James J. Matejka Jr. (October 27, 1916 – November 30, 1979) of

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

philatelist Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possible ...

at the local, national, and international level.

Collecting interests

Matejka was well regarded in all fields of philately, but was especially known for his philatelic collections of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

airmail stamp An airmail stamp is a postage stamp intended to pay either an airmail fee that is charged in addition to the surface rate, or the full airmail rate, for an item of mail to be transported by air. Airmail stamps should not be confused with airmai ...

s and the

postal history Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and Cover (philately), covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal system ...

of the

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

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Philatelic activity

Matejka was active within most of the philatelic clubs in the Chicago, Illinois, area, including the

Chicago Philatelic Society The Chicago Philatelic Society is one of the oldest philatelic organizations in the United States, serving stamp collectors and postal history enthusiasts in the Chicago, Illinois, area. History The society was founded October 8, 1886. Its pre ...

where he was awarded the Newbury Award in 1959. At the national level, he was active and held various posts in the

Society for Czechoslovak Philately Society for Czechoslovak Philately (SCP) is a philatelic organization dedicated to the collection and study of the postage stamps and postal history of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. History The society was founded in 1939 and w ...

, the

American Air Mail Society The American Air Mail Society (AAMS) is a U.S. nonprofit organization devoted to the collecting and study of airmail and aerophilately. History The early years America’s first society focused on this facet of collecting was the Aero Mail Club ( ...

and the Society of Philatelic Americans. He also served on the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee of the

Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, established in 1792. From 1872 to 1971, it was officially in the form of a Cabinet departme ...

. Matejka also served as judge at various philatelic exhibitions.

Honors and awards

Matejka was a recipient in 1959 of the Newbury Award of the

. He signed the

Roll of Distinguished Philatelists The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP) is a Philately, philatelic award of international scale, created by the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in 1921 to honour those who have advanced philately through research, expertise, or service. ...

in 1979 and was named to the

American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame The American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame award honors deceased philatelists who have contributed significantly to the field of national and/or international philately. History The APS ''Hall of Fame'' award was founded at the 1940 American Phil ...

in 1981.

References

1916 births 1979 deaths American philatelists People from Chicago Signatories to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists American Philatelic Society {{US-philatelist-stub

Collecting interests

Philatelic activity

Honors and awards

See also

References