APS cancels spring meeting; summer show still planned

By Michael Baadke

The St. Louis Stamp Expo for 2021 is still scheduled to take place, but the American Philatelic Society’s board of directors will not hold its annual spring meeting there.

In a Jan. 18 email to members, the APS announced that its board voted unanimously to cancel the spring meeting in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The St. Louis Stamp Expo is scheduled for March 19-21 at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel in St. Louis, Mo.

“Organizers have developed health and safety protocols for show attendees,” according to the APS, which advises members to check the show website at www.stlouisstampexpo.com for updates.

Though delayed by the pandemic, the St. Louis Stamp Expo was one of the few World Series of Philately shows held in a public setting during 2020. It took place Aug. 14-16 with 21 dealers at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel.

“We applaud the Committee for the health and safety measures they are taking for attendees to the show,” the APS said. “We encourage those planning to attend to follow the guidelines and please support the dealers at the show.”

The APS board approved a new plan to hold the 2023 spring meeting in association with the St. Louis show.

“Each day is a day closer to resuming normal activities,” said APS executive director Scott English. “The quickest way to get there is by remaining vigilant to curbing the spread of the coronavirus.”

English told Linn’s Stamp News that the next scheduled APS board meeting is planned to take place online March 2.

Along with the American Topical Association and American First Day Cover Society, the APS is still planning for the Great American Stamp Show to take place Aug. 12-15 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., a Chicago suburb.

The three societies host the annual show jointly with support from the United States Postal Service.

The APS notes that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently announced restrictions of groups larger than 50 people through early June under the state’s tier 1 resurgence mitigations.

“Convention centers will not be operational until Tier 3,” the APS said. “No timeline has been announced, but we will continue to update members as possible.”

The society anticipates that by late March it should be able to determine if the show can take place as planned.

Because of the pandemic, last summer’s Great American Stamp Show 2020 scheduled for Hartford, Conn., was replaced with the Virtual Stamp Show, which took place entirely online, Aug. 17-22.

After the Chicago-area show, future Great American Stamp Shows are scheduled for Aug. 25-28, 2022, in Sacramento, Calif.; Aug. 10-13, 2023, in Cleveland, Ohio; and Aug. 15-18, 2024, in Hartford.

Additional information about the APS, the largest nonprofit organization for stamp collectors in the world, can be found on the APS website.

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