The 31st St Louis Stamp Exp closed on March 24th, 2024 with over 400 paid attendees. The Greater Mound City Stamp Club was out in force showing off their matching club polo shirts. GMCSC Club members hold several key Expo show positions and the members at large provide help in setup, tear down, working registration and in the beginners’ room at the show. Enjoy some pictures from 2024 and we hope to see yet a bigger crowd in 2025!
Tom Mueller, his family and friends, gathered to see Anthony Dewey’s “The Amazing Cachets of Tom Mueller” Exhibit.
St Louis Stamp Expo (EXPO) Show has been the host of several of the USPS’s Official First Day of Issue Ceremonies over the years of the show. Hosting one of these ceremonies is an honor and is a special event where the USPS, the stamps designers, philatelists, and special philatelic organizations are gathered to introduce a new stamp to the country.
If you are interested in more information about First Day of Issue Ceremonies check out:
St Louis Stamp Expo (EXPO) Show was the host for Regency-Superior Stamp Auctions from 1993 – 2016.
In 1990, David Kols started Regency Stamps, then in 1992 he purchased Superior Galleries of Beverly Hills established in 1929 to form Regency-Superior Auctions. Regency-Superior was one of the nation’s leading Auctioneers specializing in the sale of classic postage Stamps, Coins, Sports and Space Memorabilia. Regency-Superior operated out of two locations, Beverly Hills and the Central West End of St. Louis.
Regency-Superior held some 125 auctions, selling almost $150 million worth of material during its time in business from 1990-2017.
Wayne L. Youngblood was the VP Consignor Relations for Regency-Superior wrote many excellent introductions in the Auction Catalogs about the Saint Louis Expo highlighting the theme and related information about Saint Louis. Wayne remains an active philatelist, author, editor, and owner of WY Stamps.
The Saint Louis Stamp Expo has been the host of an APS World Series of Philately Show since 1998, making it a qualifying show for exhibitors to qualify for the APS Champion of Champions exhibition at the annual Great American Stamp Show.
For more information about Exhibiting or to join the St. Louis Bears contact Alan Barasch.
The Elizabeth C. Pope Award for Lifetime Contributions to Philately
The Pope Award was established in 2001 to honor local and national philatelists who throughout a lifetime have contributed to the good of philately. The first recipient was Elizabeth C. Pope (1925-2007), a local and nationally known philatelist who exhibited all the characteristics of a true leader. In addition to being a major force in St. Louis stamp collecting, she was also vice-president of Robert Siegel Auctions in New York after 1994.
In the male-dominated world of organized philately, Elizabeth first established herself as an accomplished collector and organizational leader in the 1940s. She became the first woman president of the Tulsa Stamp Club around 1950. In 1954 she published a scholarly study of Spain’s first postage stamp in the “American Philatelic Congress Book.”
Alan Barasch has been the administrator of the award since 2010.
Eligibility/Process:
Anyone in philately is potentially eligible for consideration to receive the Pope Award. Gender, race, creed, age, and/or religious beliefs shall not be factors in the selection of an award nominee.
Nominees must be living when selected by the committee.
The Pope Award recognizes voluntary contributions to the hobby. Those who hold paid positions within philately are eligible for consideration only in light of their contributions above and beyond the duties of their paid position(s) within philately.
Winners of the award are chosen by previous recipients of the Pope Award.
Above: Long time Expo supporters Bill and Vera Felts of the Southern Illinois Stamp Club working the Registration desk.
Attendance Buttons at Expo was the solution when the Henry VIII hotel required a means to identify paid attendees at the show so that the parking lot attendant would allow them out of the parking lot without paying. While they are no longer required to get out of the parking lot at the Renaissance, the buttons are still used to verify that attendees have paid when entering the show floor.
The USPS logo was on all buttons as they had been paying the cost of the buttons under their advertising budget but that ended in 2019. The buttons were designed by ?? through #### and by Tom Minor from 20xx to date.
St Louis Stamp Expo (EXPO) Show Programs have been a true highlight of the show each year. The creativity of Penney Kols was clear and evident the moment your show program showed up in the mailbox or you picked up at the registration desk. Penney was responsible for the program from 1993 through 2016 at which time Thomas Minor took over the creation of the show program. I think that it is safe to say that the impression of EXPO being a “premier” show was in the hands of Penney Kols and she made sure that the EXPO achieved that goal.
Each year of the St Louis Stamp Expo (EXPO) there has been a special event cover and cancel created. Since 1993, there have only been three artists to have created the cachet for EXPO. The first cover in 1993 was created by Mark Muhleson who was a co-worker of Larry Weisz at the Defense Mapping Agency in St. Louis. In 1994, the cover was created by Penney Kols, the wife of the Executive Director, David Kols. There was no EXPO in 1995 as St. Louis was hosting the APS National Convention.
Since 1995, each EXPO Event cover has been created by Architect and Graphic Artist, Thomas A. Minor. Minor is an active member and former President of both the Greater St. Louis Stamp Club and Greater Mound City Stamp Clubs. Minor is also an active member and officer of the Webster Groves Stamp Club and Poster Stamp Collectors Club,
In 1993, David M. Kols had an idea that St. Louis needed to bring back a premier annual philatelic stamp show that was worthy of Saint Louis’ place in philatelic history. Having been the home of the 1st American Philatelic Society President, John K. Tiffany, St. Louis collectors have played important roles in the growth and success of the hobby, and the APS. St. Louis was the host city for the APS National Convention in 1889, 1919, 1927, 1956, and 1995.
To build a premier stamp show in St. Louis, Kols knew that he would need the support of many volunteers from the vast St. Louis area stamp clubs. He solicited help from his business, Regency-Superior Auctions, the Belleville Scott Air Force Base Stamp Club, Greater Saint Louis Stamp Club (now the Greater Mound City Stamp Club), McDonnell Douglas Stamp Club, Monsanto Stamp Club, Mound City Stamp Club, Southern Illinois Stamp Club, Webster Groves Stamp Club, and other individuals. With the success Kols had in obtaining support for the show, he became the show’s Executive director, which he held for 25 years. The first St. Louis Stamp Expo was held on Oct. 1-3, 1993 at the Frontenac Hilton Hotel, 1335 South Lindbergh Blvd., Saint Louis, MO 63131.
Each year the show has been the host to Philatelist from around the world, offering; the regions only APS World Series of Philately show since 1998, Exhibitions, stamp bourse, hosts to other philatelic societies meetings, youth education programs, and an awards banquet.
Thanks to the following individuals for contributing artifacts, information, and their memories of the Saint Louis Stamp Expo:
Vera Felts Penney Kols Tom Minor Larry Weisz Alan Barasch Nathan Esbeck
