Frolich, Schwartz claim top honors at 135th Garfield-Perry March Party

By Linn’s Staff

Alfredo Frolich received the grand award and large gold for his multi-frame exhibit titled “United States of Colombia 1868-1881” at the 135th Garfield-Perry Stamp Club March Party, March 14-16 in Strongsville, Ohio.

In the single-frame category, Mark Schwartz claimed the grand award and large gold for his exhibit “Carrier Service at Boston: 1821-1863.”

Frolich’s exhibit is eligible to enter the annual Champion of Champions competition during the Great American Stamp Show 2025, set for Aug. 14-17 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, Ill.

The exhibit also received the Dale Pulver Award for the Best Foreign Exhibit.

Schwartz also received two further Garfield-Perry awards for Best U.S. Exhibit and Best Postal History Exhibit. The exhibit will be invited to the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors’ annual Champion of Champions single-frame competition during Chicagopex 2025, set for Nov. 21-23.

Anthony Dewey received the reserve grand award and large gold for his multi-frame exhibit titled “The U.S. Alphabet-Denominated Rate-Change Series: 1978-1998.” His exhibit also received the U.S. Stamp Society Statue of Freedom Award and the U.S. Stamp Society Southgate Memorial Trophy.

Also at the awards dinner, Jay Stotts received the Walter W. Hopkinson Memorial Literature Award from Roger Brody, U.S. Stamp Society president, for his series of articles on the Great Americans stamp issue published in The United States Specialist, the society’s journal.

A chapter of the American Philatelic Society, the Garfield-Perry Stamp Club hosted hundreds of stamp collectors from across the United States during its three-day run in Strongsville, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

Show attendance was especially robust on Friday and Saturday, reflecting an overall 2.7 percent increase from 2024. Collectors lined up as much as 30 minutes before the show opened both mornings.

The show featured 22 multi-frame and 13 single-frame exhibits that filled 172 frames. Among the exhibits were 10 large gold awards, 12 gold, three large vermeil, five vermeil and two large silver, along with one silver award.

The show jury included Charles J.G. Verge, Mark Banchik, Andrew Kelley, Daniel Knowles, Hal Vogel and Fred Lutt, apprentice.

The March Party welcomed the annual meetings of the Civil War Philatelic Society and the United States Stamp Society. The Civil War group gave presentations on various philatelic topics.

A first-day-of-issue ceremony for the five new Vibrant Leaves postcard stamps also took place with Chris Lazaroff, past president of the American First Day Cover Society, serving as master of ceremonies.

An audience of approximately 70 people joined the unveiling. Eight-year-old Mary Ostrowski of Mount Sterling, Ohio, who attended the show with her mother Maggie, led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to open the ceremony.

Speakers included Jacshica D. Laster, U.S. Postal Service manager of customer service operation in Ohio District 1 based in Cleveland; Shirley Goldberg of the Western Reserve Post Card Society; and Bill Brooker, member of the Ohio Chapter of International Society of Arboriculture.

During the awards dinner Saturday evening, the Garfield-Perry Players returned for a third year in a row with a hilarious spoof of “The Tonight Show” starring Johnny Carson. Ken Nilsestuen, March Party co-chair, played Carson in welcoming stamp collector guests Gary Burghoff (portrayed by Tom Bieniosek) who played Radar O’Reilly on the long-running “M.A.S.H.” television series, and Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula (portrayed by Bill Ullom). Carson sidekick Ed McMahon was played by Alan Hanzl, while Jere Dutt played band leader Doc Severinsen.

Nilsestuen also resurrected Carnac the Magnificent, the sage prognosticator who provided humorous answers to questions in sealed envelopes — some philatelic and some not.

The 136th March Party is scheduled for March 13-15, 2026.

More information about the Garfield-Perry Stamp Club is on the club’s website and on Facebook.

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