The Great American Stamp Show, scheduled for August 20-23 in Hartford, Connecticut, 
has been canceled. It would have been the largest stamp show of the year in the United States, and was sponsored by the American Philatelic Society, American Topical Association and the American First Day Cover Society.
Based on current information from the State of Connecticut, the show would either be canceled due to its size or require aggressive mitigation as an indoor activity.There was even a possibility that visitors from out-of-state would be required to go into quarantine for two weeks before participating in any events in Connecticut!
Virtual events will take the place of some or most of the events.
APS executive director and Scott English and the APS staff deserve special thanks for making this tough decision possible. Contracts for major stamp shows are signed years in advance, and contain cancellation penalties. Vendors for decorating, printing, food functions and more are lined up well in advance of a show. All of this had to be taken into account.
Speaking for myself and not the AFDCS or any other organization, I’m glad the show as canceled. It was becoming apparent from my discussions with other collectors that the show would have been poorly attended and those who did come would be tense: Not having fun at all. Many events that make attending a stamp show worth the extra time and effort would have been eliminated. Instead of being the showcase for Philately’s potential in the 21st century, Great American Stamp Show would have seemed more like a wake. —Lloyd de Vries
The full announcement:
Today, the American Philatelic Society, American Topical Association, and American First Day Cover Society announced the cancellation of the Great American Stamp Show. The show scheduled for August 20-23 in Hartford, Connecticut, is the largest annual stamp show in the United States.
Based on current information from the State of Connecticut, the show would either be canceled due to its size or require aggressive mitigation as an indoor activity.
Recognizing the health and safety of members, dealers, and guests as the highest priority, the APS Board of Directors approved cancellation and designated Hartford, CT as the host city for the 2024 Great American Stamp Show.
“Thank you to the dealers and members committed to supporting our show. The strength of our hobby is the people in it and that’s not worth risking,” said APS Executive Director Scott English. “Though the pandemic is changing our community, it will never weaken it.”
Since 1886, the American Philatelic Society’s annual convention has only been canceled once, in 1943 at the height of World War II.
“Some things are more important than philately, such as our community’s health and safety,” said AFDCS president Lloyd A. de Vries.
The APS, ATA, and AFDCS recognize that dealers, societies and clubs, and many individuals have already made plans and reservations in Hartford for August. Guests who have made hotel room reservations within the reserved block in the Marriott and Hilton hotels will receive automatic cancellation notifications by email or may reach out to the hotels personally. Dealer and society booth deposits and exhibitor entry fees may be applied to the Chicago 2021 show or will be refunded on request. We also encourage members to make donations to the APS, ATA, or AFDCS in lieu of refunds. Any questions may be directed to Ken Martin or Morgan Stinson.
“Although we will miss seeing our stamp collecting friends, we know this is the best thing to do. There will be shows again in the future,” said ATA president Dawn Hamman.
The APS staff is exploring a virtual show alternative for the planned show dates in August 2020, including a possible virtual dealer bourse. The ATA and AFDCS support this plan and will work closely with the APS on planning and execution.
English added, “I am proud of the APS team for how we’ve responded to this crisis. We will rise to this challenge and be stronger for it.”
The APS will provide updates on the progress of the virtual Great American Stamp Show as the planning continues.
of the world’s longest running TV continuing drama, Coronation Street.
Within months of its first broadcast, which went out live on Friday 9 December 1960, Coronation Street became the country’s most-watched programme and has remained in the top 10 most watched TV shows every week since. The authenticity of its characters and storytelling made ground-breaking British television as the drama portrayed working class lives for the first time on the small screen. Six decades later, the unforgettable storylines and original trademark northern wit are the epicentre of a programme which is now an international hit, selling to over 100 countries.
Coronation Street’s iconic characters are now part of British culture – Hilda Ogden despairing of her work-shy hubby Stan, Elsie Tanner and Ena Sharples’ bust-ups, Bet Lynch’s love life, the bond between Roy and Hayley Cropper, Rita and Mavis, the McDonalds, the Barlows and the Alahans… their stories have enthralled fans week after week.
played by William Roache, shown on the right – is still in the cast today, an international achievement noted by Guinness World Records.
Coronation Street has had many iconic double acts down the years. Indeed, it’s a defining feature of the show. I hope fans will agree that the ones we’ve chosen, after much heated debate, are among the best of the bunch. This fun idea is a great way to pay homage to the nation’s best loved soap and give lovers of Coronation Street a little smile when an envelope pops through their letterbox and they see their favourite characters looking up at them.
”
A personalised (will include customer name & address) memento of the day of issue. Includes a filler card (described below) the full set of eight Special Stamps cancelled the with alternative postmark, location being Salford, home to the Coronation Street studios in Manchester. The picture uses the official Coronation Street logo, with the issue date being 28.5.20. The envelope design features the flying ducks, a familiar part of the set design from the early years and now considered a show icon.*Please see note about postmarking & product availability
The same as above but with the Tallents House postmark. Again, it includes the filler card and full set of eight Special Stamps cancelled by a handstamp which takes inspiration from the show’s famous title sequence. Location is Tallents House with issue date 28.5.20 *Please see not about postmarking and availability.
A personalised (will include customer name & address) memento of the day of issue.. Includes a filler card (described above) the stamp sheet, cancelled the with alternative postmark, location being Salford, home to the Coronation Street studios in Manchester. (Envelope & handstamp info same as stamps FDC)
The same as above but with the Tallents House postmark. Again, it includes the filler card and miniature sheet cancelled by a handstamp which takes inspiration from the show’s famous title sequence. Location is Tallents House with issue date 28.5.20 *Please see note about postmarking and availability.
The Hague, May 12, 2020 – Last May 5, the Netherlands celebrated the liberation of our country 75 years ago. Due to the coronavirus, all public events surrounding the May 5 celebration were canceled. Other initiatives can continue, such as the issue by PostNL of a special gold stamp.
the successor to the occasional postage stamps from 2017.
green, red and yellow have large eyes and a red mouth. The look in the eyes matches the accompanying emotion, just like the position of the mouth.
Suitable for any purpose
The stamp sheet For each moment there are 6 different stamps with the value indication Nederland 1, intended for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from May 11, 2020 at Bruna stores and through the website. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite. 
The Hague, May 11, 2020 – For centuries, postal mail was distributed across Europe by postillions on horseback and by stagecoach. PostNL today releases 6 new stamps on which the old postal routes from the Habsburg Empire come to life again.
Studio026 from Arnhem has depicted this relay system by Von Thurn und Taxis on the stamp sheet Old Post Routes. The blue images on the stamps show both horses in motion and at rest. The large gold symbols, which follow from left to right with the horses and the stagecoach, also refer to the system of action and rest. There is a thin line with golden stripes between the images that depict the stops along the routes.
The mail was first transported by horse and rider, later by the stagecoach. Carriages, although slower than horses, took much more mail. Paying passengers also generated extra earnings. The motto for the postal couriers of Von Thurn und Taxis was cito, cito, cito, citissim! In other words: fast, fast, fast, super fast! “The concept was developed based on that credo,” says Anne Schaufeli of studio26. “That’s why the spell is so prominent on the sheet.”
(Experimental Wireless Apparatus) – the first station in Canada to receive an experimental radio licence. Although the ground-breaking broadcast was transmitted from the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of Canada’s factory studio in Montréal to the Naval Radio Service in Ottawa, a receiving station and large amplifier had been set up for the occasion in the hotel’s ballroom.
became the first licensed radio station in North America to offer French-language programming. While early enthusiasts were mostly amateurs who built their own equipment, radio caught on quickly with mainstream listeners. Within two years of Canada’s historic first broadcast, 34 radio stations were operating across the country. By the end of the decade, Canadians were tuning in on more than 300,000 radios.
Although the groundbreaking broadcast was transmitted from the Montréal studios to the Naval Radio Service in Ottawa, a receiving station and large amplifier had been set up for the occasion at the Château Laurier hotel. As reported in the Ottawa Journal by one of the journalists invited to listen in, when “the latest one-step” was played, the clarity was so impressive that several of the newspaper writers began to dance.
To create a stamp depicting the earliest days of radio, for which there was little original imagery available, Canada Post assembled a team of experts from academia, communications museums and vintage radio clubs to ensure visual accuracy and an authentic back story.
WASHINGTON – The Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service today announced its unanimous selection of Louis DeJoy to serve as the 75th Postmaster General of the United States and Chief Executive Officer of the world’s largest postal organization. DeJoy is an accomplished business executive with more than 35 years of experience. As Chairman and CEO of New Breed Logistics, DeJoy spent decades in collaboration with the U.S. Postal Service, Boeing, Verizon, Disney, United Technologies and other public and private companies to provide supply chain logistics, program management and transportation support. He is expected to begin serving in his new role effective June 15th.
Seven. Canada Post is celebrating this significant anniversary with a stamp issue featuring works by the Group’s seven founding members.
had drowned three years earlier – and encouraged by theirshared creative vision, the Group changed the way Canada was viewed at home and abroad. Their raw and daring depictions of the landscape gave birth to a unique Canadian aesthetic that influenced generations of artists.
the way for future exhibitions.
The issue includes a self-adhesive booklet and gummed mini-pane of seven Permanent domestic rate stamps and a set of seven Official First Day Covers (OFDCs) cancelled in locations significant to each artist. Using works drawn from six major Canadian galleries and photographs from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection Archives, the issue was designed by Lionel Gadoury, Andrew Conlon and Matthew Killin of Context Creative, and printed by Lowe-Martin.
social media as well as Canada Post’s Instagram account (@canadapostagram) and the accounts of several prominent Canadian galleries, including the AGO, the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Canada, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queen’s University and the Vancouver Art Gallery, with the OFDCs unveiled on Thursday, May 7, by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. All stamps and collectibles will be available on Thursday, May 7, at 
Most major stamp collecting shows in the U.S. this spring, if not all, have been postponed or canceled.
Vol. 2A: C through Cur countries
each stamp is assigned a number that becomes its universally understood reference point for all collectors and dealers. The latter is important when you look at printed price lists, offerings on Internet sites, or in auction catalogues.
their tables at stamp shows. You can also get together with another collector to buy catalogues that you can share.
Take a look at the picture on the right, in which are copies of Scott #610 and #613. The former, a perf 11×11, flat plate-printed black stamp, is catalogued 25¢ used. The latter, a perf 11×11 rotary press printing in black, catalogues $37,500. The difference is a quarter millimeter in the height of the stamp design!
