BOSTON, Mass. — Canadian exhibitors earned an impressive array of awards and high scores at BOSTON 2026, highlighted by David L. Hobden’s Grand Prix International-winning exhibit In Defence of the Border – Canadian Military Mails 1667-1885.

Hobden, of Milton, Ont., received 97 points, a Large Gold medal and a special prize for his eight-frame exhibit examining the military use of postal services during Canada’s evolution from New France to the North-West Rebellion. His exhibit was subsequently awarded the Grand Prix International, one of the highest honours available at a Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) world exhibition.

The award represents the latest achievement for an exhibit that has earned top honours at major national and international exhibitions in recent years, including grand awards at BNAPEX 2024 and CHICAGOPEX 2025.

Hobden’s exhibit traces more than two centuries of military postal history, exploring how wars involving French, British and Canadian forces shaped the development of Canada’s postal system. The collection is the culmination of decades of research and acquisition, drawing upon material from many of the finest military postal history collections ever formed.

The Boston victory places Hobden among an elite group of world-class exhibitors and marks one of the most significant international competitive philatelic achievements by a Canadian exhibitor.

The Canadian contingent enjoyed success across numerous classes, earning one Grand Prix International, one Large Gold medal, five Gold medals, six Large Vermeil medals, two Vermeil medals, two Large Silver medals and one Silver medal in the competitive exhibit classes. Canadian exhibitors also posted strong results in the One-Frame, Literature and Experimental classes.

LARGE GOLD

In addition to capturing the Grand Prix International, Hobden’s 97-point result was among the highest scores awarded at the exhibition.

GOLD MEDALS

Gold medals were awarded to:

Mary E. Pugh, G.B. George V Commemorative Stamp Issues (93 points).

Stuart Reddington, Line Engraved Issues of Great Britain 1840 & 1841 (92).

George Constantourakis, Republic of Venice – Mail Routes from/to The Levant and Europe – XV to XVIII Century (91).

Raymond Simrak, SCADTA From the United States of America for Expedited Airmail Service in Colombia 1920-1931 (91).

J. Richard Fleet, Province of Canada Second Bill Stamp Issue of 1864 (90).

LARGE VERMEIL

Large Vermeil medals went to:

Paul Sarjeant, A Study of Separation Techniques Used on Britain’s Line Engraved Stamps, 1840-1879 (86).

Bryan Dunne, Sperati’s Techniques and Forgeries (86).

Kevin O’Reilly, Yukon Postal History Before WWII (86).

Mark Stelmacovich, Ukrainian Provisional Postage Stamps and Usage, 1992-1996 (85).

Sami M. Fereig, A Postal History of Egypt Under the Muhammad Ali Dynasty – Volumes 1-7 (86).

Steven Friedenthal, Czechoslovakia Machine Advertising Cancels: The First Republic Period (88).

VERMEIL

Vermeil medals were awarded to:

Michael Croy, The History of Canadian Aviation and Pioneer Air Mail 1906-1934 (81).

George Fedyk, Ukrainian Underground Post 1949-1983 (80).

LARGE SILVER

Large Silver medals were earned by:

Mark S. Boyce, Rowland Hill’s Embarrassment: Mulready Postal Stationery (76).

Leslie Selby, The Golden Age of the Rigid Airship (78).

SILVER

Silver medals went to:

Harold Joseph Krische, Train Car Fire Derails WWI Narashino POW Camp Mail (70).

LITERATURE

Gold was awarded to Joseph Chalhoub for The Nile Post – Handbook and Catalogue of Egyptian Stamps, Second Edition (90).

Large Silver medals were awarded to the Société d’Histoire Postale du Québec for Bulletin d’Histoire Postale et de Marcophilie (75) and Jerry Kalyn for the Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society website, www.upns.org (76).

Silver was awarded to the Eire Philatelic Association for The Revealer (73).

ONE-FRAME EXHIBITS

Canadian exhibitors also achieved strong results in the One-Frame class. Sébastien Crête’s Uses and Rating of the 1-Cent Queen Victoria Stamp in the Decimal Era (1859-1868), Ingo Nessel’s Hong Kong 1945/6 – Post War Restoration of Postal Services and Jean Wang’s Smokes for the Troops: British and Canadian Tobacco Funds in World War I each received 90 points. Wladyslaw Dziemiaczuk’s Poland Illustrated Airgraphs received 82 points, while Alexandra Glashan’s Irish Culture is Celebrated in the Designs on Saint Patrick’s Day Picture Postcards: 1904-1918 received 80 points. Under FIP rules, one-frame exhibits receive point scores but are not awarded medal classifications.

Canada was also represented by David McLaughlin’s The Maple Leaf Issue of Canada 1897-1898 and John G. McEntyre’s The Postmaster-General Publicity Letters Sent Abroad in Replacement FDCs. McEntyre’s exhibit was entered in the Experimental Class for First Day Covers and received 83 points.

CANADIANS CONTRIBUTE

BEYOND THE EXHIBIT FRAMES

Canada’s presence at BOSTON 2026 extended well beyond the exhibition frames.

Ingo Nessel served as Canada’s national commissioner, acting as liaison between Canadian exhibitors and exhibition management throughout the international exhibition. Sam Chiu and Ed Kroft served on the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie international jury, which evaluated approximately 3,500 exhibit frames and nearly 200 literature entries during the eight-day event.

Charles Verge had also been appointed to the international jury and served on the exhibition’s Selection Advisory Committee, which was responsible for exhibit selection and advising organizers on jury composition and competitive matters. Verge was also scheduled to receive the American Philatelic Society’s prestigious Luff Award for Exceptional Contributions to Philately during BOSTON 2026, recognizing his decades of leadership and service to the hobby.

However, due to health reasons, Verge was unable to attend the exhibition and consequently was unable to fulfil his duties as a juror or accept the award in person.

Canadians also contributed to the exhibition’s educational program. Kevin O’Reilly presented Canada’s Eastern Arctic Patrol, Les Selby participated in a Zeppelin and airship collectors panel discussion, and Jean Wang joined an international roundtable examining the future of philately. Harold Krische also participated in the exhibition’s educational programming.

Canada also maintained a presence on the international bourse through four Canadian dealers: Eastern Auctions of Bathurst, N.B., Sparks Auctions of Ottawa, Vance Auctions of Smithville, Ont., and Roy’s Stamps of Ancaster, Ont. The four firms represented Canada alongside dealers from around the world and provided collectors with access to Canadian and international philatelic material throughout the exhibition.

Canada Post was notably absent from BOSTON 2026 after confirming earlier this year that it would not participate in the international exhibition. The Crown corporation cited financial pressures and cost-cutting measures as the reason for its decision. The absence marked a significant change from previous world exhibitions, including...

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