Thanks to Paul Nelson of the Postal History Foundation for this update.
The Meter Stamp Society’s library has been added to the Postal History Foundation’s Peggy Slusser Memorial Philatelic Library in Tucson, Arizona.
Rick Stambaugh, current president, and Joel Hawkins, immediate past president, of the Meter Stamp Society recently placed over one hundred books, catalogs, machine handbooks, and over ten postage meter machines with the Slusser Library. These are from their own libraries, as well as from the MSS library itself.
The recent generous donation to the Slusser contains some duplicate items, and it will take some time for Valerie Kittell, Slusser’s librarian, and her staff of volunteers to catalog everything. After the cataloging is complete, the holdings will be included in the Philatelic Union Catalog hosted by the APRL as well as in the Global Philatelic Library hosted by the Royal Philatelic Society London. Duplicate material will be offered for exchange or sale.
Rick and Joel have exhibited meter material, with award winning results, at many APS exhibitions. These markings are certainly examples of modern postal history, and the machines that create them are complex devices from a wide range of manufacturers. Many philatelic groups from many countries have published comprehensive information about their country’s meters; many of these publications are represented in this donation.
Rick and Joel have used this research material, as well as their own collections, to create and publish a catalog of U.S. meter marks, which is available from the MSS website. Furthermore, they recently released an electronic catalog of international meter stamps. This publication, which is free to download, is a wiki catalog, and subject to frequent additions and updates.