Our History
Our story begins in 1914, when Mr. A. W. Spanton placed an advertisement in the Sacramento Bee newspaper asking all interested in stamp collecting to meet for the purpose of forming a stamp club. Twelve people responded, resulting in the formation of the Sacramento Stamp Society. The Sacramento Stamp Society held their first meetings at the Y.M.C.A. (which used to be at 5th & J Streets). The membership grew rapidly, and the club moved to larger quarters at the Chamber of Commerce. Later the club meetings were held at the Travelers Hotel, where a meeting room was provided by the management. Since those early times, the club has also held its meetings at schools, churches, and the Easter Seals Society Center.
In 1934 our founder, Arthur W. Spanton, passed away.
In 1941 the Council of Northern California Philatelic Societies held their first annual stamp exhibit at the Sacramento Hotel, with the Sacramento Stamp Society as host.
In 1951 our founder’s wife, Alice G. Spanton, passed away.
In 1956 Sacramento Stamp Society became a member of the American Philatelic Society. And 65+ years later, our original membership number is still active.
In 1958, the Sacramento Stamp Society held its first benefit show, the Easter Seals Society Show, founded by LeRoy Armstrong, as a community project with all proceeds going to the Easter Seals Society. The first year began with a donation of $200 to the Easter Seals Society, and over the years the donations increased up to around $5K-$6K per year. 2019 was the final year that the club did a benefit show for the Easter Seals Society.
In 1961 the Sacramento Stamp Society became incorporated, with its name being changed to the Sacramento Philatelic Society. The Sacramento Philatelic Society produced a number of stamp exhibits at the Country Club Shopping Center, and in the Hobbies Building at the California State Fair. The Sacramento Philatelic Society has also held a number of stamp exhibitions.
SACAPEX (Sacramento Camellia Philatelic Exhibition) began in 1969, as a combined effort with the Camellia City Stamp Club of Sacramento. The event was initially held at the El Rancho Motel, in West Sacramento. After 1969, SACAPEX was produced solely by the Sacramento Philatelic Society. The name SACAPEX was continued (but now meaning Sacramento California Philatelic Exposition), with shows scheduled for every two years, until 1973 when it became an annual event. The venue for SACAPEX was held at a number of hotels in the Sacramento area, which included the Senator Hotel, the Red Lion Inn (@ I-80 & Arden Way), and the Scottish Rite Center (where the show’s been happening since 1984).
In January 1988 our meeting place moved from 3600 J Street, to the Easter Seals Center.
In July 2021 our meeting place moved from the Easter Seals Center, to the Arden Christian Church.
In 2022 the Sacramento Philatelic Society became a chapter of the American Topical Association
With its members meeting weekly, and its Board meeting monthly, the Sacramento Philatelic Society continues to remain one of the most active stamp clubs in the nation.
Much of the above historical information was provided to us by the late Bill Oliver, who had an article (about our history) in a 2007 issue of the CNCPS Council Courier, and later provided a couple of date corrections when it was updated in 2014 for our 100th anniversary. If you have any additional club history information that you would like to share, or any corrections (if you noticed that we may have gotten something wrong here), then please do contact us.
The above photograph is circa 1955. Years ago, exhibits were created by the Sacramento stamp clubs (left side of the photograph) & the Capitol City Coin Club (right side of the photograph), for events such as the California State Fair.
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