Philatelic Auctions Designed by
by Collectors, for Collectors
Americana Stamps is the culmination of a lifelong passion for philately shared between father and daughter, Angelo Ismirnioglou and Alexa Valdez. Angelo’s journey into the world of stamps began at the age of five, when he received his first album from a Long Beach stamp and coin shop. Growing up in California, he developed a deep appreciation for Western Express postal history, which led him to specialize in Carriers, Locals, and Independent Mails. Years later, he passed this passion on to Alexa, creating handmade stamp albums for her and her classmates. A childhood field trip to Sutter’s Mill, where Angelo recounted tales of California’s gold miners, sparked Alexa’s fascination with history and postal artifacts. Their shared hobby turned into a lifelong pursuit, traveling together to antique shops and auctions in search of early California ephemera and historic covers.
Americana Stamps is the culmination of a lifelong passion for philately shared between father and daughter, Angelo Ismirnioglou and Alexa Valdez. Angelo’s journey into the world of stamps began at the age of five, when he received his first album from a Long Beach stamp and coin shop. Growing up in California, he developed a deep appreciation for Western Express postal history, which led him to specialize in Carriers, Locals, and Independent Mails. Years later, he passed this passion on to Alexa, creating handmade stamp albums for her and her classmates. A childhood field trip to Sutter’s Mill, where Angelo recounted tales of California’s gold miners, sparked Alexa’s fascination with history and postal artifacts. Their shared hobby turned into a lifelong pursuit, traveling together to antique shops and auctions in search of early California ephemera and historic covers.
Bidders to Auctioneers
Our Journey
As longtime collectors and auction participants, we have encountered significant barriers when trying to engage with auctions, both in print and online. Too often, we have found ourselves frustrated by minimal descriptions, low-quality images, and the difficulty of fully understanding what was being offered. Being based on the West Coast, we have spent countless hours traveling across the country to preview lots in person, knowing that print and online catalogs alone rarely provided enough information to bid confidently. The alternative—bidding sight unseen—led to disappointment when items turned out to be drastically different than expected. Over time, we realized the key to solving this issue was high-resolution imagery.
We dedicated years to mastering the craft of capturing high-resolution images, learning how to document details not perceivable to the naked eye. These images became essential to our own collecting journey, allowing us to identify plate positions, varieties, and even forgeries. More importantly, they served as a means of preserving philatelic heritage, ensuring that even when an item changed hands, its details remained documented.
Beyond imagery, we noticed another gap of traditional auction houses—the lack of detailed historical context in catalog descriptions. Too often, only the highest-value items received rich annotations, provenance details, or historical background. Many incredible pieces were reduced to the barest of descriptions, missing the opportunity to tell their story.
For this reason, we are committed to sharing rich descriptions for each lot in order to preserve the history and the stories the item shares. We strive to provide references to philatelic literature, articles, and websites as well as including item provenance to equip bidders with all the information we have available. We want to freely share our knowledge and insights with all who might view our auctions online.
Angelo Ismirnioglou
Angelo’s philatelic journey began at age five when he received his first stamp album from a Long Beach stamp and coin shop. Living in California, he loves studying Western Express Postal History, which has led to his dedicated research in Carriers, Locals, and Independent Mails.
Angelo is retired from the United States Navy, where he flew the P-3 Orion. He then went on to fly the L-1011 Tristar commercially, carrying U.S. Mail on postal contracts and routes with FedEx, UPS, and other private carriers through their systems worldwide. He brings to philately the same complex research and data analysis skills that he honed during his aviation career.
Angelo currently serves as Auction Manager and Treasurer for the Carriers & Locals Society, Regional Vice President for Southern California in the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, and is an active member of the Western Cover Society, Civil War Philatelic Society, Collectors Club New York, and the American Philatelic Society. Angelo has partnered with his daughter, Alexa Valdez, to found Americana Stamps.
Alexa Valdez
Alexa’s passion for stamp collecting began in childhood, inspired by handmade stamp albums her father, Angelo, created for her and her classmates. During a childhood school field trip to Sutter’s Mill, Alexa’s father shared stories of California’s early gold miners. Together, they visited antique shops, searching for Gold Rush-era ephemera and postal history, which ignited her lifelong passion for philately and interests in Western Expresses.
Today, Alexa combines her lifelong interest in philately with her professional expertise as an engineer and a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University. Alexa uses her technical background to bring a fresh, innovative approach to our philatelic auctions. Her skills in analysis and technology enhance the research, presentation, and innovation of Americana Stamps’ offerings.
Alexa serves as the Web Manager for the Carriers & Locals Society and is an active member of the Western Cover Society, U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, and the American Philatelic Society.