How to Learn About Postage Stamps From Experts: All About the Maynard Sundman Lecture Series
You might wonder: how do I learn about postage stamps from experts? There are lots of publications out there, but one of the most fun and FREE ways is by watching the Maynard Sundman Lecture Series.
The Smithsonian National Postal Museum’s Maynard Sundman Lecture Series was the brainchild of Jim Bruns (first executive director of the museum) and Maynard’s sons, Don and David. It was established in 2002 through a donation by the Sundman brothers, with the first lecture held October 12. The series has continued nearly every year since. And, since the NPM always posts recordings and transcripts of each year’s lecture (except the very first), you can go back and watch anytime. Check out the links below to see for yourself.
“US Zeppelin Postage Stamps” with Cheryl R. Ganz
“Polar Philately and the Wilkes Antarctic Expedition” with Hal Vogel
“The Origins, Birth and International Reach of the Postage Stamp Through 1847” with James L. Grimwood-Taylor
“US Military Mail During the War with Spain – 1898” with Yamil Kouri Jr.
“World War II Postal History and its Social Impact” with Kees Adema and Jeffrey Groenveld
“The Texas Frontier and the Butterfield Overland Mail, 1858-1861” with Dr. Glen Sample Ely
“The One-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World” with James Barron
“Parks, Postmarks and Postmasters: Post Offices within the National Park Service” with Paul Lee
“A History of America in Thirty-Six Postage Stamps” with Chris West
“A History of Britain in Thirty-Six Postage Stamps” with Chris West
“The Art of the Stamp” with several speakers from the stamp designing and collecting community
“The Philately of New Zealand: Innovation Born of Necessity, 1855-1955” with Robert Odenweller
“The First Canada-US Joint Issue: The 1959 St. Lawrence Seaway Commemorative and Its Famous Invert” with Charles Verge
“Lincoln, Slavery, and the Civil War” with Eliot Landau
“100 Greatest American Stamps” with Don Sundman & Janet Klug
“The Miller Collection and The Era of Private Bank Note Company Stamps 1842-1892” with Scott Trepel
“The Royal Philatelic Collection: An Inside View” with Michael Sefi
“The Legendary Grinnell Missionaries” with David R. Beech
“The 1847’s America’s First Stamps” with Guido Graveri
Sadly, the first Maynard Sundman Lecture was not recorded. However, you can learn more about its presenter (Guido Graveri) here
But Wait… Who Is Maynard Sundman?
Maynard Sundman was a postage stamp collector from 1927 on. At just 19 years old, he started his own mail-order stamp business out of his childhood home. After World War II ended and Maynard returned from military service, he and his wife, Fannie Kasper Sundman, founded Littleton Stamp Company in Littleton, New Hampshire.
In 1974, the Sandman’s bought Mystic Stamp Company in Camden, New York, and Maynard’s youngest son, Don, took the helm as president of Mystic while his older brother, David, handled things at Littleton.
Maynard was a lifelong postage stamp collector and supporter of the hobby. He also had a wealth of stamp knowledge he shared with his sons as well as the philatelic community. It was a natural decision to found a postage stamp lecture series after him.