This year’s GASS was a blast. While no actual rocket’s red glare was seen, the show shot out the lights – truly, one evening large thunderstorms briefly took out the lights.
GASS 2025 was held in Schaumburg, Ill, a 20-minute drive from O’Hare airport at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. In addition to the dealer and exhibits, there were 3 Society presentations, a board meeting, many dinners, and multiple first day of issue ceremonies.
There will be no GASS in 2026, but the Multi-frame Champion of Champions competition will be held as part of the Boston 2026 show.
Jan Hofmeyr is this year’s Champion of Champions with his “Philatelic Invention in the United States: 1861-1881”. Thanks to Jan, a copy of his exhibit is available on the Society’s website and can be found here.
7 of the 19 exhibits in the running for Champion of Champion were shown by members:
- Roger Brody showed “America’s Embossed Revenue Stamped Paper”.
- Alfredo Frohlich showed “United States of Columbia 1868-1881” as well as “Classic Columbia 1862-1863, The 5th and 6th Issues”.
- Dan Knowles showed “The Handling of Mail in the Confederate States of America by the Confederate Government and Private Individuals from Secession to Appomattox”.
- Lester Lanphear showed “U.S. Departmentals, 1873 to 1884”.
- Vern Morris showed “Evolution of American Mail 1685 to 1799”.
- Michael McClung showed “Union Occupation Mail” (also the USPCS Medal).
- Mark Schwartz showed “The New York Postmaster Provisional ogb 1845” (also the USSS Statue of Freedom Award and New Mexico Philatelic Foundation Award of Merit).
- Wade Saadi showed “Postal Rates and Usages of U.S. Parcel Post Postage Due Stamps (PPPD) on Domestic and International Mail – 1913 to 1928”.
- Bob Crossman showed “Butterfield’s Overland Mail Company”.
- Edward and Pat Laveroni showed “Early California Mail 1828-1851”.
- J James Maxwell with “Imperial & Republic of China Official Postal Seals”.
- John Barwis with “American Forces in Korea 1945-1955”.
- Chip Gliedman with “A Postal History Map of the United States of America”.
William Johnson won the Most Popular Prix d’honneur with “James William Denver – The Man and His Times” (also Multi-frame Large Gold and the NTSS Multi-frame Grand).
Robert Faux won the Stamp Show’s Multi-frame Grand with “Postal History of the 1861 United States 24-cent Design” (also Multi-frame Large Gold and the American Philatelic Congress Award).
Five additional Society member’s won Multi-frame Large Gold awards:
Three Society members won Multi-frame Gold:
Multi-frame Large Vermeil was won by Leonard Piszkiewicz for “Poland – 1939-45: Occupation – Resistance – Liberation – History from the Combatants’ Viewpoints”. Wayne Farley won Multi-frame Vermeil for “The Evolution and Development of Rural Free Delivery in West Virginia (1900-1925)”.
The Stamp Show Single-frame Grand was won by Chip Gliedman for “ Leonminster, Mass. Provisional Postage Due and Instructional Labels” (also Single-frame Large Gold).
Two Society members won NTSS (National Topical Stamp Show) awards.
Fran Adams took Multi-frame Gold for “The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine: 1947-1948” (also the United Nations Philatelists, Inc. Silver Award).
Dr. Bruce Wasserman took Multi-frame Large Vermeil for “Charles Dickinson, Founder of Dickinson Air Line and the First-Which was Their Second to Last – Day of CAM 9 Service from Chicago to Minneapolic – St. Paul in 1926”.
AmeriCover show awards were earned by two members. Michael Clark won Single-frame Large Vermeil for “The United States Red Cross Issue of 1931” (also the AFDCS Award of Excellence, 1847-1931).
Ralph Nafziger won Single-frame Vermeil for “Combination First Day Covers of the Fourth Bureau Definitive Issues”.
Dr. Bruce Wasserman won two Large Gold literature awards for his articles: “The Death of the Philippine Clipper” and “The Little Route that Couldn’t: The Short Life of the Minneapolis to Duluth Cam 9 Spur”.
To see photos of Society presenters at GASS 2025, please look to the Photo Archive.
