Kenmore Stamp Company Joins Mystic

Received this email last week from Kenmore
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Dear Fellow Stamp Collector,

For more than a century, three generations of the Harris family have had the privilege of serving millions of stamp collectors through H.E. Harris & Co. and, later, Kenmore Stamp Company. It has been our honor to continue that tradition for nearly 40 years, and we are deeply grateful for the friendships and loyalty of customers like you.

Today, we would like to share some exciting news about the future of Kenmore.

After much thought, my wife, Meg Harris Perez, and I have decided it is time for us to retire and begin a new chapter in our lives. While this is a bittersweet decision, it was very important to us that Kenmore continue with the same commitment to collectors that has guided our family for generations.

Fortunately, the next chapter of Kenmore's story is being written by a family whose history has been closely connected with ours for nearly 90 years.

We are pleased to announce that Mystic Stamp Company has acquired Kenmore Stamp Company and will continue serving Kenmore customers. While ownership is changing, the values that have guided our family business for generations will remain the same. This is not the end of the Kenmore story—it is simply the beginning of its next chapter.

Many collectors may not realize that the histories of the Harris and Sundman families have been intertwined for nearly 90 years. That relationship began in the 1930s when H.E. Harris recognized the enthusiasm of a young entrepreneur, Maynard Sundman, and extended him credit to help him establish Littleton Stamp & Coin. It was an act of confidence and encouragement that marked the beginning of a friendship between the two families that has endured for generations.

That friendship continued after World War II, when H.E. Harris Jr. ("Bill") spent a summer in Littleton learning many of the production and fulfillment techniques that helped shape our business. Bill Harris and Maynard Sundman remained lifelong friends who, although friendly competitors, always shared a deep respect for one another and a common passion for serving stamp collectors.

Some of you may have known my father-in-law, Bill Harris (H.E. Harris, Jr.), by another name - Henry Adams. He adopted that pen name early in his philatelic career because using "H.E. Harris, Jr." might have been mistaken for his father's company, H.E. Harris & Co. As Henry Adams, he shared his love of philately through letters to collectors that were inspired by his experiences and adventures.

In 1974, the Sundman family acquired Mystic Stamp Company, and Donald Sundman has guided its growth for more than 50 years. Because of this shared family history and longstanding friendship, it seems especially fitting that Donald Sundman and his team will carry the Kenmore tradition forward.

You can expect the same dedication to honest value, quality stamps, dependable service, and personal attention that have always been the foundation of both companies. Kenmore's website, customer programs, and longstanding commitment to your satisfaction will continue under their experienced leadership. Our phone number, website, time payment plan, and 90-day money-back guarantee will all remain the same. The only change you will notice is our mailing address.

Meg and I could not be more confident in Kenmore's future. Knowing that our customers will be cared for by a company that shares our values gives us tremendous peace of mind.

On behalf of three generations of the Harris family, and from both of us personally, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your collecting journey. Your trust, loyalty, and friendship have meant more to us than words can express.

We hope you will continue to enjoy this wonderful hobby for many years to come, and we know you will be in excellent hands with the team at Mystic.

With our deepest gratitude,


Joe Perez
President

Meg Harris Perez
Third Generation, H.E. Harris Family

Thanks for sharing that. It is uplifting to see news of life in stamp collecting rather than the drumbeat of stores closing and philatelic legends passing. Obviously, Sundman wouldn't sink cash into a "dying" hobby and this bodes well for the future, I think. Mystic definitely doesn't need the inventory, so this is about the customer data. I wonder how many of the customers are on Kenmore's list but not on Mystic's. If the number is high that is strange to me.

Mystic is becoming a monopoly in the stamp world...

Not so much in the internet era. It's a lot easier to shop around now and actually see material; back in the good old days it was a lot more guesswork.

Does anyone know w hat the result of Mystic buying Apfelbaum was? Was it just to acquire their inventory and mailing list?

They have a site set up selling country collections and wholesale style lots - it looks like they kept most of the inventory intact

Also interesting that Mystic is probably the second largest employer in Camden NY. I happened to grow up nearby in another small rust belt city in central NY.

For some reason, I thought Camden was on Long Island.

A little color commentary on Mystic Stamp and the small town its in --

Camden, New York, Mystic's home, is a very small town less than an hour northeast of Syracuse, New York. It's a pretty small rural town, and I have no idea why it's located there but it probably has to do with some 19th century mills, the main reason for nearly all towns and cities in Upstate New York.

It 's in that lush, green landscape that region has that is made up mainly of farms and small towns that you wonder why are there. I can't even imagine why anyone would drive through there except maybe fishermen or someone who is a bit lost. But there they are.

It seems very pleasant in an old-fashioned, small town way, but has nothing impressive about it. It does have a decent main street (cleverly called "Main Street") and about 2,000 inhabitants. And a lot of outdoors to recreate in. I imagine the fresh air in Mystic is pretty amazing. I've lived in towns like that and they are very relaxing and easy-going as long as you don't need a good hospital all of a sudden or access to a major airport. But they do have a Dunkin' Donuts, thank goodness.

Mystic Stamp is located just outside down in some unremarkable buildings that look like huge storage containers. No prize for architecture there. I don't think it even has a retail counter since who would go there? I tend to think of well-known stamp companies as if they are all old British shops along some High Street with a bell that rings as you open the door, but Mystic is more of a large utilitarian office park than anything else, and it's neither scenic nor romantic.

Camden's largest employer today is a large wire-manufacturing company. Mystic Stamp is the second largest employer. Mystic employs a pretty remarkable 150 full and part-time employees. Who knew stamp collecting was that popular? Most surviving stamp companies have employees numbering in the single digits or are operated by a single person only online. By way of comparison, the famous H.E. Harris company in Boston whose small back-of-magazine ads from the 1940s-60s and maybe later got a lot of us interested in collecting stamps had, at its peak, about 200 employees. Boston I would not mind living in. Camden I'm not so sure of.

What is the best way to use the Mystic stamp catalogue? I have heard that their prices are very high compared to actual values but is there a rule of thumb about their catalogue? 50% of listed value or something like that?

I just saw this thread.
Thanks for the very interesting stamp store history here!

Look at the value of Scott 1053 $5 Hamillton from Liberty Series.

Mystic. Fine means it just clears perfs.



If you want a better price guide, look at Bardo's website, He is asking $47.50. I consider him a reliable dealer with dealer pricing.

Of course, if you want to sell the stamp back you will get much less.

Also, notice that Mystic's description of Scott 1053 is "Fine" which is actually below the Scott catalog centering category used for non-graded pricing. Mystic's prices are very high but that is expected with their overhead. In 2026 how many stamp dealers employ 150 people in a 50,000 SF facility?

Wow. I checked ebay and the stamp in VFNH sells for around $20-$30. How does Mystic stay in business with prices like that? I guess people buy.

"Mystic's prices are very high but that is expected with their overhead. In 2026 how many stamp dealers employ 150 people in a 50,000 SF facility?"

It isn't that they are overstaffed or have too large a facility. It is the amount they spend on advertising.

"How does Mystic stay in business with prices like that?"

They cater to people who don't know any better.