Category Archives: Stamp Shows

ChicagoPEX 2024 Set for November 22-24

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
CHICAGOPEX 2024 Stamp Show Marks 138 Years of Chicago Philatelic Society

CHICAGO, Oct. 27, 2024 – Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS) will present its annual philatelic exhibition, CHICAGOPEX, Nov. 22, 23 and 24, 2024, at the Westin Chicago Northwest, 400 Park Blvd., Itasca, Ill. 60413.

2024 is the 138th anniversary of the Chicago Philatelic Society, which was founded in 1886 and is chapter no. 1 of the American Philatelic Society. On Friday, Scott English, APS executive director, will host a town hall.

The show also features the AmeriStamp Expo in partnership with the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors. This event includes the Single Frame Champion of Champions competition, which highlights the best single-frame exhibits from World Series of Philately shows held during the prior year. AmeriStamp Expo also features the annual AAPE single-frame team competition.

Three specialty societies will convene at CHICAGOPEX: Rossica Society of Russian Philately, Scandinavian Collectors Club and Women Exhibitors. Also, the American Topical Association is offering several sessions.

WE Fest VIII begins on Wednesday night before the show and features educational presentations and discussions on how to create and refine competitive philatelic exhibits.

Each day at lunchtime, Edward Bergen will be signing his book Walt Disney’s 2nd Superstar Donald Duck. On Saturday, there will be a talk for Zeppelin mail enthusiasts and a hands-on workshop for Boy Scouts to earn a badge for stamp collecting. Advanced registration is required for the workshop.

Philatelic exhibit frames are full! CPS expects nearly 300 frames of competitive philatelic material to be on display, including rare and notable material.

2024 marks the 58th anniversary of the show’s philatelic literature competition, with books and other materials on display. One of two such annual U.S.-based competitions for print material, it also accepts digital entries.

The show bourse is expected to feature more than 60 dealers from the U.S. and Europe, offering a vast array of material for everyone from beginners to advanced collectors and exhibitors.

The show includes a youth / beginners’ booth and speakers and meetings for the Chicago Philatelic Society, Collectors Club of Chicago, Germany Philatelic Society Chapter #5, Illinois Postal History Society, North Shore Philatelic Society and the convening societies. Most meetings and talks are free and open to the public.

Saturday night will feature a catered awards banquet. Tickets must be purchased in advance; dress is business casual. Please see the CHICAGOPEX website for details.

Admission and parking are free. Show hours are: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attendees are asked to contact the hotel (phone: 630-773-4000) to make reservations and to mention Chicago Philatelic Society for the special room rate.

WESTPEX Show Donates $10K to Boston 2026

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
WESTPEX Donation to Boston 2026 World Expo

America’s premier west coast World Series of Philately exhibition, WESTPEX®, Inc, has pledged a donation of $10,000 in support of Boston 2026.

Their contribution continues the philanthropic mission of the San Francisco area organization. The group also presented grants to the past two U.S. internationals, WASHINGTON 2006 and World Stamp Show-NY 2016.

In writing to Boston 2026 officials, WESTPEX Chairman Behruz Nassre said, “During the last WESTPEX board meeting, the board members authorized a $10,000 donation to Boston 2026. As a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding and promoting philately in the United States, the board felt it was essential that we show our support and hopefully encourage other shows to do the same.”

Yamil Kouri, Boston 2026 President, welcomed the news by saying, “We appreciate the generous support of WESTPEX and echo the sentiments of Behruz and the board in all of our efforts in promoting this wonderful hobby.”

WESTPEX 2025 takes place at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront Hotel April 25-27, its anchor location for the past 18 years. Attending major societies include the American Helvetia Philatelic Society, Rossica Society of Russian Philately, Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic Society International (MEPSI) and Rhodesian Study Circle. See the show’s web site at westpex.org for complete information.

Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at Boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to be added to the Boston 2026 email list and receive updates when available.

Helvetia Society Donates to Boston 2026 Show

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Boston 2026 Receives Major Grant from American Helvetia Philatelic Society

Boston 2026 World Expo is pleased to announce a generous $2,500 grant from the American Helvetia Philatelic Society (AHPS), the world’s largest English-language Switzerland philatelic society. Members of AHPS have been raising funds through their “$26 for ’26” campaign to support the society’s activities at Boston 2026, which includes a $2,500 grant approved by its board for the show according to AHPS Treasurer Bruce Marsden.

“We are thrilled to partner with Boston 2026,” said AHPS President Steven Opheim. “This grant underscores our members’ passion for Swiss philately and their commitment to advancing the hobby through world-class events like Boston 2026 World Expo.”

As the largest English-language society dedicated to Swiss philately, AHPS connects over 200 members across 35 states and 8 countries. Through monthly Member Meetings via Zoom, its award-winning TELL journal, and an active AHPS Facebook Group, AHPS fosters an international community of passionate collectors of Switzerland and Liechtenstein philately. AHPS’ website hosts an extensive online library, rich with Swiss philatelic research and resources.

During Boston 2026, AHPS will host several events and will share a society table with United Nations Philatelists Inc. (UNPI), the world’s largest organization dedicated to UN and UN-related philately. Attendees are invited to visit the table to connect with the AHPS and UNPI communities throughout the eight-day exhibition.

For more information about AHPS, including membership options and access to their extensive philatelic resources, visit Swiss-Stamps.org or contact Paul Sobon, the AHPS Secretary at Secretary@swiss-stamps.org.

Boston 2026 will take place from May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details can be found at Boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to be added to the Boston 2026 email list and receive updates when available.

FEPA Recognizes Boston 2026

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Boston 2026 Receives FEPA Recognition

The Federation of European Philatelic Associations (FEPA) has granted Recognition status to the Boston 2026 World Expo.

FEPA is the continental European organization that supports 45 members (national philatelic federations, associations and unions) in promoting philately. Its activities are principally focused on sharing information, promoting innovation and cooperation, supporting exhibitions and rewarding achievements.

FEPA recognition is normally restricted to exhibitions on European territory. In granting its recognition to Boston 2026 World Expo, however, the FEPA Board is aware of the global importance of this exhibition and wishes to help the Organizing Committee to promote the show in Europe.

Recognition by FEPA grants Boston 2026 three privileges:

  • Marketing and promotion of the exhibition through its channels (magazine, website, newsletters, etc.)
  • Technical expertise as requested
  • Use of its logo and flag

FEPA information can be found on its web site at fepanews.com.

Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at Boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to be added to the Boston 2026 email list and receive updates when available.

Boston 2026 Releases 4th Label

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Fourth Boston 2026 Label Now Available

Boston 2026’s newest collectible label was released at 1 PM today during a ceremonial presentation about the World Expo on the exhibition floor at the Great American Stamp Show in Hartford, Connecticut.

Award-winning stamp artist Chris Calle has once again shared his talents in support of America’s next international philatelic exhibition by creating the fourth in a series of yearly patriotic-themed promotional “The Road to Boston 2026” designs.

The 2024 artwork features a portrait of John Adams, the Harvard educated lawyer from Massachusetts who eventually became the second President of the United States. Furthering his work as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses, he was one of five men on the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. A view of Adams addressing the Congress is seen under his likeness. So, too, are two of the four U.S. stamps from the 1974 Bicentennial Era issue depicting Philadelphia’s Carpenter’s Hall, site of the first Continental Congress and later referred to as Independence Hall, and the quote, “We ask but for Peace, Liberty and Safety” from the Congressional petition to King George III.

As before, 3,000 water-activated sheetlets of nine labels were produced by the Portland Stamp Company. Prior labels depicted a Post Rider in 2021, Ben Franklin in 2022 and Sam Adams in 2023. All three are no longer available.

Both the unsigned and a limited edition of 450 artist-signed versions of the 2024 sheetlet are available. Orders are currently being accepted through the Boston 2026 web site.

Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at Boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to be added to the Boston 2026 email list and receive updates when available.

Dragon Cards at GASS 2024

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Dragon Cards will have a double booth Saturday at the Cachetmakers Bourse of Great American Stamp Show in Hartford. I’m going to try to bring almost everything!

Order now at www.dragoncards.biz or the eBay Store www.ebay.com/str/dragoncardsfdcs and and pick up at the Bourse (Saturday only) and I will refund your P&H charges.

But today is the last day to order that I will be able to mail out orders before the show.

Americover 2024 Silent Auction List Online

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The Americover 2024 Silent Auction has more than 250 lots this year! Americover is the American First Day Cover Society’s component of Great American Stamp Show 2024, which is being held August 15-18 in Hartford, Conn.

The lots may be viewed and bid upon in the AFDCS Hospitality Suite during GASS 2024, 8 p.m. to midnight Wednesday through Saturday nights, in the Marriott Hotel’s Capital Ballroom. Admission to the Hospitality Suite is free and open to the public. Some refreshments will be available.

Nothing beats seeing these amazing covers and cover lots in person, but you can also see the lot descriptions online here and send bids to silent@afdcs.org Bidding both at the Suite and online ends at 10:30 pm EDT Saturday the 17th.

AFDCS Goes to Plan B After GASS 2024

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AFDCS Post-GASS Sunday Dinner: We’re going to Plan B. Literally. That’s the name of the restaurant, Plan b Burger Bar, about a five-minute walk from the convention center and Marriott. We’ll meet in the Marriott lobby at 6 p.m., and we will have a private room. You can find the menu here.

As always, the post-show dinner is “Dutch treat:” We’ll each get separate checks. Spouses, partners and friends are welcome, whether or not they are AFDCS members.
Want to check the location on Google Maps? It’s at 35 Front Street in Hartford. Its website is headlined, “burgers. beer. bourbon.” so make sure you have a Designated Walker!

Plethora of Postmarks for Great American Stamp Show

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There will be at least two pictorial postmarks for each day of Great American Stamp Show 2024 in August 15-18 in Hartford, Conn., and sometimes more.

One set of postmarks for each day of the show are for the “GASS Station.” A second set, for the “Americover Station,” was created by the American First Day Cover Society, one of the co-sponsors of the show. The only “official” show cachets for GASS are from the AFDCS.

You can click on any of the illustrations to see a larger version.

All eight postmarks were designed by Martin Kent Miller, editor of the journals of GASS co-sponsors the AFDCS and the American Topical Association and a professional marketing and graphics consultant.

Here are the four GASS Station postmarks:

When Americover was the independent show and convention of the AFDCS, a different pictorial postmark was available for each day of the show, and that tradition has continued now that Americover is part of GASS.

The Thursday, August 15, Americover postmark is “Celebrating Public Art in America,” in concordance with the American Philatelic Society’s “Stamp Soiree” at the Wadsworth Atheneum art museum that evening. The postmark, which measures 2.83- by 1.71-inches, may also be used on first day covers of the U.S. Pinback Buttons stamps that are being issued that day.

The GASS 2024 show cachet, by award-winning professional artist and Connecticut native Chris Calle, will show a variety of the pinback buttons produced since the first Americover in 1993.

Friday August 16’s postmark honors Hartford’s Charter Oak, the legendary tree that is a symbol of American independence. The U.S. Postal Service is issuing its Autumn Colors stamps that day, and no doubt, before it fell in an 1856 storm, the Charter Oak’s leaves turned colors in the fall. That postmark is 2.95- by 1.56-inches.

Calle’s cachet for Friday also depicts the Charter Oak tree, and the 1935 stamp and commemorative coin that honored it.

 

 

 

On Saturday, when the GASS Cachetmakers Bourse will be held, the Americover Station postmark notes National Cachetmakers Day. This one is 2.91- by 1.69-inches. The show cover cachet by Calle commemorates the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress (for which a stamp will be issued in September) and Connecticut’s delegate to it, Roger Sherman. He also was a member of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and a key Founding Father of the U.S.

The 10-cent stamp shown in the cachet is one of four issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 1974 as part of its Bicentennial celebration

 

 

Sunday’s Americover Station postmark, measuring 2.92- by 1.69-inches, is “Celebrating Heroes of the Batter’s Box.” Calle’s cachet artwork honors Hartford resident Samuel Clemens, better known as author Mark Twain, who was an avid baseball fan and supported local teams. The Hartford Dark Blues were a charter member of the National League in 1876-77, a few years after Clemens moved to the city. (The Hartford Yard Goats, a professional minor league (Double-A) baseball team affiliated with the Colorado Rockies, will be playing at home during GASS 2024.)

Both Miller and Calle will be at Great American Stamp Show for all four days. Calle, in fact, has a station at the AFDCS booth where he will be available to chat with collectors and sign autographs. Miller will be splitting his time between the ATA and AFDCS booths.

In addition, the U.S. Postal Service has its own postmarks for the two issues that will be released during the show, Pinback Buttons

And Autumn Colors

Thursday’s show postmarks may be used on first day covers of Pinback Buttons, and Friday’s on Autumn Colors FDCs, but Friday’s may not be used on the stamps issued the day before (that is, creating a bogus “early release” FDC for Pinback Buttons).

The AFDCS will be selling unserviced cacheted envelopes and already-serviced covers like this one, both at its booth and, after the show, by mail.

AFDCS Announces Americover 2024 Postmarks

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These are subject to approval by the US Postal Service and will be available at Great American Stamp Show 2024. The first two may be used on first day covers for Pinback Buttons and Autumn Colors, respectively.

Americover was the independent show and FDC celebration of the American First Day Cover Society from 1993 through 2019. It was slated to become part of Great American Stamp Show in 2020, but that was pushed back by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Updated July 16th:
Due to concerns about copyrights, the Sunday postmark has been revised: