Why Are Stamps Released at Stamp Shows?
For some stamp traditions, timing is everything
Why are stamps to celebrate next year’s big stamp show being issued this year in Illinois?
It’s all part of a tradition that goes back a century — and a story only stamps can tell.
The United States hosted its first international philatelic exhibition in New York City in 1913 and has hosted similar expos once per decade ever since. In 1926, the U.S. Post Office Department issued a special souvenir sheet commemorating the 1777 Battle of White Plains with text on the selvage promoting the second international philatelic exhibition, the start of a tradition of commemorating or promoting the event through stamps.
Since the 1970s, a tradition of issuing special U.S. stamps to commemorate the international philatelic exhibition at the event itself has, with some exceptions, generally given way to the issuance of stamps to promote the exhibition in advance. Today many other nations also issue stamps to inspire enthusiasm for the expo, sometimes as far in advance as three years beforehand.
For that reason, these stunning, intaglio-printed stamps will be doing triple-duty when they’re issued at the Great American Stamp Show in Schaumburg, Illinois, on August 14, 2025.
First and foremost, they’ll promote next year’s Boston 2026 World Stamp Show, an event that offers something for everyone, whether longtime collectors, curious newcomers, or the general public. They’ll also spotlight the special role of Boston in the American Revolution as we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. And finally, by resembling vintage engravings, they’ll pay homage to stamps issued in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
We hope to see you for the first-day event in Schaumburg — and in Boston next May! To learn more about the 2026 World Stamp Show, visit the event website.
