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Requirements January 1975 until September 1993

1. Discuss how you bettered your understanding of persons, places, institutions, history, and geography in your own country and in the world, because of your collecting stamps. (Be able to discuss several of each.)

2. Explain something of the growth and development, problems, and history of the U.S. postal system. Explain how our postal system is different from those of some other countries.

3. Demonstrate the use of one of the standard catalogs. Show what you look for. Explain why market prices vary so much from catalog prices for both mint and used stamps.

4. Explain the meaning of "good condition" of a stamp. Show one stamp that is well centered, fully perforated, clearly canceled, clean, and undamaged by tears or thin spots. Tell how this affects the stamp value. Tell what country's stamps you consider especially attractive. Why?

5. Demonstrate a knowledge of albums and how to mount stamps with or without hinges. Show the use of a perforation gauge, watermark detector, magnifying glass, and stamp tongs.

6. Display stamps that show the following: perforation, imperforate, roulette, cancellation, cover, mint, coil stamp, overprint, surcharge, engraving, and types printed by other methods including photogravure, offset lithography, typography, and letterpress.

7. Prepare a page showing ingenuity in displaying one or more stamps. Use clippings, drawing, or any other means to emphasize the story behind the stamp or stamps.

8. Show one stamp in each of the following classifications. Explain the purpose of each: regular postage, commemorative, semipostal, airmail, postage due, envelope, special delivery, precancel, revenue, postage meter labels, and airletter sheets.

9. Explain various types of stamp collections, including topical collections.

10. Mount and show in a commercial album or an album of your own making ONE of the following:

(a) A collection of 750 or more different stamps from at least 30 countries

(b) A collection of 150 or more different stamps from a single country or a group of closely related countries.

(c) A collection of 75 or more different birds, trees, great men, music, aviation, Scouts on stamps, etc. (Stamps may be from any number of countries.)

(d) A collection of 20 or more different special items such as precanceled stamps, postage meters, revenue stamps, covers, postal stationery, etc.

Requirements September 1993 until January 2001

1. Do the following:

(a) Discuss how you can better understand people, places, institutions, history, and geography as a result of collecting stamps.
(b) Briefly describe some aspects of the history, growth, and development of the United States postal system. How is it different from postal systems in other countries?

2. Define topical stamp collecting. What are some other types of stamp collections?

3. Show at least ONE example of each of the following:

(a) Perforated and imperforate stamps
(b) Mint and used stamps
(c) Sheet, booklet, and coil stamps
(d) Numbers on plate block, booklet, or coil, or marginal markings
(e) Overprint and surcharge
(f) Metered mail
(g) Definitive, commemorative, semipostal, and airmail stamps
(h) Cancellation and postmark
(i) First day cover
(j) Postal stationery (aerogramme, stamped envelope, and postal card)

4. Do the following:

(a) Demonstrate the use of ONE standard catalog for several different stamp issues. Explain why catalog value can vary from the corresponding purchase price.
(b) Explain the meaning of the term condition as used to describe a stamp. Show examples that illustrate the different factors that affect a stamp's value.

5. Demonstrate the use of at least THREE of the following stamp collector's tools:

(a) Stamp tongs
(b) Water and tray
(c) Magnifier(s)
(d) Hinges
(e) Perforation gauge
(f) Envelopes and sleeves
(g) Watermark fluid

6. Do the following:

(a) Show a stamp album and how to mount stamps with or without hinges. Show at least ONE page that displays several stamps.
(b) Discuss at least THREE ways you can help to preserve stamps, covers, and albums in first-class condition.

7. Do at least TWO of the following:

(a) Design a stamp, cancellation, or cachet.
(b) Visit a post office, stamp club, or stamp show with an experienced collector. Explain what you saw and/or did.
(c) Write a review of an interesting article from a stamp newspaper, magazine, or book.
d) Research and report on a famous stamp-related personality or the history behind a particular stamp.
(e) Describe the steps taken to produce a stamp. Include the methods of printing, types of paper, perforation styles, and how they are gummed.
(f) Prepare a two- to three-page display involving stamps. Using ingenuity, as well as clippings, drawings, etc., tell a story about the stamps. How do they relate to history, geography, or a favorite topic of yours?

8. Mount and show, in a purchased or homemade album, ONE of the following:

(a) A collection of 250 or more different stamps from at least 15 countries.
(b) A collection of a stamp from each of 50 different countries, mounted on maps to show the location of each.
(c) A collection of 100 or more different stamps from either one country or a group of closely related countries.
(d) A collection of 75 or more different stamps on a single topic. (Some interesting topics are Scouts, birds, insects, the Olympics, sports, flowers, animals, ships, Christmas, trains, famous people, space, medicine, etc.) Stamps may be from different countries.
(e) A collection of postal items discovered in your mail by monitoring it over a period of thirty days. Include at least five different types listed in requirement 3, above.