Tom Gates and Bill Bean, Urbana residents and owners of Triple S Postal History, have been recognized as two of the most influential philatelists (stamp collectors) in the world by Linn’s Stamp News, a globally recognized trade publication for stamp collectors.
The two were profiled in a special March 2022 edition of the magazine for having helped shape the hobby of stamp collecting in recent decades.
Gates and Bean have been collecting stamps since before the age of 10 and in 1974, they founded Urbana-based Triple S Postal History, named for the fishing pier where the two men first discussed the company.
What started as a stamp collecting business quickly grew to encompass interesting and unusual postal history from all over the world. They now have 25,000 items for sale on their website, hold regular eBay auctions, and attend multiple stamp exhibitions around the world.
In addition to their interest in postal history, the two have put their stamp on their local community of Urbana as well, Gates as president of Gates Brothers Glass Shops, a third-generation family glass business started by his father, and Bean as Urbana’s mayor.
Visit Triple S at www.triple-sonline.com.
