[press release]
Americover 2018 Tour Offers Everything From Football To Fish

The American First Day Cover Society’s pre-Americover 2018 tour will provide an opportunity for participants to visit some of Atlanta’s best tourist attractions. It will drop off the Americover attendees within two blocks of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca Cola, the Center for Civil and Human Rights museum, and CNN World Headquarters.

Americover 2018 will be held August 3-5 at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast, 5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Peachtree Corners, GA 30092, just 20 miles from downtown Atlanta. The tour bus will depart from the hotel Thursday morning, August 2, and return in the afternoon. Participants will be able to choose any of the nearby venues, or even spend time in Centennial Olympic Park.

The price for the tour includes the hassle-free bus transportation, and is $25 if purchased on or before June 30, and $30 after that date, if space is still available.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.afdcs.org/register or by mail, using the insert in the March-April issue of First Days, the official journal of the AFDCS. Non-members are welcome on the tour and can use the website or request a copy of the Americover 2018 event order form by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to the AFDCS, PO Box 44, Annapolis Jct., MD 20701-0044.

Americover 2018 is the AFDCS’ annual show, convention and celebration of first day cover collection. Each year, it is held in a different part of the country. In 2017, it was in the Cleveland area; in 2019, it will be in Saint Louis. Americover is part of the American Philatelic Society’s World Series of Philately, and the winners of its competitive exhibitions are automatically entered in the annual Champion of Champions competitions.

There is also a Sunday evening event involving dinner; this year, it will be at The Crossing, a steakhouse in the former train station of Norcross, Ga.

As is customary, those attending the Americover tour and food events receive special cover souvenirs designed by leading cachetmakers.

There is a special Americover room rate of $99 at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast, which includes Wednesday and Sunday nights. There also will be two bourses at the show (commercial dealers and cachetmakers), a banquet, meetings, award-winning FDC exhibits, a youth table, a hospitality suite, live and silent auctions, seminars, a forum by a U.S. Postal Service official involved with first day covers, and possibly a U.S. first day ceremony.

For more information on Americover 2018 and the AFDCS, contact the AFDCS at P.O. Box 16277, Tucson, Ariz. 85732-6277, email showinfo@afdcs.org or visit www.afdcs.org.

Compex has a new weekend this year, and its theme will be the Illinois Bicentennial.

The American Philatelic Society will no longer sponsor a winter stamp show. They’ve never really lived up to their potential. Instead, elements such as the special exhibits and meetings will be hosted at other stamp shows.

Americover 2020 will be held in conjunction with APS StampShow 2020. Meanwhile, the American First Day Cover Society has big plans for Americover 2018.

[press release]
COMPEX 2018 Theme – “Honoring the 200th Anniversary of Illinois Statehood”

COMPEX 2018 will be held on its new weekend of June 1, 2, and 3, and new location at Guerin College Prep, a large high school facility located at 8001 West Belmont Avenue, River Grove, IL 60171. River Grove is an adjacent suburb of Chicago on the northwest side. This location is easily reached by major roadways and public transportation and is about 6 miles from O’Hare Airport. Also, Guerin College Prep has a large parking lot (free, of course!) and the building is air conditioned!!!

Hours of the show are: Friday and Saturday – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are free!!!

COMPEX 2018 (Combined Philatelic Exhibition of Chicagoland) is comprised of 7 Chicago area clubs holding their individual exhibits under the same roof at the same time. Member clubs of COMPEX will present a wide variety of exhibits for the viewing pleasure of all in attendance.

This year’s theme is, “Honoring the 200th Anniversary of Illinois Statehood.” A new stamp in honor of this milestone anniversary has been issued by the U. S. Postal Service and will be used on the show cachets. Cachets and a show cancel will be available in keeping with the show’s theme.

In addition to our normal member club exhibits, the prestigious Collectors Club of Chicago will have a special section of exhibits by its members, many of whom have received high awards nationally and internationally.

Once again, COMPEX will have its traditional Youth/Beginners Booth with free stamps and activities for young collectors, whether they are new to the hobby or already working on collections. Information about collecting is also available for those wanting to get started in the hobby, regardless of age.

A bourse of approximately 35 dealers, including a few postcard dealers, will be participating to fill the needs of all levels of collecting interests. The United States Postal Service and the United National Postal Administration will participate with their respective postal products available for purchase. We will also welcome post card and coin dealers. Contact Charles Berg for details (see below for contact information).

In addition to exhibits and dealers, several local area clubs will be holding their society meetings during COMPEX, including the Chicago Philatelic Society with a program still in the planning stages, and the Chicagoland Chapter No. 5, Germany Philatelic Society. Other societies have not finalized their plans as yet and details will be announced at a later date.

Make your plans now to attend COMPEX 2018 on the weekend of June 1, 2, and 3. There will be something of interest for all attendees!!

For further information regarding COMPEX 2018, please visit our website at compexstampshow.org, or by calling Charles Berg at 773-775-2100.

by Lloyd A. de Vries
The Virtual Stamp Club

At the American Philatelic Society’s board of directors meeting, executive director Scott English told the board he was not seeking a location for an APS-sponsored winter show in 2020.

Later during AmeriStamp Expo 2018, in response to a question from a member, he confirmed that it is unlikely there will be any more APS-sponsored winter shows.

“Only 6 of the 20 [winter shows] made money,” he said, and the APS has “lost substantial sums in the past five years.”

Two of the previous APS winter shows were subsidized by a vendor.

English said the APS is now looking for another show in which to hold the single-frame and most-popular “Champion of Champions” competitions. He sees a “market opportunity” for another show to host those events, as well as a similar draw for a show to host the APS winter board of directors meeting. Interested shows held in late winter and early spring should contact him.

The name “AmeriStamp Expo” actually belongs to the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors. In fact, one year since “ASE” became the regular APS winter show, AAPE held AmeriStamp Expo in Toronto while the APS winter show was conducted elsewhere.

When I was on the board (1997-2005), the concept for the winter show was to hold it in a warm location that would attract collectors who wanted a break from winter weather. Unfortunately, the hotel and tourism industries in such locations didn’t need the business from a relatively-small “convention” to fill their rooms, restaurants and recreation, and it was hard to find attractive cities in which to hold the show.

English said the decision is “not about the hobby, but the way we do business.” Attendance at the 2018 show was sparse; at its high point Saturday, it was only moderately busy. If it had been busier, would dealer Irv Miller in the purple shirt below be chatting at another booth?)

The last APS-sponsored AmeriStamp Expo will be held February 15-17, 2019, in Mesa (Phoenix), Arizona. “We have fantastic room rates for the ‘high season,'” said English.

But the APS “can’t bounce from a failing show like this to a state of excellence at StampShow,” he added.

[press release]
AMERICOVER 2020 TO BE HELD WITH APS STAMPSHOW
The Most Fun Stamp Collecting Show in North America Joins with the Country’s Biggest

The American First Day Cover Society, the world’s largest non-profit organization of FDC collectors, will hold its Americover 2020 stamp and cover show in conjunction with the American Philatelic Society’s StampShow 2020 in Hartford, Conn., August 20-23.

All the familiar features that make an Americover show special will be included: A strong emphasis on first day cover exhibits, dealers specializing in FDCs, a pre-show tour of sites and attractions in the Hartford area, a post-show dinner, the AFDCS President’s Banquet, announcement of the annual cachet contest winners, a hospitality suite, FDC auctions, and a busy program of meetings and seminars.

“The AFDCS hopes to share the fun of Americover with the larger audience that attends StampShow, while taking advantage of all that a large convention center show has to offer,” said Americover programming chair Foster Miller. “We look forward to a successful joint show in 2020.”

“I hope the AFDCS will bring a unique social experience [to StampShow] that we don’t usually get at a stamp show,” said APS executive director Scott English.

For the past decade, the Americover show has often been held the weekend before or after StampShow, allowing collectors to take a “road trip” between the two events. However, some could not afford the time or money to go to both shows. This arrangement solves that problem for 2020.

The agreement between the AFDCS and APS, announced at the APS’ General Membership Meeting at AmeriStamp Expo in Birmingham, Ala., on February 24, 2018, is only for 2020. It is similar to the one between the APS and the American Topical Association for 2018, when StampShow and National Topical Stamp Show are held jointly in Columbus, Ohio, August 9-12.

The AFDCS has been holding its own standalone show and convention continuously since 1992. The event’s name was changed to “Americover” the following year. It is held in a different part of the country each year. Americover 2018 is being held in the Atlanta area August 3-5; 2017 was near Cleveland, and 2019 will be held in Saint Louis.

The Americover exhibitions have had full World Series of Philately status since 2005, and emphasize exhibits with predominantly first day covers.

For more information on any of the Americover shows, visit the AFDCS website at afdcs.org/show, send e-mail to showinfo@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732-6277.

Cheryl R. Ganz, the former philatelic curator of the Smithsonian Postal Museum, has won the Single Frame Champion of Champions competition for her exhibit, “Zeppelin LZ-129 Hindenburg Onboard Postmarks.”

The award was presented at the AmeriStamp Expo 2018 banquet in Birmingham, Alabama, by American Philatelic Society president Mick Zais.

Ganz is the first woman to win the Single Frame Champion of Champions competition.

The Single Frame Champion of Champions competition involved the single-frame grand award winners from stamp shows in the past year. Ganz’s exhibit won at StampShow 2017.

Rick Gibson’s exhibit “The Forest Conservation Issue of 1958” won the Most Popular Champion of Champions competition. It had won the Most Popular vote at Minnesota Stamp Expo 2017. Gibson is shown with his “trophy.”

Robert Mayo won AmeriStamp Expo 2018’s Single Frame Grand for “The Straightlines of Richmond, VA, 1782-1800.” “Georgia Bicentennial” by Charles J. O’Brien, III, won the Best Multiframe award. Both exhibits received Large Gold medals as well.

The complete palmares (list of exhibit awards) should be on the APS website soon.

[press release]

The Board of Directors of NAPEX is pleased to announce the composition of the jury that will judge the exhibits at this year’s show.

• • Mark Banchik, New York (Chairman of the Jury)
  • Elizabeth M. Hisey, Florida
  • Stephen Reinhard, New York
  • Charles J.G. Verge, Ontario
  • Timothy G. Wait, Illinois

Those interested in exhibiting can find the show prospectus and application at www.napex.org. The deadline for submitting an application is April 15, but prospective exhibitors are urged to apply as soon as possible. All of the 230 frames at NAPEX 2017 were filled several weeks before the official deadline.

NAPEX 2018 will be held June 8-10, 2018, at the Tysons McLean Hilton Hotel, 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Virginia, 22102, just off exit 46A of the Washington Beltway.

NAPEX was founded in 1949 as the National Stamp Exhibitions of Washington, DC, Inc. It is the premier stamp show of the Nation’s Capital and an American Philatelic Society World Series of Philately show.

More information about NAPEX can be found at www.napex.org.

[press release]
AFDCS HAS GEORGIA ON ITS MIND FOR AMERICOVER 2018
Hotel Savings Also in Mind for Annual Stamp & Cover Show

Collectors and dealers attending Americover 2018 in the Atlanta area will be treated to one of the biggest bargains in stamp collecting shows: The official show room rate is $99, and it includes free breakfast for two at the hotel’s excellent buffet.

Americover 2018 will be held at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast August 3-5, 2018. The hotel’s address is Hilton Atlanta Northeast, 5993 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092. The annual stamp and cover show is sponsored by the American First Day Cover Society.

The $99 rate is good from Wednesday through Sunday nights; additional nights at that rate may be available if guests contact the hotel directly. Although Americovers run for three days, there will be a special tour on the preceding Thursday and a post-show dinner event Sunday evening after the show closes. The group code is AFDCS2 or reservations at the Americover 2018 rate can be made using this link. There is also a direct link for reservations on the Americover 2018 website: afdcs.org/show

Parking is free, as is the complimentary shuttle to nearby attractions and the MARTA transit system.

“I was just at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast for Southeastern Stamp Expo, and this is an excellent venue with an outstanding staff,” said Lloyd A. de Vries, president of the AFDCS. “And I’m very pleased that this is the 28th consecutive year with an Americover room rate right around $100.”

All Americovers are World Series of Philately shows dedicated to first day covers and the fun of stamp collecting. Locations move around the country: 2017’s show was held in the Cleveland area and Americover 2016 was in Falls Church, Va., near Washington, D.C. Other recent locations have included Somerset, N.J., Oak Brook, Ill., Irvine, Calif., and Indianapolis, Ind. Americover 2019 is set for Saint Louis, Mo.

For more information on any of the Americover shows, visit the AFDCS website at afdcs.org/show, send e-mail to showinfo@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732-6277.

For the first time in decades, there will not be a stamp collecting show in New York City organized by the American Stamp Dealers Association.

“Right now I haven’t found a venue that isn’t pricing me out of New York City,” ASDA executive director Dana Guyer told The Virtual Stamp Club. Instead, “we just joined forces with NOJEX for our October show.” NOJEX 2018 will be held October 19-21, 2018, at the Meadowlands Hilton Hotel in East Rutherford, NJ. The U.S. Postal Service has already expressed its support of the combined show.

In recent years, the ASDA shows in New York have been held at the New York Hilton, one of the more expensive hotels in Manhattan, just half a mile from Times Square. It had plenty of space, unlike the previous show location at The New Yorker Hotel, across from Penn Station.

A hotel on West 57th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues has been used by smaller stamp shows, but none is currently scheduled there.

However, Guyer says the days of a big Manhattan show may not yet be over. “i am working on a spring New York show for 2019,” she said.

New York may have been the last major city with a stamp show “downtown.” The Boston-area show moved years ago to Boxborough, Mass., 29 miles away. SESCAL in Southern California is now held in Ontario, Calif., 35 miles to the east. Chicagopex could really be called Itscapex, because it is held in that suburb. NAPEX moved years ago from Washington, D.C. to McLean, Va. Philadelphia no longer has a show at all.

The only major show now regularly held in downtown venues is the American Philatelic Society’s StampShow, which moves to a different city each year, but even the APS can’t touch downtown NYC, LA or Chicago. The 2017 edition was in Richmond, Va., this year’s is in Columbus, Ohio, and 2019 will be in Omaha, Nebraska (albeit with a tie-in to the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad).

The unveiling of the U.S. Protect Pollinators stamps on Thursday, August 3rd. American Philatelic Society chief operating officer Ken Martin taking a photo of the Pollinators ceremony. That’s Barb Boal, former editor of the American Philatelist and now a volunteer for the American Stamp Dealers Association, in the white jacket standing in the neighboring National Stamp Dealers Association booth. Got all those affiliations straight? There will be a quiz later. Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee members before the Pollinators ceremony. Two views of the standing-room-only crowd at the Protect Pollinators ceremony. Below, APS president Mick Zais is speaking. There were intentionally not enough chairs at this ceremony for the anticipated crowd, to make it look well-attended — which it was.