Young Man's First Exhibit Wins Gold Medal

Alexander Haimann reports on the National Postal Museum blog that James Chenevert won a gold medal at the World Series of Philately Stamp Show in Boxborough, Massachusetts this past weekend for his exhibit Security Features of United States Postage Stamps 1974-2009

James (shown here with his with his Mentor Jeffrey Shapiro) is part of the American Philatelic Society's Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship (YPLF) and this was the first time he had competitively shown this exhibit.

According to Alex, "It was less than nine months ago that James began his year-long Fellowship and selected the Exhibitor Track. Under the guidance of his YPLF Mentor, Jeffrey Shapiro, James collected the necessary material, conducted research, designed his pages, mounted the exhibit and entered it into competition."

He goes on to say, "For years, many of the brightest and most energetic young collectors have found that, while they are welcomed into philately and encouraged to begin, there is no ready way for them to enter into and learn on a long-term basis from the world of organized philately — very much an adult world, and one that can appear cold, unreceptive, and intimidating to young people. The YPLF exists to break down that wall — to enable young people who already have shown a sustained interest in stamp collecting to have an enriching and dynamic experience with a specific aspect of the stamp hobby, selected by them in partnership with a series of adult mentors."

To read the entire post and see parts of James' exhibit, click here.