Philopolists Stamps : Ipsa.

Wiki:

Hobbyists' local postsToday's Local Posters (also known as phiLOPOlists) issue their local post "stamps", and
issue a variety of commemorative "stamps" covering a wide range of events or personal interests, of subjects that
are not normally issued by their own countrys postal service.

In some cases these modern day local posts have issued stamp subjects before their own country issued the same
subject. The Free State Local Post issued an Audie Murphy stamp long before the U.S. Postal Service issued one
of the same subject. The Ascension AAF Local Post, located on the island of Ascension in the South Atlantic
Ocean, in 1972 commemorated the anniversary of the first aircraft to land at Ascension Island. This same subject
was commemorated by the Ascension Island postal system in 1982.

This sort of local post is effectively a "home-brewed" postal system, and the typical hobbyist carries little, if any,
mail (though some do carry mail over a short distance for themselves or a few people).

The Local Post Collectors' Society, established in 1972, coordinates communication among local posters. The
LPCS issues a regular Bulletin "The Poster" to its members around the world, relating stories of local posts,
showing new issues and other related items.

Here's a long forgotten story about a competitor to the US Post Office from the earliest of days ... long before the IPSA ever came onto the scene. An interesting read of Lysander Spooner (Lysander Who?) who successfully got the US Post Office to lower their rates.

An interesting story as reprinted from the American Legion Magazine, January 1981:

http://www.lysanderspooner.org/STAMP3.htm

A good yarn wt1,
of course he wasn't the very first philopolist,
there were others before him, but still a great achievement.
I think Miss Goodyear's story would have packed more punch
without the "rah-rah" overtones.
Alaways spoils a story for mine.

Did not want to start another page ,so just adding to what others already post on the IPSA .Add this page to my Cinderella collection .