With the first day ceremonies completed, Saturday saw a more free-form experience for show attendees, many of whom used that time to attend society meetings, lectures, and book signings, or to visit their favorite dealers to pore over offerings they had not yet perused. Saturday also brought an influx of attendees new to the world of philately; several APS staff members reported that first-time stamp show-goers had approached them to express their surprise and delight with the show.
By Sunday, a more relaxed feel had settled over the convention center. With a smaller crowd roaming the floor, there were more chances for dealers and society members to socialize and visit other booths before the show officially closed at 4 p.m. After a whirlwind of tear-down, packing, and good-byes shouted across the hall, Great American Stamp Show 2023 was over — but as editor-in-chief Susanna Mills pointed out in the August issue of The American Philatelist, the close of the show signals the beginning of the new philatelic year, and we can't wait to see what this new year will bring!
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Cleveland last week. It was a joy to see so many familiar and brand new faces gathered to enjoy philately. And for those of you who couldn't make it to the 2023 show, we hope we'll see you next year in Hartford!
General Meeting
The APS General Meeting began at 9 a.m. on Saturday, and included brief reports from members of both the APS and APRL boards. Following these remarks, Executive Director Scott English honored members celebrating 25 years and 50 years with the APS, as well as the 2023 Carter Award winners. Leonard and Darlene Bloom, two of the winners of the Carter Award and longtime APS volunteers, received a standing ovation from the gathered APS members and staff for their work processing donations for the APS.
Cachetmakers Bourse
On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., show attendees were treated to the artistic stylings of the Cachetmakers Bourse. Featuring cachetmakers from across the U.S., the bourse was an opportunity for attendees to not only purchase creative cachets for their collections, but also to learn more about the process of creating these artworks.
Banquet
On Saturday night, the APS hosted the annual Celebration Banquet at the Westin Cleveland Downtown's Orchid Ballroom. Following a reception cocktail hour, banquet attendees chose their seats for dinner and socialized with old friends and new until the highly anticipated bestowing of awards began. Winners of the Luff Awards, the USSS/Barbara Mueller Award, and inductees to the APS Hall of Fame were honored, and the 2023 Palmares were announced to much celebration. You can read a full list of the 2023 Palmares here, or download them here.
YPLF Presentations
On Sunday morning, members of the graduating YPLF classes of 2020 and 2023 gave their final presentations to a gathered crowd of supporters and mentors. Trevor Bills and Victor Livesay spoke on their journey as YPLF fellows, a journey which was longer than usual due to the pandemic. Victor also presented on research he conducted on the show floor, speaking to dealers about their experience with ecommerce and other digital tools. Bethany Hunter, who completed the Author track under the mentorship of APS Board President Cheryl Ganz, shared that not only was her first article published in the August issue of The American Philatelist, but also that her second article, on V-Mail, will appear soon. Congratulations to the graduating classes!