Trip to Boston and meeting the Canal Zone Study Group (CZSG) group in May 2026 (PART 1)

Slightly belated post on our Boston trip in late May.  The main reason was to meet members of a society I’ve belonged to for a few years. Sadly, one of the few remaining groups who still are actively studying Canal Zone postal history. Postcards play a smaller part, in their work however, I enjoy their quarterly magazines, and am proud to be a member of the society.

https://www.canalzonestudygroup.com/

I jumped at the chance to meet them when reading their planned attendance at  the 2026 Boston World Stamp Show that took place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Centre in May.  The group is a mine of information on Canal Zone history so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to catch up with people I’d never met face to face.

The CZSG folks met up on day one of the show, and I was privileged to present a small talk on that included my Panama postcard collecting journey and later production of my own cards.

To celebrate the Boston event, I’d designed and made a card to share with the assembled audience. Nobody has come back to me on the hidden message on the front (clue … read the flags), however it was well received by the guys, and people I met whist browsing the show itself. Took the opportunity to mail some cards back to the UK , to friends and family, taking advantage of the specialised USPS stand and team with their postal cancelations on offer every day of the show

Meeting the eminent Canal Panama historian Bradley G Wilde was a special treat. Brad has produced a raft of work on Canal philatelical history which includes postcards. He has co-written two wonderful volumes on postcards of Panama and the canal zone. The first with my old friend Robert (Bob) Karrer was my gateway into this hobby. 'Panama Patchwork Revisited: Maduros & their postcards'. A seminal reference book charting the thousands of postcards produced by the famous Maduro company. My well-thumbed signed copy is priceless.

A second volume 'A History in Postcards. Panama and the Canal Zone’ (produced by Robert Karrer/Bradley Wilde/Leo Wiznitzer/Vincente A Pascual is more recent (2023) and catalogues the trove of other postcards producers of Panama/Panama Canal postcards. It’s also beautifully illustrated in colour.

I'll list more info on both of the above on this website in the coming weeks

I took copies of both volumes to Boston for Brad Wilde to sign. A special day to meet the great man in person.

Brads kind words added to the ones from my old buddy Bob Karrer make the books take a special place on my bookshelf.

Inside cover of the Panama Patchwork book signed by Bob/Brad

Inside cover of the History in Postcards book signed by Bob/Brad

As for the show, well I can only describe it as the world cup of stamps and postal history. Dealers and representatives from countries worldwide. Postal administrations and society tables from Europe, Americas, Asia/Pacific, along with related exhibits. As I overheard at one lunch table, you can buy stamps here for $1 or $70,000  !

There was even a postcard fair as part of the event, so even more fun to be had !

Part 2 will talk more about the show, the review of it in the latest CZSG quarterly periodical and some other stuff we squeezed in on our trip.