AFDCS Update on GASS Show (June 2021 Update)

The following is an update on the Americover/Great American Stamp Show (GASS) to be held August 12-15, 2021 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Please check the AFDCS (afdcs.org/show) and APS (stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show) websites on a regular basis as new information is being added on almost a daily basis.

Show hotels: the first two show hotels, the DoubleTree and Embassy Suites, are sold out. An additional block of rooms has been added at the Hilton Rosemont Chicago O’Hare hotel. See stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/travel for details. All show hotels are connected to the convention by a sky bridge.

Registration and Volunteers: all show attendees must register. Pre-registration is strongly recommended to avoid lines when the show opens. Pre-register at https://stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/preregistration. Register to volunteer at the show at https://stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/volunteer; it takes a lot of volunteers to run a show.

Safety: GASS will follow State of Illinois and Stephens Convention Center rules at the time of the show. If masks are required, they will be provided by the convention center. The bourse area will feature wider aisles and six-foot gaps between dealer booths.

Wednesday tour: due to uncertainty over what venues may be open in August, we will not have a pre-show tour this year. For those arriving early, the Rosemont C.T.A. subway station is a five-minute walk from the show hotels and provides service to the Chicago area attractions.

Hospitality Suite: we will have our usual hospitality suite Wednesday night through Saturday night. Location has not yet been finalized. We will again have our hospitality suite silent auction. Thanks to a number of generous donors, we already have the 128 lots of material. Due to time constraints, we will not hold a Live Fundraising Auction this year.

AFDCS Board of Directors meeting: the Board of Directors will meet at 8PM Wednesday August 11 at the Embassy Suites. This meeting is open to the public.

AFDCS Show Booth: as one of the host societies, the AFDCS will have a 10×42 foot booth immediate inside the show entrance. We will have AFDCS covers and publications for sale, including a new catalog of Carol Gordon first day covers written by Sue Jones.

Dealer bourse: 76 dealers and 4 postal administrations have signed up for the dealer bourse. This includes booths offering $1.00 covers. Booths are still available. Details at stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/dealer-booths.

Societies: in addition to the AFDCS, ATA and APS as show hosts, there are 30 society booths representing 40 societies. Over 50 societies will sponsor seminar and meetings at the show.

First day ceremonies: four first day ceremonies are scheduled for Thursday August 12. At 11AM, the USPS will issue eight stamps showing Backyard Games (the AFDCS will have a Dave Bennett designed cachet for the issue). At 1PM, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Denmark will issue souvenir sheets honoring famed engraver Czeslaw Slania. The souvenir sheets are engraved by Martin Morck, probably the best engraver today. Morck will be at the show to sign autographs. At 2PM, the Boston 2026 international stamp show will unveil a Cinderella honoring the show (with a cachet designed by Chris Calle). Finally, at 3PM, the United Nations Postal Administration will issue a $1.80 stamp honoring Mother Teresa; the stamp is also designed by Morck.

Exhibits: the Americover competition has 25 exhibits totaling 168 frames. The National Topical Stamp Show (NTSS) competition has 32 exhibits totaling 139 frames. The StampShow competition has 92 exhibits totaling 554 frames. Exhibits will also include the World Series of Philately and Most Popular Champion of Champions competitions. The Royal Philatelic Society of London will show 50 frames in the Court of Honor. Finally, there are 80 entries in the literature competition. Most award winners will be announced at a reception at 4PM Saturday August 14.

Seminars and Meetings: the AFDCS will host seminars on the Carol Gordon FDC catalog, FDC Show and Tell, Isle of Man FDCs, An FDC Exhibitors Wish List: Cachet Images that Tell the Story, 2021 First Day Ceremony Update and ACPS Catalog Update, and Collecting FDCs Topically. Meetings include the American Ceremony Program Society (ACPS) annual meeting and auction, Colorano collectors, 7-1-71 Affair chapter meeting and the annual cachet contest discussion. A schedule will be available on the AFDCS and APS websites shortly.

AFDCS President’s Banquet and Cachet Contest Results: the AFDCS President’s Banquet is scheduled for 7PM Thursday August 12. The winners of the 2020 AFDCS Cachet Contest will be announced during the banquet. Details are still being finalized; check the AFDCS website for updated information.

Co-host food events: The ATA President’s Reception will be Friday August 13 at a local restaurant. Tickets will be available on the ATA website shortly. The GASS Celebration Banquet is Saturday August 14 at 7PM at the Embassy Suites. The Americover, NTSS, and StampShow Grand, Reserve Grand, and Single Frame Grand awards will be announced at this event along with the World Series of Philately, Single Frame Champion of Champions and literature Grand/Reserve Grand awards winners. AFDCS, APS and ATA lifetime achievement award winners will be recognized. Tickets are $70.00 each and are currently available at classic.stamps.org/SS-Function-Tickets.

AFDCS Business and Membership Meeting: the AFDCS business and membership meeting will be held on Friday August 13 at 9AM. Depending on available connectivity, this meeting and other AFDCS events may be available via Zoom.

Cachetmaker Bourse: the cachetmaker bourse will be held on Saturday August 14 from 10AM to 4PM on the show floor adjacent to the USPS sales area. At present, ten cachetmakers have signed up with additional tables available. Signup information can be found at stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/cachetmakers.

Post-Convention Dinner: we will have our usual Sunday night dinner at a local restaurant. Details have not yet been finalized.