What shows are coming up in August and September?: Editor’s Insights

By Donna Houseman

During the summer, stamp collectors often find themselves enjoying gardening, golf, hiking, and other outdoor activities rather than tending to their stamp collections. As summer draws to a close and Labor Day rolls around, collectors are lured back to their beloved hobby and ready to open their albums.

The stamp show scene, which also slows considerably after Memorial Day weekend, and most especially this year because of World Stamp Show-NY 2016, returns to a full schedule of activity in the fall.

WSS-NY 2016 played havoc with the schedules of stamp shows held annually in May and June. Napex, the national stamp show held the first weekend in June in northern Virginia each year, was canceled this year because of the international show, which took place May 28-June 4 in New York City.

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Nojex, the annual exhibit of the North New Jersey Federated Stamp Clubs Inc., the American Topical Association’s National Topical Stamp Show, and the Philadelphia National Stamp Exhibition canceled their shows this year in deference to WSS-NY 2016.

The organizers of Compex, the annual exhibition of the Combined Philatelic Exhibition of Chicagoland, staged by nine Chicago-area stamp clubs, decided their show must go on, and it did. The show took place May 20-22, the weekend before WSS-NY 2016.

Two major shows are scheduled for August. The American Philatelic Society’s Stampshow was scheduled for Aug. 4-7 in Portland, Ore., and Americover, the annual show of the American First Day Cover Society, will take place Aug. 19-21 at the Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park in Falls Church, Va.

The fall stamp show season traditionally is kicked off by the Balpex stamp show, sponsored by the Baltimore Philatelic Society annually on Labor Day weekend. This year’s show will take place Sept. 2-4 at the Hunt Valley Inn, 245 Shawan Road, Hunt Valley, Md. The show will host the annual general meeting of the United Postal Stationery Society and WE (Women Exhibitors) Festival 5, a chapter of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors.

The show bourse will include 60 dealers. Balpex is an American Philatelic Society World Series of Philately show. The grand-award winner will qualify for the APS Champion of Champions competition next year at Stampshow 2017 Aug. 3-7 in Richmond, Va.

A special room at Balpex will be set up for youth and beginning collectors. “Stamp Soaking from Start to Finish” will be presented Saturday and Sunday.

For additional information, contact the Baltimore Philatelic Society, 3440 Ellicott Center Drive, Suite 103, Ellicott City, MD 21043; phone 410-465-5712; or visit the show website.

Stamp shows offer wonderful opportunities to buy and sell stamps, to learn about the hobby, and to share experiences with fellow collectors. We hope to see you at a show soon.