Philatelic Donations
We Need and Love Stamps!
Your donations of stamps, covers, collecting supplies, and philatelic literature help support the National Postal Education Center’s educational programs, library, archives, museum, and sales department.
Whether you’re donating a few items or an entire collection, your generosity helps us share the world of stamps and postal history with students, collectors, and researchers.
Learn more about items we accept, items we cannot accept, our want lists, how your donation helps, and how to donate.
Items We Accept
To help us properly care for and use donated materials, we generally cannot accept:
- Stamps: U.S. and worldwide stamps, mint or used, on or off paper, loose or in albums.
- Covers and postal history: First Day Covers, Golden Replicas, and other mailed or collectible covers.
- Postcards: Used and unused postcards.
- Collecting supplies: Albums, album pages, binders, sheet protectors, hinges, tongs, photo corners, magnifiers, and related supplies.
- Philatelic literature: Books, journals, stamp catalogs, and named-sale auction catalogs that may complement our existing library holdings.
We accept both soakable and non-soakable stamps, as well as stamps and covers stored in albums or binders.
Items We Cannot Accept
We welcome a variety of philatelic materials, including:
- Severely damaged or deteriorated items
- Moldy materials
- Non-philatelic items unrelated to our collections or programs
If you’re unsure whether your materials would be suitable, please contact us before donating.
Our Want Lists
Certain materials are especially useful for our educational programs and other departments.
For Stamp Discovery Education Programs
- Kid-friendly topical stamps featuring animals, space, popular characters, and other subjects of interest to young collectors.
- Colorful stamps from countries such as Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Hungary, and Romania.
- Stamps that can be used in classroom lessons, field trips, workshops, and other hands-on activities.
For Our Library, Archives, Museum, and Sales Department
- Philatelic literature that fills gaps in our library collections.
- Postal history materials that support our collecting and preservation interests.
- Collectible or higher-value philatelic items that can help generate funds through our Sales Department.
Please contact us if you have a particular collection or specialized material you would like to donate.
How Your Donation Helps
Your donations support several important areas of the National Postal Education Center.
Youth Education
Many donated stamps are used in our Stamp Discovery Education Program for classroom lessons, topical stamp packets, field trips, workshops, and other hands-on learning activities.
Preservation & Research
Selected postal history materials may be added to our archival or museum collections. Donated books, journals, catalogs, and other philatelic literature may also help expand the resources available through the Slusser Library.
Philatelic Sales
Selected stamps, collecting supplies, and duplicate or surplus literature may be sold through our Philatelic Sales Department, online sales, auctions, and philatelic events.
Proceeds from these sales help support NPEC’s operations, educational programs, and collections.
Please note: Donated collections and albums may be sorted, reorganized, or disassembled as needed to support our programs, collections, and sales activities.
How to Donate
1. Complete the Donation Intake Form (PDF)
Download the Donation Intake Form (PDF)
Print and complete the form, including an estimate of the quantity of materials being donated. If you are donating a large collection and cannot provide an exact count, you may leave that portion blank for our staff to complete.
Please be sure to review and sign the Deed of Gift on the back of the form.
2. Mail of Deliver Your Donation
National Postal Education Center
920 N. 1st Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85719
Donors are responsible for shipping costs when mailing materials.
3. Receive Your Donation Receipt
We will provide a donation acknowledgment for your records. Processing times may vary depending on the volume of donations received. If you have not received your acknowledgment within two months, please call 520-623-6652 ext. 100.
Important Tax Information
The Postal History Foundation, DBA National Postal Education Center, is a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
It is the responsibility of the donor to establish the fair market value of donated materials. IRS regulations generally require a qualified appraisal for noncash charitable contributions valued at more than $5,000, subject to certain exceptions. Donors may also be required to complete IRS Form 8283.
The qualified appraiser must complete and sign the applicable section of Form 8283. The Postal History Foundation, DBA National Postal Education Center, as the receiving organization (donee), must acknowledge receipt of the donated property by signing the form when required.
