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New Cachetmakers Directory

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-06-12T19:54:58-05:00

AFDCS Publishes New Current Cachetmakers Directory — Free!

A new edition of the American First Day Cover Society’s Current Cachetmakers Directory is now available, as a free download for both members and non-members. It can be obtained by clicking on the image below.

Compiled by Betty Hundley, this is the first new edition of the directory in more than five years. It includes names, addresses, dates of the first cachets produced, the frequency with which cachets are produced, and other information.

The directory is especially valuable to collectors specializing in a topic or issue who want to obtain as many different first day covers as possible for a stamp or set.

A limited number of printouts will be available for sale at AFDCS tables at upcoming shows, such as StampShow 2013 and Americover 2013, the AFDCS’ annual first day cover show and celebration, which this year is being held near Cleveland. However, collectors are encouraged to download and, if desired, print out their own copies.

As the largest not-for-profit organization in the world specifically for FDC collectors, the AFDCS sees fostering and promoting first day cover collecting as one of its missions, and this directory is part of that effort.

2013 Show Cachetmakers Bourse

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-05-26T14:56:09-05:00

Year's Biggest Cachetmakers Bourse Planned for Americover 2013

Americover 2013, the American First Day Cover Society's annual World Series of Philately stamp show and convention, will host the biggest cachetmakers bourse of the year in suburban Cleveland, Ohio.

Americover 2013 will be held August 16-18 at the Embassy Suites in Independence, Ohio, and the Moonlight Cachetmakers Bourse will be held Saturday afternoon and evening.

A cachetmakers bourse is an event where producers of first day covers – those who design and print the "cachets" or designs on FDCs – sell their products. They are only permitted to sell their own cachets, during a limited time. In this case, the Moonlight Cachetmakers Bourse will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It's considered by many a highlight of Americover.

Many of last year's participants are expected to sign up for the 2013 edition. The table fee for a Cachetmakers Table is $100, but there is a $10 discount if the cachetmaker is staying at the show hotel (two nights maximum; $20 discount), and a further $10 discount for those who participated in last year’s bourse.

Cachetmakers who wish to sign up can download the application or contact Howard Tiffner via email at hctcovers@aol.com, by regular mail at P.O. Box 771, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071, or by telephone at (201) 563-8349.

Americover 2013 also features a commercial dealers bourse, a national-level exhibition of first day covers, a first day of issue ceremony, a banquet, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, auctions, seminars, a pre-show area tour and a post-show dinner event. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also likely.

Americover Show Hotel - Book It!

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-05-21T21:07:59-05:00

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

Donate Covers for Show Auction

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-05-01T20:36:13-05:00

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 Youth Team Named

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-05-04T20:23:31-05:00

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.

Americover 2013 Jury

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-05-04T11:15:02-05:00

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.

Online First Days For All Members

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-03-29T12:33:10-05:00

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 2013 Exhibits

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-03-04T17:35:24-06:00

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.

Flag Stamps Issued at 2013 Show

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-02-20T17:45:11-06:00

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.

Show Bourse Chairman Named

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-02-16T09:38:12-06:00

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."

Kelsey Honored by APS

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-02-11T20:11:00-06:00

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!

Cachet Contest Open

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-02-10T10:21:26-06:00

The Year's Best FDC Designs To Be Chosen In 16 Categories + 2 For Youth

Entries are now being accepted for the American First Day Cover Society's annual Dr. Earl Planty Cachet Contest. The best FDC designs from 2012 will be chosen in 16 categories.

The deadline for entries is April 15. Those entering covers must be members of the AFDCS. (Youth cachetmakers need only be related to an AFDCS member.)

The entry fee for adults is $5 if the cover is donated to the Society, or $10 if the cachetmaker wants the FDC returned. ($2 for youth entries.) A complete set of rules and an entry form can be found in the December 2012 issue of First Days, the official AFDCS journal, or downloaded here.

One change this year is that the first and second place winners in the Rookie of the Year category cannot be the same person.

"We want to encourage more artists to try their hand at cachetmaking, and more new cachetmakers to enter the contest," said contest chairman John Byrnes of Ajo, Ariz.

A cachet is the artwork on a first day cover envelope that complements the new stamp. These designs can be as simple as a few words of text or as complicated as an oil painting or mosaic. Typically, the media used in the entries to an AFDCS cachetmakers contest range from colored pencils and markers to acrylic paints, woodblock prints and movable parts.

Some of the categories include hand-painted; hand-colored; computer-produced; one-color; event (not first-day) covers; Rookie of the Year and two age groups for young cachetmakers. There is also the top award, which cites what the three judges feel is the best cachet submitted in the entire contest, regardless of the media used. In each category except noncommercial and youth, a minimum of ten identical covers must be produced.

Last year's winner, Chris Calle of Connecticut, entered the above-pictured first day cover for the gummed coil version of the two-cent Navajo Necklace stamp (Sc. 3758B). It also won the Hand-Painted/Mechanically-Reproduced category.

As winner of the top award, Calle may enter the contest again, and win in individual categories, but his 2012 cachets are not eligible for the Grand award.

The results of the contest will be announced on Friday evening, August 16, at Americover 2013 in Independence, Ohio, and later that evening online.

AFDCS Re-elects Officers for 2013

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-01-17T17:49:05-06:00

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.

AFDCS Board Censures Miller

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-01-17T17:45:57-06:00

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.

AFDCS Needs Auction Donations

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2013-01-16T18:24:15-06:00

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

Peter Martin to Chair 2013 Show

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-12-16T18:23:01-06:00

AFDCS NAMES MARTIN AS AMERICOVER 2013 CHAIR

The American First Day Cover Society, the largest not-for-profit organization in the world specifically for FDC collectors, has chosen Peter Martin of Fredericksburg, Va., as chair for Americover 2013. The annual stamp and cover show and AFDCS convention will be held this summer near Cleveland, Ohio, August 16-18.

Martin is currently editor of First Days, the society's award-winning journal, and a member of the AFDCS executive committee and board of directors. He also edits La Posta, The Journal of American Postal History and Duck Tracks, the journal of the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society, and is a past editor-in-chief of American Philatelist. He is an accredited philatelic judge and chief literature judge.

Martin previously served as show chairman for OKPEX, another APS World Series of Philately show in Oklahoma City, and SPRINGPEX, a major regional show in Springfield, Va.

"I can't think of anyone better to chair Americover 2013," AFDCS president Lloyd A. de Vries said. "Our shows are a three-ring circus, and Pete as ringmaster will keep it under control."

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. The show chairman is scheduled to sleep between 1:48 and 4:39 a.m. each day, barring emergencies.

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.

Free download of Dec. First Days

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-12-24T09:02:07-06:00

AFDCS MAKES DIGITAL EDITION OF JOURNAL AVAILABLE TO ALL

The December 2012 issue of First Days, the award-winning journal of the American First Day Cover Society, can be downloaded free of charge from the society's website, www.afdcs.org.

Ordinarily, the online edition is available for Gold, Silver, Life and Internet-Only members about two weeks before the hard-copy edition is mailed. However, a production scheduling glitch is delaying the mailing of the print edition.

The printer is closed for vacation during Christmas, and won't be able to mail the magazine until January 8. The online edition is already available, "and rather than make print subscribers wait, we thought we'd make it available to all our members now, as well as anyone else who'd like to read it," said AFDCS president Lloyd de Vries.

"I think after reading this issue, non-members will realize how much they're missing, and decide to join the AFDCS," he added. Annual memberships, which include a subscription to First Days, start at $24 for "Online-Only."

Click here to get the magazine.

The AFDCS is the largest not-for-profit organization in the world specifically for FDC collectors. Besides First Days, it publishes handbooks and presentation programs, produces special FDCs and generic cachets, and operates Americover, a World Series of Philately stamp show dedicated to first day covers. This year's Americover is being held Aug. 16-18 near Cleveland in Independence, Ohio.

Board Election Results

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-11-27T23:02:32-06:00

AFDCS Elects Five To Its Board

The American First Day Cover Society has elected five people to its board of directors for three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2013.

Here are the vote totals:

Allison Cusick	118
Ralph Nafziger	112
John V. Colasanti	97
Douglas A. Kelsey	90
Thomas Peluso	89
A. Francis Kohut	58

Cusick, Nafziger, Colasanti, Kelsey and Peulso were elected to the Board. Colasanti is new to the Board, Cusick has served in the past, while Nafziger, Kelsey and Peluso are incumbents who have been elected to another term.

In addition, 17 members received write-in votes: Barry Kaplan (3 votes), Chris Calle (2), Bob Emrick (2), and one each for Mark Gereb, Henry Scheuer, Ken Lawrence, William Moore, Gregory Ciesielsk, John White, Carl Swain, Maurice Landry, Alan Warren, Cynthia Scott, Otto Thamasatt, Neal Parr, Dave Bennett and Eric Wile. There were 148 valid ballots submitted.

President Lloyd de Vries thanked Fred Levantrosser of Motor City Stamp and Cover Club for their work in counting the ballots in this year's election, and the Nominating Committee chaired by Susan Whitehead for recruiting the candidates.

Five seats on the AFDCS Board of Directors are elected each year for three-year terms, beginning Jan. 1 of the following year. In addition to the 15 elected directors, the president, the editor of the official journal, First Days, and the general counsel serve on the board ex officio, if not elected to the board themselves.

AFDCS directors are not compensated, nor reimbursed for their travel expenses. The board meets annually at Americover, the society's annual show and convention, which next year is being held Aug. 16-18 in Independence, Ohio, and via mail ballots as needed.

Youth Scholarship Fund FDCs

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-11-21T22:10:39-06:00

The 2012 AFDCS Youth Scholarship Fund first day cover is now available. The cover features a hand-painted Year of the Dragon cachet by Mary Kay Fisher. Covers are available with a standard four-bar handstamp or a digital color postmark.

Covers are available for $20 each, with the proceeds going to the Youth Scholarship Fund. The Youth Scholarship Fund provides a free membership for a year to a youth member or club. Covers for 2012 and some prior years may be ordered online by clicking here.

Message from the President

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-10-26T15:27:15-05:00

You may have read in American Philatelist that AFDCS Membership Chair Foster Miller has been suspended by the American Philatelic Society for embezzling funds from “a philatelic organization.” That organization was not the American First Day Cover Society.

Foster does handle AFDCS cover sales and other sales at APS shows, and mail-order sales for AFDCS covers. We have no reason to suspect any impropriety with our funds has occurred. Since I often help him staff the show tables, I’ve watched how careful he is with the accounting of the cash.

In fact, whenever Foster has been involved in an AFDCS operation that involved money, the Society usually benefits from his generosity: Foster often pays the expenses himself, asking for no more than a letter acknowledging his donation.

What Foster did with this other organization was wrong. He admits it, he has apologized and made full restitution, and accepts the APS penalties.

There are, in my opinion, no grounds for taking any action within the AFDCS. Our Society was not a party to this embezzlement, nor has the victim filed a complaint with the AFDCS. I don’t think we would be the proper venue for such a complaint anyway.

Foster Miller is a valued member of our community, filling many key positions within the AFDCS. He had a problem that’s now been resolved. He continues to have my support. I ask that you give him yours, too.

Lloyd de Vries
AFDCS President

Landau Elected General Counsel

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-10-13T13:42:50-05:00

Eliot Landau Is New AFDCS General Counsel

The Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society has chosen Eliot A. Landau as its General Counsel.

Landau replaces Allen Klein of California, who served as the Society’s attorney for 17 years.

Landau is an attorney in Woodridge, Illinois (who retired at the end of August), an accredited APS national philatelic chief judge and frequent stamp exhibitor and lecturer on Abraham Lincoln, FDCs, registered mail and other areas.

He is the co-author and chief editor of Linn's US Stamp Facts: Nineteenth Century, wrote chapters in the Encyclopedia of U.S. Stamps and Stamp Collecting and many articles on Abraham Lincoln and other subjects in philately. He is a former president of the Chicago Philatelic Society and former chair of the CHICAGOPEX show. In March 2009, he gave the National Postal Museum's Maynard Sundman lecture on "Lincoln, Slavery and the Civil War" and was the concept designer of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial issue of 4 stamps.

Landau’s FDC exhibits frequently win gold medals; in fact, his "The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Series of 1945-46 and its First Day Covers" won the Americover 2007 Grand award. He is the contact for the Chicagoland FDC Society, Chapter #6 of the AFDCS, and general counsel for the Military Postal History Society and the Chicago Philatelic Society.

He was a civil rights worker for voter registration in Mississippi and desegregation efforts in North Carolina and Illinois, and served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall. A law professor for 11 years, Landau taught the nation's first course on Law and Discrimination. He was in private practice for 45 years.

“We were fortunate to have Allen’s good counsel for so many years, guiding us through a number of legal issues,” said Lloyd A. de Vries, president of the AFDCS. “And then to replace Allen with a distinguished philatelist and attorney like Eliot is also gratifying.”

As General Counsel, Landau is a member of the AFDCS Executive Committee, its Board of Directors, and Bylaws Committee.

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 treasurer, meets annually at Americover, the society's annual show and convention, which in 2013 is being held Aug. 16-18 near Cleveland in Independence, Ohio, and conducts other business by mail ballots as needed.

Ellis is New AFDCS Treasurer

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-10-12T17:41:33-05:00

AFDCS Board Chooses Barry Ellis As Treasurer

The Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society has elected Barry Ellis of Indiana to be the organization’s treasurer.

He replaces Elliott Fischer, who passed away earlier this year after a long battle with cancer. Fischer had served as treasurer for more than 20 years.

The AFDCS treasurer acts more as an auditor than a check-writer. “The Treasurer will perform the duties of Society auditor and budget director as well as supervise the financial activities of the Executive Director,” according to the Bylaws.

Ellis recently retired after working forty years in the accounting field and was a Certified Financial Planner. His experience includes working at a not-for-profit hospital as its accounting manager. He also has worked at a local accountancy firm, which included working with nonprofits and preparing their tax returns. He currently serves on the board of a large local nonprofit organization, the Little River Wetlands Project, and was its treasurer for five years.

Within the AFDCS, Ellis is a past member of its Board of Directors and just finished a term as chairman of its Philip H. Ward Award Committee, which recognizes the best first day cover articles published each year, and manages the AFDCS Endowment Fund.

“Barry is someone who not only knows the AFDCS, but also the financial concerns of a nonprofit,” said Lloyd A. de Vries, president of the AFDCS.

As treasurer, Ellis is a member of the AFDCS Executive Committee.

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 in 2013 is being held Aug. 16-18 in near Cleveland in Independence, Ohio, and conducts other business by mail ballots as needed.

Warren Honored by APS

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-09-19T22:04:57-05:00

AFDCS Charter Member Alan Warren is the recipient of the American Philatelic Society’s second annual Charles J. Peterson Philatelic Literature Lifetime Achievement Award for furthering knowledge through philatelic literature.

Alan’s involvement with philately and philatelic literature began in college, where he served as president of the campus stamp club and editor of the University of Pennsylvania Philatelist. At that time, he also became a charter member of the American First Day Cover Society and began writing the “Question Box” column for First Days, which he continues to this day.

Alan’s passion for philatelic literature is well known. His writing has appeared in more than sixty philatelic journals in the United States and abroad and includes feature articles, columns, and news items such as book reviews, convention reports, collector profiles, award results, obituaries, press releases, and article abstracts. He was president of the APS Writers Unit 30.

Alan is a nationally-accredited philatelic and literature judge. In addition to author and judge, he also has worn the editor hat for numerous philatelic publications — Springfield-Delco (PA) Stamp Club Newsletter, SEPAD Courier (later PNSE Courier), American Society of Polar Philatelists journal Ice Cap News, Washington 2006 Bulletin and the Show Program and Palmares, just to name a few. He was the translation co-editor for the Scandinavian Philatelic Foundation’s Coat of Arms Öre Values, Lion Type and Ring Type Stamps, Skilling Banco and Black Local Stamps, and AFA Specialized Catalog 1981–82: “Bicolored Issues.”

Alan’s many philatelic honors are well-deserved. Among these are the AFDCS’ Distinguished Service Award, Glenn C. Michel Service Recognition Award, Honorary Life Member No. 13; Scandinavian Collectors Club, Carl E. Pelander Award for outstanding work in furthering the SCC; APS John N. Luff Award for exceptional contributions to philately; Fifty-Year APS member; U. S. Representative for NORDIA 90; APS Writers Unit 30, Hall of Fame and Distinguished Service Award; elected Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London; and Military Postal History Society, Outstanding Service Award.

But more important than any of these accomplishments is the manner in which Alan contributes to philately. He is courteous, self-effacing, listens well, mentors extremely well, and is a model for us all to aspire to emulate. Congratulations, Alan. You have set the bar high.

AFDCS.org Gets a Gold

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-08-22T20:34:40-05:00

The American Philatelic Society has announced the winners in its first Chapter and Affiliates Web Awards recognizing web site excellence.

A total of sixteen groups participated in this inaugural competition that was open to all APS chapter clubs, club or federation-run stamp shows and affiliates. Each site was evaluated in a variety of areas, including overall content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality and interactivity.

Of the sixteen entrants, only two received a Gold. The American First Day Cover Society’s site, www.AFDCS.org, was among the top award winners.

The AFDCS site was designed and is maintained by webmaster Todd Ronnei.

Show T-Shirts Going, Going . . .

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-08-19T12:12:43-05:00

Americover 2012 T-Shirts Still Available But Supply Limited

Enjoy the “California Experience” from Americover 2012 with a t-shirt designed by professional artist and award-winning cachetmaker, Dave Bennett.

Having designed the (in)famous t-shirt for Americover 1995 in Irvine, CA, Dave put his creative cartoonery to work once again for this year’s convention which was once again held in Irvine, CA, Aug. 10-12.

The shirts feature a majestic color screen print design on the back in the renowned style of California surf wear, showing the bell tower of San Juan Capistrano and frolicking dolphins in Newport Harbor. In addition, the chest area features an elaborate Americover 2012 logo.

While the pre-order sale and the sale of the t-shirts at the Americover 2012 were very successful, the Ries Chapter purposely had extra shirts made for those people who would want to acquire one or more of these unique shirts after the convention.

T-shirts are available in three different colors (Forest Green, Antique Cherry Red, and Metro Blue) and will cost $18 (size M, L, or XL) or $21 (size 2XL or 3XL) plus $3 per shirt for shipping. Note that there are a few long-sleeve shirts in sizes L or XL in all three colors for $24.

You may order your T-shirt ONLY from the Claude C. Ries Southern California Chapter #48 (“The Chapter That Eats!”). While T-shirts in any of the three colors and in almost all sizes are still available for purchase, there are VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES. Consequently, before sending any payment, you must first contact Michael Litvak via email at michael.litvak4@gmail.com or via telephone at (626) 798-5831 for further ordering information and to ensure that your size and color is still available.

O'Brien Sweeps Top Exhibit Awards

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-08-15T20:30:48-05:00

Charles J. O’Brien III received the Claude C. Ries Chapter Grand Award at Americover 2012 for his exhibit U.S. Sesquicentennial Exposition. By receiving the Grand Award, O’Brien’s exhibit becomes eligible for the Champion of Champions competition at the 2013 APS Stampshow.

O’Brien scored again by picking up the Reserve Grand and the Richard B. Thompson Award for New York World’s Fair 1939. Best single frame exhibit and the Curtis B. Patterson Award went to Eliot Landau for The 1909 Lincoln Commemorative Issues: Early Uses and First Day Covers. Jay Bigalke picked up the Marge Finger Award for most popular exhibit with Springfield USA, a study of the 2009 Simpsons issue.

A complete palmares can be downloaded by clicking here. Congratulations to all exhibitors!

The AFDCS thanks the jury of Chief Judge David McNamee, Peter Martin, Stephen Suffet, Alan Warren and Anthony Wawrukiewicz.

Ronnei Receives 2012 DSA

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-08-14T17:40:12-05:00

At the AFDCS Membership meeting held on August 12, Todd Ronnei received the AFDCS Distinguished Service Award (DSA). This is the AFDCS's second-highest award (only Honorary Life Membership is higher), and the DSA honoree is selected by a committee composed of all prior DSA recipients.

President Lloyd de Vries presents DSA to Todd Ronnei.

Alan Warren prepared the following, which was read at the presentation:

Our honoree began collecting stamps when he was given a stamp collecting kit for Christmas in 1970. A few months later the first day cover collecting bug bit him when the 7-1-71 FDCs came on the scene. The year after that he serviced his very own FDC by sending an envelope and 16 cents to Cape Hatteras for two blocks of the National Parks Centennial issue on cover.

Our awardee began as a cachetmaker in 1991 when the Hubert Humphrey Great Americans stamp was issued in his hometown of Minneapolis. He not only designed and printed his first cachet but drove several hundred miles to obtain unofficial cancels for this issue. Currently he is a gold-medal FDC exhibitor. He is active on the Virtual Stamp Club message board and has published in Stamp Collector and Scott Stamp Monthly.

In October 2009 he launched a totally revamped web site for AFDCS that included easier navigation for the fund-raising auctions and a secure online payment system. His services as webmaster are at no cost to the Society. His latest project has rendered an invaluable service to the hobby AND the Society by scanning the complete run of First Days and preparing a digitized searchable PDF version for which first day cover researchers will always be indebted to him.

He became a member of the Board of Directors in 2009 and is current Chairman of the Board-Todd Ronnei.

Americover 2012 Show Cancels

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-07-25T21:07:57-05:00

The theme of Americover 2012, to be held August 10, 11 and 12 in Irvine, Calif., is The California Experience.

Phil Docktor of the Claude C. Ries Chapter, hosts of the show, prepared these three pictorial cancels. The sun is high in the sky in Friday’s cancel, lower in Saturday’s cancel, and is setting in Sunday’s cancel.

A set of three show covers is $10.

Can’t make it to the show? Order a set of convention covers online. Click here, then scroll down to the bottom to purchase a set of convention covers and/or a show program bearing stamps postmarked with all three of the show postmarks.

Online orders will be mailed after the show.

Silent Auction at Americover 2012

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-07-24T18:39:07-05:00

The tradition continues as the Robert C. Graebner Chapter and the Claude C. Ries Chapter host the Hospitality Suite at this year’s Americover in Irvine, Calif. The Suite will provide ample room for attendees to meet and enjoy the company of fellow collectors. The Suite will be open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings after the other events are finished and offer light snacks and soft drinks.

This year the two chapters are again teaming up to hold the popular Silent Auction which begins on Thursday and closes at 11:00 PM on Saturday evening. The auction features 128 lots with a large variety of new and older material including single covers, sets on cover, ceremony programs and usually a few unique items that attract several bidders. Download a description of all lots.

The auction is open to all show attendees; register to bid in the Suite. If you can’t make the show, contact Foster Miller at fmillerfdc@yahoo.com to act as your auction agent. Auction proceeds cover the cost of the Suite, with remaining funds donated to the Society.

Auction items have been donated by Chapter members and the many members of AFDCS. The Chapters thank all the members who have assisted in putting together the auction and who have provided outstanding material.

SFS Chief to Speak at Americover

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-07-22T20:35:42-05:00

Khalid Hussain, Manager of Stamp Fulfillment Services at the United States Postal Service, and Suzy Phillips, Manager of Cancellation Services, will both attend Americover 2012. Mr. Hussain oversees all of Stamp Fulfillment Services, and this will be the first time he has attended Americover.

The presentation and Q&A session by USPS representatives is always interesting and one of the best-attended seminars each year at Americover. This year’s session is scheduled for Saturday, August 11, at 11:00 AM. Hussain will be the main speaker and Phillips will answer Cancellation Services-related questions.

For a complete list of Americover events, click here.

Litvak Touts Show on Stamp Talk

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-07-12T20:49:19-05:00

AFDCS Executive Vice President Michael Litvak was a guest on APS Stamp Talk with Nancy Clark on Wednesday, July 11. Michael and Nancy talked about Americover 2012 and the great events scheduled for show attendees.

To listen to a recording of the show, follow these links:

Part 1

Part 2

Cachet Artists for Show Covers

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-07-31T12:28:44-05:00

Cachet artists for various Americover 2012 show covers and the banquet program have been selected.

Covers for the Thursday tour (a trip to the San Juan Capistrano mission and a harbor boat cruise) will be designed by Shirley Ulling (Bee & Shirley Cachet Designs). For the Sunday post-convention excursion (a trip to Laguna Beach), covers will feature a design by Doris Gold (Touch of Gold Cachets). The convention covers (mock-up above), the President's Banquet covers, and the Night Owl Bourse meal covers are being designed by Dave Bennett (Bennett Cachetoons).

The President's Banquet program is being designed by Kathy Clements (Cachets by Clements).

Covers for ticketed events are available only to those who purchase tickets to the event-none will be sold separately. Tickets to all Americover events can be purchased via this link.

A preview of other cover designs is pending.

Best First Days Articles of 2011

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-07-04T11:45:57-05:00

Zubatsky, Sommers, Nafziger Win AFDCS Ward Writing Awards

David Zubatsky, Paul M. Sommers, and Ralph H. Nafziger are the winners of the 2011 Philip H. Ward Award for Excellence in First Day Cover Literature, presented by the American First Day Cover Society.

Zubatsky, of Lancaster, Pa., won first place for “Norbert C. Waldau: A Biography and Catalog of his Handpainted First Day Covers” in the June 1, 2011 issue of First Days, the official journal of the AFDCS.

Sommers of Middlebury, Vermont, and Nafziger of Albany, Oregon, tied for second place. Sommers' “Walter G. Crosby’s Earliest First Day Covers” appeared in the January 15, 2011 issue of First Days. "The Palomar Mountain Observatory Issue of 1948” by Nafziger was also in the June 1 issue.

Back issues of First Days are available for $4.00 each postpaid within the U.S. from Jeffrey Bennett, 1601 River Farm Drive, Alexandria, Va. 22308. Silver, gold and life members of the AFDCS also can download back issues on the AFDCS website, and a searchable electronic archive of every issue of First Days from its inception in 1955 through 2011 is available on DVD for $79 postpaid.

The awards will be presented at the AFDCS membership meeting during Americover 2012, the annual show and convention of the AFDCS, which this year is being held August 10-12 at the Irvine Marriott in Irvine, Calif.

The award is named in honor of Philip H. Ward (1890-1963), the distinguished Philadelphia stamp collector, dealer and journalist who was a pioneer in the field of first day covers. The award was instituted by the AFDCS in 1964. All articles appearing in First Days are automatically considered for the award; articles in other publications may be submitted for consideration.

Information about the Ward Award can be obtained from the Ward Award chairman, Barry Ellis, 5117 Arrowhead Pass, Fort Wayne, Ind. 46804, or e-mail bellis1230@aol.com.

Americover Exhibits "Sold Out"

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-06-20T20:03:42-05:00

Americover 2012 Sells Out Exhibit Space

Exhibitors have filled 158 competitive frames for Americover 2012, the American First Day Cover Society's World Series of Philately (WSP) show that will be held Aug. 10-12 in Irvine, Calif.

It's "wonderful news," says show chair Cynthia Scott.

As a WSP show, the winner of the Grand Award at Americover 2012 will be part of the Champion of Champions competition at Stampshow 2013. Andrew McFarlane, winner of the 2011 Grand with "The 1947 Postage Stamp Centenary Commemorative," will represent Americover this summer in Sacramento, Calif.

When 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. Due to lack of sufficient entries, there will be no such entrant from Americover 2012.

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.

Americover Call for Volunteers

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-06-19T21:02:55-05:00

Volunteering a few hours to help the convention run smoothly is a wonderful way to feel like part of the convention team. It is also a good way to meet and greet everybody attending. We always need members to help in these areas:

Society Registration & Information Table (sit-down job – easy!)
Exhibit mounting on Thursday and dismounting on Sunday
Bourse Dealer Check-In Table
Bourse Registration & Information Table (for visitors to the Bourse)
AFDCS Information & Sales Table

We like to schedule these jobs in two-hour shifts, starting at 10:00 am. To help with advance planning, please tell Cynthia Scott before you leave home that you are interested in volunteering. State your job preference(s) and the dates and times you can work. Contact Cynthia by mail at 4505 Chapel Dr, Columbus, IN 47203 or send an email to cscott366@aol.com.

Paul Hubartt, 1919-2012

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-06-19T20:05:31-05:00

Paul L. Hubartt, 92, of Warren, Indiana, passed away June 9, 2012. He was a commercial artist all his life. For fourteen years--1952 to 1966--he was the cachet designer for Cap and Ida Fluegel. His first cachet design for Fluegel Covers was the 1952 NATO issue (Sc 1008). His last design for Fluegel was the Mary Cassatt issue (Sc 1322).

He wrote several articles related to Fluegel covers. The most informative was “Fourteen Years of Fluegel Covers” published in the May/June 1981 issue of First Days. For many years he served as our AFDCS calligrapher. In 1986 he was honored by becoming designer of the AFDCS Court of Honor First Day Cover number 6.

Survivors include his wife, a son, daughter, brother, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

-Norman Elrod

Bennett Cover with Box Lunch Ticket

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-06-09T18:19:03-05:00

Americover 2012 visitors are in for a treat.

Cachet artist extraordinaire Dave Bennett is going to make the Night Owls Box Lunch event even more special. In addition to a delicious meal, each person who purchases a ticket to this event will receive a Bennett-designed cover created exclusively for Night Owls Box Lunch attendees.

The only way you can obtain this cover is to purchase a Night Owls Box Lunch ticket! Dave’s covers are highly sought-after, so you want to make sure you don’t miss this one.

To purchase tickets for the Night Owls Box Lunch and all Americover events, visit the event registration page.

Youth Cover Essay Contest Open

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-05-29T22:30:12-05:00

AFDCS YOUTH ESSAY CONTEST RETURNS

"Every Cover Has A Story," the American First Day Cover Society contest which invites young people to write essays about their favorite philatelic covers, is back.

The contest is open to youths in five age groups, through age 18. Entries must arrive by July 18.

Those entering choose the cover – first day cover, event cover, or any other piece of mail – and write a story about it. The story and cover are both mounted on a single 8-1/2"x11" sheet of paper. Each contestant may enter only once a year, but membership in the AFDCS, by the entrant or a relative, is not required. Entrants do not have to produce the FDC or cachet themselves.

Four winners will be chosen within each of the age groups – Grand Award, First Place, Second Place and Third Place. The winning exhibit pages will be displayed at Americover 2012, which is being held August 10-12 in Irvine, Calif. Every participant will receive a certificate.

Prizes will consist of certificates, several first day covers, and stamp collecting booklets or other materials appropriate for the age group.

There is no cost to enter the "Every Cover Has A Story" contest. Contest details can be downloaded here.

ECHAS was an annual contest from 2001-07, and new AFDCS Youth Coordinators Adriana and Jeff Hayward hope to run ECHAS annually again.

"Nothing is more exciting than having the chance to share something from our collection that means so much to us," said Jeff. "It brings us together."

Pre-Order Show T-Shirts Now

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-07-13T17:46:10-05:00

Dave Bennett Designs AMERICOVER 2012 T-Shirt

Enjoy the “California Experience” at AMERICOVER 2012 with a t-shirt designed by professional cartoonist and award-winning cachetmaker, Dave Bennett.

Having designed the (in)famous t-shirt for AMERICOVER 1995 in Irvine, CA, which was worn by many attendees at that convention, Dave has put his creative cartoonery to work once again for this year’s convention being held in the same location.

If you’re attending the show, you’ll definitely want to be seen wearing one of these Dave Bennett t-shirts.

The shirts will feature a majestic color screen print design on the back in the renowned style of California surf wear, showing the bell tower of San Juan Capistrano and frolicking dolphins in Newport Harbor.

In addition, the chest area will feature an elaborate AMERICOVER 2012 logo to let others know you’re part of a very select group!

T-shirts will be available in three different colors (Forest Green, Antique Cherry Red, and Metro Blue) and will cost $18 (size M, L, or XL) or $21 (size 2XL or 3XL).

You may order your t-shirt online via the AMERICOVER 2012 ticket purchase page, or by using the AMERICOVER 2012 event registration form found in the February 2012 issue of First Days.

Mail order direct from the Claude C. Ries Southern California Chapter #48 (“The Chapter That Eats!”) is another option. Mail your check, payable to “Ries Chapter,” to Michael Litvak, 1866 Loma Vista St., Pasadena, CA 91104-4005.

If ordering by mail, please include contact information (email address, telephone number), shirt size and color preference with your order. If your order needs to be shipped, please request shipping charges from Michael at michael.litvak4@gmail.com before placing your order.

Convention attendees who order t-shirts will pick them up at the convention registration area.

Stamp Talk: First Days Archive

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-03-13T19:42:38-05:00

AFDCS Board Chairman Todd Ronnei was a guest on APS Stamp Talk with Nancy Clark on Wednesday, March 14. Todd and Nancy talked about the First Days Digital Archive the Society has recently made available (see entry below).

To listen to a recording of the show, follow these links:

Part 1

Part 2

Digital First Days Archive

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-03-09T23:17:28-06:00

AMERICAN FIRST DAY COVER SOCIETY DIGITIZES BACK ISSUES OF ITS JOURNAL
AFDCS Offers 57 Years of FDC Articles on Disk or Flash Drive

A digital archive of the American First Day Cover Society's award-winning journal First Days from the first issue in 1955 through 2011 is now available from the AFDCS, in a searchable PDF format. A copy on DVD is $79 postpaid, while the same material on a USB flash drive is $89.

Included in the files are 34,736 pages of material from 395 issues, invaluable for researchers, authors, exhibitors, philatelic judges and just about anyone who enjoys collecting FDCs. Each page appears as it did when it was issued, yet the entire archive is searchable.

Want to find all the articles in First Days on Dorothy Knapp? Just type "Dorothy Knapp" in the search box and you'll receive a list of every article on Knapp. Then just click on the link to read the article.

So, even if articles on a subject are scattered throughout the nearly 60 years the magazine has been published, they all can be found within a matter of seconds. There's no longer any need to dig through musty boxes and binders.

With back issues provided by Foster Miller and Alan Warren, as well as his own library, project manager Todd Ronnei was able to scan all 57 years in about six months.

"The best part was finding information on cachetmakers whose name I knew but about whom I knew almost nothing," Ronnei said. "Dick Monty's lengthy profiles of cachetmakers and others in the FDC hobby are pure gold."

The archive is also a time capsule of stamp collecting history, and Ronnei found this gem from 1959 particularly funny:

"SOMETHING FOR THE GIRLS: During the convention, there will be shopping tours of Detroit's leading stores, that is, unless the husbands object."

"We're indebted to Todd Ronnei for making this valuable resource available," said AFDCS President Lloyd de Vries. "We've already used this digital archive to settle a dispute."

The First Days Digital Archive is available online on this page.

Roy E. Mooney, 1923-2012

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-03-07T20:05:48-06:00

Roy Mooney, Mr. 7-1-71 First Day Cover, passed away on Sunday March 4 at the age of 88. He was singularly responsible for the popularity of collecting 7-1-71 FDCs. On July 1, 1971, the US Post Office Department became the US Postal Service. To celebrate the start of the USPS, a free cacheted envelope was made available at all US post offices and a new 8-cent stamp was issued. Collectors and non-collectors were encouraged to buy the new stamp and get the postmark of their local post office. Within days of July 1, Roy had started efforts to promote 7-1-71 first day cover collecting, which he named the "7-1-71 Affair". He published 15 of the first 16 editions of the 7-1-71 catalog (the 1997 edition was published by Harold Babb of Sunbelt Covers) before selling the catalog and business to Dave Wallman.

In September 1985, I made the "mistake" of visiting his table at the M&R stamp bourse at the old Twin Bridges Marriott in Arlington, VA. Immediately before visiting Roy, I had sold a bunch of ceremony programs to one Lloyd de Vries, so I had some extra spending money. Previously, like most first day cover collectors, I had accumulated some 7-1-71s, maybe 300 or so. Roy sold me

his catalog and a bunch of covers. With the catalog, I inventoried my collection and discovered that I had over 20 unlisted Alabama 7-1-71 FDCs. Roy had the largest collection of Alabama 7-1-71s and I traded the 20 plus covers he needed for a large lot of New Jersey 7-1-71s. And I was hooked. Today, I have over 20,000 7-1-71 FDCs from about 16,000 different towns. There were 39,353 post offices on July 1, 1971 and covers are now known from about 23,000 of the post offices. This is all due to the efforts of Roy.

Roy Mooney served the American First Day Cover Society as its Recruitment Chairman and was active in a number of Society functions.

Equally (maybe more) important to Roy was that he was a Pearl Harbor survivor, having been in the Army at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He never missed an opportunity to appear in uniform at a Pearl Harbor anniversary event. He was diagnosed with cancer last November but insisted on attending the December 7, 2011 remembrance in Atlanta. The photo above pictures Roy in uniform at one of the events.

Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Evelyn Mooney, Cleveland; son and daughter-in-law, Don and Sandra Mooney, Gainesville, FL; sons, Ricky Mooney, Jonesboro; Steve Mooney, Elberton; Ken Mooney, Newnan; daughter, Susan Accola, Denver, CO; sister, Louise Brown, Smyrna; grandchildren, Susan Cooke, John Mooney, Chris Mooney, Alissa Mooney, Mark Mooney, Melisa Fincher, Matt Mooney, Candy Mooney, T.J. Accola and Paul Accola.

Roy had an interesting personality, in part shaped by working as a prison guard. His phone calls and rambling letters were unique. He will be missed by all first day cover collectors.

-Foster Miller

New Youth Coordinators Named

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-02-22T21:15:14-06:00

Husband-and-Wife Team To Coordinate AFDCS Youth Activities

Adriana and Jeff Hayward are the new Youth Coordinators for the American First Day Cover Society. The appointment was made by AFDCS President Lloyd A. de Vries.

The couple lives on Staten Island, New York. Jeff is the information technology manager of The Rockefeller University, while Adriana is a librarian.

He is a Life Member of the AFDCS, but considers himself a worldwide collector. He is also a member of the American Philatelic Society, American Topical Association, The Virtual Stamp Club, and more than a dozen other stamp societies. Among his many interests are stamps featuring marine mammals, puffins, earth's physical features and Volkswagen Beetles.

She collects Love stamps. "She would probably collect more if I didn't take up so much space with all of my collections," Jeff confesses.

The Haywards' goal is "to encourage and support young first day cover collectors," they said. "We will provide fun and educational activities and contests in an effort to expand their philatelic interests."

They plan to restart the AFDCS' "Every Cover Has A Story" contest, initiate a noncompetitive youth cachet effort for a specific issue, and ensure the staffing of an active youth booth at AMERICOVER 2012 (August 10-12 in Irvine, Calif.)

In addition, Adriana is developing find-a-word and crossword puzzles for publication in First Days, the official journal of the Society.

2012 Show Cachetmakers Bourse

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-02-13T20:16:48-06:00

Year's Biggest Cachetmakers Bourse Planned for AMERICOVER 2012

AMERICOVER 2012, the American First Day Cover Society's annual World Series of Philately stamp show and convention, will host the biggest cachetmakers bourse of the year in Orange County, Calif.

AMERICOVER 2012 will be held August 10-12 at the Irvine Marriott in Irvine, Calif., and the Moonlight Cachetmakers Bourse will be held Saturday afternoon and evening.

A cachetmakers bourse is an event where producers of first day covers – those who design and print the "cachets" or designs on FDCs – sell their products. They are only permitted to sell their own cachets, during a limited time. In this case, the Moonlight Cachetmakers Bourse will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It's considered by many a highlight of AMERICOVER.

Many of last year's participants are expected to sign up for the 2012 edition. The table fee for a Cachetmakers Table is $100, but there is a $10 discount if the cachetmaker is staying at the show hotel, and a further $10 discount for those who participated in last year’s bourse.

Cachetmakers who wish to sign up can download the application or contact Ralph Achgill at rka@rkacovers.com, c/o RKA Covers, PO Box 6508, Lafayette, IN 47903, or by telephone at (765) 543-8274.

AMERICOVER 2012 also features a commercial dealers bourse, a national-level exhibition of first day covers, a banquet, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, auctions, seminars, a pre-show area tour and a post-show dinner event. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also likely.

USPS Sells Love Ribbons Early

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-02-07T20:45:33-06:00

The AFDCS is expressing its concern to the USPS about the first-day date of the Love Ribbons stamp. The issue was put on sale at most post offices on February 2, but the first day cancel will still say "February 14."

Scout Society, Merit Badge at Show

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-07-26T11:44:55-05:00

Be Prepared for Boy Scout Activities at Americover 2012

The American First Day Cover Society's Americover 2012 will feature activities for both current and former Boy Scouts. The World Series of Philately stamp show and convention will be held August 10-12 at the Irvine Marriott in Irvine, Calif.

Scouts on Stamps Society International (SOSSI) will hold its annual meeting at Americover 2012. Current scouts who wish to obtain the Stamp Collecting Merit Badge can do so on Sunday, August 12. Pre-registration is required; download this flyer for more information.

Americover 2012 also features a banquet, a commercial dealers bourse and a cachetmakers bourse, a national-level exhibition of first day covers, a forum by a postal official involved with first day covers, seminars, meetings, a youth table, a live auction and two silent auctions. Admission to the show is free.

Exhibiting at AMERICOVER 2012

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-01-29T10:18:26-06:00

UPDATE, 6/19/2012: All exhibit frames filled; no further entries accepted.

AMERICOVER Seeks Exhibits For 2012 California Show

The American First Day Cover Society is seeking exhibits for AMERICOVER 2012, a World Series of Philately show to be held Aug. 10-12 in Irvine, Calif.

Now available for download is the Prospectus and Entry Form. The deadline for entering the AMERICOVER 2012 exhibition is June 1, 2012, or whenever the 160 available frames fill up.

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 Claude C. Ries Chapter Grand Award at AMERICOVER 2012 will be part of the Champion of Champions competition at Stampshow 2013. Andrew McFarlane, winner of the 2011 Grand with "The 1947 Postage Stamp Centenary Commemorative," will represent AMERICOVER this summer in Sacramento, Calif.

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 2013.

In addition to 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 Irvine Marriott Hotel, and there is a special AMERICOVER room rate of $99. There also will be two bourses (commercial dealers and cachetmakers), a banquet, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, an auction, seminars, a pre-show area tour and a post-show dinner event. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also likely.

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.

For more information on AMERICOVER 2012 visit the show information page or email showinfo@afdcs.org.

Cachetmakers Contest Opens

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-01-25T19:48:03-06:00

The deadline for entries is April 15, 2012. Those entering covers must be members of the AFDCS. (Youth cachetmakers need only be related to an AFDCS member.)

The entry fee for adults is $5 if the cover is donated to the Society, or $10 if the cachetmaker wants the FDC returned. A complete set of rules can be found in the December 1, 2011 issue of First Days, the official AFDCS journal or downloaded here.

A cachet is the artwork on a first day cover envelope that complements the new stamp. These designs can be as simple as a few words of text or as complicated as an oil painting or mosaic. Typically, the media used in the entries to an AFDCS cachetmakers contest range from colored pencils and markers to acrylic paints, woodblock prints and movable parts.

Some of the categories include hand-painted; hand-colored; computer-produced; one-color; event (not first-day) covers; Rookie of the Year and two age groups for young cachetmakers. Other categories are available as well. There is also the top award, which cites what the three judges feel is the best cachet submitted in the entire contest, regardless of the media used. In each category except noncommercial and youth, a minimum of ten identical covers must be produced.

Last year’s winner, Tom Peluso of New York, entered a first day cover for the Year of the Tiger stamp (above). It also won the Computer or Copier Art/Two colors or more category.

As winner of the top award, Peluso may enter the contest again, but his 2011 cachets are not eligible for the top award.

The results of the contest will be announced at Friday evening, August 10, at AMERICOVER 2012 in Irvine, Calif., and later that evening online.

Gereb Named to Show Post

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-01-25T19:39:01-06:00

AFDCS Appoints Mark Gereb as Show Participation Chair

Mark Gereb of Fort Lee, N.J., is the new Show Participation Chair of the American First Day Cover Society. The appointment was made by AFDCS President Lloyd A. de Vries.

Gereb, who works for Verizon in Shareowner Services, has been a member of the AFDCS since November 1985, when, at a stamp show in New York, then-Editor Sol Koved convinced him to join. He has also attended every AFDCS national convention since 1989 and many American Philatelic Society StampShows.

"I hope to bring a better awareness of the AFDCS and FDCs to all World Series shows," Gereb says.

He will be part of the Membership Committee, chaired by Foster E. Miller III of Maryland. The position was formerly called "Show Recruitment Chair;” its new name reflects a broader scope.

He is an active collector of cacheted first day covers by ArtCraft, Colorano and Goldberg.

AFDCS Elects Chairman, Officers

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-01-18T20:03:32-06:00

Todd Ronnei Is New AFDCS Chairman of the Board

The Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society, the largest not-for-profit organization in the world specifically for FDC collectors, has chosen Todd Ronnei of Minnesota (left) as its Chairman.

At the same time, the Board also elected Mark Goodson of Indiana as First Vice President, replacing Ronnei.

Goodson also becomes a member of the Society's Executive Committee, joining Lloyd de Vries of New Jersey, president; Michael Litvak of California, executive vice president; and Elliot Fischer of California, treasurer, all of whom were re-elected by the Board.

De Vries thanked Norman Elrod of Tennessee, who had served as chairman of the board of directors for the past half year, and also retired as a member of the board and as AMERICOVER chairman. "It's been a pleasure working with someone as competent as Norm," de Vries said.

Ronnei has won gold medals for his separate exhibits of U.S. and British Winston Churchill FDCs. Married with two sons, he is a paralegal in Minneapolis specializing in employee benefits. He also serves the AFDCS as its webmaster, and has been on its board since 2009.

Goodson (right) is a co-author for the on-going First Cachets (FDC) research project. The president of the Bloomington, Indiana, Stamp Club, he has been a State Farm Insurance agent for 35 years.This is his first elective office in the AFDCS. He and his wife Joan have five children and eight grandchildren.

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. 10-12 in Irvine Calif., and conducts other business via mail ballots as needed.

Dick Monty Update

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-01-11T20:12:13-06:00

I've received the sad news that Richard A. Monty is now in an assisted living facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

He was moved to the facility near his brother last month.

You can write to Dick in care of this address:

Ken Monty
920 Marlboro Road
Knoxville, TN 37909-2357

I'm told he would like to get cards and letters, although he may have trouble responding.

For all but four of the 25 years that the AFDCS has had a Board of Directors, Dick was the board's chairman. He served continuously on the Board through that period. Before that, he served in most of the other officer positions. I once referred to him as "the Once and Future President," because twice he was called out of Immediate Past President-hood in the middle of a term to once again be the President.

But his contributions to first day cover collecting weren't just organizational. He spearheaded the ongoing project to research and catalogue "first cachets," the first issues for which a cachetmaker produced designs. The project also catalogues the final cachets. The cachetmakers it documents range from long-running every-issue cachetmakers like ArtCraft to one-time designers who produced a cachet for a single issue, such as museums and foundations.

Dick lived in northern Maryland, where he was a psychologist at the Aberdeen Proving Ground.

We'll miss him.

Lloyd de Vries
AFDCS President

Cachetmaker Directory Update

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-01-06T21:10:53-06:00

The American First Day Cover Society plans to publish an updated edition of the AFDCS Directory of Current Cachetmakers. The Directory was last published in 2004.

The Directory includes listings of cachetmakers, with information about their cachets plus the addresses, phone, fax, email and website addresses to contact them. The last edition listed over 400 cachetmakers, making it invaluable for all First Day Cover collectors. The updated Directory will once again be compiled by Betty Hundley.

To insure the Directory is as accurate and up-to-date as possible, each edition is created from the ground up. That is, every cachetmaker listed must submit their information for the new edition, even if there is no change to their prior listing.

Cachetmakers who wish to be included in the next edition should download, print and complete the Directory questionnaire. Completed forms should be mailed to Betty Hundley, 5859 Village Forest, Houston, TX 77092. There is no charge to be included in the Directory.

The Directory will be included in a future issue of First Days sent to all AFDCS members. Additional copies will be available for purchase or download.

Board Election Results

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-12-21T20:35:54-06:00

AFDCS Elects Five To Its Board
Only One Is An Incumbent

The American First Day Cover Society has elected five people to its board of directors for three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2012.

Here are the vote totals:

Foster E. Miller III	133
Mary Kay Fisher	126
Thomas O'Hagan	115
Gary Denis	112
Gil Celli	88
Chris Lazaroff	86
Carl Swain	74

Miller, Fisher, O'Hagan, Denis and Celli were elected to the Board. Two are new to the Board (Fisher and O’Hagan), two are returning (Celli and Denis served in the 1990s), while Miller has been on the Board continuously since 1997 and holds many other jobs in the Society.

In addition, nine members received write-in votes: John V. Colasanti (10), Chris Calle (4), Norman Elrod, John Hayner, Larry Gassen, Maurice Landry, Rollin Berger, Dave Bennett, and Herbert Mendelsohn (1 each). There were 165 ballots submitted.

Miller is the AFDCS Membership Chairman, Chapter Coordinator, and U.S. Postal Service Liaison. Denis is Education Chairman. Both Miller and Denis are ex officio members of the Executive Committee. Fisher is a past president of the Cachet Makers Association, an AFDCS chapter. O'Hagan is a past chair of the AFDCS' annual cachet contest. Celli is a full-time dealer.

Richard A. Monty, Chris Calle, and Elrod did not seek re-election. Monty has been on the Board since its creation in 1986. He was its Chairman for most of those years.

President Lloyd de Vries thanked Fred Levantrosser of Motor City Stamp and Cover Club for their work in counting the ballots in this year's election, and the Nominating Committee chaired by Susan Whitehead for recruiting the candidates.

Five seats on the AFDCS Board of Directors are elected each year for three-year terms, beginning Jan. 1 of the following year. In addition to the 15 elected directors, the president, the editor of the official journal, First Days, and the general counsel serve on the board ex officio, if not elected to the board themselves.

AFDCS directors are not compensated, nor reimbursed for their travel expenses. The board meets annually at AMERICOVER, the society's annual show and convention, which next year is being held Aug. 10-12 in Irvine, Calif., and via mail ballots as needed.

AMERICOVER 2013, 2014 Sites

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-12-20T21:29:43-06:00

AFDCS SETS AMERICOVER 2013, 2014 DATES AND PLACES
Show Hotel Rates Once Again Below $100

The American First Day Cover Society, the world's biggest non-profit organization of FDC collectors, has set the dates and locations of its 2013 and 2014 show and convention.

The official hotel rates for every AMERICOVER have been below $100, and that will be true for the 2013 and 2014 editions.

AMERICOVER 2013 will be held at the Embassy Suites Cleveland-Rockside in Independence, Ohio, August 16-18, 2013. That's the weekend after the American Philatelic Society's StampShow in Milwaukee, and on the way home for many East Coast collectors and dealers.

The AFDCS also held AMERICOVER 2006 at that hotel, about 10 miles south of Cleveland and 15 miles from the Cleveland airport.

AMERICOVER 2014 will be held Aug. 15-17 at the DoubleTree Somerset Hotel & Executive Meeting Center in Somerset, NJ, located within an hour of New York, Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore. AMERICOVER was last held at the DoubleTree Somerset in 1998 and 2003.

StampShow that year will be held in Hartford, Conn., about 150 miles away, the following weekend.

This year's AFDCS show, AMERICOVER 2012, is being held Aug. 10-12 at the Irvine Marriott in Southern California, just a week before StampShow in Northern California.

All AMERICOVERs are World Series of Philately shows dedicated to first day covers and the fun of stamp collecting. All include pre-show tours on the Thursday before the show opens and a Sunday night dinner-and-entertainment event after the show closes. Locations move around the country, often at a venue within a reasonable driving distance of APS StampShow. The first AMERICOVER was held in 1992 in Columbus, Ohio.

For more information on any of the AMERICOVER shows, send e-mail to showinfo@afdcs.org or write the AFDCS at PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732-6277.

2011 August Fund Covers

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-12-17T17:20:11-06:00

The 2011 Samuel and Leo August Fund cover is now available.

The 2011 cover was produced in two varieties. The cover seen above features the AMERICOVER 2011 show cancel, while a second cover has the first day postmark for the Indianapolis 500 stamp issued in May. Both covers are franked with the Indy 500 stamp.

These special covers were produced by ArtCraft exclusively for the American First Day Cover Society. They feature the ArtCraft cachet for the Indianapolis 500 issue, printed on #10 business envelopes of the Wyndham Indianapolis West Hotel, site of AMERICOVER 2011.

Covers are $25 each. Proceeds from the sale of these covers go to the AFDCS Samuel and Leo August Fund, a special fund to promote First Day Cover collecting through public education activities. The fund is named for the brothers who founded The Washington Press, producer of ArtCraft covers since 1939. Sam and Leo were staunch supporters of the AFDCS, a tradition their firm continues today.

Quantities of both covers are very limited. Click here to order.

AMERICOVER 2012 Jury Named

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-04-15T12:54:02-05:00

David McNamee of California (pictured) will chair the exhibits jury at AMERICOVER 2012, which takes place at the Irvine Marriott Aug. 10-12. Joining him on the panel are Peter Martin of Virginia, Alan Warren of Pennsylvania, Stephen Suffet of New York, and Anthony Wawrukiewicz of Oregon. All of the jurors are accredited American Philatelic Society national judges.

AMERICOVER 2012 is a World Series of Philately show dedicated to first day covers and the annual convention of the American First Day Cover Society. It will feature 160 frames of competitive philatelic exhibits, commercial and cachetmakers bourses, seminars and meetings. Admission to the show is free and open to the public.

"AMERICOVER is the preferred venue for exhibiting illustrated mail and first day covers," Warren, who is also chairman of the AFDCS Judges Accreditation Committee, observes. "Cacheted FDCs (illustrated mail) as well as earliest known or documented uses of postage stamps (postal history) are the features of this show."

The Grand Award winner at AMERICOVER is invited to enter the annual Champion of Champions competition held at the American Philatelic Society's StampShow the following August.

McNamee is currently treasurer of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors and a member of the APS Committee for the Accreditation of National Exhibitions and Judges (CANEJ). David serves as an officer or board member in numerous societies representing his†collecting and exhibiting interests in British Colonial Africa and British Oceania.

Suffet has been a stamp collector since childhood, a philatelic exhibitor since 1984, and an APS accredited judge since 1993. More recently, he developed a gold medal Display Division exhibit on the life and music of American folk singer Woody Guthrie, and he literally wrote the chapter on Display Division exhibiting for the latest edition of The Philatelic Exhibitors Handbook.

Wawrukiewicz collects United States covers with auxiliary markings. He is editor of the Auxiliary Markings Club’s newsletter and author of the popular column “Modern U.S. Postal History” in Linn’s Stamp News. He is best known as co-author of U.S. Domestic Postal Rates and U.S. International Postal Rates. Tony has also exhibited and written about the United States 1954 Liberty series. He was recognized with several awards of the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society and received the APS Luff award in 2002 for distinguished philatelic research.

Martin is current Editor of the AFDCS journal First Days, is a board member of the Society, and also serves as AFDCS Historian. He is editor of The Ceremonial, journal of the American Ceremony Program Society, as well as editor of the postal history journal La Posta.

Warren is secretary of the Scandinavian Collectors Club and the American Society of Polar Philatelists. He served six years on CANEJ and is a recipient of the American Philatelic Society's John Luff and the AFDCS Distinguished Service awards. He exhibits and writes about U.S. and Scandinavian first day covers.

An exhibit prospectus and entry form can be downloaded here.

AMERICOVER 2012 Sunday Event

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2012-01-02T21:02:28-06:00

AMERICOVER 2012 Post-Show Event: An Evening in Laguna Beach

The AMERICOVER bus will take you to the seaside resort community. The cost and signup for that are coming.

Once there, our group will have several choices, all at additional cost.

They may choose to stroll along the beach, dine at one of the varied restaurants, and browse art galleries and boutiques. Several festivals will also be under way that evening.

Some members will be attending the Pageant of the Masters (living tableaus that recreate great works of art), as described below by Bob Lewin, Unfortunately, no tickets remain for that event.

In all the world there is no place like Laguna Beach. California is defined by the Pacific Ocean, and its great cities – San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego -- border the ocean. So too the prime pleasure resorts and renown art colonies. Carmel, Monterey, Malibu and Encinitas all bask in the beauty and temperate weather of California sunshine. The crown jewel, a holiday destination from around the world, is Laguna Beach, with its two, signature, summertime events: The Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters.

On Sunday evening, a very short coach ride will take you through Laguna Canyon, past Bubbles’ Pond, and will drop you off at Main Beach, where you will be within a four block stroll of magnificent, ocean-side dining at a restaurant of your choice, world class art galleries and delightful boutiques that will charm and please you. After dinner and a beautiful Pacific sunset, you can explore the beach town and discover your own special place, or you can visit one of three artisan fairs that have delighted visitors for more than three-quarters of a century. The Festival of Arts, Sawdust Festival and Art-a-Fair are all within a few blocks, and admission is nominal. Although this Evening in Laguna Beach will absolutely delight those who have never visited this artist’s colony, we have arranged for a special option, which, in itself, is well worth extending your stay in Southern California.

The premium California event --the Pageant of the Masters--has been sold out for the better part of 100 years. You will sit under the stars and see a living tableau that creates more than two-dozen examples of the world’s greatest works of art. The show simply cannot be adequately described with words and must be seen to be believed. With great effort, and some hard cash, your Ries chapter has been able to obtain a block of tickets for 48 of the best seats in the house. These will be sold on an absolute, first-come-first-served basis for $65 each. As the Pageant is on the same grounds as the Festival of Arts, your tickets include admission to the Festival as well. The show will start at 8:30 and will last approximately two hours, with a nice intermission. For those who do not get tickets to the Pageant, our bus will make an early trip back to the hotel at approximately 9:30, or you can elect to continue your exploration of the town and the artisan festivals until the last trip back, after the Pageant concludes.

AMERICOVER Chair Named

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-12-07T23:38:40-06:00

Cynthia Scott will chair AMERICOVER 2012, replacing Carl Swain, who has resigned for personal reasons.

Cynthia, who chaired or co-chaired AMERICOVERs 2004 through 2008, will be assisted by our very active hosts, the Claude C. Ries Chapter of Southern California. The show will be held August 10-12 in Irvine, Calif.

You can reach Cynthia and other AMERICOVER volunteers at showinfo@afdcs.org.

Court of Honor 2011

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-12-05T23:40:10-06:00

AFDCS Honors Artist Barbara Montgomery

The American First Day Cover Society has chosen Barbara Montgomery for its 2011 Court of Honor first day cover.

A stamp collector since childhood, Montgomery first began making cachets in 1993. Her designs today are hand-drawn, laser-printed and then hand-painted. She produces about 60 for the few issues she selects each year, as well as 11- by 14-inch panels with stamps and postmarks that are hand-painted with watercolors. Her cachets have won several AFDCS awards. She has also exhibited her Jamestown FDCs collection. She lives on the far east end of Long Island, N.Y.

The cachet is available serviced with the 2011 Madonna and Child, Holiday Baubles, Hanukkah, Eid and Kwanzaa stamps, with a variety of postmarks, as well as unserviced. Each cover comes with a very informative stuffer card.

The 2011 Court of Honor FDCs range in price from $5.00 to $8.00, depending on the postmark and number of stamps.

This is the 31st Court of Honor FDC produced by the AFDCS. The entire series can be seen via this link. Covers may be purchased here. Covers may also be purchased from Foster Miller, Box 44, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701.

The series honors cachet artists who have, over the years, contributed so much to the hobby through the beauty of their art. It began in 1981 and the first artist honored was Ralph Dyer. There has been a new Court of Honor FDC every year since then. Stamps with Christmas themes are used because the U.S. issues new ones every year. A different artist is selected each year.

Many of the earlier years' covers are also available; contact the Central Office for more information.

Board Candidate Statements

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-10-27T10:23:18-05:00

AFDCS Board of Director Candidate Statements

AFDCS members will elect five AFDCS directors for the 2012-2014 term. Official ballots are in the September 1, 2011 issue of First Days. Candidate statements are listed in alphabetical order. Statements were limited to a maximum of 250 words.

Gil Celli
Massapequa, New York

I am the owner of The Gold Mine, a stamp and coin business located on Long Island that specializes in first day covers. I started the business in 1970. I also own a pawn shop and a jewelry store.

I have been a fulltime cover dealer for more than 40 years and have had a bourse table at every AFDCS convention since 1986. I served on the AFDCS Board of Directors in the early 1990s.

I would like to see new ideas and new blood join the society. We need to increase the membership as well.

We have to get the message out to all types of collectors that collecting stamps and covers is not dull and boring, but very educational and also very rewarding as a great hobby for young and old alike.

All hobbies are getting hit hard by the economic situation in the country, as well as the competition from Facebook and video games, etc. In order to maintain our hobby we must band together and keep going to make it strong and healthy as it once was.

Hopefully, I will get the chance to serve the society once again. Thank you.

Gary Denis
Patuxent River, Maryland

I’m an electrical engineer and have been a stamp collector for most of my life. I bought my first FDC in 1982.

In the mid-1990s, I was editor of the Maximum Card Study Unit’s newsletter, and I wrote the “Maximum Card” column for First Days. I authored the Maximum Card Collectors Handbook in 1995, which was revised in 2009 by the AFDCS.

In 2007, I published a Catalog of Norman Rockwell Paintings on Postage Stamps. I am still a frequent contributor to First Days, and have also been published in Linn’s, Stamp Collector, and other journals.

My enjoyment of the hobby has always come from the friendships I have made with other collectors, writers and exhibitors, maintained through old-fashioned letter writing, e-mail, and, of course, meeting at our annual convention, Americover.

I currently author the “Research Projects” column in First Days, which I conceived as a way to encourage members to correspond with other members with similar interests. I have been the chairman of the AFDCS Publications Committee for the past two years, and was recently appointed Education Director.

If elected to the board of directors, my main agenda would be to continue to encourage member participation, especially communication between members. It is important for the AFDCS to find ways to make membership fun and exciting; to make the AFDCS feel more like a stamp club and not just a magazine subscription.

Mary Kay Fisher
Niles Michigan

My interest in stamps dates back to grade school when I learned world geography by collecting stamps. In 1990, I rekindled this interest by painting first day covers and developing my cachet line, called Fisher Cachets.

I have served as president and vice-president of the Cachetmakers Association and four years ago revived the association’s Left-Sider News newsletter. I have been its editor and publisher since that time. For the past three years, I have been on the nominating committee of the AFDCS Board of Directors.

I have received bachelor and master’s degrees in education from Indiana University and taught elementary school for a period of time. Subsequently, I was assistant director of a sheltered workshop for the retarded. This was followed by work as a rehabilitation counselor for vocational rehabilitation. For the past 37 years, I have been office manager for my husband’s private practice in forensic psychology.

I look forward to attending Americover every year to renew old friendships, exchange ideas, and discuss future and long-range goals of the society. If elected, I am willing to serve in any capacity to further the mission of the AFDCS.

Chris Lazaroff
Simpsonville, South Carolina

I have been a member of the AFDCS since the late 1980s and have served continuously on the board of directors for more than 10 years. From 2006 to 2011, I served as AFDCS president and was a major advocate for the society and the hobby at stamp shows and at first day ceremonies.

While president, we launched the redesigned AFDCS website, which has grown and is a leading avenue for gaining new members. Beginning this year, we also started putting our journal online.

I also had the difficult task of trying to manage the society during its current financial situation, which has resulted in major delays in the publishing of our journal.

The two biggest issues that I see for our future are intertwined: declining membership and financial cash flow situations. We need to seriously address both these issues and when I say “we,” I don’t mean just me or just the board, but I mean all members. I have in the past challenged every member to recruit one new member. If that had been accomplished, I wouldn’t be talking about the above two issues.

I am asking for your support in reelecting me to the board of directors, but also I challenge everyone to go out and recruit one new member to join the AFDCS.

Foster E. Miller III
Annapolis Junction, Maryland

I have been an AFDCS member since 1978 and life member #333 since 1997.

I am currently a director of the AFDCS, chairman of the membership department, assistant treasurer, USPS liaison, chapter coordinator and AMERICOVER meetings/seminars chairman.

I am a member of the Robert C. Graebner Chapter, the Claude C. Ries Chapter, the 7-1-71 Affair Chapter and the American Ceremony Program Society.

I regularly represent the AFDCS at stamp shows and first day ceremonies around the country. I recently sponsored a fundraising letter for the AFDCS that raised $3,100 in its first two weeks.

The number one concern for the AFDCS at present is finances. We need to return to financial stability and return to publishing First Days on its scheduled basis.

The executive committee and board of directors have recently begun to take the necessary steps to make this happen and I would like to continue to be part of this effort. Once we are publishing First Days on its scheduled basis, membership recruitment and retention becomes much easier. Then we can concentrate on what is really important: keeping first day cover collecting the most fun part of stamp collecting.

Thomas J. O’Hagan
Lewes, Delaware

I started my own successful line of covers, S&T Cachets, in 1990. I have won a total of 23 best of category and honorable mention Earl Planty awards since 1993.

In addition to membership in the APS, EPS, ACPS and the Cachetmakers Association, I have been a member of the AFDCS for more than 20 years and finished a three-year chairmanship of the Cachetmaker Contest in 2010.

I am the proud winner of the 1994 Ward Award for an article I wrote for First Days and am a past director of the American Ceremony Program Society.

My background is in budgeting, financial management and risk management. I spent my entire working career in finance-related work.

I am running for the position of AFDCS Director because I want to give back to the hobby I have enjoyed for so many years.

I also feel my background in budgeting and finance will help the board meet the challenges of declining membership and increasing financial problems it now faces.

The board needs to look at all its costs and take the necessary steps to cut spending and control essential costs. We have to look outside the box and find new ways to do what is needed and eliminate those costs that do not produce a return to the society members.

The board also needs to work on retaining membership while working on getting former members to rejoin the society.

Carl Swain
Mount Clare, West Virginia

My mother, one of the first women Marines, was a stamp collector and that was how, at 12 years of age, I got involved with stamp collecting. I started purchasing ArtCraft, Artmaster and Fleetwood cachets and servicing the covers.

After I graduated from High School, joined the Army, went to Vietnam, I stopped collecting. After a 30-year break, I salvaged my First Day Covers and started collecting again with a vengeance.

At about this same time, I started attending stamp shows. I really enjoy Americover and have attended all but one or two in the last 10 years.

Since I retired, I still have a large collection of covers, but I have devoted most of my time to buying covers at stamp shows and auctions and selling them on eBay. The buying and selling has almost become my hobby.

I am proud that by promoting the society to my eBay customers, I was the number one individual recruiter for the society for two or more years.

I also have a website that links to the AFDCS and the APS, as well as others.

I have also shared about $600 of my eBay sales with the AFDCS through eBay’s Giving Works, a program that I suggested to the society.

I am a retired supervisory auditor and sergeant first class in the West Virginia Army National Guard.

First Days Photo Contest

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-09-04T11:16:10-05:00

In an effort to provide an outlet for philatelic shutterbugs and to provide continued content for the First Days Snapshots column, your journal editors are sponsoring a First Days Photo Contest.

The rules are simple. By Dec. 31, 2011, submit your best photos in any or all of the four categories below:

People: Show your family, your kids (like young Billy Patkin pictured here), or anyone else and feature them in unusual poses or places.

Pets and Animals: Feature your pet or any other animal and get them to pose with First Days. Please no charging bulls or alligators; we prize your membership.

Places: The world is your oyster. Put First Days on location anywhere in the world. In this category, the location takes center stage.

Electronic: Take an existing image and change it to include First Days.

The only guidelines are that the photo must be in good taste and must prominently include a 2011 issue of First Days.

Photos may be natural or posed. When evaluating photos for the contest, subject, image quality, imagination, creativity and degree of difficulty will be considered.

For example, a photo of the president holding First Days in the Oval Office or a photo of a family member holding First Days on the peak of Mt. McKinley would score very highly.

The Electronic category is for techies who want to take an existing image and manipulate it by including First Days. An example would be a photo of the Statue of Liberty with First Days being held in one hand.

By submitting an entry, photographers are consenting to the use of their images, which may be published in First Days and/or showcased on the AFDCS website.

Images should be journal quality, normally 300dpi or equivalent.

There is no entry fee but there is a total limit of 20 photo entries per individual.

Prizes will be appropriate, but they are still being determined and will be announced in a future First Days.

Entries must include the photographers name, when and where the photos were taken and a brief one-paragraph caption for each entry.

You may submit your photos via e-mail or regular mail. E-mailed entries should have “First Days Photo Contest” in the subject line. For numerous entries a CD with your images may be preferable.

If you send original (hard copy) images and would like them returned, please include a SASE.

Email entries to: editor@afdcs.org or mail entries to Editor Peter Martin, POB 6074, Fredericksburg, VA 22403.

Owney FDC Deadline Extended

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-08-29T18:47:32-05:00

The deadline for submitting first day covers for the National Postal Museum’s Owney Project has been extended. The new deadline is October 15, 2011.

For complete details, click here.

Achgill Receives DSA at Show

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-08-09T22:12:04-05:00

AFDCS President Lloyd de Vries (left) presents DSA to Ralph Achgill.

The following remarks were delivered by Alan Warren at the AFDCS membership meeting on August 7:

This year the Distinguished Service Award Committee is pleased to honor one more outstanding member of the Society. Our honoree is a cachetmaker. If you visit the Virtual Stamp Club site (is there anyone in the room who does not visit the Virtual Stamp Club?!) and go to “Lloyd’s Fun FDCs Gallery,” you will see a neat cover made by this cachetmaker in 1991. It celebrates the NCAA championship games in Indianapolis that year and is an event cover cancelled April 1, 1991, the date of the final game of the series. However, the cachetmaker then added the Basketball Centennial stamp a few months later, cancelled first day August 28, 1991, thus making a dual-cancelled event/FDC.

Our honoree is a first day cover dealer and has been in this business over 25 years. I would venture to say that most of us have purchased from his booth or his online web site.

Our honoree has been a member of the Society’s board of directors from 2002 and still serves as a director. He is former chairman of the Education Department and also served on the Executive Committee. For four years he chaired the Cachetmakers Contest.

Most importantly today our honoree is the AFDCS convention dealer bourse contractor and is responsible for negotiating the many arrangements with individual dealers as well as with the convention hotel. In view of these contributions to our Society, the Distinguished Service Award is presented to Ralph K. Achgill.

Show Fund Raising Auction

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-08-03T21:41:19-05:00

The AMERICOVER 2011 AFDCS donation auction is now set. In honor of the Society’s fifty-sixth year, AFDCS members have donated 56 lots. A complete list can be downloaded via this link.

If you’re attending the show, you may view lots from 3:30 to 5:00 pm on Friday, August 5 in the Golden Ballroom 5. The Auction will begin at 5:00.

If you are unable to attend the Auction, you may place bids between 3:30 to 5:00 pm and we will bid for you. Email your bids to Foster Miller at fmillerfdc@yahoo.com BEFORE 3PM EDT FRIDAY.

Good luck!

McFarlane Sweeps Top Awards

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-08-06T08:25:49-05:00

Andrew McFarlane received the Claude C. Ries Chapter Grand Award at AMERICOVER 2011 for his exhibit The 1947 Postage Stamp Centenary Commemorative. By receiving the Grand Award, McFarlane’s exhibit becomes eligible for the Champion of Champions competition at the 2012 APS Stampshow.

McFarlane scored again by picking up the Reserve Grand and the Richard B. Thompson Award for First Days of the George Rogers Clark Commemorative. Best single frame exhibit and the Curtis B. Patterson Award went to James Hering for The Harding Memorial Issue, First Day Covers and the First Cachet.

A complete palmares can be downloaded by clicking here. Congratulations to all exhibitors!

The AFDCS thanks the jury of Chief Judge Janet Klug, Liz Hisey, Peter Martin, Eliot Landau and Deb Nicoll.

De Vries Named AFDCS President

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-08-04T23:25:48-05:00

At its meeting on Thursday, August 4, the Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society elected Lloyd de Vries to be President of the Society. De Vries’ election became effective immediately. He succeeds Chris Lazaroff, who resigned the post earlier in the week.

Upon election as President, de Vries relinquished his position as Board Chairman. The Board then elected Norman Elrod to serve as Chairman of the Board. Elrod, a life member of the Society, has been AMERICOVER chairman for several years.

Lazaroff Steps Down

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-08-02T17:30:20-05:00

Chris Lazaroff has resigned as President of the American First Day Cover Society, effective immediately. In a message to AFDCS Board Chairman Lloyd de Vries, Lazaroff cited “personal commitments that do not allow me to devote the time and efforts to fulfill the duties necessary” as the reason for his resignation. Lazaroff had been President since 2006.

De Vries responded by thanking Lazaroff for his service to AFDCS, and noted that Lazaroff will remain on the Board as an elected Director and on the Executive Committee as Immediate Past President.

The Board of Directors will meet on Thursday, August 4 to consider naming a successor to serve the remainder of Lazaroff’s term, which runs through December 31, 2011.

Stamps In Your Attic

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-07-15T18:03:16-05:00

Stamps In Your Attic At AMERICOVER 2011
Popular Quick Collection Evaluation Program Free At Indianapolis Event

Indianapolis-area residents who have found stamp collections will have an opportunity to find out what they have, during an upcoming stamp collecting show.

The "Stamp In Your Attic" program will be held at AMERICOVER 2011, the American First Day Cover Society's annual show and convention, August 5-7, at the Wyndham West Indianapolis Hotel (2544 Executive Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46241, near the airport). The show hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Bob Lamb, a well-known stamp collector, will staff the booth, where people who have inherited or found collections can bring them for a quick evaluation, and possible referral to one of the dealers at the show. There is no charge for the service, and both stamps and covers, as well as first day covers, will be evaluated.

Lamb, who evaluates hundreds of collections a year, said that "most of the collections I see were put together by beginners. But at every show someone will bring in a collection which will knock your socks off."

Sometimes the owners have no idea what they have. Lamb estimates that over half of the collections he sees have commercial value and often can be sold to dealers at the show. "Indianapolis is a good collecting area and I expect to see some very good material there," Lamb added.

AMERICOVER 2011 also will feature two marketplaces, a national-level exhibition of first day covers, and a youth table.

2011 Youth Fund Covers

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-07-10T10:59:47-05:00

The 2011 AFDCS Youth Scholarship Fund first day covers are now available. The covers feature Civil War-themed cachets by Dave Curtis. Covers are available with a variety of cachets, stamps and postmarks.

Covers are available for $20 each (or $25 for multi-stamp “special” combo covers), with the proceeds going to the Youth Scholarship Fund. The Youth Scholarship Fund provides a free membership for a year to a youth member or club. Covers may be ordered online by clicking here.

For more information about the covers, contact Lorraine Bailey at alsaceleb@verizon.net.

Chapters Host Auction at Show

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-07-09T20:18:21-05:00

The tradition continues as the Robert C. Graebner Chapter and the Claude C. Ries Chapter host the hospitality Suite at this year’s AMERICOVER in Indianapolis. The suite will provide ample room for the attendees to meet and enjoy the company of fellow collectors. The suite will be open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings after the other events are finished and offer light snacks and soft drinks.

This year the two chapters are teaming up to hold the popular Silent Auction which is set up on Thursday and closes at 11:00 PM on Saturday evening. This auction offers a large variety of new and older material including single covers, sets on cover, ceremony programs and usually a few unique items that attract several bidders. Download a description of all the lots.

The auction is open to all attendees but they must register prior to bidding so the winners can be reached if they do not pick up their lots. This auction allows bidders to obtain some very nice material and also provides the funding for the operation of the suite at no cost to the AFDCS. All proceeds above the cost are given to the show and usually provides a very nice donation.

The items for the auction have been donated by Chapter members and the many members of AFDCS. This year we have 132 lots ranging from a few dollars to some covers that are valued in the one hundred dollar range. If you are not attending the convention you can have someone who is coming submit your bids.

The Chapters thank all the members who have assisted in putting together the auction and who have provided outstanding material.

2011 Court of Honor Design

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-07-09T20:00:20-05:00

The American First Day Cover Society will honor Barbara A. Montgomery of Hampton Bays, New York as the 31st member of the Court of Honor. Barbara’s artwork for the 2011 Court of Honor cachet is pictured to the right.

The AFDCS Court of Honor was created to honor cachet artists who have, over the years, contributed so much to the hobby through the beauty of their art. A different artist is selected each year.

The series uses the Christmas theme, for which stamps are issued every year, so that the cachets can be completed in advance. The artists are given complete freedom to develop their designs. The AFDCS then reproduces the art on a high-quality envelope.

Barbara’s official first cachet was for the Red Rose stamp of 1993. In the AFDCS Cachet Contest Barbara was the winner in the Hand Painted/Printed From Original Art category in 2001 and 2002 and achieved Honorable Mention in 2008. She was also the winner in both the Esoteric Covers and Miscellaneous Media categories in 2007.

Unserviced envelopes will be available for purchase in late September, for those who wish to service their own covers. Serviced covers will be available shortly after the first day of issue.

Ordering details will be announced at a later date.

AMERICOVER Show Cancels

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-07-09T19:43:24-05:00

The theme of AMERICOVER 2011, to held August 5, 6 and 7 in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the centennial of the Indianapolis 500.

To celebrate this occasion the AMERICOVER committee had artist Paul Johnson design these three pictorial cancels. Since this is the 56th American First Day Cover Society convention the number 56 is located on the racing car in each cancel.

A set of three show covers is $10.

Can’t make it to the show? Order a set of convention covers online. Click here, then scroll down to the bottom to purchase a set of convention covers and/or a show program bearing stamps postmarked with all three of the show postmarks.

Online orders will be mailed after the show.

AMERICOVER Exhibit Update

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-06-26T21:12:34-05:00

Exhibits Still Being Accepted; Jury Named

The American First Day Cover Society continues to seek exhibits for AMERICOVER 2011, a World Series of Philately show to be held Aug. 5-7 in Indianapolis.

Exhibitors may download the Prospectus and Entry Form. Entry Forms should be submitted as soon as possible, as the entry period may end without prior notice.

Judges serving on the AMERICOVER 2011 jury are as follows:

Janet Klug, Chief Judge, (Ohio; pictured)
Elizabeth M. Hisey (Florida)
Peter Martin (Virginia)
Eliot Landau (Illinois)
Ann de Bayley (Deb) Nicoll (Indiana)

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 2011 will be part of the Champion of Champions competition at Stampshow 2012. Ralph Nafziger, winner of the 2010 Grand with "The 3-Cent Oregon Territory Issue," will represent AMERICOVER this summer in Columbus, Ohio.

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 2012.

In addition to 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.

For more information on AMERICOVER 2011 visit the show information page or email showinfo@afdcs.org.

First Days #390 On the Way

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-06-26T20:57:05-05:00

The April 15, 2011 issue of First Days (whole issue number 390) is on its way to members. Highlights of the issue:

The Art Kober Ducks
Aug. 23, 1886 is First Day of Sale for the 2-Cent Grant Lettersheet
Connecticut Tercentenary Issue Cachetmaker Identified
2011 First Day Events with Ceremony Programs
FDC Bibliography: Topicals Supplement 2
The Jacques Cartier Issue of 1934
AMERICOVER 2011 Update
First Cachets Update 150

We continue to make every effort to get our publication schedule back on track for 2011. Thank you for your continued patience.

Owney FDCs Sought By NPM

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-06-10T22:01:08-05:00

FDCs at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum: Cachetmakers Participation Invited for Owney Stamp

Cachetmaker members of the American First Day Cover Society are invited to participate in a unique opportunity to have their cachets showcased in the new William H. Gross Stamp Gallery of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. This will be the premier First Day Cover exhibit in the gallery. Individual AFDCS members and AFDCS chapters are invited to submit their cacheted cover for the Owney stamp, to be issued on July 27, 2011.

All selected covers meeting the museum criteria will become a part of the permanent collection, and some will be selected for display in the Gross Stamp Gallery. Final selection of the cachets to be used in the exhibit will be done by the museum’s Council of Philatelist’s New Initiatives Committee at the committee’s fall meeting. The committee’s decisions will be final. Cachet covers entered will become the property of the National Postal Museum and may be reproduced in museum literature or displayed on its web site.

Owney was a dog who found his way into the Albany, New York, post office in 1888 and was adopted by the mail clerks. Owney was fond of riding the rails with the mailbags and became the mascot of the Railway Mail Service. For more up to date information about Owney, visit the museum website and the APS Chapter Activities Committee Owney Resource Page.

Cachet designs should be submitted on a standard #6 envelope using any media or technique. Downloadable images of Owney are available here. The design must be family-friendly. All submissions should respect copyright law. The deadline for registering has been extended to October 15, 2011. An application form must accompany all entries. Click here to download the application.

This represents an incredible opportunity for cachetmakers to have one of their first day covers added to the museum’s permanent collection and to be considered for public display in the nation’s capital. The Owney Cachet project will promote visitation to the museum and attract new collectors to FDC collecting.

The William H. Gross Gallery will be a new 12,000 square foot area at street level within the National Postal Museum. It is expected to open in 2012 and will house extraordinary philatelic treasures as well as have space for educational exhibits, temporary exhibits, and public programs. For further information about the gallery, visit the museum website.

Questions regarding the competition for the Owney project can be emailed to: angelbear.hisey@gmail.com. Owney Project Team members are Liz Hizey, Mary Ann Bowman, Don Sundman, Janet Klug, Cheryl Ganz, and Katie Burke.

New Grand Award for Exhibits

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-06-06T21:36:25-05:00

AFDCS CALIFORNIA CHAPTER DONATES CRYSTAL AMERICOVER GRAND AWARD

The Claude C. Ries Chapter of the American First Day Cover Society is sponsoring the Grand Award for the AMERICOVER exhibit competition.

The Southern California group has chosen a nine- by eight-inch crystal pyramid (like the one at left, but with appropriate engraving), which will be presented to the owner of the top exhibit at AMERICOVER, a World Series of Philately show dedicated to first day covers. The first of these beautiful prizes will be awarded at AMERICOVER 2011 in Indianapolis, August 5-7.

The prospectus for exhibitors is available here.

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 2011 will be part of the Champion of Champions competition at Stampshow 2012. Ralph Nafziger, winner of the 2010 Grand with "The 3-Cent Oregon Territory Issue," will represent AMERICOVER this summer in Columbus, Ohio.

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 2012.

In addition to 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 Wyndham West Indianapolis Hotel, and there is a special AMERICOVER room rate of $89. There also will be two bourses (commercial dealers and cachetmakers), a banquet, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, an auction, seminars, a pre-show area tour and a post-show dinner event. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also likely.

The Ries Chapter is one of the most active in the AFDCS, and meets monthly. For more information, visit rieschapterafdcs.com or send e-mail to info@rieschapterafdcs.com.

Show Hotel Rate Reduced

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-05-17T21:53:44-05:00

AFDCS GETS LOWER HOTEL RATE FOR AMERICOVER: $89 A NIGHT

Visitors to AMERICOVER 2011, the annual show and convention of the American First Day Cover Society, are getting a bigger bargain than originally planned.

The AFDCS successfully negotiated with the Wyndham West Indianapolis to reduce the hotel room rate from $99 to $89 (plus taxes). This will be the 20th year in a row that the AFDCS has obtained a room rate under $100 — right back to the very first AMERICOVER show in 1992.

This World Series of Philately show will be held August 5-7, and will feature two bourses (commercial dealers and cachetmakers), a banquet, food events, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, an auction, seminars, a pre-show area tour and a post-show dinner event. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also likely.

The show is being held the weekend before the American Philatelic Society's StampShow 2011 in Columbus, Ohio, which is only a three-hour drive away.

The Wyndham West is also the closest full-service hotel to the Indianapolis airport — it even has departure information monitors in its lobby and a free shuttle to the airport. Its room service, business center and fitness center are all available 24 hours a day. The hotel has a full-service restaurant and sports bar, an outdoor heated pool (shaped like a goldfish cracker), free parking, and free Internet service almost anywhere in the hotel or by the pool. Guest rooms also feature 32-inch flat screen televisions and alarm clocks with mp3 capability.

Several AFDCS members have noted that there are a Waffle House restaurant and two White Castles nearby, along with many other local and national-chain restaurants.

To make online reservations at the special AMERICOVER rate of $89, click here.

First Days #389 In The Mail

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-05-01T18:23:51-05:00

The March 1, 2011 issue of First Days is now in the mail.

Highlights of the issue include:

Fraudulent Navy First Day Postmarks on 7-1-71 Covers
The Dyer-Farnam-Allinson Mystery Cover
Ries Chapter Celebrates 20th Yule Tuber
The First FDC by Winfred Grandy
The 2011 USPS Stamp Program
A First Day Cover From 1840
AFDCS Auction 72

For those members who have online access to the magazine (Life, Gold, Silver and Online Only members), you may login and download the complete issue.

Thanks again for your patience during this publication delay.

AMERICOVER Event Registration

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-04-23T17:04:39-05:00

Registration for AMERICOVER 2011 events is now open.

AMERICOVER 2011, a World Series of Philately stamp and cover show and convention, will be held August 5-7 at the Wyndham West Indianapolis Hotel in Indianapolis, Ind.

The day before the show opens, Thursday, August 4, there's an excursion to the Speedway Hall of Fame right next to the famous “brick yard” where the Indy 500 race is held every year. The bus leaves the hotel at 8:45 a.m. A $5.00 admission fee is charged by the museum. After touring the museum, get back on the bus for a ride to the home of Ralph and Diane Achgill in Lafayette. By popular acclaim, Ralph and Diane are again tempting us with some delicious barbeque, as they did in 2004. (If you would rather not eat pork, there will be other menu choices.) The bus will depart at 2:00 p.m. and return us to the hotel by 3:00 p.m. The cost for this event is $26 (not including the the $5 museum fee).

After the show closes Sunday night, the 7th, you can dine and be entertained at the Beef ‘n’ Boards Dinner Theater in north Indianapolis. The featured play this time is Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping. Transportation is included in the package. The price is $64.

There are also food events during AMERICOVER 2011. The President's Banquet is held Friday night. The annual AFDCS cachet contest winners will be announced at the end of the evening. Banquet tickets are $52.

Saturday night's food event is the post-Cachetmakers Bourse buffet, which will include soup, three kinds of salad, three kinds of deli meat plus cheeses, and all the sandwich trimmings you'd want. The cost is $25.

Want to save some money? Buy the "Four Events Package" and get tickets to all the above events for $155, a savings of $12 over the single event prices. Also, all of these prices are good only through June 30--prices will increase on July 1st, so don't delay.

A convenient online registration system is available here. Payment by credit card (MC, Visa, AMEX) is required.

Want to pay by check? Download and print the registration form to mail with your payment.

AMERICOVER Seeks Volunteers

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-04-23T17:01:41-05:00

Each year the American First Day Cover Society depends on support from its members who volunteer to help at AMERICOVER. We have volunteer opportunities before and during the show. Please consider devoting just a few hours of your time to help, either before or during AMERICOVER 2011. Volunteers are not required to help all day at the show. Many of the jobs can be done in two hour shifts.

To learn about how you can help AMERICOVER 2011 become a success, click here.

First Days Delayed

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-04-16T10:02:52-05:00

Due to short-term financial concerns, the March 1st and April 15th issues of First Days have been delayed. The AFDCS Executive Committee and Board of Directors are addressing these concerns. An updated publication schedule will be posted when available.

Thanks for your patience.

Chris Lazaroff
President

Tom Foust Dies

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-03-06T19:23:04-06:00

Thomas L. Foust, Immediate Past President of the American First Day Cover Society, passed away March 5, 2011, at the age of 80.

Foust, a resident of McComb, Ohio, served as president of the AFDCS from 1988 through 2005, a total of 18 years, and continued on the Executive Committee after that until his death. He became an Honorary Life Member in 2002, and received the Distinguished Service Award in 1997 and the Glenn C. Michel Special Recognition Award in both 2001 and 2006.

"He always had the best interests of the society at heart and was devoted to its success," said AFDCS executive director Douglas A. Kelsey.

In addition, Foust served as president of the Fort Findlay (Ohio) Stamp and Postcard Club for more than 30 years. Besides making his own cachets, one of Foust's collecting interests was first day covers relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, with whom he shared a birthday.

Foust was a Marine who served as a radio operator and instructor during the Korean War. He then studied fine arts at Mars Hill College in North Carolina and Georgetown College in Kentucky. He worked as a draftsman for several Ohio firms.

According to his daughter Deborah, he often painted seasonal murals on the door of his two-car garage in McComb, including one depicting the school mascot when McComb High School won a championship.

Foust was a member of the VFW and Elks, and a volunteer with the Hancock County Historical Society, both as an engineer on the Riverside Railroad and as a docent at the Society’s museum. He was also active in the Zion United Methodist Church.

He is survived by two daughters, two sisters, five grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Donations in Tom Foust's name may be made to the American First Day Cover Society (click here); Zion United Methodist Church, 9009 SR 12 West, Findlay, Ohio; or to the USS Potomac, FDR’s Floating White House.

2011 AFDCS Executive Committee

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-01-27T20:01:21-06:00

Peter Martin, Ralph Nafziger Join AFDCS Executive Committee

The Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society, the largest not-for-profit organization in the world specifically for FDC collectors, has chosen Ralph Nafziger as its Recording Secretary.

At the same time, AFDCS President Chris Lazaroff has appointed Peter Martin as Editor of First Days, the society's official journal.

Both positions hold seats on the Executive Committee. In addition, the Editor is ex officio a member of the Board of Directors.

On the Executive Committee, Nafziger and Martin will join re-elected officers Chris Lazaroff of South Carolina, president; Michael Litvak of California, executive vice president; Todd Ronnei of Minnesota, first vice president; and Elliot Fischer of California, treasurer. In addition, the Board re-elected Lloyd de Vries of New Jersey as its chairman.

This is Martin's (right) second term as editor of First Days, which he edited from 2002 to 2006. An award-winning philatelic author and editor for more than 30 years, he also has served as the editor of Scott Stamp Monthly and American Philatelist, and is also presently the editor of Duck Tracks, the journal of the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society. He is the president of the American Philatelic Society Writers Unit 30, chairman of the APS Publications Committee, and a trustee of the American Philatelic Research Library.

Nafziger (left), a retired research chemist/supervisor with the U.S. Bureau of Mines, won the AMERICOVER 2010 Grand Award with his exhibit "The 3-Cent Oregon Territory Issue," as well as other gold medals in World Series of Philately competitions. Recipient of a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University, he has 117 professional publications and presentations to his credit, as well as many professional awards. His other hobbies include astronomy, photography, hiking, snowshoeing, and playing French horn in a municipal band.

AFDCS officers are not compensated, nor reimbursed for their travel expenses. The Executive Committee, which also includes the executive director (Douglas Kelsey), immediate past president (Thomas Foust), membership (Foster Miller) and education (Ralph Achgill) chairs, and the general counsel (Allen Klein), meets annually at AMERICOVER, the society's annual show and convention, which in 2011 is being held Aug. 5-7 in Indianapolis, and via mail ballots as needed.

First Days Now Online

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-01-27T19:22:01-06:00

AFDCS Makes First Days Journal Available Online For Members; New Classes of Membership Created

First Days, the award-winning journal of the American First Day Cover Society, is now available online for certain members.

At the same time, the AFDCS, the world's largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to the collection of first day covers, has created three new classes of membership (in bold below):

Online Members anywhere in the world can download each issue of the magazine from the AFDCS.org website, but will not receive a copy in the mail. They will pay reduced dues of just $24.
Regular Members will receive a copy of the journal in the mail (no online access), for $30 a year in the U.S.
Silver Members will receive a copy of First Days in the mail and will be able to download issues. The dues for this class are $60.
Gold Members have the same privileges as Silver, but get extra satisfaction for helping the Society and helping promote FDC collecting. Gold membership dues are $100 per year.
Non-U.S. Members who do not choose the online membership receive a copy of the journal in the mail, at $40 a year.
Youth members — FDC collectors younger than 18 years — are eligible for junior memberships at $20 per year.

The AFDCS also offers discounts for three years' dues paid at once and Life Membership at $600.

The download version of First Days is in Adobe PDF format. Each issue is searchable by keyword.

To join the Society as a new member, click here. Current members wanting to renew their membership (and change their membership class, if desired), please click here. Download access is also available to Life Members and Honorary Life Members upon request. Send an email to webmaster@afdcs.org for access.

2011 Show Exhibits

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-01-17T20:45:48-06:00

AMERICOVER Seeks Exhibits For 2011 Show In Indianapolis

The American First Day Cover Society is seeking exhibits for AMERICOVER 2011, a World Series of Philately show to be held Aug. 5-7 in Indianapolis.

Now available for download is the Prospectus and Entry Form. The deadline for entering the AMERICOVER 2011 exhibition is June 1, 2011, or whenever the 160 available frames fill up.

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 2011 will be part of the Champion of Champions competition at Stampshow 2012. Ralph Nafziger, winner of the 2010 Grand with "The 3-Cent Oregon Territory Issue," will represent AMERICOVER this summer in Columbus, Ohio.

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 2012.

In addition to 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 Wyndham West Indianapolis Hotel, and there is a special AMERICOVER room rate of $89. There also will be two bourses (commercial dealers and cachetmakers), a banquet, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, an auction, seminars, a pre-show area tour and a post-show dinner event. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also likely.

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.

For more information on AMERICOVER 2011 visit the show information page or email showinfo@afdcs.org.

APS Exhibiting Course Offered

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-01-08T21:56:06-06:00

Exhibiting for the Prize, April 27-28, 2011, with Rich Drews and Tony Wawrukiewicz in San Francisco prior to WESTPEX

Land the big one with this two-day course! Starting with a quick review of the basics, this course will delve into intermediate and advanced level topics of exhibiting to help exhibitors who wish to win a Grand Award or beyond, or to compete at the challenging international levels.

Students will explore how judging takes place in all the various exhibiting divisions. They will discover what considerations ― including treatment, succinctly conveying knowledge and research, and difficulty of acquisition ― will affect award level, and gain insight into what is in the mind of judges as they make their decisions. Drews and Wawrukiewicz, two award winning exhibitors and APS judges, will explain what separates Silver and Vermeil from Gold, and what it takes to reach the sought-after Grand Award level. Exhibitors will be encouraged to bring their exhibits for assistance and comparison with a wide range of successful exhibits in all disciplines.

Register by April 6, 2011 and receive a $15 discount. Cost is $195 for APS members, $295 for nonmembers. The course meets 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m. with a break for lunch. Lunch is not included in the registration fee. The contact person is Gretchen Moody, APS Director of Education, gretchen@stamps.org, 814-933-3810.

Cachetmakers Contest Open

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-01-12T20:59:05-06:00

AFDCS Holds Annual Cachet Contest; The Year's Best FDC Designs To Be Chosen In 16 Categories + 2 For Youth

Entries are now being accepted for the American First Day Cover Society's annual cachet contest. The best FDC designs from 2010 will be chosen in 16 categories.

The deadline for entries is April 15, 2011. Those entering covers must be members of the AFDCS. (Youth cachetmakers need only be related to an AFDCS member.)

The entry fee for adults is $5 if the cover is donated to the Society, or $10 if the cachetmaker wants the FDC returned. A complete set of rules can be found in the Jan. 15 issue of First Days, the official AFDCS journal or downloaded here.

"I'm looking forward to seeing lots of entries from cachetmakers in this contest," said new contest chairman John Byrnes of Ajo, Ariz.

A cachet is the artwork on a first day cover envelope that complements the new stamp. These designs can be as simple as a few words of text or as complicated as an oil painting or mosaic. Typically, the media used in the entries to an AFDCS cachetmakers contest range from colored pencils and markers to acrylic paints, woodblock prints and movable parts.

The categories include hand-painted with no mass production of any kind; hand-colored; computer-produced; one-color; event (not first-day) covers; Rookie of the Year and two age groups for young cachetmakers. There is also the top award, which cites what the three judges feel is the best cachet submitted in the entire contest, regardless of the media used.

Last year’s winner, Fred Collins of New Jersey entered a first day cover for the Edgar Allan Poe stamp (above). It also won the Hand-Painted/Printed from Original Art category.

As winner of the top award, Collins may enter the contest again, but his 2010 cachets are not eligible for the top award.

The results of the contest will be announced at Friday evening, August 5, at AMERICOVER 2011 in Indianapolis, and later that evening online.

AFDCS Events in Charleston

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2011-01-12T20:33:39-06:00

The American First Day Cover Society will have a booth, a regional meeting and several presentations at AmeriStamp Expo, the annual winter show of the American Philatelic Society.

Throughout the three days of the show, February 11-13 at the North Charleston Convention Center, the AFDCS will have a booth, managed by Membership Chair Foster Miller. Other board members and officers will help staff the booth, and recent first day covers with cachets by the AFDCS and its Washington, D.C.-area chapter will be available for sale.

A regional meeting of the AFDCS will be held Friday at 2 o'clock, followed by a DVD presentation, "Illinois First Day Covers: Cities and Towns."

Members of the AFDCS are likely to be found at the show's first day ceremonies — for the Art Deco Bird coil on Friday and for the Navajo Necklace coil-of-10,000 on Saturday.

Several chapters of the AFDCS also will hold meetings at AmeriStamp Expo, including the Ebony Society of Philatelic Events & Reflections, American Ceremony Program Society, and The Virtual Stamp Club.

Board Election Results

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-10-30T18:39:02-05:00

The American First Day Cover Society has elected five people to its board of directors for three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2011.

Four are incumbents, while one, although well known among FDC collectors, will be serving his first term on the Board. Here are the vote totals (five winners in bold):

Lloyd de Vries	147
Todd Ronnei	126
Ralph Achgill	120
Lorraine Bailey	112
Mark Goodson	111
Andrew McFarlane	103
Gil Celli	47

Four individuals received single write-in votes: Dave Fletcher, Maurice Landry, Larry Gassen, and Fred Collins. 167 valid ballots were counted.

De Vries is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors, and has served on the Board since 1987. Ronnei is the Society's First Vice President and Webmaster. Achgill is just completing a stint as Education Chairman and continues as Bourse Chairman for the AFDCS' annual show and convention, AMERICOVER. Bailey is part of the AFDCS Sales Division, handling the AFDCS Cachetmakers Series first day covers. Goodson is a co-author of the ongoing First Cachets catalogue project.

Michael A. Mellone of Jonesborough, Tenn., did not seek re-election this year. He was first elected to the Board in 1987.

President Chris Lazaroff thanked Richard Hoffman and Fred Gagliardi of the Connecticut Cover Club for their work in counting the ballots in this year's election, and the Nominating Committee of Helen Fowler, Mary Kay Fisher and Fred Fowler for recruiting the candidates.

Five seats on the AFDCS Board of Directors are elected each year for three-year terms, beginning Jan. 1 of the following year. In addition to the 15 elected directors, the president, the editor of the official journal, First Days, and the general counsel serve on the board ex officio, if not elected to the board themselves.

AFDCS directors are not compensated, nor reimbursed for their travel expenses. The board meets annually at AMERICOVER, the society's annual show and convention, which next year is being held Aug. 5-7 in Indianapolis, and via mail ballots as needed.

Fundraising Update

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-11-07T10:34:31-06:00

In August the American First Day Cover Society launched the $100 From 100 Campaign. Like many organizations, our income cycle doesn't always match our expense cycle. Thus, at certain times of the year, bill paying is more difficult. The purpose of this campaign is to get one hundred AFDCS members to donate $100 each, establishing a $10,000 nest egg for the AFDCS so we don't have to go begging every year. (Unlike some organizations, the AFDCS doesn't have a large endowment fund.)

We’re pleased to report that we've had 35 donors so far. This means we need 65 more. If you’re an AFDCS member and you enjoy the hobby of first day cover collecting and the benefits the AFDCS provides, please consider making a $100 donation (or more!) to help preserve the future of the Society and the hobby.

You may donate online via this link, or you can mail contributions to

AFDCS
PO Box 16277
Tucson, AZ 85732

THANKS in advance for your support.

The American First Day Cover Society has been designated a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), organization by the Internal Revenue Service. Your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent the law allows.

First Days Index Online

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-09-25T10:53:16-05:00

The American First Day Cover Society is pleased to offer its latest new feature on the AFDCS website: the First Days article index. Two separate indexes in Adobe PDF format are now available; together they cover all content of First Days from 1955 through 2003. The benefits of this feature:

You can download the indexes and save them on your computer.
They're printable, if you want to have a hard copy for reference (approximately 200 pages).
They're SEARCHABLE by keyword!
And best of all, they're FREE! (The indexes formerly cost $15 for a hard copy only.)

If you prefer another format, we also have a Microsoft Excel version available for download. That version covers an additional five years of articles.

To access the indexes, visit the First Days information page.

AFDCS Handbooks on Sale

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-09-24T20:36:27-05:00

The American First Day Cover Society has reduced the price of a number of its publications. These titles are now available at half their previous cost:

Handbook of 1909 Commemoratives on FDC
by Robert P. Colby with contributions by Robert F. Drummond and First Days authors
Was $15, NOW $7.50

Walter G. Crosby - Philatelic Cachet Specialist
by William H. Stroebel
Was $20, NOW $10

Cachet Catalog of Staehle & Knapp
by M. Douglas Parks
Was $40, NOW $20

Checklist of US FDC Predates and Unofficials - 1922 to mid-1936
by Robert P. Colby
Was $13, NOW $6.50

International Bibliography of FDC Literature
by David Zubatsky
Was $6, NOW $3.00

Philatelic Announcement Cards of the USPOD
by Dr. Cary Finder
Was $15, NOW $7.50

United States Meter Stamps First Days and Earliest-Known Uses
by Douglas A. Kelsey
Was $6, NOW $3.00

First Day Covers of the Regular Issues of 1922-35 (second edition)
by Jack V. Harvey
Was $9, NOW $4.50

Scott Number and Cachetmaker Index for First Days Volumes 1-41
by Wayne P. Gasper and Pat Price
Was $10, NOW $5.00

Many of these titles are in short supply, and orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

To purchase these and other titles, visit the online AFDCS Marketplace, where you can place your order and securely pay with your credit card. Orders of $10 or more ship FREE to U.S. addresses.

2010 Court of Honor Cachet

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-09-11T10:28:45-05:00

Cachet Series Now Three Decades Strong

The thirtieth cachet in the AFDCS Court of Honor series features an original design by Susan D. Jorritsma, the principal artist for Washington Press, producer of ArtCraft cachets.

Susan studied art at Worcester Art Museum and Northeastern University. Her second art job was at Woodbury & Co., Inc. in Worcester, Massachusetts, the company that produced ArtCraft cachets for Washington Press since 1939. She was hired to work in the finished art department where she learned to do hand lettering, trademarks, and pictorial illustrations of the designers’ customer-approved art for stationery.

She graduated to working on cachet lettering and later to working on airbrushed pictures. The first cachet she designed herself was for the “Letters Preserve Memories” stamp issued in 1980. She used her parents wedding picture (1945) being slipped out of an envelope and another photo of her smiling mom holding out big ice cream cones.

Her opportunity to design cachets full time came unexpectedly in 1989 when the lead ArtCraft artist, Hal Bailey, retired for medical reasons and she was given his job. She worked directly with Leo August, founder of ArtCraft.

When Woodbury moved the art department from airbrush, ink and paper to programs on the computer, the transition was very difficult at first. When Woodbury went out of the stationery business in 2002 Susan was able to continue working with Washington Press on her own and now works with Tim Devaney.

She reports that artwork is done on the computer in PhotoShop and sent to Washington Press by email. When the artwork is approved, the picture is lithographed and the lettering is engraved.

Susan says she loves her job of designing ArtCraft cachets for Washington Press, and that the privilege of being invited to join the Court of Honor is timely, as she is celebrating her 20th year as the primary artist for ArtCraft.

The basic design of the Court of Honor cachet for 2010 will be lithographed in three colors: blue/green, red/orange and process yellow. The lettering will be engraved and printed in a slightly darker shade of blue/green than the litho. The finished art has been sent to Washington Press for printing.

Unserviced envelopes for those who wish to service their own covers may now be purchased online, and serviced covers may be pre-ordered. Click here to go to the order page.

2011 & 2012 AMERICOVER Sites

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-09-04T23:58:38-05:00

AFDCS Chooses Indianapolis, Los Angeles for 2011, 2012 Shows

Following the success of its AMERICOVER 2010 in August 2010, the American First Day Cover Society is planning to meet next year in Indianapolis and hold AMERICOVER 2012 in Los Angeles.

AMERICOVER is the organization’s annual show, convention and celebration of first day covers, and a World Series of Philately show. It features the largest exhibition of first day covers and biggest concentration of FDCs of the year, and each year is held in a different part of the country.

AMERICOVER 2011 will be held August 5-7 at the Wyndham Indianapolis West (left), which is about 3 miles from the Indianapolis airport and has a free shuttle to and from the airport. The American Philatelic Society’s StampShow is the following weekend in Columbus, about three hours away.

AMERICOVER 2012 is slated for Southern California, August 10-12, and again, StampShow is the following weekend, in Sacramento, about 6 hours away.

Putting AMERICOVER in the same part of the country as StampShow was a deliberate move by the AFDCS Site Selection Committee, since many dealers and collectors attend both shows. The geographical proximity hopefully will encourage even more philatelists to put both on their calendars.

For 2011, the AMERICOVER hotel rate is below $100 — the 20th year in a row the AFDCS has kept a lid on hotel costs.

The AFDCS has met twice before in Indianapolis, in 1999 and 2004.

Already penciled in for AMERICOVER 2011 are a tour of a local attraction and an outdoor hog roast the day before the show opens, and a social event, possibly a dinner theater, Sunday evening after the show closes.

The Wyndham Indianapolis West has two restaurants, 24/7 room service, a heated pool, fitness center, airline departure monitors in the lobby, and free Wi-Fi Internet service and airport shuttle.

AMERICOVER shows feature a national-level exhibition of rare first day covers, a dealers bourse, cachetmakers bourse, banquet, meetings and seminars, presentation of the AFDCS’ annual cachet contest awards, and sometimes a first-day ceremony.

For more information on AMERICOVER 2011 or 2012, send e-mail to showinfo@afdcs.org, or write Norman Elrod, AMERICOVER Chairman, 641 Dogwood Trail, McMinnville, TN 37110-3015.

$100 from 100 Appeal

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-08-21T10:00:25-05:00

Attention members of the American First Day Cover Society (AFDCS):

Like many today, the AFDCS has been experiencing a cash flow problem. Our primary expense time of the year (summer, with AMERICOVER) does not match our primary income time of the year (either side of January 1, when most membership renewals occur). Regretfully, we do not have the endowment that other organizations do. At our annual meetings at AMERICOVER, the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the AFDCS agreed to attack the problem. We've set a goal of raising $10,000 in contributions. This would cover all outstanding and near term expenses and give us a bit of a nest egg.

While we always accept contributions of any size, we are looking for members to step up to the plate (we had a baseball theme at AMERICOVER this year). We are especially looking for donations of $100 or more (and are grateful to those who have recently made substantial donations). If 100 members each donated $100, we'd reach the goal.

Now is the time for AFDCS members to show their support. If you enjoy the first day cover hobby, the AFDCS, its events and publications, please consider showing your support with a donation (if possible of $100 or more). You may donate online via this link, or you can mail contributions to AFDCS, PO Box 16277, Tucson, AZ 85732.

THANKS in advance for your support.

--Foster Miller

The American First Day Cover Society has been designated a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), organization by the Internal Revenue Service. Your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent the law allows.

Elrod, Others Receive Service Awards

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-08-16T21:53:33-05:00

Norman L. Elrod of McMinnville, Tenn. received the American First Day Cover Society’s Distinguished Service Award for 2010. Charter member Alan Warren presented the DSA to Norm at the AFDCS membership meeting held at AMERICOVER 2010. In presenting the award, Alan had this to say of Norm:

“His interest and knowledge in the field of first cachets led to his being co-author of First Cachets Revisited in 1997, and Mellone’s First Day Cover Photo Encyclopedia of First Cachets Revealed in 2005. In that year he was elected to the society’s board of directors, a position which he still holds. In 2004 he was named Exhibit Chairman for AMERICOVER, and continued to expand his responsibilities to the point where he was named Convention Chairman in 2007 – another position which he holds to this day.

“His love of our hobby is reflected in his being a speaker at local clubs, exhibiting Tennessee Statehood issue cachets, and promoting AMERICOVER on APS Stamp Talk Radio. He has already received one distinguished service award—from the Tennessee Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. And now it is time for AFDCS to bestow its DSA on Norman L. Elrod.”

Glenn C. Michel Special Recognition Awards were also conferred at the show. Recipients were:

Mark Goodson, for his many years of able assistance researching, identifying, and compiling information for the ongoing AFDCS First Cachets project;
Todd Ronnei, for his creative and technological work redesigning and updating the AFDCS.org web site and for adding new online services and features;
Cynthia Scott, for her creative and cost-saving work since 2001 producing custom AFDCS service and exhibit award items for presentation at annual conventions;
Randall Sherman, for his years of promoting and distributing generic AFDCS awards at American Philatelic Society affiliated shows where First Day Covers are exhibited; and
Richard Sine, for his faithful service since October 2006 as editor of the highly-respected and award-winning AFDCS journal First Days.

Nafziger Grabs AMERICOVER Grand

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-08-10T19:00:36-05:00

Ralph H. Nafziger received the Grand Award at AMERICOVER 2010 for his exhibit The 3-Cent Oregon Territory Issue. The exhibit also garnered the American Philatelic Congress Award and the United States Stamp Society Statue of Freedom Award. By receiving the Grand Award, Nafziger’s exhibit becomes eligible for the Champion of Champions competition at the 2011 APS Stampshow.

Reserve Grand and the Richard B. Thompson Award went to Charles J. O’Brien III for his exhibit New York World’s Fair 1939. Best single frame exhibit and the Curtis B. Patterson Award went to Anthony F. Dewey for The 1-Cent U.N. First Issue and its First Day Solo Use.

A complete palmares can be downloaded by clicking here. Congratulations to all exhibitors!

The AFDCS thanks the jury of Chief Judge Jay Stotts, Allison Cusick, Tim Bartshe, Frederick Lawrence and Dominick Riccio.

Show Fund Raising Auction Set

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-08-01T19:41:17-05:00

The AMERICOVER 2010 AFDCS donation auction is now set. In honor of the Society’s fifty-fifth year, AFDCS members have donated 55 lots. A complete list can be downloaded via this link.

If you’re attending the show, you may view lots from 3:30 to 5:00 pm on Friday, August 6 in the Elmhurst 3-4 Room. The Auction will begin at 5:00.

If you are unable to attend the Auction, you may place bids between 3:30 to 5:00 pm and we will bid for you. Email your bids to Foster Miller at fmillerfdc@yahoo.com BEFORE 3PM CDT FRIDAY.

Good luck!

July 15 Issue of First Days

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-07-25T23:29:55-05:00

AFDCS Puts Journal Issue Online - Free!

Proving there’s a silver lining in every cloud, the July 15, 2010, issue of First Days magazine is available to the public free online.

The printer of the award-winning journal of the American First Day Cover Society announced more than a week after the cover date that it had gone out of business. Not only hadn’t it mailed the issue as scheduled, it hadn’t even printed it.

The AFDCS is now looking for another printer, and already in talks with several, and the issue will be mailed to its members.

Meanwhile, the issue is available for download, to members and non-members alike, simply by clicking here.

The AFDCS leadership felt an obligation to make the issue available in a timely manner to its members, and hopes non-members will take a look at the magazine and see what a great publication it is. A subscription to First Days is one of the principal benefits of membership in the AFDCS, and membership is the only way to get a subscription.

While you’re on AFDCS website, you can apply for membership right here.

Still Time for Show Event Tickets

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-07-20T16:39:31-05:00

Opportunity Knocks Again For Fun at AMERICOVER 2010

There’s still time to join in the fun before, during and after AMERICOVER 2010. There are still tickets available for several events.

AMERICOVER 2010, a World Series of Philately stamp show and convention, will be held August 6-8 at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill.

The day before the show opens, Thursday, August 5, there's a "field trip" to the Field Museum, which features permanent exhibitions on the Ancient Americas, Nature and Ecosystems, Rocks and Fossils, and dinosaurs. The package includes transportation to and from the show hotel, and basic museum admission. Tickets are $40.

After the show closes Sunday night, the 8th, some of those attending the stamp show will dine and be entertained at Tommy Gun's Garage, an audience interactive speakeasy featuring a musical comedy review "wit da gangsters and da flappers." Again, transportation is included in the package. The price is $70.

There are also food events during AMERICOVER 2010. The President's Banquet is held Friday night. The annual AFDCS cachet contest winners will be announced at the end of the evening, making it a must-see event. Banquet tickets are $65.

First day cover collectors find it hard to tear themselves away from the AMERICOVER Cachetmakers Bourse, the largest held anywhere this year. So that night's food event is late, around 9 p.m., and features sandwiches. The cost is $35.

A convenient online registration system is available simply by clicking here.

AMERICOVER 2010 also features a commercial dealers bourse and a cachetmakers bourse, a national-level exhibition of first day covers, a forum by a postal official involved with first day covers, seminars, meetings, a youth table, the Stamps in The Attic quick collection evaluation service, and an auction. Admission to the show and parking are free.

Online Access Discount at Hotel

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-07-12T19:52:25-05:00

Those staying at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill., for AMERICOVER 2010 August 6-8 will get a $7 daily discount on Internet service, on top of the already low $99 AMERICOVER 2010 room rate.

Rather than the usual $14.95 a day for high-speed Internet access, the charge for AMERICOVER 2010 guests will be $7.95 a day.

“It is something special for all our members staying at the Marriott,” says Norman Elrod, chairman of the American First Day Cover Society’s World Series of Philately stamp show.

To get the special $99 room rate, reservations must be made by July 14th. Click this link to go directly to the hotel’s reservation page where you can book your room at the AMERICOVER rate.

“It’s silly to stay anywhere else,” says Lloyd de Vries, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the AFDCS. “Not only do AMERICOVER events run from early morning to late at night, but you can’t beat these rates.”

Show Cover Design

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-07-09T19:08:33-05:00

AMERICOVER 2010 show covers will have the following cachet design:

Each show cover will have the appropriate cancel for each day (see below) and will be franked with one of the new 44¢ Negro Leagues Baseball stamps. Production will be limited to only 200 sets.

The set of three covers is $10. Order in advance and pick them up at the show on Sunday afternoon, August 8, or have them mailed to you after the show closes. Click here to order online (scroll down to find the covers).

Show Event Cachet Designs

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-07-09T17:50:25-05:00

Cachet designs for the complimentary covers given to attendees of AMERICOVER 2010 events have been revealed.

Dave Curtis has produced cachets for two events. The first one will be given to those who participate in the Thursday, August 5 “field trip” to the Field Museum, which features permanent exhibitions on the Ancient Americas, Nature and Ecosystems, Rocks and Fossils, and . . . DINOSAURS!

The second Curtis design is for attendees of the President’s Banquet on Friday, August 6:

Tom Peluso (Therome Cachets) designed the cachet for the final event, the outing to Tommy Gun’s Garage on Sunday, August 8, after the show closes:

The Tommy Gun’s covers will be printed on cream colored envelopes and feature a 3D Model A Ford picture insert. They will be serviced with either James Cagney or Frank Sinatra stamps.

How do you get one or all of these beauties? It’s easy--just attend these events! Sign up by clicking here. But do it today, because the number of finished covers (stamped and postmarked) will be limited to just 30 for the Field Trip, 100 for the Banquet, and 50 for Tommy Gun’s Garage. Covers will go to those who purchase their tickets the earliest.

AMERICOVER 2010 Postmarks

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-07-05T13:55:54-05:00

The following postmarks will be available at AMERICOVER 2010

Can’t make it to the show? Order a set of convention covers. Click here, then scroll down to the bottom to purchase a set of convention covers and/or a show program bearing stamps postmarked with all three of the show postmarks.

Ward Award Winners Named

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-06-24T20:28:31-05:00

Howard, Kaplan, Rosenthal Win AFDCS Ward Writing Awards

E. Lee Howard and the team of Barry N. Kaplan and Michael R. Rosenthal are the winners of the 2010 Philip H. Ward Award, presented by the American First Day Cover Society for best writing on first day covers.

Howard, a past president of the AFDCS and of its Robert C. Graebner Chapter in the Washington, D.C., area, took first place with his article, “Jesse Graham Holland, Pioneer Cachetmaker,” which appeared in the Dec. 1, 2009, issue of First Days, the society’s official journal.

Kaplan and Rosenthal’s “The House of Farnam Story: The Artmaster Era: 1988-2005,” which appeared in the Jan. 15, 2009, issue of First Days, was chosen as the runner-up for the Ward Award.

Back issues of First Days are available for $4.00 each postpaid within the U.S. from Deb Bennett, 1601 River Farm Drive, Alexandria, Va. 22308.

The awards will be presented at the AFDCS membership meeting during AMERICOVER 2010, the annual show and convention of the AFDCS, which this year is being held August 6-8 at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill.

The award, named in honor of Philip H. Ward (1890-1963), the distinguished Philadelphia stamp collector, dealer and journalist who was a pioneer in the field of first day covers, was instituted by the AFDCS in 1964. All articles appearing in First Days are automatically considered for the award; articles in other publications may be submitted for consideration.

Additional information can be obtained from the Ward Award chairman, Barry Ellis, 5117 Arrowhead Pass, Fort Wayne, Ind. 46804, or e-mail bellis1230@aol.com.

Baseball Dedication at AMERICOVER

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-06-19T12:01:42-05:00

Negro Leagues Baseball Stamps Dedication Planned At AMERICOVER 2010 August 6th

The cry of "Play Ball" will be heard at AMERICOVER 2010, the annual show and convention of the American First Day Cover Society that's being held August 6-8 in Oak Brook, Ill., near Chicago.

A dedication ceremony for the new Negro Leagues Baseball stamps will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 6, in the Marquis Room of the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook, sponsored by the AFDCS, the Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections (ESPER), and the American Ceremony Program Society.

Two former Negro Leagues players, Johnny "Lefty" Washington and Hank "Baby" Presswood, will speak at the ceremony, along with representatives of the AFDCS, ESPER, ACPS and the U.S. Postal Service. Washington and Presswood will also be available to sign autographs and memorabilia after the ceremony.

Washington was a versatile athlete who played pitcher, first base and outfield for the Houston Eagles and Chicago American Giants in the late 1940s, as well as the U.S. Marine national championship team in 1952. Presswood played shortstop and third base for the Cleveland Buckeyes and Kansas City Monarchs in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

In addition, the USPS will be selling the two new 44-cent Negro Leagues Baseball stamps and will offer two pictorial postmarks, one that is being used nationwide to celebrate the issuance of the stamps and the other a baseball-theme postmark for AMERICOVER 2010 (the “show cancel”).

AMERICOVER 2010 also features a national-level exhibition of first day covers, a commercial dealers bourse and a cachetmakers bourse, a forum by a postal official involved with first day covers, seminars, meetings, a youth table, the Stamps in The Attic quick collection evaluation service, and several auctions.

Customers at the cachetmakers bourse are likely to see a wide variety of FDCs for the Negro Leagues Baseball issue.

ESPER is an international stamp society which promotes the collecting of African Americans on stamps and the collecting of stamps by African Americans. The ACPS is a collectors club dedicated to the preservation of Postal Service first day and philatelic-related event programs. The AFDCS is the largest non-profit organization for first day cover collectors in the world, and publisher of the award-winning journal First Days.

Scholarship Fund FDCs Available

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-06-01T20:49:17-05:00

The 2010 AFDCS Youth Scholarship Fund first day cover is now available. The cover features a hand-painted Year of the Tiger cachet by Mary Kay Fisher. Covers are available with single stamps, or in combination with the 32¢ Year of the Tiger stamp issued in 1998. Covers come with standard black or digital color postmarks.

Covers are available for $20 each (or $25 for multi-stamp “special” combo covers), with the proceeds going to the Youth Scholarship Fund. The Youth Scholarship Fund provides a free membership for a year to a youth member or club. Covers may be ordered online by clicking here.

For more information about the covers, contact Lorraine Bailey at alsaceleb@verizon.net.

AMERICOVER: More Than FDCs

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-04-29T18:55:47-05:00

First day cover collectors attending AMERICOVER 2010, the American First Day Cover Society's show and convention in suburban Chicago, will have an opportunity to explore 13,000 years of human ingenuity -- and a decade of human depredation.

AMERICOVER 2010, a World Series of Philately stamp show and convention, will be held August 6-8 at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill.

The day before the show opens, Thursday, August 5, there's a field trip to the Field Museum, which features permanent exhibitions on the Ancient Americas, Nature and Ecosystems, Rocks and Fossils, and dinosaurs. During AMERICOVER, the Field has a special exhibition, "Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age," available for an additional fee.

After the show closes Sunday night, the 8th, some of those attending the stamp show will dine and be entertained at Tommy Gun's Garage, an audience interactive speakeasy featuring a musical comedy review "wit da gangsters and da flappers."

There are also food events during AMERICOVER 2010. The President's Banquet is held Friday night. The annual AFDCS cachet contest winners will be announced at the end of the evening.

Because the Cachetmakers Bourse runs from the close of the show Saturday into the evening, that night's food event is late, around 9 p.m., and features sandwiches.

Sunday morning, there's a free breakfast for charter and life members of the Society.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, a hospitality suite operated by the Claude C. Ries (Southern California) and Robert C. Graebner (D.C./Maryland, Virginia), and Chicagoland FDC Society chapters will be open, complete with munchies, beverages and camaraderie.

Prices for the Field trip, banquet, post-bourse sandwiches and speakeasy go up after June 30. There is also a discount for those ordering a package of all four events.

A pre-registration form is included in the April 15 issue of First Days, the official journal of the AFDCS, but a convenient online registration system is available here.

AMERICOVER 2010 also features a commercial dealers bourse and a cachetmakers bourse, a national-level exhibition of first day covers, a forum by a postal official involved with first day covers, seminars, meetings, a youth table, the Stamps in The Attic quick collection evaluation service, and an auction.

2010 Show Cachetmakers Bourse

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-04-11T14:21:43-05:00

Year's Biggest Cachetmakers Bourse Planned for AMERICOVER 2010

AMERICOVER 2010, the American First Day Cover Society's annual World Series of Philately stamp show and convention, will host the biggest cachetmakers bourse of the year in the Chicago suburbs.

AMERICOVER 2010 will be held August 6-8 at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill., and the Moonlight Cachetmakers Bourse will be held Saturday afternoon and evening.

A cachetmakers bourse is an event where producers of first day covers – those who design and print the "cachets" or designs on FDCs – sell their products. They are only permitted to sell their own cachets, during a limited time. In this case, the Moonlight Cachetmakers Bourse will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It's considered by many a highlight of AMERICOVER.

Many of last year's participants have already signed up for the 2010 edition, but "we have plenty of room for Cachetmakers and the room at Chicago is fantastic for the Cachetmakers Bourse!" says bourse chairman Ralph Achgill.

The table fee for a Cachetmakers Table is $100, but there is a $10.00 discount for each night the cachetmaker is staying at the show hotel, up to two nights. In addition, the special AMERICOVER rate at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook this year is $99.

Cachetmakers who wish to sign up can download the application or contact Achgill at rkcovers@yahoo.com, c/o RKA Covers, PO Box 6508, Lafayette, IN 47903, or by telephone at (765) 543-8274.

AMERICOVER 2010 also features a commercial dealers bourse, a national-level exhibition of first day covers, a banquet, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, an auction, seminars, a pre-show area tour and a post-show dinner event. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also likely.

Donate to AFDCS via eBay

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-10-15T20:29:33-05:00

If you’re selling on eBay, you can support the AFDCS by participating in the eBay Giving Works program. Donate 10% to 100% of the final sale price of an item. Listings stand out with a distinctive charity ribbon and receive added visibility through specialized search functionality.

In the spirit of giving, eBay rewards your generosity by offering the eBay Giving Works Fee Credit policy. When you create a listing with eBay Giving Works and that item sells, eBay will credit the insertion and final value fees back to you, equal to the percentage of the final selling price that you elected to donate.Your buyer will also be presented with the option to make a additional donation to the AFDCS when they check out.

Click this link to see our eBay Giving Works page.

You can also use the link above to donate directly the AFDCS using PayPal. Click the “Donate Now” tab to make a contribution.

Thanks for supporting the AFDCS!

Silent Auction Items Needed

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-04-04T19:39:48-05:00

Once again this year, AMERICOVER will feature a silent auction. Lorraine Bailey will conduct the auction, and she's looking for donations. Do you have some unusual or unique items that you'd be willing to donate to benefit the Society? If so, contact Lorraine at alsaceleb@verizon.net or by U.S. mail:

      Lorraine Bailey
      PO Box 100274
      Arlington, VA 22210

Stamps In The Attic at 2010 Show

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-03-10T19:19:35-06:00

Stamps In The Attic Program Scheduled For AMERICOVER 2010
Bob Lamb Will Staff Popular Quick Collection Evaluation Program At Suburban Chicago Show In August

There will be an edition of the "Stamp In The Attic" program at AMERICOVER 2010, the American First Day Cover Society's annual show and convention, held this year in Oak Brook, Ill., August 6-8.

Bob Lamb, former executive director of the American Philatelic Society, will staff the booth, where people who have inherited or found collections can bring them for a quick evaluation, and possible referral to one of the dealers at the show. The booth will be sponsored by the National Stamp Dealers Association. There is no charge for the service, and both stamps and covers, as well as first day covers, will be evaluated.

"Every time I've been at a show that has a Stamps In The Attic booth, it's been very popular," said Lloyd A. de Vries, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the AFDCS. "It's really a service to the community, and it’s good for the dealers at the show, too."

Lamb, who evaluates hundreds of collections a year, said that "most of the collections I see were put together by beginners. But at every show someone will bring in a collection which will knock your socks off."

Sometimes the owners have no idea what they have. Lamb estimates that over half of the collections he sees have commercial value and often can be sold to dealers at the show. "Chicago is a good collecting area and I expect to see some very good material there," Lamb added.

AMERICOVER Flyer for Download

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-03-06T16:11:09-06:00

Help spread the word about AMERICOVER 2010, to be held at the Chicago Oak Brook Marriott, August 6-8, 2010. You can download this flyer and post or distribute copies at stamp club meetings, shows, libraries, community bulletin boards, or any other public place.

AMERICOVER Needs You!

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-03-02T22:53:02-06:00

Each year our Society depends on support from members who volunteer to help at AMERICOVER. This year we are expanding our request to include additional jobs that have to be completed before our convention starts. Please consider devoting just a few hours of your time to help, either before or during AMERICOVER 2010. Volunteers are not required to help all day at the show. Many of the jobs can be done in two hour shifts.

To learn how you can help AMERICOVER 2010 become a success, click here.

AMERICOVER Hotel a Bargain

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-02-11T19:40:51-06:00

AMERICOVER Again Holds The Line On Hotel Rate
In 19 Years, AFDCS Show Has Never Exceeded $100

For the 19th year in a row, the hotel room rate at AMERICOVER will be under $100.

AMERICOVER 2010, the World Series of Philately show and annual convention sponsored and organized by the American First Day Cover Society, will be held Aug. 6-8 in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Ill. The special AMERICOVER rate at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook this year is $99.

”The AMERICOVER Committee is happy to once again have a hotel rate that our members can afford," said committee member and AFDCS Assistant Treasurer Foster Miller. "We hope that as many members as possible will stay at the show hotel."

"Part of the fun and enjoyment of attending a WSP show like AMERICOVER, is staying at the convention hotel to enjoy all the continuous philatelic activities packed into the three days of scheduled events," added AMERICOVER chairman Norman Elrod. "The American First Day Cover Society feels fortunate to have maintained such affordable room rates for this number of years, allowing cover and stamp collectors the opportunity to stay at the show hotel each year."

AMERICOVER 2010 will feature two bourses (commercial dealers and cachetmakers), a national-level exhibition of first day covers, a banquet, meetings, a youth table, a hospitality suite, an auction, seminars, a pre-show area tour and a post-show dinner event. A forum by a postal official involved with first day covers is also likely.

The Chicago Marriott Oak Brook features free parking, 32-inch LCD high-definition televisions in each room, a fitness center, indoor pool and whirlpool, a restaurant, and a Starbucks Cafe. It is across the street from the Oakbrook Center mall, 7-1/2 miles from the Brookfield Zoo, 9 miles from the Morton Arboretum, and 3 miles from the Graue Mill and Museum (a stop on the Underground Railroad, in addition to an operating grist mill with waterwheel).

The first AMERICOVER was held in 1992 in Columbus, Ohio. Since then, the show has been held in 12 states.

Cachetmakers Contest Opens

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-02-10T21:21:22-06:00

Entries are now being accepted for the American First Day Cover Society's annual cachetmakers contest, where the best FDC designs of 2009 will be chosen in 16 categories.

The deadline for entries is April 15, 2010. Those entering covers must be members of the AFDCS. (Youth cachetmakers need only be related to an AFDCS member.)

The entry fee for adults is $5 if the cover is donated to the Society, or $10 if the cachetmaker wants the FDC returned. A complete set of rules and entry form can be found in the Jan. 15, 2010 issue of First Days, or downloaded here.

AMERICOVER Jury Named

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-02-03T17:55:10-06:00

Jay Stotts of Texas (right) will chair the jury at AMERICOVER 2010, which takes place at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook Aug. 6-8. Joining him on the panel are Tim Bartshe of Colorado, Allison Cusick of Pennsylvania, Frederick Lawrence of Arizona, and Dominick Riccio of New York. All of the jurors are accredited American Philatelic Society national judges.

AMERICOVER 2010 is a World Series of Philately show dedicated to first day covers and the annual convention of the American First Day Cover Society. It will feature 160 frames of competitive philatelic exhibits, commercial and cachetmakers bourses, seminars and meetings. Admission to the show is free and open to the public.

“AMERICOVER is the preferred venue for exhibiting illustrated mail and first day covers," Alan Warren, chairman of the AFDCS Judges Accreditation Committee, observes. "Cacheted FDCs (illustrated mail) as well as earliest known or documented uses of postage stamps (postal history) are the features of this show."

The Grand Award winner at AMERICOVER is invited to enter the annual Champion of Champions competition held at the American Philatelic Society's StampShow the following August.

Stotts is a past president and current board member of the United States Stamp Society. He also served eight years on the APS Committee for the Accreditation of National Exhibitions and Judges (CANEJ). Jay exhibits 20th century U.S. and has received numerous awards for his articles and exhibits. Bartshe is currently president of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors and has held office in the United Postal Stationery Society, the Philatelic Society for Greater Southern Africa, and the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show. A prolific exhibitor, Tim has shown material in many different disciplines including first day covers, postal stationery, traditional philately, postal history, and picture post cards among others. Cusick is a past president, vice president, and board member of the American First Day Cover Society. He has written extensively in the Society’s journal First Days and also published a monograph, Linprint Photo Cachet Catalog. He chairs the Society’s expertizing committee and manages the Society’s archives at the American Philatelic Research Library.

Lawrence is an accredited national and international judge with expertise in British South Africa, Czechoslovakia, aero/astro philately, and thematics among others, especially on Scouting. He serves on the organizing committee of the ARIPEX shows, where he is responsible for awards and judges.

Riccio has been an accredited APS judge since 1987 and specializes in Eastern European countries, U.S. revenues, and Ryukyu Islands. He is past advertising manager and editor of The Czechoslovak Specialist.

APS Offers FDC Course

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-01-05T21:28:57-06:00

The American Philatelic Society is offering the course “Expertizing FDCs and EDUs” as part of its continuing education series. The course will be held June 17–18, 2010 at the American Philatelic Center. The cost for is $149 for APS members; $249 for nonmembers.

Participants will learn the tools to authenticate first day and earliest-use U.S. covers and to identify faked and forged covers with confidence. Those who develop these skills may qualify to serve the hobby as expertizers for the American Philatelic Society’s APEX Service and the American First Day Cover Society (AFDCS). Use of published and archival references and online databases are essential skills for FDC/EDU experts, so the AFDCS Archives and American Philatelic Resource Library resources will be employed. Forensic analysis using the Crimescope CS-16 will be included. Students should be familiar with first day covers and/or postal history.

For more information, download this information sheet. Register for the course directly on the APS website via this link.

AMERICOVER 2010 Exhibits

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2010-01-03T23:48:27-06:00

The exhibit Entry Form and Prospectus for AMERICOVER 2010 are now available for download on the AMERICOVER 2010 information page.

Here are some brief notes about exhibiting at AMERICOVER 2010.

The maximum number of frames available at AMERICOVER 2010 is 160.
The deadline to submit an exhibit entry form is June 1, 2010 or until all frames are filled, whichever comes first.
Exhibits are accepted and judged according to the 6th Edition of the American Philatelic Society's Manual of Philatelic Judging. This edition may be found and downloaded from the APS website.
Each exhibitor may enter a maximum of 2 multi-frame and 2 one-frame exhibits. (This is a change from the previous edition of the APS Manual of Philatelic Judging which allowed a maximum of 2 exhibits in any combination.) AFDCS does have the option of limiting a fewer number of exhibits per exhibitor.

2010 Officers Elected

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2009-12-14T21:49:37-06:00

The Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society, the largest not-for-profit organization of FDC collectors in the world, has re-elected Chris Lazaroff of Elkton, Md., to another term as president.

Sabrina Curtis of Falls Church, Va., moves from First Vice President to Recording Secretary, while Todd Ronnei of Minneapolis, Minn., becomes First Vice President.

Executive Vice President Michael Litvak of Pasadena, Calif.; Treasurer Elliot M. Fischer of San Mateo, Calif., and Chairman of the Board of Directors Lloyd de Vries were re-elected.

The AFDCS Executive Committee consists of the president, executive vice president, first vice president, treasurer, recording secretary, immediate past president, and four members appointed by the president: membership chair, education chair, general counsel and executive director.

All officers serve one-year terms, beginning Jan. 1.

Ronnei recently completed the very-successful revamp of the AFDCS Web site, including its auction section and the ability to accept credit cards online via a secure server.

Curtis succeeds Cynthia Scott of Columbus, Ind., as Recording Secretary. Scott, however, will continue to serve as Complaints Chair and on the Americover (convention) committee.

"Cynthia continues to be a key player in the operation of the AFDCS," said de Vries. "When she has taken on a job for the AFDCS, we knew it would get done, with a minimum of fuss."

Lazaroff was first elected president in 2006. He is an award-winning cachetmaker and, professionally, works in the materials sciences industry.

The AFDCS publishes its award-winning journal First Days eight times a year and has members as far away as Australia. It was founded in 1955.

Board Election Results

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2009-10-29T19:22:35-05:00

The American First Day Cover Society, the largest not-for-profit organization in the world specifically for FDC collectors, has elected five people to its board of directors for three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2010.

Douglas A. Kelsey of Arizona was re-elected for his second term on the board. The other four winners in the election will all be serving their first terms. Ralph Nafziger of Oregon was the top vote-getter, with 122 votes, followed by John Leszak of New York, Kelsey, Bob Lewin of California, and Thomas Peluso of New York.

Here are the vote totals:

Candidate	Votes
Ralph Nafziger	122
John Leszak	118
Douglas Kelsey	113
Bob Lewin	101
Thomas Peluso	98
John Hayner	90

There were also two write-in candidates, Richard Sandowski and Doug Weisz, who each received one vote.

Kelsey is also the executive director of the AFDCS. Nafziger, a gold-medal winning exhibitor, is a retired research chemist. Leszak is a cover dealer and editor of Mekeel's/Stamps magazine. Lewin is an attorney specializing in business litigation. Peluso is an award-winning cachetmaker.

"I welcome this diverse group of exhibitors, collectors and dealers to our board," said the chairman of the board of directors, Lloyd A. de Vries. "They will help represent all segments of our Society."

De Vries also thanked Fred Levantrosser and Barbara Morris of the Motor City Stamp and Cover Club (AFDCS Chapter 5) for their work in counting the ballots in this year's election, and the nominating committee of Mary Kay Fisher, Helen Fowler and John Cropper for recruiting the candidates in an election where four of the five incumbents chose not to run for re-election.

Five seats on the AFDCS Board of Directors are elected each year for three-year terms, beginning Jan. 1 of the following year. In addition to the 15 elected directors, the president, the editor of the official journal, First Days, and the general counsel serve on the board ex officio, if not elected to the board themselves.

AFDCS directors are not compensated, nor reimbursed for their travel expenses. The board meets annually at AMERICOVER, the society's annual show and convention, which next year is being held Aug. 6-8 in Oak Brook, Ill., and via mail ballots as needed.

Site redesign

webmaster@afdcs.org — 2009-10-14T23:56:35-05:00

Welcome to the new AFDCS.org! This is the first redesign of the American First Day Cover Society's site in six years. We hope you find our new design pleasing to the eye and easy to use. In addition to the new look, we've got a few new features as well, such as winners of the Cachetmakers Contest going back to 2003. And more new features are on the way.

One of the more significant upgrades is the ability to pay dues and purchase AFDCS merchandise via credit card in a secure environment. Our payment pages are powered by servers that are McAfee Secure, certified as providing the highest level of protection for their shoppers. So use your credit card on our site with confidence.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Contact the Webmaster at webmaster@afdcs.org.

AFDCS Newsblog RSS Feed

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Donate Covers for Show Auction

AFDCS Youth Team Named

Americover 2013 Jury

Online First Days For All Members

Americover 2013 Exhibits

Flag Stamps Issued at 2013 Show

Show Bourse Chairman Named

Kelsey Honored by APS

Cachet Contest Open

AFDCS Re-elects Officers for 2013

AFDCS Board Censures Miller

AFDCS Needs Auction Donations

Peter Martin to Chair 2013 Show

Free download of Dec. First Days

Board Election Results

Youth Scholarship Fund FDCs

Message from the President

Landau Elected General Counsel

Ellis is New AFDCS Treasurer

Warren Honored by APS

AFDCS.org Gets a Gold

Show T-Shirts Going, Going . . .

O'Brien Sweeps Top Exhibit Awards

Ronnei Receives 2012 DSA

Americover 2012 Show Cancels

Silent Auction at Americover 2012

SFS Chief to Speak at Americover

Litvak Touts Show on Stamp Talk

Cachet Artists for Show Covers

Best First Days Articles of 2011

Americover Exhibits "Sold Out"

Americover Call for Volunteers

Paul Hubartt, 1919-2012

Bennett Cover with Box Lunch Ticket

Youth Cover Essay Contest Open

Pre-Order Show T-Shirts Now

Stamp Talk: First Days Archive

Digital First Days Archive

Roy E. Mooney, 1923-2012

New Youth Coordinators Named

2012 Show Cachetmakers Bourse

USPS Sells Love Ribbons Early

Scout Society, Merit Badge at Show

Exhibiting at AMERICOVER 2012

Cachetmakers Contest Opens

Gereb Named to Show Post

AFDCS Elects Chairman, Officers

Dick Monty Update

Cachetmaker Directory Update

Board Election Results

AMERICOVER 2013, 2014 Sites

2011 August Fund Covers

AMERICOVER 2012 Jury Named

AMERICOVER 2012 Sunday Event

AMERICOVER Chair Named

Court of Honor 2011

Board Candidate Statements

<i>First Days</i> Photo Contest

Owney FDC Deadline Extended

Achgill Receives DSA at Show

Show Fund Raising Auction

McFarlane Sweeps Top Awards

De Vries Named AFDCS President

Lazaroff Steps Down

Stamps In Your Attic

2011 Youth Fund Covers

Chapters Host Auction at Show

2011 Court of Honor Design

AMERICOVER Show Cancels

AMERICOVER Exhibit Update

<i>First Days</i> #390 On the Way

Owney FDCs Sought By NPM

New Grand Award for Exhibits

Show Hotel Rate Reduced

<i>First Days</i> #389 In The Mail

AMERICOVER Event Registration