AFDCS Update on GASS Show (June 2021 Update)

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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.

Foster Miller
Americover Show Chair
showinfo@afdcs.org

 

Below is a FDC collector-centric floorplan for the show, subject to change. Click for a larger view:

Experience Nature: Dune Residents (Netherlands 2021)

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[press release]
Dune Residents on New Dutch Stamps

The Hague, June 14, 2021 – The latest PostNL stamps have a well-deserved spot for the flora and fauna of Duin and Kruidberg. This pristine dune area in North Holland is part of the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, which covers no less than 3800 hectares.

In the series Experience nature, PostNL will issue 4 stamp sheets this year with a total of 40 stamps. The stamps feature images of plants and animals from various Dutch nature reserves. Earlier it was the turn of the Dwingelderveld heath landscape (January 2) and the De Onlanden wetland area (February 22). The last issue of this year is about the park at the Haarzuilens city estate (August 16).

Bats in the Icehouse
The Duin en Kruidberg nature reserve is located in the South Kennemerland region in the province of North Holland. This vast dune area was the domain of the lords of Brederode for centuries. Nowadays Duin en Kruidberg is owned by Natuurmonumenten. Nature has now taken the place of the former inhabitants, with bats in the ice cellar and stinsen plants in the tree-lined avenues and roadsides.

Natural Monuments
The series Experience nature for 2021 was designed by graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda. This year the leading role in the series is reserved for the flora and fauna of special Dutch nature reserves. Janse collaborated with nature conservation organization Natuurmonumenten in selecting them. For the stamp sheetlet Experience Nature – Duin en Kruidberg, he compiled a list of animals and plants, of which 10 eventually remained: dune fritillary, rabbit, fox, sea buckthorn, parnassia, fallow deer, nightingale, dune violet, common thyme and konik horse.

Relationship between flora and fauna
The names of the plants and animals often make it clear that they have a predilection for this environment. There are also often special relationships between the flora and fauna in this dune area. For example, the fox maintains the rabbit population, the dune violet prefers to grow in places where the rabbits leave their droppings and the dune violets are an important food source for the mother-of-pearl butterfly caterpillars.

Other vegetation
Designer Frank Janse has been able to put a special landscape on the stamps. “As a result of the salty sea air and the wind, you will encounter a completely different vegetation on these sandy soils than in the clay and peat area behind the dunes. From Santpoort-Zuid you walk or cycle for 5 kilometers through the dunes until you reach the sea. You then go through a rough landscape, with winding paths where you don’t encounter many people.”

Availability
The stamp sheet Experience nature – Duin en Kruidberg has 10 different stamps with the value indication Nederland 1, intended for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from 14 June 2021 at all PostNL sales points, the post office in the Bruna stores and via www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from Collect Club’s customer service on 088 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.Direct link for ordering these stamps

Typically Dutch: Terraced Houses (Netherlands 2021)

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[press release]
The terraced house is also really typically Dutch

The Hague, June 14, 2021- Nothing is quite as Dutch as the terraced house. No country in the world has as many terraced houses as our country. Three quarters of them date from after 1945. With the stamp sheetlet Typically Dutch – Terraced Houses, PostNL pays tribute to the type of housing where 60 percent of the Dutch feel at home.

In 2021, the Typically Dutch series will pay attention to housing types and facades that are characteristic of our country. Stamps have already been published about stolp farms, wooden houses, canal houses and houseboats. The latest postage stamps about terraced houses are the last in this year’s series.
The latest postage stamps about terraced houses are the last in this year’s series.

The newest stamps about townhomes are the last in the series this year.

Identical homes
Of the 7 million homes in our country, 4 million are listed. The origin of this type of house in the Netherlands lies in the identical houses in the courtyards, the first of which appeared at the end of the 15th century. Most terraced houses were built after the Second World War, the newest in the Vinex neighborhoods since 1995.

Brabant fortified town
The stamps Typically Dutch – terraced houses features a colorful illustration of modern terraced houses in an otherwise empty street. The young trees in front of the houses are in full leaf and the sky has a summery blue. The terraced houses on the stamps are in reality in the middle of the new neighborhood of Brandevoort in the west of Helmond. The center of Brandevoort is set up as an old fortified town in Brabant, with the accompanying city wall, canals and mansions.

Always just different
The designer of the stamps is Edwin van Praet, of Total Design in Amsterdam. In his search for terraced houses, he accidentally came across the photo of the houses in Brandevoort. “It is a colorful image, partly thanks to the sun screens,” says Van Praet. “Behind the facades, the houses are undoubtedly very similar, but the outside is always slightly different: the height, the rhythm of the windows, the type of doors, the color of the bricks.”

Historicizing Architecture
The typical mood that Van Praet evokes in his illustration is partly due to the fact that he hardly uses color gradients or shadows. The depth is in the landscape and the sky. Van Praet: “As far as atmosphere is concerned, this issue fits nicely into the series. The other housing types in the series are older, but due to the historicizing architecture of the terraced houses in Brandevoort, they still fit in well.”

Availability
The stamp sheetlet Typically Dutch – terraced houses has 6 equal stamps with the value indication Nederland 1, intended for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from 14 June 2021 at the Bruna stores and via www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from Collect Club’s customer service on 088 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.
Direct link for ordering this stamp

Prime Minister John Turner (Canada 2021)

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[press release] (video and specifications at bottom of page)

Canada Post honours the Rt. Hon. John Turner with new stamp
Canada’s 17th prime minister respected for his fairness and civility

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Canada Post unveiled a new stamp today to celebrate and honour the life of the Right Honourable John Napier Wyndham Turner (1929-2020), whose passion for public service had a lasting impact on Canada.

A Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, Turner earned a law degree before being elected to the House of Commons in 1962. He later became a key figure in the government of Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. As Canada’s justice minister, he brought in the Official Languages Act, saw through a series of important Criminal Code reforms, and proposed a national legal aid system. As finance minister, Turner stewarded Ottawa’s fiscal policy through the economic tumult of the 1970s.

booklet cover

In 1984, after an eight-year hiatus from politics, Turner staged a triumphant political comeback by winning the leadership of the governing federal Liberal Party. After Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservatives won the ensuing election, Turner continued to serve in Parliament as Opposition leader. He led his party through the 1988 campaign defined by the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement – which Turner called “the fight of my life.” He remained Liberal Party leader until 1990. Politicians on all sides respected Turner for his integrity, fairness and civility.

Later in his career, Turner practised law, served on several boards, advocated for conservation and urged young people to participate in the democratic process. “Democracy doesn’t happen by accident,” he often said. In 1994 Turner became a Companion of the Order of Canada and, in 2012, received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Turner died September 19, 2020, at the age of 91.

“This is a tremendous tribute to John, and an honour to our family to see his life’s work recognized in such a meaningful way,” says his widow Geills Turner. “The photo on the stamp is so special. I took it while we were sailing through a beautiful part of our country, in Haida Gwaii in 1985. It represents John and his spirit. It evokes the love he had for nature, for the water, for Canada.”

About the stamp
Designed by Paprika Design of Montréal, the stamp is based on a photograph chosen by the Turner family. The 1970 photo on the booklet and Official First Day Cover (OFDC) shows Turner as federal justice minister. The cancel on the OFDC is a reproduction of his signature.

Stamps and collectibles are available at the Canada Post website [direct link] and postal outlets across Canada.

Official FDC

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Postes Canada émet un nouveau timbre en l’honneur du très honorable John Turner
Le 17e premier ministre du Canada était respecté pour son souci d’équité et sa courtoisie

VANCOUVER, C.-B. – Postes Canada a dévoilé aujourd’hui un nouveau timbre soulignant la vie du très honorable John Napier Wyndham Turner (1929-2020), dont la passion pour le service public a profondément marqué le Canada.

Boursier de la fondation Rhodes de l’Université d’Oxford, John Turner obtient un diplôme en droit avant d’être élu à la Chambre des communes en 1962. Plus tard, il joue un rôle clé au sein du cabinet du premier ministre Pierre Elliott Trudeau. En tant que ministre de la Justice du Canada, il présente la Loi sur les langues officielles, met en place une série de réformes importantes duCode criminel, et propose un système national d’aide juridique. Par la suite, ses fonctions de ministre des Finances l’amènent à piloter la politique budgétaire d’Ottawa en réponse aux difficultés économiques des années 1970.

En 1984, après s’être éloigné de la vie politique pendant huit ans, John Turner fait un retour triomphant en étant élu chef du Parti libéral fédéral et en devenant premier ministre du Canada. Après la victoire du Parti progressiste-conservateur de Brian Mulroney, il reste sur la Colline comme chef de l’opposition. Il dirige son parti tout au long de la campagne de 1988, marquée notamment par l’Accord de libre-échange entre le Canada et les États-Unis, que l’homme politique qualifie de combat d’une vie. Il continue d’occuper la fonction de chef du Parti libéral jusqu’en 1990. Les politiciens de toute allégeance saluent son intégrité, son souci d’équité et sa courtoisie.

Par la suite, John Turner pratique le droit, siège à plusieurs conseils d’administration, milite en faveur de la protection de l’environnement et incite les jeunes à participer au processus démocratique. « La démocratie n’est pas le fruit du hasard », dit-il souvent. En 1994, il devient Compagnon de l’Ordre du Canada et en 2012, il reçoit la médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II. John Turner décède le 19 septembre 2020, à l’âge de 91 ans.

« C’est un hommage exceptionnel qui est rendu à John, et c’est un honneur pour notre famille de voir le travail de toute une vie souligné de manière aussi significative, dit Geills Turner, son épouse. La photo du timbre est très spéciale. Je l’ai prise pendant qu’on faisait de la voile dans la très belle région de Haida Gwaii, au Canada, en 1985. Elle représente John et son énergie. Elle évoque son amour de la nature, de l’eau et du Canada. »

À propos du timbre
Conçu par la maison montréalaise Paprika, le timbre s’inspire d’une photo choisie par la famille Turner. La photo de 1970 qui orne le carnet et le pli Premier Jour officiel (PPJO) montre le politicien alors ministre fédéral de la Justice. L’oblitération du PPJO est une reproduction de sa signature.

Le timbre et les articles de collection sont en vente sur le Postes Canada site [direct] et dans les comptoirs postaux partout au pays.

U.S. Scott Catalogue Update (June 2021)

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Star Wars Droids

5573 (55¢) IG-11
a. Imperforate
5574 (55¢) R2-D2
a. Imperforate
5575 (55¢) K-2SO
a. Imperforate
5576 (55¢) D-O
a. Imperforate
5577 (55¢) L3-37
a. Imperforate
5578 (55¢) BB-8
a. Imperforate
5579 (55¢) C-3PO
a. Imperforate
5580 (55¢) Gonk Droid
a. Imperforate
5581 (55¢) 2-1B Droid
a. Imperforate
5582 (55¢) Chopper
a. Imperforate
b. Block of 10, #5573-5582
c. Imperforate block of 10, #5573a-5582a

Sealed With A Postal Clerk

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Here comes the bride — thanks to a postal clerk in Wasilla, Alaska, about 30 miles northeast of Anchorage. According to KTUU-TV, all the wedding invitations Crystle Lewis had mailed in early May had been returned because of insufficient postage.

The wax seal on the envelopes (see below) required extra postage.

Wasilla postal clerk Edward “Lee” Mayton (below right) saw the notice in her post office box, and realized no one had checked it in two weeks. He bought the needed the stamps himself and he and coworkers affixed them to the 50 invitations. They went out that night.

Lewis and her fiancé tried to repay Mayton, but he wouldn’t accept it. And he said he’d do it again.

Note that in the video, the postal clerk’s name is incorrect.

The front of the invitation package

Alex and Crystle

U.S. Seeks 3-Cent Hike

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Quick Summary:

  • Would take effect August 29, 2021
  • Domestic letters to 58¢
  • No change in additional ounces
  • Postcards to 40¢
  • Flats (non-rigid large envelopes) up 16¢, from $1.00 to $1.16 base
  • International one-ounce letters, up 10¢ to $1.30

[press release]
With Commitment to Affordability and Financial Sustainability, U.S. Postal Service Proceeds with Request for Postal Rate Change

  • Pricing actions part of balanced approach under “Delivering for America,” the Postal Service’s 10-year plan for achieving financial sustainability and service excellence
  • Following rate changes, USPS prices to remain among the world’s most affordable
  • Rate changes also contribute to $40 billion of investments in people, technology and infrastructure over the next 10 years to modernize and improve the Postal Service’s operations and customer experience
  • Rate adjustments in accordance with Postal Regulatory Commission approvals, helping to address USPS operating losses exacerbated by declines in mail volume

WASHINGTON, DC — As part of “Delivering for America,” its 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence, the United States Postal Service filed notice today with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) requesting price changes to take effect Aug. 29, 2021 that are in accordance with approvals provided by the PRC last year.

The proposed price changes would raise overall Market Dominant product and service prices by approximately 6.9 percent. First-Class Mail prices would increase by 6.8 percent to offset declining revenue due to First-Class Mail volume declines. In the past 10 years, mail volume has declined by 46 billion pieces, or 28 percent, and is continuing to decline. Over the same period, First-Class Mail volume has dropped 32 percent, and single piece First-Class Mail volume — including letters bearing postage stamps — has declined 47 percent.

“For the past 14 years, the Postal Service has had limited pricing authority to respond to changing market realities,” said Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy. “As part of our 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence, the Postal Service and the Board of Governors are committed to judiciously implementing a rational pricing approach that helps enable us to remain viable and competitive and offer reliable postal services that are among the most affordable in the world.”

The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:

Product Current Prices Planned Prices
Letters (1 oz.) 55 cents 58 cents
Letters additional ounce(s) 20 cents 20 cents (unchanged)
Letters (metered 1 oz.) 51 cents 53 cents
Domestic Postcards 36 cents 40 cents
Flats (1 oz.) $1.00 $1.16
Outbound Intl. Letters $1.20 $1.30

Under the current pricing model and the proposed rate change, the Postal Service still has some of the lowest letter-mail postage rates in the industrialized world and continues to offer a great value in shipping.

Single Piece Letter-Mail Postage Rates, International The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) of 2006 capped price increases for mailing services at the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The PAEA also required the PRC to evaluate the price cap system 10 years after the date of enactment and to modify or replace the system if it was not meeting the objectives of the law. The PRC recognized the price cap was a barrier to the Postal Service’s financial sustainability in December 2017, resulting in cumulative lost gross revenue opportunity of $55 billion. In May, the Postal Service reported a net loss of $82 million for the second quarter of 2021.

In November 2020, the PRC announced new rules on market-dominant prices, allowing above-CPI price increases on the basis of certain factors and allowing the Postal Service more flexibility in establishing prices for mailing services.

“November’s PRC ruling allows the Postal Service higher rate authority in establishing prices for mailing services,” said Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Joseph Corbett. “Aligning our prices for market-dominant products will allow us to grow revenue and help achieve financial sustainability to fulfill our universal service mission.”

With full implementation, the Postal Service’s 10-year plan is designed to reverse a projected $160 billion in operating losses over the next 10 years. The Plan’s growth and efficiency initiatives, including the proposed pricing changes, together with necessary legislation, should allow the Postal Service to make investments totaling approximately $40 billion over the next 10 years to modernize and improve our infrastructure to become more efficient and service responsive.

In 2020, the Postal Service delivered approximately 129.2 billion pieces of mail and packages to customers located in every state and territory, county, city, town and rural area in the nation.

The complete Postal Service price filings with prices for all products can be found on the PRC site. A fact sheet on the Postal Service’s rate change request is available here.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

AFDCS Auction Features Zepps And Autographed FDCs

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The 92nd AFDCS Fundraising Auction is now underway. The auction features 1,120 lots donated by our generous members.

This auction starts off with a rare set of 1930 Zeppelin first day covers with cachets by Roessler, postmarked on the back along delivery route with first on 4/19/1930 at Washington, DC, and serviced by none other than Egon Bernet! How often does a set in such a pristine condition come available?



Those who have an interest in autographed material will find several notable items:

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt

Stanton W. Salisbury, Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Navy

C. Everett Koop, U.S. Surgeon General

Robin Cook MD, medical novelist and author of ‘COMA’ and ‘PANDEMIC’

Richard Couch, Stealth Bomber Test Pilot

Paul Hubartt, Cachet Designer for Fluegel Covers

A large number of Walter G. Crosby 1940’s are featured, some lots as mini collections, including several not-so-common #10 cachets:

A variety of Cachetmakers are represented, notably:

This auction continues from the last, offering an assortment of Doris Gold items , including printed and hand-painted FDCs, original artwork, and working materials for production of printed cachets. All exhibitors should pay close attention to these lots!



Duck Hunting stamp FDCs are represented proudly with a good assortment:



Pickers will enjoy group lots on a variety of topics including hand-painted cachets, Circus, collection of JFK Aerogram FDCs, a Fleetwood presentation card album, FDR 1946 Fleetwood/Knapp combo, Obama Inauguration multiple stamp combination, Certified Delivery and Special Delivery covers, and much more:

Whatever you collect you’re sure to find something of interest.

Auction runs through June 20th. Convenient online credit card and PayPal payment available for winning bidders.

See all the lots here: https://www.afdcs.org/Auction92/92index.html

Thank you for supporting the American First Day Cover Society!

Great American Stamp Show: “Let’s Do This”

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Let’s Do This!
Great American Stamp Show: Chicago 2021
Statement from Scott D. English, American Philatelic Society Executive Director

In March, we announced that we were moving into the next planning phase for the Great American Stamp Show. To make the show financially viable for both dealers and the American Philatelic Society, we needed to meet specific benchmarks. I am pleased to announce we’ve completed those benchmarks, and the Great American Stamp Show will happen.

We called on our philatelic community to make plans to attend, and the response has been overwhelming! Good news and bad news: Our hotel blocks are filled for both the Embassy Suites and the DoubleTree hotel. If you haven’t booked your room yet, we will get additional rooms for those planning to attend.

To the collectors, exhibitors, societies, and dealers who made commitments to attend the show: You made this possible. On behalf of the American Philatelic Society, American Topical Society, and the American First Day Cover Society, thank you for rising to the occasion!

I would like to thank the APS Board of Directors for their faith in our fantastic team here at the APS. There have been so many developments over the past three months, and they’ve proven agile and responsive. Thank you to our partners at the American Topical Association and the American First Day Cover Society for their trust and support throughout this process. We promise to deliver a show to remember. Thanks to our partners at American Stamp Dealers Association, especially our old friend and colleague, Dana Guyer, for rallying the dealers.

Most importantly, I want to thank Wendy Masorti and Sarah Myers, our Shows team, for their tireless work in planning the show, responding at all hours to questions and concerns, and getting us across the goal line. It’s hard to believe this, the first show for both of them! Thanks to Ken Martin, our experienced hand at stamp shows, for his guidance and support to our rookie team.

To the dealers who have not committed to the show, look at the overwhelming response so far. We’re all planning to come to Chicago to support our dealer community after the challenging year. You will not want to miss this show!

The COVID pandemic has challenged all of us in the hobby, and we have emerged stronger from it. The response over the past two months is more proof of that. We’re not out of the woods just yet, so be vigilant, be safe, and be in Chicago in August for the Great American Stamp Show!

Show Details:

Dates: August 12-15, 2021

Location: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois

Hosts: American Philatelic Society, American Topical Association, and American First Day Cover Society

Sponsor: United States Postal Service

For More Information click here