Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History

Many universities across the world have their own museums dedicated to a variety of subjects and collections. Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts has one located on the southern edge of its campus. However, this location is quite distinctive as it’s one of the few museums in the United States dedicated to the study and collecting of postage stamps, also known as Philately.

Founded in 1961, the Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History, or the Cardinal Spellman Philatelic Museum is the oldest museum of its kind in the United States. It is also the second largest collection of philatelic material after the National Postal Museum operated by the Smithsonian. Its founder was Cardinal Francis Spellman, who served as the sixth Archbishop of New York from 1939 to 1967 and previously as the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1932 to 1939. He was also an avid philatelic.

Today, the museum contains over two million items including Spellman’s personal collection, pieces from the former National Philatelic Museum in Philadelphia as well as donations from the general public.

Its principal mission is to preserve and promote knowledge of history, geography, art, culture, architecture, science, and nature through the story of stamps and postage.