Auctions
Philatelist Alex Haimann joins Cherrystone
By Linn’s Staff
Philatelist Alex Haimann joined
Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers, according to a Jan. 14 press release from
the auction firm. Haimann will focus on consignor relations, marketing and
expanding Cherrystone’s presence at United States national-level stamp shows
and international exhibitions.
Haimann began his philatelic journey
31 years ago at the age of 7 when his grade school teacher offered him a
collection of worldwide stamps during a routine geography lesson. Ever since
that moment, Haimann’s passion for philately in all its forms has never abated.
Encouraged by a vibrant stamp
collecting community in the Detroit, Mich., region, Haimann jumped into the
professional side of philately at age 13 when he had his first dealer table at
a local stamp show. By age 15, Haimann became the youngest dealer on the
national circuit with a booth at the 2001 American Philatelic Society Stampshow
in Chicago. Continuing to progress, in 2006 Haimann was the youngest dealer to
have a dealer booth at the Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition.
Though collecting and dealing were an
early focus of Haimann’s philatelic pursuits, his horizons broadened further in
2005, when he was recruited to join the staff of the Smithsonian National
Postal Museum’s Collections Department.
During his five years at the museum,
he began on the team that launched the Smithsonian’s first virtual museum
collections database and website, Arago. After that project’s launch in 2006,
he developed a series of web-based projects and online exhibits focused on
engaging the broader general public.
One of the resulting initiatives
included visiting schools around the United States and utilizing the museum’s
digital assets to introduce students at all levels to the world of philately.
In 2008, during his speech at the APS
Tiffany Dinner, Haimann proposed the outline for what would become the Young
Philatelic Leaders Fellowship (YPLF) program. Haimann worked with APS staff to
recruit and launch the first class of YPLF fellows in 2009 and continued to
provide multifaceted support thereafter.
The program, currently in its 15th
year, has provided resources and mentoring opportunities for dozens of young
philatelists through its annual year-long program.
Graduates of the YPLF program have
gone on to work for prominent auction firms, the Philatelic Foundation, the
Scott catalog and serve in volunteer capacities for numerous philatelic
organizations, including as board members of the American Philatelic Society
and American Philatelic Research Library.
Continuing his volunteer service to
philately, Haimann was elected to the APS board of vice presidents in 2013. He
has sponsored more than 750 new APS members to date, the second most of any
living APS member, behind only Mystic Stamp Co. president Donald Sundman.
Haimann’s deep engagement in
philately has not been limited to just activities and organizations in the
United States. In 2014, he was granted membership in the Club de Monte Carlo.
The club was founded by Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1997 with membership
limited to just 100 philatelists from around the world.
In 2015, Haimann was elected a fellow
of the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) and in 2016, he joined the
organizing committee of Stockholmia 2019, an international exhibition that
included a celebration of the RPSL’s 150th anniversary that year.
In 2015, continuing a passion to
bring philately and postal history to new audiences, Haimann began developing
the RPSL’s first public museum exhibition. The result was the “Clash of
Empires: the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War” exhibition (www.clashofempires.org) that was
open to the public throughout July 2023. By the close of the exhibition, more
than 2,000 people from 29 countries had attended.
For more information on Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers, visit online.
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