Category Archives: Stamp Shows

Walske Donates to Boston 2026

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Individual Donation Received by Boston 2026

Noted philatelist, researcher, author and international Grand Prix award-winning exhibitor

Steven Walske is the latest major contributor to Boston 2026 World Expo.

Steven is perhaps best known for his postal history expertise in a wide variety of areas including mail of San Francisco (1849-1869), North American blockade-run mail (1775-1865), American transcontinental overland mail (1832-1869) and French Franco-Prussian War mail (1870-71), knowledge of which was presented through his many highly awarded exhibits at the international level since the 1990s.

He has authored several articles and co-authored books on his specialties with luminaries including Richard Frajola, George Kramer and Scott Trepel, collecting honors along the way including the Royal Philatelic Society of London’s Crawford Medal in March 2016, awarded as the most valuable and original contribution to the study and knowledge of philately published in book form in the period.

Other donors who have contributed between $10,000 and $24,999 making Boston 2026 World Stamp Expo a reality include Murray A. Abramson, Gordon Eubanks, Vernon Morris, Dr. Tim O’Connor, Daniel Ryterband and Scott R. Trepel. Donations large and small are welcome, and as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization U.S. contributors may qualify for a tax deduction.

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.

Southeastern U.S. Clubs Commit to Boston 2026

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[press release]
Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs Commits to Boston 2026

The largest regional federation of stamp clubs in the United States has made an initial $1,000 donation to Boston 2026 World Expo and pledged to make three more equal installments yearly for a total of $4,000 towards the once-a-decade philatelic exhibition.

Founded originally as the Georgia Federation of Stamp Clubs in 1991 with six clubs, the twenty-four club member federation currently represents over five hundred collectors in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, the District of Columbia and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It is an active Chapter of the American Philatelic Society.

Its sponsorship in the early days of the Peach State Stamp Show in Atlanta has evolved into the expanded Southeastern Stamp Expo, an APS World Series of Philately exhibition hosted annually in January in nearby Peachtree Corners, Georgia.

Commenting on the unanimous Board of Directors vote to financially support Boston 2026, Southeast Federation President Charles O’Brien III said, “The Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs, host of the annual Southeastern Stamp Expo, is very proud to announce our donation to Boston ’26. Our member clubs strongly support this initiative to promote worldwide philately.”

On hearing the news Boston 2026 President Yamil Kouri wrote, “This will go a long way to ensure the success of our next US International Stamp Exhibition.”

Information about the Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs and the Southeastern Stamp Expo taking place January 26-28, 2024 is on their website at sefsc.org.

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.

Chicago Philatelic Society Celebrates 137th Anniversary At Show

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[press release]
CHICAGOPEX 2023 Stamp Show Marks 137 Years of Chicago Philatelic Society

CHICAGO, Nov. 4, 2023 – Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS) will present its annual philatelic exhibition, CHICAGOPEX, Nov. 17, 18 and 19, 2023, at the Westin Chicago Northwest, 400 Park Blvd., Itasca, Ill. 60413.

2023 is the 137th anniversary of the Chicago Philatelic Society, which was founded in 1886 and is chapter no. 1 of the American Philatelic Society. Scott English, APS executive director, will attend the show on Friday and host a town hall where attendees can learn about the latest national society news and ask questions.

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.

In addition, two specialty societies will convene at CHICAGOPEX: the Collectors Club [of New York] and the American Revenue Association. The American First Day Cover Society is holding a regional meeting.

Notable events include book signings daily during lunchtime. On Saturday, there will be 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. Viewing philatelic exhibits gives attendees a chance to see rare and notable material.

2023 marks the 57th anniversary of the show’s philatelic literature competition, with books and other materials on display. This is one of two such annual competitions for print material in the U.S. The competition also accepts digital entries.

The show bourse is expected to feature at least 62 dealers from the U.S. 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 and speakers for the Chicago Philatelic Society, the Collectors Club of Chicago, Germany Philatelic Society Chapter #5, the 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.

First Stamp Issues Honoring Boston 2026 Show

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
First Stamp Issue Referencing Boston 2026

Empresa de Correos de Honduras (HONDUCOR), the postal service of Honduras, issued a pair of stamps on October 12 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the formation of its national philatelic organization, the Federacion Filatelica de la República de Honduras (FFRH) and continued support of its membership in the Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal (UPAEP). Each sheets’ selvedge inscriptions also reference the Boston 2026 World Expo.

The 25 and 35 Lempira face valued stamps depict the first UPAEP post horn logo surrounded by the 28 member national flags and a close up of a stamp collector viewing a stamp with tongs and a magnifying glass, respectively.

The denominations, approximately US $1.01 and US $1.42, pay the basic international 20-grams letter rate to Group 2 and Group 4 countries. They were printed by offset in sheetlets of 30 in a 6×5 configuration. Only 7,500 sets were printed, 250 sheets of each denomination.

Top sheetlet selvedge tabs alternate the Boston 2026 logo with the show dates in English and Spanish. The six lower tabs are each different depicting the Boston 2026 web URL; sheet number; Boston 2026 logo; show dates; a description and Mi Oficina You Tube URL to learn more about philately from member countries; and the logo and QR code linking to the Mi Oficina web page. Mi Oficina is an active online group of mostly Latin American philatelists formed during the pandemic and continues to meet regularly via Zoom. They have published over 600 videos in the past 3 years.

Empresa de Correos de Honduras (HONDUCOR) is online at www.honducor.gob.hn.

Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

On to Hartford for Great American Stamp Show 2024

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Great American Stamp Show 2023 (“GASS”) is history, but stamp collectors are already getting ready for the next edition, in Hartford, Connecticut.

Attendance was approximately 2,500 for the 2023 four-day show.

We’ll update this page as we get more details, but here are the basics:

  • August 15-18, 2024
  • At the Connecticut Convention Center downtown
  • Co-sponsored by the American Philatelic Society, American Topical Association, American First Day Cover Society, and the U.S. Postal Service
  • Admission will be free. But you’ll have to supply your own caffeine to keep up with all the events!

Meanwhile, the Palmares (exhibit winners) for the three exhibitions at GASS 2023 are here, and the list of literature awards is here. On the left, Nick Lombardi was presented with the Champion of Champions award, for the best philatelic exhibit in the previous 12 months, by APS president Cheryl Ganz. It was the 21st time his exhibit had been in the running for this top award but the first time it had won. It was also the first time an exhibit of post-19th century stamps or covers had won the C of C.

11 Pictorials, 4 Cancelers at GASS 2023

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Picture this: There will be at least two pictorial postmarks available for each day of Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland, August 10-13, plus one for the first day of Boston 2026’s latest label and one each for the new stamps the U.S. is issuing.

To handle the expected extra demand for postmarks at the show, U.S. Postal Service is bringing four clerks experienced in hand-canceling covers and cards from Stamp Fulfillment Services in Kansas City.

Postmarks are provided free of charge, provided there is postage meeting at least the first-class rate on the item being canceled.

The Digital Color Postmarks for the two new issues — Life Magnified and Thinking Of You — will not be in use at the show, because they require special equipment that does not leave the SFS facility. However, the USPS is sure to have already-canceled FDCs on hand.

Bequest Help at AFDCS Booth at GASS 2023

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Planning to leave some or all of your FDC collection to the American First Day Cover Society in your will? Have questions about bequests? The AFDCS Bequests Chair, Henry Scheuer, has prepared an easy-to-use analog presentation (we used to call them loose-leaf notebooks) that will be at the AFDCS booth during Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland, August 10-13.

In addition, Scheuer, a financial industry professional, will be at the AFDCS Booth from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday to answer questions.

The AFDCS is a 501[c](3) not-for-profit educational organization to which donations are tax-deductible.

USPS Stamp Services Sending 3 to Show Seminar

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The American First Day Cover Society’s seminar and discussion on the U.S. stamp program at Great American Stamp Show will feature three managers from the U.S. Postal Service’s Stamp Services department: Lisa Bobb-Semple, the acting director of the unit; Shawn Quinn, manager of stamp development; and senior stamp development specialist Michael Henry. The program is at 1:00 pm on Thursday, August 10, in the Huntington Convention Center (Room 11), and is open to the public.

William Gicker, the director of Stamp Services, went on administrative leave last month for undisclosed reasons.

AFDCS Seeks Volunteers for GASS 2023

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The AFDCS is seeking members to volunteer for Great American Stamp Show.

The available slots are:

AFDCS BOOTH:
Thursday, Aug, 10, Friday, Aug. 11, and Saturday August 12: 10 a.m.-12 p.m., 12-2 p.m., 2-4 p.m.. and 4-6 p.m.
Sunday, August 13: 10 a.m.-12 p.m., 12-2p.m., and 2-4 p.m.

COVER PREPARATION: Thursday, August 10 and Friday, August 11: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Please let Americover volunteer coordinator Ralph Nafziger — nafziger@peak.org — know by August 4 if you can help, and if so, when and for which duty.