[press release]
CHICAGOPEX 2019 Offers Activities for New Collectors through Experienced Exhibitors

CHICAGO, Oct. 12, 2019 – No matter what level of collector you are, CHICAGOPEX 2019 has something to offer. The show runs Nov. 22-24 at the Westin Chicago Northwest, 400 Park Blvd. in Itasca, Ill.

The annual philatelic exhibition and stamp show, honoring 133 years of the Chicago Philatelic Society, features five convening societies: the India Study Circle for Philately, Lithuania Philatelic Society, Polonus Polish Philatelic Society, Rossica Society of Russian Philately, and the Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society. Each group will present special exhibits of stamps and postal history as well as hold meetings open to the public.

Advanced collectors and exhibitors will want to attend on Friday at noon, when Scott Tiffney, Director of Information Services for the American Philatelic Research Library, will give a presentation on how to conduct digital research using the APRL holdings. At 2pm on Friday, Dr. Susan Smith, Winton M. Blount Research Chair at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, will speak on “Researching Postal History Collections in Washington, D.C.”

Intermediate collectors can take advantage of nearly 300 frames of exhibits – they are open for view to show attendees all three days of the show. Saturday afternoon, the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors will hold an open forum where they provide exhibiting tips and guidance and answer questions from the audience.

Newbies to the hobby will benefit from a tour of Polish and Eastern European exhibits on Sunday, led by a knowledgeable and experienced judge. The Collectors Club of Chicago will also host a table in the lobby, where they are selling a variety of books on philatelic topics, including the award-winning, recent book by Dr. Yamil Kouri, Jr., “Under Three Flags: The Postal History of the Spanish-Cuban / American War.”

While it is possible to tailor one’s show plans by experience level, the Chicagopex show committee encourages attendees to be open to a variety of events. The show is an opportunity to learn from and share with other stamp enthusiasts as well as a chance to buy from more than 75 dealers from around the U.S. and some from abroad. They will offer a vast array of material to interest everyone.

The following groups are also meeting at the show (all free and open to the public):

• Chicago Philatelic Society (Saturday)
• Germany Philatelic Society Chapter #5 (Saturday)
• Scandinavian Collectors Club Chicago chapter (Sunday)
• Illinois Postal History Society (Sunday)

Many of these groups feature expert guest speakers giving talks open to the public. The full schedule will appear in the show program, which will be available at the hospitality desk in the hotel’s atrium. It’s also available on the Chicagopex.org website.

On Saturday morning, the APS Committee for National Exhibits and Judging (CANEJ) will be presenting session entitled “Enhancing the Joy of Creating and Judging Exhibits.”

The U.S. Postal Service and the U.N. Postal Administration will each have booths where they will be selling a variety of stamp issues and collectable items.

2019 also marks the 53nd anniversary of the philatelic literature competition with the books and other materials on display. CHICAGOPEX judges also evaluate electronic literature such as websites, blogs and online articles.

The show also includes a youth booth with free stamps and supplies.

Attendees are asked to contact the hotel to make reservations and to mention CHICAGOPEX for the special room rate. Admission and parking are free. Show hours are: Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday night will also feature a catered awards banquet. Tickets must be purchased in advance ($60 each) and dress is business casual. Please see the CHICAGOPEX website for the reservation form. Special diets can be accommodated upon request.

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About Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS):
Organized Oct. 8, 1886, continuing the Chicago Stamp Collectors Union, which was organized in Dec. 1884, CPS is chapter no.1 of the American Philatelic Society and one of two organizations with the longest uninterrupted service to philately in the U.S. Each month, CPS holds meetings on the third Thursday in downtown Chicago at the Harold Washington Library (400 S. State St.) in meeting room 3N-6. Meetings run 7 p.m.-9 p.m. and usually include a philatelic presentation and society business.

Follow CPS on social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chicagopex
Twitter: twitter.com/Chicagopex

[press release]
CHICAGOPEX 2019 Hosts Five Convening Societies

CHICAGO – Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS) will present its annual philatelic exhibition, CHICAGOPEX, Nov. 22, 23 and 24, 2019, at the Westin Chicago Northwest, 400 Park Blvd., Itasca, Ill. 60413.

Just before the show, on Thurs. Nov. 21, philatelic expert and dealer James E. Lee will present a one-day On the Road Course on behalf of the American Philatelic Society. The course is entitled Essays and Proofs. To see details, please visit the website.
This year’s show is hosting the annual conventions of: the India Study Circle for Philately, Lithuania Philatelic Society, Polonus Polish Philatelic Society, Rossica Society of Russian Philately, and the Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society.

There will be more than 300 frames of philatelic material on display at this World Series of Philately event. 2019 marks the 53rd anniversary of the show’s philatelic literature competition, with books and other materials on display. This is one of two such annual competitions in the U.S.

The show bourse will feature about 75 dealers from the United States and Europe, offering a vast array of material to interest everyone from the beginning collector to the advanced collector and exhibitor. The U.S. Postal Service and the U.N. Postal Administration will also attend.

The show includes a youth / beginners’ booth, as well as club meetings for the Chicago Philatelic Society, Germany Philatelic Society Chapter #5, Scandinavian Collectors Club, the Illinois Postal History Society and the convening societies. All meetings and talks during the show 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 CHICAGOPEX for the special room rate.

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About Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS):
Organized Oct. 8, 1886 as a continuation of the Chicago Stamp Collectors Union, which was organized in Dec. 1884. CPS is chapter no. 1 of the American Philatelic Society and one of two organizations with the longest uninterrupted service to philately in the United States. Each month, CPS holds meetings on the third Thursday in downtown Chicago at the Harold Washington Library (400 S. State St.) in meeting room 3N-6. Meetings run 7 p.m.-9 p.m. and usually include a philatelic presentation and society business. All are welcome. Many speakers are advanced collectors who share insights on exciting stamp and postal history subjects. Some members and guests attend a Dutch-treat dinner at 5:30 p.m. at the Berghoff (17 W. Adams St.).

Updated September 27th: the poll was revised to add another name option and restarted. Please vote again!

Updated September 26th: Vote now![APS press release]
We’re renaming StampShow – and you can help!
Send Us Your Suggestions [link]

Beginning in Hartford 2020, the annual American Philatelic Society stamp convention will be a joint show with the American Topical Association and the American First Day Cover Society. In the past, the annual show has been called StampShow, StampShow / National Topical Stamp Show, StampShow/NTSS, and other variations on these themes. We need your helpful suggestions to create a new and permanent name for the yearly show.

The APS will be collecting responses until Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. After this date, the APS will prepare a poll to vote on the top name suggestions.

We value your input and welcome multiple suggestions for the new name.

[Here’s the link again.]

The Union Pacific’s Big Boy, the largest steam locomotive in the world, arrived in Omaha midways through APS StampShow/ATA National Topical Stamp Show, and is parked about four blocks from the convention center where the show is being held.It will be open to the public Saturday, but dozens of people gathered on a hillside off Abbott Drive, just yards from the Iowa border, to get a preview. Some parked their cars in the right lane of the thoroughfare. Others walked to see this huge 4-8-8-4 engine. According to Wikipedia, there are eight of these locomotives still in existence, of 25 built between 1941 and 1944, and in-service until 1959. This is the only one operating, restored and again rolling in May 2019, in time for the sesquicentennial of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. UP’s headquarters are here in Omaha; the Transcontinental Railroad’s eastern terminus was also here.

The Union Pacific’s westward line met the Central Pacific Railroad’s eastward trackage from Sacramento in Promontory Summit, Utah. The U.S. Postal Service issued three stamps on May 10, 2019, to commemorate the historic event.

Dealer Henry Gitner has purchased the remaining ArtCraft (cachet) archives: Plates, original artwork and 20 boxes of envelope proofs. He will have this material at his super-booth at Americover 2019, held next weekend, July 26-28, at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel.

ArtCraft was the most popular first day cover cachet of the 20th century, and at the time it ceased production at the end of 2014, one of the longest-running.

So: part of the fabulous Eldon Mohler FDC collection at Doug Weisz’s Americover 2019 booth, and the ArtCraft archives at Henry Gitner’s.

More details on the show here.

[AFDCS press release]
Weisz To Offer Parts of Incredible FDC Collection at Americover 2019

Portions of one of the most significant collections of first day covers ever assembled will be offered for sale at Americover 2019, the annual show and convention of the American First Day Cover Society.

The show is being held July 26-28 at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel (9801 Natural Bridge Road in St. Louis). The FDCs will be at the booth of Weisz Stamps & Covers. Proprietor Doug Weisz [right] is assisting the H.R. Harmer auction firm with getting Eldon Mohler’s vast collection of cacheted first day covers ready for sale. Some of the material will be sold at a series of auctions beginning in the fall, but Weisz will have nearly two hundred boxes of covers from the collection at his booth at Americover 2019.

“I’m focusing on bringing covers under $25 or so,” Weisz said. The issues range from the 1920s to the present. They include thousands of Babe Ruth and other baseball issues.

“Eldon has spent 40 years building a remarkable collection,” Weisz said. “He focused on 400 issues in particular, but his interest in specific cachetmakers means there will be covers for many more issues” among those offered for sale.

Weisz also points out that much of the Planty and Mellone cachet catalogues are based on Mohler’s collection. That means if a collector or exhibitor has been unable to find a listed cover, it may now be offered for sale, either by Weisz at Americover or by Harmer at auction.

He will also have thousands of non-first-day hand-painted Art Cover Exchange covers from the Mohler collection.

He is just one of the dealers and cachetmakers with booths at Americover 2019. The annual celebration of first day covers by the American First Day Cover Society also includes a pre-show tour on Thursday, a “reveal” of the results of the annual AFDCS cachet contest, a dedication ceremony for the Moon Landing 50th anniversary stamps, four pictorial postmarks, a World Series of Philately exhibition emphasizing FDCs, meetings, seminars and more.

Admission to the show and parking are free. More information on Americover 2019 is available at www.afdcs.org/show, by e-mail from showinfo@afdcs.org, or by mail from the AFDCS, PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732

More information on the upcoming auctions is available from info@hrharmer.com.

[press release]
Americover 2019 Announces Exhibits Jury

Frederick P. Lawrence of Arizona will head the exhibits jury at Americover 2019, a World Series of Philately show that will be held July 26-28 in Saint Louis.

He will be joined by Robert D. Hohertz of Minnesota, Jerry H. Miller of Illlinois, Allison Cusick of Pennsylvania and David S. Ball of Massachusetts.

The prospectus is now available on the AFDCS Web site, www.afdcs.org/show, by regular mail from Kerry Heffner, 17656 K Street, Omaha, NE 68135-3491, or e-mail at exhibits@afdcs.org. The deadline for entering the Americover 2019 exhibition is June 1, 2019, or whenever the 160 available frames fill up.

The emphasis at Americover is on First Day Cover exhibits, and about three-fourths of each exhibit should consist of FDCs and related material.

Lawrence has been a collector and exhibitor of Scouts and Scouting on stamps since 1960, and is an international-level judge

Hohertz is president of the American Revenue Association and has been writing lately about the Prexies (Presidential Series of 1938). He reports he is “currently working on an ambitious first day cover exhibit.”

Miller has won nine grand awards with different exhibits at WSP exhibitions and is director of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors’ Exhibit Critique Service.

Cusick began seriously collecting first day covers nearly 50 years ago, and has served the AFDCS as president and in other capacities. He is a past winner of the society’s Distinguished Service Award and was just appointed chair of the DSA committee.

Ball is the U.S. delegate to the International Federation of Philately for Astrophilately (space- and astronomy-related material). He is also president of the Northeastern Federation of Stamp Clubs and a past executive director of the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History.

As a WSP show, the winner of the Grand Award at Americover 2019 will be part of the Champion of Champions competition at StampShow 2020. Charles J. O’Brien, III, winner of the 2018 Grand with ” Frank Lloyd Wright-First Days and Usage of the Two Cent Issue,” will represent Americover this summer in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Americover Grand prize is again a crystal pyramid provided by the AFDCS’ Claude C. Ries Chapter. [right]

In addition, if six or more competitive single-frame exhibits are entered, the Curtis B. Patterson Award recipient for the best single-frame exhibit will be invited to enter the APS Single-Frame Champion of Champions competition at Saint Louis Stamp Expo in March 2020.

Besides its Grand and Reserve Grand awards, Americover offers special awards from both the AFDCS and other philatelic societies, including ones for best exhibits of foreign FDCs, topical FDCs, and pre-1931 FDCs, best exhibits by a novice and a youth, and best single-frame exhibit.

Americover 2019, a three-day World Series of Philately show, will be held at the Renaissance Saint Louis Airport Hotel, with a special Americover room rate of $104. There also will be two bourses (commercial dealers and cachetmakers), a banquet, meetings, a hospitality suite, live and silent auctions, seminars, a pre-show tour of the area, a post-show evening dinner event, and possibly a U.S. first day ceremony. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also on the schedule.

Unlike other WSP shows, Americover’s exhibit awards are not presented at its banquet (which is held Friday night), but at the AFDCS Business Meeting Saturday morning.

For more information on Americover 2019 and the AFDCS, contact the AFDCS at P.O. Box 16277, Tucson, Ariz. 85732-6277, email showinfo@afdcs.org or visit www.afdcs.org/show.

Photo: The Americover 2017 Grand award. The 2019 award will have the same design.

[press release]

The St. Louis Stamp Expo will be the site for the Single Frame Champion of Champions competition, beginning with the March 27-29, 2020 show. The announcement was made recently by Mike Ley, president of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors (AAPE), which sponsors the competition. The agreement is for three years.

This year, the competition was held at the joint AmeriStamp Expo/Aripex, Feb. 15-17 in Mesa, AZ. The Single Frame Champion of Champions began in 2000 and has always been held in conjunction with AmeriStamp Expo, sponsored by the American Philatelic Society (APS). That show has been discontinued.

Ley indicated that five World Series of Philately shows submitted proposals to host the competition. St. Louis Stamp Expo was chosen for its proximity to the airport, reasonable room rates, and cooperation from the show committee. The agreement may be extended after the initial three years, or the competition moved to another show at the request of either party.

Doug Weisz (shown at left) won this year’s Single Frame Champion of Champions with his exhibit, New Orleans in the Confederate Mail System.

[press release]
The Board of Directors of NAPEX is pleased to announce the composition of the jury that will judge the exhibits at this year’s show.

The jury members are:

• Dr. Daniel C. Warren, Virginia, Chief Judge
• Roland H. Cipolla, II, Texas
• Edwin G. Kroft, Canada
• Jane M. F. Sodero, Alabama
• Patricia Stilwell Walker, Florida

The show prospectus and application to exhibit are available at www.napex.org. The deadline for submitting an application is April 15, but prospective exhibitors are urged to apply as soon as possible.

NAPEX 2019 will be held June 7-9, 2019, at the Tysons McLean Hilton Hotel, 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Virginia, 22102, just off exit 46A of the Washington Beltway. The hotel is easily accessible by METRO and from area airports.

NAPEX was founded in 1949 as the National Stamp Exhibitions of Washington, DC, Inc. It is the premier stamp show of the Nation’s Capital and an American Philatelic Society World Series of Philately show.

More information about NAPEX can be found at www.napex.org.