Carlson R. Chambliss was born on July 17, 1941 in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned an A.B. from Harvard University in 1962, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. Chambliss is a professor emeritus of astronomy at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. He is also an active philatelist and numismaticist, focusing on stamps and postal material of the Vatican City State.

Sources:

Carlson R. Chambliss Collection, MS 137, Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c80p1625/. Accessed April 25, 2024.

"C.R. Chambliss Astronomical Observatory at Kutztown University", Kutztown University. https://www.kutztown.edu/about-ku/administrative-offices/observatory.html. Accessed April 25, 2024.

The first postage stamps issued by the papacy were issued under Pius IX in 1852 for the Roman States. They were inscribed "Francobollo Postale" and included a design featuring the keys of St. Peter and the papal tiara. That papal postal system ended in 1870, terminated by the Italian authorities. With the signing of the Lateran Pact in 1929, the Vatican once again had the right to issue its own coins and postage stamps. The first stamps issued in 1929 featured a similar design to those of 1852, with St. Peter's keys and the papal tiara. Stamp designs since often commemorate saints and other important historical figures, Church councils and other events, popes and their travels, and artwork. Most years had a special Christmas design. There are stamps issued in honor of all eight popes since 1929, as well as Sede Vacante stamps for every period between popes. In 2000, Pope John Paul II issued the first automat-generated stamps.