Americover at Great American Stamp Show
AFDCS 68th Annual Convention
August 10-13, 2023
Huntington Convention Center
Cleveland, OH
HOTEL RESERVATIONS
EXHIBITING
We invite you to enter a competitive first day cover exhibit in the Americover competition at GASS 2023.
Entry deadline is May 5, 2023.
CACHETMAKERS BOURSE
Attendees will discover the fun of First Day Cover (FDC) collecting at the Cachetmakers Bourse held Saturday, August 12, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the show floor. Purchase your favorite cachet designs and talk with the artists themselves!
To participate in the 2023 Cachetmakers Bourse:
The opportunity to present your cachets before hundreds of collectors is available for $85. Each cachetmaker’s booth will consist of one 6-foot table with two chairs. Up to 12 tables will be sold on a first-come first-served basis. The bourse will be located in the First Day Ceremony area on the show floor to be held Saturday, August 12th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To reserve a table - complete and return the Cachetmakers Bourse Contract (this may only be utilized to sell only your own brand of cachets) . As long as space remains, requests will be accepted but must be received by May 15 to guarantee inclusion in the show program. APS, AFDCS or ATA membership is required to obtain a table.
If you are planning to attend the show, please register in advance on this page.
Dealer Booths Sold Out
All dealer booths are sold out. Information can be found on this page. The webpage also contains a list of dealers who have signed up for the show.
AFDCS Banquet Discontinued
Due to rising costs and diminishing attendance (only 26 people attended last year), the Convention Planning Committee has decided to not hold a President’s Banquet. Instead, the annual Cachet Contest awards will be announced at the AFDCS Membership Meeting on Friday August 12 at 830 a.m. in Room 11 of the convention center.
USPS to Present at Show
We have arranged for two seminars featuring top philately-related officials of the U.S. Postal Service. William Gicker, director of USPS Stamp Services, which chooses and designs stamps and stationery, will speak Thursday, August 10, at 1p.m. Top managers from USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services —Teri Basinger, its overall manager; Linda Houghtaling, Senior Operations Manager; Betty Brown, manager of stamp production; and Dave Mapel, Cancellation Services supervisor — will have a seminar on Friday, August 11, also at 1p.m.
Seminar Slots Available
We still have openings for a few AFDCS seminars at the show. If you would like to discuss your favorite first day covers or are a cachetmaker wanting to demonstrate your technique, please email Foster Miller (fmillerfdc@gmail.com) as soon as possible.
Volunteers Needed
The American Philatelic Society needs volunteers to help the show run smoothly. Volunteers are especially needed for exhibit setup on Wednesday afternoon, exhibit takedown on Sunday afternoon and at the registration booth on Wednesday and Thursday. Sign up on this page. A separate call for AFDCS volunteers will be made closer to the show date.
First Day Ceremonies
There will be at least six first day ceremonies at the show. The USPS will issue a “Life Magnified” pane of 20 on Thursday and a “Thinking of You” set of five on Friday; both ceremonies will be at 11a.m. At 1 p.m. Thursday, the United Nations Postal Administration will issue stamps with the theme “Body, Mind, Soul”. Faroe Islands will have two first day ceremonies - Faroe Islands’ 1000th stamp on Thursday and Martin Morck’s 1000th stamp on Friday; both at 2 p.m. Finally, at 4 p.m. Thursday, the Marshall Islands will issue souvenir sheets honoring the 100th anniversary of cacheted first day covers.
Post-Show Dinner
A Sunday night post-show dinner is planned; details will be available closer to the show (restaurants are not taking group reservations months in advance). The American Topical Association (ATA) is planning a post-show tour on Monday, however it will be limited to ATA members.
Hospitality Suite Auction Donations Wanted
Bob Helms will again be coordinating the Hospitality Suite Silent Auction. Donations can be sent to Bob Helms, 1118 Creekwood Drive, Garland, TX 75044-2412. We are looking for items with a minimum value of $10.00. We do not need bulk lots of common ArtCraft, Artmaster, Colorano or Fleetwood cachets.
GASS Banquet Tickets
The APS/AFDCS/ATA Celebration Banquet is Saturday August 12 at 7 p.m. The banquet will include presentation of the American Grand and Reserve Grand and Single Frame Grand exhibits awards and AFDCS lifetime service awards. Tickets are $75.00 and can be purchased on this page.
Additional show information will be posted as it becomes available.
