Since 1940, the Luff Award has been the most prestigious award that the American Philatelic Society can bestow upon living philatelists. The Luff Award was established in memory of John N. Luff, APS president from 1907 to 1909, who was considered the most prominent American philatelist of his era.
The APS Luff Awards are available annually for:
- Distinguished Philatelic Research
- Exceptional Contributions to Philately
- Outstanding Service to the American Philatelic Society
The Luff Awards are presented annually during the American Philatelic Society's convention and exhibition, which in 2025 will occur in Schaumburg, Illinois, on August 16. Recipients sign the Luff Award Scroll and are presented with engraved rings. The 2025 Luff Award winners will join a distinguished company of 160 prominent philatelists.
For Distinguished Philatelic Research - Wayne Menuz
Wayne Menuz is a retired electrical engineer living in San Jose, California. In 1961, at 16, Wayne switched from collecting stamps to postal stationery.
He has served as the treasurer of the Collectors Club of San Francisco since 1978 and has been an APS-accredited judge since 1979. From 1983 to 2008, Wayne was a member of the WESTPEX Board of Directors and served as the chairman of Filatelic Fiesta. He is president of the United Postal Stationery Society and has been the editor of its Postal Stationery magazine since 2001, receiving two reserve grand literature awards. He is co-editor of British East Asia Postal Stationery A Priced Catalog and Postal Stationery of Mexico and editor of Catalog of Postal Stationery Airgraphs.
His 10-frame exhibit “Great Britain Compound Embossed Stationery 1855-1902” won a grand award in 2015. To date, he is a contributor to more than 78 worldwide postal stationery books. In 2018, the APS Board of Directors awarded Wayne the Nicholas G. Carter Volunteer Recognition Award for Local Service for his outstanding contributions as chairman of Filatelic Fiesta.
Wayne shared his collecting story with us:
“I started collecting stamps in 1957, switching exclusively to postal stationery in 1960, and joining the APS in 1963. In 1971, I spent the summer working for the Higgins & Gage company, which was midway through compiling its worldwide catalog. I became an APS judge in 1979, a WESTPEX board member in 1983, and served as board member or president of the United Postal Stationery Society since 1980.
“I contributed to the 6th and 7th editions of the APS Manual of Philatelic Judging and Exhibiting. In 2001, I took over as editor of Postal Stationery magazine, which subsequently won two reserve grand literature awards.
“More than 150 books about postal stationery cite my name as a contributor. In 2025, Didier LeGall and I wrote the 300-page British East Asia Postal Stationery catalog published by the UPSS.
“I have been married to Anna for almost 54 years, and we have two daughters and three grandchildren.”
For Exceptional Contributions to Philately - Mark Schwartz
Mark Schwartz got into organized philately about 15 years ago and has participated at a board level for several major organizations (APS, USPCS, AAPE, CANEJ, Boston2026)
He first exhibited in 2008 and has since shown 16 different exhibits. Nearly all have reached the large gold level and 11 have shared 32 grand awards. His “Boston Postal History to 1851” exhibit was awarded the Benjamin and Naomi Wishnietsky Multi-Frame Champion of Champions in 2015 and was a candidate for the Grand Prix at World Stamp Show NY-2016. Three others have won single frame Champion of Champions (“Salem Trade Routes,” in 2013; “U.S. Retaliatory Rate,” in 2014; and “Boston’s Use of the 1847s,” in 2020).
Mark is an accredited philatelic judge and has served on the Committee for National Exhibitions and Judges for the last several years. He has co-authored a column on exhibiting in the American Stamp Collector & Dealer magazine.
For Outstanding Service to the APS - Bobby Liao
Growing up in Taiwan, Bobby Liao began collecting worldwide stamps, learning to decipher their inscriptions and identifying their origins. Stamp collecting fueled his fascination in geography, history, and languages. After moving to the U.S., he connected with fellow collectors at school, expanding his knowledge and friendship while also learning new languages.
In 2004, Bobby began volunteering on the APS Translation Committee to help translate Chinese and Japanese inscriptions on stamps and covers. Appointed as chairman of the Translation Committee from 2008 to 2023, Bobby led a team of 50 volunteer linguists providing translation services for 30 languages to APS and ATA members.
Bobby personally handled each translation request, coordinating with one or more translators from start to finish, sometimes across multiple languages. The items for translation varied greatly, from postmarks and cachets to handwritten letters and philatelic articles. Deciphering some items demanded considerable effort and persistence due to the illegibility of the markings or penmanship.
As the APS’ representative, Bobby was a consultant for the 2014 “Pacific Exchange: China & U.S. Mail” exhibit at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. He coordinated and reviewed the translations for the exhibit created by curator Cheryl Ganz.
The APS Translation Committee, under Bobby’s leadership, delivered 528,000 translated words from 3,700 items with 3,100 volunteer hours. In 2020, the APS Board of Directors recognized Bobby’s contribution with the Nicholas G. Carter Volunteer Recognition Award for National Service.
Bobby is an APS life member and APRL Vooys Fellow. He is also a life member of the American Topical Association, American First Day Cover Society, Post Mark Collectors Club, and Western Philatelic Library. Entering his 50th year in the hobby, Bobby specializes in advertising covers from Coca-Cola bottlers and Hilton Hotels. He cherishes the opportunity to travel and connect with fellow collectors around the world.