Canadian exhibitor Sam Chiu, of Toronto, took home the Grand Award at the national-level Ropex show held in Canandaigua, N.Y., earlier this month.
Chiu, who has won more than 100 national- and international-level medals, including more than 20 large golds and nearly 50 golds, has had recent success with his Chinese Imperial Post exhibit.
At Ropex, his eight-frame display, “Development of Chinese Imperial Post Office 1897-1899, Transformation from Customs Post Office,” earned a large gold plus the top spot. His exhibit will represent Ropex at StampShow 2019 in Nebraska this August, when the American Philatelic Society (APS) will hold its “Champion of Champions” event in conjunction with its 133rd annual convention.
Collections from Canada as well as the U.S., U.K. and Republic of Ireland were represented among the 27 competitive exhibits, which included all nine major classes.
The judges included chief of the jury Stephen Schumann, Stephen Reinhard, Stephen Suffet and apprentice judge David McLaughlin, of Pickering, Ont.
McLaughlin is a traditional and postal history collector whose “Canadian Maple Leaf Issue of 1897-1898” exhibit has appeared in the APS Champion of Champions competition twice. His exhibit has also won international golds at the NY-2016 world stamp show in New York and Brasilia 2017 in Brazil, plus a large gold at Exfil 2018 in Chile. He is the international liaison officer for The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada, which is hosting its 91st convention and exhibition – Royal*2019*Royale – this June 21-23 in Mississauga, Ont., and served as its national commissioner for the Praga 2018 and Thailand 2018 world exhibitions.
MEDAL LEVELS
According to the revised APS Manual of Philatelic Judging and Exhibiting, the various point ranges for APS-sanctioned exhibitions are as follows:
- Large Gold: 90-100
- Gold: 85-89
- Large Vermeil: 80-84
- Vermeil: 75-79
- Large Silver: 70-74
- Silver: 65-69
- Silver-Bronze: 60-64
- Bronze: 55-59
- Certificate: 0-54
To read the APS Manual of Philatelic Judging and Exhibiting, click here.
ROPEX THEMES
Hosted by the Rochester Philatelic Association on May 17-18, Ropex 2019 marked two historic anniversaries—the 150th of the transcontinental railroad “Golden Spike,” and the 50th anniversary of the first man on the moon.
Club-designed commemorative postmarks and cachets celebrated the themes and were available for purchase.