| American Topical Association | |
| Formation: | 1949 |
| Founder: | Jerry Husak |
| Vat Id: | (for European organizations) --> |
| Owners: | --> |
The American Topical Association (ATA) is a US-based philatelic society and the largest organization devoted to topical stamp collecting. It was established in 1949 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Jerome (Jerry) Husak. It currently serves members in over 60 countries.[1] ATA publishes Topical Time, its bimonthly journal.[2] It also publishes numerous handbooks and maintains many checklists listing hundreds of stamps by topic. The organization runs the National Topical Stamp Show as well as supporting 50+ study units on various topics and 40+ local chapters.[2]
The American Topical Association is an affiliate of the American Philatelic Society.
The ATA offers a variety of member services to Topical Collectors so they may enjoy the hobby of TopicalStamp collecting to the fullest extent. The ATA's office is located in Greer, South Carolina. Among the services included in annual dues payment are:
Topical Time is available in print and digital formats.
for a complete list of ~50 current study units.[4]
information for the handbooks have been researched and collated in some cases by members of some of the Topical Study units. This information is then made available in printed or digital form by the ATA.
Topic, Country, date of issue, denomination, Scott catalogue number, brief description, and non Scott number if known. Checklists supplement the ATA handbooks an particular topics. The handbook serves as a reference item whilethe checklist is a spreadsheet for collectors to use when shopping at dealer booths at stamp shows or on the internet.
The Distinguished Topical Philatelist (DTP) is the highest service award offered by the ATA and is given for service to topical philately in general and to the ATA in particular. It was established in 1952 by ATA's founder Jerry Husak and has been presented to over 120 individuals, including residents of Canada, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States, since its inception. This is the most prestigious award given by the ATA.[5] The first Distinguished Topical Philatelist award was presented to Allyn H Wright in 1952. The annual award ceremony is held during the ATA's National Topical Stamp Show.
This ATA-sponsored annual show features an all-thematic philatelic exhibition and a 30+ dealer bourse offering a variety of philatelic material for collectors. In addition several cachet makers offer their distinctive and unique covers. There are also many meetings, seminars, youth activities, free stamp appraisals and special touring events. The picture below is of the ATA table at New York 2016 World Stamp Show Exhibition which was held at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. Vera Felts, the previous Executive Director of the ATA, can be seen on the left side of the photo.