The American First Day Cover Society brings Americover 2017, its annual show and convention, to the Hall of Fame Corridor this year — Interstate 77, which runs from Cleveland (Rock ‘n Roll) to Canton, Ohio (Pro Football)
The show is being held August 11-13, 2017, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Cleveland-Rockside, 5800 Rockside Woods Boulevard, Independence, Ohio 44131. Admission and parking are free. The bourse hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there is a cachetmakers bourse Saturday evening from 4:30 to 8 p.m., followed by a special Cachetmakers Moonlight Meal, open to cachetmakers, collectors and friends. 
Among the highlights during the show are the first-day ceremony for the Azulillo stamped card (postcard); the largest collection at any one venue all year of first day cover dealers; stamp dealers; the largest cachetmakers (new issue FDC producers) bourse of the year; a World Series of Philately national-level exhibition of rare and unusual first day covers; and the announcement of the winners of the annual AFDCS Cachet Contest, complete with visual displays.
The annual meetings of the AFDCS, the American Ceremony Program Society, Cachet Makers Association (Chapter #65), the 7-1-71 Affair (Chapter #50), ATA Halloween Study Unit, and the Art Cover Exchange (Chapter #79) will be held during Americover 2017. Also meeting at the show are the. The American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors is also holding an open forum. In addition to its meetings, the ACPS will hold an auction of ceremony programs.
The first-day ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Friday in the hotel’s atrium. Many of the dealers will be selling FDCs for the new stamped card, among other recent issues.
The seminars include Chris Lazaroff on attending first-day ceremonies in all 50 states; Charles O’Brien on First Day Cover Terminology; and Phil Kumler presents a new approach to helping kids collect FDCs.
There are also two fund-raising auctions, which will include bulk lots and unique items produced especially for the AFDCS. There are hospitality suites each evening
There is a special cachet for Americover 2017, and a different pictorial postmark for each day of the show.
As a WSP show, the winner of the Grand Award at Americover 2017 will be part of the Champion of Champions competition at StampShow 2017. The jury is chaired by Ken Nilsestuen and includes Mark Banchik, Chris Dahle, Tony Dewey, and Tom Fortunato.
The day before the show, many of those attending Americover 2017 will spend travel down Ohio’s “Hall of Fame Corridor,” Interstate 77, to the First Ladies National Historic Site, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Harry London’s Chocolate Factory. (The latter isn’t a hall of fame, but perhaps should be.) On Sunday evening, quite a few show participants will dine at Melt Bar & Grilled, famous for its grilled cheese 
sandwiches and craft beers. These two events are open to the public. There is a fee involved, however.
More information on Americover 2017 is available on the AFDCS Web site, www.afdcs.org, by e-mail from showinfo@afdcs.org or by regular mail from the AFDCS, PO Box 16277
Tucson, AZ 85732.
Israel Post says its retail and marketing operations will be at the show and unable to fulfill orders or answer e-mails during that period.
Well, the big show is over and many of us who have been planning this extravaganza for more than decade are finally catching our breath. It gives us all a chance to reflect on what we planned and how it all turned out, with the goal of sharing that knowledge and experience with the Boston 2026 team preparing America’s next international philatelic exhibition.
Even though the dust hasn’t settled yet on the 2016 U.S. international stamp show, work is under way on the next one, Boston 2026.
“We’re going to be taking up the entire convention center,” Clark told 
From left to right, Master of Ceremonies Jamie Gough, “Alexander Hamilton,” Adm. Fargo, WSS-NY president Wade Saadi, Vice Admiral Joseph P. Mulloy, and Cochrane, cut the ribbon to start the snow.
The two Naval officers were a nod to New York City’s “Fleet Week,” an annual event where many U.S. Navy ships dock in the city and the streets are filled with sailors and Marines on shore leave.
members of his family. He also admitted that he was more of a “shoebox collector.” His holdings include “my prized mint plate block collection.” When he asked an expert about what to do with that collection, he related wryly, the response was “Have you ever thought of using it for postage?”
Cochrane mentioned that the USPS employs more than 113,000 veterans. He then announced 
Then there was a surprise speaker: Alexander Hamilton. The humorous speech was mostly about his life and times, and how even he can’t get tickets to the smash hit Broadway musical “Hamilton.” There wasn’t much philatelic content in his talk until at the end he mentioned the 1957 $5 stamp with his portrait on it.
the musical is based, and Hamilton 
The American First Day Cover Society’s pre-Americover tour will include special presentations at the National Postal Museum.
At the NPM, former National Park Service interpretive planner Paul Lee will present a special Sundman lecture, “Parks, Postmarks, and Postmasters: Post Offices Within The National Park System.” The program combines real-life drama and human interest.This year is the centennial of the National Park Service.
After lunch, NPM Chief Curator Daniel Piazza (left) will give a guided tour of “Trailblazing: 100 Years of Our National Parks,” followed by a tour of the rest of the facility. Members of the group will have a chance to see their own cachets in the Owney the Postal Dog FDC exhibit.
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The world’s most valuable stamp will be there, the unique British Guiana one cent magenta, which was sold at auction June 17, 2014 for $9.48 million dollars to fashion shoe designer Stuart Weitzman. Its celebrated story of being found in 1873 by a 12 year old schoolboy is legendary. The stamp is on a three-year loan to the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum and will be in a special display case at their booth through Friday of the show.
originally of 240 examples, are nearly intact with just a couple dozen of each removed. The 1d sheet has never been shown outside of the United Kingdom, while the 2d sheet has never been on public display anywhere. A presentation about them, “Postal Reform & the Penny Black,” will be given at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, May 31 by Douglas N. Muir, Senior Curator, Philately, The Postal Museum.
dealing with Great Britain’s penny postage program of 1840. The stamp, lettered A I, comes from the first row of the sheet printed from the first printing plate 1a completed on April 8, 1840. The stamp is attached on a sheet of stout paper together with a proof of a Mulready, as presented by Rowland Hill to the Council of Academicians on April 10 for approval of the proposed design, which was enthusiastically given. At the top of this sheet Wallace inscribed in his own hand, “1st Proof of Penny Postage Stamp Cover, presented to Mr. Wallace by the Right Honable. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Francis Thornhill Baring, April 10th, 1840.” and endorsed beneath the stamp, “Universal Penny Postage Fly or Loose Stamp, presented to me Mr Wallace as above” and noted “ These come into public use on the 6th of May 1840”.
The postal history of the small Indian Ocean island of Mauritius is forever entwined with the story behind its first issue of 1847. Lady Gomm, wife of the governor, was planning a lavish ball and decorated the invitation envelopes with new-fangled postage stamps hastily produced by a local watch maker. Each was to have been inscribed “Post Paid,” but shortly after being released were found to bear “Post Office” instead. It is believed fourteen 1d orange red and twelve 2d deep blue stamps have survived, along with only three Ball covers. The only such cover in public hands will be on display, from the collection of Vikramm Chand.
