The Joplin Stamp Club Welcomes You
Serving Area Collectors Since 1933
This is The Joplin Stamp Club
In 1933 a small group of stamp collectors gathered at the Joplin, Missouri YMCA to form The Joplin Stamp Club. The Club quickly grew into the dominant stamp club in the four-state area. World War II put the club on hiatus but it quickly rebounded in the post war years. By 1951 the Club was hosting the first of its annual Shows and Bourses. The 1955 show was the site of the First Day of Issue for the $1 Patrick Henry stamp of the popular "Liberty Series."
By the late 1950s the Club began experiencing a slow decline which continued into the early 1980s. In 1983 with the 50th anniversary of the Club approaching, new leadership jump-started the Club. Membership increased, regular meetings were resumed, and plans were made for resuming regular shows for the first time since 1956. From that time to the present the Club has grown and stabilized. The club publishes a monthly newsletter, meets twice a month and sponsors the Annual Joplin Stamp Club Show and Bourse. Shows have been held without interruption on the first weekend in October since 1983.
In a time of general decline in stamp collecting the Joplin Stamp Club has persevered and is today once more the dominant stamp club within a 100 mile radius. As of October 2025, the Club had 36 members.
Contact the Club
If you have questions about collecting, want to join the club or have stamps you would like to know more about contact the Club.
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Want to join? Dues are $10 per year and include receiving our Monthly Update newsletter. Send name, address, phone number and email address and payment made to JSC to Joplin Stamp Club, 3125 Grand Avenue, Joplin MO 64804-2720
(417)437-4072
Meetings and Events
The Joplin Stamp Club meets the first and third Thursdays of each month (except the first Thursday of July and the third Thursday of December) at 7:00 p.m. at Granny Shaffer's Restaurant, 2728 North Rangeline in Joplin.
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The Annual Joplin Stamp Club Show and Bourse is held the first Saturday in October at the Granny Shaffer's Banquet Center behind the restaurant.
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Members are available to evaluate your stamps, post cards, and related items. Simply contact us.
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NEWS
Get the Latest
READ WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE CLUB
LATEST 2025 REPORT
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Highlights of the year include:
*Extensive sales from the club's substantial mint U.S. stamp holdings.
*The success of our annual May "Members Only Bourse."
*July auction of Bill Willoughby's donation of albums to the club.
*Club decided to make the 70th anniversary of the First Day of Issue in Joplin of the Liberty Series Patrick Henry stamp the subject for our 2025 show cover. This cover will be franked with the 1955 $1 Patrick Henry stamp.
*Several exceptional club lots were made available for club members to purchase.
STILL TO COME IN 2025
*New lots available for club members in October
*Possible auction later in the year.
*Annual Christmas Party of December 4.
***August 15: Welcome to new member, Cathy Campbell, from Nevada MO.***
***September 15: Welcome to another new member, Gordon Watts of Bella Vista.
THE SHOW WAS A GREAT SUCCESS
The October 4 Annual Show was attended by 81 people, a 10% increase over 2024. Eignt dealers were present to fill want lists and otherwise interract with our attendees.
Everyone who came through the doors got a quality door prize from our wide assortment of offerings. From 9:15 to about 1:30 the dealers tables were crowded with eager customers. Our Hospitality Table was popular throughout the day with its offerings of complimentary snacks and drinks.
A number of people brought in items for club members to look through. Some items of value were presented and the owners advised on their options. The Club was able to pick up some items to use in Club lots.
The show commemorted the 70th anniversar of Joplin being the First Day of Issue for the $1 Patrick Henry stamp. Information on obtaining a special club show cover is below.
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TO ORDER OUR EXCLUSIVE 2025 SHOW COVER SEND $2 TO JSC, 3125 GRAND, JOPLIN MO 64804-2720. COVERS WILL BE MAILED OUT ON OCTOBER 6, 2025. LIMITED EDITION OF 40 COVERS AVAILABLE.
FAQs
Information You Need
I just inherited or found some stamps and letters or post cards. What do I do?
First, secure the items in a safe, dry place. If they are in albums, keep them there. If they are in cardboard boxes, try to get them into archival safe storage tubs or boxes. See if you have U.S. stamps, foreign stamps or both. Do you have post cards? Do you have covers (letters with stamps on them)? Do you have any unused U.S. stamps?
I have secured and looked through the collection and can answer the basic questions. Now what?
Now you can contact a reliable expert to look at what you have and give you some guidance on any possible value. The Joplin Stamp Club is a good place to start. Avoid flea markets, garage sales and estate sales until you have been given an honest evaluation of your collection.
What can I expect?
As with any collectible, CONDITION is everything. Stamps that are tattered, taped down, or water damaged are going to be virtually worthless. In stamps, what is considered old may surprise you. Basically, stamps from the 1930s and 40s to present are mostly common with little value. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS. If you have unused (mint) U.S. stamps they can still be used for postage. A dealer will generally offer you about 30% of the face value of mint stamps. If the rest of your collection is mostly commons and not in good condition you will be offered very little, if anything. In this case, you can offer them to a family member who might want to collect or donate them to a group (nursing home, veterans group, school). If you have some items of value you will be advised of your options.
What are the best organization methods?
If you decide to keep your collection here are some important do's and dont's:
First and foremost find a dry, room temperature area to store your items.
Second, use archival materials to store your items. These include page protectors, mounts, album pages, and storage boxes. Remember, paper is subject to deterioration over time.
Third, choose how to present your items. With stamps they can be kept in a stamp album, on stock pages, or in glassine envelopes. If you choose an album you can mount the stamps with mounts or hinges. If you choose stock pages, archival plastic (such as Vario) are preferable to manila cardboard stock pages. Use archival glassines if that is you choice.
DO NOT: store stamps in envelopes, cigar boxes, paper bags or non-archival plastic. DO NOT: tape or glue stamps down, use mounts, hinges or stock pages. DO NOT: store in a humid, dusty or overly hot area (attic, basement, garage). Watch out for silverfish and mice; they love paper.
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AREA DEALERS YOU CAN TRUST
WELCOME
Expanding your collection involves dealing with knowledgeable people you can trust. The Joplin Stamp Club can recommend the following area dealers as people who will give you a fair, honest deal.
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Bernie Bernstein
Main Street Philatelics, Branson
(417)335-4047
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Bill Burdick
Mountain Home Ar
(870)425-7799
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Bill DiSalvatore
Cherokee AR
(870)257-2809
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Larry Donze
Springfield MO
(417)830-8720
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Celeste & George Hampton
Trenton MO
(660)654-6019
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Kevin Linehan
Neosho MO
(417)389-7495
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John Marquardt
Queen Anne Stamps
Columbia MO
(573)474-7254
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Jeanine Offut
Three Trails Stamps
Overland Park KS
(816)914-1279
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Marlin Willoughby
Carthage MO
(417) 388-0107
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Stamp Collecting
Join in the fascinating hobby of stamp collecting. Learn about history, people, events and more. A more relaxing, yet challenging hobby, cannot be found. If you want to broaden your horizons, consider stamp collecting!
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