The Erstwhile Philatelic Society is an art collective that focuses on the drive to achieve Philatelicism (“[...] the study of the study of stamp collecting, collectors, and collections”): an amorphous mish-mash of public space reinterpretation, street art/environmental installation, publications, machine-augmented concerns, and philately. Currently EPS members are engaged in a series of training sessions to better become fully prepared mail carriers.
The following steps can be followed in almost any order, but the suggested path below is probably the most advantageous and practical one. However, you may be presented with an opportunity to attend a stamp window (which is not discussed until step five) before you have done all or any of the below. Please attend when presented the opportunity!
The Erstwhile Philatelic Society has created a free “self-serve” method for you to apply for membership! Read on to learn how to unlock the key to the door to the room that contains the keys to the doors of Philatelicism!
First, you’re going to need the application! You can either "download" it from here, or purchase a color copy for one dollar at the following location:
• 34 Trinity. 12-6 Tuesday through Friday (34 Trinity Place between Sutter and Bush in San Francisco).
If you are looking for the online application, here it is!
On the left, a minimal one-page version in black and white! On the right, a glorious color version! The choice ... it is yours! Click on the one you want! Print one copy per person! That is important!
Here are seven unique audiostamps! You should get all of these stamps and put them in a portable audio device to take with you! Listening to the stamps now would destroy their value!
If you don’t have a portable audio device, take this two-page transcript!
Finally, get to San Francisco, California! Now you are ready! We await your application! Good luck!
Once you complete your journey to become an EPS member and send in your completed application, you will receive in return a member packet that contains important EPS information. The most important part of this packet is the login name and password you have been given to access the private EPS website
This website will contain all sorts of information about past events, upcoming ones, interesting side projects, collections, various members of the EPS, etc. Additionally the packet will indicate how to sign up for the EPS mailing list and the EPS community Slack application. Finally, the EPS also announces events and such through our Twitter account and via our Facebook pages.
You should continue your training by exploring some of our other concerns, starting with the Erstwhile Numismatic Society. You can read more about our history with them here. We recommend applying to the ENS as all EPS members have done, just to keep apprised of their machinations ... on top of this, currently there is an ongoing situation that the ENS is involved in that you should investigate. The ENS twitter account was apparently compromised recently and there was a hidden message that indicated people should visit either of the following two stores and ask for the named item [INTEERRUPTED WITH 2019JUL01 UPDATE] As of 2019 July 01 StarTELEWEB has acquired the ENS walkabout and it is now available in full-electronic form for those people out of area, and in an augmented electronic form for anyone who is in the bay area. The Holdings page has the entry point for this acquisition.
Please follow these threads and please report back, thank you.
StarTELEWEB is in the process of electronicizing the Berkeley Training Session. More information as it becomes available.
Having successfully applied for membership, explored our history with other groups, and completed more intensive training, you should explorinate the best way(s) for you to obtain your passport and also become a more immersed/entrenched member of the Erstwhile Philatelic Society. The paths that you should follow to do this is below. First, the path to obtain an EPS passport:
Due to the imminent date of 6/20/2020 and its attendant passport expiration, coupled with the statute requiring all passports to be active a minimum of five (5) months prior to expiry, the EPS (and StarTeleweb holdings LLC) will not accept passport requests past December 1, 2019. What that means is that your request for a passport must be postmarked November 30th, 2019 or prior.
In keeping with the StarTeleweb acquisition, the requirements for obtaining a passport have increased. Effective immediately, applicants MUST:
1. be a member in good standing with the EPS (Mail Carrier Training EPS Application Walkabout)
AND
2. Attend one (1) major event OR two (2) stamp windows
AND
3. Submit to the ETOAS OR design a stamp
AND
4. Do two (2) of the following Chores:
a) re-enact an image from a postage stamp, photograph it, and e-mail it to the EPS.
b) "return to sender" : return to the origin site of a piece of mail you received. Document this act and send proof (email or postal mail) to the EPS.
c) write a letter to a letter (of an alphabet). Document it. Submit documentation to the EPS.
d) watch an instructional video, film short, feature-length film, or documentary about an EPS-adjacent activity (including but not limited to stamps, coins, mail, candy, or pigeons), write a report on what you watched, and send it (e-mail or postal mail) to the EPS.
e) obtain a tattoo (permanent or permanent-marker) relating to EPS artwork, themes, or cast of characters. Document it and submit documentation to the EPS.
While on the subject of passports and passporting, please note that some passports were given expiration dates a few days shy of June 20 2020. All EPS passports will expire at the end of the day on June 20 2020. There will be a passport expiration event on June 20 2020 at 1:20pm. More details to follow.
Once you have completed the path to the Passport, you must send a letter to the EPS PO Box 411553 San Francisco CA 94141, in writing, including your mailing address and your existing passport pages (which you received with your member packet and which are no doubt covered in delicious stamps by now). Alternately, you may turn in your passport pages and your mailing address (please make sure this is attached to the passport pages with a paper clip or sticky note, etc) to an EPS official at an official event or stamp window.
Now, the path to follow to obtain a mysterious "Shiny Thing Of Great Import":
To acquire a shiny item of great import, you must first acquire your passport, then either design your stamp or submit to the ETOAS ... whichever one you did not do to acquire your passport.
There are also other things you can do to become a more fully involved EPS member, and these are all detailed on the Hexnook site. A monthly stamp window to acquire a special stamp for the back of your passport, writing an indeterminate thing, creating your own chop, etc.
So there you have it! The steps you will need to take! We await your stepping and good luck!
