John Apfelbaum's Schools

• Universty of Pennsylvania , Class of 1975 History

John Apfelbaum's Affiliations

• Licensed Auctioneer Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

John Apfelbaum's Publications

• The Rare 1868 1-Cent Benjamin Franklin Z-Grill Stamp, John Apfelbaum October, 2011 By John Apfelbaum To comprehend the significance of the 1868 1-cent Z-grill stamp, you first must understand stamp grilling, a term that does not refer to a summer barbecue. Back in the 1860s, United States postal authorities feared a rash of people washing cancelled stamps and reusing them. They considered and rejected several plans to avert such behavior, including placing gunpowder on the stamp paper during printing, which would detonate when the postmark hit the stamp. Instead, they settled on a less violent method to deter reuse: grilling. Charles F. Steel devised a machine with little pyramids that made as many as 200 minute cuts in the stamp paper after the printing and gumming process. The cancellation ink, theoretically, would soak into the stamp more deeply because of the cuts and thus become harder to remove. As in most new processes, much trial and error followed, producing some interesting stamps. The Z grill perforated with points down, meaning the machine did the grilling on the face of the stamps. The United States Postal Service printed numerous 1868 1-cent Z grills, which bore the profile of inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin, but few remain. The Z-grill indentations in particular, with horizontal ridges of 13 to 14 by 17 to 18 points, did not show up very well on stamps, so the Postal Service quickly discontinued that particular method. Ironically, philatelists who later analyzed 19th-century stamps concluded that no mass conspiracy existed to wash off postmarks and reuse stamps. In 1998, the prized collection of Robert Zoellner, the first philatelist to own a complete U.S. stamp collection, went on the auction block. Donald Sundman, President of Mystic Stamp Company in Camden, New York, purchased the Benjamin Franklin 1-cent Z grill for $935,000. In 2005, private collector Bill Gross persuaded Sundman to trade the Z grill for a 4-block of the 1918 Inverted Jenny airmail stamp, worth nearly $3 million. Today, only two known examples of the 1868 Benjamin Franklin 1-cent Z grill exist, the one Gross traded for to complete his 19th-century U.S. stamp collection and one held by the New York Public Library. Still, somewhere in an old chest of drawers in someone’s attic, another 1-cent Z grill could be hiding. About the Author A professional philatelist, John Apfelbaum serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Earl P. L. Apfelbaum, Inc., a 4th-generation Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, stamp business founded more than 100 years ago.

• John Apfelbaum on Locating Rare and Valuable Stamps, John Apfelbaum November, 2011 John Apfelbaum serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of Earl P L Apfelbaum, Inc., a renowned stamp collecting firm. Like most individuals involved within the organization, John Apfelbaum holds a passion for philately. He divides his time between studying, buying, and selling stamps. Philately, more commonly known as stamp collecting, can be undertaken for fun or profit. Expert collectors know how, where, and when to look for rare stamps, as well telltale signs that mark a stamp as a diamond in the rough. In this article, Mr. Apfelbaum shares his tips for finding rare and valuable stamps. First, never underestimate the value of solid research. The Internet is a good place to start, but it sometimes lacks the resources about older stamps that libraries keep in musty old tomes and price guides. Head to a local library and look up philately guides in order to stay current on stamp prices. You can also find out what stamps collectors deem the most sought-after items. Take along a notebook and jot down stamps to search for, in addition to current prices and other relevant data. Stamp collectors are an obvious source of prime stamps. Additionally, yard and garage sales, as well as flea markets, practically teem with stamps. The best part: vendors often do not realize the treasures they have in some stamps and sell them for pennies to the dollar. Take advantage of garage-sale season and carry along notebooks filled with stamp information. Mr. Apfelbaum also recommends that collectors invest in perforation charts. Oftentimes, the perforations on a stamp denote it as valuable. Lastly, bring along a pocket stamp guide and a research notebook to tell the difference between a collectible and one that is worth the stated value. Many collectors making the transition from amateurs to professionals believe that all old stamps carry a high value, but that could not be further from the truth.

• John Apfelbaum on the Implications of the Forever Stamp , John Apfelbaum's Blog on Bigsight December, 2011 public domain In recent years, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been forced to raise rates steadily in order to avoid major operating losses. In 2007, USPS released nondenominational “forever stamps” as a way for citizens to lock in postage prices and hedge against incessant rate hikes. A forever stamp is worth the current rate of first-class postage, regardless of when it was purchased. For example, the price of a stamp was $0.42 in 2008 and $0.44 in 2009. Thus, people who purchased and saved forever stamps in 2008 essentially made $.02 per stamp in 2009. ppublic domain The New York Times reported a drastic increase in the sale of forever stamps in the months leading up to the 2009 rate increase. Rates rose on May 12, 2009; in January of that year, sales of forever stamps totaled just over $115 million. By March, sales had skyrocketed to more than $265 million. With USPS anticipating a $14.1 billion loss for the current fiscal year, consumers can only expect the price of stamps to continue to rise. In fact, it may be time to stock up on some freedom stamps; the organization recently announced a one-cent rate increase for first-class postage that will come into effect on January 22, 2012. An authority on stamp collecting, John Apfelbaum has served as the President of the stamp purveyor Earl P L Apfelbaum Inc, for four decades. Based out of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, the business was started by John Apfelbaum’s great-grandfather more than a century ago and remains family owned and operated. Apfelbaum currently sells and buys stamps around the world and holds licensure as an auctioneer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

John Apfelbaum's Links