20% to 80% off all handbooks written before Jan. 01, 2004

  Click Here to see ATA Special Handbook Discount Offers   


Ever wonder where you can go to find more information on Topical Stamp Collecting ? Click here for the answer.


ATA PREFERRED ADVERTISERS LIST NOW AVAILABLE

The American Topical Association Website now features advertising from existing or new Topical Time advertisers. Our new Preferred Advertisers page provides links to Topical Stamp advertisers who support the ATA by advertising in Topical Time.


ATA COURSE - LEARN ABOUT TOPICAL STAMP COLLECTING

Learn about Topical Stamp Collecting through our new interactive course
Topical Stamp Collecting - The Basics
, supplied by Mr. Dick Sine.


The links to the right of each page can acquaint you with many facets of the American Topical Association. We suggest you start with About the ATA to learn the history of the organization. After that, Benefits will be a second informative stop for you. Next, take a look at the Topical Time to get an idea of what our bi-monthly journal has to offer, while the Articles button takes you to a summary of article topics that have previously appeared in Topical Time and the T. T. Indexes button takes you to a listing of the Table of Contents for some of our more recent issues. The News button will give you an idea of the more recent press releases which have gone out to the philatelic media. Handbooks, Checklists and Audio/Visual will each show some of the aids we offer to increase your collecting enjoyment. Specials will, from time to time, let you know of price breaks available on some items - check back often to see what new offers are available! The Study Units will acquaint you with over 50 specialized groups of collectors who have their own journals and/or newsletters. Also, the Chapters lists 33 stamp clubs around the world in which topical collectors are members. Navigating to the Stamp Shows page will tell you about our annual National Topical Stamp Show (NTSS), including dates and locations. On the Membership page, you will see how easy it is to join the ATA, while the Officers page lists all the information on who you can contact to learn more about our various services. We also have a special section containing many tips on collecting called Collecting for Seniors (who make up a large majority of our organization). This section will  be useful to anyone who wants to start a new topical collection. Finally, the Member Links and the Links buttons can take you to further sources of information. 


This site uses forms saved in PDF format. If you do not have Adobe® Reader® software version 4 or later, you  need to download the FREE Adobe® Reader® software to read these files by clicking  the link below and following the instructions there.

(Adobe® Reader® is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.)

© 2009, American Topical Association.

All  rights reserved. Last updated: April 2010