TRISH KAUFMANN  was introduced to Confederate postal history in 1965 and quickly became engrossed in exhibiting, research and writing on the subject. She served as editor of the Confederate Philatelist (CP - now the Civil War Philatelist), official publication of the Confederate Stamp Alliance (now the Civil War Philatelic Society), from 1973-1987 and co-editor prior to that from 1970-73, a total of 17½ years, a record number for any editor. She has served off and on over the years as associate editor to various other editors and has been a Contributing Editor since 2013, writing in most every issue. Photo taken at 1972 show in New Orleans.

Marquis Who's Who in America announced Trish's induction into its prestigious biographical registry in July 2024.

In January 2023, it was announced by the Collectors Club of New York that she was a 2023 award winner of the Alfred F. Lichtenstein Memorial Award for distinguished service to philately, the sixth woman to be so honored in the past 70 years.

In February 2023, the Association of British Philatelic Societies announced Trish was elected to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, acclaimed as the highest and most prestigious honor in philately, and the world's oldest philatelic honor. The Roll was insituted in Harrogate in May 1921 and the signature of King George V appears at its head as the first signatory. Unavoidably delayed by a year, Trish signed the Roll in Southampton UK in July 2024 and is shown here with the presented medal.  I very much appreciate my nomination by John Hotchner, RDP. You can listen and watch a short video of John speaking in support of my nomination at the ceremony.

Continuing the tributes in 2023, Trish was honored with the John Luff Award for Meritorious Contributions to Philately for Outstanding Service to APS, as well as the Charles J. Peterson Philatelic Literature Life Achievement Award and the John Walter Scott Dealer Award for efforts contributed to the APS and the hobby. The Luff Award is the most prestigious award given by the American Philatelic Society. APS President, Dr. Cheryl Ganz, and Awards Chairman Dr. Peter McCann look on as the Luff scroll is signed.

Then-president Jim Monroe appointed Kaufmann Editor-in-Chief of a major catalog project in late October 2006 after announcing the acquisition of the rights to the New Dietz Confederate States Catalog and Handbook, last published in 1986. The Confederate States of America Catalog and Handbook of Stamps and Postal History, "CSA Catalog" for short, was published in 2012 - an enormous expansion of content and improvement on production; it sold out in three months. It won the Grand Award for Literature at the APS StampShow 2013, as well as awards in other national and international literature competitions. See compliments received on the catalog.

Trish is a past president of the Confederate Stamp Alliance (CSA), serving from January 2008 to September 2010, the only woman to ever hold that position. She was also the first woman and the youngest person ever bestowed the permanent honorary title of "General" in the CSA  (1985) and has won the CSA Haydn Myer Award a record three times for service to the Alliance, as well as five times winning the August Dietz Award for research and writing. She was an active member of the CSA Authentication Service from 1996-2014 and served as Recording Secretary from July 1996 through November 2007. She resigned with more than 18 years of service in late 2014 only because other activities overwhelmed her, but was voted Emeritus Status to the committee, still serving as a consultant. She has won numerous exhibitor awards including Grand and Reserve Grand Awards in national philatelic competition with both her Confederate and Classic Valentine collections.

In 2018, the United States Philatelic Classics Society honored Trish as a Distinguished Philatelist. 2017 was also a banner year for awards, among which was her induction into the philatelic Writers' Hall of Fame in Writers' Unit 30 of APS, recognition as  Distinguished Philatelist of the Year at APS Summer Seminar, as well as the Helbock Prize for the best article in the 2016 volume of La Posta, co-winner of the best article in 2016 in the Confederate Philatelist, and a Large Vermeil in literature competition at APS StampShow 2017 along with Steve Roth and Frank Crown for co-authoring the Springfield Facsimiles of Confederate Postage Stamps.

At St. Louis Stamp Expo 2016, she was presented the prestigious Elizabeth Pope Award for Lifetime Contributions to Philately. The prior evening, she won the CP (Confederate Philatelist) Writers' Award for the best article in 2015.

In June 2016, members of the American Philatelic Society elected Trish among a slate of three to the 2016-19 term as Board of Vice Presidents to serve with Robert Zeigler and Jeff Shapiro. In 2019, the composition of the board changed, comprised of Dr. Cheryl Ganz, Jeff Shapiro and Trish. Trish served as chair of that board for six years until 2022.

She was elected to the Council of Philatelists of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in January 2011, serving unofficially for a year before that. She served on both the Research Committee and the Public Relations / Web Committee of said institution. Trish also served as a researcher for their extensive cataloging project, "Arago", which was unveiled May 27, 2006.  She was delighted to be able to serve during the exciting creation of the new William H. Gross Gallery, which greatly expanded public access to the national postal collection.

Trish was a section editor of the Confederate Stampless Cover Catalog, as well as a contributor to the 1986 New Dietz Confederate States Catalog and annual updates of the Scott Specialized Catalogue. She has written hundreds of philatelic articles, primarily on Confederate postal history, for the American Philatelist, Congress Book, Smithsonian Magazine, Way Markings, Confederate Philatelist, Civil War Philatelist, La Posta, SPA Journal, and other publications.

Since January 2007, Trish has written a monthly column for the American Stamp Collector and Dealer. She was surprised by special features What's Up in October 2016, First Word in April 2008, as well as Profiles & Leaders | People who have moved the hobby forward where she was profiled in the February 2014 issue of the American Stamp Dealer and Collector. 

Society affiliations include life memberships in the American Philatelic Society, Civil War Philatelic Society, U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, United States Stamp Society, and the American Philatelic Research Library, of which she is also a patron. She is a member of the American Stamp Dealers Association, National Stamp Dealers Association, Collectors Club of New York, Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society of London, and belongs to numerous other collector and dealer organizations. She served on the board of directors as the first female member of the American Philatelic Research Library from 1983 to 1989, the board of the Society of Philatelic Americans (also Publicity Director and Advertising - 1973) from 1972-1975, the Virginia Postal History Society ( a founding member), NAPEX, and the World Stamp Expo Advisory Board to the U.S. Postal Service. She was elected to the board of the Philatelic Foundation in October 2021 where she serves on the Overturns Committee. She was among those honored by Linn's Stamp News in March 2022 as one of the world's Most Influential Philatelists.

Trish was on the CSA Postmaster Provisional Revision Committee working with the publishers of the Scott Catalogue to revise this important section of Scott, as well as serving in a similar capacity revising the Confederate section of the Minkus Catalogue. She works regularly with the editors to maintain the Confederate sections of Volume I and the Scott Specialized Catalogue.

It was Trish's definitive research on the 3¢ 1861 postmaster provisionals, published jointly in both the 1984 and 2000 American Philatelist and the Confederate Philatelist, that resulted in an entirely new section in the 2000 Scott Specialized Catalogue straddling the U.S. and Confederatte sections, as well as the CSA Catalog. Her research was a 16-year project, which ultimately disproved the misconceptions of over a century of prior catalog listings - both U.S. and Confederate. Her second article, dedicated solely to the Madison C.H., Florida 3¢ postmaster provisionals, is reproduced on this website. She has given numerous presentations on the Madison project over the years.

In 1973, she was hired by John Kaufmann as his first employee and, together with him, formed the Washington, D.C. philatelic auction house of John W. Kaufmann, Inc. where she served as Vice-President until John's death in 1988 when she took over as President. John and Trish were married in 1975.

Trish was one of the first female auctioneers in the country (if not the first), calling her first sale in 1973, and served as office manager as well as auction describer. She closed the business in 1989 and began working as a consultant for Stephen J. Osborne, a dealer in the United Kingdom. In September 2000, Osborne moved his business back to England and Trish decided to narrow her philatelic niche solely to Confederates.

With more than 50 years of philatelic experience, Trish works as a professional philatelist and holds the premier Confederate retail stock in the country. She was qualified as a philatelic expert witness in 2003 and is available for court testimony, as well as appraisals. 

In October 2019, the Kaufmann Civil War Room was dedicated in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, at the American Philatelic Center. It is currently populated by Civil War literature, but will eventually house her research after she passes on to that great stamp club in the sky.

Above right shows Trish posing with the Hoyer & Ludwig Confederate stamp press formerly owned by August Dietz. The photo was taken at the 75th anniversary of the Confederate Stamp Alliance in Richmond, Virginia, in August 2010 where she presided as president.

On a personal level, Trish was happily remarried in 1992 to Capt. Darryl Boyer. For 15 seasons, together they ran a seasonal wreck diving charter boat, Surface Interval, from 1991-2005. The sale of their boat in December 2005 gave Trish the opportunity to expand her philatelic sales department. Darryl and Trish met while diving off the Mid-Atlantic coast of Virginia in 1990 while she was training to become a SCUBA instructor and he was looking for a dive boat to buy.

At bottom left are Trish and Darryl Boyer taking time out to enjoy relaxing on their boat. August 2017

Trish is also very involved in her calling to Reformation Lutheran Church in Milford, Delaware. She enjoys lifting her voice in praise as a tenor in the chancel choir.