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Polar Salon at Boston 2026

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.

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Nancy Clark Dies

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.

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ISJP Donates to Boston 2026

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.

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Boston 2026 Contest Winners

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.

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Boston 2026 Appoints Grinfelds

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.

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Graebner Chapter #17 Donation

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.

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Society for Czechoslovak Philately Donation

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.

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Individual Donation Received by Boston 2026

Noted philatelist, researcher, author and international Grand Prix award-winning exhibitor Steven Walske is the latest major contributor to Boston 2026 World Expo.

Steven is perhaps best known for his postal history expertise in a wide variety of areas including mail of San Francisco (1849-1869), North American blockade-run mail (1775-1865), American transcontinental overland mail (1832-1869) and French Franco-Prussian War mail (1870-71), knowledge of which was presented through his many highly awarded exhibits at the international level since the 1990s.

He has authored several articles and co-authored books on his specialties with luminaries including Richard Frajola, George Kramer and Scott Trepel, collecting honors along the way including the Royal Philatelic Society of London’s Crawford Medal in March 2016, awarded as the most valuable and original contribution to the study and knowledge of philately published in book form in the period.

Other donors who have contributed between $10,000 and $24,999 making Boston 2026 World Stamp Expo a reality include Murray A. Abramson, Gordon Eubanks, Vernon Morris, Dr. Tim O’Connor, Daniel Ryterband and Scott R. Trepel. Donations large and small are welcome, and as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization U.S. contributors may qualify for a tax deduction.

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SEFSC Commits to Boston 2026

The largest regional federation of stamp clubs in the United States has made an initial $1,000 donation to Boston 2026 World Expo and pledged to make three more equal installments yearly for a total of $4,000 towards the once-a-decade philatelic exhibition.

Founded originally as the Georgia Federation of Stamp Clubs in 1991 with six clubs, the Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs is now a twenty-four club member federation currently representing over five hundred collectors in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, the District of Columbia and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It is an active Chapter of the American Philatelic Society.

Its sponsorship in the early days of the Peach State Stamp Show in Atlanta has evolved into the expanded Southeastern Stamp Expo, an APS World Series of Philately exhibition hosted annually in January in nearby Peachtree Corners, Georgia.

Commenting on the unanimous Board of Directors vote to financially support Boston 2026, Southeast Federation President Charles O’Brien III said, “The Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs, host of the annual Southeastern Stamp Expo, is very proud to announce our donation to Boston ’26. Our member clubs strongly support this initiative to promote worldwide philately.”

On hearing the news Boston 2026 President Yamil Kouri wrote, “This will go a long way to ensure the success of our next US International Stamp Exhibition.”

Information about the Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs and the Southeastern Stamp Expo taking place January 26-28, 2024 is on their website at sefsc.org.

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Boston Connection Contest

Boston 2026 World Expo is pleased to announce details of its first in a series of contests open to all stamp collectors. Dawn Hamman, American Topical Association President, ended an email to Boston 2026 officers by writing, “There are a lot of good topics related to Boston!” How right she is!

Here’s where the fun starts and we invite philatelists around the world to participate. How many stamps can you find that relate to Boston in some way? Feel free to look beyond just U.S. stamp issues, as several countries have also honored the people, places, events and other things that make Boston such an historic and memorable locale.

The rules are simple. Put a list together of stamps and souvenir sheets you’ve researched dealing with Boston in some way noting the year of issue, country, major catalog used and its reference number, a description of what is shown and how it relates to Boston. While some are obvious, we guarantee you will be amazed at what you’ll uncover!

Entries must be made using the official form link between November 1 and December 31 when the contest ends. Only one entry per person is allowed. Questions about the contest may be emailed to contest@boston2026.org any time.

There will be three winners overall, two selected randomly and one for finding the highest number of stamps and souvenir sheets with a Boston connection, up to 100. In case of a tie, the earliest entry wins. All three receive a prize package of Boston 2026 mementos and souvenirs. Winning participants will be notified by email in early January. Good luck!

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