THE BOOKSELLER OF WYOMISSING

AN INTERVIEW WITH PHIL BANSNER OF PHILBANSNER.COM

BY ABHISHEK BHUWALKA

After my previous interview with Burkhard

Schneider of philabooks.com, which was
published in the the 3rd Quarter 2020 of this
journal, I was keen to interview Phil Bansner
(Philip T. Bansner in full). Phil runs a website
bearing his name and deals in mainly US-centric
stamps, postal history, and yes, philatelic
literature; he calls himself a “professional
philatelist.” While browsing through past issues
of The Philatelic Literature Review, I realised
that I had never come across his interview or
detailed profile. I sent an email asking if we
could chat over Skype or WhatsApp. Phil
replied back that he only had the trusty old
landline on which I could call him. I did and
asked him the question which was one my mind
– why was he not covered before? His short
reply, “I keep a low profile.”

F IGURE 1: P HIL B ANSNER AT THE “ NERVE CENTRE ” OF HISPhil indeed has a very different modus-
OPERATIONS operandi as compared to other dealers. To a
question on his interactions with famous
collectors and other dealers as well as important philatelic purchases, he
says (and I suspect very honestly), “I never did buy a famous collection or
meet with a famous literature collector. I have not owned individual titles
of great rarity.” This is probably an understatement since I have
personally seen important titles of philatelic literature in his online shop,
for example a couple of Fournier Forgeries Albums, a set of the Ferrari
auction catalogues, or The Postage Stamps of Switzerland by Mirabaud
and Reuterskiöld, which I was lucky enough to have bought.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 1 of 10

 PHIL, PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT
YOURSELF.

I was born in 1943 and raised in West

Reading, PA. My dad Reinhold was in
the printing business and my mother
Evelyn was an elementary school
teacher. I have an older sister
Carol that has several degrees in the
space science field; her work really is
rocket science. I graduated from
West Reading High School in 1961
and Penn State University in 1964,
F IGURE 2: W ITH WIFE B EVERLY AT A LATE 1990 S F LORIDA STAMP SHOW
then spent two years in the military.
POST - SHOW DINNER
Upon leaving the military I returned
home and was hired by a local bank in their management training
program. I switched banks once and remained in banking until 1979. I
have two grown children, Brad and Karen, and two grandchildren,
Benjamin and Isabella, who live within fifteen minutes of my home. These,
of course, are the two best grandchildren in the world. I was married to
my now deceased wife Beverly for 55 wonderful years. She rarely came
with me to stamp shows as she was very busy at home bearing the brunt
of the work in raising two wonderful children; all of us in the family still
miss her greatly.

WERE YOU A STAMP COLLECTOR SINCE YOUR CHILDHOOD? OR DID

YOU GET INTO IT MUCH LATER?

I was first introduced to stamps when I joined a fifth-grade school

activities stamp collecting club. My dad gave me a stamp album with a
large assortment of United States and worldwide stamps. Dad was not a
collector but had received the stamps in order to collect a debt. I liked
studying and researching the stamps as we club members traded
duplicates. I kept at the hobby during my high school years. I had a paper
route and would use my earnings to buy stamps (instead of baseball
cards) from a local stamp dealer by the name of Philip Burtner. Many
years later I purchased the balance of Mr. Burtner’s philatelic estate

WHAT MADE YOU BECOME A DEALER IN 1975?

During the early 1970s I became more serious about my stamp collection.
I traded off all my old collections and started concentrating on United
States very fine mint never hinged stamps. I was good friends with a local
stamp dealer name Bob Gantner who introduced me to stamp shows. He

The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 2 of 10

 eventually took me along to shows as a helper and was my introduction to
stamp dealing. In 1975 I met with show organizer Dick Bower and
obtained a table at his monthly stamp show in Sommerville, New Jersey.
That started a five year period during which I was a part time stamp show
dealer while also maintaining a career as a mortgage banker.

I became part time stamp dealer while maintaining my career as a

mortgage banker. I joined the APS in September of 1975. I liked the way
they were organized and felt they were in tune with the stamp collecting
community. Their monthly publication is the best in their field. I am proud
that I am a member of this fine organization. During my first years as a
dealer I published price lists and attended local stamp shows. I
concentrated on United States stamps both front and back of the book.

HOW DID YOU TRANSITION TO DEALING FULL-TIME IN PHILATELY IN

1979?

During the late 1970s there was a recession that greatly impacted the
mortgage business. I was a mortgage banker without any money to lend. I
knew my banking career was in jeopardy. I resigned my banking position
and went to work full time as a professional philatelist. I joined the ASDA
in 1979 so that I could attend their large regional shows.

The 1980s were hectic with a growing stamp business and active family
life. I was a regular at stamp auctions such as Robert A. Siegel, William A.
Fox,1 Harmer’s of New York, “Simmy’s”,2 Daniel Kelleher, Richard Frajola,
and John Kaufmann 3 to name a few. I diversified my stamp holdings,
taking positions in back of the book issues including proofs and essays,
revenue issues, and match and medicine
stamps. I also started acquiring foreign
stamps, worldwide philatelic literature,
and U.S. advertising covers.

HOW DID THE STAMP RECESSION OF

THE 1980S IMPACT YOU?

This was pre-Internet. Stamp prices

F IGURE 3: A DASHING - LOOKING YOUNG P HIL AT A T EXAS STAMP
SHOW IN THE 1970 S
The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka
declined dramatically. My inventory was
not selling. One week I repriced my entire
inventory to reflect the current market. My
inventory started to sell at the new price
levels. Fortunately I was in a position to
withstand the downturn.
Page 3 of 10
 YOU HAVE OCCUPIED VARIOUS ORGANISATIONAL POSTS WITH THE
AMERICAN STAMP DEALERS ASSOCIATION (ASDA) AND WITH THE
AMERICAN PHILATELIC RESEARCH LIBRARY (APRL). TELL US MORE
ABOUT THEM?

I met ASDA Executive Director Joseph Savarese4 and started a long term
business and personal relationship. “Joe” was a very dedicated employee,
always giving 110% to his job. Beginning 1987 I started to do service
work for the ASDA and became involved as a board member, ethics
committee chairman, Vice President, and two-term President from 1996
to 1999. This was the time of Arthur Morowitz, Lewis Kaufmann, Bob
Feldman, and many other dedicated ASDA members. The Board of
Directors worked for the interests of the ASDA, there was co-operation
with other philatelic societies and well as the U.S. Postal Service. This
work was very satisfying. I ended my work for the ASDA in 1999 but am
still a proud member of the organization.

During the 1990s I worked with the very talented and very personable
Ginny Horn, the librarian of the APRL, then located in State College. The
management of the library was in great hands. I became a trustee and also
President of the board of the APRL. During this time the APS made the
decision to move lock, stock, and barrel to the Match Factory building.5
This has turned out to be a very wise decision as the building is a great
place for the employees to work and is financially very stable. I am

F IGURE 4: P RICE L IST UNDER THE 'E MPIRE G ROUP ' F IGURE 5: A PHILATELIC LITERATURE PRICE LIST UNDER THE
NAME ‘P HIL B ANSNER ’ NAME

The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 4 of 10
 personally happy with the finances as I signed the mortgage and note for
the APRL, the owner of the facility.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO PHILATELIC LITERATURE? I HAVE SEEN

YOUR PRICE LISTS FOR SALE. TELL US ABOUT THEM. WERE THEY FOR
ONLY PHILATELIC LITERATURE OR FOR BOTH PHILATELIC LITERATURE
AND PHILATELY?

My move into philatelic literature was spurred by the purchase of four

large libraries within six months. I was fortunate to have the space in a
building I owned and the valued assistance of my good friend, stamp
expert, and fellow dealer William T. Crowe. Between 1987 and 1997 I
published eight extensive price lists of U.S. and Foreign reference works,
journals, and auction catalogues; the first three were under the ‘Empire
Group’ and the others under my own name. They was mainly done on
“Bookmaster” the software program developed by the very creative Tom
Sawyer of upstate New York.

OVER PHONE, YOU SAID THAT, AS A DEALER, YOU WERE A REGULAR

AT STAMP SHOWS UNTIL 1997 WHEN YOU STARTED YOUR WEBSITE.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO DISCONTINUE WITH SHOWS SINCE
MANY DEALERS DO BOTH?

During the 1990s I was doing shows buying and selling U.S stamps, postal
history, and worldwide philatelic literature. My good friend and postal
historian Elwyn Doubleday joined me and my postal history inventory
was greatly expanded. In addition to shows we did mail order sales to
individual collectors by sending photocopies of items they might like.
Elwyn remained with me for several exciting years. I was sorry to lose him
went he returned to New Hampshire.

I made a major move in 1997 when I left the show circuit and began
working from home. The increasing difficulty of travel and the desire to
spend more time at home were important factors in this change. I also
downsized my entire staff so I was truly a sole proprietor. I took my time
on the downsizing so that no one became unemployed. My sister Carol
(the rocket scientist) had been using the pre-commercial Internet for
several years and recommended that I give the commercial version a try.
My son Brad, a computer programmer, natural artist, and web site host
developed my site and keeps it up to date. I started entering items onto
my web site and was amazed when one day someone found me and made
a purchase. No longer was there a need to use the mail for selling. With

The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 5 of 10

 Covid-19 being the cause of
the cancellation of many
stamp shows, it turns out
the Internet is now a major
philatelic arena.

SO YOU MUST HAVE

CUSTOMERS FROM
ACROSS THE WORLD?

Most of my clients are from

the U.S. followed
by Canada, Great Britain,
Europe, Australia, and the
F IGURE 4: A T THE SEPAD S TAMP S HOW IN P HILADELPHIA IN THE LATE 1980 S Far East. The least are from
Africa and Central/South
America. I estimate that I make sales in 30-40 countries.

WHAT POTENTIAL OF YOUR SALES WOULD BE SPLIT BETWEEN

PHILATELIC LITERATURE AND POSTAL HISTORY/STAMPS?

My best estimate is 40% stamps, 35% postal history, and 25% literature.

YOUR WEBSITE HAS SOME 90,000+ ITEMS OF POSTAL HISTORY AND

STAMPS AND SOME 4,200 ITEMS OF PHILATELIC LITERATURE.
ALMOST ALL OF THEM SEEM TO BE SCANNED AND DESCRIBED, WHICH
IS TREMENDOUS. DO YOU EMPLOY SOMEONE TO HELP YOU OUT WITH
YOUR BUSINESS?

I do everything. I am the buyer, the describer, scanner, make input to the

web site, and take out, pack and ship orders. I do the bookkeeping but let
the accounting to a professional.

MOST PHILATELIC LITERATURE DEALERS DO NOT STOCK NEW BOOKS

DUE TO LOW MARGINS? DID YOU EVERY STOCK THEM YOURSELF?

I do not have the time, storage space, or specialised knowledge it takes to

handle the large volume of new publications that enter the hobby each
year. That is the main reason I restrict my purchases to the after-market.

The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 6 of 10

 MOST LITERATURE DEALERS THAT I
HAVE INTERVIEWED DO NOT STOCK
LONG RUNS OF JOURNALS. WHY HAS IT
BECOME DIFFICULT TO DEAL IN ITEM?
IS IT DUE TO HIGH SHIPPING COSTS
ALONE?

Working with journals and periodicals has

many challenges beside them taking up a
lot of storage space. It seems that most
societies are going digital with fully
researchable databases. Why use several
feet of shelf space when you can get
something better on a ¼ inch disk?
Editing and updating is simple, you can
publish a new edition whenever you wish.
However, there are many short run
papers and journals that were proliferate
during the late 19th and early
20th Century. These are quite collectible
and can be a niche for a literature dealer.
Getting the actual product is the difficult
part. I once came across a lot of several
thousand such papers. After careful
F IGURE 5: A 'F OURNIER A LBUM ' NUMBERED 113 OF 480
consideration I decided that the APRL
would be the best place for these to be
documented. They were very appreciative of the donation.

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PHILATELIC LITERATURE STOCK?

I skim each title that crosses my desk, not only for condition but for
content. It allows me to gain insight about different stamp issues and
postal history. I may digress from my write-up work to do an in depth
reading of a title that I find particularly interesting. Great for the mind but
does little for the check book. I wish I had the memory capacity to have
stored the content on over 15,000 titles in my database. I made a good
decision when I expanded into the philatelic literature business; I feel I
have done something that benefits the entire hobby. It has been
successful, financially and personally.

The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 7 of 10

 TELL US SOME ANECDOTES ABOUT
YOUR DEALING WITH FAMOUS OR
QUIRKY LITERATURE
COLLECTORS. ABOUT SOME OF
YOUR IMPORTANT LIBRARY OR
OTHER ACQUISITIONS OVER THE
LAST 40 YEARS OR MORE. WHICH
ARE SOME OF THE MOST
INTERESTING OR MOST VALUABLE
TITLES OF PHILATELIC
LITERATURE THAT YOU HAVE
HANDLED?

I never did buy a famous collection

or meet with a famous literature
collector. I have not owned
individual titles of great rarity. I
rarely purchased literature at
auction. It just does not fit my
operating style.

On a lighter side, while holding a

stand in London 1980, I did see (not
meet) and was within ten feet of
Queen Elizabeth. She did not stop by F IGURE 6: T HE 14 F ERRARI S ALES FROM 1921-
my booth! 25 ALONG WITH THE RARE N APIER I NDEX AND
RARER ADDENDUM TO THE FIRST SALE

HOW DO YOU COMPARE THE STATE OF PHILATELIC LITERATURE (AND

FOR THAT MATTER STAMPS AND POSTAL HISTORY) NOW AGAINST
SAY THE 1970S AND 1980S?

One subject you will find in many general and specialized publications are
articles on the state of stamp collecting as a hobby. From the 1870s to date
you read, “The hobby is on the decline”, “There are no new stamp
collectors,” “Stamp clubs are disappearing,” “There are no young stamp
collectors,” “All stamp collectors are old,” “Ours is the last generation
collecting stamps.” I think these articles will appear in stamp publications
in the year 2120! I believe philately attracts the same percentage of the
population that it always has. There is nothing better than being in your
stamp den doing research on our favourite topic. We develop contacts
with other collectors if we need assistance. If we want to display our
collections we can choose from our stamp club, a stamp show, or Internet
web sites.

The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 8 of 10

 YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU ARE, OVER TIME, LOOKING TO WIND
DOWN ON YOUR PHILATELIC LITERATURE DEALING? THE LITERATURE
WORLD WOULD BE POORER WITH ONE LESS DEALER! WHY IS IT SO?

I am slowly deemphasising the literature portion of my business. The

cartons seem to be heavier, the moving, packing, and handling more
difficult. Further, the building I use to warehouse my literature will be for
sale within the next few years. I close with – Does anyone want buy an
operating philatelic literature business with deep roots in the internet?

NOTES
1 Here is more about Fox from Phil. “William A. Fox (1929-2008) was based in New
Jersey and later Florida. I only met him near the end of his career. He was an insider
of a passing generation of stamp dealers. He was an exceptional philatelist. He ran
United States and worldwide stamp and postal history. I became friendly with “Bill”
and he helped me with his advice about the business of stamp dealing. I wish I had
known him better and longer. His philatelic biography would be very interesting.”
More about Fox is on Trish Kaufmann’s website:
https://www.trishkaufmann.com/provenance.

2 “Simmy (Seymour M.) Jacobs was a larger than life stamp auctioneer who
operated out of Boston from the late 1950s into the 1970 s. He was part of the
investment craze. He spent a lot of time extolling the virtues of his wares. A good
number of stamp dealers got their start by working as stamp buyers for Simmy’s. I
did receive an invitation to go fishing on his boat. Several people got seasick and we
did not catch any fish. Back at the dock Simmy laughed and said, “A thousand dollar
trip going nowhere and doing nothing.” Again, I did not know Simmy well enough to
create a biography but rest assured it would be an exciting one.” The reader would
be interested to know that it was Simmy who coined the word ‘Jumbo’ sometime
after 1970 to describe stamps with unusually large margins; such stamps which
were not much more valuable than the usual stamps skyrocketed in value
thereafter. See https://www.stampauthentication.com/grading-stamps.

3 John Kaufmann was a dealer and owner of John W. Kaufmann, Inc., a stamp
auction house. Many readers will be familiar with Patricia (Trish) Kaufmann, the
famed Confederate States of America dealer and expert, who was John’s first
employee and later his wife. John passed away in 1988 and Trish closed the firm in
1989. See https://www.trishkaufmann.com/about-trish-kaufmann and
https://postalmuseum.si.edu/patricia-kaufmann.

4Joseph Savarese was the head of the ASDA’s operations for 36 years until 2013.
See https://www.linns.com/news/us-stamps-postal-history/2015/january/guyer-of-
aps-named-asda-executive-director-1.html

5More on the APS’ and APRL’s move from State College to the historic match
factory in Bellefonte, including some photographs, can be found in the pages of The
Philatelic Literature Review from the early 2000s. See, for example, the 3rd Quarter
2000 (“Stamps & Matches”), 1st Quarter 2002 (“APRL Acquires Match Factory”), 2nd
The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 9 of 10
 Quarter 2002 (“Moving Forward”, “Match Factory Open House”, “A Letter to the
Membership at Large”, “Reverence for our Past, A Vision for our Future”), 3rd
Quarter 2002 (“APRL and APS Move Storage to Match Factory”), and 2nd Quarter
2004 (“We’re Here!”) issues.

The Bookseller of Wyomissing by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 10 of 10