Collectors Club of New York

Collectors Club of New York is a private membership organization and philatelic society based in New York City. Founded in 1896, it is among the oldest continuously existing philatelic societies in the United States. The organization provides a social, educational, and non-commercial setting for people interested in postage stamps, postal history, postal stationery, and related areas of collecting. Its activities combine the functions of a learned society, specialist library, publishing organization, event venue, and social club. The club was originally centered on collectors in the New York area, but its membership has become substantially broader over time. The organization reports a membership of more than 600 people, with members distributed across the United States and internationally. Approximately 15 percent of members are based in the New York City area and approximately 15 percent live outside the United States, giving the club an international reach despite its local institutional base. A major part of the club’s role is the advancement of philatelic knowledge. It publishes The Collectors Club Philatelist, a scholarly periodical that has appeared since 1922 and is currently issued on a bimonthly basis. The publication carries research and analysis on philatelic subjects and serves as an important channel for specialist knowledge. The club also publishes monographs and, on occasion, significant philatelic books. These publications are generally offered as member benefits or sold through the organization’s website. Education is also delivered through lectures, seminars, online programming, and webinars. The organization has produced hundreds of webinars, with access rules varying according to membership and the age of each program. Its facilities are used for philatelic programs, single-frame competitions, seminars, social gatherings, and selected philatelic auctions. The club’s library supports research by scholars, historians, and philatelists. For much of its modern history, the club operated from a landmarked clubhouse at 22 East 35th Street in Manhattan’s Murray Hill neighborhood. The organization purchased the property in 1937, and it served as the club’s home from 1939 through 2023. The building had been designed in 1901–02 by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, with Stanford White as the partner in charge, for Thomas and Fanny Clarke. Its Colonial Revival design incorporates medieval-inspired windows. The property became a New York City landmark in 1979 and was sold to the Republic of Serbia in 2022. In 2024, the club moved to a mezzanine-level facility at 58 West 40th Street, on the south side of Bryant Park and near the main branch of the New York Public Library. The new premises include a library, a program room seating approximately 50 people, a social area overlooking Bryant Park, and a seminar room. The move preserved the club’s role as a physical meeting place while placing its activities closer to major cultural and research institutions. The club’s historical membership has included prominent philatelists such as Alfred F. Lichtenstein, Harry Lindquist, John Luff, John Walter Scott, Lawrence L. Shenfield, John J. Britt, and Theodore E. Steinway. Honorary members have included Franklin D. Roosevelt and the 26th Earl of Crawford. Since 1952, the Alfred F. Lichtenstein Memorial Award for Distinguished Service to Philately has recognized a living individual for exceptional service to the field. The club operates as a U.S. Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) public charity, with a ruling year of 1950.

Collectors Club of New York was established in 1896 as a private association for people interested in stamp collecting and related postal subjects. Its founding placed it within the formative period of organized American philately, when collectors were creating clubs, societies, specialist catalogues, libraries, and journals to develop a more systematic understanding of stamps and postal history. From the beginning, the club’s purpose combined fellowship with study: it sought to encourage philately while providing a setting in which collectors could exchange knowledge and pursue the hobby in a non-commercial environment. The organization gradually developed from a New York-centered club into a broader philatelic institution. Its membership has included influential collectors, dealers, researchers, writers, and leaders in the hobby. Among the notable members associated with its history are Alfred F. Lichtenstein, Harry Lindquist, John Luff, John Walter Scott, Lawrence L. Shenfield, John J. Britt, and Theodore E. Steinway. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the 26th Earl of Crawford are identified as honorary members. These associations reflect the club’s place in the history of American and international philately rather than a focus solely on local collecting. Publishing became one of the club’s most durable activities. The Collectors Club Philatelist has been issued by the organization since 1922. The periodical provides a venue for specialist research and commentary and has helped preserve and circulate knowledge concerning stamps, postal systems, postal history, and collecting practices. The club has also issued monographs and, at selected times, important philatelic books. Its publishing activity complements the organization’s library and educational programming, giving members access to both primary research resources and interpretive scholarship. The club’s institutional home became especially important in the twentieth century. It purchased 22 East 35th Street in Manhattan in 1937 and occupied the building from 1939 through 2023. The house had been constructed in 1901–02 for Thomas and Fanny Clarke and designed by McKim, Mead & White, with Stanford White as the partner in charge. Its Colonial Revival architecture, combined with medieval-inspired windows, made it an unusual and historically significant setting for a specialist society. New York City designated the property a landmark on September 11, 1979. The building was later sold to the Republic of Serbia in 2022. During its years at East 35th Street, the club maintained a philatelic library that served members as well as scholars, historians, and other researchers. The premises also supported meetings, lectures, exhibitions, social events, and other activities associated with a learned collecting society. In addition to in-person programming, the club expanded its educational output through online presentations and webinars. It has produced hundreds of webinars, with recent programs made available to non-members for a limited period or through participation in the relevant event. In 2024, the organization moved to 58 West 40th Street, near Bryant Park and the main branch of the New York Public Library. The new facility retains the principal functions of the former clubhouse in a more compact setting. It includes a library, a room capable of seating about 50 people for programs, a social area overlooking Bryant Park, and a seminar room. The premises are used for philatelic programs, single-frame competitions, selected auctions, seminars, and social meetings. The club continues to operate as a membership-based, nonprofit educational institution. It is recognized as a section 501(c)(3) public charity, with a ruling year of 1950. Its contemporary identity rests on the combination of community, scholarship, collections-based research, publishing, and public-facing educational activity. The organization’s international membership and digital programming extend its reach beyond New York, while its library, awards, publications, and physical meetings preserve the traditions of a specialist philatelic society.

• 2024

  Club moves to 58 West 40th Street

  [1]Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org

  The organization relocated to new premises near Bryant Park, retaining space for its library, programs, seminars, competitions, auctions, and social events.

• 2022

  Historic clubhouse sold

  [1]Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org

  The club sold the 22 East 35th Street property to the Republic of Serbia.

• 1979

  Former clubhouse designated a New York City landmark

  [1]Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org

  The East 35th Street building received New York City landmark designation on September 11.

• 1952

  Lichtenstein Memorial Award established

  [1]Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org

  The club established an annual award recognizing a living person for distinguished service to philately.

• 1950

  501(c)(3) public-charity ruling year

  [1]Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org

  The organization’s tax-exempt public-charity status is associated with a ruling year of 1950.

• 1939

  East 35th Street clubhouse opens as the club’s home

  [1]Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org

  The club began operating from 22 East 35th Street in the Murray Hill neighborhood.

• 1937

  Club purchases the East 35th Street property

  [1]Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org

  The organization acquired the historic Manhattan building that later served as its clubhouse for more than eight decades.

• 1922

  The Collectors Club Philatelist begins publication

  [1]Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org

  The club began publishing its specialist philatelic periodical, which remains a central scholarly communication of the organization.

• 1896

  Collectors Club founded

  [1]Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org

  A private New York association for stamp collectors and philatelic study was established.

A scholarly, educational, and social institution for serious and recreational philatelists, combining the traditions of a private club with the research functions of a learned society.

• Periodical · 1922

  The Collectors Club Philatelist

  The club’s long-running philatelic journal, published since 1922 and currently issued bimonthly. It presents scholarly articles and specialist research on stamps, postal history, and related areas of philately.

• Research resource

  Philatelic library

  A specialist library maintained for research and study by members, philatelists, scholars, and historians. It supports the club’s educational and scholarly mission and is housed at the organization’s current Bryant Park-area facility.

• Publishing

  Philatelic monographs and books

  Research monographs and selected philatelic books produced or distributed by the club. These publications extend the organization’s educational mission beyond meetings and periodical publishing.

• Education

  Webinars and educational programs

  Online and in-person lectures, seminars, and webinars covering philatelic subjects. The club has produced hundreds of webinars, with access determined by membership and the availability period of individual programs.

• 2024

  Relocation to a new Bryant Park-area facilityStrategy

  Background

  Following the sale of the East 35th Street property, the club needed premises that could continue supporting its library, meetings, educational events, competitions, and social activities.

  Action taken

  The club moved to mezzanine-level quarters at 58 West 40th Street, with separate library, program, social, and seminar spaces.

  Aftermath

  The relocation maintained the club’s physical programming while placing it near Bryant Park and the main branch of the New York Public Library.

  Source

• 2022

  Sale of the historic East 35th Street clubhouseStrategy

  Background

  The club’s long-standing Manhattan property had served as its headquarters since 1939 and was a designated New York City landmark.

  Action taken

  The organization sold the building at 22 East 35th Street to the Republic of Serbia.

  Aftermath

  The club subsequently transitioned away from the historic Murray Hill clubhouse and prepared for operation from a new facility near Bryant Park.

  Source

1. 1Collectors Club of New Yorken.wikipedia.org
2. 2Collectors Club of New York official websitecollectorsclub.org