Stamp Data

Fans of chemistry-related stamps have access to a treasure trove of information about their hobby.

The bible for these enthusiasts is "A Philatelic Ramble through Chemistry," written by the late Edgar Heilbronner and Foil A. Miller. Heilbronner directed the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the University of Basel before he retired, while Miller served as chemistry professor and head of the spectroscopy lab at the University of Pittsburgh prior to retiring. The book contains essays and comments about chemistry associated with philately. It's enriched with more than 1,000 beautiful photos of stamps and first-day covers (envelopes that commemorate a particular event with an associated stamp) from countries ranging from Antigua & Barbuda to Zaire.

Zvi Rappoport, an organic chemist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, wrote what's considered to be a classic article about chemistry on stamps, in which he coined the term chemophilately (Acc. Chem. Res. 1992, 25, 24). Other articles can be found in the Journal of Chemical Education. And Daniel Rabinovich, a professor of inorganic chemistry at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, writes a "Stamps International" column for the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry's newsmagazine, Chemistry International.

Chemical philately aficionados may wish to join the Chemistry & Physics on Stamps Study Unit, a small, nonprofit association of individuals interested in the study of chemistry and physics through philately. Rabinovich edits the association's Philatelia Chimica et Physica, a quarterly publication dedicated to the study of postage stamps related to these sciences.

The National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., also provides some information about chemistry stamps.