Category Archives: Stamp Shows

Events at London 2022

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[press release]
There will be more than the booths and exhibits to explore at London 2022, the international stamp exhibition taking place on 19 to 26 February at London’s Business Design Centre in Islington.

Over thirty philatelic societies will be holding meetings during the exhibition. Details of which societies are meeting, together with the date and time, can be found by viewing the exhibition website, www.london2022.co. In addition, some fifteen societies will each have a table at the exhibition on Wednesday, 23 February, an opportunity to meet existing members, and welcome those who would like to know more. Again, details are on the website.

The European Federation of Philatelic Associations, FEPA, is holding two seminars. The first will be take place from midday to 2pm on Sunday, 20 February and will be conducted by John Davies FRPSL on ‘Best Practice in Youth Philately’. This seminar is aimed at those who either actively work in youth philately or have a role in marketing or sponsoring youth philately. Of course, anyone who is considering how to get involved in youth philately or is simply interested in what’s going on in that field is welcome.

The second seminar will take as its theme ‘Digitalisation and Social Media in Philately’, and will be led by Dr Eric Scherer on Friday, 25 February from 10am to midday. This seminar is ideally suited for those who are seeking advice on how to connect philately and social media and are planning to explore the opportunities. Hopefully participants who can share their experiences will make this seminar more meaningful. Anyone who is broadly interested to learn about digitalisation in philately will certainly find this seminar helpful.

In addition, the FIP (International Federation of Philately) will be holding meetings of a number of the Commissions that are involved with particular aspects of our hobby. These will be: Astrophilately (Monday, 21 February); Traditional (Wednesday, 23 February); Revenues (Wednesday, 23 February); Literature (Thursday, 24 February); Postal History (Thursday, 25 February); Postal Stationery (Friday, 25 February).

Those intending to attend the seminars or Commission meetings are advised to check the timing and location in advance.

London 2022 will be open each day from 10am to 6pm (closing at 4pm on Saturday, 26 February). Entry costs £10 on the first day, tickets now available by visiting www.london2022.co; admission is free on all other days.

Viewing Exhibits at London 2022

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[press release]
As always with international stamp exhibitions held in London, demand has been high to display competitively at London 2022, the international stamp exhibition taking place on 19 to 26 February at London’s Business Design Centre in Islington.

Following the successful formula adopted at London 2010, the exhibits will be on display in two sections.

Exhibits of Postal History, Postal Stationery, Open Class, Picture Postcards, Revenues and part of the Youth Class will be on display from Saturday, 19 February until midday on Tuesday, 22 February.

Entries of Traditional Philately, Aerophilately, Thematics, the remainder of the Youth Class, plus exhibits for the World Stamp Championship, can be seen from Wednesday, 23 February until midday on Friday, 25 February.

There will be an opportunity during Saturday, 26 February to see those exhibits that have been recognised as the ‘Best in Class’, as well as the Grand Prix and World Stamp Championship winners.

London 2022 will be open each day from 10am to 6pm (closing at 4pm on Saturday, 26 February). Entry costs £10 on the first day, tickets now available by visiting www.london2022.co; admission is free on all other days.

Behind The GASS 2022 Logo

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You may be wondering what that bridge is in the Great American Stamp Show logo: It’s the Tower Bridge, a vertical lift bridge which was built in 1935 to connect Sacramento to West Sacramento. It has also been known as M Street Bridge, according to Wikipedia, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The public chose the color in 2001, and it was repainted the following year. It isn’t due for repainting until 2032.

It is located about a mile and a half from the convention center where GASS will be held.

London 2022 Show Seeks Volunteers

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[press release]
London 2022, the international stamp exhibition taking place on 19 to 26 February at the Business Design Centre in Islington in London (nearest Underground Station: Angel) will soon be with us. It is being eagerly anticipated by collectors across the world.

To ensure it is a successful, volunteers are needed – about 150. There are many ways in which help will be required. To assist in the bin room, from which the handling of the exhibits is controlled; to help mount and dismount the exhibits; to help at the Information Desk; to act as stewards; to provide general secretarial help; to look after the meeting rooms; plus many other tasks.

While help will be required throughout the exhibition, it will be particularly needed at the beginning and the end, and on Tuesday, 22 February. Especially helpful would be those with a good knowledge of London (to assist visitors wishing to have some time away from philately) and those with IT skills.

Those who would like to help are invited to visit london2022.co and click ‘Information’ and then ‘Volunteers’ [or direct link here] to find more details of the help required and to register your interest.

Supporters Help London 2022

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[press release]
The funding for London 2022, the international stamp exhibition taking place on 19 to 26 February at the Business Design Centre in Islington in London, is being greatly helped by a growing number of Patrons and Sponsors.

The Corporate Sponsors include Beijing Wanhu Shengdian Culture Development Co Ltd, Cavendish Philatelic Auctions, Delcampe, Auktionshaus Christoph Gärtner, Andrew G. Lajer philatelist, The Philatelic Traders’ Society, The Spear Charitable Trust and Spink & Son.

There are 34 Patrons, and fourteen Supporters, plus a number of philatelic societies that are sponsoring the display frames. And their numbers are growing.

To be a Supporter needs a donation of £250: Patrons give a minimum of £500. Supporters will receive free and early admission on all days, an exhibition catalogue, reserved seating at the Awards Presentation and Opening Ceremony, acknowledgement on the exhibition website and in the catalogue (unless anonymity requested), plus philatelic souvenirs not otherwise available. In addition Patrons will receive an invitation to special dedicated events.

Full details about the exhibition, and in particularly how to become a Supporter, are available by visiting www.london2022.co.

Tickets Now Available for London 2022

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[press release]
Tickets are now available for the opening day of London 2022, the international stamp exhibition taking place on 19 to 26 February at the Business Design Centre in Islington in London.

Admission on the first day will cost £10: or all other days it will be free. Tickets for the opening day can be purchased now. Simply visit www.london2022.co/london-2022-first-day-entry-tickets – payment can be made using PayPal or credit card. Tickets will be emailed: they can either be printed or presented on a mobile phone at the door on entry. Each ticket will have a unique reference number to prevent re-use.

The tickets will also be available for purchase on entry. The first day tickets have been kindly sponsored by Andrew Lajer.

Some, of course, are eligible for free entry every day including Patrons and Sponsors, exhibitors, booth holders, Jury and Commissioners and volunteers.

The exhibition will be open each day from 10am to 6pm (closing at 4pm on Saturday, 26 February).

Visit www.london2022.co for the up-to-date listing of booth holders, competitive exhibits and society meetings.

UN Expo 21 Postponed to 2022

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From the APS website:

“Due to COVID concerns, the UNEXPO has been postponed. The event will be moved to 2022, exact dates yet to come.”

“Scott English and the APS show committee in consultation with me as UNEXPO21 Chairman,” Greg Galetti said in response to a question in the American First Day Cover Society’s Facebook group.

UN Expo 2021 was to be the first in a series of specific-area shows each October at the American Philatelic Center (American Philatelic Society/American Philatelic Research Library) headquarters. Aerophilately 2022 (American Air Mail Society) is scheduled for next year, and there are reports of later October shows at the APC for ESPER (Ebony Society for Philatelic Experiences and Reflections) (black history) and the AFDCS.

It is one of at least five stamp shows scheduled for October that have been canceled, including World Series of Philately shows SESCAL (California) and NOJEX (New Jersey.

Chicagopex Stamp Show Is Back

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[press release]
Chicagopex Stamp Show Is Back!

CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2021 – Chicagopex takes place Nov. 19-21, 2021, at the Westin Chicago Northwest, 400 Park Boulevard, Itasca, IL, 60143. The show runs 10am-6pm on Friday and Saturday. It runs 10am-4pm on Sunday. Admission and parking are free.

The show marks the 135th anniversary of the Chicago Philatelic Society and will feature almost 300 frames of exhibits, which may be viewed by the public. Many of them are from exhibitors from the convening societies: Germany Philatelic Society, the Lithuania Philatelic Society, Polonus Polish Philatelic Society, and the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors. AAPE is hosting its single frame team competition, while GPS is back in Chicago with many of its study groups offering talks and meetings too.

Chicagopex is also hosting its 55th annual literature competition, featuring entries in a variety of formats including print and digital.

The convening societies are offering special presentations and meetings open to the public. See the full Chicagopex schedule for details. On Friday night, there are dinners for the convening societies’ members and guests, and on Saturday, show-goers are invited to attend the show banquet. Both events require reservations in advance.

Speakers include:

  • APS Executive Director Scott English at 11am Friday hosting a town hall for the American Philatelic Society.
  • James Mazepa at noon Saturday speaking on “Postal Systems in Liberated Poland – 1944-1945.”
  • Jim Hill at 2pm Saturday speaking on “Around the World on the Graf Zeppelin.”

There will be multiple opportunities to get books signed (with books available for purchase) in the hotel lobby:

  • Each day 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. – “Walt Disney’s First Superstar: Mickey Mouse,” Vols. 1 and 2, by author Edward Bergen
  • Friday and Sunday 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. – “U.S. Zeppelin and Airship Mail Flights” by Cheryl Ganz and “Carol Gordon: Cachetmaker” by Susan B. Jones.
  • Saturday 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. – “The History of Airmail in Poland” by Jerzy W. Kupiec-Weglinski

Other groups with meetings and/or speakers include: the American Topical Association, the British North America Philatelic Society, Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS), the Collectors Club of Chicago, the Collectors Club [of New York], Germany Philatelic Society Chapter #5, and Illinois Postal History Society.

The show committee expects about 70 dealer booths, booths for USPS and UNPA, a youth booth and a book sale by the Collectors Club of Chicago.

All meetings and speeches are free and open to the public. When booking a room, ask for the Chicagopex special rate. The hotel phone number is 630-773-4000. For more information visit www.chicagopex.org.

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.

Follow CPS on social media:
Facebook
Twitter

Great American Stamp Show 2021 Lives Up To Name

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Great American Stamp Show 2021 in Rosemont, Ill., near Chicago, August 11-15, was a very good show, especially considering the circumstances. With the threat of the continuing or even worsening coronavirus pandemic, many collectors decided to stay home.

Still, the American Philatelic Society, the organizer, had 2,500 registrations for GASS. That is several hundred more than APS StampShow 2019 in Omaha. APS StampShow was the predecessor to GASS. The APS would have expected 3,500 to 4,500 for a show in the Chicago area.

The photo shows some of those lined up to enter the show as soon as it opened on Thursday. About half of those attending the show wore masks. Many wore masks sometimes but not all the time. [You can click on the photo for a larger version.]

However, there are no reports of any of those who attended the show contracting the coronavirus as a result of going to Great American Stamp Show.

Whether the show would be held was uncertain until mid-May. Specific planning and arrangements normally begin at least a year in advance, with the show location booked as much as five years ahead. (2024 is already set for Hartford, Conn., for example, and the APS is looking at locations for 2025.)

The 2020 edition was canceled completely, with a “virtual” show instead.

Great American Stamp Show is co-hosted by the APS, the American Topical Association (which was also a partner in APS StampShows 2018 and 2019), and the American First Day Cover Society. All three organizations participated in the 2020 Virtual Stamp Show, but this was the AFDCS’ first time folding its Americover show and convention into the overall national show.

The photo shows about half the AFDCS booth on the second day of the show, Friday, which is usually the quietest day of any four-day show.

“This was our first time as co-host of the big U.S. national show, and it exceeded our expectations,” said AFDCS president Lloyd de Vries. “We picked up more new members than at any recent show, either the GASS predecessor APS StampShow or our own Americover show. First day cover exhibits also earned seven large golds at GASS!”

As part of their agreements with the APS to co-host the show, both the ATA’s National Topical Stamp Show and Americover had their own exhibit competitions. The ATA booth, like the APS and AFDCS booths at the front of the hall, is shown below.

However, “dealer participation for the show was well below what we could expect for a Chicago-area show,” APS executive director Scott English told The Virtual Stamp Club.

Having three stamp societies as co-hosts presented some challenges, such as scheduling the membership meeting for each at different times. Americover had been a three-day show, with the same basic schedule for years: the banquet on Friday night and general membership meetings in two parts, on Saturday and Sunday mornings. At GASS 2021, the AFDCS President’s Banquet was on Thursday night and a single membership meeting Friday morning. A few members missed them.

Also missing was the AFDCS’ usual pre-show tour of local attractions. Between the short lead-time and COVID-19 restrictions, it couldn’t be scheduled.

The show’s organizers vow to work out all the glitches before the next Great American Stamp Show in Sacramento, Calif., August 25-28, 2022. There should also be some new features.

“Our most critical goal for Sacramento is creating virtual access to those who cannot attend the show in person,” said English (left). The APS hopes to have some events live-streamed, and some of the exhibits displayed online. “Our Content Team will be piloting technology at the upcoming UNEXPO in Bellefonte to make sure we can execute the virtual experiences on a large scale.”

When first scheduled several years ago, the 2021 show was supposed to run at the same time as the American Numismatic Association’s “Money Show.” The latter was also held in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, and did overlap GASS in part. The philatelic organizers learned that “coin shows and stamp shows can operate in the same venue with excellent results,” said English. “Dealers shared that many ANA members visited their booths and even made purchases. I am hoping we can work with the ANA to hold a similar event in 2025. Stay tuned.”