American Philatelic Assoc. 1908 Convention

I’m in the process of revising my exhibit on America’s public libraries and their forerunners for the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show in Denver later this month. I have a cover in the exhibit with two labels on the back depicting the Carnegie Library in Columbus, OH.  It was the Carnegie Library aspect of the labels that led to my purchase of the cover, but the labels also have a significant connection to the history of the American Philatelic Society (APS) and its predecessor the American Philatelic Association (APA). The labels indicate that the library is the “Home of the Columbus Collector’s Club”.  They also indicate that the American Philatelic Association will hold its 1908 National Convention at the library. The cover was mailed on July 7, 1907 from Cincinnati to Alliance, OH. Seeing the cover again prompted me to try to find out more about the 1908 APA Convention. Fortunately, I didn’t have far to look. In 1986 Robert L.D. Davidson wrote a whole series of articles in the American Philatelist titled “APS: The First Century”. The April 1986 article was titled “From Association To Society”. It turns out that it was at the 1908 convention that the APA changed its name to the American Philatelic Society. The vote to change the name (including proxies) was 527 to 171. Over the years I have come across a number of covers that connect libraries to philately, and this one is especially nice.