If you're planning to attend Americover 2013 (and I hope you are), I also hope you're staying in the show hotel. Normally, we hope for lots of "room-nights" (number of rooms times the number of nights they're occupied by Americover people) just because it benefits the AFDCS and the show's bottom line.

This year, I urge you to stay at the show hotel, the Embassy Suites, because it's a good deal for you. Not only do we have a $99 per night rate (the 22nd year in a row below $100!), but it includes a free breakfast buffet (with cooked-to-order omelets and more) and a nightly "manager's reception," with munchies and beverages (including beer).

About those benefits to the Society: It costs tens of thousands of dollars to put on a WSP-level stamp show like ours. Only some of that is covered by the dealers' bourse fees. We make a deal with the hotels: The people attending our show will fulfill at least a certain number of room nights and we will spend at least a certain amount at our food functions. Otherwise, the AFDCS has to pay for the use of the hotel's facilities, and those penalties start in five figures.

We don't charge admission to Americover, and, yeah, I see hotels in the Independence area as much as $16 less a night. But staying at the show hotel helps support the AFDCS - and this year we got a really good deal for you, too.

Use the code "AFD" to get the Americover 2013 rate at the Embassy Suites-Rockside.

Lloyd de Vries
President

AFDCS Names Bowman, Devine To Head Youth Committee

MaryAnn Bowman and Aimee Devine are the new co-chairs of the American First Day Cover Society’s Youth Committee. Both have professional backgrounds in the field of education as well as much experience working with youth and stamps.

Also serving on the committee will be Dave Bennett of California, Chris Calle of Connecticut, Jeff Hayward of New York, Jeff Shapiro of Massachusetts, and May Day Taylor of Maryland. Other members may be added later.

Bowman received the first annual Ernest A. Kehr Future of Philately Award in 1991 for her work with youth in stamp collecting. She created the first formal youth area at a national level stamp show in 1982, which has since served as a model for shows from the local to the international level. She also served on the American Philatelic Society Youth Activities Committee and is currently working with the APS on its new Stamps Teach outreach program to schools. She is Youth Director for the American Topical Association and Vice-President of Youth for the Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs (WFSC). She is currently serving on the Council of Philatelists for the National Postal Museum.

Originally from Mississippi, Aimee Devine has lived in Wisconsin for the past 10 years. She is editor of the Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs' newsletter and producer of the ATA's Topical Tidbits, a publication for youth. She is a member of the Janesville Stamp Club and Badger Stamp Club and is the leader of the Janesville Junior Stamp Club. She is a member of the APS, ATA, and, of course, the AFDCS.

Bowman, Devine and their committee hope to create a portable FDC display that can be downloaded and displayed at youth areas of shows around the country and hold a national non-competitive cachetmaking activity for youth. Longer-range goals include a youth e-newsletter.

Exhibits Jury Set for Americover 2013

Ken Nilsestuen of Ohio (left) will head the exhibits jury at Americover 2013, a World Series of Philately show that will be held Aug. 16-18 in Independence, Ohio, near Cleveland.

Nilsestuen will be assisted by Charles J.G. Verge of Ontario, Allison Cusick, Bill Schultz and Ken Martin, all of Pennsylvania.

The prospectus is now available for download here, by regular mail from Kerry Heffner, 17656 K Street, Omaha, NE 68135-3491, or e-mail at exhibits@afdcs.org. The deadline for entering the Americover 2013 exhibition is June 1, 2013, or whenever the 160 available frames fill up, as happened last year.

The emphasis at Americover is on First Day Cover exhibits, and about three-fourths of each exhibit should consist of FDCs. All three divisions (Postal, Illustrated Mail and Display) of the General class of exhibits will be accepted, as well as One-Frame and Youth exhibits.

Nilsestuen exhibits FDCs of the 1949 Minnesota Territory issue. His exhibit of the postal history of Algeria has won national golds and a grand award. He is past president of the France and Colonies Philatelic Society and currently treasurer of the Institute for Analytical Philately.

Verge exhibits FDCs of the 1959 Dental Health issue, and is a past president of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada and the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors. Cusick is a past president of AFDCS and currently serves on the board of directors. He also manages the AFDCS archives at APRL. Schultz is past president of the Pennsylvania Postal History Society and former editor of its newsletter, and exhibits Pennsylvania postal history, postcards, and Rattlesnake Island Post. Martin, the executive director of the American Philatelic Society, collects non-denominated issues, and covers documenting the mechanization and automation of the mails. He has a thematic exhibit on blood donation, as well as a collection of blood-related FDCs.

As a WSP show, the winner of the Grand Award at Americover 2013 will be part of the Champion of Champions competition at Stampshow 2014. Charles J. O'Brien III, winner of the 2012 Grand with "The U.S. Sesquicentennial Exposition," will represent Americover this summer in Milwaukee, Wis.

The Americover Grand prize is again a crystal pyramid provided by the AFDCS' Claude C. Ries Chapter.

In addition, if six or more competitive single-frame exhibits are entered, the Curtis B. Patterson Award recipient for the best single-frame exhibit will be invited to enter the APS Single-Frame Champion of Champions competition at AmeriStamp Expo in 2014.

Besides its Grand and Reserve Grand awards, Americover offers special awards from both the AFDCS and other philatelic societies, including ones for best exhibits of foreign FDCs, topical FDCs, pre-1931 FDCs, best exhibits by a novice and a youth, and best single-frame exhibit.

Unlike other WSP shows, Americover's exhibit awards are not presented at its banquet (which is held Friday night), but at the AFDCS Business Meeting Saturday morning.

It’s time again for me to ask for your support of the AFDCS by donating 1-3 quality covers or other philatelic material to our Americover 2013 Hospitality Suite Silent Auction.

I'm getting started on this project earlier this year because I will be involved in a couple other projects between now and the convention.

Please send your donation to me at your earliest convenience, even though I will accept contributions through mid-July, to:

Michael Litvak
1866 Loma Vista Street
Pasadena, CA 91104-4005

Thank you for supporting the AFDCS!

Michael Litvak
Auction Committee Chair

AFDCS To Make Digital Edition of First Days Available To All Members

The Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society has voted to make the digital edition of First Days, its award-winning journal, available to all classes of membership. First Days, which is published eight times a year, is one of the principal benefits of membership in the AFDCS.

The exact date of implementation depends on several technical issues, which should be resolved in the next few months.

The AFDCS offers several levels of membership: Online, which does not include a printed copy of First Days; Regular, which does; Silver and Gold, which allow members to express their support of the AFDCS and first day cover collecting; and Life.

Previously, all classes except Regular had access to the online version of First Days.

“We’re pleased to offer this benefit to all members of the AFDCS at no additional cost, said webmaster Todd Ronnei. "Philatelic publishing is becoming increasingly digital, and this benefit is a reflection of that."

The AFDCS also offers Family (which do not include a separate copy of the journal) and Youth memberships at reduced cost. These, too, will have access to the digital edition.

The American First Day Cover Society is the world's largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to the collecting of FDCs. Each issue of First Days is published in full color and includes articles, columns, Society business, a non-commercial Cover Exchange, and the best collection of FDC advertisements anywhere.

Americover Seeks Exhibits for 2013 Show in Ohio

The American First Day Cover Society is seeking exhibits for Americover 2013, a World Series of Philately show to be held Aug. 16-18 in Independence, Ohio, near Cleveland.

The prospectus is now available for download, or by regular mail from Kerry Heffner, 17656 K Street, Omaha, NE 68135-3491, or e-mail at exhibits@afdcs.org. The deadline for entering the Americover 2013 exhibition is June 1, 2013, or whenever the 160 available frames fill up, as happened last year.

The emphasis at Americover is on First Day Cover exhibits, and about three-fourths of each exhibit should consist of FDCs. All three divisions (Postal, Illustrated Mail and Display) of the General class of exhibits will be accepted, as well as One-Frame and Youth exhibits.

As a WSP show, the winner of the Grand Award at Americover 2013 will be part of the Champion of Champions competition at Stampshow 2014. Charles O'Brien III, winner of the 2012 Grand with "The U.S. Sesquicentennial Exposition," will represent Americover this summer in Milwaukee, Wis.

In addition, if six or more competitive single-frame exhibits are entered, the Curtis B. Patterson Award recipient for the best single-frame exhibit will be invited to enter the APS Single-Frame Champion of Champions competition at AmeriStamp Expo in 2014.

Besides its Grand and Reserve Grand awards, Americover offers special awards from both the AFDCS and other philatelic societies, including ones for best exhibits of foreign FDCs, topical FDCs, pre-1931 FDCs, best exhibits by a novice and a youth, and best single-frame exhibit.

The three-day World Series of Philately show will be held at the Embassy Suites Cleveland-Rockside Hotel, and there is a special Americover room rate of $99. There also will be a first day ceremony, two bourses (commercial dealers and cachetmakers), a banquet, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, a live auction and two silent auctions, seminars, a pre-show tour of the area, and a post-show evening dinner event. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also on the schedule.

Unlike other WSP shows, Americover's exhibit awards are not presented at its banquet (which is held Friday night), but at the AFDCS Business Meeting Saturday morning.

The United States Postal Service has confirmed that new Forever stamps, A Flag For All Seasons, will be issued at Americover 2013, the annual convention of the American First Day Cover Society.

The Flag stamps will be issued in multiple formats throughout the year. The stamps issued at Americover will be in a booklet pane of 10, a format not previously announced by the USPS.

The USPS says this about the new stamps: “From the heights of sunny summer to the snowy depths of winter, Old Glory proudly waves—thanks to laws and traditions that encourage respect for our vital national symbol. Guidelines for the display and treatment of the American flag hark back to the National Flag Code adopted in 1923 at the National Flag Conference and amended a year later. A federal law in 1942 further provided specific rules for using and displaying the flag.

“Federal law states that the American flag should be displayed every day of the year, but especially on federal and state holidays, the “birthdays” of states, and other days according to presidential proclamation. As long as a flag is a durable, all-weather flag, it may be displayed outdoors throughout the year, regardless of the weather.

Each of the four A Flag For All Seasons stamps shows an American flag, viewed from below, flying from a pole at full staff against a background of trees that evoke one of the four seasons of the year. The stamp art, gouache on illustration board, is the work of Laura Stutzman, who used her personal photographs of the flag as art reference. The art director was Phil Jordan.”

Americover 2013 will be held August 16-18 at the Embassy Suites Cleveland-Rockside in Independence, Ohio, about 10 miles from Cleveland. Americover will feature meetings, seminars, a World Series of Philately exhibition, both a dealer bourse and the largest cachetmakers bourse of the year, a banquet, several auctions, a hospitality suite, a pre-show tour and a post-show dinner/entertainment event.

For the 22nd year in a row, the special Americover room rate at the show hotel is below $100, and includes an evening reception, free full breakfast and free Internet service in the rooms.

For more information on Americover 2013, visit the Americover 2013 web page, send e-mail to showinfo@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732-6277.

AFDCS NAMES TIFFNER AS AMERICOVER 2013 BOURSE CHAIR

The American First Day Cover Society, the largest not-for-profit organization in the world specifically for FDC collectors, has chosen Howard Tiffner, of Lyndhurst, N.J., as bourse chair for Americover. The 2013 edition of the annual stamp and cover show and AFDCS convention will be held this summer in Independence (Cleveland), Ohio, August 16-18.

Tiffner is also the bourse promoter for NOJEX, another World Series of Philately show, and for some 20 years, assisted Michael Mellone with his shows, including quite a few Americovers. He is also a long-time cover dealer, doing about six World Series of Philately shows a year.

"I know Howard will be a real asset to us," AFDCS president Lloyd A. de Vries said. "He understands both sides of the dealer-bourse promoter equation."

Dealers interested in participating in the bourse should contact Howard Tiffner at hctcovers@aol.com or (201) 933-9542.

Americover 2013 will be held at the Embassy Suites Cleveland-Rockside in Independence, Ohio, about 10 miles from Cleveland, on the weekend following the American Philatelic Society's StampShow 2013 in Milwaukee. Americover will feature meetings, seminars, a World Series of Philately exhibition, both a dealer bourse and the largest cachetmakers bourse of the year, a banquet, several auctions, a hospitality suite, a pre-show tour and a post-show dinner/entertainment event.

For the 22nd year in a row, the special Americover room rate at the show hotel is below $100, and includes an evening reception, free full breakfast and free Internet service in the guest rooms. The discount code is "AFD."

American First Day Cover Society Executive Secretary Doug Kelsey is a 2012 recipient of the American Philatelic Society’s Nicholas G. Carter Volunteer Recognition Award. Kelsey was one of five recipients in the category for National Promotion/Service.

In announcing the award, the APS had this to say about Doug:

“Doug Kelsey may be best known for his positions as an executive for the American Topical Association and the American First Day Cover Society. However, he is a “stamp” collector himself with a distinguished track record of volunteer service. He was Linn’s Meter columnist from 1992 through 2005, writing 152 columns over that period, and in 2003 he became Linn’s Air Mail columnist. In addition he has written at least twenty other articles and publications on meters and air mail. He currently serves the Meter Stamp Society as secretary-treasurer and has at least six multi-frame exhibits, most, if not all, of which have won golds and at least one has received a national Reserve Grand award.”

Kelsey, the AFDCS executive director/secretary since 1991, has been honored previously for his service to the AFDCS. In 2001 he received the Society’s Glenn Michel Service Award and in 2008 was awarded an honorary life membership.

Congratulations, Doug, on the APS Volunteer Recognition Award!

The Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society has re-elected the Society's officers for another one-year term.

At the same time, the Board also selected Todd Ronnei of Minnesota for another term as its chairman.

The 2013 AFDCS officers will be Lloyd de Vries of New Jersey, president; Michael Litvak of California, executive vice president; Mark Goodson of Indiana, first vice president; Ralph Nafziger of Oregon, recording secretary; and Barry Ellis of Indiana, treasurer.

AFDCS officers are not compensated, nor reimbursed for their travel expenses. The Executive Committee, which also includes the executive director, immediate past president, editor, membership and education chairs, and the general counsel, meets annually at Americover, the society's annual show and convention, which this year is being held Aug. 16-18 in Independence, Ohio, near Cleveland.

The Executive Committee and AFDCS board will meet at Americover and each body conducts other business by mail ballots as needed.

The Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society has voted to censure Foster E. Miller III, a member of the Board and the AFDCS Executive Committee for admitted misconduct affecting other organizations and harming the reputation of AFDCS.

The AFDCS Board based its action on the American Philatelic Society's investigation and decision to suspend Miller for five years for embezzling funds from NAPEX while serving as its treasurer.

In addition, while suspended from APS membership, Miller may not vote as a member of the AFDCS executive committee and board of directors. He may continue to serve as Membership Chair and in other positions with the AFDCS.

"Foster's misconduct as NAPEX treasurer is extremely disappointing to his colleagues in the AFDCS," said Chairman of the Board Todd Ronnei. "While we acknowledge all the good work he has done and will continue to do for the AFDCS, the board felt this censure and suspension of his voting privileges was necessary and appropriate under the circumstances."

The resolution can be read here.

Miller has admitted wrongdoing, made restitution to NAPEX, and apologized.

The present AFDCS Auction Committee has been putting together the two annual journal/website auctions for the past 11 years. The Committee is just completing the compilation for the next Auction 76 which will appear in the March issue of First Days.

At this time of year, we typically have a large quantity of material to start working on the following auction which will be published in the September issue. This is the first time during this 11-year period when we have almost no new material to write up for that September auction (#77). Yes, we will be receiving about 300 items from the Cachetmakers Contest donated entries, but we're still going to need at least 700 more items to put together a decent auction.

Many of our members have contributed material in the past, with some of you doing so on a regular basis, and your generosity is greatly appreciated.

I'm now asking that you help the AFDCS in this current "drought" by putting together a nice quantity of interesting covers, etc. and shipping it to me at your earliest convenience. While we are always in need of classic covers and covers from current cachetmakers, we would greatly appreciate any other interesting items that you wish to contribute.

Please send your donated covers and other items to:

Michael Litvak
1866 Loma Vista Street
Pasadena, CA 91104-4005

Thank you for supporting the AFDCS!

Michael Litvak
Auction Committee Chair