CLASSIC LATIN AMERICA

News, commentary and opinion on Central and South American philately

Philatelic Societies

Exhibiting Latin America…from Denver to Stockholm (Part 1)

Rocky Mountain Stamp Show 2019
A sea of frames at the RMSS. Note Michael Bloom’s Guatemala and Enrique Trigueros’ Mexico in the foreground

A significant proportion of philatelic clubs and societies are inevitably based ‘in country’, supporting the local collector base and promoting the philately of the nation.

There are, however, numerous societies around the world that are based thousands of miles away from the focus country, many with members who have never reached the shores of the country to which they devote their collecting attention.

Although nearly every Latin American country has its own locally based society, some countries have supporting philatelic organisations based elsewhere. ‘Elsewhere’, in this instance, effectively means the US.

There are a few non-US based societies such as ArGe-Brasilien in Germany and the pan-Latin American ELASCA based in the Netherlands but, in general, the United States is the focal point for English speaking collectors of Central and South America.

The Rocky Mountain Stamp Show

Unusually, four of those societies congregated in one location over 23rd-26th May , cementing the Latin American theme of the 2019 Rocky Mountain Stamp Show.

I wouldn’t normally trek out to a regional US show but the RMSS was an exception. This annual event has, for the past few years, developed an innovative method of attracting a wider than average audience and bringing collectors together from beyond the shores of the United States.

Each event has a theme and this year’s theme was Latin America. With a specific focus behind the show, collectors who otherwise may not attend, dealers who may not otherwise take a stand and exhibitors who otherwise may not display, all have a reason for being there.

It also has the added attraction of a dedicated (and extensive) philatelic library that was open for business throughout much of the event. The largest library in the US after the APRL in Bellefonte, I’m led to believe, with over 14,000 books.

Five societies in attendance

Denver thus played host to the Mexico-Elmshurst Philatelic Society (MEPSI), the International Society of Guatemala Collectors, the Peru Philatelic Study Circle and The Nicaragua Study Group (not to mention representation from the Society for Costa Rica Collectors).

Rarely, do you get such a concentration of Latin American knowledge in one location outside the region itself.

The RMSS has hit upon the formula of devoting a full day before the show to a series of presentations from the invited society members, thus providing a good opportunity to share knowledge and network with like minded collectors. Eight talks covering a wide variety of geographical, historical and philatelic interest were well received to attending enthusiasts.

And to maximise the efforts made and share the subject matter more widely, the RMSS took the sensible step of recording each of the presentations. Expect to find them on You Tube within the next few weeks or so.

As to the exhibits: well, we were spoilt. Out of seventy-four exhibits, over thirty were from Latin America. It was a feast.

You can check out the award winners below.

2019 RMSS Palmares

Philatelic Societies – a review

FIAF logo
FIAF represents philatelic societies and associations across the Americas

I’ve recently updated the Resources pages. Part of this exercise was to revisit links to philatelic societies and investigate others that I wasn’t so familiar with.

In reviewing so many sites in a relatively short space of time, you quickly get a feel for what seems to separate the well-organised societies from those that ‘could do better’.

Don’t get me wrong. Running a philatelic society for the benefit of its members – most often staffed by unpaid volunteers – is a noble pursuit and not one that I am in a position to criticize.

But that’s not say improvements can’t be made.

The importance of the webmaster

The roles of treasurers, secretaries and presidents are predominant in most of these organisations but the role that often gets overlooked in importance and relevance today is that of the webmaster.

This is the individual that effectively presents the image of the society to the world. Creating the right impression is the difference between a basic ‘we exist’ presence versus that of a forward-looking organisation, keen to recruit new members.

It’s surprising how many websites don’t fully convey the features and benefits that could draw in new blood and help to swell the ever diminishing coffers. A good webmaster, with the right copy and eye to design can make a big difference as to how a society is perceived by the outside world and hence its ability to recruit new, fee-paying members.

A journal index can make all the difference

One of the primary member benefits that is most often overlooked is the journal index.

Many societies have published journals for decades. Within this literature lies much of the wisdom of past members who will have written in depth on subject matter as relevant today as it was when originally published.

The first step is in making these back issues easily accessible.

Many societies have achieved this by making past issues available online, perhaps holding back recent editions for ‘members only’ to encourage new sign-ups. But it’s the creation of a searchable index of these historic volumes that enables the collector to pinpoint articles quickly and easily: this is where the real benefit lies.

Some societies have embraced this approach and made a huge difference to the value of the data that is buried within these journals.

No doubt this is a Herculean task for some but for others, much of the work may have already been done by referring back to previous paper-based indices and simply providing a digital version.

The internet can also be used to leverage society auctions; a significant member benefit if they can be done postally and attract collectors from other countries into becoming members.

This enables collectors to dispose of pieces to an appreciative audience, particularly the esoteric and unusual which may get overlooked or unidentified in a more general auction environment.

Overall though, it is heartening to see that most countries are still supporting at least one philatelic society (multiple societies in some cases), continuing to publish useful literature and offering relevant and ‘value-added’ services to their members. With online translation tools, language is far less of a barrier than before and should be leveraged to encourage wider participation.

Whichever country you collect, consider supporting the relevant society.

You need each other.