Author: Tom Fortunato

On the heels of a personal donation from its president, Donald J. Sundman, Mystic Stamp Company has come forth with its own $25,000 donation to Boston 2026 World Expo.

Yamil Kouri, Boston 2026 President, welcomed the contribution saying: We continue to be amazed at the generosity of the entire Mystic organization in their backing of America’s next international exhibition.  The company’s slogan as ‘America’s Leading Stamp Dealer’ is certainly befitting their support of the show.

As mentioned in a prior press release Mystic became a 100% employee-owned company in April 2021 with the Sundmans continuing their positions—Donald as president and wife Chacea as director of human resources.  The 110-employee business is based in Camden, New York, specializing in the buying and selling of postage stamps, collecting supplies, and other philatelic items.

The firm’s annual U.S. Stamp Catalog is one of the most comprehensive featuring over 160 pages depicting 4,800 stamps in full color along with other must-haves for collectors.  Those in the U.S. may request one free of charge through their web site at www.mysticstamp.com and learn of their approval services.

First day cover enthusiasts know of the connection between Mystic and three historic mass-producers of cacheted covers formerly in the marketplace.  Fleetwood was bought by Mystic in 2007, followed by Colorano’s silk cachet business in 2016.  Mystic then purchased Artcraft’s 5 million steel-engraved cover inventory in 2019, making it the country’s foremost supplier of FDCs.

Daniel Knowles, President of the Civil War Philatelic Society (CWPS), emailed Boston 2026 World Expo officers that the organization is making a donation of $5,000.

He continued his message saying that the CWPS members, trustees and officers all look forward to participating in the show by holding meetings and presentations along with sharing a society booth with the Carrier and Locals Society.

Founded as the Confederate Stamp Alliance in 1935 by Dr. Marye Y. Dabney and August Dietz, the group broadened its collecting focus in 2020 by inviting all collectors of Civil War philately to become members and renaming the organization to reflect this. Income from dues and a permanent endowment allows the CWPS to support member benefits while continuing to research, publish and promote the many aspects of philately of the era.

The organization’s web site at www.civilwarphilatelicsociety.org details the offerings of the group, including the quarterly Civil War Philatelist magazine, expertizing service, research scholarship, mentor program, periodical archives, auctions, collections, exhibits, and more.

Look on the Boston 2026 web site‘s Donor Page for information about making individual or society donations. As a 501(c)3 organization, donations may be tax deductible.

Philatelic societies and organizations of any size should note that over 40 rooms are available for meetings and presentations daily throughout the eight-day exhibition. Contact Society Chair Mark Schwartz (Mark.Schwartz@Boston2026.org) to inquire or make your interests known.

Donald J. Sundman, president of Mystic Stamp Company, has made a personal donation of $25,000 to Boston 2026 with an additional pledge being made on behalf of the firm.

Considered by many as one of the hobby’s most effective and enthusiastic promoters, Don comes from a family of collectors.  His father, Maynard Sundman, founded the Littleton Stamp Company in 1945 catering to collectors out of his home.  It greatly expanded through his approval service.

The Sundman family purchased Mystic Stamp Company in 1974 when 19-year-old Don was appointed as general manager alongside his brother, David, who managed coin operations.  Today Mystic has over 110 employees at its Camden, NY headquarters and is 100% employee owned.

Don has been at the center of philately’s most notable stories of recent years.  He and David broke the 1987 story of the CIA invert through details obtained through their Freedom of Information Act request.  Mystic successfully filed a law suit in 1994 to prevent the USPS destruction of the Legends of the West recalled error sheets.  Following the firm’s 1998 purchase of the unique U.S. 1 cent Z grill for nearly a million dollars, Don made history again by trading it for the 1918 inverted Jenny plate block in 2005.  Mystic’s $50,000 reward offered for the return of two inverted Jenny stamps stolen in 1955 successfully recovered position 76 of the famous sheet of 100 and announced during World Stamp Show-New York 2016 to a worldwide audience.

In 2004 Don was elected Chairman of the Council of Philatelists of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, stepping down in 2021 but remaining on the Board.  He was appointed a Trustee of the Philatelic Foundation in 2006.  The APS honored him in 2010 with the Luff Award for Outstanding Service.  He has sponsored over 8,000 APS members, a society record.  His philanthropic endeavors continue to be numerous and noteworthy.

Boston 2026 will have a separate Polar Salon pavilion on the show floor during the international exhibition highlighting approximately 200 frames of exhibits, displays and societies. The Polar Salon will also include a Court of Honor featuring extraordinary historical polar artifacts and archival non-competitive polar philatelic material. A related conference is also planned.

Boston 2026 organizers are pleased to announce that the Polar Salon will be supported in part by a generous $25,000 donation from Jiří Kraus (photo above), a prominent polar philatelist from Liberec, Czech Republic.

Polar philately is a specialized collecting area focusing on stamps, covers and associated documents largely, but not limited to the exploration of the polar Arctic and Antarctic regions. It additionally includes polar-related aerophilately and military/conflict mail, along with thematics and traditional philately from stamp issuing entities in the polar regions and those countries producing “polar” subject emissions.

Competitive exhibits from 1 to 10 frames will be judged by a team of four expert polar philately judges, with an FIP judging option available. Multi-frame grand, reserve grand and single frame grands will be awarded along with donated special prizes. All competitors receive a show medal bearing a special commemorative designation on the reverse.

Members from various polar societies around the world are expected to participate. Further participant details and an exhibition prospectus will be announced soon.

It is with great sadness that the Boston 2026 team and the philatelic community as a whole mourn the passing of Nancy Clark, the founder, patron and president emerita of Boston 2026 World Expo.

Recognized most recently in the 2022 edition of Linn’s Stamp News Most Influential Philatelists and Their Epic Stamp Stories, Nancy’s story began in her home town of Akron, Ohio, where both her parents were stamp collectors and began encouraging her interest in the hobby at the age of 5. She became a music teacher and found employment in Rochester, New York. There she joined the Rochester Philatelic Association in the 1970’s, taking an interest in exhibiting, judging, stamp show organization, and creating youth stamp programs in local grammar schools. Quoting Nancy, “When my kids were kids, that’s when I first began working with beginning collectors.”

Nancy’s talents in these areas became well known to national philatelic leaders at the time and she was tapped to lead youth activities at the 1986 Ameripex international exhibition in Chicago. However, there was a greater need for qualified judges at the time and she reluctantly agreed to turn youth responsibilities to others to judge instead. Around the same time, she received a grant from the Council of Philatelic Organizations to design and develop youth areas for national shows.

Moving out of the area in the early 1980s, she and her husband Doug Clark were the driving force behind the creation of the Georgia Federation of Stamp Clubs in 1990, eventually becoming the current Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs that annually hosts the national WSP Southeastern Stamp Expo. An even bigger assignment awaited her as she was chosen to head the Olymphilex 1996 international exhibition taking place in conjunction with the 100th Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Nancy has always had strong ties with the American Philatelic Society, holding several committee positions and offices over the years, including Treasurer and Director at Large. She was accredited as an APS chief philatelic and literature judge and FIP international judge. Many will remember her for hosting “APS Stamp Talk with Nancy Clark” for more than 17 years, interviewing leaders from organized philately.

In more recent years Nancy was appointed Interpretive Master Planner for the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History in 2010 before heading up Boston 2026 activities.

A recipient of many prestigious award from a variety of societies, Nancy’s philatelic recognitions include the APS 2006 Kehr Award for work with beginning collectors, APS 2008 Luff award for exceptional contributions to philately, the Philatelic Foundation’s 2018 Neinken Medal for distinguished service, and an appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society of London for noteworthy contributions to philately.

Anyone who met her will always remember her smile, kindness and encouragement in whatever philatelic ventures awaited.

The International Society for Japanese Philately (ISJP) is pleased to announce its $5000 donation to Boston 2026 World Expo. Ed Kawasaki, the President of the ISJP, explains, “This donation signifies our commitment to bringing the beauty and excitement of Japanese philately to an international audience, while providing an opportunity for our members to network and share our passion.”

The ISJP will host a booth, hold a series of seminars, have a special networking event, and sponsor the Robert M. Spaulding Award for the best Japanese and related exhibit. “We are delighted to plan a fun and educational gathering while fostering fellowship in Japanese philately,” says Ken Kamholz, publisher of their award-winning quarterly publication. “We are building on the experience of the ISJP’s participation at World Stamp Show NY-2016 and will offer a wonderful opportunity to connect, collect, and learn—whether a neophyte or expert.”

The ISJP was founded in Canada in 1945, now with 450 members from 28 countries and 47 states and territories, as well as strong chapters in London, England; Washington, DC; and Southern California. Members have access to a library, expertizing services, the complete run of JP online and much more. Their web site is at www.isjp.org.

To become a member of the ISJP, please contact Ken at publisher@isjp.org. For those with questions or ideas about making the ISJP’s participation at Boston 2026 a success, please contact ISJP Director, Jeff Susman at jlsusman@UTMB.edu.

Three entrants have been named as winners of the “Boston Connection” contest organized by the Boston 2026 World Expo.

Announced in November, collectors were invited to submit lists of stamps and souvenir sheets related in some way with Boston, site of the next U.S. international philatelic exhibition.

Pedro D. Sarmiento of Fort Washington, Maryland, provided the greatest number of connections with 88. He is a fan of John F. Kennedy, and many of his submissions of US and overseas stamps dealt with aspects of the former president, born and raised in nearby Brookline and educated at Harvard University. Pedro is “90 years young,” an Air Force veteran and member of the APS and ATA, among other philatelic organizations.

The next two winners were selected at random.

Keith Christian of York, Pennsylvania, is also an APS member and just joined the ATA at the Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland this past August. His list included some interesting sports trivia. Willie O-Ree, featured on two 2023 Canadian stamps, was the first black hockey player in the NHL, called up from the minor leagues by the Boston Bruins in 1958. He identified five additional former Bruins players and several Boston Red Sox baseball stars depicted on stamps.

Frank Silviera of Wilmington, Massachusetts, will have a short commute to the Boston 2026 show. His U.S. and American Flag collecting interests were reignited during the Covid pandemic, now as a member of the APS and Waltham Stamp Club based in Weston, MA at the Spellman Museum. Among items he noted was that the first lighthouse built in North America was at Boston Harbor in 1716, and Dr. Martin Luther King received his PhD at Boston University in 1955.

Dzintars Grinfelds of San Francisco has been appointed as Deputy Commissioner General for Boston 2026 World Expo. Yamil Kouri, Boston 2026 President and Commissioner General, revealed the selection on December 30.

Dzintars is a long-time philatelist, becoming the first three-time AAPE Youth Champion of Champions in the early 2000’s, later going on to win top awards in adult national and international competitions with exhibits on his specialties of Latvia, Central Lithuania, and various thematic topics. Most recently he was a national commissioner for the USA at Thailand 2023.

While away from philately for a decade he managed social and digital marketing for some of the largest brands in sports including the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, and NBA 2K. Now owner and real estate business manager of Grinfelds Investments, LP, he also competes on the Professional Bowlers Association regional circuit.

One of the most active groups within the American First Day Cover Society, the Robert C. Graebner Chapter #17, has made a $500 contribution to Boston 2026 World Expo.

Their Secretary-Treasurer, Foster Miller, sent a message on behalf of their membership saying, “We hope that other stamp clubs will show their support for Boston 2026 and that first day covers will be an integral part of the show.”

Chapter #17 originally formed in 1973 as the “National Capital Area Chapter of the AFDCS,” later renaming themselves after the founder of the group on his death in August, 1974.

They continue to meet today at the Manning Center of the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church off Chevy Chase Circle in Washington, DC on the second Saturday of each month at 10 AM. All are welcome. Their web site is at www.sefsc.org/graebner.html.

Boston 2026 World Expo is pleased to announce the receipt of another contribution from a noteworthy philatelic organization, the Society for Czechoslovak Philately (SCP).

SCP President James Buckner emailed World Expo officers on November 30 that the group is forwarding a $1,000 check in support of the 2026 exhibition.

As explained on their extensive web site at csphilately.net, the SCP was founded in New York City in 1939 as the Czechoslovak Philatelic Society with the goal of collecting, study of, education, and publicizing all aspects of the hobby represented by geographic areas of Czechoslovakia as the nation faced the turmoil of the oncoming war.  It now covers philately of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic, the Slovakia Republic and Bohemia & Moravia.

Today the society has members residing in 35 states and 17 countries.  SCP membership offers a variety of services, including their journal, The Czechoslovak Specialist, access to the society library, discounted publications and expertization services, exhibit honoraria and more.  The group is in the process of organizing meetings during Boston 2026.