Thomas Lera

Thomas M. Lera is an American philatelist who was the Winton M. Blount Research Chair at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum until 2021. He is also an expert on the preservation and the conservation of bats and caves and has been a vice-president of the National Speleological Society.

Early life Lera received his advanced education at the University of Illinois from where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1969 and the University of Pennsylvania from where he received a Master of Science degree in 1971.

Philately Lera was appointed the Winton M. Blount Research Chair at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in 2008. He retired November 1, 2021. During his appointment he created the NPM Philatelic Forensic Laboratory through the purchase of specialised scientific equipment for the examination of paper, ink and color. Lera's research interests include the Underground Railroad Post Office and Confederate official and semi-official envelopes. He was inducted into the American Philatelic Society's writers hall of fame in 2015 and in 2016 received the Distinguished Philatelic Texan Award.

Selected publications Bat management in the United States : a survey of legislative actions, court decisions and agency interpretations. Environmental Protection Agency, United States, 1978. (With Sue Fortune) Bats in philately. American Topical Association, 1995. Winton M. Blount Symposia: 2006 - 2009 Cave post offices. Cave Books, 2011. The G.H. Kaestlin collection of Imperial Russian and Zemstvo stamps. Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, Washington DC, 2012. (With Leon Finik) (Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge)