Patricia A. Kaufmann

Trish was introduced to Confederate postal history in 1965, which became a lifelong passion. She joined organized philately in 1969 and quickly became engrossed in exhibiting, research, and writing on the subject. In 1970, she became co-editor of the Confederate Philatelist, then sole editor in 1973, holding the position for a record 17 ½ years.

As the first employee of John W. Kaufmann, she became a full-time professional philatelist in 1973. She became one of the first women to regularly call philatelic auctions, perhaps the first in the U.S. In 1989, a year after the untimely death of her husband John, Trish closed the auction house but continued specialized dealing as a sole proprietor.

Trish was editor-in-chief of the award-winning Confederate States of America Catalog and Handbook of Stamps and Postal History, published in 2012. She is the only woman to serve as president of the Confederate Stamp Alliance, now the Civil War Philatelic Society (CWPS). She was an active member of their Authentication Service from 1996-2014, serving as Recording Secretary 1996-2007.

Trish currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Vice Presidents of the American Philatelic Society. She served as the first woman on the board of the American Philatelic Research Library 1983-1989, as well as serving on the boards of numerous other organizations, including the Council of Philatelists of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

An avid researcher and author, Trish regularly writes on Civil War stamps and postal history for several different philatelic publications. She was inducted into the APS Writers’ Unit Hall of Fame in 2018. She belongs to numerous philatelic organizations, is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, and has been honored with many awards and recognitions over the years for exhibiting, research, writing, service, and lifetime contributions to philately.