Napex show to honor 50th anniversary of first manned moon landing

By Linn’s Staff

The 44th Napex stamp show will feature 69 dealers from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and more than 200 frames of competitive exhibits.

Sponsored by National Philatelic Exhibitions of Washington, D.C. Inc., Napex will take place June 7-9 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Va.

Show hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission and parking are free. To nurture new collectors, the show will host a children’s area and will give free stamps to children.

In addition to dealers offering stamps and covers for sale, the bourse will include representatives of the United States Postal Service, United Nations Postal Administration and the Israeli Philatelic Agency.

On Saturday, June 7, the show will host a cachetmakers bourse, where first-day cover producers will offer their products for sale.

The House of Zion of Redwood City, Calif., will conduct an auction at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, June 9. The auction will focus on Israel philately and Judaica.

The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, the Society of Israel Philatelists and the Bermuda Philatelic Society will conduct their national conventions at Napex.

Other groups meeting at the show include the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections (ESPER) and the International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors.

Napex is the World Series of Philately show in the Washington, D.C., area. The grand-award winner in the exhibition will be eligible for the Champion of Champions competition to take place Aug. 1-4 at the American Philatelic Society Stampshow in Omaha, Neb.

Daniel C. Warren will chair the Napex exhibition jury. Also serving on the jury will be Roland H. Cipolla II, Edwin G. Kroft, Jane M.F. Sodero and Patricia Stilwell Walker.

Show postmarks, cacheted covers and souvenir cards will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing. The USPS will provide a different cancellation each day of the show honoring the anniversary. The engraved cachets and souvenir cards were printed by Mike Bean, a retired Bureau of Engraving and Printing plate printer.

On June 6, the day prior to the show, Guy Gasser will present an American Philatelic Society On-the-Road course, “Washington-Franklins: There’s No Need to be Afraid.”

During the daylong course, students will investigate the designs, printing methods, perforations and watermarks of the 1908-22 stamp series known as the Washington-Franklins. See the APS website at www.stamps.org for more information, including cost and required preregistration.

John Schorn, the show chair, said, “Napex is proud to be not only the largest stamp show on the East Coast but also the friendliest. We welcome all stamp collectors, from beginners to experts. Spend a day at our show to see how interesting and fun stamp collecting can be.”

Napex is conveniently located just off exit 46A from the Capital Beltway, with easy access from local airports and Metro (rapid-transit system).

Additional details for this year’s show can be found at www.napex.org.