The Spanish Civil War Study Group -UK-1963. British stamp dealer Ronald G. Shelley, Theodore Van Dam, F Gomez Guillamon and F. Deters formed the society to preserve and promote Spanish Civil War postal history by publishing in English the “Cruzada” containing related original articles.
The Spanish Philatelic Society – UK- 1970. Membership and interest in the study group continues to grow and Shelley now finds there is even a larger potential group of collectors of Spanish stamps, covers and postal history but no existing English language publications or articles. In 1970 another group was formed and adopted the name “Spanish Philatelic Society.” Under that name was produced in English another publication called “Spain,” together with a series of specialized booklets.
The Spanish Study Circle – UK. After the retirement of Shelley a successor group was formed in the UK as “The Spanish Study Circle”, which currently exists holding annual meetings in the UK and at Spanish Stamp shows.
The Spanish Philatelic Society – US. United States collectors of Spanish Civil War material decided to form their own organization as the group needed a more formal structure. As a result, The Spanish Philatelic Society (“SPS”) was initially incorporated in 1995, in the State of Pennsylvania. The founders at that time were Al Orville and Robert Penn. The officers included Jerry Wells (Pres), Suzanne Haney (VP); Bob Seiler (Treas) , Peter Marury, (Sec); Bob Penn (Newsletter); Jim Carr (Membership); Kurt Oppenheimer (Auction) and Howard Felber (Librarian). By-laws were then proposed and adopted in 1995, amended in 2005 and available for viewing elsewhere in this website.
After formal incorporation, the SPS was determined by the IRS to be a qualified non-profit organization Sec. 501(c)(3) organization to which donations are deductible by the donor so long as the SPS remains qualified.
The SPS began producing a Newsletter (Bob Penn, editor) several times a year. Currently, at least twice a year, the SPS produces a high quality newsletter (the “Arana”) containing articles of interest concerning Spanish Philately, written by members or others, ranging from classics to Spanish Civil War and beyond. A list of these articles, both by author and subject matter, is contained elsewhere in this website.
Auctions became an integral part of the SPS in its early days and were held in conjunction with the printing of the Newsletter. Kurt Ottenheimer became its first Chairman, and rules were established that are still in effect. We are now holding two or three auctions a year independently of the publication of the Arana. Both the seller and the buyer must be SPS members in good standing. The members send in the material they would like to dispose of, set the price, and the items are described in the detailed auction. The SPS takes 15% off the top. The rest, minus minor expenses, is remitted to the buyer. The auctions have been quite successful among both sellers and buyers.
The SPS has a very nice library located in California. The library materials may be borrowed but only by a member in good standing, and the costs of shipping to and from are borne by the borrowing member. We have very good research material, including copies of many of the publications by Spanish Civil War Study Group, the Spanish Philatelic Society (UK), as well as the Spanish Study Circle. Additionally, we have many knowledgeable members in Spanish philately who can help identify hard to find items. Many of our members collect Spanish Civil War stamps and postal history – some Republican, some Nationalist – and some both.
For the foreseeable future, we welcome members without requiring any membership fee. At this time we only request that you complete an application form so we have a background of essential information. You can find that form elsewhere in this website.
Jerry Wells, former President and current Membership Chairman of the Spanish Philatelic Society. With the collaboration of Bob Penn, founding member, who provided the earlier information.