News Archive

While this year’s session conflicted with a venerated Massachusetts show, next year everything should be back in synch with the show scheduled for the first weekend AFTER Labor day; e.g., September 5-7. Competition was fierce with Society members taking all the top spots.

Congratulations to Vernon Morris who won the Multi-frame Grand with his “Evolution of American Mail 1685-1799” (also Multi-frame Large Gold; APS Pre-1900 Medal of Excellence; Postal History Society Award; and the Ed Ruckle Award).

Mark Schwartz had 4 exhibits in the show and medaled with all of them. His “The New York Postmaster Provisional” earned the Multi-frame Reserve Grand (also Multi-frame Large Gold and the USPCS Medal). His plate reconstruction is truly worth seeing. “Leavitt Machine Cancels Used at Boston” also won Mark a Multi-frame Large Gold as well as the BPS’ – Best Two Frame.

Mark’s “Packet Mail Sent from Essex County, Mass: 1840 to UPU” won the Single-frame Grand and Single-frame Large Gold.

Multi-frame Gold was won by multi-members:

• David Mayo for “The U.S. 2¢ Columbian of 1893”.
• Robert Toal for “Mail Souvenir Cards by Wirths 1897 – 1904” (also AAPE Award of Excellence – Treatment; ATA Award 1st; and Best Exhibit by a BPS Member).
• Randolph Smith for “Coping with Adversity: How Southerners Adapted to Wartime Paper Shortages”.
• Marvin & Judith Platt for “The Columbian Envelopes of 1893”.
 

Gerry Oberst won two Multi-frame Large Vermeils for “Jean-Michel Folon: Postal Artist” (also the APS Medal of Excellence Post 1980) and “19th Century U.S. Philatelic Portrayals of Thomas Jefferson”.

 

Single-frame Large Gold was won by Mark Schwartz for “Use of Boston PAID in Grid Cancels 1851-1859”.

 

Dan Undersander won Single-frame Gold for “The 5¢ Taylor Envelopes of 1875 – 1882”. Robert Toal also won Single-frame Gold for “Origins of American Postcards: Lipman and the Early Years 1865 – 1873” (also the American Philatelic Congress Award).

INDXPEX 2024 was held 20-22 September 2024 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds and Conference Complex in Danville, about a 35 minute drive from downtown Indianapolis.

Mike Ellington’s “The Pneumatic Machine Cancels of the United States 1898-1904” won Multi-frame Gold and the Robert H. Rhodehamel Memorial Indiana Showcase Award.

John Becker had two exhibits at INDYPEX and won two medals. John’s “Doremus Machine Cancels of Indiana, 1901-1919” won Multi-frame Large Vermeil; the AAPE Gold Award of Honor; and the US Stamp Society Statue of Freedom.
John also won Single-frame Vermeil with “Indiana Machine Cancel Sampler”.

Terry Hursh echoed John’s performance with two exhibits and two sets of awards. For “The Postal Issues of Faisal Il, the Last King of Iraq” Terry won Multi-frame Large Silver and the AAPE Woman Exhibitors Sterling Achievement Pin. “Art Deco Influence on European Philately” won Multi-frame Large Silver and the AAPE Gold Award of Honor for Terry.

John Hotchner’s “US Postal Counterfeits The Classic Period to Modern Times 1895-2004” was shown in the show’s Court of Honor.

The APS is providing 100 free exhibit frames at the 2025 Great American Stamp Show for a joint display of material from the USPCS and RPSL with each society filling half the available frames. This will be another first for the Society and the RPSL.
 

The display is to show an overview of the United States classic philatelic period in the traditional exhibiting format, that is stamp issues and usages. We will display much of the material shown at the very successful 2023 exchanges, but the exhibit can be improved by the addition of more 1850s, 1860s, and Banknote issues. Any member with collections containing good material in these areas should be showing it in this joint display!
 

The joint display will be shown twice. The first time at GASS in Schaumburg, Illinois August 14 to August 17, 2025. The second time at the RPSL’s premises in London October 23, 2025. More activities will be planned around this event similar to those in conjunction with the USPCS display at the Royal in 2023.
 

To make sure exhibitors are able to contribute to the joint exhibit AND compete at GASS 2025, copies of material that participants will be exhibiting in parallel to the display at GASS, will be allowed in the joint display.
 

If you have some great material that you would like to show in the exhibit, please contact Carol Bommarito; carolab212@aol.com

The Philatelic Foundation has announced that John Hotchner will receive the Neinken Medal for Distinguished Service to Philately. The award will be presented in a ceremony at the Collectors Club in New York Saturday 26 October 2024.

The press release for the award gives the following summary of John’s philatelic efforts.

“A collector since the age of five, John has been a devoted leader, writer and active participant in the advancement of organized philately at the international, national and local levels. Mr. Hotchner served on the Board of the American Philatelic Society for sixteen years including a term as its President, as a member of the National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists for twenty years, as well as a dozen years as a member of the Postmaster General’s Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee. A co-founder of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, he served as a Board member for 32 years including two terms as its President. Accredited as a national chief judge and international judge in both stamps and literature, Mr. Hotchner has served for many years on the APS’ Committee on Judging Accreditation including a term as its Chairman. In 2017, he was invited to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. On the local level, he has served as president of the Virginia Philatelic Federation. He was a founder of national specialty societies for Auxiliary Markings, AMG Philately, Errors, Freaks and Oddities (EFO) collecting and for Mourning Stamps and Covers.

A prolific writer, Mr. Hotchner currently serves as a contributing editor of Linn’s Stamp News, responsible for its popular “U.S. Stamp Notes,” a weekly column, and as a monthly columnist for The American Stamp Collector & Dealer, as well as a quarterly columnist for a number of philatelic publications. As an exhibitor, his exhibits have garnered both national grand and reserve grand awards. He has served as an expertizer of 20th century United States stamps as well as a consultant to the Philatelic Foundation.”
Source: Robert G. Rose

Four new Regional Vice President’s have stepped up to fill positions across the U.S.

Region 1 – Southern California: Angelo Ismirnioglou

Angelo Ismirnioglou got his first stamp album at a Long Beach stamp and coin shop when he was just five. Living in California, he loves studying Western Express Postal History, which has led to his dedicated research in carriers, locals, and independent mails. He is retired from the United States Navy, where he flew the P-3 Orion. He then went on to fly the L-1011 Tristar commercially, carrying U.S. mail on postal contracts and routes with FedEx, UPS, and other private carriers through their systems worldwide. He brings to philately the same complex research and data analysis skills that he honed during his aviation career.

Angelo has partnered with his daughter, Alexa Valdez, to found Americana Stamps, a philatelic auction house focusing on next-generation advanced research and imagery. They are developing the Philatelic Heritage and Legacy Project. Alexa is a space systems engineer and a graduate faculty member at Johns Hopkins. She brings her passion for United States postal history and the latest technology to the field. Angelo is the Auction Manager of the Carriers and Locals Society annual auction and a member of the US Philatelic Classics Society, Western Cover Society, Collectors Club of New York, and APS.

Region 10 – (Delaware & Pennsylvania): Daniel Telep

Daniel Telep started collecting stamps to mount in his Scott’s Beginner Album when he was 9 years old in Detroit. Today, his philatelic interests have matured to the study of Postal History. As a collector, exhibitor, and author, Danny has specialized in Confederates, Pittsburgh, Sewickley (where he now lives), North Vietnam Military war mail, and, currently, “The Re-Federalization of Southern Post Offices after the Civil War”.

Daniel has competed in the Champion of Champions competition and published over 50 philatelic articles across the Collectors’ Club Philatelist, the Civil War Philatelist, the Pennsylvania Postal Historian, Journal of the Military Postal History Society, and the American Philatelist. He has served as President of the Pennsylvania Postal History Society and Treasurer of the Civil War Philatelic Society. He is presently a trustee of the Civil War Philatelic Society.

Region 12 – (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina): Jerry Palazolo

Jerry Palazolo is a lifelong philatelist and postal historian whose current interests include Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas with a special emphasis on the Civil War period. He is an award-winning author, researcher, and exhibitor. Jerry is a Life Member of the APS, a Life Member of the Civil War Philatelic Society, as well as a member of the American Stamp Dealers Association, the Collectors Club of New York and the U. S. Philatelics Classics Society.

Jerry is the section editor for The Chronicle’s The Cover Corner. He is a former editor of The Tennessee Posts, former associate editor of the Confederate Philatelist, and a regular contributor to various postal history journals.

Region 13 – (Florida): Tom Lera

Thomas Lera was the Winton M. Blount Research Chair at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum (NPM). He has published over 150 articles, edited Proceedings of Symposiums, and written several books and monographs. His articles have been featured in philatelic journals like The London Philatelist, The Collectors Club Philatelist, The American Philatelist, The Congress Book, Kelleher’s Stamp Collector’s Quarterly, the American Stamp Dealer and Collector, and the Florida Postal History Journal.

Thomas is a past president of NAPEX, a member of the organizing committee for Washington 2006, a National WSP judge, and a Director of the Florida Postal History Society. In 1998, he received a Multi-frame Grand Award for his “Bats Masters of the Night” exhibit. In 2009, he received a Single-frame Grand at FLOREX for his “Nitre and Mining Bureau of the Confederacy” exhibit.

Thomas received the 2019 Luff Award for Distinguished Philatelic Research; is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London; received the Secretary of the Smithsonian Research Prize in 2014; was inducted in the APS’ Write Unit Hall of Fame in 2015; received the Distinguished Philatelic Texan Award in 2015; and the Florida Postal History Award in 2019.

Please welcome Angelo, Daniel, Jerry, and Tom in their new roles.

Regional Vice Presidents support Society outreach and act as a “local” point of a contact within their respective region. The by-laws describe RVP responsibilities and duties as:

1. Coordinate Society activities by providing “point-of-contact” support to members.
2. Assist the Membership Chairman with recruiting activities in their region.
3. Act as Society representative at philatelic shows in their region, arranging for periodic gatherings of society members and seminars on classic U.S. philatelic subjects.
4. Act as local representative to support arrangements for the Society Annual Meeting when held in their region.

To find “your” RVP, please see the society map. Each RVP can be contacted via their e-mail address which is available by clicking their underlined name.