Adam K. Bert
Encyclopedia
Adam K. Bert of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
, was a stamp collector and dealer, who operated his stamp business in Pittsburgh.
of stamps of the United States.
Bert “serviced” first day covers by having the appropriate post office cancel his special first day covers with the appropriate cancellation, and then returning the cancelled covers to his customers.
One of Bert’s customers was fellow stamp collector Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was governor of New York
at the time.
. He also had the distinction, when he closed his downtown Pittsburgh store in 1996, of operating the nation's oldest first-day cover service.
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,987 at the 2010 census. It is located 31 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, and on the Beaver River, six miles from its confluence with the Ohio River...
, was a stamp collector and dealer, who operated his stamp business in Pittsburgh.
Collecting interests
For his own collections, Bert was interested in collecting “socked on the nose” cancellations on postage stamps, as well as first day coversFirst day of issue
A First Day of Issue Cover or First Day Cover is a postage stamp on a cover, postal card or stamped envelope franked on the first day the issue is authorized for use within the country or territory of the stamp-issuing authority. Sometimes the issue is made from a temporary or permanent foreign or...
of stamps of the United States.
Philatelic activity
Bert started collecting stamps as a teenager, and then sold them to classmates in school and to his teachers. By the time he was 18, he established his first day cover business.Bert “serviced” first day covers by having the appropriate post office cancel his special first day covers with the appropriate cancellation, and then returning the cancelled covers to his customers.
One of Bert’s customers was fellow stamp collector Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was governor of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at the time.
Honors and awards
Adam Bert received the Silver Tray award of the American First Day Cover Society for numerous articles he wrote on fraudulent first day covers.Legacy
Bert was over 100 years old when he died and had the distinction of having the longest tenure of membership at the American Philatelic SocietyAmerican Philatelic Society
The American Philatelic Society is the largest nonprofit stamp collecting and organization of philately in the world, with almost 44,000 members from 110 countries...
. He also had the distinction, when he closed his downtown Pittsburgh store in 1996, of operating the nation's oldest first-day cover service.