A Community Resource and National Treasure
Upcoming EventS:
For more information or to RSVP to any upcoming event, please contact Jodi Chase: Jlchase@spellmanmuseum.org
Annual Symposium: Webinar
commemorating the 85th anniversary of the Polonus Polish Philatelic Society
Thursday, September 12
8:00 pm EDT
Generously sponsored by
Lawrence Haber, President, Collectors Club of New York
Join our three distinguished philatelists as they present:
Ronald Klimley, Poland Post Redenomination Postage Due Use
Dr. Jerzy W. Kupiec-Weglinski, Flown Mail of the Siege of Przemysl (1914-1915)
Dr. James P. Mazepa, United States Mail to, from and through Poland (1940-1941)
Spellman Museum Roadshow
Saturday, September 21
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
The museum’s annual roadshow is your chance to get your stamp, postcard, or other collection professionally reviewed and evaluated! Attendees can meet with philatelic specialists from the museum’s staff and our partners at NobleSpirit, who will have representatives on site. We are also welcoming evaluators from the New England Postcard Club for collectors of postcards and similar ephemera.
New England PostCard Club
Meeting & sale at The Spellman
Sunday, October 6
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
The New England Postcard Club’s second meeting will be followed by a small show & sale to promote postcard collecting and postal history. A great opportunity to engage in the world of postcards and ephemera! To learn more, contact kathyalpert3@gmail.com
Vatican Stamp Day
Saturday, October 19
12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Vatican Stamp Day will feature rare Vatican and Roman States materials out for display, and also presentations covering general Vatican City and Vatican philately topics. The event will also serve as a Vatican Philatelic Society meet-up where members will have an opportunity come together to meet and share experiences and interests.
New England Birds of Prey
Saturday, October 26
11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Raptors include hawks, falcons and owls, and this presentation, which incorporates 7 live birds of prey, all native to New England, gives an overview of these different categories. The program is designed to explain predation, the birds’ place at the top of the food web, their different hunting adaptations and their status in a rapidly changing world. Presented by Wingmasters of Leverett, MA.
These periodic programs are held at the Museum with visiting experts and their live props. Exhibits of related stamps are part of the programs. Supported in part by a grant from the Weston Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Family Crafts Fun — it’s autumn!
Saturday, October 26
12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Families are encouraged to stay at the museum after New England Birds of Prey for this fun crafting activity! Led by museum educator Siobhan Mahaney, the afternoon will feature crafts about owls, bats and Halloween.
A Revolutionary Drink: Tea
A fun and informative talk about the history of tea and the importance of this drink in relation to American independence.
Sunday, November 10
11:00 am
$15 members
$25 non-members
Joys of Nature – helping endangered species
Saturday, November 16
10:00 am to 11:00 am
What is an endangered species? Why are many animals and their habitats disappearing? Learn about endangered species in the wild here in New England, and around the world, and what we can all do to help them. Don’t miss meeting some of their animal relatives up close and personal!
These periodic programs are held at the Museum with visiting experts and their live props. Exhibits of related stamps are part of the programs. Supported in part by a grant from the Weston Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Holiday Letters to Santa
Saturday, December 10
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Children of all ages and their families are invited to come to the museum for a day of fun and philately! Participants can create their own envelopes and holiday cards, as well as write a letter to Santa Claus, and mail them from the museum. A fun day of crafting and engaging in the ‘lost art’ of letter writing!
phi·lat·e·ly
/fəˈladlē/
noun the collection and study of postage stamps.
As defined by Oxford Languages
—
Stamps tell stories and reflect the history of the postal service. They are miniature windows into society, culture, and identity. The Spellman Museum features extraordinary exhibits that illustrate national and world history, social movements, pioneers, and human achievement, connecting visitors with the shared human experience through stamps.
Stamp collecting has been around as long as stamps have existed. Stamps provide relevant and artful content highlighting arts, culture, biography, architecture, prominent individuals, world leaders, science, as well current events, major milestones and nature.
While their primary purpose has been to pre-pay for the transportation and delivery of mail, stamps have also helped to highlight shared values and experiences, and to promote human achievements, around the world.
The world’s first postage stamp was the Penny Black. Invented in 1840 by Sir Rowland Hill, a British administrator and educator, principally known for his development of the modern postal service, postage stamps would quickly be adopted internationally.
