Selected study unit - CartoPhilatelic Society
May 13, 2012
A map is a visual representation of an area that could depict not only its geography, but also political boundaries, socioeconomic distribution,
technological advancement and the extent of natural phenomena. As such, maps can be used as a political tool to claim territories or as a
celebration to commemorate events in the areas they depict. Since 1955, the CartoPhilatelic Society has helped philatelists interested in maps and globes on stamps to study them.
The society's quarterly journal The New CartoPhilatelist includes articles about maps on stamps and new issues; the October 2011 issue
also discusses maps in pictorial cancellations. Also in 2011, the Society published a major revision to the
Maps On Stamps checklist which identifies about 40,000 individual stamps related to maps and
cartography. To keep up on CartoPhilatelic news, the society's website, http://www.mapsonstamps.com, features a blog with articles discussing new issues of interest to the society.
Frederick C. Skvara is Selected as ATA 2012 Distinguished Topical Philatelist
April 20, 2012
Physician and philatelist Frederick C. Skvara of Bridgewater, New Jersey, has been selected as the American Topical Association's 2012
Distinguished Topical Philatelist, according to DTP committee chair Donald W. Smith. The award will be presented on June 23, 2012, at the ATA
annual banquet in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Read more...
ATA Unveils New Youth Area on Website
January 10, 2012
The American Topical Association (ATA) has introduced a new area on its website especially for youth collectors and educators. It is found at
http://www.americantopicalassn.org/youth. The youth area of the ATA website will be expanded, with an additional topic
added every two months. Entitled Topical Tidbits, it will feature a wide variety of interesting and educational material. The initial
Topical Tidbits consists of 14 color pages on the topic of Penguins on Stamps.
Disney in the News at ATA
January 4, 2012
The Disneyana on Stamps Society (DoSS) has just been certified as a Study Unit of the American Topical Association
(ATA). Bruce L. Johnson, Director of Study Units for ATA, made the announcement in early January. The Disneyana on Stamps Society is the
90th study unit affiliated with the Association during its 62-year history. Currently there are 48 units actively affiliated with the
ATA.
The Disneyana on Stamps Society is an organization of topical philatelists collecting stamps, first day covers, meters, cancels, and other philatelic items relating to Walt Disney and his legacy. Read more.
New ATA Director of Chapters
December 12, 2011
The American Topical Association (ATA) has announced that in January Tonny Van Loij will assume the position of Director of Chapters. The ATA is
the world's largest organization for philatelists collecting by theme or topic. It has 30 affiliated chapters, geographical stamp clubs who have
affiliated with the ATA, in the US, Canada, Australia, India and South Africa. Mr. Van Loij will coordinate the chapters' relationships with ATA
and write a regular column with chapter news for ATA's bi-monthly journal, Topical Time.
Read more...
ATA Releases Two New Multimedia Productions
November 1, 2011
The American Topical Association (ATA) has released two new program DVDs, Scouts on Stamps and Nursing on Stamps. ATA's multimedia program is
headed by Dennis Dengel of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and is an outgrowth of slideshow presentations, which were at one time a standard for local stamp
club programs. Today's multimedia programs are suitable not only for stamp clubs but for civic groups, youths, or presentation of interesting
facets of stamp collecting to others. They run on DVD players of all kinds, for display through television sets, projectors, or computers.
The new ATA DVD on Scouts on Stamps is the perfect complement to any collector interested in the topic. Over 100 slides in the original program were converted to an 18-minute DVD narrated by Richard Dreiling. The ATA is listed as one of the "go to" references on the requirements page for the Stamp Collecting Merit Badge on the Boy Scouts of America website. The new ATA Nursing on Stamps DVD is based on a program originally produced in 1962 and later revised by James E. Bie. It contained 50 slides. Now converted to DVD format, the program runs 20 minutes so it would be an ideal program for any local stamp club meeting. Read more.
New Member Incentive
New incentives for membership or reinstatement in the American Topical Association were introduced for 2011. Membership costs are $25 in the
U.S. or $33 international. Each new ATA member will receive two free ATA handbooks. One book is ATA HB 133, Adventures in Topical Stamp
Collecting, the seminal work authored by George Griffenhagen and Jerome (Jerry) Husak. The second free ATA handbook will be selected by the
incoming ATA member from a list of 45 different books while handbook supplies last.
A list of the ATA Handbooks available during this membership incentive is included with the ATA membership application. Returning ATA members are eligible for this offer upon reinstating the membership for two years; returning members should use the ATA membership reinstatement form. Read more