The 2026 edition of BALPEX took place August 7th – 9th at the BWI Marriott in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. Society members took the top three awards.
Mark Schwartz won the Multi-frame Grand with his “Independent Mail and Express Company Operations at Boston 1843 – 1845“ (also Multi-frame Large Gold and the USSS Statue of Freedom Award).
Philip Leber won the Multi-frame Reserve Grand with his “US Telegraphy: Origins, Consolidations, and Technologies“ (also Multi-frame Large Gold and the USPCS Medal, APS Research Medal and the BPS Ed Ruckle Award).
John Hotchner won the Single-frame Grand Grand with his “Perforating the Sheet Stamps of the U.S. 3rd Bureau Issue of 1908-22“ (also Single-frame Large Gold).
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Five multi-frame awards were won by an additional three Society members.
- Robert P. Meegan won Multi-frame Large Gold for “United States Domestic Letter Rates From the Act of 1792 to The End of the Civil War“ (also the APS Pre-1900 Medal of Excellence) and Multi-frame Gold for “The United States Large Bank Note Issues Move the Mail“ (also the Postal History Society Award).
- Bob Crossman won Multi-frame Gold for “John Butterfield’s Overland Mail Company“.
- Randolph Smith won Multi-frame Gold for “Circular Rate Mail in the Southern States“ (also the Baltimore Philatelic Society Best Two Frame Multi-frame Large Vermeil for “ Civil War Washington as Seen Through the Drawings of Charles Magnus“ (also the AAPE Creativity Award).
Three Society members also won four single-frame awards.
- Mark Schwartz won Single-frame Large Gold for “Carrier Service at Boston 1821 – 1863“ (also the Baltimore Philatelic Society People’s Choice Award) and Single-frame Large Gold for “The First U.S. Postal Cards of 1873“.
- Robert Toal won Single-frame Gold for “Evolution of Printed Matter Mail During the Banknote Period (1870-1886)“.
- Gerald Cross won Single-frame Large Vermeil for “Securing Quinine for the Armed Forces, Cinchona Missions of World War II, (1942 – 1945)“ (also the “ AAPE Award of Honor 2”).
