Boston 2026 World Stamp Show, Inc.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Boston 2026 World Expo officers have received a $1,000 check from the Polonus Polish Philatelic Society to further support the international philatelic exhibition. Notice was sent by President Ronald Klimley on behalf of their Board.

Established in 1939, Polonus has grown from a small local stamp club in Chicago to become the world’s largest and oldest philatelic organization specializing in Polish philately. They have recently unveiled a brand new website under the guidance of current webmaster Mark Maestrone.

The group has over 500 issues of their bulletin published from 1940 to 2018 available for anyone to download, with more recent editions exclusively accessible by members. Content runs the gamut from postal history of the region dating from the nation’s founding in 1918 to the latest new issues from Poczta Polska.

Polonus has five study groups specializing in aerophilately, cinderellas, DP/Intern camps, POW camps, and the works of master engraver Czeslaw Slania. It offers members exhibit assistance and a document translation service, among other benefits. Everyone can access their extensive eBay store.

Boston 2026 has received the first of two $2,500 donations from the American Topical Association, with an additional contribution planned for 2024.

ATA Executive Director Jennifer Miller informed Boston 2026 officers of their wishes in a letter from August 23, shortly after a very successful Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland.  Collaborative efforts between both organizations have been ongoing for some time.

Dawn Hamman, ATA President, followed up by email, saying, “ATA is looking forward to active involvement in the show.  As you know, topical collecting is a growing segment of our hobby, and an excellent way to attract non-collectors to the hobby.  We want to start promoting the show to our membership now, as people will need time to plan for the big trip.  There are a lot of good topics related to Boston!”

The American Topical Association is the world’s largest collecting organization specializing in subject-related philately.  Founded in 1949, the ATA continues to encourage the promotion of philately through their many programs and services.  Nearly 50 ATA Study Units delve deep into subjects from Americana to Wine, while their bimonthly journal Topical Time allows the entire membership to discover the variety and pleasures topical collecting. 

Boston 2026’s newest collectible label was released at 1 PM today during a ceremonial presentation about the World Expo on the exhibition floor at the Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland, Ohio.

This third-in-a-series of patriotic-themed promotional “The Road to Boston 2026” labels was again created by award-winning stamp designer Chris Calle, whose artwork will be issued yearly up until show time. Each of the 3,000 sheetlets produced by the Portland Stamp Company contain nine water-activated labels of the same design.

Prominent in the design is the 1973 USPS Boston Tea Party block of four stamps depicting the nighttime raiding of British ships carrying tea that took place on December 16, 1773. Hours earlier 7,000 Bostonians rallied at the Old South Church to protest the tea importation tax imposed by the British with the catchphrase, “No taxation without representation.” Pro-independence leader Samuel Adams assembled 50 colonists in Indian guise that evening to accomplish the symbolic protest. His image is in the lower left of the label alongside the famous “Join, or Die” flag of a segmented snake.

Both the unsigned and a limited edition of 450 artist-signed versions of the sheetlet are available. Orders are currently being accepted through the Boston 2026 web site. Labels 1 and 2 in both formats have been withdrawn.