by VSC editor Lloyd A. de Vries
Here’s what we know:
- The show is May 23-30.
The winner of the “Encore” vote will be announced and issued, at the same time, during the show.- There will be 6 or 7 first-days during the show, and all but one will be se-tenant issues.
- The illustration of the full pane for the American Bison stamp says “Boston 2026 World Stamp Show.”
- There are rumors that Route 66 will be issued at the show.
- We’ve heard that the USPS does not want to release a
new issue on the last day of the show, because at the 2016 U.S. international in New York, the cancelers were struggling to finish up all the cancellation requests before the end of the show, and ended up taking some of the covers back to Kansas City to complete them. - Nothing says “stamp show souvenir” like a 25-stamp issue (Figures of the American Revolution).
- When the USPS issues press releases listing a bunch of new issues, they are roughly in chronological order.
Therefore, I will predict these announced issues will be released during the show:
-
- E
ncore - A Day at the Beach
- Route 66
- Figures of the American Revolution
- Bald Eagles
- American Bison
- International Peace (even though that would be a second single-design issue)
- E
At GASS, USPS Art Director Ethel Kessler told us that one of the Boston 2026 issues would be a prestige booklet; none of the issues on your list would seem to lend themselves to a prestige booklet format. The prestige booklet could be an as yet unannounced issue. Also, Supervisor of Cancellation Services told us that if there is a seventh issue at the show, it would be a mail-use (defintive) stamp.
could be the ‘Encore’ issue since the design has yet to be announced. Still a-ways from the month of issue & USPS probably will not announce prior to March as to month & location. (45-90 days). just a swag.