Another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fall Stampex show organized by Britain’s Philatelic Traders’ Society is cancelled.
Slated for Sept. 30-Oct. 3 in London, England, the show would have included the signing ceremony for the iconic Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP). The ceremony was originally scheduled for this May at London 2020, which was also cancelled.
The rescheduled ceremony is now slated for Sept. 24, 2021, during the 2021 Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, where the first RDP signing ceremony was held in 1921. If all goes to plan, the signatories for 2020 and 2021 will both sign the RDP next year – a first in RDP history.
Among this year’s signatories is Canadian philatelist Charles Verge, vice-chair of the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation.
As for Stampex, the fall show will be replaced by a virtual event that will allow online visitors to shop for stamps, meet society members and attend seminars.