AFDCS: Latest News about Americover/GASS 2024

Posted on January 22, 2024 by VSC

From the AFDCS:

Have you booked your hotel rooms yet? The initial block of rooms arranged by the APS at the adjacent Marriott is all but sold out — just like last year. The APS is working on more rooms — just like last year — and most are likely to be at another hotel nearby. And — just like last year — that second hotel will sell out and you’ll be on your own.

The APS prices are often better than what you can get on your own. Many of the early morning and evening events will be at the Marriott, the “show hotel.”

The AFDCS doesn’t get any benefit from where you stay; we just want our members to have a great time at the show, so reserve your rooms today. (You can always cancel or change later.) Start at www.stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/travel

GASS 2024 Preregistration is now open. Save time (and get a better badge!) at https://stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/preregistration

New Show Chair: Catherine O’Connor will steer our Americover efforts, after many years of great leadership from Foster Miller. You can still reach the committee at showinfo@afdcs.org Foster still heads our Sales and Membership Departments.

Chris Calle (right) will design the official show cachet and will be at the AFDCS booth during the show to autograph covers and chat with collectors. There will be at least two pictorial postmarks each day plus the first-day cancels for Pinback Buttons and Autumn Colors.

ATA is celebrating its 75th anniversary at the show. Like the AFDCS and APS, the American Topical Association is a cosponsor of GASS, and plans a two-hour celebration Friday afternoon.

Volunteer! We are looking for members to help staff the AFDCS booth. Shifts generally run about two hours. The tasks may include sales, talking about first day covers, and referring those with collections to an appropriate dealer. Contact Americover 2024 volunteer coordinator Ralph Nafziger, nafziger@peak.org if interested. The APS is also looking for volunteers, especially in putting up exhibits and working the registration booth, and has details on its website at www.stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/volunteer

Connect Online: While the AFDCS website is undergoing reconstruction, visit us on Facebook, either the Americover page (search for “Americover”) or the AFDCS group, www.facebook.com/groups/afdcs

Japanese Collectors Donate to Boston 2026

Posted on January 17, 2024 by VSC

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
International Society for Japanese Philately Donates to Boston 2026 World Expo

The International Society for Japanese Philately (ISJP) is pleased to announce its $5,000 donation to Boston 2026 World Expo. Ed Kawasaki, the President of the ISJP, explains, “This donation signifies our commitment to bringing the beauty and excitement of Japanese philately to an international audience, while providing an opportunity for our members to network and share our passion.”

The ISJP will host a booth, hold a series of seminars, have a special networking event, and sponsor the Robert M. Spaulding Award for the best Japanese and related exhibit. “We are delighted to plan a fun and educational gathering while fostering fellowship in Japanese philately,” says Ken Kamholz, publisher of the group’s award-winning quarterly publication. “We are building on the experience of the ISJP’s participation at World Stamp Show NY-2016 and will offer a wonderful opportunity to connect, collect, and learn—whether a neophyte or expert.”

The ISJP was founded in Canada in 1945, now with 450 members from 28 countries and 47 states and territories, as well as strong chapters in London, England; Washington, DC; and Southern California. Members have access to a library, expertizing services, the complete run of JP online and much more. Its web site is at https://isjp.org.

To become a member of the ISJP, please contact Ken at publisher@isjp.org. For those with questions or ideas about making the ISJP’s participation at Boston 2026 a success, please contact ISJP Director Jeff Susman at jlsusman@UTMB.edu.

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.

GASS 2024 Hotel Rooms Going Fast!

Posted on January 16, 2024 by VSC

If you are having trouble booking your hotel rooms for Great American Stamp Show 2024 at the show hotel (Hartford Marriott), try again later this week. But, yes, the initial block of rooms is almost completely sold out! The APS is working to secure a block of rooms at a second hotel.

For the link to the hotel reservations at the Great American Stamp Show rate, go to www.stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show . Travel / hotel is the second item on the left, or go directly to www.stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/travel

The show is August 15-18. It includes Americover 2024, the 69th annual convention of the American First Day Cover Society. Pre-registration is now open, too. It’s free and non-binding.

Maryland Man Wins Boston 2026 Contest

Posted on January 11, 2024 by VSC

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Boston 2026 Contest Winners

Three entrants have been named as winners of the “Boston Connection” contest organized by the Boston 2026 World Expo.

Announced in November, collectors were invited to submit lists of stamps and souvenir sheets related in some way with Boston, site of the next U.S. international philatelic exhibition.

Pedro D. Sarmiento of Fort Washington, Maryland, provided the greatest number of connections with 88. He is a fan of John F. Kennedy, and many of his submissions of US and overseas stamps dealt with aspects of the former president, born and raised in nearby Brookline and educated at Harvard University. Pedro is “90 years young,” an Air Force veteran and member of the APS and ATA, among other philatelic organizations.

The next two winners were selected at random.

Keith Christian of York, Pennsylvania, is also an APS member and just joined the ATA at the Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland this past August. His list included some interesting sports trivia. Willie O’Ree, featured on a 2023 Canadian stamp, was the first black hockey player in the NHL, called up from the minor leagues by the Boston Bruins in 1958. He identified five additional former Bruins players and several Boston Red Sox baseball stars depicted on stamps.

Frank Silviera of Wilmington, Massachusetts, will have a short commute to the Boston 2026 show. His U.S. and American Flag collecting interests were reignited during the Covid pandemic, now as a member of the APS and Waltham Stamp Club based in Weston, MA at the Spellman Museum. Among items he noted was that the first lighthouse built in North America was at Boston Harbor in 1716, and Dr. Martin Luther King received his PhD at Boston University in 1955.

Boston 2026 Appoints Grinfelds

Posted on January 4, 2024 by VSC

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Boston 2026 Appoints Grinfelds

Dzintars Grinfelds of San Francisco, California, has been appointed as Deputy Commissioner General for Boston 2026 World Expo. Yamil Kouri, Boston 2026 President and Commissioner General, revealed the selection on December 30.

Dzintars is a long-time philatelist, becoming the first three-time AAPE Youth Champion of Champions in the early 2000’s, later going on to win top awards in adult national and international competitions with exhibits on his specialties of Latvia, Central Lithuania, and various thematic topics. Most recently he was a national commissioner for the USA at Thailand 2023.

While away from philately for a decade he managed social and digital marketing for some of the largest brands in sports including the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, and NBA 2K. Now owner and real estate business manager of Grinfelds Investments, LP, he also competes on the Professional Bowlers Association regional circuit.

USPS Announces First Days for GASS 2024

Posted on December 19, 2023 by VSC

[APS press release]
The APS is excited to announce that the United States Postal Service will once again host two first day ceremonies at the Great American Stamp Show, issuing both Pinback Buttons and Autumn Colors at GASS 2024 in Hartford.

The ceremony for Pinback Buttons, a fun and whimsical issue featuring designs from 10 different artists, will take place on Thursday, August 15, and the ceremony for Autumn Colors will take place on Friday, August 16 (one day closer to fall!).

Walske Donates to Boston 2026

Posted on December 1, 2023 by VSC

[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.

Southeastern U.S. Clubs Commit to Boston 2026

Posted on November 9, 2023 by VSC

[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.

Chicago Philatelic Society Celebrates 137th Anniversary At Show

Posted on November 4, 2023 by VSC

[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

Posted on October 20, 2023 by VSC

[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.