We are planning a roadtrip to APS Hq. week of August 12-16.Its exactly 300 miles portal to portal. When i think back its been a good 12 years since our last visit. For stamp collectors its like turning a kid loose in a candy store. Anyone else want to go for it ? I could arrange my schedule to meet up ! phil APS 070059
Vince, no reservations yet...last time we stayed at a Motel 6 in State College..there is not much in the way of inns and restaurants around Bellefonte. Last time we got there in the afternoon but they let us take a batch of sales books back to the Motel to pick from. I really like the area where they sell the donated albums and stamps...there can be some great buys.
I make the sales room at the back of the library my first stop. I always find literature to add to my library. I think there are full time volunteers that sort and add new material to their sales. I keep an inventory of my library on a flash drive and use one of the computers in the library which makes it easy not to pick up a book I already have. I am missing a few "Billig's Philatelic Handbooks" and "Philatelic Congress" books.
Then I visit the sales room and look through their reference collection. Last stop is the library. You're right about being a kid let loose in a candy store.
I think you can schedule a tour if you want.
I'm hoping to do a road trip with the Visiting Granddaughter that includes the Corning Glass Museum and Hershey ... guess what is on the way from one of those to the other?
Let's see what I can sell ... I didn't have much luck with the Postal History show in Albany
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
This is where I stay when I visit Bellefonte, which is about four times a year. It's a bit more expensive than a motel. Lately I have been traveling there about once a month. I have been looking for a new home since I retired. https://reynoldsmansion.com/
I am actually referring to a collection of empty albums from most periods in which albums have been manufactured. I admit, I really like unique stamp albums.
Just back from Bellefonte 3:30 today....what a difference 12 years make..the world moves on ..the two lane roads between State College and Bellefonte are now modern highways! We had a ball....the employees at Bellefonte are great...but they have to go by guidelines. We met a husband and wife volunteer team in the donations area and we had a great time together...i guess the volunteers have a lot of leeway...because the male volunteer kept going in the back room and saying "have i got a deal for you". So i starting asking him "how about mounts?" and he bought out a box of donated mounts which i picked from. I will not wait another 12 years to return.
No more trips to Bellefonte for me. Why? I am buying a house in downtown Bellefonte, PA. My wife & I have been traveling to Bellefonte for about twenty five years. We fell in love with the area, even before the APS moved there. Here is picture of the house. Most people my age are busy down sizing, for me, it's up sizing.
You guys & gals are always welcome, let me know when you are in the area and I'll leave a light on for you. Plenty of room, four bedrooms.
Ernie , no attic for you. I have plans for the stamp room and library going there. Here are two pictures of the third floor, aka attic. These two rooms are half of the finished third floor. The third room is about the size of these two rooms together. The pool table is the owners and is going. Don't want to be the one that has to get it down the stairs. I also don't want to be the one the one that has to carry my books and music collection up to the third floor. I started packing and decided we will have a moving company load our stuff on a truck and then carry it in. Too much for me to do.
Thank You Vinman....it would be great if we could plan a group get together...my wife is already looking forward to the APS show in Hartford in August 2020...if all goes well it will be the 3rd Hartford show we have attended..we take a hotel in East Hartford and its an easy walk accross the bridge to the stamp show.
