Make your reservations now for the Symposium on Analytical Methods in Philately

Do you want to find out how the common scanner can be used to distinguish small color variations? How new techniques can determine whether perforations are real or fake? How different types of visible and nonvisible light can identify forgeries? How science can be used to make collecting stamps even more interesting?

The agenda for the Institute for Analytical Philately’s Second International Symposium on Analytical Methods in Philately has been set, reports IAP director and program chairman Jim Allen.

The symposium will take place Nov. 18-19 at the Westin Chicago Northwest, 400 Park Blvd., Itasca, Ill. The Chicagopex stamp show is taking place in the same hotel Nov. 20-22.

The symposium offers an intriguing assemblage of 12 technical presentations bracketed by incisive overviews of where analytical philately has been and where it is headed.

Allen notes, “We had an enthusiastic response to our requests for presentations. This symposium will include even more applications of modern tools and new methods of analysis than the first. The usefulness of several proven techniques will also be presented. They will be applied to queries about perforations, inks, color differentiation, chemical composition, paper and even postal history. Philatelic breadth has been expanded to include application to both modern and classic stamps, foreign and United States, and forgeries. Thoughtful perspectives on modern technological ‘machine’ as well as traditional ‘human-centered’ methods will be presented. All in all, anyone and everyone interested in philately, or the technologies of philately, will have something to learn from our 14 planned presentations.”

The program, which will be sent to all registrants in early October, will contain 300-word abstracts of each presentation.

As was done for the first symposium, the Smithsonian Scholarly Press will publish a professionally edited volume containing full-length versions of each presentation.

Reserve your room on the special IAP web page created by the symposium hotel.

Send a $75 registration fee to Ken Nilsestuen, IAP treasurer, PMB31, 1668 Merriman Road, Akron, OH 44313.

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