The organizers of Great American Stamp Show (August 25-28 in Sacramento) are looking for volunteers: Frame setup, putting up and later taking down exhibits, and so on. You can see some of the specific pre-show needs here.

Other tasks include the registration booth, working in the Youth Area, and at the Stamps By The Bucket and Covers by the Container tables.

For more information about volunteering and to sign up, visit this page. “For each day that four or more hours of service are provided, we will reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket costs, such as a public transportation fare, or parking at the show venue.”

And, “we also plan to give concession coupons to purchase a drink/snack and often times provide snacks to our volunteers from our APS snack supply,” show director Wendy Masorti said in email in response to my question. “Of course a first day cover of Chris Calle’s cachet will be given to each.”

“I’ve only been able to volunteer at these APS-administered shows on an “ad hoc” basis, but I’ve enjoyed it when I have,” said AFDCS president Lloyd A. de Vries. “You meet people, you guide some, and (at those two “by-the-bucket” booths), it’s fun watching the kids (ages 6-86 😉) find stamps and covers for their collections.”

Two-thirds of the hotel rooms reserved for Great American Stamp Show have already been reserved. The $150 a night price at the Sheraton Grand (shown here) is excellent for that part of the city at that time of the year! The direct link to the Hotel page on the APS website is here.

From the APS:
GASS 2022 Exhibitor Prospectus Updated

The exhibiting prospectus for the Great American Stamp Show 2022 in Sacramento has been updated to allow exhibitors a maximum of two multiple and two single-frame exhibits, to be distributed among the three exhibitions however you wish. GASS includes exhibits for the National Topical Stamp Show (NTSS), Americover and APS StampShow.

Please note that for the NTSS competition we can only accept one additional single frame exhibit and the StampShow single frame exhibits are full at this time.

Don’t delay – there is still time to enter your competitive exhibit for GASS 2022 – the entry deadline is May 15th.

All entry forms can be emailed to smyers@stamps.org or mailed to:

American Philatelic Society
Attn: GASS Exhibit Entry
100 Match Factory Place
Bellefonte, PA 16823

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Ken Martin, via e-mail or 814-933-3803 x 205, and Sarah Myers, via e-mail or 814-933-3803 x 209.

[press release]
AFDCS Convention Tour Returns, Better Than Ever

The American First Day Cover Society is again hosting a tour of the area in connection with its annual convention, with a few changes. The excursion takes place on Monday, August 29, the day after Great American Stamp Show in Sacramento, Calif. Membership in the AFDCS is not required.

Among the differences: The tour is co-hosted with the American Topical Association and will be held on the day after the show, which runs August 25-28. The AFDCS’ traditional tour day — before the show — is just too full of other events, including board meetings, booth setups and exhibit mounting.

The tour begins at 8 a.m. when the bus leaves the Sheraton Grand Hotel, across the street from the convention center. A short guided tour of the California capital follows. Next, the group goes to the California State Railroad Museum.

The afternoon will be spent in Old Sacramento with its shops and restaurants, then with a guided tour at the Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park.

The $55 per person includes transportation, admission and the tours. Tickets may be purchased via the AFDCS website at www.afdcs.org/show

The AFDCS and ATA are co-hosts of Great American Stamp Show, along with the American Philatelic Society. The AFDCS has a superbooth at the front of the convention center hall and will have unserviced cachets for the Pony Cars stamps that will be issued at the show, along with serviced FDCs and publications. The AFDCS will also hold its annual membership meeting and banquet at GASS, and has scheduled several seminars.

In addition to its GASS activities, the AFDCS publishes an award-winning journal First Days, handbooks, catalogues and a cachetmakers directory; promotes first day cover exhibiting; holds an annual cachet contest; and has educational programs. For more information on the AFDCS, visit http://www.afdcs.org, write AFDCS, Post Office Box 246, Colonial Beach, VA 22443-0246 or email afdcs@afdcs.org.

[press release]
Great Rate for Great Show
Great American Stamp Show Hotel Rate Is $150

The Sheraton Grand Sacramento, the official show hotel for Great American Stamp Show 2022, is now accepting reservations at the special show rate of $150. The link for online booking is on the American Philatelic Society website at stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/travel .

The American First Day Cover Society is a co-host of the philatelic event, along with the APS and the American Topical Association. GASS is being held August 25-28 in the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center’s Halls C and D, on the J Street side of the building. The Sheraton Grand is the closest hotel to the stamp show, right across the street.

GASS will be the biggest stamp collecting show of the year, with top exhibits and dealers and meetings of nearly every major philatelic society. The U.S. Postal Service will issue its Pony Cars stamps at the show, with the California Auto Museum just a mile away. The USPS will also have a fully-stocked sales counter.

The Sheraton Grand itself is a combination of old and new. The front portion was originally a public market – a forerunner of today’s modern grocery store and mall. It was a three-story building where fresh produce, baked goods, clothing, and bulk feed were sold, with coffee shops and lunch counters.

Today, that area houses the hotel’s lobby, restaurants and meeting/banquet rooms, while a new 28-story tower houses 503 guest rooms and suites. All those registering with the GASS discount will receive free Wi-Fi in their rooms. Digital check-in, mobile key, room service, a 24-hour fitness center and valet parking are available to all guests.

The “senior” rates for most other hotels in the area start at about $100 more per night; even the nearby Quality Inn is $147. Parking near the convention center for those staying out of town for cheaper hotel rates will soon even the score, at $20+ a day. Staying in the show hotel is also much more convenient, since some meetings and events will be held there.

The AFDCS will hold its open Board of Directors at the Sheraton Grand and likely its President’s Banquet, a nightly hospitality suite and a free breakfast for its Life and Charter members. The Monday post-show tour organized by the AFDCS and ATA will depart from the hotel, too.

In addition to co-hosting GASS, the AFDCS publishes an award-winning journal, a cachetmakers directory, handbooks and catalogues; promotes philatelic exhibiting and cachetmaking; and producing first day covers for select issues.

Membership in the AFDCS starts at $24 for Internet-only access or $35 with the printed magazine, a good asset for any first day cover collector.

For more information on the AFDCS, visit its website www.afdcs.org, email afdcs@afdcs.org or write to the society at Post Office Box 246, Colonial Beach, VA 22443-0246.

[press release]
Major First Day Cover Exhibition in August
Prospectus and Entry Form Now Available

First day cover exhibits will be the focus of a special section at the biggest U.S. stamp show of the year, this summer’s Great American Stamp Show 2022, August 25-28, in Sacramento, Calif.

The exhibit prospectus and entry form are now available. There will be three separate World Series of Philately exhibitions: Americover for first day cover exhibits, National Topical Stamp Show for thematic exhibits, and StampShow for others. The show also includes the multi-frame Champion of Champions, Most Popular Champion of Champions, and Youth Champion of Champions competitions, as well as a Literature competition.

The American First Day Cover Society — a co-host of the show — offers a crystal pyramid, provided by its Claude C. Ries Chapter in Southern California, for the Grand Prize in the Americover competition [photo of the 2017 award is show on the right]. Other special awards which may be conferred include most popular, best exhibit by a novice, and Awards of Excellence for four different time periods. A complete list may be found at www.afdcs.org/show_awards.html.

Space is limited for exhibits, so early application is recommended. The prospectus and entry form can be downloaded at www.stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/exhibitor-information or requested by mail from APS, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823 or telephone at 814-933-3803. The deadline for applications is May 15.

A fee of $40 will be charged for single-frame exhibits, multi-frame exhibits are $20 per frame. Non-competitive exhibits may be entered, space permitting, at $7.50 per frame, and Youth exhibits are $5.00 per frame. Noncompetitive exhibits will only be accepted if they add significantly to the show.

Membership in the APS, AFDCS, or any other philatelic society is not required. Want to learn more about exhibiting first day covers? The American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors and the AFDCS have prepared a brochure, which can be downloaded at www.afdcs.org/exhibiting.html.

The AFDCS publishes handbooks, catalogues, directories and a bimonthly award-winning journal, First Days. The society also produces some FDCs, advocates for first day cover collecting and exhibiting, and offers awards for the best FDC exhibits at other shows.

For more information on the AFDCS, visit its website www.afdcs.org, email exhibits@afdcs.org or write to the society at Post Office Box 246, Colonial Beach, VA 22443-0246.