The Universal Postal Union (UPU) has launched the new WNS app, making stamp identification easier, faster and more accessible than ever before. With a user-friendly interface and AI-supported image recognition, the application allows users to search and identify stamps registered in the WADP Numbering System (WNS) database.
The app, available for iOS and Android, grants access to nearly 120,000 officially issued stamps from nearly 200 UPU member countries and territories. As the only global stamp database based entirely on official data submitted by issuers themselves, the WNS plays a crucial role in protecting collectors and the global multi-billion-dollar philately market from counterfeiting.
The app’s development has led to broader enhancements of the WNS database. New metadata fields, including printing techniques, artists, engravers and issue quantities, are being added to enrich the collector’s experience. The UPU is also addressing historical gaps by allowing Posts to pre-register stamps issued between 1840 and 2001 via a dedicated platform.
The Boston 2026 World Expo Organizing Committee has chosen four prominent philatelists to form the exhibition’s Selection Advisory Committee. All are experienced gold medal exhibitors as well as APS national and FIP international jurors. They are:
· Darrell Ertzberger – Chairman of the American Philatelic Society (APS) Committee on Accreditation of National Exhibitions and Judges (CANEJ);
· Peter McCann – Past Board Member and President of the APS;
· James Mazepa – Past President of the Inter American Federation of Philately and Chair of the APS International Committee;
· Charles Verge – Past President of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada
They will be joined by the exhibition management and FIP Consultant Reinaldo Macedo to select the philatelic and literature exhibits, as well as advise on jury composition.
Boston 2026 was recently elevated to a General World Philatelic Exhibition by the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) under their Patronage. Exhibitors from around the world should be aware that applications from all FIP classes are now being accepted, including the Championship Class and the experimental First Day Cover class. The new IREX will be posted online shortly.
With a little under a year to go, the exhibition has already received hundreds of applications exclusively online through the Boston 2026 web site. The new committee will begin their work shortly after the deadline of September 30 for philatelic entries and January 30 for literature entries. Their sections should be finalized by 45 days afterwards.
Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at Boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to be added to the Boston 2026 email list and receive updates when available.
One of Serbia’s most prominent philatelists, Predrag Cuki Antić, has opened the exhibition “The Principality and Kingdom of Serbia” at the PTT Museum, showcasing his two most valuable collections.
Antić emphasised the importance of encouraging young philatelists to channel their research and passion for the hobby into exhibiting, as this is a way of preserving fragments of history and uncovering new details that might otherwise remain unknown.
The President of the Serbian Philatelists’ Association, Vladimir Milić, highlighted that Predrag Cuki Antić is one of the greatest philatelists Serbia has ever had and, without a doubt, the country’s finest exhibitor. Milić noted that Antić’s Classical Serbia collection, presented to the wider international audience through two exhibits – one on the Principality of Serbia and the other on the Kingdom of Serbia – essentially tells the story of the development of the Serbian postal service and, simultaneously, the evolution of the Serbian state.
The Director of the PTT Museum, Marko Jelić, thanked Antić for organising the exhibition, which stands as a testament to decades of collecting, as well as for his efforts – as a true patriot, in Jelić’s words – to repatriate the most significant and valuable philatelic items from the Principality and Kingdom of Serbia.
The exhibition is open until 25 June 2025. Entry is free.
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https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/antic-800.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2025-06-13 12:41:592025-06-13 12:41:59Predrag Cuki Antić’s “The Principality and Kingdom of Serbia” at the PTT Museum
AI meets philately: UPU launches global stamp identification app
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) has launched the new WNS app, making stamp identification easier, faster and more accessible than ever before. With a user-friendly interface and AI-supported image recognition, the application allows users to search and identify stamps registered in the WADP Numbering System (WNS) database.
The app, available for iOS and Android, grants access to nearly 120,000 officially issued stamps from nearly 200 UPU member countries and territories. As the only global stamp database based entirely on official data submitted by issuers themselves, the WNS plays a crucial role in protecting collectors and the global multi-billion-dollar philately market from counterfeiting.
The app’s development has led to broader enhancements of the WNS database. New metadata fields, including printing techniques, artists, engravers and issue quantities, are being added to enrich the collector’s experience. The UPU is also addressing historical gaps by allowing Posts to pre-register stamps issued between 1840 and 2001 via a dedicated platform.
Details: https://www.upu.int/en/press-release/2025/ai-meets-philately-upu-launches-global-stamp-identification-app
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BOSTON 2026 Exhibition Selection Appointees
The latest from BOSTON 2026:
The Boston 2026 World Expo Organizing Committee has chosen four prominent philatelists to form the exhibition’s Selection Advisory Committee. All are experienced gold medal exhibitors as well as APS national and FIP international jurors. They are:
· Darrell Ertzberger – Chairman of the American Philatelic Society (APS) Committee on Accreditation of National Exhibitions and Judges (CANEJ);
· Peter McCann – Past Board Member and President of the APS;
· James Mazepa – Past President of the Inter American Federation of Philately and Chair of the APS International Committee;
· Charles Verge – Past President of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada
They will be joined by the exhibition management and FIP Consultant Reinaldo Macedo to select the philatelic and literature exhibits, as well as advise on jury composition.
Boston 2026 was recently elevated to a General World Philatelic Exhibition by the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) under their Patronage. Exhibitors from around the world should be aware that applications from all FIP classes are now being accepted, including the Championship Class and the experimental First Day Cover class. The new IREX will be posted online shortly.
With a little under a year to go, the exhibition has already received hundreds of applications exclusively online through the Boston 2026 web site. The new committee will begin their work shortly after the deadline of September 30 for philatelic entries and January 30 for literature entries. Their sections should be finalized by 45 days afterwards.
Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at Boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to be added to the Boston 2026 email list and receive updates when available.
Thomas M. Fortunato
Boston 2026 Public Relations Chair
Tom.Fortunato@Boston2026.org
Read the press release here:
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/PR-2025-06-13-Selection-Committee-Appointees.pdf
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Predrag Cuki Antić’s “The Principality and Kingdom of Serbia” at the PTT Museum
One of Serbia’s most prominent philatelists, Predrag Cuki Antić, has opened the exhibition “The Principality and Kingdom of Serbia” at the PTT Museum, showcasing his two most valuable collections.
Antić emphasised the importance of encouraging young philatelists to channel their research and passion for the hobby into exhibiting, as this is a way of preserving fragments of history and uncovering new details that might otherwise remain unknown.
The President of the Serbian Philatelists’ Association, Vladimir Milić, highlighted that Predrag Cuki Antić is one of the greatest philatelists Serbia has ever had and, without a doubt, the country’s finest exhibitor. Milić noted that Antić’s Classical Serbia collection, presented to the wider international audience through two exhibits – one on the Principality of Serbia and the other on the Kingdom of Serbia – essentially tells the story of the development of the Serbian postal service and, simultaneously, the evolution of the Serbian state.
The Director of the PTT Museum, Marko Jelić, thanked Antić for organising the exhibition, which stands as a testament to decades of collecting, as well as for his efforts – as a true patriot, in Jelić’s words – to repatriate the most significant and valuable philatelic items from the Principality and Kingdom of Serbia.
The exhibition is open until 25 June 2025. Entry is free.
…