A lot of people over the years have collected stamps but few have taken it to the level of expertise that our guest today has. Daniel A. Piazza, Assistant Curator of Philately at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, collects and writes about the stamps and postal history of the U.S. during the Bureau period (1894-1978) as well as the Italian peninsula. He sits on the board of governors of the Vatican Philatelic Society and edits its journal, Vatican Notes; he has also received the society’s Veritas and President’s awards (for scholarship and service, respectively). His other national memberships include the American Philatelic Society, American Philatelic Research Library, American First Day Cover Society, and Writers Unit #30. Locally, he serves as literature chairman for the NAPEX exhibition and belongs to both the Washington Stamp Collectors Club and the Baltimore Philatelic Society. In addition to his philatelic activities, Piazza is an academic historian specializing in U.S. History to 1760. He holds degrees in the subject from Wagner College (B.A., 1998) and Syracuse University (M.A., 2004) and has completed the coursework for his Ph.D. Web sites Daniel recommends are: www.postalmuseum.si.edu and www.arago.si.edu/.
Laurence C. Zale
How do you separate your love for or passion about a collectible item without divorcing the rational part of your brain that helps you make good decisions about what to acquire about a collectible? This week, Larry describes for us the need for research and the value of aesthetics and a “paper trail” to track and assess the potential importance and/or value of collectible items before buying it. Larry also made his contact information known for people who would like to know more about a particular item. Tel: 212 772 2673 email: [email protected] web site: www.visualartsadvisory.com