AMG Hall of Fame

The AMGCC has created an AMG Hall of Fame to give recognition to those individuals who have made invaluable contributions to the collecting of AMG stamps and postal history. Those individuals may be collectors, dealers, or authors who have helped to document and research the AMG collecting area and to popularize the collecting of AMG-related stamps and postal history.

Only those who are now deceased were considered for induction into the initial class of the AMG Hall of Fame. Those inductees were selected by the Executive Board of the AMGCC, a group that includes all club officers, directors, the immediate Past President, and the Editor of the A. M. G. Courier. In future years, both living and deceased persons may be submitted for nomination by any AMGCC member who is in good standing. Each year, there will be a call for nominations published in the second quarter A. M. G. Courier. Nominations must be submitted to the journal Editor by E-mail or in writing no later than August 15^th of the current year and must include the name of the person nominated a justification for the nomination. The Executive Board will evaluate the nominees and determine if any of the nominated candidates merit induction. Any selectee(s) will be announced in the third quarter journal each year. If a member of the Executive Board is nominated, that individual shall not participate in the evaluation of their candidacy. There is no limit to the number of candidates that may be selected in any year, but there is also no requirement that anyone is selected.

The three individuals chosen for the initial class of the AMG Hall of Fame are Joseph V. Bush, Harry W. Wilcke, M.D., and Harry Cass. Brief summaries of their accomplishments follow:

• Joseph Victor Bush (1917-2001). Joe Bush, probably the single most important figure in U.S. AMG philately, founded the Joseph V. Bush Co. after leaving the military due to severe injuries sustained in a Jeep accident when stationed in Britain. Joe founded the Bush company in 1946 while in a hospital in Michigan recovering from those injuries. In 1948, Bush moved his family and business to California. The Bush firm was the primary dealer in AMG stamps and postal history in the US, from the company’s inception, until Joe’s son, Mike, passed away in 2012. Bush, primarily through regular advertisements in Linn’s Stamp News, attracted many hundreds of collectors to the AMG specialty. He published the Bush A.M.G. Catalog – Handbook, the Bush – Cass Catalog of AMG Revenue Stamps, and the Free Territory of Trieste Catalog – Handbook, the primary references used by most U.S. AMG collectors. He also published album pages for many AMG collecting areas, using the numbering system incorporated in his catalogs. The album pages were distributed without cost to those participating in his regular approval service. In addition, Joe Bush wrote numerous articles on AMG philately, many of which were published in Linn’s Stamp News, and he distributed copies of those articles, along with other historical information relevant to AMG collecting, with his regular approval offerings.

• Harry W. Wilcke, M.D. (1925-2007). Dr. Wilcke was both a researcher and prolific writer on A.M.G. philately, writing over 80 articles on a wide variety of AMG topics. Many of his articles appeared in Possessions, the journal of the United States Possessions Philatelic Society (USPPS) along with articles in other publications including Linn’s Stamp News, The American Philatelist, Fil-Italia, and U.S.Stamps & Postal History. He also served as the AMG section editor of Possessions from 1982 through 1998, was editor of the 1993 edition of the Bush A.M.G. Catalog – Handbook, and wrote The AMG Story, one of the most important works related to AMG philately. Previously, Dr. Wilcke served in the 86th Infantry Division in Europe and the Philippines during WW II and, following military service, graduated from Temple University medical school and then worked overseas as a medical missionary in the Belgian Congo. After retiring from missionary work due to health reasons, he continued his medical career as a anesthesiologist in the Philadelphia area prior to retiring from medical practice in the 1980s.

• Harry Cass (1912-1957). Although Harry Cass is less known to the AMG collecting community than Joe Bush and Harry Wilcke, he, nonetheless, played an instrumental role in researching and documenting the production and use of AMG stamps. Cass was co-editor and the driving force behind the initial editions of the Bush A.M.G. Catalog – Handbook (1958) and the Bush – Cass Catalog of AMG Revenue Stamps. According to Joe Bush, much of the information in those catalogs was a direct result of Harry’s efforts. 

One new member, Michael E. Bush, was inducted into the AMG Hall of Fame in September 2021. A brief summary of his accomplishments is provided below:

• Michael E. Bush (1947-2012). Michael is the son of previous inductee, Joe Bush. For many years, Mike assisted his father at the J. V. Bush, Inc., the leading source for AMG stamps, postal history, and information about AMG philately in the U.S. Prior to his father’s death, Mike took over as President of the company and continued as a strong advocate for AMG philately. In addition to the regular advertisements his father placed in Linn’s Stamp News, Mike advertised in other philatelic publications, including regular advertisements in U.S. Stamp News. He also represented the company at local and national shows including the Washington 2006 international show. Despite health issues, he continued to support the large number of company clients by supplying regular approval shipments, tailored to each individual’s needs based upon their previous purchases. Those shipments continued up until his untimely death in December 2012.

Two new members, John M. Hotchner anf David R. Beeby, were inducted into the AMG Hall of Fame in September 2022. Brief summaries of their accomplishments are provided below:

• John M. Hotchner. John Hotchner was the convenor of the AMGCC and he has served as a Director the inception of the club up until the end of 2022. He has also been a regular contributor to the club’s journal, the A. M. G. Courier. In addition, he has helped advertise the club and introduce AMG philately to numerous collectors through his articles in Linn’s Stamp News and other publications. Following his most recent article on AMG stamps and postal history in Linn’s, there was an immediate and substantial increase in new members. It can be safely said that, without John’s contributions, the AMGCC would not be in existence as a viable, strong organization that it is today.
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• David J. Beeby. Dave was a founding member and the first President of the AMGCC. He has served multiple terms as club President, written numerous articles for the A. M. G. Courier, and is recognized as one of the leading experts on AMG revenue issues. In addition, Dave researched and published a series of articles in the journal providing the most comprehensive documentation available on references that have been published pertaining to AMG philately. Those articles are currently being updated and will be published by the club as an important reference work.