FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 15, 2006... The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS) announced today the program for its annual meeting, to be held in conjunction with the Washington 2006 world philatelic exposition, from May 27^th to June 3^rd. The Society will provide something for all levels of students of the classic period of U.S. postal issues. Society members will present daily seminar sessions, show over 1000 pages of material in the exhibit frames, gather to both conduct the business of the society and to socialize, in addition to seeking to add to their collections in the dealerÕs bourse and auctions.

"The decennial celebration of a world philatelic exposition within the United States is reason to celebrate." said Wilson Hulme, President of the Society. "We hope to use this event to both broaden and deepen interest in the classic issues of U.S. philately. It is a chance for us to meet all of our goals as an organization - to promote interest and knowledge of the classic issues of the United States, to encourage philatelic research and the exchange of information, and to build and increase a sense of community among our members," Hulme continued.

As of April 1, 2006, the USPCS has confirmed the following plans:

Seminar Series: Program chair Charles Souder had confirmed USPCS members to present sessions each day as part of the program at the show. Sessions scheduled include:

Sunday, May 28 following 2:00 PM USPCS Annual Meeting, Room 145A
Wade E. Saadi - Cancellations "Struck on Stamps - 1847 to 1868"

Monday, 12:00 PM May 29, Room 145A
Larry Lyons - Western Expresses
John Bowman - Mercantile Library of New York

Tuesday, 2:00 PM May 30, Room 145A
Scott Trepel - Carrier Usages

Wednesday, 10:00 PM May 31, Room 145A
W. Wilson Hulme - The History of Perforations on United States Stamps (through 1857)

Thursday, 2:00 PM June 1, Room 145B
Van Koppersmith - Confederate Usages in Alabama

Friday, 4:00 PM June 2, Room 145A
Joe Crosby - Usages in Indian Territory

Saturday, 2;00 PM June 3, Room 145A
Patricia Stilwell Walker - Baltimore Postal History

The seminars will be presented free of charge and are open to all attendees of the show, regardless of USPCS membership status.

Society Booth: Members of the USPCS will staff the Society booth number 2543 on the show floor. The society booth will serve as a meeting place where members will be able to renew acquaintances with fellow members. Additionally, membership applications will be accepted at the booth for anyone wishing to join the society.

Annual Dinner: Regional Vice-President Norval Rasmussen has arranged a members' dinner on Sunday evening, May 28^th at the National Postal Museum of the Smithsonian Institution Attendees at the USPCS dinner will have a chance to tour the National Postal Museum's exhibit "Rarity Revealed". This exhibit will be the first public appearance in almost 30 years of the fabled Benjamin K. Miller collection of The New York Public Library. Donated to the library in 1925, the Miller collection was the first complete collection of U.S. stamps ever assembled. It has been called the "crown jewels" of U.S. stamp collecting for its variety, depth, and rare holdings.

The Miller collection is so large that NPM will exhibit it in two parts. The stamps that will be on display the evening of the dinner are from the classic period before 1894, the era of highest interest for USPCS. Included are extraordinary pieces like the 1¢ Z grill, as well as many other rare and intriguing items. This collection will provide a spectacular backdrop for this gala event.

Dinner begins with cocktails at 7:00 PM (cash bar), and a buffet dinner at 8:00 PM. The menu for the dinner includes:

Tickets to the dinner cost $95.00 per person. Members are requested to indicate as soon as possible intentions to attend this event by sending an email to Norval at nrasmu@digitalconnections.net, followed by a check for the price of the dinner made out to "U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, Inc.", and mailed to, Norval Rasmussen - Meeting Coordinator, 224 Wilson Ave., Morgantown, WV 26501. Due to planning and catering requirements, reservations for the dinner must be made in advance will not be available at the show.

Additionally, at the gala dinner, the Society will announce the winners of the Mortimer L. Neinken Award, which is awarded for articles about U. S. classic stamps published in a given Chronicle volume; and the Susan M. McDonald Award, which is awarded for articles about U. S. classic postal history published in a given Chronicle volume.

More details on the event and the address for payment can be obtained from the annual meeting links on the society website at http://www.uspcs.org.

Exhibits: USPCS members will be showing a wide range of U.S. material from the classic period before 1900 in all of the various sections of the exhibit hall. Members will exhibit unique rarities, as well as in-depth studies of the various aspects of classic U.S. philately in both competitive and invited displays.

Annual Meeting: Members of the Society are requested to attend the Annual Meeting to be held on Sunday, May 28^th at 12:00 Noon in Room 145A. The program of the annual meeting will include:

Annual Awards: During the Annual Meeting, the Society will announce the winners of two of its annual awards, The Lester G. Brookman Cup, which is awarded only to a member of The U. S. Philatelic Classics Society for outstanding service to the society; and the society's highest honor Š the Distinguished Philatelist Award. Since its inauguration in 1988, forty-one people have been invited to sign this award in recognition for "Exceptionally meritorious service to U.S. philately through published research, award-winning collections, active participation in the organization and promotion of philatelic exhibitions, and sustained administrative service to the national or international organizations which furthered United States philately." Patricia Stilwell Walker and Robert E. Lamb were the 2005 recipients of the Distinguished Philatelist Award.

Further Information: Further information about the annual meeting will be posted on the society website at http://www.uspcs.org as they become available.

The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society is the only organization that studies in depth the stamps and postal history of the United States from the Colonial era to 1900. Our members include both collectors and students. Many have written articles that have been published in our award winning quarterly magazine, The Chronicle of the U.S. Classic Postal Issues, and in other publications. Information about the USPCS, membership, its publications, and articles of interest to collectors and students of the classic period of U.S. philately, can found at the society's website at www.uspcs.org. Copies of back issues of the Chronicle, previously published books, and the upcoming 1851 Issue, A Sesquicentennial Retrospective, are also available from the society's bookstore, accessible from the society's website, or directly at http://www.uspcs.org/store.html.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Wilson Hulme
President, USPCS
wilson.hulme@uspcs.org

or

Chip Gliedman
Publicist, USPCS
publicist@uspcs.org