Modern Stamp Shows - Apfelbaum, Inc.

OrcoExpo (in Southern California) has long been one of the more popular and well attended stamp shows in the United States despite being only a dealer’s bourse and having no exhibits. Many attendees who go to stamp shows go only for the dealer bourse, having little interest in competitive exhibits. And nearly all of the collectors who go for the exhibits find, in no small degree, the dealers bourse of interest. So it is no surprise that there are many stamp shows that consist entirely of dealer’s bourses and none that consist entirely of exhibits. In this respect, competitive stamp exhibits are the classical music or Shakespearean drama of our hobby-something that you are supposed to like (and probably would if you gave yourself the time) but also something that doesn’t provide the quick thrills of Easy Listening or Star Wars. This is nothing new. What is new is that the Internet has reduced the need for collectors to go to stamp shows to find stamps for their collections and because the draw of the exhibits is not great enough, show attendance has languished. There are several suggestions for web sites where serious exhibits could be displayed and even compete against each other. This would allow serious philatelists to continue to compete for awards as the economics of smaller shows make it more difficult to continue real life exhibitions.

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